"We will follow them." Henry heard his voice almost like through a cloud of mist, like it wasn't his own. He twisted the hastily scribbled note with the instructions where Luxa was headed and the call to follow in his hand, almost ripping it on accident.
"Henry, you don't have to –", but he interrupted Thanatos, trying to steady his voice – "I do." When his bond appeared beside him, they exchanged glances. "I wasn't lying. I swore this oath as Luxa did. And I'm not backing down from it. I...", he angrily kicked at a pebble so that it landed in the water, "I watched them die, Death, I sat idly and watched them die in the poisonous fumes – my... our... friends – IT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO!"
He had no choice. Even though... Had this really just happened? It almost felt like a dream – a nightmare – had it all been a nightmare? When would he wake up?
Thanatos saw in his eye that Henry had decided. "But... they know who you are now..." The flier cowered down next to him. "How will things be now? How will you be able to work with them, fight with them, if –", but Henry shushed him – "No, stop. Stop talking! Please! I –"
Thanatos saw the expression in his eye and decided it was for the best to drop the topic for now. They would manage. Somehow, they would.
"You need to get me up there", Henry sighed, staring at the entrance to the secret tunnel. "I need to deposit this message somewhere." Thanatos eyed him, trying to discern whether he actually had a plan or was just trying to drown his emotions in some kind of activity, like always, but whichever one it was – he was right. "Come then."
"Ripred, you –", Henry glanced back at the rat, who had watched the scene from the side. Ripred nodded. "I'll wait for you."
Relieved, Henry finally mounted up and Thanatos made his way to the passage. As they approached, the exiled prince automatically stretched his hands out and grabbed the ledge of the tunnel to pull himself up, like he had done so many times before. Except when he had been meeting Tonguetwist and had to use a rope because Ares hadn't been supposed to know and – no. Angrily, he shook the thought and glanced down, only to see Thanatos whiz past him and land on the shore next to Ripred.
Carefully he stood up and for the first time, the realization where he was, truly hit him. He was staring at the turtle... the turtle... the smiling one, at the bottom of the well.
Slowly, he stretched his hand out to touch its face – had it shrunken? No, he had grown, Henry thought, and almost automatically reached inside its mouth to pull the lever.
Like in a trance he followed the steps upward, and for the first time asked himself what he would do if there were people in the old nursery. Then, he realized the chances were slim to none, not with how it wasn't used anymore, yet a rest fear remained.
He was on edge and had to keep his hands from shaking when he finally lifted himself over the rim of the open shell of the second turtle. The room was entirely dark. Henry only knew it was empty because his echolocation picked up every shape, every nook and cranny of this room, this room –
Before he could finish the thought, he heard voices outside, and quickly ducked behind the turtle, until they had passed. Henry tried to steady his breathing and slowly stood up. He was, he was... back.
The full realization as to how he was actually back... here, in Regalia, in the palace, hit him now and he felt dizzy for a moment. How was any of this real? Still shaking, he took a few steps forward, automatically circling around the turtle until he stood in front of –
The mural. His eyes had grown so accustomed to the dark that he could barely make it out, in what little light streamed in from outside. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew this wasn't the time to reminisce or linger, but he couldn't move or look away. It was not as far up on the wall as he had remembered, he even had to look down a little to look at – Henry traced the century-old lines carefully – himself.
He realized something in his head hadn't comprehended up until this very moment, that it was indeed him on this wall, it had always been him. Next to him the flier with the skull-shaped mask. Thanatos.
Thoughtlessly, he traced the flier's wing, before his finger came to a halt at the mask – the mask! A memory like a lightning bolt jolted through his mind and his head jerked around in the direction of – had it been real, or had his six-year-old-self dreamed that part up?
But before he could press the mask for confirmation, the room brightened up like someone had just lit a – "I knew you would be here today... I knew you would be... brother."
Henry spun around so fast he almost stumbled over his own feet, only to stare at the now brightly lit, from the lantern she had brought, face of – she was so gaunt, he thought. So thin, so pale, even for an Underlander. Taller, a little bit, with fuzzy hair and a carelessly draped nightgown, barely reaching her bare feet. Was it bedtime, here in the palace?
