7641, did not know this chapter had that many words until I re-read it and thought "Wow, not over yet."
I keep missing my own deadlines, yesterday was a combination of Red vs Blue, Mario & Luigi and DC Animated Movies, I do apologize, but, here you go!
Chapter Thirty Three
North Pozem Route
Tier now in the distance, The Troop continued their trek along the North Pozem Route. It has only been a few days but they have been making considerable time and were nearing the Twin Mines. Once home to a work force from Tier, the Twin Mines were built in almost identical mountains that stood next to each other. A path went over the top of the conjoined mines and upon crossing it, they would move closer to the Central Pozem Route. From there they were considering making a short stop in the Foundation City, Helm before taking off into the vast rocky fields that led to the shore of Pozem.
"I must say…despite everything…it is great to be back on the road." Wyre nodded towards Rhogam who breathed in the air and smiled.
"Being known as the Questers, I imagine our stay at Tier wasn't exactly…"
Rhogam shrugged "It wasn't bad and it was certainly necessary, but my desire to quest grew immensely. It's almost like a cage formed around me and became stronger with each day."
Tyazaer rolled her eyes "No need to play it up Rhogam, you survived."
Wayu noticed Janie skipping along and speaking with Orgoth, she smiled at that, the Elder Mage was about the same age as she was and acted like it. Wayu wished she could be like that but the quest has altered her in ways she never imagined and while she appreciates the strength she has gained, she misses the innocence. At the same time, Janie was very deceptive, should anyone attack the troop now the Elder Mage will be in the front lines ready to strike.
"You were very well educated for someone who lives up in the Umbarra Heights…it's impressive."
Janie smiled "I could say the same about you, Orgoth. People see you and I bet they think you are one of those duty bound guards who knows nothing…right?"
The knight chuckled "Yes…there are quite a few who do…it isn't entirely their fault, as knights we aren't required to understand the going-ons in the Research Center but I was always intrigued by those things…the head researcher, Eminse helped me along the way with the smart stuff and I helped her with the practical stuff."
"Eminse…I heard of her, even up here…Freen likes to keep in touch with some key events like new people being appointed to the royal courts or important fixtures, one being the Euto Research Center."
Orgoth laughed "Glad to hear it…honestly I'm a little anxious to go back. I left something back there…"
Janie cocked her head as a very soft and sincere smile filled Orgoth's face.
When the knight didn't continue she nodded and he smiled as well. "She is extremely insightful…"
"Lyle." The swordmaster turned to Kay'Shera who smiled at him "I noticed you've been a lot lighter as of late."
Running a hand through his green hair he nodded "Got some things off my chest and personally I never believed that kind of stuff was effective but wow."
She smiled "Believe me; I know how effective that can be."
Turning towards Orgoth, Lyle thought about the knight's desire to return home and faced Kay'Shera "Do you ever want to return to Sarhara?"
Kay'Shera brought one of her hands to her chin "I never really thought about that…I've been with the troop mainly out of respect for Hashten'Kor. I want to see this through for him, to see what his dying and saving the King is really worth…I know he protected Sarhara and Ymarkteg from something and I want to aid in that."
Lyle nodded as Kay'Shera continued "Will you ever return to Corelis? Or…wherever it is you were born?"
Lyle shrugged "I don't know what I'm going to do once we finish this…"
"This Ilan guy, setting up in the ocean…how did he even manage?"
Janie turned to Mikel "He is very skilled with earth magic."
"So…what did he do, create the island he built his home on?"
Mikel chuckled a bit, but upon seeing Janie's face he realized that he was right and whispered "No way."
Leena just laughed as Mikel continued to pester Janie about how exactly Ilan accomplished the feat.
With Fistivus and Lune in the single cart to the rear the Troop moved along the road as the stone formations along the sides of the route began to grow larger, specifically the ones further east, away from the Pozem / Numengate border.
The trek to Helm and then the shore of Pozem was undoubtedly long, they knew it but with each other for company they didn't seem to care.
With a loud whiny, Re'Zin's horse reared up and came to a stop, the Nomad left the Treige Border Keep almost immediately after receiving orders from Iltar'Elm.
He was worried about his superior hanging back but knew that if he came along, they'd both be targets of whoever caused the attack on the Euto Research Center.
He needed more information, mainly advance on what was going on in Myillheim but any question slightly related the events in Euto and Rey Oshwa could compromise both of them. He was careful to avoid most human contact unless it was absolutely necessary and now found himself in the Hilden Settlement, a small village near what was the Dune Guard headquarters.
