Cearbhail:

It's been a while, but we're continuing on.

Oh... and enjoy. =^^=

[Kara Kulenov]

I pulled my dagger from the throat of a thrashing draugr zombie. "More coming from the center!" There were hundreds of them, and they were crawling out of the castle my father ran into. He was in there… surrounded by them.

I glanced over to Megumin. "Megumin! These draugr have to be coming from somewhere! Can you pin down where?"

Megumin glanced at me. "Kara… I only have one shot! ONE! And once I use it… it's gone. I'm useless. Are you sure you want to do this? I only have one spell… and if I unleash it… it's game over. For all of us."

Yeah… I understood that. "Megumin… each of us that dies becomes one of these draugr. Eventually, we'll be overrun. Let's thin the numbers here and now. So… do a quick scan. See if you can learn where it's coming from!"

I readied my dagger as a wave of draugr pounced at me, their snapping teeth taking bites at me, their sickly fingers reaching for my flesh to tear.

I wasn't ready for stuff like this! "Megumin! I need you right now!"

A large growl behind me alerted to the fact that… there was still a massive golden dragon behind me. A large wave of fire descended in front of me, the heat blasting back towards me, my eyes closing as the field in front of me turned to blazing hot flames. I held my breath, the thick smell of molten metal burning my nostrils. The heat of the fire almost forcing to pass out, let alone the smell and force of the hot air blasting me in the face.

And as soon as it rained down on top of the draugr, it ended. The heat vanished, the sound of draugr growling out in pain, the heavy shrieks of animated souls screaming out for mercy.

I opened my eyes, taking in what was in front of me. Nothing but charred earth, melted bodies, crisp and fused to the ground. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing the huge dragon standing right over top of me, breathing heavily, molten fire dripping from the sides of his mouth like drool from a mastiff.

"Thanks…" I managed to speak the words as I glanced up the massive powerhouse.

The dragon only glanced ahead of me, already growling as he sensed something I was missing.

I glanced back at the tower, seeing more draugr already climbing out of the prison's many doorways. More than that, the dead Illuskans we killed were starting to moan and stand up, their flesh falling apart, revealing something more sinister.

Shit… we were surrounded. And what's more… those Illuskans were mixed in with my friends. If that dragon did a repeat performance of that fire breath… all my friends will die.

"Megumin…" I glanced over to her. "Tell me you have something?"

She nodded. "Yeah… I sense some powerful magic up there." She pointed to the top of the tower. "I think whoever is up there… is who's summoning the draugr."

My dad was up there. I felt my stomach turn over. Dad… I just got him back. I can't… I just can't.

"Kara!" Ivor screamed! "I can't hold this guy off forever!" He was pushing against a draugr with his greatsword. More were coming for him from all angles. My friends, who all traveled here on my suggestion, were quickly getting overrun by draugr. Well… I had a choice to make. My father… or my friends.

Tears fell down my cheeks. "Megumin… please…" I pointed to the tower. "Just… please…"

Megumin nodded. She took her wide power stance, placing her staff in front of her. Magick circles began to form around her. "From the burning depths of my heart, from the fire that rages inside my soul, I call upon my unbridled fury to rise from the ashes of my hopes and dreams, manifested into the desires and creeds upon which I stand!" My heart came to a thumping stop as the color drained from my face. I just found my dad… and here I was… calling his execution. "I call upon that magick that dwells within me, manifested in the only form that matters! EXPLOSION!"

Magick circles formed over the tower, seven in total. And I saw them began to glow. Well… no stopping it now. I turned around, tackling Megumin, covering her in my arms as everything around us exploded.

…

After the ringing in my ears began to quiet, I found out that I was still breathing, still alive. I picked my head up, seeing mostly dust and dirt surrounding us, obscuring my vision. Megumin was curled up in my arms, unconscious from unleashing her spell. Her spell is powerful, but it has one nasty side-effect. She passes out for an hour… more than one if she tries to use it more than once in a day. She's not strong enough to use it more than once a day yet. I knew once she used it, I would have to catch her and protect her from any falling debris.