"N... Nerissa...?" She moved closer, only a couple steps, holding the lantern up, presumably to get a better look at him. When they stood only a few feet apart, her huge, pale violet eyes widened, and for the first time, Henry realized how he must look to her – his rugged clothes, the way too long, only loosely tied, hair, the eyepatch, the countless scars...
"Nerissa, it's me!" He tried calling quietly but instantly realized anyone in close proximity would hear him.
"Henry...?" Her voice was quiet and cautious, she now squinted her eyes and drew even closer. He gave her a crooked smile. "Hey, I know I look a little different from when you last saw me, but it's me! Nerissa, it's me!"
At his words, a wave of recognition finally flashed in her eyes and she nearly dropped the lantern, before setting it down on the, now closed, back of the turtle. "Henry!"
At last, a wave of happiness engulfed him and when she sprinted a few steps towards him, arms spread, he instantly caught her in a hug, almost unintentionally lifting her off the ground in the process. She barely suppressed a squeal, her arms wrapped around his neck and he spun her around, almost crying tears of happiness.
"Brother, oh, brother, I feared for you so, you have no idea, the visions, Henry, I could not see –" She was stammering now, and Henry sat her down, only to wrap his arms around her again. Holding her like this, it became even more apparent how emaciated she was. She was barely two years younger than him, but holding her felt like holding a child, not the grown woman she was now.
"Hey, hey – I'm alright, Nerissa, I'm alright. I'm alive. You saw that, didn't you? You saw me here tonight." She nodded, face pressed into his vest. "But brother, the visions... so much pain. You have faced so much of it, have you not?"
"And yet here I am, alive and well." He didn't want to scare her with any of his stories now, not now when they had so little time. "Hey, I wasn't going to die, and you know that." He loosened his grip on her a little, to be able to look at her. "I told you I had no plans to die... did I not?"
Nerissa's face remained serious. "And I told you there are evils beyond death." He sighed. "And you were right as always."
She carefully let go of him entirely now, and stepped back, to look at him properly. "Henry, is that truly you? My goodness, you – your eye..." He sighed again and shrugged. "It's half as bad as it looks. I'm fine, I promise."
Nerissa looked little convinced, but she had never been one to fall for lies, pretty or not. Now, she was biting her lip. "I dislike my visions usually, but this one I was thankful for, it led me to you, brother."
He grinned at her again. "Yes, this one was a good one – Nerissa, how on earth are you faring? You... you're so thin, what happened? Are you unhappy? Is something the matter?"
She sighed. "I am fine, better than you, most likely. But... but Henry, we have not much time." She glanced back at the door, "you are here not to see me, are you?"
Her words brought back the memory of his mission, and he quickly fetched the scroll with the note. "No, I'm afraid not. I need to get this to Vikus... or a different council member, or someone else with power over the army. It is very dire, Nerissa, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you."
She nodded, her face grave serious. "The Bane... the war. You are trying to save us, with the Overlander and with Luxa." Henry's smile instantly dropped as the memory of the scene at the Spout returned. "I... I have to."
She grasped the scroll from him. "I will deliver your message. But brother, you have to promise you'll take care. I can not see, brother, not beyond the war. I go to sleep every night, hoping my dreams will show me the outcome of all of this, but they never do. Henry, please take care. Take care of yourself, and of the others. They might not know it, but they need you. We all do."
Henry gave her a somewhat pained smile. "I hope you are right. But I promise, baby sister. I told you before, and I'll tell you again – I have no plans to die. Life's thrown so much shit at me at this point that I'm pretty sure the world would have to end altogether if I'm supposed to die."
She managed to crack a smile, and he embraced her once more – suddenly painfully aware of how this would most likely be the last time he would ever see her. "Nerissa?" – "Hm?" He took a deep breath – "Nerissa, please... please promise me you'll manage things here in my place. Please promise me... you'll care for Luxa for me, okay? And for Hazard, for Vikus..."
A sharp jolt of pain suddenly pierced his heart as he became painfully aware of just how final this goodbye was. "For them all. I love them all, okay? And I love you, I always will, baby sister."
She jerked back from him suddenly, staring at him wide-eyed. "Henry, you are talking like I will never see you again!" He averted his gaze. "I... I just want you to promise it... in case you won't." He sighed, "I... Nerissa, I'm an outcast now, my place isn't here anymore. I don't know... I hope with all my heart, but I don't know... if we will meet again. So please promise, for me, Nerissa, please!"
