Chapter 83 - Sparks of Hope

Jakob's eyes immediately landed on the figure with azure hair and eyes as cold as winter, dressed in an unusual garb that Jakob had never seen before but seemed to suit her perfectly. She stood neat the king and seemed to radiate a power unlike any he'd ever felt. For a moment Jakob felt the air grow cold, but it passed quickly, leaving him unsure if it was just a cold breeze or her. His eyes moved away from her onto the others, which were just as shocking,

The women with golden hair and the eyes of a beast, the warrior of bones, the flying dragon-looking creature, and the other, with ivory skin and a face that looked to be from the stuff of nightmares. There were others as well, but before he could get a good look the king began to speak once more and Jakob's eyes quickly moved to the king, not wanting to miss anything.

"Now, I will introduce them one by one and tell you what they shall be doing for our kingdom. First, let us begin with the Royal Huntsmen"

The king snapped his fingers and two moved to the edge of the balcony while the flying drake landed on its railings, which seemed to strain and groan under its weight.

"Allow me to introduce you to the Royal Huntsmen. These three will be hunting within the kingdom. Hunting what you ask? Those who wish us harm, the criminals, bandits, slavers, and dangerous creatures which threaten our roads, towns, and villages. This entire kingdom will be protected, not just specific areas. You are all people of Larra and as such should feel safe within our lands."

Jakob had to gulp at the thought of getting hunted by any of the three, though the smaller one didn't look anywhere near as dangerous as the ivory nightmare or scarlet drake, though if it was beside them then it was probably just as dangerous. Jakob felt it once again, as he glanced around himself, sparks of something beginning within the people, growing brighter.

After a minute of allowing the people to get a look at the new Royal Huntsmen, the king snapped his fingers once more and the three stepped back and were replaced by four.

"Next are the Royal investigators. It will be their job to root out the evil and criminal elements within this kingdom. The underworld that plagues our towns and cities. The bad eggs which poison the batch. To get rid of those who cause trouble in towns and villages. To increase the safety of the people and stop the bad. Trust me when I say this, the four you see in front of you are no joke. To all those who scoff or think nothing of this, remember my words when you're staring into one of their faces."

Jakob moved his gaze over them, and despite himself, he couldn't help but linger on the three women. They were very beautiful, and if what the king said was to be believed, dangerous and Jakob did believe it, especially the woman with the golden hair. Her eyes said it all, and the women with the pointy that had a look of smugness and self-assurance that only those with power had.

The king snapped his fingers once more, and the four were replaced by two.

"Next is my personal bodyguard, I don't think I need to tell you why it would be a bad idea to anger her or face her."

Jakob kept his eyes away from the bone warrior. Its eyes were like bottomless pits and he felt an echo of something within himself whenever he looked into them, as though it was human in some way. It couldn't be hough, could it?

He shook the thoughts away and turned back to the king as he introduced the next.

"And here we have my new high general, Esdeath. Do not be fooled by her beauty, out of all of which you see, she is the most dangerous. Of course, that includes the green giant and the others which I did not mention. You shall be seeing more of them and though they do not have official titles yet, they too will be very beneficial to this kingdom."

Jakob was only surprised for a moment that she was the new high general then he remembered the cold feeling and another chill seemed to pass over everyone as he could see people close by shiver. There was also the fact that he'd said she was the most dangerous, even more so than the gree giant which looked like he could tear the palace down.

Just how powerful was she?

Jakob didn't bother trying to guess, he'd never really seen much of mages or kords, instead, he focused back on the king.

The king smiled. "With that said, I once again reiterate my early point.s Changes will come and this time you will not be alone. I do not ask for your trust yet, I ask for a chance. Allow me to help you."

The king raised his hand as a fist and roared. "FOR THIS KINGDOM AND ITS PEOPLE!!! FOR LARRA!!"

Jakob knew then, what the sparks were and as the crowd roared in response and cheers sounded, for the first time in a long time, Jakob smiled as sparks of hope relit the flame of Larra.