Chapter 17 – A New Hope, The War Begins!

Dragon flies Jane, Jester and the newly recruited hero Draugit, to a nearby forest area where they will camp out for the night. Dragon is still shivering from the effects of Draugit's jump, but he is still able to shrug this off for the time being.

At night, Draugit and the others sat down on a warm fire that they manage to create. He himself refrains from removing his helmet, for the reason that he prefers it that way and because he knows what happened to him and his body. He knows better that he couldn't show them what has he become.

Draugit managed to get all the necessary details on what happened to Jane, Dragon and Jester the last few days and what happened to Clarissa and her actions before at Kippernia Castle and during their trip. Afterwards, they started praising Draugit with much anticipated sarcasm.

"That was just something else. Who knew short-lives could be much stronger than me?" Dragon said while eating any berries he could find.

"It is quite surprising..I know that he is very strong, but I didn't know he was THAT strong." Jane said, agreeing with what Dragon just said.

"Regardless, I suppose we should plan our next move. What should we do now?" Jester asked to Draugit in a very composed manner in which he is content with.

"We need to find Clarissa. She's actually being manipulated by Felicia..Felicia Hawthorne. She was the one who fooled us all and sealed me inside that tombstone on the depths of the cave." Draugit explained. Jane is a little bit confounded by what he said about Felicia.

"Felicia Hawthorne? Who is that?" Jane asked.

"She's a blood-thirsty assassin who's been well trained in the arts of deception and manipulation. She isn't one of your ordinary people..She's ruthless and evil. She's only doing what she wants for her own benefits and nothing else.." Draugit explained. Jane is slightly surprised to hear about this that she stammered herself down. It was natural because of the things he said about her. The question "how is it possible" is raised on all their minds right now.

Draugit sighs, knowing what they are thinking.

"You are a little bit confused as to who she is and how did she get manipulated by her in the first place..huh." he said.

"Y-Yeah. I guess you could call it that." Jester flustered himself as he said that.

"I suppose I should explain this first then." Draugit clears his throat before he continued, his deep voice silenced the three before he start his "tale" as it is called..

In the past, 52 years ago..

Felicia Hawthorne made her first strike in Kippernium borders..few years back. She is hired by someone by the name of Rudolph Gregory. A powerful man who holds a strong grudge over our compound. She has been trained in his wing for a few years and her knowledge is vast and very, very powerful to those around her. She is a feared women who have been conquering different regions in our lands and is now ready to strike against Kippernium.

She is attuned to powerful sorcery of magic and tries to learn necromancy from Clarissa, but she refused to do so. That's when she made her biggest mistake.

"You wouldn't dare test me, woman." Felicia said, now in a more demonic tone. She quickly draw out her blade and stabbed her right hand.

"You need to stop this. You're just hurting yourself if you do that." Clarissa said, trying to reason with her. But she soon realized that she was being manipulated back. The stab on her wound is the trigger for her strong dark aura to be released. It hit her and all went black.

When she awoke herself for the first time, she wasn't herself anymore. It was all an illusion. A dream. Nothing more than just one single drop of emotion or feeling that shrouded her mind. And Clarissa broke it all into oblivion.

"Draugit..you left me..did you not? You have..and I..I never felt the same anymore. I don't know what to do now..I..I'm scared." Clarissa thought as she felt the malice surrounding her with an evil temptation licking its way to her soul, corrupting her slowly but sure.

"I'm done..that's it. She wins..that's for sure..as I can't face him anymore. Not when I'm like this."

Back to 52 years later, in an unknown place.

The room is filled with green mossed walls. The place looks as bright and fancy as ever. The shiny trophies that is adjacent to the table (flat and wooden with nothing being placed but a cup of tea) surrounding the room gives a chilly, yet mysterious atmosphere lying around, completely roaming the room in search for something that it finds itself more important than anything it desires.

Inside the room itself is a man who can simply be described in a single and superstitiously simple word, "well".

Another man, who seems to be a butler of sorts, gives him the news as he enters the room. His footsteps can hardly be heard from the distance.

"Sire, the seal. Its broken." the butler said to the man, which he finds rather intrigued, yet surprised at the same time.

"What? You mean the seal's already been.." the man said in a calm and rather well mannered voice. But his well mannered voice is cut off by the butler, saying "Yes, sir. He has been released due to a strong demonic aura that overpowers the seal completely."

"Hmm..this is turning into a problem. But nonetheless, I believe my servant, Felicia, should be able to handle him." the man calmly said. The butler stands there silently as the man takes the cup of tea and sips the green jasmine tea into his mouth.

"Please ready Raymond. He's in the other room." the man said, but this time he somewhat loses his calm composure.

"As you wish, sire." the butler silently leaves the room after saying those words.

"Its time for Kippernium to start the Grand Tournament of their life."

Back to Jane..

"You see. Clarissa, myself and my friend, Raymond were on a mission 50 years ago..if that is how long I've been sealed. It was just a few days before Clarissa and I were married.." Draugit's voice goes deep and menacing.

"There's a small task we were supposed to do. You see, we were to transport the goods out to the Kippernium borders. A powerful crystal meant to keep the world's balance throughout different universes. We were to transport it down to the deepest levels of the Gypsies' Castle. We weren't supposed to be caught..actually, so its like a reconaissance mission." Draugit paused to take a breather before he continued.