She lowered her gaze, "I knew you would say this. I hoped you would not, but I knew. That this was the last chance I would get to see you... perhaps ever." She looked up again and Henry saw tears in her eyes now. "I promise, brother, I promise. I can never replace you, but I will hold the memory of you in my heart, and in the hearts of those who once loved you like I did – as well as I can, without giving you away."
Henry hugged her one last time, desperately trying to hold the tears in. "Fly you high, sister – I will always keep you in my thoughts, in my heart, also", he mumbled and heard her quiet sobs.
When Henry sensed someone approaching from outside once more, he, at last, released her. "I have to go, Nerissa, they can not find me here." – "I will deliver your message!", she called after him, as he was already hurrying down the steps into the turtle's exposed shell.
"Fly you high, brother – wherever life may take you, always fly you high!", was the last he heard of her voice before it fell silent as the top shell closed... for what felt like forever.
"You have got to be kidding me! You have all got to be KIDDING ME!" Gregor glanced at Howard, who had raised his voice from the opposite side of the torch they had put up as campfire. "You are meaning to tell me you KNEW all this time? AND HE TOO?!" He pointed his finger at Ares, who visibly winced back under Howard's accusing gaze.
Gregor clenched his jaw. "Leave him out of this!", he called, "and... yes we knew. But as I said before... what does it even matter? What does it... change?"
Howard just snorted angrily and Gregor closed his eyes for a second. Why was all of this even happening now? Wasn't it bad enough these people wanted, needed, him to fight their war, his mother was sick, Lizzie and his dad all alone, and a prophecy predicting his own death on top of it all?
His gaze fell on the spot where Luxa had curled up in Aurora's wing. She was not facing them – him. She was angry. Her "Overlander" still rang in his ears and Gregor wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of his lungs. Why did life throw problem after problem at him while he hadn't even settled a single one?
His gaze darted back to Howard – and now he had to put up with the whole crisis around Henry's identity as well. After all he had done in trying to help everyone, they most likely hated him now. Howard for sure, and Luxa too, after he had kept Henry's secret from her.
"Just... just leave me alone, okay?", he screamed at Howard, why couldn't people just leave him alone for once? Gregor was fourteen, but right now he felt half his age. If he were seven, he wouldn't have to deal with any of this. He could be at home now, playing with his toys, going to school, like a normal kid. His dad hadn't vanished yet when he had been seven. They had been happy.
He plopped down next to Ares angrily, deliberately facing away from everyone, especially Howard. "I wish we could just get this over with", he mumbled, his gaze automatically wandering back to Luxa.
"We do not know where to go", Ares remarked, and Gregor sighed. Only Henry and Ripred knew the way, that's why they had needed to stop. That and they had caught up to Luxa. She had not acknowledged them at all, only stared, but she had not sent them away either.
Despite how overwhelmed he felt with his own worries, he realized he managed to squeeze in worry on Luxa's behalf as well. He is the Death Rider, Howard. I know. Who else would he be? Her words rang in his ears and he inevitably asked himself what she had meant. She knew it was Henry, Gregor had been there when she had found out, yet that had almost sounded like –
"Why is Howard so angry?", Gregor finally sighed at Ares. He found himself picking up a small pebble to twist around in his hand.
His bond beside him shifted. "I understand his anger, to a degree. He cares for Luxa, so he wishes to keep all harm from her. But his judgment is clouded – he can not stop seeing Henry as a threat when he is not anymore." Ares was silent for a moment, "I had trouble with that myself, to be honest. Stop seeing Henry as... bad, if you like."
Gregor frustratedly threw the pebble at the wall. "Why is that such a big deal? I... I get that he hurt you all by doing what he did, but hasn't he done much more good than bad at this point? Why am I the only one who can see that?"
Ares sighed. "Because you had not known Henry like we did. His betrayal meant little to you, so you can remain unbiased far easier than we. You are certainly right when you say he has atoned enough, but for Howard and most of us others it is hard to understand this."
"But it's not fair!", Gregor exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I never asked for..." – "Boy, none of us asked for any of this, yet we all have it on our backs now. So be quiet." Gregor winced and spun around at the snarling voice of Ripred. Howard jumped to his feet, only Luxa and Aurora remained still.
The rat now strolled out of the only entrance to the cave they had been resting in. "I hope you are all fit for battle. With how long we are taking, the army will probably already await us there."
