About two weeks ago I started watching Game of Thrones and caught up a few days ago...wow...that was something...

Aside from that I began watching GARO Yami Wo Terasu Mono, really awesome then again the whole of GARO is really cool

And to top it off, the final episodes of Breaking Bad have finally been announced! They will air in August FINALLY!

Alright, enough about what I do, here is the first Paralogue, these are shorter, not entirely story-relevant chapters. They mostly develop the characters and their relationships with each other.

With what I had written for the Shuize and Palace chapters, I needed more time with To'Eltz.

FUN FACT: This Paralogue was written while I was working on chapter 30-something so I had to really focus on reverting the characters to their original character as opposed to their character in 15 chapters

Paralogue One

Hilden Settlement

A short and decent march after joining with To'Eltz brought the troop to the roadside settlement inhabited by tenacious desert folk who enjoyed trekking along in the blistering heat.

"We'll stay here for a bit before moving on to Shuize, no objections?" Soren asked, turning to face the troop.

Mikel jumped for joy "Finally! This heat was killing me!"

Leena rolled her eyes "I thought you worked as a carpenter…aren't you used to exerting all your energy on a daily basis?"

Mikel shook his head "Even on a hot day in Corelis, it's nothing compared to this insanity we walked through, come on let's see what we can do that doesn't involve heat!"

Before Leena could protest, Mikel grabbed her and dragged her away.

Orgoth walked away as well "I'm going to find a place to sit…the heat and this armor is not a good mix."

"You've been doing really well despite that." Lyle commented.

Orgoth grinned "Indeed, part of my knight training: adaptability. If we're going to relax for a bit though, I think I'll pass out."

"Hold up Orgoth! We'll join you!" Fistivus and Lune called as they continued steering the carriages behind the knight.

"Even if they are built for this environment I'm pretty sure the horses wouldn't mind a break." Fistivus stated as Lune chuckled "We could use one as well."

Soren looked from the knight and merchants over to To'Eltz who walked off silently, he thought it best to leave the man be and walked away himself. Wyre, Wayu and Mia walked in a group talking amongst themselves as Lyle moved over to Soren.

"Hey, are you sure it's a good idea to bring this To'Eltz along?"

Soren nodded "Of course…he is skilled and wants to see the Dune Guard taken down…we need someone with that determination to help us."

Lyle shook his head "I know that…but he seems a little less than stable to me. He could be a threat to us and himself as much as he is to the enemy."

Soren recalled the fight out in the desert; To'Eltz covered himself in the blood of his enemies. Unsettling and surely there was something to what Lyle was saying but To'Eltz had no reason to cross the troop.

Echoing this to Lyle the swordmaster's position and manner did not change "No one needs a reason to betray someone else; some people do it for completely stupid and insignificant reasons. We really should reconsider this."

"Are you saying I made a bad decision as a leader?"

Soren caught Lyle's eyes as the green haired man faced him "I'm saying…"

Trailing off the pair stopped and continued to stare at each other until Soren continued "Believe it or not this wasn't my idea, To'Eltz asked Mia and she wanted to bring him along. I trust her decision and didn't fight it."

"Mia recruited him? Allowed him to join us?" Soren saw the disbelief in Lyle's face and nodded to confirm it "Yes, I just went along with it cause I trust her…don't you?"

Lyle turned away but said nothing. As he walked away he muttered "I apologize for questioning you…"

Soren watched the man walk away and sighed before continuing, his thoughts now moving to Shuize and the Western Archive where they'll hopefully find the information they need.

"So what do you guys think of To'Eltz?" Mia asked to Wyre and Wayu.

The Thunder Sage scratched his chin "He is an excellent fighter and it doesn't hurt that he can heal."

"He seems sad." The group became silent and turned to Wayu who looked up at them.

"What? I'm I the only one who noticed that?"

Mia turned to face in the direction To'Eltz walked in but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I suppose you were…he did lose his comrade in the Dune Guard ambush after all…" Mia stated.

The three continued walking until Wyre started sniffing the air. "Do you guys smell that?"

Wayu laughed "Wyre has a really good nose for food."

"Not just food…great food…I can tell and I'm starving."