"Well..the problem was actually sometime halfway through that mission, we somewhat sort of encountered a little "snag" trying to block our path.." Draugit vaguely said. Jester simply interrupted by asking to the point.

"What snag?"

"Well, before we reached the outskirts of the Gypsies' territory, we were being ambushed by soldiers from another land. I noticed their armor wasn't of the Gypsies..and they attacked us. We were able to hold our fort down, but Clarissa and Raymond disappeared..while I fought them." Draugit answered. His eyes stared at the bottom and his hands clenched inside, gripping it.

"I lost my spirit and fortitude from that day forth. I tried to find them, but it was all for naught." Draugit continues to clench his fist. His eyes filled with pure honesty, yet no one seems to catch on to his feelings.

"That's terrible. How come they disappeared when you were right in front of them?" Jane asked.

"Well Jane, Sometimes something unexpected just swoops in and before you know it, its all over." Draugit said in melancholy.

"Yeah..I know that feeling." Jane said as she remembered what Clarissa did to the entire Kippernia Castle residents. She tried to keep a positive face, but her emotions continued to bottle her with immense pressure of sadness. Dragon, Jester and Draugit stays slient for Jane's sake and to normalize the mood. Jane then asked Draugit a very important question. One she must ask in order to satisfy this pressure once and for all.

"Sir, do you know about a magic that completely burns a person and turns him or her into ash?"

Draugit suddenly looked grim, but as he is wearing his helmet, it is never seen by the Jane and the others.

"Felicia manipulated her and she's the one who's been turning Kippernians into dusts..burned by purple, ominous and dark flames." He briefly paused before he continued talking "I can't tell you how she did it, but I can tell you how to reverse it."

Jane suddenly lit herself up and seems like hope has returned to her once again. She rushed out saying "How?!"

"Relax. I'll fill you in on that once we're ready to face Felicia and Clarissa." Draugit said. This upsets Jane and that instant shine in her is lost like its being breathed out.

All is silent for a long time, with the exception of the cracking of fires around them.

"So, how do you know that Clarissa's being manipulated by Felicia?" Jester asked, catching on to the fact that what he said makes no sense. Especially because he has been sealed for 5 decades..

"I know of it because I was given a messenger. You said that you touched the tombstone, right? That was the trigger for the messenger to give me the word of her location, actually." Draugit "white lied" to them in a very calm fashion that no one suspects his falsifying words; knowing that the truth will only scare them further.

"Really? Who's that messenger?" Jane asked.

"The messenger strictly forbids his identity known, so I can't tell you. Besides, its not related to what's happening now, anyways." Draugit calmly said.

Jester thought to himself on who could the messenger be. When he finally starts to catch on with the identity of the messenger, Draugit senses that feeling, stands up and approaches Jester.

"Jester, we need to talk." Draugit said.

The two goes out to the forest, slightly away from Jane and Dragon.

"Listen. I know you know who the "messenger" is. I'd prefer you to keep this quiet from everyone else though. I have a history with that hissing fiend and trust me, you don't want to cross him." Draugit said it with a more selfless pace that Jester agreed silently.

Afterwards, they returned and Jane and Dragon sleep like a log. Jester continues to speak to Draugit about the upcoming plan. Jester and Draugit said as follows:

"So? What is the plan? We need to get everyone in Kippernia Castle back to normal as soon as possible but we don't know where to go or how to stop Clarissa.."

"We'll have to go to Felicia's hideout. Her place is within the Gypsies' territory, so you and your friends aren't exactly welcome there."

"It will not be an issue. We'll just have to sneak in and find her hideout."

"I suppose so."

"We shall split into two groups then. Myself and Dragon will try to get some attention from the guards while you and Jane entered the kingdom and try to find her and Clarissa." Jester explained.

"It won't be easy. Attracting all those soldiers require great courage. Are you certain this is what you wanted?" Draugit asked. Jester momentarily paused himself before he bravely said "Yes. I was given a power, and I will use it to help you no matter what."

"Good call. Now, we will brief Jane and Dragon early in the morning. And then, we'll make our move." Draugit said. Jester then rounds Jane and Dragon together and they all sleep together.

"Clarissa. I suppose if you will oppose me, then I have no choice. I know you are strong..and strong indeed. You will handle it, the pain. You are indeed talented, my love." He sighs to himself after saying those words.

"But, I'm more worried about Raymond. Only the Holy One would know the truth of the horrors he had with that wretched Rudolph...I just hope he's alright. The Lords will never forgive me if something..no..anything happened to him." Draugit thought that out loud in his mind as he gazed into the sky, looking glum.

He then looked at his armor. As he looked at it, he felt somewhat attached to it now; as if it was, and still is, a part of him.

"This armor is pretty light..I liked it. More suited for battle..I suppose. Its not like that old rusty thing. It felt much, much heavier before." he said as he noticed his face somewhat squeezed within himself. It has a tremendous push on his body, causing him slight discomfort.

"This helmet is getting rather tight on me..I need to remodel this once this is all over." Draugit thought.

To be continued.

Explanations, explanations – Let's move on! The next chapter. Ehehe..