High Bishop Mikael's house was a stately manor with manicured gardens and fountains constantly running throughout the year. If one ever so happenly gazed into his garden one would find not a single leaf out of place. As was so on the inside which was kept in tip top shape by the various third class citizens he bought or managed to coerce into serving him. Especially a boy, named Griffith, who was eighteen years old and was locking the house up for the night. He was one of the serving boys to High Bishop Mikael and endured the constant ridicule and the daily whips he received for taking one small misstep. He was strong however, by managing to bottle up all of his anger and letting it out when he went to the secret People's Liberation meetings.

After he had put away all of the crystal and had changed into his casual clothing, he went down to the cellars to meet up with the rest of his co-workers. Juno, who was a male kobold, and Isold, who was a female elf, were waiting patiently by a cabinet full of wine.

"It's about time you showed up", Isold flashed a joking smile at Griffith.

"You know we always have to keep the Bishop happy."

"Soon we won't have to think about that anymore." She moved away from the wall and faced Griffith, showing off her lithe body and brilliant evergreen eyes. Her Elven ears were sharp and pointed outwards with her bronze hair rolled into a messy bun. Griffith admired her sharp and witty comments that she made every now and then and her sensitive side when he came down with a serious illness.

"It's not like he's that bad, you guys," suggested Juno. Juno was always frightful of Mikael ever finding out that they had discovered a secret passageway in his cellar that led out to the streets of Crystal Valley. Both Isold and Griffith shook their heads. Juno was the nice one of the trio who always kept optimistic. Even when he received the lashings of the day, he never allowed a frown adorn his face.

"Juno, stop worrying. He's gone, I made sure of it myself." Griffith had watched Mikael leave with his right hand man, Lucius, for the Induction ceremony an hour earlier. He waited a good thirty minutes to see if Lucius had snuck back into the manor to spy on what everyone was doing. These spontaneous happenings had been occurring more frequently ever since riots had been breaking out in the city.

"Besides, if we don't move quickly we just might bump into old Lucius," claimed Griffith. Isold clenched her fist at the name of Lucius.

"Let's go then." Everyone followed Isold through the short tunnel. They all reached the end where it led out to a small alleyway beside a pub and a residential area. From there the three went their separate ways to reach the destination of the old, dome shaped temple that was secluded in a culdesac on the far edge of town. Once they reached it, they went down into the basement where they saw hundreds of third class citizens of all kinds, smushed together awaiting their leader's arrival. The three tried to get as close to the front as possible. Griffith and Isold were fierce supporters of the movement and had admired their leader every time he spoke.

"It's about time we made it," said Isold as she tightened her headband behind her Elven ears.

"We're even closer than the last time!" Juno eyed everyone happily as he was finally settling in and feeling safe amongst his kin.

"That's the point. This time if he asks for volunteers, I will be the first one to raise my hand and hopefully he will pick me." Griffith's blood boiled with excitement. Tonight was the night that they were going to plan their big move. Juno fidgeted as they waited and Isold calmly watched the people.

Everyone quieted as they heard a door open. A couple of heavy footsteps came their way and towards the false stage that was setup at the front. A man dressed in dark, casual attire graced the audience. He sported a scar across his left eye and another on his chin. He was none other than, Harook, the sole survivor of the decimated Safir Clan from the Grasslands and member of the Howling Voice Guild. Griffith and Isold regarded him with a look of pride and adoration. He stood at 5'8" and had platinum blonde hair with the palest of grey eyes in existence. He definitely looked exotic and was well disliked for it by the aristocrats of the empire.

"Brothers and Sisters!" Everyone in the room was glued to his figure.

"Tonight is the night when one our own has made it in to the circle and from this day forward, we will be making a new future for our children where they won't have to put their heads down and be afraid of their have come into a new age and we will make the best there ever was!"

The crowd roared in agreement. Everyone knew of Lady Wistaria's contribution to the People's Movement in the past couple of months and felt that maybe there was a sliver of hope.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered in unison. They all believed that this was their time.

