I was rudely awakened by the sound of a loud bang.

The walls were vibrating so hard that I rolled right out of my hammock in shock. I came down less than gently onto the cold floor with a thud.

Well, a wonderful good morning to you!

I rubbed my head in confusion and peeled myself out of the blanket to go look after the source of the strange noise. The floor outside seemed to be in sheer pandemonium as I could hear trampling and screaming. It resonated with such a loud volume, that it sounded as though it was occurring just in front of my door.

On the fly, I slipped my shirt on over my head and opened the door.

Dark, green smoke clouds were billowing out of the door located right beside mine, and a myriad of Asura were standing around and gawking at the spectacle. Most of them were dressed at about the same level as me, since presumably they had been shaken out of their sleep just the same as I had.

I decided to consort with the Asura standing closest to me. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat, wearing nothing more than short pants which revealed a body traversed by black blotches covering his skin. His ears were sticking out on both sides, but his eyes were truly the most astonishing thing about him. One of his eyes was green, while the other one was red. Had I not seen other Asura with uncommon eye colors before, I would have thought it was quite creepy.

"What happened here?" I mumbled, watching his sneer grow even wider as I turned towards him.

His amazing-looking eyes were still attached to the smoky room. "Ah, Poll couldn't stop himself from experimenting in his room and this time, he seems to have compounded an exceedingly explosive concoction - again. Inconceivable that they still allow him to live here. This is already the third time in just one week!"

He shook his head in disbelief, then turned his eyes to me. "Excelsior. I am Kekk. You're new here, aren't you? Haven't seen you before. And believe me, I would recognize those ears!"

I stroked one of my ears uncertainly, not quite sure if that last comment was meant as a compliment. "Eh... thanks? I suppose?"

I cleared my throat. "But yes, I just got to Rata Sum yesterday. The name's Szallejh."

"Hah. And how did you get taken on by the Synergetics college? If you ask me, the qualifying examinations get more sophisticated each year. I mean... if I was to compare my exams against my brother's back then. And mine was probably around five years ago! Phew, I really commiserate the next year's students."

I blushed, glad that Kekk's gaze went back to Poll's room. A coughing Asura came staggering out, his hair completely scorched. Amidst the coughs, he was cursing and furiously waving the smoke away.

"I, ehm... I don't attend any of the colleges. At least... not yet. I suppose my best bet will be to earn some money in more conventional ways until I even dare to think about attending a college."

Kekk stared at me in surprise. "Oh, is that so? Quite courageous. Very few Krewes are hiring Asura without any educational degrees."

I just shrugged. "I will find something. Somehow."

Poll had calmed down a little and was now reassuring all the bystanders that the eerie green smoke was not poisonous in any way.

While he was explaining himself, two Peacemakers burst into the hallway and demanded an answer for this turmoil. They calmed down the second they caught Poll across the way, as apparently it was a commonplace that the Asura was responsible for blowing something up inside the dormitory.

Well, well, look who happens to be your new neighbor!

One of them motioned towards the perpetrator in question. "Excelsior. Poll, you will tidy up this chaos and then follow us. Klakk has slowly been growing worried about the condition of his dorms, and he needs to have a conversation with you, urgently.

Kekk snickered. "Uh-oh, now he is going to be thrown out for sure!"

One of the Peacemakers turned around and spoke to all the spectators who had gathered. "Nothing to see here. Move along, folks! Go to your rooms or wherever else you want to go, but don't obstruct the hallway any longer."

"Pfff. Not exactly friendly for a Peacemaker", I commented before opening the door to my room.

Kekk bid farewell with a short wave. "See ya, long-eared!" He winked at me again and disappeared in the masses.

The noise died away immediately once I let the door shut behind me. With a sigh, I lifted the blanket from the floor and folded it before putting it back on the floating hammock. After all the commotion, I was wide awake with very little doubt. I didn't even make an attempt to try and lie down again for more sleep.

I knew well enough that Zojja would soon be waiting for me outside. At least until then, I wanted to be dressed for the occasion.

In a hurry I slipped into the same clothes I had worn yesterday evening. They were neither dirty nor did they smell bad, so I would be able to wear them one more day. Combing my hair was much more of a hassle though, as the strands had tangled up into an untamable mess while I had been sleeping. I had a difficult time unraveling some of the knots, and that was only made worse by the lack of any immediate mirror in my room.

I made a mental note about adding that to my shopping list as soon as possible.

After what seemed like ages, I finally reached the point where I could put my hair up in a ponytail so loose strands were no longer bothering me all the time. I threw one last glance down to my appearance before shouldering my backpack and leaving the room..