"Where is... he?" Howard narrowed his eyes, looking around cautiously. Ripred chuckled. "I believe it was you who told him to stay away? So he flew ahead. He will join you for the battle, he said."
Howard only snorted, turning away. "It would benefit us all if he stayed away altogether", he mumbled, only to receive a lash from Ripred's tail. The rat hadn't hit him hard, but Howard still cried in pain, from which Luxa and Aurora jolted up. "You really need to get your priorities checked, you know that?", Ripred hissed, and Gregor was eternally grateful at least SOMEONE other than him recognized Howard's behavior as rude.
With Ripred leading the way, they made fast progress now. Gregor was glad Howard had chosen to ride with Luxa as he was still angry with him – and she with Gregor. When he had tried to smile at her after she had gotten up to continue their journey, she had ignored him entirely, and her silence hurt more than he would have ever admitted.
Why can she not see things my way for once – he thought, and angrily clenched his jaw. Why is it always me who has to be understanding, to apologize? Gregor hated battles, but, in a strange way, he almost looked forward to any sort of distraction from his restless thoughts now.
The trip along the outskirts of the Firelands took them a couple hours, and Gregor and Ares remained silent for most of it. At some point, he had even tried to lie down and get some sleep, but he couldn't calm his thoughts. Too much was happening, rummaging around in his head, now, and with a battle coming up soon, he was found himself way too restless.
The first time Gregor noticed a change in the environment was when he realized he was rubbing his hands together from cold. He had never been cold in the Underland before, except after having gotten wet, and when he turned on the flashlight he had packed and pointed the beam at the walls around them he suddenly realized they were covered in ice.
"Wow, this... this is amazing!", he called, shining the light around. The walls sparkled brightly and for a moment Gregor focused on the beauty of their environment rather than the impending doom they were facing. Boots would love this, he thought, as he admired the ice more, and realized he was smiling now.
His smile only dropped when Ares ducked into a smaller tunnel, following Ripred on his tail – and he saw the rats.
"Oh... oh no... we are too late", Gregor mumbled when he saw the image unfolding before him. There were rats, so many rats – he estimated maybe a hundred or so. They had scraped some sort of staircase into the icy wall so that those on the top could reach the ceiling of the ginormous cave, to... too... claw away at it.
Gregor instantly switched off his light and Ares used the size of the cave to remain out of sight, closely followed by Aurora. The bats were flying close to the wall at all times, to remain undetected by the rats who were all focused on their task.
They are actually trying to break through the ice, Gregor thought, and a shiver ran down his spine – and not from the cold. If they break the ceiling here, this entire cave will collapse, he realized and shifted uncomfortably on Ares' back. And it will surely have an effect on the water levels of all rivers connecting to here. Henry hadn't been kidding... if their plan worked, and their canalization really connected into here, Regalia would actually be flooded.
Gregor had trouble keeping the panic at bay. Where was the army? Hadn't Ripred said something about them – Ripred! Gregor heard a loud screech from below him and only now realized the rat, who had to run on the floor and was less well camouflaged than the bats, had been discovered.
Some of the rats must have recognized him as they were calling his name now, flocking around him. Gregor twisted his head to spot the pearly white coat of the Bane, but he wasn't in sight. As the rats cornered Ripred, they had also discovered the bats now and were calling their names, recognizing Aurora and Ares, and pointing their way. It was now or never, then.
For a moment, concern flashed in Gregor's mind – there was no way they could take all these rats alone. But then he remembered backup was on its way – and besides, it's not like they had much of a choice.
Gregor didn't have to tell Ares they needed to help Ripred, his bond was already diving down, and Gregor barely had enough time to draw his sword and switch his flashlight back on, when they came in reach of the rats.
Their hate-filled screeches rang in his ears now, and Gregor sliced at the first in his way. He was in a little bit of a predicament as he hadn't had the time to tape the flashlight to his arm and holding it in one, the sword in the other hand felt strange, but now was not the time to be picky.
Soon Gregor was covered in blood, and Ares's fur had become damp and sticky with the stuff, but neither of them had more than scratches. As he fought, he slowly felt the rager-sensation take over, and this time he submitted willingly.
