Author's Note: Once again, I must apologize for taking ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR on writing one damn chapter! But as some may know, I took a break from this to begin my second story "Fallout 3: The Road To Reconstruction". It's coming along great, but I feel like it would be better (and alot more fun) to write multiple stories at once.

Chapter 5 - Costly Mistakes

It seemed to last an eternity before the sun would rise into the morning sky once again. As light began to seep through the glass and fill his room, Calonos slowly opened his eyes and sat up on the side of his bed. He stretched for the ceiling before standing up to look out the window.

The rain had finally ceased and mud was present in tiny, scattered puddles. Moonbrook's residents had already parted from the comforts of their slumber and were out and about. I need to find Reide, Calonos thought as he slipped on his tunic and leather shoes, heading downstairs.

The fire had died out and the firewood was reduced to nothing but a pile of ash. The warming glow of the flames were not needed, however, for the light from outside bled brightly through the windows. The inn was much more crowded than it was the night before, but that only meant more and more business for Telras. Everyone turned to the stairs once they noticed Calonos and cheered.

"Well, look who's finally up!" a voice climbed above the crowd. "Calonos, what kept you? I came here looking for you both last night, but Telras told me that you'd already lulled off to your sleep!" It was an old friend of Calonos and Reide, Alvarin, a priest who they both met during their training in Stormwind. A set of iron colored hair perched on his head. "Dear boy, it's been awhile, hasn't it?"

A smile swept across Calonos' face, "Alvarin! It's great to see you gain, my friend. What brings you all the way to Moonbrook?" He grasped the old man's hand and shook.

The man shrugged, "What? I have to have a reason to come say hello?" A silence pervaded between the two. Calonos fed the quiet with nothing more than a smile and a raised eyebrow.

Before too long, Alvarin surrendered and laughed. He playfully shrugged again, "yes, it's good to see you, too. D'you know where your brother is?"

Calonos shook his head, "no, I was just getting ready to go look for him. Perhaps you would care to join me?"

"Of course," Alvarin smiled, "I'm looking forward to seeing the boy again."

The patrons in the tavern continued to sip all of their troubles, their worries, away as Calonos and the holy man weaved their way past the labrynth of tables dotted with cups, chairs, and legs.

Activity outside was just as lively as it was inside. From children playing by the fountain to the people out for a nice stroll, they stationed themselves across Moonbrook's landscape. Calonos' shoes tapped on the stone path as his eyes shifted to and fro, failing to detect anything out of the expected. He turned to Alvarin, "I need to get my horse. Come with me."

The old man followed as Calonos waved down the stablemaster who turned and smiled, knowing exactly what Calonos wanted. He jerked his head towards the stable, "she's inside. The harness is on the table"

"Thanks," Calonos nodded, poking his head inside the stables. There she stood, staring at a pile of golden hay, Valor. The mare remained as beautiful as she was the day Calonos recieved her. He made sure to take care of her to the best of his abilities, ensuring superb health and happiness... even if the world was turning upside down.

Calonos recalled the happiness he felt forging a bond with the special kind of friendship he and Valor possessed. They had been through everything together as she carried him into battle dozens of times under the Alliance's banner. Despite having to adapt to and suffer through Verkus and his actions, Calonos felt that their time would come soon again. The time to ride in the name of what was trully right would reveal itself once more.

"It's been quite some time since I last saw her, as well," Alvarin chuckled.

"Heh. Nothing's changed. She's still the same since you last saw her," Calonos assured, fetching the equipment.

"The girl still has that ol' charm to her, doesn't she?"

"Absolutely," he smiled. Valor gave a small grunt as Calonos latched the harness across her back. "Shh...it's alright," he patted her, his voice filled with kindness. With a single kick in the air, Calonos swung himself around and mounted the mare. "Shall we go?" There was no response from the old man. "Alvarin?" Calonos tried again. Still no answer. Calonos could now feel an uneasyness that infected the atmosphere.

Alvarin could not retreat his eyes from the unknown activity brewing off in the distance. "By the Light..." was the only response he could muster, burried under his breath.