Zojja was already waiting for me when I came back from the cleaning rooms.

"Excelsior, my dear! How has your night been?" she asked.

"Calm wouldn't quite describe it. I hope it doesn't occur every day that some Asura is trying to blow up his room", I said.

Zojja laughed. "Concerning that, I can't promise you anything. Are you ready? Sparkfly Fen awaits us!"

"And how exactly will we get there, if I may ask?"

The area of Sparkfly Fen wasn't located very close to Rata Sum, and I was afraid of a really long and burdensome march lying just ahead of us. From what I could remember, I couldn't recall there being portals except for the ones in Lion's Arch.

Zojja's glimpse allowed me to fear the worst.

"We will take the portal to Lion's Arch, then go by foot through Bloodtide Coast and further into Sparkfly Fen", she instructed. "Sorry about that, but I'm afraid this is the fastest way there. But with that in mind, our journey should prove rather uneventful and we should be able to arrive there by this evening.

Great! And it was still early in the morning.

I sighed. "Well then, let's go. That way we won't have to spend the night in the marshes."

I had just begun to move when my stomach started rumbling so loud that even the Asura in the nearby rooms could have heard it.

Zojja gave me a lopsided sneer with her sharp teeth. "First thing's first, we should get something for breakfast. Did you already forget about that? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

I followed Zojja up the ramps until we arrived on the surface of the cube. Compared to yesterday, today was utter chaos. The level of noise hardly allowed a proper conversation, and I struggled to not lose sight of Zojja within all of this mess.

She led me to a hall of the Synergetics college, the right side holding a few tables and chairs looking to be made out of stone. Many of them were already taken, but I could make out a few free seats here and there. Ahead of that stood something that looked like a kiosk, and I assumed it was where one could probably buy their breakfast.

And that was exactly where Zojja was heading.

The smell of fried bacon and eggs reached my nostrils while we waited in the queue. Now more than ever, I recognized how hungry I really was. Again.

The students in front of us were intensively chatting about the facts of synergy and how elements and energy were needed to create every single one of us. From this angle, it was that we were representing a cosmic event within an even bigger picture.

It was interesting to listen to the two, but sadly their conversation was interrupted when they both ordered their breakfast and went to one of the tables in the back shortly after.

Finally after waiting in line for what seemed like forever, it was our turn to get our meal.

The Asura in the kiosk wore a classic chef's outfit with a matching cap that looked a few sizes too big, but the outfit suited him amazingly well. He appeared to be quite young, with brown hair sticking out on every side and friendly brown eyes. His nose appeared too clunky on the scale of things.

Cheerfully he turned bacon strips on a heating plate and pushed plentiful scoops of scrambled eggs into small bowls. Once he saw us approach, his facial expression lightened up even a bit more.

"Aah, good morning, Zojja!" he exclaimed with a cheery smile.

"Excelsior, Bromm. A cook as mettlesome as ever, as I see", Zojja addressed with a simple nod.

"I can't let the poor Synergetics students starve to death, now can I?" he joked and then took our order. Even though he had much more on offer, I eventually decided to take the scrambled eggs with bacon.

Zojja paid for our meals, and while she was gathering the right amount of coins, I couldn't help but wonder how much a genius like her would actually earn. She was the one responsible for inventing mega lasers, and they were used nearly everywhere.

And though she was oblivious, I knew well enough her weapon would be leading the Pact to its final victory over Zhaitan...

"Zojja, why don't you introduce the beauty you have brought along with you?" Bromm suddenly asked.

I could feel the blood rushing to the tips of my ears, and I grinned hesitantly.

"This is my niece Szallejh. She's been in Rata Sum since yesterday, so have patience with her", Zojja said, introducing me. She patted my shoulder and attempted to say more, but an Asura behind us complained about our conversation blocking the kiosk for all the other hungry students.

Bromm only shrugged in excuse and gave us a big grin while we cleared the way for the others.

We took a seat on one of the stone benches and enjoyed our breakfast, which really tasted extraordinarily good. Whoever this Bromm had been, he seemed to be the greatest cook in all of Tyria.

"There are still a few things I will have to get used to", I mumbled with a mouth full of eggs while I watched a couple of Asura discussing something so vigorous that they almost broke their skulls.

"Which would be?" Zojja countered.

Just now, the male Asura had slapped the face of his female companion, and it really must have hurt because it immediately brought tears into her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to need to get used to the exploding rooms of my neighbors", I began, still watching the fiasco from across the way. "And on the other hand, I'm noticing that Asura clearly have no sense of shame when it comes to compliments."

