{All non-player characters and the Guild Wars universe belong to NC Soft and Arena Net. I am simply presenting my own character through the story. Thank you.}

Chapter 9

The valiant Prince of Ascalon trudged towards the group tent with a heart that was laden with worry and guilt. He looked less the part of a Prince and more of a front-line soldier judging by the mud that splattered his armor, the dents that riddled the fine metal, and the grim countenance that had settled on his features. He nodded to passing Ascalonians in greeting and feigned a smile and a elegant nod to levy their worries if not his own. The dust billowed beneath his boots as he marched and clung to the niches of his armor. He stopped finally at the tent flap, and after a rally of mental debate he decided to enter.

In the tent, four neatly made cots inhabited each corner. "So they have not yet returned" he thought aloud. The cot to his left was bare of any decoration. Rurik deduced this to be the cot of the ever stoic Kalen Morthaur. Rurik had always admired his qualities; Kalen was a warrior through and through. The cot on the far left had wooden shafts and feathers gathered by the bed. Rurik guessed that it must be Q's cot.

Rurik thought Q to be a very interesting character. He was extremely clever and skilled as a leader, yet, according to recent reports, he has also been very quiet in imssions and distracted from leading. Rurik had conversed with Q many times over the harsh years so this new development in his attitude was a bit concerning.

The beds to the right were Zleeda and Signa's. One had a variety of sword polishes scattered around the bed. Among the myriad of Devourer oils, he thought he spotted a rare, Elonian roller beetle brand polish.

The other bed had a single silver seed contained in a magically enchanted jar on the bed head. Rurik recognised this seed to be a Silver Tree seed. He wondered at it and thought that Signa must have salvaged it from her village and kept it safe with magic. It had the semblance of a fallen star, or a piece of sparkling dew.

The seed held his attention for a short while before he turned away and sat upon Q's bed. The small cot creaked under the weight of his armor, and he felt the thin straw mattress slowly sink. He felt surprised when the descension stopped upon encountering a large, solid object under the bed.

"What is this?" he pondered . Curiosity overtook him and he removed himself from the cot before crouching underneath to see what it was that was hidden there. Carefully he removed a heavy wooden chest.

Gold infused with metal was inlaid into the edges of the top; the visages of four different animals graced the four walls of the chest; and a beautiful gold inlaid visage of an eagle encompassed the lid. A single lock stagnantly remained on the chest. The lock had a very strangely shaped keyhole and Rurik could tell by the scratches around the keyhole that many attempts had been made to open it. Dust covered the rest of the box.

"Has Q been trying to open this? Perhaps I can help. What is inside could be very important." Rurik drew his flame sword, the *Orrian sword Sohothin, and gently spoke the incantation that would activate it's power. The famed sword was fashioned after the flames of a dragon. The hilt resembled a dragon breathing two spouts of flame in the form of two tempered steel blades entwining into a double helix. Upon summoning the power of the blade, flame encompassed the blade. Rurik held the tip, the hottest point of the fire, against the metal of the lock and waited. It only took a few minutes for the metal to grow red hot. Satisfied, Rurik uttered the spell that would stop the power. The enchanted flame faded leaving the sword quite cool. Next Rurik pulled an ordinary dagger from a little sheath in his boot. A short jab split the lock in two.

The chest was full of hay and smelled a touch musty, and just a little bit of rosemary. Rurik carefully began to sift through the hay, astounded by the freshness of the grass, but wary of the fragility of what it may hide. It was not long before his reaching fingers encountered what was underneath. He grabbed ahold of it and drew it out. Daylight reflected off a brilliant, ivory horn. The bone curved smoothly and was carved in the shape of an eagle's head. The only monster large enough to produce such a large ivory horn was one of the great, giant ice wurms of the far north. "This much ivory on a single horn? I have not seen so much ivory since visiting the-" Rurik was struck by a sudden realization, "That's it."

"My prince, what are you doing crouching beside my bed?" questioned a quiet, and weary voice.

Signa had seen to helping Siegemaster Lormar get proper medical care and shelter before returning to her tent with her companions. Upon approaching, she began to hear the muffled shouting of flustered, angry men.

"I thought you needed some help!" Rurik exclaimed.

"Help?! Not for these things! I was going to do it myself! Now I cannot take what is inside without feeling guilty for not having earned it!"

"Are you sure you can't take it? It's pretty cool, it's a-"

"Don't tell me!"

"What is going on here?" Signa inquired quietly as she stepped in between Kalen and Zleeda.

Kalen had the look of someone who didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused. "Well it seems Rurik has opened Q's box for him."

"That doesn't seem so bad" Signa commented.

"Oh it's bad," Zleeda whispered, "It's an honor thing with him. He prefers to earn things and loves challenges. He was probably working on a lockpick for chest all this time, hence the withdrawn-ness."

"Oh" Signa frowned. Warily she stepped toward the oblivious verbal opponents with the hopes of putting an end to their strange battle.

"Q come on it was your chest! I'm not going to take this from you!"

"Well I didn't open the chest so it doesn't belong to me."

"What exactly are we arguing over?" Signa interrupted. She stood in close proximity to them; resembling a water tower amidst cottages.

Rurik brought out the subject of issue from the opened chest, "This, it's a norn-made horn."

"Norn-made?" Signa asked, wondering exactly what that implied.

"A relic of the warriors of the far north," Rurik replied, "This one looks like a trophy of some sort seeing how it is made."

"Signa traced her fingers softly over the horn and turned it over in her hands. "Well if Q doesn't want it," she started, "I'd be happy to take it."

"Anything to get this business over with and move on," Rurik muttered, "Anyways we have a mission."

"We, sir?" Zleeda asked.

"Yes. I am going as well," Rurik announced with a look of stern resolution, "I have received word from my father. The Charr have laid siege on the city of Rin. The Charr plan to burn the city down."

"Isn't that the capital?" Kalen questioned, "In Carpathia our capital would not be so easily taken."

"Carpathia does not have a prideful fool for a king. Anyhow we need to extinguish the flames of the Charr shamans long enough to retrieve my father from the inner city and Q's horn-"

"Signa's horn." Q corrected.

"Signa's horn gave me an idea. We will use the Stormcaller."

"Sir, Stormcaller has been broken for decades" Q said.

"And I know how to fix it. We go into the ruins of Surmia tomorrow. From there we will go to the Nolani Academy, and then to Rin."

* (Here's a check up on some of the Guild Wars lore! For those of you who do not know, in the world of Guild Wars there are multiple continents, or lands. The one that the story is currently set in is called Tyria. The others are Elonia, Cantha, and Orr. While Elonia and Cantha are highly inhabited and consistently make contact with Tyria, Orr remains a bit of a mystery in Guild Wars one and has the sense of a mystical, and anciently powerful territory. Orrian weapons, therefore, are well sought after in the other continents for their power and special qualities.)

(Thank you for reading this series and please review/comment/message me with your feedback or just to say hi! Have a magical day!)