"Well, isn't that amazing?" I asked suddenly. Keia and Ceae both stopped walking to give me confused looks.
"What is, Cryos?" Keia asked.
I smiled. "We haven't been attacked out here yet! It's amazing… I can hike across the Plains without fearing danger!" My smile faded immediately when I heard the sound of birds rapidly flying away. "Well, nevermind. Someone's coming." I led the group to a cluster of rocks nearby. I peeked over a rock to see a young woman coming up to the spot where we had just been standing.
"Oh, what am I to do? I've been searching for him for twenty years now! He couldn't have gone far…" The woman appeared to be upset, but her voice had a sweet tone. "Oh, Rona… Why did you ever leave me alone in this world?"
"Rona? She's talking about Rona!" I whispered excitedly.
"Maybe you're right… Someone is bound to know something, and she just might be it," Keia said.
"What do you think? Should we approach her?" Ceae asked.
"Just what I was thinking." I stood up from behind our cover. The woman immediately turned to face me. She raised one hand and it began to glow. "Whoa, whoa, hold on! I don't mean any harm! I just overheard you talking about Rona, and maybe I could be of some help to you."
"You know Rona too?" the woman asked and began to lower her arm slowly.
"Well, not exactly… But, I believe that if we worked together… We could find him. I'm looking for him too."
"How do I know you won't try to hurt him?"
"I don't have a death wish… Attacking would surely get me killed."
"True. I guess I can trust you."
"Alright!" I took my pack off and started to dig through it. "I have something here for you to look at. If you really know Rona, perhaps you'll know what to do with this?" I pulled out the armored faceplate and held it up. The woman took it from me and examined it. After a couple of seconds, she dropped it and gasped.
"This… This faceplate belonged to Rona! I remember this from when I—" She stopped. "N-nevermind, not here, not now. Meet me tonight, you and your group there behind the rocks… Meet me at the Rysta's Blessing tavern in the nearby town… Rent a room there for three and find me in room number four. It is a luxury room that is sound-proof. I'll explain everything then."
"How about a name?" I asked.
"I go by Vegance," she replied.
"Cryos," I said. "See you tonight, I suppose." Vegance ran off towards the town quickly. I turned around to face my previous cover. Keia and Ceae stood up and walked over to me.
"How did she know we were behind the rocks?" Keia asked.
"I…cannot explain that. You heard everything?"
"Rysta's Blessing tavern, rent a room, go to number four, and meet Vegance," Ceae reiterated.
"I'll take that as a yes," I said. The three of us continued our walk to the nearby town.
By the time we arrived at the town, night had already fallen. I had wondered why we could not see the town for awhile; the town was very small. It was more of a waypoint for travelers than a town. There were a few shops selling odds and ends, a weapons shop, and a defense shop. At the far corner was the Rysta's Blessing tavern and inn.
"Something tells me this is the place," Keia said. I could hear loud music just inside. I turned and looked at Ceae.
"Children aren't allowed into taverns, are they?" I asked.
"No, but he's so short, they won't even see him over the counter," Keia said.
"Then in we go!" I pushed open the door. The music was blaring and the smell of beer and salt flooded my nose. At many of the tables, men talked among themselves and drunken women giggled. A few rowdy guys were goofing off in one of the corners, causing a lot of noise. Keia and I walked up to the counter, followed by Ceae. The innkeeper came up to greet us.
"Welcome! Come for a drink?" she asked.
I looked back at all of the drunks. Some were eyeing me suspiciously. "Actually, no. I need to rent a room for three."
The innkeeper looked to me and then to Keia. "Three?"
"Yeah. Me and my, er, wife, and our child," I lied.
"Oh, I see! A married couple… Yeah, we have a room for you," the innkeeper said. "Actually, a young woman paid for you three already… Said you three would be comin' by tonight."
"So, it's free?" I asked.
"Yeah, go on ahead." I smiled at Keia and we headed up to stairs to the upper level. I never felt those eyes leave my head all the way up the stairs.
"Room four," Ceae said and pointed to the door. Keia and I nodded, and I opened the door. Vegance was sitting by the windowsill looking out at the night sky. She turned her head to see me.
"Go ahead and come in. Take a spot anywhere, because I have a long story to tell you. Did you bring the faceplate?"
"Uh…" I did not remember picking it back up. Ceae, however, pulled it out of his bag. He handed it to Vegance.