The Asura was apologizing extensively after raising his hand, and even from the furthered distance I could see he was doing it in a very convincing way. But the Asura next to him must have thought differently, because she bashed her empty bowl atop this head. The noise of the skull reverberating against the ceramic was nearly chilling.

Luckily Asura were strong-headed, both physically and mentally. And it seemed Bromm's eating utensils and ceramic ware were strong enough for common disputes like this.

Zojja laughed. "You'll get used to it soon enough. To both of those things."

She looked down to her plate and stabbed her fork full of egg. "Do you know how many wedding proposals I've gotten during my lifetime? Either from Asura that were desperate to marry a prominence like myself, or acquaintances that were so addled by their latest achievement that they couldn't discern what they were asking in their euphoria."

The female Asura across the way now sprang to her feet, swore her head off for a few seconds and then ran past us to the outside. I swore I was able to make out a few more tears on her face while she ran by.

"And you denied all of them?" I asked, looking at the companion next to me.

"Pah, of course I did! Who on this planet needs...", she began but trailed off after noticing what I had been so enraptured within. "What has been catching your attention so greatly!?"

Zojja cast a short glance over her shoulder, but she had missed the spectacle. The Asura that had been left behind had sunk down on his bench and was rubbing his head. At least he would walk away with an enormous bump as a painful reminder.

"Ah, nothing. I was just watching the nearby surroundings...", I answered.

After we had finished our breakfast, Zojja brought the dishes back to the kiosk and then led me towards a very busy-looking portal, which was judged by how many other Asura were also wanting to go through.

On the way there, I told Zojja about the job offer I had received yesterday evening.

The diner imaginatively was called "Aquatarium", which was a name given by the fact that it's seating possibilities correlated with the backdrop of it being right behind the aquarium. It had quite a good view of the underwater world. Not only that, but the kitchen area was open, which meant guests could watch the chef's preparing all of the meals.

In two weeks time, the current waitress would be going to join the Durmand Priory in the Shiverpeaks. An Asura named Elynnja, who was the diner's owner, gladly offered me the position.

Zojja shrugged her shoulders. "Might not be the best dinner in Rata Sum, but it means money at the very least. Besides, it's impossible for you to be clumsier than their previous waitress."

Well, that was the encouragement I asked for.

We entered the queue in front of the portal and while we progressed inch by inch, I thought about how I would be spending the next two weeks until I started my new job.

"What is your request in Lion's Arch?" a grumpy-looking portal guard asked me when I was the next in line.

"Just passing by, nothing else", I answered.

"So no criminal intentions, murder, sabotage, thievery?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Eeh.. I guess not."

"Good. Your badge, please", she ordered, holding her hand out expectantly.

I gave her the badge, feeling slightly confused. She scanned it and instructed me with a nod to step through the portal. Zojja was spared formalities, as I assumed she was known well enough and didn't need to be given instructions every single time.

This will be the only portal on our journey. Lucky me.

We stepped through the portal and the hot jungle air was instantly replaced by the fresh, salty smell of Lion's Arch and its surrounding sea. I needed a moment to adjust to the new circumstances before I finally looked around. We stood on a huge plaza that was lined with dozens of other portals, each of which was protected by standing guards.

I was broken from my observation when two children, a human and a Charr cub passed by with their kites. They were laughing aloud, taking advantage of the wind which wove through the streets of Lion's Arch. The two were hushed away by a fierce-looking Lionguard, but that didn't seem to harm their good mood in any way.

"Wow! Where do all these portals lead to?" I asked Zojja, marveling at the structures while she guided me across the plaza.

"They are gateways to all of the big cities of Tyria. Hoelbrak, Divinity's Reach, even the Durmand Priory. All important places", she exclaimed. "I would love to give you a tour around Lion's Arch, but we don't have the time to.

She shielded her eyes and looked to the direction of where the sun was sitting overhead. "As you already know, I would like to arrive at Narru's by this evening. You are free to book a tour on your way back, that is if you're obsessed with pirates and scofflaws..."

At least I now know where in Lion's Arch we currently are.

Zojja waved me through a stone-made gate and rushed through Lion's Arch's streets, her speed making it impossible for me to throw further looks at the city.

Even if it seemed quite chaotic, I found the place to be beautiful in its very own way. The buildings were mostly of various constructs, and it was obvious that many different races had been involved in rebuilding the city.