Mia shook her head "I don't see you like this a lot Wyre."

The thunder sage chuckled "I'm one of the closest aides to Hitenticul's King, I've learned to not let my discomfort, hunger or boredom show…of course that doesn't mean I'm not affected by those things."

Wayu put her arm around his "Then let's go!" The two walked off with Mia close behind.

"To'Eltz." The trickster turned as Soren approached, he was by a small watering hole a short distance from the settlement.

"Yes, what did you want to talk about? Remember, there are many things I must keep from everyone…"

Soren nodded "Like what you were doing when you were attacked and why…I'd just like to know more about you personally. I don't distrust you-"

"But you want to make sure you can put your faith in me when it counts. Trust me, I've done many things in the past…namely I've killed…a lot."

To'Eltz narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sun "I've already told you that I was born and raised in a small city in the Fair Desert on the far west end of this nation. I never had the desire to become the killer that I am today…"

Soren nodded "No one ever does…most of us didn't think it would go that way but its life or death…simple as that."

To'Eltz nodded "Unfortunately that is true. My village was never truly regarded by the capital…a fair amount of people live there, much more than this small settlement if not less than Sendusk. I was brought into this life of killing when two monsters came to my village…they said they were sent by highest order in Sarhara."

"The King and Queen?" Soren asked to which To'Eltz shrugged.

"To this day I'm not certain…this is the age of peace…no one would believe two random people would come to a small village on the end of Sarhara and kill several civilians including the Village Chief."

"You still don't know who they were I imagine?"

To'Eltz shook his head "No such luck…I made it my goal to find them and end their lives…of course I wasn't the only one, a few other youths joined me…the road was hard and with the exception of Quo'Eltis the other youths died in the desert until we found what we were looking for…"

The pair remained silent until To'Eltz sighed and removed his hat "That is all I can say…"

Soren nodded "Let's head back to the settlement, we need food and rest before we continue to Shuize."

The tactician turned and walked towards Hilden with To'Eltz following shortly after.

"Take this!" Mikel yelled as he flipped a man over and slammed him into the dirt. As he held him in place the crowd cheered and he was declared winner.

Leena sighed as the man on the ground got up and limped away, Mikel promised to take her somewhere nice and became distracted when he saw travelers and desert folk wrestling. He joined them and people began placing bets on the warrior from Corelis.

Mikel walked over to Leena with a smile "If this were a much bigger event I could earn enough for the entire Troop's expenses."

Leena rolled her eyes "I thought we'd be doing something fun."

"This is fun!" Mikel grinned before seeing Leena was serious "Well, what do you want to do?"

Leena scratched her chin "Actually…I think I'll join you."

Mikel tilted his head "What?"

"Hey people! Who wants to see your undefeated Mikel wrestle…?"

The crowd remained silent as Leena looked around before smiling at Mikel "Me?"

"Soren!" The sage turned and saw Mia, Wyre and Wayu sitting and eating. He walked over to her and sat down next to her before sharing a kiss.

"Where have you been?" Wyre asked.

"Talking with Lyle and To'Eltz for a bit…I was thinking of making the rounds but I'd rather let To'Eltz prove himself to us than ask everyone what they think of him…we don't really know enough after all."

Wyre nodded before turning to Wayu as she continued telling a story. Soren raised an eyebrow and looked over to Mia who whispered "Don't worry Soren…just friends."

"It's none of my business but…"

Mia sighed "Long way from Hitenticul…but we know Wyre, no reason to fret over his business."

Soren shook his head "Your right, so what are you eating?"

Mia laughed and moved her plate aside "Get your own!"

"Hey." To'Eltz turned, he arrived at the inn and found Lyle was also there. Orgoth had removed his bulky armor and sat down on a bed writing what looked to be a letter.

"Hello…just stopping by…though I'm not exactly tired…"

Lyle nodded while Orgoth made a grunt; clearly he had no idea what anyone was saying.

Lyle and To'Eltz watched each other for a short moment before the Trickster walked away as Orgoth stood. "Time to find a carrier bird of some kind and send this off…"

The knight walked past Lyle and outside as the swordmaster sighed and threw himself on a bed before thinking about the road ahead.