Getting more water for him and his horse, he listened in on the citizens of the small settlement. Not much was being said, though a few mentioned the rebuilding of the Western Archive, King Gra'Tisk and Queen Yi'Pyre departed for Pozem to enlist the aid of their best stone-workers to make a new and superior Western Archive.
Re'Zin grinned at that, it is the pride of Sarhara and he recognizes the importance though he himself never set foot in it. Learning from the past is good in theory but many people are swayed to repeat what they read in roundabout ways, he prefers to do as he pleases.
He turned towards another group of people mentioning the hierarchy of Sarhara, his eyes narrowed as they spoke about the massive shift in power, Hashten'Kor, Lo'Tem and the former archbishop whose name escapes him were all replaced within the same week.
Re'Zin approached the group "I'm sorry to intrude but why would they take out some of our greatest generals so quickly? Did they retire?"
One of the men shrugged as another spoke up "From what I heard, Lo'Tem was linked with the apparent arsonists who destroyed the Western Archive. Hashten'Kor-"
"Arson? I was told that it was a freak accident."
The men shook their head "The Archive Master was at the center of the blaze from what I heard, killed and burned to death with the archive."
Re'Zin's eyes widened "I didn't hear anything about this…killed? Lo'Tem the head of the Water Sages was involved?"
"Apparently…we don't have all the details, hell there are dozens of stories about Hashten'Kor's replacement…we know nothing though."
Re'Zin bowed and thanked them, departing at a brisk pace and mounting his horse. "I might have heard something I shouldn't have…we have got to go straight to the Myillheim Border Fort from here, lots of sand, intense heat, no rest…but no people…let's go."
With that, he kicked the side of his horse and they took off.
Orkra slowly opened her eye, seeing Zihark in front of her with a smile "Finally…I never thought a renowned hero such as yourself would be such a sleepy head." The trueblade chuckled as Orkra pushed herself off the ground, noticing her upper body was almost bare she slapped Zihark and covered herself.
"Hey!" realizing what happened upon seeing her scars, she sighed "I'm sorry…I'm not usually like this…"
The trueblade shook his head "No problem…you feel alright?"
Orkra nodded "Yes…thank you, Zihark."
The man continued to shake his head "I can't accept any thanks, I owe you my life, it's the least I can do."
Screams filled Orkra's ears causing her hands to fly to the sides of her head. She vaguely recalled the battle at Ukla Cave with the massive force led by Yushez and Gorm.
Gorm charged her position and tore her shoulder guard to bits, throwing her across the ground; she noticed Zihark engaged with Yushez as Uhnie, Leah and Shinon continued to get pushed back.
Standing slowly Orkra brought her axe to bear and beheaded another soldier as Gorm moved away.
Yushez screamed as Zihark's blades pierced him and he stumbled back, Orkra charged over as Gorm struck Zihark in the head with his axe. The trueblade fell to the floor and Orkra protected him from two oncoming attacks, her axe caught one of Gorm's while the Wyvern Lord's other weapon tore into her side.
"No!" Zihark screamed, leaping to his feet and striking Gorm, forcing him away. Orkra stumbled back to one knee and coughed up blood, Zihark continued his assault against Gorm as Leah departed from the pair to protect Orkra from other oncoming forces.
Zihark slammed Gorm into a wall and stabbed him in the chest; it was at that moment the man's appearance seemed to change. Grabbing Zihark's arm, Gorm swung him around and slammed him into the ground before tearing the blade out of his chest and tossing it away.
The renewed attack threw off Zihark and without the timely toss of an axe that caused Gorm to leap away; he wasn't sure what would've happened to him.
Zihark turned to thank Orkra but she fell to the floor, bleeding heavily. He then saw Uhnie and Shinon fall and leapt over to Leah's side.
The younger man was ready to continue despite his injuries, feeling Zihark's hand on his shoulder he turned to face his old friend.
Zihark slowly shook his head and despite everything, Leah sighed and the pair dropped their blades.
"Orkra." The woman turned to see Joltam in the same cell, without asking anything he spoke very briefly about how he came to be there.
When she turned back, Zihark was facing away and holding her vest and ruined armor, "I don't know if you want the armor…"
Taking her vest she thanked the trueblade again, he didn't turn around and remained silent, she moved closer and kissed him on the cheek.
Zihark couldn't help but smile, though it vanished with the cell door opening to reveal an extremely angry and seemingly vengeful Yushez.
As they continued traveling, Mia, Leena and even To'Eltz were laughing at some of Mikel's jokes, though To'Eltz chuckling as opposed to laughing out loud. Ever since the reveal of the Altar, the trickster seemed more content with the troop and willing to partake in activities alongside them when they weren't killing to survive.
"You like that one To?"