From what I recalled, it all had started with a human named Cobiah Marriner, a Charr named Sykox, and a colorful Asura who went by the name of Macha. And with the passing years, they had joined with many others. Skritt, Hylek, humans, Norn and more. They all had immortalized their unique fingerprint within this city.

We passed various streets that were lined with towering palms. Quickly, we crossed shady-looking merchants, vigilant guards, children running amuck, and random arguing couples.

Zojja led me up a section of wide stony steps and then over a bridge, its borders cropped with buildings. We headed up to another portal-lined plaza. This one was mostly crowded with warriors, who looked armed to their teeth and obviously more than ready to lose their life in combat.

"Here are the portals to the mists", Zojja commented, and that seemed to be enough as an explanation for her. I would have asked more, but I had already run out of breath from all of our extensive walking.

But instead of crossing the plaza, Zojja led me through an unremarkable opening in the wall which allowed us to walk around. On this path, we were more directly near the sea and had an amazing view over Lion's Arch.

I really wished we could have had more time so that I could take a look to really observe everything. But as soon as I stopped for even a tiny fraction of a second, Zojja had already pulled me further along.

Enormous cannons dotted nearly every wall of Lion's Arch, which made it apparently clear that it would never be an easy city to capture. Either for undead, dragons or other unseen enemies.

In front of us now stretched a kind of a gorge, it's soaring cliffs standing quite close to each other. It left only enough space for two, maybe three travelers side by side. I couldn't make out the exit, but judging by the Dolyak caravans passing through the gorge, this seemed to be the way to the Bloodtide Coast.

I felt uncomfortable while we were walking beneath the cold shadow of the stones, but Zojja tried to calm me. "It's only a short way to the other side, and because the path is leading upwards, the cliffs won't seem that dangerous for you much longer."

And she was right, after a few minutes we were already walking in sunshine again and I could make out water just ahead in the distance.

But it was then that I realized just how badly my feet were starting to hurt, and I couldn't imagine how Zojja was able to ever survive a journey with the pace she was making.

As we reached the exit of the gorge, Zojja headed for a small camp that was set up on the proximity of the shore. A woman in a Lionguard uniform kindly greeted Zojja and indicated for us to take a short rest. I took the offer without hesitating, and dumped down ungracefully on my backside before rubbing my hurting feet.

"Don't worry, after breakfast this morning I was constructing an idea that will surely shorten our journey and definitely make it less uncomfortable", Zojja explained. "It's true what they say about breakfast, it increases the cogitation many times over!"

Shorter and more comfortable? Sounded like a promising plan - most of all for my feet.

"Zojja! How are you doing?" a voice suddenly announced.

"Splendid, Tunnira", she answered with a smile. "You remember the megalaser I told you about? The prototype was more than successful, and my invention will bring us all the victory over Zhaitan!"

"I'm sure it will. But tell me, what brings you here?" she asked.

Zojja grinned mischievously and threw a short side glance at me. "My... niece and I are on our way to Sparkfly Fen. But we have to get there as fast as possible, and last time you told me about a cockleshell that you use to get to the isles..."

Tunnira burst into laughter. "I understand, and I can see it would clearly be an ease for both you and your niece. It won't be a problem then! Besides, I still owe you a favor anyway. Authen will arrive shortly to bring you to your destiny fast and safe.

While she called for a Sylvari wearing similar armor, Zojja gave her thanks to the woman and slipped her some silver coins.

The Sylvari received their new commands without complaining and led us to a tiny wooden boat that had been pulled to the shore not far from the camp.

"Good morning, ladies! It's your lucky day, the Splintered Coast is easy to reach if you travel by water", the Sylvari said. "But it won't be a holiday trip with our vehicle, as the waters are turbulent here and there in bad times. Not only that, but these lands are teeming with Krait."

"We will manage with that. Let's go, we don't have much time", Zojja said.

Authen was absolutely right about the holiday trip. Though it would have been way more exhausting to run all the way there, it only took me a few minutes of being on the boat for me to swear that I would never travel by sea again after today. My face had turned completely green, and more than once my head disappeared behind the other side of the railing. It caused a few pitiful glances from my companions each time I ran over to expel my stomach.

If only I had spared breakfast...

But the real action of our journey started when we left the territories of Bloodtide Coast and emerged into the larger waters of Sparkfly Fen. Authen told us that the lake we passed was called Ocean's Gullet, and from there we would pass the Leeshore Gauntlet before finally reaching our destination at the Splintered Coast. Although the passage over the lake was essentially more calm and gave me back my normal face color, we had another much bigger problem appearing.