He injured many rats, some of them fatally, he thought, although he couldn't be sure, but the numbers attacking him only increased. From somewhere he heard the cries of the others, he barely had time to look out for them – there was Aurora, whizzing between dozens of rats, Howard and Luxa on her back, both with drawn swords. And there Ripred was, on the ground, encircled entirely, doing his signature move – how had Henry called it? The ground coiler. Wait... Henry! Where was –
A sharp pain jolted through his arm suddenly, the left arm – the one with the flashlight. Gregor released it instinctively and could only watch the light shatter on the floor. "NOO!", he cried, and hadn't Ares dodged the rats using his echolocation, Gregor thought the prophecy would be fulfilled here and now. His mind was reeling, the light, the light – he needed the light to fight!
The cave around him was entirely dark, he could not make out more than shades, Gregor randomly swung his sword around now, the rager-sensation had instantly vanished, like back in the tunnel with Twirltongue. He wanted to scream of frustration as his sword cut empty space, missing the rats by miles, before – light!
Gregor almost fell off Ares' back as a light whizzed past him, where did that come from? He was distracted and disoriented, and had not seen the huge brown rat jump at him until it had almost reached him. Gregor heard Ares' scream and could do nothing but close his eyes, waiting for the impact – but it never came. Instead, it sounded a high-pitched squeal and a wave of relief hit Gregor when he saw the burning blade slice at his enemies and heard the by now familiar battle cry mix with the screams – Henry.
Thanatos maneuvered through the rows of enemies at astonishing speed, and once more Gregor witnessed the true power of Henry's saddle-contraption. His blade tore through the rows of rats like a fiery lightning bolt and provided enough light for Gregor himself to see. But Henry hadn't come alone.
Only when he heard the almost deafening rustling of wings behind him, Gregor suddenly realized the tables had turned. Had their little gang been fighting desperately for their lives before, he now saw bats streaming in through a tunnel on the far right – many bats. Hundreds maybe. And each carried a human with a sword, ready to send the rats running.
The army. They had actually found them.
Gregor was about to sigh in relief when a loud grumbling sounded over the hundreds of screams that now filled the cave. "The ceiling!" Ares called, and as Gregor looked up, his heart skipped a beat. "NOO!", he screamed, as his bond darted upwards.
Like in slow motion Gregor saw the crack spread from where the rats had been scratching. His head was ringing, he frantically looked around if he could spot the others – "LUXA!" Ares heard his scream and crossed the room in search of her.
Another rumble ran through the cave and now, most of the soldiers had noticed it too. Gregor heard several calls to stick to the ceiling, but he was only looking out for Luxa. "LUXA!", he cried again, desperately searching for Aurora's golden fur among the chaos.
"Ripred!", Ares suddenly hissed, and another wave of panic engulfed Gregor. Luxa had Aurora to fly – Ripred was on foot.
Ares had just dipped down again to search for Ripred when it happened. He heard the water before he felt the drops, like rain, on his neck. It's like when the Swag was flooded, Gregor thought, then the flood hit Ares and he thought nothing anymore.
The first thing Gregor noticed when he opened his eyes, was the ringing in his ears. He tried to sit, and immediately felt the world around him spin, like he was caught in a ginormous whirlpool. He coughed violently and tried to determine where he was when someone pressed him back to the floor – "Lie still, I believe you have hit your head in that chaos."
When his vision focused and Gregor could make out the face before him, he unbelievingly blinked at... "Ma... Mareth?"
The soldier smiled. "Yes, Gregor, I am here. A fine mess you have gotten yourselves into, here. Solovet was furious when she was told Luxa had left the palace again, even worse, with you. What in the world were you thinking, Gregor?"
A wave of guilt hit him suddenly as he saw Mareth's strained face. "I... she... she said only she could lure the army here, they would only send them for her, and..." He fell back, groaning. Mareth caught him before he could hit his head and sighed. "I see. But you can not just –"
"Hey, where is she actually?" Gregor jolted up again, only now realizing his teeth were rattling from cold. His clothes were soaked, like his hair. But catching a cold was the least of his worries now.
"Luxa!", he called, "Ares! Hey, where is everyone... where are we?" For the first time, he actually took the time to inspect his surroundings. From what he could make out, they had found refuge in a small cave that had presumably once been high up in the air, but the tunnel it led to was now a streaming river, the water level was only inches below the entrance to the cave.