The trickster turned slightly "To?"
"Yeah, To."
A smile flashed across his face as he turned away and shook his head while Mikel went back to cracking jokes.
Soren noted them and couldn't help but smile, "Soren." He turned to Wayu who seemed a little nervous, strange because she has grown much stronger, though some things seem to bring back the old Wayu.
"What's up?" she twiddled her fingers nervously "It may not be much of my business but…do you…regularly talk with…Ashnard?"
Soren turned his head slightly and gave her a questioning look; he made it his goal to tell every member of the troop following his speech at the Forgotten Grave about his Tellian origins and parents. However he has only told Mia about his communication with the man who was his father.
"Sorry. I know it's none of my business…it's just…at night, before I go to bed, I talk with my parents…"
Soren sighed and shook his head "It's alright Wayu, I'm not angry or anything…at least you get to have decent conversations with the people who brought you into the world…it seems Ashnard and I are always at each other's throats…I can't take anything he says seriously because he is always laughing like the Mad King I remember."
"He…talks back?"
Soren nodded "I don't know why it started happening now but…yes, we actually communicate…at least…I think it's actually him…it may just be a subconscious thought of the man becoming somewhat real to me when I'm alone and…gods…I sound like a raving lunatic."
Wayu couldn't help but laugh and in spite of himself, Soren chuckled as well.
Mia saw this and smiled, Soren has been far too on edge lately, despite the good reasons it was nice to see him relaxing.
She turned to see Mikel and Leena walking really close to each other, the man constantly trying to grab her hand, she turned to To'Eltz who has a small grin on his face.
"I really appreciate these times…don't you?"
To'Eltz nodded "I would not have agreed with you a few months back but yes…these times are what we must cherish…"
"Stop!" the group turned as Janie screamed and slammed her foot causing a stone wall to burst in front of Soren and catch several knives. The Archsage, Halberdier and Mia's group behind them leapt back to join alongside Orgoth and Janie, Wyre's group standing close by and the merchant cart coming to a stop as the stone wall came down, revealing a single man standing on the road before them."
To'Eltz gasped; Mia turned nervously and saw fear all over the man's face.
"Peltzm'Jakq."
Several heavily armed guards walked in and grabbed Zihark, tossing him against a wall and holding him there, another pair stood near Joltam and the last restrained Orkra.
Yushez walked over to her with a vile smile that caused disgust to appear in Zihark and Orkra's faces.
"Guess what my beautiful Froghul?"
"The wounds from the battle are terminal…please say yes."
Yushez laughed "No…by order of…sorry…wrong way to start. Gorm has given you to me."
"Given?"
"The others will undergo Gorm's brand of torture to locate Soren, Mia and their motley crew of rebels…but I get to have you all to myself…like I've always wanted."
"Over my dead body."
Yushez continued to smile "I won't let it go that far…but trust me…you'll want me to kill you…I'll be back soon when you're new home is ready."
Orkra was about to say more when Yushez brought his mouth to hers, she struggled and pulled away, spitting at his feet as the man licked his lips and walked away, the guards following close behind.
Rubbing his sore back, Zihark made his way over to Orkra "Are you alright?"
Spitting one last time she faced Zihark and nodded, ever the determined hero, but the Trueblade saw the truth in her eye, she feared what Yushez had in store and she knew at least one part of what he was planning.
Zihark shook his head "We have to get you out of here."
Joltam stood "How? There is no way!"
Orkra put a hand on Zihark's shoulder "I appreciate it…but you'll be signing your own death if you try to get me out of here…I can't be responsible for that…I'd never be able to forgive myself or face Soren and Mia again."
Joltam sat back down "What of Leah, Shinon and Uhnie?"
Zihark turned, he hadn't thought about them, however, having fought alongside them for years he knew they were alright.
His eyes met Orkra's single one and he swallowed hard "I'll think of something…for all of us."
Despite what she believed, the hero nodded to him, if he was truly part of the group that fought three wars across the world and more at home, he'd be able to figure something out.
"Iltar'Elm." The sniper turned to Kino, who approached with a face full of questions.
"How may I help you, Kino? I was about to return to Sendusk for the day."
"I've been going over the rosters…one of your men, Re'Zin is missing, it's been a few weeks and he never checked out, I can't find him anywhere in the keep and many people I ask, both mine and yours have no idea where he is."
Iltar'Elm nodded "I'm sorry, I forgot about that…Re'Zin is visiting family in the Fair Desert, he's been my right hand and closest comrade aside from Ottenz, I couldn't deny his request, he never asks for anything."
Kino nodded and smiled "Thank you…I'll fix the paperwork…when is he coming back? It's already been some time."