Mikel stood across from Leena who smiled as she removed her blue and yellow striped jacket before tossing it aside with her shoulder guard and shield.

"Think of this as a chance to win for the arm wrestling loss back in Euto."

Mikel chuckled "You aren't playing fair…"

"You aren't even wearing a shirt let along your armor!" Leena pointed out as Mikel laughed "Exactly!"

The pair launched at each other and struggle to hold each other's arms away as the crowd around them cheered.

Mikel grabbed Leena's right arm and she in turn grabbed his before flipping over him, bringing the big man along and slamming him into the ground.

Mikel quickly kicked her legs out and rolled aside as she fell to the floor. She stood as he charged again and quickly moved aside, grabbing his left arm and pulling him in a half circle before bringing an open palm into his back and throwing him to the ground.

"Come on big man!" She called as the crowd cheered around them.

Orgoth smiled as a large hawk flew off with his message. Personally he didn't trust human messengers with such a delicate letter.

"Eminse…I hope everything is alright over there…" He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh before returning to the inn.

Following their meal, Soren, Mia, Wyre and Wayu were walking back to their inn and the halberd noticed a ruckus going on a short way off. "Hey look…is that Mikel and Leena?"

The other three turned and sure enough it was Mikel grabbing Leena's arm and flipping her over. She managed to roll back to her feet almost instantly as Mikel turned to face her.

Mia noticed the crowd around them "Looks like they're having fun."

"Indeed…though I hope they don't wear themselves out."

Mikel brought Leena to the ground and grinned "Looks like I win this time!"

"Not…quite!" her leg shot up and pushed Mikel over her and onto his face. Quickly she got on his back and grabbed his leg as someone started counting off.

As the crowd let out a yell, Leena stood victorious with Mikel standing shortly after. "You are quite a woman."

Leena smiled and winked before moving over to retrieve her gear. As Mikel picked his clothes and armor up he noticed Soren, Mia, Wyre and Wayu "Hey guys! How was your day?"

As Leena took her winnings she waved at the crowd before joining Mikel and walking towards the other four.

"It was good Mikel, you both staying up or…"

Soren trailed off as Leena started nodding "Yeah, this oaf owes me a good time on my terms and he can well pay for it."

After a brisk conversation Mikel and Leena took off to refill after tussling in the dirt as Soren and the others headed for the inn.

"Those two…quite the pair..." Mia stated to which Wayu nodded. Soren turned to see Mikel and Leena walking, the warrior shoved her aside a bit and she returned it before the pair started laughing.

"Indeed."

With dusk coming over the Hilden Settlement, Soren found himself away from the group again for a bit. He stood near the pool where he spoke to To'Eltz earlier that day. Closing his eyes he waited for a few moments until he heard a frustrated sigh that caused him to turn around.

"What could you possibly want?" Ashnard asked.

"Nothing…but I'm still not certain if it's really you or just me imagining you…"

"I'm fairly certain you know the answer to that…either way, what do you want?"

"How much did you know about the Branded power?"

Ashnard smiled "Not much…it was ancient history, mumbles here and there about Branded having special abilities…of course after you were born I realized it was a lie…little did I know I truly lacked patience in my most successful plan."

Soren gritted his teeth as Ashnard continued "The senses and strength are one thing…but that all-devouring Branded Fire, had I spared the time I could've honed you and used you to win Tellius. It was like having a dragon at my side…a black dragon stronger than any other."

"Well your 'plan' has a mind of its own and I don't continue living for you…"

"Yes, yes…the woman…but what that does assure is my bloodline will continue. The true Daein Royalty will continue with you and whatever children you have…I'll never really die."

Soren opened his eyes to see he was staring at the pool again and the Mad King was gone.

Sighing he returned to the inn while whispering to himself.

"The worst of us never really die…not even death can truly bring about the end…"

Next chapter is on Saturday of course but in the mean-time I've uploaded the Civilian Outfits 2 which has the troop members from 7 - 13 with the ones not in the troop blacked out.

Hope you enjoy it, I know my 1 week Summer Vacation is relaxing