"Relax, Gregor, Andromeda and I fished you and your flier out of the stream. He is safe." Mareth pointed at the back end of the cave, where Gregor made out the shapes of Ares and Andromeda, huddled together.
"Ares!", he called, trying to drag himself in his direction, before remembering the others. "Hey, where...", but before Gregor could finish his sentence, he saw a bat fluttering into the cave, on his back he made out a human and a rat. The bat's face was a skull-shaped white stain. "He... Hey!", he called, remembering in the last second Henry's identity was a secret, and tried to get to his feet, "Ripred!"
Mareth jolted around and stared at the outcast. "He... eh..." – "Zip it, boy, now is not the time for..." Ripred was interrupted by a coughing fit, he slid off Thanatos' back and spew out what seemed like an entire river worth of water, but he was alive.
When Gregor turned back to Mareth, who was standing before Henry now. "You – I have... have I seen you before? Wait, Thanatos! Weren't you on the waterway with us, when...", the soldier stammered, but Henry interrupted him, "Yes, it's me... the outcast from the waterway. But... we can catch up later, okay? First, we have to find the others. Death, you –", his flier picked up his train of thought – "I sensed Aurora not far from here. We must find her."
"What about the others?", Ares' voice sounded from the back-end of the cave and only now Gregor fully and truly realized what had just happened – "The army... all of them... the flood!", he stammered, but Mareth placed a hand on his shoulder before he could panic more. "They escaped... well, most did, from what I saw. Only parts of the ceiling broke away, and Vikus had Regalia's canalization system sealed earlier, on Nerissa's request. The city will be safe."
Gregor felt notably relieved at those news, but he could not relax entirely with Luxa's fate still in the air. "You said you saw Aurora?", he addressed Thanatos, and the bat nodded. "Follow me."
Henry had reignited his sword, for lack of better light sources, and he confidently led the way, following the tunnel that was now a river, Ares with Gregor and Andromeda with Mareth on his tail. Ripred had settled on Thanatos again, and the black bat seemed to be fine with the additional weight for now.
Only maybe five minutes later he dipped into a side tunnel that was entirely flooded as well, except for – there, on a small ledge so high up you could probably touch the ceiling when standing on it, Gregor saw in the flickering light of Henry's sword the small shape of a bat – and those of two humans beside her.
"With all due respect, Luxa – you can not be serious!", Mareth called while staring at her, in the dim light of a torch Henry had somehow managed to keep dry. Howard was right at his side, unbelieving like the soldier. It had only been maybe ten minutes since they had found each other, and they were already arguing again, Gregor thought and suppressed a sigh.
Luxa stared at the two men defiantly. Gregor looked her way as well, as discreetly as he could. She was soaked, like they all. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face, the braid had come undone and her shirt was hanging from her belt. Hadn't she still worn the golden crown he would have never guessed she was, in fact, a queen.
"Why are we even arguing?", she hissed, "you just told us how the fastest way to Regalia has been cut off by the water. I will have to take a detour regardless, whether I try and seek out some potential allies on the way or not. You can not stop me, Mareth – not this time."
Gregor silently shook his head – had this mission been on her mind all along? It was what she had originally wanted to do after the episode with the volcano. Gregor bit his lip now, he thought he had never heard her voice like this before. It was like it had been drained of all positive emotion, Luxa sounded numb and exhausted, almost... lifeless. Like she has nothing to lose anymore.
The thought scared him, and in an impulse, he rose to his feet. "If you go, I will come with you." The small group that had assembled around the torch, consisting of Luxa, Henry and Mareth with their bats, Howard, and Ares, all stared at Gregor in shock. Before Mareth could open his mouth to protest, Henry had risen from his place, a little offside, in the shade of the wall, as well – "Me too. For lack of better options, mainly."
Luxa winced when she heard his voice, like she hadn't even registered he was here, until now. But before she could speak, Howard sprung up as well – "You... YOU?! But –", Ripred interrupted his beginning tirade with a hiss – "He who helped saving your ass from the flood just now, yes, he." Howard's mouth snapped shut and he stared at Ripred with narrowed eyes.
The rat's gaze darted between all who had stood up now – Luxa, Gregor, Henry, and Howard – and audibly sighed. "Oh goodness, the Children's Crusade is at it again, it seems. Is this seriously going to be another quest or what? I thought we JUST had one of those. Can one catch a break some time, too?"