Krait.

Of course we had been warned beforehand, but when the first of that beasts appeared in front of our boat, I screamed out like a little girl and tried to hide in the backmost corner of our vehicle. It didn't help that the Krait had brought a fellow conspecific, who attacked us from behind - and their scaled slippery claws that clung round my neck were even more horrible than Phlunt's breath.

Again I screamed out and dealt out blows to all sides without control, in the hope that this would discourage the unwanted parasite. But to make matters worse, it only tightened the grip of its claws.

My only salvation left was Zojja. After she had swiftly cast a whispered spell, she threw a giant fireball at the Krait which hit him in the middle of his chest and hurled his now lifeless body back into the waves. I should have been grateful, but the fireball had also grazed my arm and I was too busy with my own roaring curses and complaining about the pain to acknowledge her help.

Meanwhile Authen had been dealing with the second Krait, which was now bleeding out from various spear wounds and had crashed onto the bottom of our boat. Authen finished him off and then heaved the heavy corpse back into the water.

He clapped his hands and brushed leaves out of his face, as though there had never been a fight just seconds ago.

I still sat in my corner, huddled and shivering while clutching onto my hurting arm.

Zojja sighed and knelt down beside me. "I'm sorry that my spell got you too. But this was the only way to quickly get that beast off you."

"It's okay...", I mumbled with a shrug. At least I was alive and those two Krait were not, which must have been worth something.

"I never really specialized in healing, but there are still a few basic spells I can cast. I'm sure they will help your burns", Zojja tried, guilt ridden on her face.

She imposed her right hand onto my wound, ignoring my pained hiss before closing her eyes and mumbling a few words that I didn't quite understand.

With disbelief I stared as her hand began to glow in a light blue color, and it felt like water jets flowing were out of her fingers and circling around my arm. With an uneasy feeling, these water jets seemed to blaze a healing trail through my burnt flesh.

After Zojja pulled her hand back, I was left with only a reddened circle. It reminded me more of a bad sunburn than an actual burn.

"Wow! How did you...?" I asked, bewilderment on my face.

"Elementalists, my dear. I may not be specialized on water magic, but every elementalist should manage to cast some basic spells", she said with her iconic grin. "And besides, I am a genius, did you forget about that?"

She gave me a wink and ordered Authen to resume his paddling.

For the rest of the passage I was compelled to sit in the middle of the boat. But I was thankful for that because the first Krait attack wasn't going to be the last one.

I knew we must have been on our way for a great many hours by now, because the sun had long transcended its zenith. Around midday, we made a short break on the shore and had bought some cheap food rations from a grumpy looking human woman, which we ate right then and there.

I really enjoyed the break, seeing how a total of five Krait had already fallen victim to Authen and Zojja while I huddled in the boat like a scared dog. Luckily we managed the rest of the fights much easier than the first one.

Authen justified the notion by saying that the other Krait had been alone on the one side and had underestimated the strength of such a tiny boat on the other.

But way too soon, our break had come to an end and before I knew what was happening, I was sitting in the middle of our transportation again.

The first gleams of red and purple had become visible in the sky. We approached a swampy area that not only smelled horribly, but it's floor was also covered with craters and remains of fires.

"What on earth has happened here...?" I mumbled some more to myself, trying my best to ignore the stench as much as possible.

"Welcome to the heart of the Sparkfly Fen, the Splintered Coast. Do you see the lab in the distance? That's where we'll find Narru", Zojja said, pointing towards the area in question. "These craters all emerged with the many attacks of Tequatl, a being which has been relentless with its attacks on the lands even through the massive throwbacks on each side."

Zojja turned towards me. "With their undead minions being burnt, they won't dare to rise ever again."

The comment gave me goose bumps. Hopefully the conversation with Narru wouldn't take too long, and we could get away from this horrible land as soon as possible.

"I know exactly what you're thinking", Zojja stared at me with a serious glance. "Even if our timing is good, we will be staying here over night. I won't dare pass these waters by night!"

And again, I could see my hope burst like a bubble. Well, at least the lab seemed to be a safe place and wouldn't get attacked by Krait at night.

Would it...?

Together with Authen, I pulled the boat as closely into the shore so the waves wouldn't pull it back into the sea. I tied it up to a small, withered-looking tree, its few remaining leaves having taken on a grayish color.

Zojja didn't bother to wait for us, and I had to run the whole way to catch back up with her. A simple task was proven much more difficult because of the sandy floor, and more than once I stumbled around with my arms fumbling over the surface's irregularities. Stones and twigs blocked my way every few feet. Until I caught up, my toes were covered with scratches and my shoes were now full of sand, and that made the running even more complicated.

