Chapter One

Maybe it was due to the first, real, spring Ascalon had seen since the Searing. Ten years was a long time for a land to recover, and while it still showed the scars left from the fires and crystalline missiles from the skies above, the re-seeded earth was showing promise.

Mhenlo sighed as he walked from the newly sanctified church to Dwayna in Ascalon City. It was strange to see the Charr walking freely among the humans of Ascalon. Even now, after the end of the war between the Charr and Ascalon, people would look uneasily at the massive beast-like race with suspicion.

One familiar form loped over to walk with Mhenlo as a strange sort of escort. "You do realize that it's not necessary," Mhenlo pointed out.

Gatanx snorted. "Needed or not, still dangerous for one man alone in between towns… well," the tall Charr stood up straight for a moment to stretch out to his full height of just over thirteen feet. "Not dangerous in this area anymore. But I not like cities for very long. Visit outside good for me."

Mhenlo laughed for a moment then patted the Charr's arm, "All right, I get it. Come on then."

"I'm not saying it has to be done now," with a sigh, Rurik walked down the hallway of the palace in Rin. "I was merely saying as an eventuality that perhaps we should think of allowing a tribe or two south of the Wall to make their own village as a measure of good will."

"And I am saying that if you do this too soon, your people will think that your new friends are taking more precedence by granting the Charr land south of the wall instead of them," Duke Barradin sighed. "I quite agree, eventually, we will have to let them in to Ascalon. It's all they wanted in the first place and to refuse them is to risk another war."

Rurik looked out a window where he could see his wife and son outside in a courtyard. "Well, it isn't as if we're completely out of options, either. There are areas south of the wall where there is very little human habitation. There would be plenty of hunting grounds and fishing."

"You want to tell Gatanx, or shall I?" asked Barradin.

"I can," Rurik answered. "After all, his people are more inclined to trust me… or I can ask Selena. The Charr are matriarchal."

"Your majesty!" called a voice from behind them, and both Barradin and Rurik turned as the messenger ran up to them.

"What is it?" asked Rurik.

"There is an envoy from the Kurzicks with a message from a, I apologize, sire, but I can't pronounce her name…" said the messenger. "However, she is waiting in court for you."

Rurik sighed, turned to Barradin, and then nodded to the messenger. "Tell our honored guest that I am on my way," Rurik began to walk towards court hall, Barradin bemusedly following behind him.

"What do you think it is about?" asked Barradin as the messenger sprinted ahead of them.

Another sigh from Rurik was his answer, "I don't know. Frankly, after what happened to Selena I was not looking forward to seeing another Kurzick in my borders again."

A few scant months before Selena had given birth to twin daughters, she had been recovered from Kurzick kidnappers who had taken her from Rin to all the way to nearly the Ascalon Settlement in Northern Kryta. If not for Captain Greywind's quick thinking, she would have drowned when the horses that pulled the wagon that she had been concealed inside panicked and ran into the ocean, overturning it and trapping her inside. Since then, the relations with the Kurzicks had been a silent one where each side ignored the other.

Until now.

Rurik walked into the court hall, looked obliquely at the throne that had been his fathers up until recently, turned away from it and faced the Kurzick ambassador, "I am King Rurik of Ascalon. Do forgive my abruptness when I ask, but what is it you want?"

The woman turned her head up at him, then asked plainly, "You intend to send some of your heroes over to Cantha, do you not?"

"I am not sending them anywhere," Rurik answered, almost bristling at the accusation in her tone, but although he answered rather flatly, he was still polite. "But if they wish to go, they are free to. I do not rule with an iron fist. My people are free to do as they wish so long as they obey the laws."

"I see, then you have nothing to do with the members of your wife, the Queen's, guild showing up in Cantha?"

"I am afraid I don't understand," said Rurik, confused. "But why would it matter to the Kurzicks?"

The woman sighed, "It matters in that we merely thought that if heroes do come to Cantha, then perhaps they would be interested in hearing what we have to say before jumping to conclusions about us. Nothing more, nothing less. We are aware of what happened when two of our… former… brethren kidnapped your Queen. We send our humble apologies and could only hope that it would not adversely affect our relationship with the newly restored Kingdom of Ascalon, your Majesty. Countess Danika sent me herself to speak to you and your Queen about what we could do to smooth over our relations."

Barradin harrumphed, "And, given that you are aware of our first impression of your people, you can understand our wariness at this attempt in diplomacy. How do we know this is not a ruse to lower our defenses around you so that you can, again, take advantage of Ascalon?"