"This mask… This was a part of Rona's armor, yes. So far, you have been correct… I know this is part of his, because I was there when Rona was made," Vegance began. I sat down on a nearby bed. "See, I too am a Darkling… And like Rona, I quit my job.
"I was created not by Necril, but by someone else. Yes, Necril had a brother. He and his brother held a grudge towards each other much like Necril holds a grudge towards Draconia. One day, Necril and his brother decided to have a competition. They competed to see who could create the better Darkling. Thus, I came first.
"Necril's brother created me from darkness magic and infused me with the power of all beasts in this land. He gave me the ability to shapeshift to fit my mood, in hopes that I could adapt to any situation. I was named Vegance, like 'Vengeance,' only more feminine. My natural form was that of a beautiful woman, to fool any whom I was to kill.
"Rona, however, was given a more frightening form, so as to strike fear into the hearts of all who saw him. Without the armor, he was only a black-furred fox spirit, a handsome one at that… With the armor, he was fearsome. Necril had to give Rona as much power as possible, so he enhanced him to be near-unstoppable. I was there when it happened… I watched Rona as he sat up for the first time, as he started to move…
"Rona was assigned as the general of Necril's Darkling army so that he could test Rona's power… I was assigned second in command. Together, Rona and I spread chaos… We formed a sort of, uh, bond with each other, and I didn't care if I hurt anyone so long as Rona was still there. I was selfish…
"One day, he saved my life. The DPF men found my hideout and could've killed me… Rona came from nowhere and stopped their attack. Since then, I have loved him…
"When Rona started to act funny on the battlefield, I knew something was up. He kept dropping to his knees periodically, clutching his head and shouting 'Leave me alone!' I didn't know what to do! He turned against us and broke his armor… He wouldn't touch me, but he killed the lesser Darklings… He gave me one last sad look before he disappeared… I have yet to see him. My name may have been forgotten in the story, but he will always be remembered." Vegance took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "However, I have hope now. When you brought me this mask, something told me I'd be reunited with Rona again. You said you were searching for him, right?"
"Yeah," I finally said. "We need him. He has power enough to defeat Necril, and we also needed someone who could lead us to Necril's Keep."
"I could lead you there, but you have to help me find Rona first. See this mask?" Vegance brushed her hand over the eyeholes. "It was close to Rona's mind, and as such, has absorbed quite a bit of magic. If we can trace his magic… We can definitely find him."
"Do you know how to trace the magic?" Keia asked.
"If anyone would recognize Rona's scent, it would be me." Vegance put one hand on top of the mask and slipped the other underneath. She developed a blank stare on her face and sat motionless for a minute. As I began to wonder if she was still alive, she sprain back into consciousness. "Rona has been all over this land… Probably did it in secret. However, I feel a very powerful source of magic, a strong source, located deep into the FoxWoods. That may be his whereabouts."
"Thanks Vegance… You've been very helpful for a Darkling," Keia said.
"Keia, watch your manners! Darkling or not, a helpful hand is very welcome here. Normally, you're very respectful," I said. Keia shot me a glare. I ignored her and continued conversing with Vegance. "So, you seek Rona too?"
"Yes, I do. I would appreciate your help in seeking him out. I will do everything I can to help you as well." I turned and looked at Ceae, who had been silent this whole time. As though reading my mind, he nodded his head. I shrugged and focused on Keia. She nodded slowly, as though to display reluctance. I turned back to Vegance.
"Okay, we'll have you along. What kind of weapon do you use?" I asked.
"Weapons," she said and pulled out a small case from under one of the beds. She opened it up and inside were two small daggers shaped with a curved blade each. She picked them up and fumbled with them a bit. "These daggers are the very same ones that I used when I served for Rona… I haven't used them in a many good year, but should they prove worthless, I can also shapeshift and am skilled with lightning magic."
"Great! Well then, we leave in the morning," I said.
"That's a good thing, because most Darklings only hunt at night," Vegance said.
"Well if we're not leaving until morning, we should sleep well tonight. We need to be rested for the journey ahead. I'd say that this town is maybe a quarter of the way to the FoxWoods," Keia stated.
"Then sleep it is," Ceae mumbled sleepily and fell back on his bed. Keia and I lay back on our own beds, and Vegance crawled into the last remaining bed.