Now that we were relatively safe, I placed Megumin down, letting her rest. I need to evaluate the damage. "If you're alive and well, sound off!" I screamed over the loud ringing in my ears.

"What?" I heard Ivor over the pounding in my head.

"I'm here!" George screamed.

"Me too!" Lilmoth screamed.

"I'm not dead!" Anthony yelled.

More and more voices started calling out from the vision obscuring dirt. My heart was starting to calm down, hearing so many voices. My friends survived the shockwave.

"Okay, everyone! Form up, get head counts! And then, make your way to the remains of the tower. Our leader, Ignor Mei is under that rubble. We need to pull him out and see if he's still living."

I stumbled through the large chunks of the debris over to what I believed to be the remains of the tower. The tower was totally obliterated. I was lucky we all survived, if all of us survived, that is. And the Explosion had the effect I wanted it to have. Whatever was controlling those draugr was no longer calling them up. All the draugr were now lifeless on the ground, as if they were only puppets being pulled, and now the puppeteer was suddenly gone.

I walked over to the pile, glancing at where I should even start. I let myself release a heavy sigh. The tower was completely gone, and replaced with a massive pile of rubble.

I looked over to my friends… what remained of them. We took some losses today. More than I was expecting. Half of everyone was gone. Shit. And if dad is dead… then all of this was for nothing, and we'll go back to Damara with half of what I left with, and nothing I promised to bring back.

"This won't be fun… but it is necessary. Let's set up a starting point and a location to set the blocks we do move…"

I heard a loud grunt coming from the pile of rubble, and some shifting that accompanied it. It completely ruined my train of thought, and so I found myself turning to look at the fallen tower. Massive blocks of concrete were moving on their own, We all just stood there, completely in shock as massive blocks of concrete shifted to the side, and my dad stood up, covered head to toe in dirt. He looked so calm about the whole thing: rising from the fallen tower, brushing the debris from his shoulders and hair, waving over to me with a bright smile on his face. "Good job, daughter! You really brought the house down!"

It wasn't the stupid dad joke that made me burst out in a fit of crying laughter. It was the fact that… he's alive. We did it! We stormed the castle, found my dad… made sure we was freed, and then took care of any odds that came against us, no matter how impossible it seemed at the time. I had to write to Kuzu… let her know we did it! She'd be so happy to hear we managed to find him, bring him home.

"We need to prepare some beds!" Dad screamed from his rubble pile. He reached down, pulling up two unconscious people out of the rubble. "The two people who freed me don't look so well. And after everything they've been through, we at least owe them a nice recovery and a warm meal."

I'm just happy to have my dad back. "Yeah… we'll get right on that!"

I smiled as I glanced back at everyone who came here with me. "He's alive, everyone!"

Everyone started cheering. "Once we get some beds ready, we're going to party so hard it'll make gelatinous cubes stiff." My brother, Ivor screamed to our friends, placing his arm around me. "We did it, sis. Our dad… he's back."

"Yeah…" I still wasn't able to stop the tears. I started crumbling to my knees. Years and years of planning for this day, and… it's finally here. Our dad was found, and freed. I thought he was dead for the longest time, but… he's alive. And he's here. I just wished that we could stop here… but… there's more work to be done.

I forced myself to dry my tears, forced myself to stand back on my feet. I took a deep breath, looking at my twin brother. "Ivor…. This is only the beginning. You know that, right?"

Ivor nodded. "Ostingrav?"

I nodded in return. "Ostingrav. We'll need to talk to Dad about it. See what he thinks?"

"What I think about what?" Dad said as he walked up, carrying a small gnome child.

I looked around, spotting a campfire with some logs lined up as seats. "Let's sit and talk, dad. There's a lot you need to catch up on."

Dad's soft expression hardened. "Yes… I think it's wise we skip the pleasantries. Let's get down to business." Dad wrapped his arms around me and Ivor, hugging us both tightly to him. "I love you both so much, and I'm so proud of who you've become. It… it can't have been easy on you or your mother."

"Mother's dead." Ivor said, his voice cracking in the process.

"Oh…" Dad began to unfocus, his arms slacking. "This is not going to be a fun conversation for either of us then." He motioned to the logs. "Let's have a sit. Do we need a skald to set the proper atmosphere?"