"You cannot," answered the Kurzick woman plainly. "However, if you so wish, you may keep me as hostage and ambassador within your borders. If we betray you, you may do to me as you wish. My name is Marika du Heltzer, and I am niece of the current Count and head of our family. I can assure you, my family will miss me and so it would be even trade."

Rurik considered this, and then mildly, "Very well, you are hostage and ambassador. However, I will see that you are treated with the respect and honor due your station as Ambassador and noble from another country. Welcome to Ascalon and Rin, Lady Marika."

"I thank you, King Rurik. You are most wise," Marika curtsied, and, once a few of the guards came forward, she allowed herself to be escorted from the Hall of Court.

For a long moment, Rurik stared after her thoughtfully. "What do you make of this?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm not sure I trust her," answered Barradin. "As I said to her, I feel it could a ruse to make us lower our defenses."

"Then we shall keep a close eye on her," Rurik sighed. "I'm going to speak to Selena. I think hearing that there is a Kurzick here should come from me and not anyone else…"

Devona stretched as she lazed on the blanket. Kryta had significantly quieted down after the Titan problems, and the Lionguard had successfully cleaned out most of the skale and mergoyles. This didn't leave much for her companions to do as heroes, and so she, Cynn, Aidan and Siuil La Rune sat on the beach talking and relaxing.

The sun was perfect, the beach a crisp white and the water were an enticing cerulean and teal. With a satisfied sigh, Devona rested her head on her hands as she folded them behind her head.

"I said drop it!" she could hear Cynn shout, then a muffled laugh, as Aidan's dog clearly ran off, and into the water, with something of the feisty mage's. "Dammit, Aidan, call him back!"

Aidan laughed and shouted back, "Swim after him, it's what he wants!"

"I'm not—!" but a short moment later, Devona could hear more splashing as Cynn ran into the sea of Giant's Footprint a short moment later.

"What is she chasing?" asked Devona, not opening her eyes.

"Sylph ran off with her wand," answered Siuil. "Her own fault for leaving it laying on the blanket beside her."

Devona chortled, "Now she gets to swim for it?"

"The dog is bringing it back," he answered.

Another short altercation between Cynn and Sylph ensued as, while the dog had brought it back, he felt it a game and proceeded to make Cynn play a strange sort of tug-of-war to get it back from him. Finally they heard a, "Finally!" from Cynn.

For a short moment they had a bit of peace and quiet until Cynn said, "Ah, guys… we have company."

Siuil sat up, and was on his feet within seconds, as was Devona and Aidan. Siuil blinked in surprise as the unfamiliar man waved his hands in front of him, showing his lack of weapons, as he said, "Wait! I saw you down here and came to bring a message. You are Lady Cynn, are you not?"

Cynn blinked and answered, "Yes, I am."

"Then it is most fortunate I have found you, I bring a message from Master Togo of Shing Jea. It is of most importance for me to find a Brother Mhenlo," he explained, and it was then they noticed that the messenger was Canthan. "I was told by Captain Greywind that you would know where it is I can find him."

"Yeah, uh, he's in Ascalon right now—likely Ascalon City," answered Cynn. "It's a trip of a few months to the East of here."

"I see," the messenger looked perplexed. "Then it will be too late."

"For what?" asked Devona.

"To save Cantha—and perhaps all of Tyria."

For a moment the four heroes could only stand there in shock, and it was Siuil who muttered, "Now what?"

"Hush," Devona put a hand on his arm. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, while training in Shing Jea, we began to hear disturbing rumors. Ones that caused Master Togo to take us to Minister Cho's estate… needless to say what was found was disturbing enough to send for outside help," the young messenger answered with a short bow. "Forgive me, Madam, my name is Sune Dya Lee."

"Sune, I'm afraid I'm having trouble following," said Cynn. "But if it's that important, I can get you to Ascalon a whole lot faster than if you went overland."

The five began to walk back to the Ascalon Settlement, and within minutes they were there. Cynn explained, "I'll send a pigeon to Ascalon. We'll know within days, instead of months, what Mhenlo thinks."

Selena frowned, and then glared at Rurik. "What do you mean there's a Kurzick here?" she asked.

"Come on, Selena," Rurik rolled his eyes. "I don't trust them as far as I can throw them…" he caught the edge of another glare, "all right, I get the point. I don't trust them at all, but we have not had any trouble with the White Mantle nor any assassins in a few years."

"Maybe they think now is the prime time to take another shot at toppling us," she chided gently, and then sighed. "What does she want?"

