The fight to the death
The Black Rose Guard, the Clanbelle family's own private muscle, the drill sergeants of the Black Rose, they all scoop up kids each year from the slave pits of Staland City and the roamin' streets from all over, then put 'em through the wringer, day in and day out, using hardcore, sometimes downright brutal methods to shape 'em up! This boot camp from hell, usually draggin' on for ten to fifteen years, dependin' on how old the kids are, usually only sees about twenty to thirty percent of the same bunch makin' it through to the end.They're cullin' the herd, gettin' rid of all the dead weight.They're instillin' blind obedience in these kids from day one.They gotta make sure the Black Rose Guard members are ripped, lethal, and blindly loyal!Isemben, the head honcho of the Clanbelle posse, is cream of the crop in the Black Rose Guard.Years of blood, sweat, and tears have him convinced that his raison d'être is to shield the Black Rose dynasty, that the safety of the Black Rose heir is worth more than his own hide, and that the Black Rose heir's word is gospel.So, the second Isemben laid eyes on the escaped tree elf and half-cat girl, he didn't waste a second—drew his blade, hopped straight off the stairs, and went on the offensive!The girls, scramblin' to arm themselves with the fallen guards' weapons, never expected the guy to move so dang fast, losin' their edge in the blink of an eye.The half-cat gal might've stood a chance at keepin' pace with Isemben's beat, but with one of her tender tootsies already injured, all she could do was watch helplessly as her oppo