I shook my head. "No father. It might be better to hear this without boasting and historical inaccuracies."

Dad chuckled. "Still have that burning wit." He bent down, picking up the resting Megumin, carrying her in his free arm.

The three of us walked over to the campfire. Dad placed the gnome girl and Megumin off to the side, near the campfire but behind the logs. With a flick of his wrist, the campfire exploded to life. He took a seat on a log, motioning for me and Ivor to come join him.

I sat on Dad's right while Ivor sat on Dad's left. "So… where to begin?" I said with a heavy sigh. "When you left to fight in the war against Northern Shou, things were… crazy. Liz and Megumin were treated like trash, their mother's respect in the court became laughable. Their family was treated like they were all spies for Northern Shou… and it just gets worse. We heard about your death… how an Illuskan mercenary squad thought you were Shouen spies… and killed you in response of invading Damara…"

Dad shook his head. "Not how it happened. Arch Paladin Spencer led his army up to meet me. He told me of how Emperor Victorious and Arch Paladin Kalinski wanted me silenced. He was planning on having a hit squad come after me. I scoffed at the thought. An Arch Paladin of my own order coming to kill me? And a lord from our allied kingdom? Spencer was always a conspiracy theorist and a worry wart, but… he was right. Kalinski met me a day later, a full battalion of beast riders and Templars. My squad didn't survive, and I almost died. Luckily, Spencer was there to help me retreat. We retreated to the safety of the Mage Circle near the Northern Shou border. Our retreat almost cost Spencer his whole unit. Luckily, a dragon roosting near the Mage Circle helped cover our escape, even if the dragon was not our ally, he wasn't our enemy that day."

Dad and I looked out to the dragon now roosting in the corner of our captured fort. "Reminds me a bit of that dragon right there. Only the one that helped us was much older. More scars. This dragon here today seems young. Perhaps a teenager, or young adult by their standards." Dad looked back over to me. "Spencer led me here, to this fort. He said I was welcome to rest here. Then the issues with Southern Shou picked back up, and Illuska sent more armies in this location. Bounties on my head were popping up, asking people to be on the lookout for me. Spencer thought it was wise to keep me here in this fort until things either calmed down, or until he could learn what was happening. Any communication was being monitored, it we thought it was wise to keep you out of this. Until we learned more. And unfortunately… Spencer became more paranoid… and thought seeking more power would be the answer. He turned himself into a Death Knight… and it addled his mind." Dad waved his hand across the ruined fort. "You've seen the result."

I nodded. "So… Kalinski ambushed you. He killed Liz's mom. I think he killed Mom too." I looked Dad in the eye. "Dad… Kalinski is the new tsar of Damara. Ostingrav was renamed Kalingrav. Damara passed laws to ban the practice of magick, and anyone born with magick is now being hunted… murdered… or… something else. The Circles are prisons now. Whatever remains of our magickal citizens are now prisoners. It's bad, Dad. It's really bad."

Dad's eyes lowered. "Wow… that's… that's a lot I didn't know about. Even Spencer didn't know what was going on in Damara. Like I said… communication with the North shut off. The borders were closed, monitored closely. They even built a large wall."

"Yeah… getting down here was not easy." I remember having to find some hidden passageway through the mountains. It ran alongside a dwarven mine. There were a lot of goblins for us to sneak past. It was not fun. I lost a few friends that day. Just so that we could come here and find Dad. "So, after Mom died, and Kalinski became the new tsar… Liz helped us form the Ostingrav Underground. We helped hide magickal citizens, hide them in the sewers until they could escape town. We knew of a tunnel that led through the mountains to Illuska, where the refugees escaping our new legal system could at least make a run for Dark Wood, the homeland of the lizardfolk."

Dad nodded. "Smart idea. The lizardfolk have no ties or alliances to either Damara or Illuska, and their port town that is willing to send passage to Cayotl Piton."

