Wow, it has been a while eh guys? We are so sorry! We have all been very busy over tha last months, what with some of us at university and some of us working. Things are about to change though, summer is here and the time to finish this story is upon us, so enjoy our latest addition chapter 10!
Chapter 10 – Investigation of Curiosity
"A map of the area has been given to Kaska. Everything is fine at the wall so far, now it is only a matter of time until..." The man suddenly broke off. He looked like a very battle worn soldier; he was wearing red leather armour, brown slacks and boots. He had an eye patch over his left eye and had a small knife attached to his right leg in case he was unarmed. The man also had a bow and quiver on his back as precaution in case Charr were to attack without warning.
"Let's hope that nothing happens yet, we need to get the civilians out of Ascalon and to Kryta." Said Prince Rurik, pacing back and forth.
"We still have time to take out the Charr that are massing to the west of the wall!" The man said.
"Tydus we can't risk leaving the city unprotected…" Rurik began, but was cut off by the arrival of another soldier.
"Warmaster Tydus." The soldier called, he then bowed to both of the men.
"What is it?" Tydus said in annoyance.
The soldier handed him back the map that he had given to Kaska to look at. Tydus's eyes widened.
"What is the meaning of this?" He said loudly.
"Zurik wanted me to give you this and a message…" The soldier began, but was hesitant to continue.
Prince Rurik noticed this. "Please continue." He prompted.
The soldier looked at the Prince and then back at Tydus. The soldier took a deep breath and continued with the message.
"Zurik wanted me to ask you for permission to take a small group to go and investigate north of the wall, to scout for the Charr…"
"And she has it, a very good idea of hers for once." Warmaster Tydus thought.
"You may leave." Rurik said, pleasantly.
The soldier remained where he was. Tydus Looked, at him, confused and annoyed.
"You may leave." Tydus said, his voice full of authority.
The soldier shifted from side to side but still did not move.
"What is wrong?" Asked Prince Rurik.
The soldier turned to his Prince. "Sire, she wants to take the small group to a different location… not the one that has been pin pointed on the map."
"What!" Tydus shouted.
"Where is Kaska Zurik now?" Asked Rurik, placing a hand on Tydus' shoulder to try and calm him down.
"She is on the wall." The soldier replied quickly.
"Then let us go to her and find out why she wants to send the party to a different area." Said the Prince in a calm voice.
The soldier nodded and led the way to the wall.
"So Kaska…where have you been for the last two years." Asked Carrie.
They were all positioned just outside the north wall. Walking and talking as they searched the area for…what…they did not know.
"Oh you know… here, there and everywhere." Kaska laughed.
Kaska was preoccupied with her current scouting mission, and of course, the laughable thought of outwitting Tydus' war strategy.
"A bit more specific if you please?" Blaze argued for everyone else.
"Fine! I was stationed at the wall for two years…nothing glamorous like you guys." Kaska replied in irritation, her eyes flashing.
"Easy Kaska no need to bite Blazes head off." Laughed Seregei.
Kaska waved an apologetic hand.
"So this new location… What makes you so sure about it?" Carrie asked, intrigued.
"Call it a hunch." Kaska said, simply.
They said no more on the subject after that. Blaze was pacing, he was thinking about how evasive Kaska had sounded when they asked her about her post for the past two years. He did not think she was being entirely truthful. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he walked right into Kaska.
"Sorry." He said quickly.
"It's fine Blaze." She replied, carelessly. She was staring at the floor, looking at something the others obviously couldn't see.
"What is it Kaska?" Carrie asked as she walked up to her and Blaze with Seregei right behind her.
Kaska kneeled down to take a closer look at the ground.
"These are Charr tracks." She spoke without addressing anyone.
"What?" Blaze, Seregei and Carrie exclaimed at the same time.
They all looked at the ground around Kaska and saw a print in the dead earth, but they couldn't recognize it.
"How do you know Kaska?" Asked Seregei.
"I have been on the wall for two years, I recognise a Charr track thank you very much!" She sounded irritable.
"Ok then, where are they heading, which direction." Carrie said.
