The Elementalists

I woke up to the sound of Blaze snoring. God, even when he was asleep he was still loud. Yawning, I stretched and got up, knowing that now that I was awake I wouldn't be able to get asleep. I looked around to see that everyone was still asleep. I smiled, finding it funny to see Ethan flailing around in his sleep. I yawned again and headed to the downstairs area of the inn we had found. Where Tom had gotten the money I had no idea, but it must've been a lot as the innkeepers eyes grew wide when he handed them the bag of cash.
  I went over to the chef and ordered myself some breakfast, which consisted of buttered toast and a glass of what I assumed to be orange juice. I grabbed a table and sat down, then quickly devoured a slice of my toast.
 "Someone seems hungry." A voice said.
 I turned to see Jasmine standing there with a drink, I think coffee, in her hands.
 "Yeah just a little bit." I gestured over at the chair across from me. "Wanna sit down?"
 She thanked me and took a seat, sipping her drink slowly. I took a bite of my toast as she started talking.
 "So that was a surprise last night huh. About Tom I mean."
 "Yeah sure was. I mean it's not like he had to hide it from us we wouldn't have cared."
 "You're right. As long as he's with us is all that matters."
 "True. Did you hear what he offered Ethan?"
 Jasmine nodded. "He offered to let him control order, right?"
 "Yeah that's right, and he refused."
 "That was a shocker. I wonder why he said no."
 "Probably because if he accepted then Tom wouldn't exist anymore. I mean, that's my guess."
 "Mhm. Sounds about right." She said after taking a sip of her drink. "Do you trust Ethan, Dark?"
 I finished the last bit of my food and nodded. "More than anyone. Why?"
 Jasmine looked around, then had a serious expression on her face.
 "Because I think... well I think we have a traitor."
 "What? Why do you think that?"
 Well because I find it odd how often we get attacked. It's like someone is telling Death exactly where we are." 
 I looked at her strangely before responding. "Jasmine you're being paranoid. Just because we get attacked doesn't mean that we have a traitor. There isn't even any evidence to suggest that they're Death's minions. To me they seem like random monsters."
 She sighed. "I guess you're right."
 At this moment Tom came up to us followed by the rest of the group, who were looking tired and groggy.
 "It seems you two are chatty this morning."
 I waved to all of them. "Yeah but we weren't talking about much. So what's the plan for today?"
 "Plan?"
 "Well yeah, the plan. Isn't the point of being out here to try and find our elemental weapons?"
 "Yes, yes. However if you've noticed, none of you are prepared for a fight. You don't even have armor."
 I looked around and noticed he was right. We weren't exactly battle ready.
 "Alright, so what do we do?"
 "I was thinking that we would look around the shops today and find something. Maybe new weapons or armor or just some food for the road."
 Blaze stifled a yawn. "Yeah that sounds good and all, but can I get some breakfast first?"

 It looked to be mid day as we walked out of the inn and onto the streets.
 Tom had given us each a bag of money to go spend. He said that he was going to go get some previsions for the journey and that we had to be back here in an hour. Blaze went with Jasmine, while Ethan went with Sapphire. I chose to go off and explore on my own. I made my way over to a small marketplace where several shops were arranged in a circle. I spotted what looked to be a blacksmith and walked over.
 "Hello there." I said smiling.
 "Oh hello, what can I do for you?" The blacksmith replied, waving at me with a clawed hand.
 "Well I'm looking for new weapons and possibly a set of armor."
 "You've come to the right place then. What's your weapon of choice?"
 I unsheathed my swords and placed them on the table.
 The blacksmith stroked his chin. "Ah, I see. A dual wielder. I may have a set of blades for you."
 He went to the back of his shop and came out carrying two sheathed short swords.
  "Tell me what you think." 
 I pulled one out of the scabbard. The blade was a polished silver which gleamed in the sunlight. It started thick at the base, but gradually began to narrow and curve a bit like a scimitar. The handle was a simple cross design, but was still beautiful. It was made out of some kind of black metal, and it was wrapped in a dark leather. The pommel held a white orb of some sort.
 "It's... beautiful." I said, losing myself in the silver blade.
 The blacksmith studied me for a moment. "You know a good weapon when you see one. That sword is made out of the strongest metal on the planet. It's unbreakable and will never dull or chip."
 "So then how much?"
 "The two together are seventy-five silver."
 I pulled out my bag to see it was filled with tons of silver coins. I grabbed a handful and a little more and gave it to the man.
 The smith counted it, handed me back some and then pocketed the rest.
 "Thank you for the purchase. Now, you said something about armor, did you not?"
 "Yeah I did. If it's possible I want something that is flexible and light, but also strong enough to protect me in a fight."
 "Yes I think I have something for you. Just give me a moment."
 About five minutes later I donned my new armor. It was a full body suit of black steel with a silver outlining to it. The blacksmith told me that it was made to be protective but it also let me move around as if I were wearing normal clothes. He also apologized, saying that there were no helmets but I told him it was okay as a helmet would just obstruct my view. I thanked him, payed him for the armor and walked away.
 The other shops were nice, but had nothing I wanted, so I was going to leave the area but then saw a forest. It had black trees and purple grass, which instantly reminded me of the forest I grew up in. I hesitated, knowing that the others were probably waiting for me, but I had to go check it out.
 I walked through the path, listening to the animals and noticing that the sun seemed to vanish as the forest grew darker. I didn't know what I expected to find in here, but the forest seemed to calm me and ease any worries I had. I looked down to see a black rose. I bent down to pick it up, being careful of the thorns. It was beautiful and delicate. A perfect apology gift for Jasmine. I took out my bag of money and gently put the rose in, being careful not to damage it. I smiled. She was going to love it.
 Just then I heard a rustle in the bushes beside me. As soon as I turned one of the wolf beasts from before jumped at me, giving me no time to react. Luckily I didn't have to, as something dug itself into it's skull. I stepped out of the way as it's body fell to the ground, limp and still. A thump behind me turned my attention back to whoever threw the weapon. Getting up off the ground was a boy who looked to be my age, if not a little older. He had spiky black hair with blood blood red tips which seemed to stick up into several different directions. His red eyes seemed to be looking straight into my soul and he smiled, revealing a row of white teeth with what looked to be a few fangs. He was dressed in black and red leather armor which covered his whole body, except for his arms. That's when I saw his crimson and dark green scales, much like a snake going up his arms. A snake tail also swayed behind him, splitting into two at the end.
 "That was a close one." He said, his voice not rough, but not quite smooth either. "You okay?"
 "Y-yeah." I said, still a little bit shocked.
 "Why are you alone in the woods?"
 "I was just taking a walk. Clearly, that's not safe."
 "No, it's not." The boy crossed his arms. "I'm Seth by the way. Who are you?"
 "M-my name is Dark."
 "Dark? Weird name, but hey I don't judge." Seth put his hands up. "Wanna see something cool?"
 I looked behind me at the entrance of the forest. "I should probably be heading back now."
 "Alright, your loss." With that, he began to walk away.
 "W-wait. What is it?"
 Seth just grinned at me.