Honestly, I never really thought that far ahead. I knew that Dark Wood would be a pleasant place for the magickal people of our kingdom to lie low. The Lizardfolk love magick, especially since they can't use magick like we can. I never considered their port town: Ramu Khiva. They would offer safe passage for any refugees seeking asylum in Cayotl Piton, the island nation of halflings, kenders, and Cayotlians humans. Fair skinned, curly brown hair, tendency to go sailing. They were a ship sailing nation that had the strongest navy in the world… that we know of. Cayotl Piton was always looking for mages to help with naval warfare, or other needs. Either way… my people wouldn't be rounded up, prisoned, or murdered for existing.

"I wish I thought that far ahead." I admitted, rubbing my arm. "But… that wasn't the end of it. I didn't just want to save everyone… I wanted revenge for mother's death… for your death. For Tsar Ustin and Ostin's death. So, we turned our attention to becoming fighters. Liz started practicing her magick, trying to teach Megumin how to unlock hers. And… I trained in assassination. I was going to kill Kalinski, take his crown, and give it to whoever was next in line. Probably Uncle Framach. We tried to kill Kalinski… maybe three, four times. We managed to escape each botched attempt but one day… we were betrayed by one of our own. We infiltrated Kalinski's castle… and were ambushed. Dhimen… my boyfriend… he was stabbed by the traitor, this girl named Zaria. And when Dhimen was stabbed, Liz was shot in the shoulder by an archer. More and more arrows rained down on top of us, and Liz covered our escape… placing Shield spells around us. We escaped, grabbing a hippogriff, and taking to the sky. We flew hard and fast, escaping the town. We could see our hideout burning to the ground, whatever remained of our members rounded up, or escaping the guards shooting arrows at them. I didn't… I couldn't…"

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder. "You did what you could, Kara. You can't hold it against yourself."

"We were followed… griffon riders. So many of them. Megumin… she unleashed her first Explosion spell… killing or wounding most if not all of them. And we fled to Kulegrav… where we've been laying low in. We told Uncle Framach what happened, and he was appalled. He took us in, gave me an army to train… and then… well… I learned of you. Your location." I wrapped my arms around him. "I'm so glad you're alive! And… to be honest… I'm sick of being a leader."

Dad, despite our talk, laughed as he rocked me with his arm. "Been a leader for a few days and you're already sick of it? I can't say I blame you."

"It's been years, dad…" I looked up at the sky. "I've been raising this army for years, all for the purpose of taking Ostingrav back from Kalinski. A civil war." I shook my head. "And we couldn't barely take a fort… I don't know what I was thinking. It's going to be impossible."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes, listening to the fire crackle in the fire pit. Finally, Dad looked over to me, nodding. "It's a rough start, but… it's a start. You now have a fort. You have experience. You have hardened soldiers. And now… you have me." Dad brushed his beard. "And perhaps…"

…

[Erwin Distole]

Ugh, my head was throbbing. What did I do last night? Was it another bender? My body was sore, sorer than it would have been if it had just been drinking?

Memories of me waking up in a prison quickly flooded my brain. I remember breaking out of prison, fighting an army… calling a dragon… and then fighting a Death Knight. And the last thing I remembered… zombies climbing the stairs to attack us. From there… a bright flash, a shockwave, and the room collapsed on itself.

I screamed as I pushed myself up, almost bolting out of the bed I was resting in. As I did so, my chest screamed in pain.

"Stay calm." I heard a soft voice calling from a nearby chair. A girl with a long mohawk, one that draped down her right side onto her shoulder, sat in a chair. She had a book in her hand. I remembered her. She was that girl that called the prisoner we freed 'father'. She looked pretty happy to see me getting up.

"Good, you're finally awake." She said, standing up from her chair. "Now that you're awake, you can join the others."

The others?

My memory flashed. I started to picture the Catfolk girl. The Rakastan that I helped break out of prison. The Rakastan that helped me in the bar room brawl. And then I remembered the small gnome girl.

"The others!" I climbed out of the bed, my head pounding me as I sat up. "Please… tell me they're alright!"

The girl nodded. "They are. They're a little shocked, but hey… it's not every day a building explodes all around you."

"Yeah… how did we survive that?"