"To merely smooth over relations between Ascalon and Arborstone," frowning, Rurik sighed and motioned out the window. "As much as I would like to, I don't trust her, or her message of peace."

Selena put a hand on his arm, "Look, I'm not saying the Kurzicks are at complete fault… after all… they were merely hired and they did treat me as a guest instead of prisoner."

This caused the frown on Rurik's face to deepen, "That wasn't it," then he sighed again, "or, rather, that wasn't completely it. I remember, a few years after the Searing, when the White Mantle appeared on our proverbial doorstep in Ascalon City, saying that all they wished for was 'peace', and instead what they wanted was more people to lead to slaughter, more Chosen to sacrifice to their Unseen Gods. Another Ambassador came promising peace and brought only more heart ache in the end."

Selena could not argue his point. She completely agreed with him, more so considering that she had been the one kidnapped and held prisoner by Kurzick 'refugees' who had been paid by the White Mantle to deliver her to them and assassinate King Rurik and Prince Salamar. Seeing Kurzicks in Ascalon so soon afterwards was enough to make them both uneasy.

Rurik blinked suddenly, and Selena turned to the window to see the pigeon in the window. She walked over to it and, from the cylinder attached to one of its legs; she took out the message within. "It's from Cynn," she blinked as she read it. "She says she needs Mhenlo in Lion's Arch as soon as possible and requests your skills at doing so."

"Me… why would she… oh, that," Rurik shook his head in disbelief. "Did she say why?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Selena read it and gasped. "By the Gods above—that explains so much. A messenger from Cantha, Shing Jea to be exact, arrived in Kryta with an urgent message from a Master Togo. A plague is spreading in Cantha unlike any other they have ever heard of. Togo sent this messenger, a young Sune Dya Lee, to Ascalon directly from Shing Jea while Togo himself has gone to the Canthan mainland to talk to the Emperor of Cantha, Kisu. Togo is requesting Mhenlo and any that he can bring with him to meet him in Kaineng City."

With a deep sigh, Rurik sat down in an upholstered chair. "A plague?" he thought aloud. "Cantha is a continent near the same size as ours, easily, and trade with Cantha… if traders from Cantha have the plague and travel to Tyria, it would spread here."

Louder, he looked up at his wife, then called out, "Guard!"

A young woman, one of the Royal Guard, immediately opened the door and asked, "Yes, your Majesty?"

"Send for Brother Mhenlo," ordered Rurik.

"Are you ill, sire, I could send for…"

"I am not ill," Rurik answered. "No, he has news from his old Master in Cantha, news better relayed in person."

"It will still take at least a fortnight for him to arrive, assuming they find him immediately," Selena sighed as she looked out the window.

Rurik came up behind her, resting his hands on shoulders bared by her gown, and kissed her on the back of her neck. "Surely the Gods would not suffer another threat to our world like Khilbron. I am sure it will be taken care of with little to no intervention on our part."

"I hope you are right," she leaned on the sill as she looked out over Drascir, turning her head to look at him sideways. "Otherwise we are all in grave danger."

Mhenlo was just about to leave the Ashford Abbey again, when a messenger ran through the gates, out of breath, spied him and Gatanx, and ran over, "Brother Mhenlo?"

"Yes?" Mhenlo rarely saw Royal Messengers as they were usually in Rin, or the area of Rin.

Royal messengers were primarily used to relay messages from city to city and noble to noble. It was very rare that one came looking for monks. This one had garnered attention by going straight to Mhenlo. The messenger saluted, and then said, "The Queen requests your immediate presence in Rin."

Mhenlo blinked, then Alesia, who had walked over in interest, voiced his first thought, "That can't be good. If it's not King Rurik, he must have fallen ill again."

Again.

How accurate. Rurik had never recovered fully from his time as undead, or the injuries that had killed him in the first place. Come to think of it, he had not even recovered from the illness that had laid him low before going off to be killed at Frost Gate, so the issues with his health simply piled up. Now the King was older, and more likely to fall ill with little to no notice.

After the messenger caught his breath, he shook his head; "The King was in good health when I left. No, Brother Mhenlo, they received word from Lady Cynn that she requests your presence in Lion's Arch as soon as possible. Something about another messenger from Shing Jea and a Master Togo…"

Alesia crinkled her brows, "Well, that's all fine and good but…"

"I will leave for Rin immediately," Mhenlo said. "I have no doubt that if they are summoning me to Rin that the King has some idea of how I can reach Lion's Arch quickly. Gatanx… I would ask you to come with me but…"

"I'll go," answered the Charr.