"But with all of her efforts, we still may not succeed in our goals."

The crowd died as the words left his lips.

"The Bishops of Harmonia are stubborn and they need that extra push. How many times have we pleaded and got down on our hands and knees and let our pain bleed in to these streets? We have done it peacefully, we have had messengers that tried to negotiate. But where did it get us? Nowhere. And tonight is the night where I need volunteers to hatch our next plan."

Instantly hands shot through the air. These men and women were aware of the riots and mobs that were created in the past. Some were peaceful and others turned violent. All in all, the message was the same. Griffith was eager to have his turn and support the cause. Even if it mean his life.

"Let's see." Harook looked around the crowd and settled on the spot where Griffith was standing. Griffith was adamantly looking straight at Harook, daring him to skip over his hand and to move onto some weaker soul. But he wasn't.

"You. I need one with as much fire as you. Will you, Brother, take on whatever task the People's movement needs you to commit and make sure that you can complete it with no questions asked?" Harook gazed fiercely into Griffiths' eyes.

Griffith replied, "Yes, Brother. I will follow you until I see our hands unbound!"

"Yeah!" The crowd roared and Isold slapped him in the back. Juno howled in unison with other Kobolds and Harook smiled proudly at his loyal follower.

"Anyone else wants to follow in the steps of our faithful Brother here?"

A couple more hands raised along with Isold and Harook finally settled with his new players in this dangerous game.

"Everyone that has been chosen, please meet me and my fellow leaders to the back of the room. Everyone else can go home and rest. You have all played your part here tonight."

The rest of the people moved out, saying their last goodbyes to one another. Juno decided to wait for Griffith and Isold by the entrance until he was done. After all, they all served the same master.

Harook took his volunteers to the deepest chambers of the abandoned temple. The room was squat and square with a few maps of the Harmonian Kingdom and a small table in the center. Harook took center stage once again by standing in the middle of the table and everybody gathering around him. He laid out a local map of the Crystal Valley for everyone to see. Griffith saw red dots marking important locations within the city. He thought that they were the marked spots for riots and protests to occur but he hadn't remember seeing many in certain locations.

"Everyone, I know I said that now that we have a connection within the Bishop circle that we may get them to listen. I am afraid to say that it still may not guarantee us a chance to be heard. With that in mind, we have to make a stand, and when I say that I mean that we do something that they will never forget."

The room quieted, eyes darted to one another and even some brave people took on gray masks and began to question what it was they volunteered for. Griffith stood stock still, awaiting to hear the inevitable plan that was going to consume his life. Harook was known for his somewhat violent actions and protests but always had good cause to do so. He always reminded his followers of the pain that everyone in the room had endured and tonight was no different. This was a move that was either going to make them or break them.
Harook continued to speak. "We all know that inventors are constantly on the move to make the next big thing. Has everyone heard of the new rune grenades?"

A couple of gasps escaped the peoples' mouths. Before anyone could say anything, Harook added, "The whole point of these grenades is to make an example. Once we place the image of what their cruelty and injustice has done to us then can we get them to hear our demands."

"But Harook, how can we stoop as low as violence when all they will do is just create stricter laws against us. We can't rush things like this! You're only acting like them when they ravaged through our homelands. How dare you!"

"The time to act is now! Don't you see? While our connection prods and pushes them in our direction, our move will show them what they are in for if they don't give in. If we never go to the extreme then we will never get stronger! This forsaken Empire has went to the extreme all throughout their heyday and now it's our turn to take back what was once ours."
The outspoken woman shook her head is sadness. She was dismayed in the choice but heard what he said. There had to be a push and pull, an ebb and flow, that yin and yang that made the world go round. Still she felt unsettled by this feeling but quieted her them. Griffith understood what everybody was feeling but he too knew deep down inside that he wanted to unleash his anger in a fiery fury of hell that would raze the Harmonians to the core and the only way to do that was through main extremes such as grenades. He looked at Isold who solemnly agreed with Harook's decision. Mentally they were all preparing their nooses, ready to jump off at any given moment.