Calonos knew that this wasn't the behavior Alvarin normaly expressed. No ammount of positive doubt could shroud the fact that something was wrong. "Alvarin, my friend, what's the mat-" disbelief denied Calonos a complete sentence. His gaze intertwined with Alvarin's, both men now observing the death that sprouted from the distance. A mixture of a patch of orange flames and blackened clouds of smoke erupted from Sentinel Hill's tower and the area puddled around it. Faint sounds, too muffled to decipher, ignited the scene. A long and drawn-out, "Oh no..." was the only response he could muster.

Screams and shouts popullated the town square at this point. Citizens aquired the similar feelings of terror watching the smoke expand higher and higher.

It appeared that nothing could avert a soul's attention from such a horrific spectacle, but two seemlingly ajoined dots broke away and dripped down the hill. "We have to help them," Calonos pushed, "get on."

Without even thinking, the priest held out his hand and Calonos yanked him onto the horse. "Hyah," Calonos grunted, digging his shoes into Valor's sides. She cried out and sped off with the wind. Calonos had to navigate his way through the clearing the hordes of panicing people attempted to create for him. As Valor's hooves smashed the stone road, the company made their way closer and closer as the two dots became clearer and clearer. It was Theldin, supporting an injured Reide.

Calonos frantically flailed his hand in a desperate attempt to grasp their focus. He called out to them, "Reide! Theldin! Over here!"

"What? Calonos, is that you?" Theldin replied. He sighed in relief, picking up the pace but not too much to hurt Reide further.

The two groups met in the middle of the field and Calonos' heart fell down to his boots at the sight of blood staining the armor on his brother's chest. "Thank goodness you both made it out of there," he started, "what the hell happened?"

"Calonos...it's Verkus. He's finally lost it and is burning all of Sentinel Hill to the ground. He knows!"

The feeling of despair stabbed the fallen captain, his eyes wide open. "No... it can't be!"

"I'm afraid so, and now his forces are heading straight for their next target: Moonbrook. We have to get these people out of here as soon as possible!"

"No, we have to help any of the survivors back at the Hi-"

"Have you lost your mind as well, Calonos? They're all dead! It's a miracle that we got of there alive! This is no time to play hero."

He had suffered through many defeats in his past, but none of them were as crippling to Calonos as this. The thought that even more would die by Verkus' hand because of his error would burn into his thoughts like venom. None of the four could stomach leaving those people to their fate but in the end, Calonos gave in. "You're right," he sighed, "Reide's in no condition to fight. We need to round up these people and get them out of here while we ca-"

"It's just a scratch!" Reide intruded. "I can hold my own!"

"A scratch? Do you see how much your bleeding? Alvarin, take Valor and get Reide back to-"

"I've had worse, damnit!"

"This isn't the time, you two!" Theldin reminded them. "Reide, get on the horse!"

Alvarin took over the reins and Calonos hopped off and rushed to help his brother. Pain sliced deeper into Reide's stomach and with help, he limped to Valor's side in reluctance. The young paladin knew they were right and there was no sense in challenging them further. Theldin and Calonos hoisted him onto the horse. Once his balance was secure Calonos ordered, "go! We'll join you soon."

The horse took off for Moonbrook with the with the holy men, leaving Calonos and Theldin on foot.

Calonos turned to Theldin after confirming they were at a safe distance. "How many were there?"

"Too many before you get the idea of fighting them off. But where the hell are we going to get all these people?"

"We need to head south, to Stranglethorn Vale. It's our only chance."

Theldin was shocked at the suggestion. "Stranglethorn? We'll die in those jungles! There has to be-"

"We're going to die here if we don't move! I say we curve around the Dagger Hills and head for the Westfall Lighthouse. We should find enough boats to get us across the sea. If we hug the mountains south of the Lighthouse, we can cut into the jungle after about a day's ride. From there, we need to keep heading down all the way to Booty Bay. It will give us time to plan our next move."

Theldin could do nothing more than sigh. "As absurd as that sounds, I'm going to have to agree. Verkus controls almost all of the northern regions of the Eastern Kingdoms now. We need to get as far away from his influence as possible."

Calonos looked back to the burning tower, thinking. The smoke had nearly depleated all the color from the sky. Death's haze was spreading rapidly. "How long do you think we have to get out of here?"

Theldin glanced at the devastation housed over the hills. "I'd say we have about an hour and a half to leave before they do what they did to Sentinel Hill to Moonbrook."