Cynn was actually accurate, because she was about to write another note to Selena, but, almost as if knowing her mind, a portal opened and Mhenlo stepped through it with Terryann La Rune.

"One week," said Cynn. "Took you long enough."

"I was in between Ashford and Rin when the messenger found me, then I had to get to Rin for Rurik to cast the portal," Mhenlo explained. "Now, where is this messenger from Master Togo?"

Mhenlo read the letter over again as the nervous man, Sune Dya Lee, waited. Looking up from where he had sat down, Mhenlo asked, "How long ago was this?"

"It has been only a few months since I was sent here. Master Togo would be on the mainland by now, perhaps even in Kaineng," answered Sune. "But, given the situation, he may not see the Emperor for a few months yet."

Mhenlo turned to Cynn, then he turned to Devona, "I cannot sit here and know that my old Master needs my help. I am going to Cantha. I cannot force you to come with me, but if you did, I know we could use the help."

"If you think you are going anywhere without me, you're sorely mistaken," Cynn said. "It was bad enough you stayed behind in Ascalon in the first place."

The first off the ship was Terryann La Rune, followed closely by Cynn, Mhenlo and Devona. Aidan waved them on ahead. Terryann looked around, sighed, and suddenly found she did not like Kaineng. "What an ugly place to live. I would have thought by their culture that it would be more attractive than this," she said.

"I quite agree with that," Cynn snorted. "Surmia after the Searing was better looking than this rat-hole."

"Cynn!" Devona rubbed her face. "Terryann, don't encourage her!"

But even Devona had to admit that they both had a point. Kaineng, or at least their first introduction to it, was far from picturesque. The city looked run-down, overcrowded, and in some places ready to fall apart. Actually, it appeared in most places that it was about to fall apart. It seemed to consist of mostly makeshift and quickly thrown together shanties often many stories high. The sheer overcrowded feeling was rather overwhelming. Rin had its own overcrowding, but they had always managed to keep it under control by only allowing stone buildings that at least were relatively safe. Devona did not even want to breathe wrong on these structures. "Come on, we have to meet Jamei," said Mhenlo.

He led them, seemingly unfazed by it all, up one set of stairs where a Canthan guard walked over to them, "Ah, you must be the heroes from Ascalon that Master Togo said to expect. Welcome to Cantha."

"Thank you," answered Mhenlo. "My name is Mhenlo, and these are my companions Cynn, Devona, Terryann, Aidan, Eve, and Siuil."

"Welcome to Cantha, we have been expecting you. Jamei is just farther on, she sent me to meet you and make sure you did not get lost. Much has changed since you last were here, Mhenlo," the guard said.

"Thank you," Mhenlo motioned up another set of stairs. "C'mon. Cynn, it's about time you met Jamei…"

A few minutes later, they stood in a small square overlooking the sea, and a monk walked over. Cynn looked her up and down, "Mhenlo, when you said you grew up with Jamei I did not expect a…"

"Mhenlo! It is so good to see you!" greeted Jamei, a young woman of Cantha who was another monk like Mhenlo. "I would also greet the rest of you, but I appear to have a slight problem, if you would be so kind…"

The companions turned just as twisted versions of, what; Devona could not actually tell what they were, but the fact that they carried weapons and, upon sight of them, began to attack. Devona hardly had enough time to draw her Rin blades before two of the creatures were on her and Cynn.

Thankfully, Aidan, whose bow always seemed to be at near ready, slowed them down with two well-placed shots to their knees. "Jamei! What in the Rift are these?" shouted Mhenlo.

"They are called Afflicted," she answered. "I will explain later, quickly, dispatch them!"

Siuil ran into the middle of combat, his halberd sweeping as he took out two at the knee. Cynn finished casting her spell and, thankfully, waves of ice centered on the biggest one crashed over them. Devona breathed a sigh of relief on Cynn's chosen spell and that it had not been her favorite to use. Firestorm in this city would have disastrous results.

A few moments later, and the dead creatures were then burnt and thrown into the sea at Jamei's command. Mhenlo turned to her afterwards as she led them towards Kaineng Center. "Now, what were those?"

"As I said, they were called Afflicted. For some reason this plague is much more than a sickness of the body. Those… things… once were human," Jamei shuddered. "It does my heart good to see you return."

"Wait, wait," Cynn held up her hand. "This is the Jamei you told me about? Why was I under the impression that she was a he, and not a she?"