The girl pointed over the table next to my bed. Bloody bandages, scissors, a bowl filled with water, and healing potions were decorating the tabletop. Ah… that's how I survived.

"How badly was I injured?"

The girl smiled. "Here's a reference guide. My father… an Arch Paladin, blessed with healing magick so strong he's almost able to survive anything… had to crawl out of the fallen tower, and needed to tend to his own healing after I was done talking to him. So… for you to survive… I'd say it's a miracle. But hey… today's a day for miracles, I'm betting." The girl walked up to me, sticking out her hand. "I'm Kara Kulenov, daughter of Ignor Mei Kulenov."

"Is he finally awake?" Another soft voice called from the doorway. That person who's hotter than Kara walked into the room. The person nodded their head to me. "Hello, I'm Ivor Kulenov. I'm Kara's twin brother."

I nodded, shaking Kara's hand. "I'm Erwin Dristole, son of Lucien Dristole."

Kara smiled even thicker. "It's nice to officially meet you. You've been dosing in and out of consciousness for the past two days. You and the others. Your Rakastan friend woke up yesterday. And the gnome, this morning. Come, it's nearly lunch. My father wants to meet you… and he wants to ask you something."

I was pretty hungry. "Thank you for the offer." I bowed my head to her. "Where is the lunchroom?"

Kara bowed in respect. "Follow me." She turned on her heel.

I followed behind Kara as she and Ivor led me to the dining area. While we walked, I talked to Ivor.

"So… You're pretty hot. How?" He looks more feminine than his sister. And his hair has a glow to it.

Ivor shrugged. "They say I take after Thor and his majestic beauty."

"And he uses my moisturizer." Kara laughed from in front of us. "Oh, we're here." Kara waved me through a doorway. "Your friends are at that table over there. I'll go summon my father."

Kara bowed to me before walking away with Ivor.

"You don't have to answer questions like that." Kara said to her brother as they rounded a nearby corner, almost quiet enough that I didn't hear them. If I had normal ears, I wouldn't have.

"Eventually he'd ask the wrong person." Ivor stated.

I decided to enter the dining room. There were plenty of the Damaran soldiers already taking seats. They all looked so happy, even if the castle looked like it had been trashed. A part of the wall looked like it was still under repair. It looked like something heavy crashed through it. I wonder if it had something to do with that explosive force I felt earlier.

I quickly made my way to the table with the Rakastan, Kurohana, and the gnome girl, Lil-Gem. I waved a welcome to them. "Good morning!"

"It's afternoon." The gnome girl said to me. "We're eating lunch."

"So I see." I replied, taking a place next to them. "So… where do I go to get some food?"

Kurohana pointed to the table on the other side of the room. "They're serving boar today. It's what the hunters were able to find. I would have helped, but the soldiers insisted I get some rest." Kurohana swallowed her food, nodding a welcome to me. "I am glad to see you're up. I was worried you weren't going to wake up."

I smirked. "I'm a hardy elf. Nothing can keep me down."

"Is that so?" I heard the familiar voice of the old man, Ignor Mei Kulenov. He was walking up to me, holding a plate of boar in one hand, and a pint of beer in his other. "It would seem we have more in common than I originally thought. Perhaps… we have even more in common?" He asked, holding out a pint of beer for me to take.

I shrugged as I took the pint, taking a sniff of it. Ah… mint berries. An odd flavor, but… it's beer. I took a sip, nodding to the old man. "Hey, I may be as old as you… but I'm not really into older men."

The old man bellowed a laugh, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Oh dear gods no… I was not implying such as union. Unless you wanted to marry my daughter."

"Dad!" Kara screamed from behind him.

Ignor Mei only laughed in response. "I jest, I jest." His laughter quickly quieted down. He sternly looked me in the eye. "There is something I wish to discuss with you." He nodded to the table behind me. "We can chat over lunch."

Kara nodded to her dad, looking over to me. "Would you care for some food? I can get you some."

I nodded. "Yes, please. But, I can get it myself."

Kara only smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you're a big boy… but you're also bleeding through your bandages." She poked at a bloody spot on my wrapped chest. "So… I'll get the food. You just keep your bloody footprints off the marble." Kara turned on her heel, humming as she jogged off.