"You are toddling around like a duck", Zojja commented, laughing when she recognized me on her side. "To be honest, you don't have the most elegant gait."

I snorted. "It's not that easy to walk if you're suddenly missing two toes!"

Before the discussion could escalate, another Asura was hurrying out of the lab and stared at our small group with something in their hands.

I couldn't quite make out what they were holding, and I was unsure if their face was of surprise or doubt.

The Asura had glowing green eyes, and her coppery hair that was bound together to a tail. She had small pointy ears that stuck upwards. She was dressed in full armor, and it looked to be a mix of mithril plates and leather ornaments. Attached on her back was a suitable and very dangerous looking longbow made of steel.

In my eyes, she embodied the appropriate title of Warmaster.

"My ears, Zojja! What are you doing here?", she nearly shouted. "The last time I've seen you was shortly after the disbandment of Destiny's Edge!"

A painful expression covered Zojja's eyes for a tiny moment, but it disappeared so fast that I wondered if I had just imagined it. "Excelsior, Narru. I'm fully aware that we did not exactly part the most peaceful way last time. Still, I need your help and want to call in the favor you still owe me."

"Funny, because the last I remember it was you that started the conflict the last time. And then you just disappeared out of the town", Narru said, crossing her arms. "But, you're right. I still owe you something. So, what is it? And who's that person with you?"

"Is there a possibility we could talk somewhere uninterrupted?" Zojja asked, throwing a glance at Authen. The Sylvari understood immediately and returned to the boat without complaining.

"In my office we will be undisturbed, as long as the lab isn't attacked by Krait", Narru answered. "The krewe of United Arcanists will take care of all the other problems."

I didn't dare to ask what she could have meant by 'other problems', so I followed Narru without saying another word. We were led upstairs and through a heavy door made of steel, the thing leading us into a dimly lit room.

Narru closed the door behind us and activated some light sources on the top so the area was aflame with an unsteady blue light. The room itself was filled with bookshelves and some lab tables, their surfaces containing various experiments that were bubbling away. Within the center, stood a slender office table that was covered in documents.

After Zojja and I had taken seats opposite to Narru, she offered us a drink that smelled something quite similar to rum.

The warmaster pushed some documents aside with her forearm before beginning her questioning. "Well then, go for it. What brings you here?"

For a long time Narru just watched us in silence after Zojja had ended her explanation. She sighed loudly and moved back a strand of hair that had gotten loose from her ponytail.

"Are you aware of what you are demanding from me, Zojja? Why is this Asura so important to you?" she asked.

Zojja nodded. "That I am. Szallejh is... someone special. I can't explain it in detail, but believe me when I say that she is full of potential. Please, Narru. Without you, she has no chance against the Arcane Council."

"We could have never possibly defeated Tequatl that thoroughly without the help of your megalaser. This time they will need a long time to recover before they are able to attack our coast again - and by then we will be waiting with the laser to kill them. I owe you much for this, but I don't know if I can grant you this favor."

Though Zojja had told me before to leave the speaking to her, she now signaled me with a look that I was allowed to speak, after I had been pleading for it with my eyes.

"Narru... I know that this is a hard decision for you. But you don't incur any liabilities. I don't require any gold and you won't even notice a big difference", I began, keeping my voice steady. "Though we are making the claim of you having a daughter, I will keep my nose out of your private life, just as I know you can disassociate yourself from me. Nobody will make you accountable for things I may do. All we want from you is to simply confirm towards the council about what Zojja told you earlier. That's all."

"My sister is a genius. Her story is quite trustworthy, and there is almost no counter evidence. While I had been stationed in the Shiverpeaks, I only talked to a few Vigil and most of them have probably fallen in the fight against the dragons by now. Nobody could deny that I have given birth to a child in that time... though I would have never passed my prodigy onto some Norn!"

Zojja laughed faintly. "What would you have done otherwise? Vigil have far too much pride to abandon their duty ahead of time, whatever solid reasons there may be. Even I know that.

She continued. "And to take a newborn onto a patrol? Please! Not even a Norn would have such a stupid idea. In your case, it would have been the only opportunity to consign the nearest village to care of your child while you're patrolling with your squad! This way no one will scrutinize the lack of knowledge and the sometimes weird manners this one has."

She patted my arm encouragingly, but I already knew that Zojja didn't mean that last part as an insult. It was simply stating that I had absolutely no clue about some of the Asura socializations. But I was bound and determined to improve my knowledge in the next few weeks.