"It wasn't important!" Mhenlo turned to Cynn. "Now is not the time for this, Cynn."

"Puh-lease," snorted Cynn, then she turned to Jamei. "Listen, lady, he may not be much but this monk is mine."

"Cynn!" Mhenlo turned to her in shock.

"Oh… how sweet, I see you got yourself a little girlfriend, Mhenlo," Jamei's voice all but dripped with barely concealed sarcasm, even if rather sugar-coated and polite.

"This little lady can kick your—"

"Okay, Cynn, enough," Devona interjected. "We obviously have more pressing matters to take care of first."

"Cynn is so friendly, isn't she," snickered Aidan to Siuil. "I bet…"

"Not interested in this, Aidan. Really, I'm not," answered Siuil as he walked forward. "You were saying that the Afflicted were once human? What are we facing here?"

"It started, as far as we can see, on Shing Jea," answered Jamei. "But now we are not so sure if it started there or merely spread there."

"Okay, from the beginning, Jamei," Mhenlo prodded as they walked.

Jamei sighed, "At first, we thought it an isolated incident in the Sewers and Undercity. We thought nothing of it. After all, stranger things have come out from there."

"Let me guess, it wasn't as 'isolated' as you first though, was it?" asked Aidan.

"No, it was not," Jamei turned back to Mhenlo. "Something is infecting the very souls of people and turning them into what you have just seen. Worse yet, the spread is vicious, but, strangely random. People who should have been infected are not, and people who should not have been become powerful version of these Afflicted, often named… and with frightening powers."

"I don't like this," murmured Terryann.

"Neither do I," Cynn's eyes had gone wide during Jamei's story. "This could be worse than the Charr, far worse. Rurik should know of this…"

"On it," answered Eve, a necromancer from Ascalon, from behind them. "I will send a messenger to the Queen. If this is true, then contact with Cantha should be limited until we find out how it spreads."

"Agreed," said Cynn, and Terryann nodded.

But, even while they had come to their own private agreement, Jamei was continuing her tale, "The first we came to know its face was on Shing Jea, however, and only Master Togo knows the details. He said he would meet us in Kaineng Center, so perhaps we should meet him there and he can fill you in on what he knows?"

"Of course," agreed Siuil as they walked into the bustle of the actual city.

"I have never seen anything like this," admitted Devona. "I remember Rin before it fell, but this takes the cake."

"Same here," admitted Cynn.

Mhenlo seemed to be the only one unfazed by it all, and he took a deep breath. His center was shaken when Aidan said, "So… obviously we're never going to see trees, are we?"

He had the grace to look somewhat sheepish, but Jamei answered, "We have trees! Just not here."

Emperor Kisu was a young man, but he was also very pragmatic. He was hardly surprised when one of his Hands came in, bowed, and told him, "Master Togo sent for outsiders to aid him. I say he has gone too far. We could have handled this on our own!"

"Are you so sure? It spreads like wildfire," answered Kisu. "And these foreigners are heroes not unlike that of Saint Viktor and Archemoreus. I say let them aid us. After all, some of our own is in their lands."

"Also, we have received word from one of our spies that a Kurzick ambassador traveled to Ascalon, while Luxon ambassadors are in Kryta," the Hand said. "I do not like that. It is well known that Ascalon and Kryta fought a bloody war, if the Kurzicks and Luxons stir up hatred again, this time it could be blamed on us."

"I agree, and I have sent for the two leaders of each Faction," Kisu walked back to his throne. "If they will not recall them I am ordering them to send another ambassador each – one Luxon ambassador for the one already in Ascalon, and a Kurzick for the Luxon in Kryta. As well, dispatch an embassy to each nation, as well as the dwarves of Deldrimor. Tyria must see that Cantha wishes no ill. I am sure than King Adel—"

"My Imperial Lord, King Adelbern is dead," said the Hand. "Word has arrived through these heroes. His son, Rurik is now King of Ascalon."

"Indeed?" Kisu paused. "Does the King have a Queen?"

"Yes, my Imperial Majesty, he does. His sister-in-law, Lady Terryann La Rune, and his father in law, Lord Siuil La Rune, are in fact two of the heroes here in Cantha," answered the Hand. "It has been a very long time since we had reliable information about Tyria, and we are still gathering information from our own heroes trained in Shing Jea."

"Very good," Kisu sat down. "If they are not too far from here, one day I would like to meet these heroes."

"I will see to it, your Imperial Majesty."