"She seems happy." I noted as I sat down. Ignor Mei sat across from me.

"For the first time in four years… she has hope. She has me." Ignor Mei stated. "Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. You were in prison. What for?"

Kara walked up, placing a plate of boar and mashed potatoes in front of me. "Eat up." She sat down next to me. Kara's brother and some Shouen girl sat next to Kara.

I looked back at the old man, picking up a fork. "Well… I was at a tavern in Stormwind. I may have been drinking a bit too much, and I may have overheard a nearby noble smack-talking elves. And I may have confronted this noble, may have possibly punched him, and maybe I started a bar fight."

Kurohana purred. "And if that's the tone we're going for… I may have also jumped in and helped the elf defend against societal oppression."

"What's societal oppression?" Lil-Gem looked over to Kara.

Kara sighed. "You're about to find out." Kara looked over to me. "Should I take the girl away? This talk may get… messy."

I shook my head. "No, no. I think she needs to hear this. This is the world we live in… and if she's to live in it… she needs to be prepared for its reality."

"So, let's begin." Ignor Mei looked at me and Kurohana. "The two of you… stayed and helped me fight the Death Knight. I'm grateful for your assistance, but more than that… you proved yourselves to be strong, if not lucky, fighters. You handled yourselves well, and I must ask… not everyone picks up the life of an adventurer. And with your skills, and apparent training, you're more than civilians caught up in a bar fight. An elf… in a kingdom that slaves elves? Or a Rakastan? Not in Turami being worshipped by the local populace? And a Mystic Breed, the noblest of Rakastan breeds?" Ignor Mei shook his head. "No, there's a story here. And I would hear it… if you'll allow me."

I nodded. "Yes, I'm not from Illuska. It's pretty obvious since I'm not wearing a slave collar. I'm from Farvaan, the kingdom of elves southeast of Illuska, located deep in the Forest of Whispers." I looked over to Ignor Mei. "I'm the son of Councilor Lucien Dristole. Our kingdom, Farvaan, it's a paradise. Elves live freely in the forest, practicing magick, worshipping nature… all that fun stuff. Well, we were hit with this weird virus. We didn't know what it was, or where it came from, but… it hit us fast and hard. A lot of us were suddenly ill, and it spread pretty quickly. We quickly had to quarantine the infected, sparing the healthy from the same fate as the infected. The virus… it was terminal. Whoever caught it died. No one survived it."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son." Ignor placed a hand on my shoulder.

"My mother caught it. I talked to the council, begged them to search for a cure… or a spell. Something. But… I learned the darker truths of our society. They didn't care. We were a nation of freedom… but it's a freedom that cannot go against nature. Our buildings are trees, crystal, and stone molded by magic. No metal in Farvaan. Also no medicines. Because whatever nature demands happen… happens. And this virus was seen as a trial given to us from Gaia. We had to endure and come out stronger. Hundreds of us died… and our solution was to wait with our thumbs up our asses."

"That's…" Ignor sighed. "That's typical politicians unfortunately."

"On our borders, an Illuskan diplomat wanted to speak to the council. The edges of Farvaan's Forest of Whispers have a natural barrier that prevents anyone but elves and their allies from crossing into the woods. So, we couldn't just let the person into the town, but this person claimed that he knew of the virus ravaging our populace… a person who'd never set foot in our kingdom, and where no one had left since the last war with Southern Shou. And this guy just happens to know the virus attacking us… and says Illuska has a cure for it. And the Emperor of Illuska was willing to grant us permission to purchase it if we allowed his scientists and alchemists to enter our kingdom to 'evaluate' our kingdom's natural resources."

"Yikes." Ignor shook his head. "What happened?"