"Of course", Narru mumbled, and I wondered if she was referring to the Norn village or to my lack of knowledge.

She stood up with a pondering look and arranged some of the documents to her left. "Well then, I will do it. But this will repay the debt for once and for all, Zojja!"

My heart took a leap, similar to when the council had first granted me a permit of residence. But before I could open my mouth to thank Narru, the door behind us was torn open and a heavily breathing full-armored Asura stormed inside, his face covered in blood.

"What the...?" Narru started, furious at the sudden intrusion. But the other Asura didn't give her the time to speak.

"Krait..." he said, taking a deep breath. "Krait are attacking the lab. They are after the energy storage units!" He had barely finished the sentence when screams resonated behind him. He ran back outside, a short sword in one hand and a big, magically glowing shield in the other.

Narru didn't hesitate even a second. Instantly she grabbed her bow and a quiver full of arrows which had been leaning against the nearby wall. She followed the Asura to the outside, without paying attention to us any longer.

"What should we do now, Zojja?" I asked in slight panic and disbelief, because I was entirely fed up with Krait by now.

"What do you think, genius? We fight! Wield your weapon and out you go!" she replied before disappearing out the lab entrance as well.

Meanwhile the scattered screams had turned into a genuine war turmoil. Weapons clanged against weapons, and both Krait and Asura were screaming in pain. With shivering hands I loosened the hammer from the backpack and clutched it with both hands. Now that there was a real fight approaching - and not a single Krait that could be killed with ease by Zojja or Authen - it seemed incredibly heavy for me.

Hesitantly I left the room and paced down the stone steps, my gaze entranced by the scene that ran by ahead of me.

Almost two dozen Krait had convened around the lab and were now trying to destroy the energy storage units that were lightheartedly humming away. The krewe of United Arcanists, who granted the Vigils that had been stationed here shelter in their lab, was only made up of about ten Asura. But they seemed to have the experience being confronted by Krait, even though their numbers were few. They all wore battle-scarred weapons, and it was obvious they knew how to wield them.

I could make out Narru in the distance while she tried to protect the storage units that were the farthest out. Four krait circled around her, and because her longbow wasn't made for melee fighting, she had swapped to a dagger. Its blade glowed in an unhealthy green color.

Venom, I supposed.

But the majority of the numbers were on the Krait's side, and even though Narru absolutely deserved her title, the beasts inflicted her with more and more scratches and increasingly bigger wounds.

But the tide turned when Zojja became aware of the situation and sent one of the Krait, who had leapt at her, to kingdom come with a fireball. Instantly she cast a lightning spell that not only covered her, but sent off two of the Krait attacking Narru. The Warmaster took advantage of the distraction, and finished off the remaining enemies in front of her.

Both of the Krait that had been sent flying in the distance were finished off by Narru with two precise shots from her bow. She tore off a strip of cloth from her skirt to tape up the heavy bleeding on her arm.

I concentrated on a group of Asura that were facing three enemies ahead of me. One of them had been killed already, but the second one had specifically avoided all attacks and was able to hit an Asura with every one of its spear strikes.

The same Asura that had warned us earlier was starting a counter attack, but the Krait whipped his sword out of his hand with such immense energy, that the Asura quickly went down. Before he could react, the spear pierced his heart and he lay there lifeless.

Revenge took a blood and dirt covered Asura, and soon they were cutting through the Krait from top to bottom. Powerless, she fell down besides the dead Asura, and took his head in her lap before lulling her upper body back and forth in sorrow.

As I ran past, I could still hear her sobbing at the stairs, and it broke my heart.

There were losses on every side, but it seemed that the Asura were gaining the upper hand

Suddenly I tasted something salty on my lips, and I recognized that I was crying - I had never before in my life seen so much pain and death.

But I didn't have the time to think about the depressing moment any longer - because the third Krait from the group had spotted me and wriggled with determination right towards me.

My blood felt like it had frozen, and my limbs refused any command I gave them.

Run! It screamed in my head, but I couldn't do anything. It was as though I was solidified.

He will kill you. You shouldn't be here, not in this world. And now you will die, and there is no way back. Zojja...

Only when Zojja called out my name that I realized I must have actually screamed her name out loud. The Krait was only was a stone's throw away from me, and I closed my eyes upon death's door - then I felt something hot and the Krait in front of me screamed aloud in pain. A fireball had perforated his body and had driven him to his knees, but he wasn't yet dead.