She considered the tracks. "I would say north west…strange… they look fresh, less than a day old…"
Before anyone could reply, she had got to her feet and started striding away from them. The others, knowing Kaska, followed her.
"Where is Kaska Zurik!" Warmaster Tydus screamed at the soldier that lead them to the wall and the table where Kaska had previous been looking at the map.
"I…I…I don't know…she was here when I left." The soldier stuttered.
"Well she isn't here now is she!" Tydus shouted so loudly the soldier winced.
"No sir, sorry sir." The soldier replied in an undertone.
"When I find that girl…" Tydus began, but was cut off by the arrival of another soldier.
"Warmaster Tydus, Prince Rurik. I heard that you were looking for Kaska Zurik, but she has already left on a scouting trip with three other people." The soldier announced to everyone.
There was a shocked silence.
"Why did you let her leave the wall without permission from me or Warmaster Tydus?" Asked the Prince calmly.
The soldier looked puzzled. "That can't be right sire, she said that she had permission to leave the wall and go scouting the north of here for any Charr."
"Who supposedly gave her permission to do this, soldier?" The princes voice was still calm.
"She said that she had her permission given to her by Warmaster Tydus…" The soldier began.
"I told her no such thing! When did she leave?" He sounded furious.
"About one hour ago, sir."
Prince Rurik looked at the seething Tydus who was trying to control his rage and failing at it badly.
"We will wait here until she returns and listen to what she has to report from this scouting mission." Prince Rurik announced.
"But sire…" Warmaster Tydus began.
"She will then be punished for disobeying an order…will that satisfy you Tydus?" Prince Rurik asked in a rough and commanding voice that quite clearly ended the matter.
"No sire." Replied Tydus in defeat.
"Very well, prepare for her arrival and come find me when she returns so that I may speak with her about this in private." Price Rurik ordered.
"Yes my Prince." Both of the soldiers replied and hurried to get other soldiers.
"Hmm…this is really interesting." Said a ranger that had heard the shouting.
Maybe Bonfaaz will find this bit of information interesting enough for a bonus. The ranger thought as he began running from the exit towards the north west.
"Come on guys hurry up." Kaska yelled over her shoulder at Blaze, Carrie and Seregei who were falling behind.
"You act as though there is an immediate invasion threat." Said a mocking Seregei.
"Don't mock those kinds of things Seregei; luck has a way of leaving at the moment you want to remain hidden to the enemy." Carrie replied in a serious tone.
"Again… aren't you a little ray of sunshine." Seregei retorted back at Carrie.
"Stop! Do you guys hear that?" Blaze said coming to a halt and listening intently. It sounded like snarling, yet much too low in pitch to be charr.
"It came from over there." Blaze pointed straight ahead of them.
"Perfect…" Kaska laughed so sinisterly, it made the hairs on Blaze's neck stand up.
All of them ran in the direction of the noise. They got so close to the source it was almost deafening. They saw a terrible battle taking place between Grawls and Gargoyles about 50 feet away, most were in a large ford.
Carrie was watching and thought that it would be faster and safer if she took the entire group in the water out, just as her eyes were turning a small tint of yellow Kaska came over and grabbed onto Carrie, making her lose concentration.
"Kaska what are you doing?" Carrie asked in a strangled whisper.
"There is no point in using energy on those guys." Kaska replied calmly still watching the battle that was before them with a glint in her eye.
"Why?" Carrie asked still angry with Kaska for interrupting her.
"Because these guys are fighting each other for this territory." Kaska responded as if it was common knowledge. "These guys are constantly warring against each other, I've seen too much of it over the past two years, just leave them too it for now…"
"Should we move on or wait until they have killed each other to move on." Blaze asked.
"I say we wait and see…" Kaska replied.
Blaze suddenly saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He turned suddenly to locate whatever it was.
"What is it Blaze?" Seregei asked as he sat on the ground to watch the fight that was in front of them, keeping his weapon ready just in case it did call for them to step in.
"I don't know…might have been my imagination." Blaze responded.
That was close. The ranger thought as Blaze turned his back on where the ranger had been only moments before.
