Chapter Three: The Journey

"Sooo, where are we going Chief," asked Luke as he walks with Gorrum.

"To my house" said Gorrum.

"But, I thought all the buildings were destroyed?" said Seth, as he slowly recovers after witnessing his mom's death.

"Not all of em" Gorrum points to his house, which seems to be intact and unharmed from the raid.

When they enter the house, they first saw a big picture of himself in his uniform. He shows no expression in that photo. It was just him, dressed up in a fancy suit armor holding a sword, ready for battle. The walls of the house are covered with various artifacts from all around the world. From snakeskin in the deserts of Sandy Isle to a full-plated armor from the foreign lands of Zheng, it shows that the Chief is not only a warrior, but also a collector and a traveler.

"Amazing, you sure do travel a lot huh chief?" asked Seth.

"When I get the chance. To me the world is my oyster. When we're at peace again, I'll probably be heading to what they call "the new world", and "the western frontier". I've heard it's a land of opportunity. I want to check it out, see if they got some interesting artifacts I can collect." Explained Gorrum.

Seth and Luke looked around were amazed on how much stuff he has, especially stuff that they never seen before that interests them.

"But I didn't sent you here for a chat about my travels." Gorrum points to where they'll sit. "Have a seat"

Seth and Luke sat down. Gorrum offers them drinks, but they decline. Gorrum grabs a bottle of whisky from the cabinet and pours in a glass to drink. He sits down as well in front of them.

"Now as you may know, the city of Hori and our village of Elmwood have been under attack by the country of Arson and have clearly left a message for not only our country but to others as well"

"A message of what?" asked Seth.

"A message of War."

Seth and Luke are shocked of what they're hearing.

"A message of war, but that doesn't make sense. Why would the country of Arson attack a peaceful and harmless village like Elmwood and Hori?"

Gorrum stood up to grab a newsletter dated back two months ago to this day and lays it on the table in front of them.

"This is why." Said Gorrum.

Seth and Luke look at the front page of the newsletter. In big letters, the paper reads, 'NEW LEADER BRINGS MORRALE IN DYING COUNTRY' and at the bottom of that is a picture of their new leader giving a speech to his people, about restoring Arson the way it was ten years ago.

"Whose he?" asked Luke.

Gorrum looked at the window and sighed. "They call him 'the red cross'. Easily known by his Red Cross emblem on his forehead. He used to be a general during 'the decade war', but now he's risen to become the new ruler of Arson. My guess is that he wants to restore Arson the way it was ten years ago, when they ruled the continent. But that was then"

"So what do you want us to do?" asked Seth.

"You guys are going on a journey, one that's very dangerous but the fate of this country and all the others are in your hands. First, you must head to the city of Oured, where you will deliver a message to Lord Neto about the recent attack here. After which you'll be under his command. If he doesn't believe a single word you guys say, give him this." Gorrum hands them a letter with a seal in the back marked with a 'G'. "Don't open it unless he doesn't believe in you. This should convince him enough about what's going on"

Seth takes the note and places it in his pocket. "Alright then, so just head to Oured, deliver the letter, and follow his orders. Shouldn't be a problem."

Gorrum chuckles "I hope not. From here on out, everything you known will change. And you two will never be the same again." Gorrum stands up walks away. "It's been a long day for you two; and since you guys don't have a home anymore, why don't you guys rest here. Tomorrow you're journey begins."

Seth and Luke stand up and follow Gorrum as he shows them their separate rooms. The rooms are small though, can barely fit a bed, closet, a small desk, and a bookshelf. But to them, it doesn't matter now. Each room has a different theme filled with various artifacts from around the world. Seth has a room filled with artifacts from the cold mountains of Ruri while Luke has artifacts from the Jungles of Zambia.

"I suggest you two head to bed. It's late now so, good night," said Gorrum as he heads for his room to sleep.

As Gorrum closes his door, Seth and Luke look at each other with a sigh, knowing that anywhere they can rest is home now.

"Well, guess I'll see you in the morning Seth," said Luke.

"Yeah, get a good night sleep alright," replied Seth.

"Yeah"

They close their doors and headed for bed. It wasn't long for them to fall asleep since they used up a lot of energy in the past few hours.

Tomorrow, tomorrow our journey begins, said Seth as he looked above the ceiling. For a brief moment he began to recall what had happened today. From his mom dumping cold water on him, to Gorrum assigning them on a journey, reality was a hard thing for him to swallow. But he knows once the sun rises, everything will change. He reached for the switch to turn off the lamp and the light goes out. Darkness now filled the room.