"The same response. The council wouldn't do any deals with Illuska. Not even bargain for a sample of the cure. They still wanted to see this virus play itself out instead of trying to stop it. So, I left Farvaan. Thought I'd go find out about the cure myself. And on the way, I heard rumors of this virus… not being natural. It was manmade. Made by Illuskans. And so… I decided I was going to find answers. I wanted to know if this virus was manmade… and if it was… who made it? Why was it made? Can it be cured? And how far does this whole plot go?" I looked down at my plate. "I'm immune. As is my father. We were around mother… I should have caught the virus. Our guards did. But not me. I'm immune. So… does my blood work as a cure? No… because I tried it. It did nothing to stop the virus from what I could see. It did seem to slow it down… for a time anyway. So… I'm here, in Illuska, to find a cure, and to get revenge for the death of my mother: Merida Dristole."

Ignor sat there, eyes focused on me. "I'm sorry, truly… for your losses. And I understand your need for answers and revenge." He turned to look at the Rakastan. "And you?"

…

[Kurohana]

I did not know that Erwin lost his mother… or hundreds of his elven brothers. It almost compares to what I went through. Almost.

I looked over to Ignor Mei. "I'm the sole survivor of a purge."

"What?" Erwin almost sprang up from his seat.

"My family… my clan… was wiped out by Illuskan Templars. I was a child, only 3 when it happened. We were in our village, a small tent village on the border of Illuska and Turami, when it happened. A hunter from our village saw an armored unit of Illuskans marching through the sands towards our village. He said that he sensed foul play and murder in their aura. Some of our Mystics can do stuff like that… read auras and stuff. And our hunter was the best at doing it… and with his warning, our village started packing up to leave. My mom had other plans. She took me to a nearby burial ground. She hid me in one of the burial urns. I heard her scream a minute later. I stayed as silent as possible for as long as I could. I think I spent a day in that urn… trying my best to control my heavy breathing, shaking, crying. I didn't dare climb out. They could be out there waiting for me to crawl out.

"But eventually… I was discovered. I heard the distant mews of a Rakastan… mews that only we can replicate. I knew that one of us had survived. And so… I crawled out of the urn… and found that a nearby village of Rakastans had wandered by, saw the carnage… and were looking for survivors. They took me in… the last of my village… and apparently, the last of any Mystic Breeds anywhere in Turami. The Templars that slaughtered my village, hit the other four villages of Mystics. They were all slaughtered. Well… all but one. My adoptive mother: Kayrukna. She raised me in her village, a village of rogues and hunters. They made their fortune by raiding old ruins and selling the reclaimed treasures from those places. I was raised as one of these collectors, and taught the Mystic arts from Kayrukna. I'm considered an Arcane Trickster according to my clan.

"Anyway… I came to this town to begin my journey to find those who killed my clan, and find out why my clan was slaughtered. Why all the Mystic Breeds were murdered." I looked down at the pint of wine in my claw. I sighed as I downed the whole pint. "Stormwind's tavern seemed like a good place to catch up on chitchat from drunken idiots, and perhaps… I could scam a few gold coins for me to use to buy better gear. It's hard to hide the fact that I'm a Rakastan, and since I've left Turami… I've had to deal with the fact that I'm not worshipped everywhere I go. It's kind of refreshing. I'm not hated, per se… but I've noticed that Illuskans will spit at my feet when I pass by."

"That's hatred." Erwin said. "They're a bunch of fucking racists. They treat elves like trash, Rakastans too. And don't get me started on how they treat anyone born with magick. Elves are at least leashed and told to serve… even if they're lives are worth little more than a cattle's. Witches, sorcerers, and wizards are murdered outright. Not locked up in Damaran Circles, but murdered."

"I hate to agree… but Erwin's correct." Ignor looked at me. "Your stories… they don't really surprise me. I have a story too, of how I came to get here in this prison. I was an Arch Paladin, a General, of the Damaran Royal Army. I was betrayed by my country during our war with Northern Shou. Another Paladin by the name of Kalinski attacked my unit, destroyed us. I was saved by the Death Knight we slayed in the tower; before he became twisted with evil… he was a good man. And during my stay here, I learned that Emperor Victorious also wanted me found and eliminated. And Kalinski was suddenly the tsar of Damara… and passing the same laws as Illuska: confinement and elimination of magick-born citizens. And their moon elves are now treated as slaves."