The ranger was thankful that Kaska had said that they would wait which gave the ranger more time to get around them.
The ranger started slinking his way around the ford and the battle, then started running in the direction on the Charr camp.
"How many now?" Bonfaaz asked Garfaaz in a growl.
"We have 1000 strong on the way." Bloodfang replied.
"Good…those humans will fall soon and then we can feast like kings." Bonfaaz laughed.
"Sir." Garfaaz looked into the distance.
"What?" Bonfaaz roared.
"The informant." He pointed into the distance.
"Let's hear what he has to say, he might have something important on the humans that will help us."
They watched him run towards them, panting.
"Bonfaaz I have news that will make you the happiest Charr in the world." The ranger said proudly.
"Oh really… and what would that be." Bonfaaz asked with a hint of interest in his voice.
"That there is a small group that is investigating the where about of all your Charr gathering and they are almost here."
"And why would this bit of information thrill me into keeping you alive?" Asked Bonfaaz, laughing.
"Because of the party leader…"
"And who might this be?"
"The very same human that killed your captain, two years ago." The ranger said smugly.
There was a roar of rage from the surrounding Charr.
"What is that humans name, so I know the name of whom I am about to kill." Bonfaaz roared in anger at the ranger.
"Kaska Zurik." The ranger replied calmly.
"HAHAHAHA…prepare to move out, I want that humans head!" Bonfaaz ordered.
"Where is she now?" Bonfaaz asked with vengeance and bloodshed on his mind.
"She is right now watching a fight for territory between the Grawl and Gargoyles at the river bed not too far from here."
"Garfaaz, lead the way, I want to smell the stench of fear on her pathetic human skin before we slaughter her."
"Yes sir."
The fight for territory had turned into a bloodbath, which didn't faze any of them even when they saw the little water left in the river turn red. They had just watched a Gargoyle slice off a Grawl's head with its own sharp finger nails. Both sides had lost numbers and most of the blood that the river had obtained came from them.
"I'm getting bored." Kaska said to no-one in particular.
Carrie got to her feet. Kaska, thinking that she was about to run in and join the fight, got up too. However when she made a move, blaze grabbed her. She looked at him, angry and confused.
A bolt of brilliantly white lightning struck the middle of the ford, frying all that were in it.
"You know you could have told me instead of letting me run and almost kill myself." Kaska replied with anger in her voice towards Carrie as Blaze set her on the ground.
"Not my fault that you rush into things." Carrie said calmly.
Before Kaska had the chance to walk up to Carrie the leftovers from the battle were heading their way. "Let's just finish this and get going before I do something that I might regret."
There were so few left that the battle was hardly taxing. Kaska took out two gargoyles with ease, slicing ones head off and impaling the other through the heart. The elementalists worked their sorcery on the surrounding rocks, stabbing the enemy with razor sharp dagger like stones.
Seregei had just performed a rather nasty curse on a grawl, making its flesh rot. Kaska was distracted, watching the progress of the curse, and paid for her lack of attention to the battle with a warhammer straight to the back of the head.
"Argh!" She fell forwards, feeling the gentle trickle of blood down her neck.
"Kaska!" Seregei yelled.
Blaze in one quick motion set the Grawl on fire while Carrie finished it off with an ice spear to the heart.
"Kaska are you alright!" Seregei shouted.
"Yes…! Geez you're giving me a headache…" Kaska complained.
"Thank Grenth." Seregei said with a sigh.
"Don't you mean thank Dwayna?" Blaze asked with a smile.
"Let's just get moving…Blaze, can you see what you can do with this?" She gestured at her head.
Blaze came over and looked at the wound. He touched it lightly with one finger, and muttered something Kaska did not understand. She felt sudden warmth on the back of her head, then a sudden cold, then nothing. The spell had done its job.
"How is resurrecting without the signet ring coming along, can you do it yet?" Kaska asked, feeling the back of her head gingerly.
"Yes I can, but it takes a lot of energy to do so for beginners like me." Blaze said in a matter of fact tone.
"Good to know." Was all that Kaska said.
Blaze then went to heal her arm, which had a deep gash on it, when Kaska made a sudden movement. "What is it Kaska?"