"Do something! Fight, by Oola's ghost!" Zojjas voice resonated while she tried to finish off two Krait that had come too close towards one of the storage units.

Suddenly I felt the blood rushing through my body again and I lifted the hammer. My body obeyed again. Without thinking, I smashed the hammer down onto the Krait - again and again. With every smash I let out a scream, a scream of sorrow, of rage, of fear. I didn't subside until the Krait was nothing more than a bunch of bone splinters and scaled slime.

Only then did I recognize what I had just done.

You have killed someone. Again.

That thought made me sick but given the fact that there still were some Krait alive, I forced myself to stay strong.

I ran towards an Asura that was desperately trying to fight off the strikes of an already heavily wounded Krait. When he saw me approaching, he changed his aim and stabbed me repeatedly, his spear leaving a huge hole in my right arm. Blazing pain shot up my arm and I couldn't feel my limb anymore.

More concerning though, was that the puncture site was forming a black circle growing quite quickly- poison!

Panic flooded me and I staggered, my thoughts quickly overrun by the pain.

An Asura nearby beheaded the Krait with a sober strike, and in the same move also split off a scaled arm of another monster. The serpentine's painful scream came to an abrupt fade as an axe cut through his throat.

Suddenly, Authen was standing in front of me and appeared to be covered in red blood splatters, but none of them seemed to originate from him.

"Are you alright?" he asked with worry on his face, but I could only make out blurry noises.

The venom was still spreading inside my body, and it had moved from my arm to my whole torso. It felt like it had been filled with ice cold numbness.

The world around me seemed to turn, but when Authen's strong hands caught me, I recognized that it was me who was turning. He helped me to lean my upper body against one of the storage units, the humming surface feeling comfortably warm against my back.

Authen took out a small black vial and poured its content down my throat.

Whatever it was, it burned in my lungs and filled my mouth with a taste which could best be compared to a mix of rotten flesh and dead plants. I coughed, retched and struggled not to lose my stomach contents, but slowly the numbness faded bit by bit. A glance towards my arm confirmed that the black flesh was slowly being overtaken by a grayish color, and eventually it transformed to a much healthier color.

But still the wound was bleeding. Authen tied a strip of cloth around it as solid as he could. This sudden movement caused a new wave of pain that made me howl, but at least my vision was fairly clear again.

I observed the coast. We had won. None of the Krait were still alive, and Zojja and another Asura were already started to pull all the Krait corpses together to burn them.

But our side had experienced losses too.

Besides the Asura's whose death I had witnessed, two other krewe members had lost their life - one of them being the Asura who had mourned about the male one. I supposed that one of the Krait had killed her from behind while she had been mourning. Those three were laid and were burnt separate from the Krait.

Authen had meanwhile moved on and took care of the other wounded.

Narru appeared besides me, still bleeding from various smaller wounds on her body. The bigger one had stopped bleeding by now, but the stripe around it was dry with blood. She was pale in the face and was breathing heavily, but the most horrible thing to see was the fury and sadness in her eyes.

"Krait!" she hissed full of hate. "I should have never agreed for this krewe to produce their research at this place. After so many attacks, we should have known that the Krait would form a bigger alliance one day soon... those victims were unnecessary..."

She shook her head, as though she wanted to shake off her thoughts. Then she looked me in the eyes. "Are you okay? You look horrible."

"Thanks to Authen, the poison wasn't able to spread any further. But it hurts.. quite a lot", I mumbled with clenched teeth. Now that the adrenaline rush was subsiding, I was more aware of the pain caused by my wounds.

"Narru... when the Krait attacked, I... I couldn't do anything. My body was frozen, I just couldn't move! It was like ice flowing through my veins instead of blood. Even if the control is back now, my feet are still cold as ice... I really thought I would die!"

Narru watched me, searching my face for something. "You literally got cold feet, hm? But you did quite well for a beginner", she began. "But let me tell you something... if you really want to call yourself the daughter of a warmaster and an Asura who grew up with Norn, you should change something about your current fighting abilities. Best before the Arcane Council summons the next meeting."

"And you got some ideas on how to manage that?" Zojja asked, who was now done with her devastating duty. Both of the fires were blazing fiercely, one holding the fallen enemies while the other was for the fallen allies.

"I will train her personally. In the Shiverpeaks", she answered. "Give me one week and I will make her an Asura that is worthy of having warmaster Narru as her mother."

Exhausted, I leaned my head against the energy storage. That could only mean one thing: More fights. And more pain.

"And when do you want to start?" Zojja pressed.

Narru laughed. "Tomorrow."