Kara started rubbing her arms, shaking. "I was there when it started. The Templars marched through our streets, rounding up the Shouen residents living their lives. Each one a sorcerer. I heard the screams from those who weren't lucky enough to be taken away. People loyal to the old tsar were also rounded up. My mother was killed. The town was taken over in a single day. It wasn't safe to live in the town. It was more like a prison than a town."

Ignor looked from his daughter back to Erwin. "This invasion, and these new Illuskan laws, I believe, is no coincidence. I believe Kalinski and Victorious are working together. And I have a solution. You want answers and revenge." Ignor looked at me and then over to Erwin.

"You want to know why your village was attacked by an Illuskan virus…. And get revenge on who unleashed the virus." Ignor looked at me. "You want to find those who slaughtered your clan, and get answers as to why your clan was slaughtered, not to mention murder those who destroyed your clan."

"I do." I replied, a growl forming in my throat.

"You'll need resources, money… an army." Ignor looked at me and then back to Erwin. "Allies. Something big is going on here in Illuska. And now… it's in Damara. My God, Odin… he's gone silent. And my powers have wavered these past few years. I fear these events may be linked… but how… I'm still unsure. And so… I'm offering a partnership. You two join forces with me, help me raise an army… and we'll look for your answers while building an army worthy of charging into Damara, to take back the throne from Kalinski. And if we learn more… you'll have Damara's support in dealing whatever punishment you deem worthy to those who have wronged you. We know they're probably Illuskan… but one can easily wear a false uniform and claim they're from a country not their own. The tactics seem Illuskan, that's for sure. And if that's the case, then you're going to war with Illuska. And if I can raise a proper army… you'll have my full support. So… you have your offer. Join us in our attempt to take back our country…"

I looked over to Erwin. He seemed to weigh his options, but… I had nothing. Literally nothing.

I slammed my fist on the table. "Yes! I'll help you. Count me in!" I stuck my hand out to the middle of the table.

Kara happily placed her hand on mine. "Welcome to the family… What's your name?"

"I'm Kurohana Raksha'na. The Arcane Trickster." I glanced over to Erwin. I tried my best to force a smile. "What do you have to lose?"

Erwin exhaled. "It's a risk. What if these people aren't really good guys. What if we're being tricked into build up some insane necromantic army?"

I hadn't considered that. But then again… I have a feeling. And I trust my feelings. "Call it woman's intuition. These people are nice."

Erwin sighed. He placed his hand on top of Kara's. "If you're wrong, you're not just throwing your own life away, but everyone living peacefully in this world. And Gaia has a will… and if we're acting against it…"

Kara looked over to Erwin. "Like your village didn't act against the virus destroying your country? We're just doing the same. We're looking for a cure. A cure for the disease eating my country."

Erwin nodded. "Yeah… I get that. I really do. But what if I'm helping to create an even deadlier virus?"

Kara smiled at Erwin. "If you don't like what you see… you can always leave."

"The damage might be done by then." Erwin replied.

I sighed, pulling my hand out of the pile, and placing it on top of Erwin's. "Erwin… look into my eyes." Erwin gazed at me. I gave him a stern nod. "Trust me. I have a feeling. We have to do this. If I'm wrong, and this all goes south… you can count on my support. Until then… just trust me?"

Erwin sat there for a few seconds before exhaling again. "I feel like this is going to end badly for us… but… if you're staying, I can't think of anywhere better to be. And I'm getting tired of walking in circles." He looked over to Kara. "You promise to help me find out about the virus?"

Kara nodded. "Yes, anything! I promise."

Erwin smiled. "Well then… I'm in."

"Me too!" The tiny gnome child spoke up. "I'll help too!"

I chuckled at the thought. "Okay, little one. You can help too."

"Yay!" The gnome child squealed.

I looked over to Ignor. "So… where do we start?"

Ignor stood up. "Follow me to the armory. We'll get you fitted with real gear and then… we'll discuss what I believe we need to do next."

Cearbhail:

So, most of this was never mentioned to the main characters. Kara talking to her father, never verbalized. All of it was summed up when the characters did their introductions to the Arch Paladin. This was the start to the next quest, which we'll get to soon. And next chapter, you'll be meeting a new character: Sebastian the kitsune.