They all looked to the distant hills. Even from this far, there was no mistaking the terrible outline of Bonfaaz Burntfur.
"How did he find us?" Carrie yelled with fear on her voice, which she was trying to console.
"I don't know." Was the reply by both Blaze and Seregei.
Kaska was walking backwards away from the Charr, her swords still out, gripped very tightly.
An army…A huge army of at least two thousand were gathered on the hills, and a sizeable amount of them had broken away, charging straight for them.
"Run!" Kaska roared and started running as fast as she could back towards the wall. Seregei followed.
"Carrie, come on." Blaze yelled as he grabbed onto her and started to run with her, but she managed to freeze the water with a few of the Charr in it before her eye contact was pulled away.
"Just run." Blaze screamed at her.
Blaze and Carrie managed to catch up with Kaska and Seregei by having the wind on their side. But every time they looked over their shoulders the Charr seemed to be gaining. For what seemed like an hour they ran and even with the help of the wind the Charr had managed to stay with them. Blaze could almost feel the Charr's rotten breathe on his neck.
"We are almost there." Seregei shouted over his shoulder. Blaze looked forward and saw the bridge that lead to the front of the wall.
Blaze let a smile come to his face, but it was quickly wiped off as a five Charr appeared out of nowhere and almost sliced Kaska's head off. Kaska, with unnatural reflex's, slid under the Charr's axe on her knees.
Blaze, still running, held out his hand and cried. "Terra Claustrum!"
The earth around the Charr's feet suddenly engulfed their legs in what must have been a horrible grip. They couldn't move an inch. Blaze felt exhausted from the effort of the spell, yet kept running.
They had made it across the bridge. Kaska however, was only half way across. The pursuing Charr were a fair distance behind now.
Kaska then carved a line straight across the middle of the bridge, walked a few paces away from it, and started to carve what was unmistakeably a signet.
"Oh no…" Seregei moaned, "…Don't be a fool, there's no time!"
"Then get here and help me you idiot" She shouted back.
Seregei, resigned to the worst, ran towards her, took her other sword, and helped her carve the signet, for he knew what it was. They finished, just as the Charr force reached the bridge. Kaska sliced her palm and slammed it to the centre of the signet, which turned crimson.
In a brilliant haze of red light, the bridge beyond the line began to crumble.
"Kaska you idiot..." Seregei angrily said as he grabbed Kaska, threw her on his back and started running.
"Bought us time didn't it?"
"Yes…but not long enough." Seregei said with wide eyes as he saw what was behind him.
What must have been a Charr earth user had started to roughly rebuild the bridge.
"Speed it up Blaze." Seregei shouted, and he felt wind beneath his feet propel him forward.
The wall was coming into sight. The Charr seemed to have finished rebuilding the bridge. It had not bought them as much time as they thought. They reached the wall, ran straight past some guards that ordered them to halt, and hurried to find Calhaan.
They reached him, just as the Charr came into view. "What is this!" He shouted, surveying the army.
"No time to explain, I must speak with the prince!" Kaska said as Seregei put her down.
Calhaan opened his mouth to reply as an arrow barely missed him. It embedded itself in the wall behind them.
"Fall back to the city!" He shouted, not delaying a second longer, "We are outnumbered, fall back, fall back!"
They ran through the great stone gate of the wall, which would surely slow the Charr down. As the last soldier came through, Blaze threw the huge lever to close the gate.
"What happened?" Someone shouted. It was Prince Rurik. He had evidently been watching the scene unfold from the top of the wall.
"My Prince…the Charr have breached the wall we need to leave before they break through the door." Captain Calhaan reported.
"That will take them some time. The door is impervious to direct earth manipulation, it will take a lot of force to get through…" The Prince said. "We fall back to Fort Ranik…Kaska!" She looked up, "You will tell me everything once there."
Starting to look like a novelisation? Can't blame you for thinking this, it is based on prophecies, but has MUCH more story depth to it than the game itself (we aren't going to do the traditional novelising the missions all the way through, where would be the fun in that?" Review please! and concrit appreciated.
R,A and M.