"I didn't ask but my best guess is within the week, as soon as he returns I'll let you know."
With that, Iltar'Elm and Kino bowed to each other, the sniper took off with two fellow archers to Sendusk as Kino stood up straight again, an intense gaze fixed on Iltar'Elm's back.
The leader of The Altar, the man Soren had only heard about through To'Eltz, the descriptions did the terror that stood before them no justice. His black robes billowed as a breeze passed through the troop and their adversary who Soren could already tell was immensely powerful.
Two blades were crossed along his back and he had knives in his boots, the sage noticed the multiple blades on the ground and wondered when did the man get the time to toss all of them on his own?
"I see that I've surprised you…hard to believe after all you've been through."
"What do you want?" Mia asked, the man in front of them shrugged "I've never actually seen you…I must say…I didn't expect such a diverse group…if we weren't enemies I'd be thoroughly impressed over how many different flags you have fighting for you."
Soren shook his head "They don't fight for me…we fight together, for each other."
Peltzm'Jakq grinned, Soren then saw that the man's left eye was scarred and the pupil was gone, leaving what looked like cracks against pure white the Trueblade's teeth were also razor sharp
"To'Eltz…I just wanted to let you know, you are no longer the Altar's priority…I see it fit to give you a heads up seeing as you were one of my best underlings."
The trickster remained silent as Peltzm'Jakq pulled out a small knife and tossed it in the air, catching it before tossing it again, as he continued doing this his one good eye kept moving from person to person, registering each of the people standing behind Soren and Mia. He has been given countless reports by Ejim'Wot, Quo'Eltis and the other assassins he sent after the troop but it was nothing compared to seeing them in person.
"Well? Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Why are you ignoring us after all the shit you put us through?" Lyle demanded to which Peltzm'Jakq shrugged again "You were never our only priority…I decided instead of tossing more of my men to get killed by you, I'd handle the other issue first…don't worry, once we're done, we'll be back."
With that the trueblade gave a mock bow and departed, the troop examined the area around them; no assassins were in hiding, the Altar leader was alone, Soren thought it was strange but he still felt he man's power and was glad he decided not to attack them.
Mikel breathed out heavily and turned to Janie "Thanks girl…that was an amazing reaction."
Janie smiled "Force of habit."
Kay'Shera turned to To'Eltz "That was your headmaster back at The Altar?"
The trickster finally started breathing again and nodded slowly "Yes…though he seemed different…"
Tyazaer approached "How so?"
"His presence was much stronger…Peltzm'Jakq has always been a skilled warrior of the blade but…"
Mia nodded "I noticed it too…when the time comes to battle him, it will make our fight against Murawk seem like a cakewalk in comparison."
After a short pause the troop recollected themselves and continued down the road towards the Twin Mines.
Zey'Yu stretched her arms as she approached The Altar camp, greeting the other assassins and kicking a man drooling at her, she quickly noticed Peltzm'Jakq wasn't here.
Another man told her that he walked off and the troops had no desire to ask him where he was going, no one wanted a knife in the gut, despite the obvious cowardice, Zey'Yu understood and sat down near a group eating and talking amongst each other loudly. She spotted Fre'Han who just nodded at her, definitely a better 2nd in command than the last three she had.
Sliding away, putting a bit more space between her and the other assassins, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace. There was a locket on it that she refused to open, it wasn't locked but seeing the face inside depressed her greatly and with what the Altar was about to do, that was the last thing she needed. Despite that, knowing she had it with her, made her happy, something no one else could do.
Putting it away again she turned as Fre'Han spoke with the men next to her of the strategies to employ when invading the Dune Guard's tunnel system.
Something came to her mind and she called for their attention "Do we know when the mistress is arriving?"
Fre'Han looked up and echoed the question to the other men; one scratched his head and spoke "I can't quite remember…however…"
"You'll get nothing from me slime, don't waste my time."
Behind the first man another spoke up "Within two days, maybe quicker depending on the stops."
Zey'Yu smiled "Thank you…" she then shot a glare at the first man before standing and walking away.
"Just our necessary supplies…Dent's family lives far away but we enjoy visiting them."
"Pozem eh? Did you come to Anondye from there? I myself came from Regalshin."
The border guard continued to strike up conversation with Telm and Dent as another examined their cart.
"Just the two of you?"
Dent nodded "We plan on joining with two of my friends in Pozem, it's a big family gathering, I'm actually worried the food we have won't be enough."
The guard chuckled "Family gatherings are always chaotic…lack of food won't change that." As they laughed, the other guard returned and nodded. Exchanging a few parting words, Telm and Dent called the horses and they began crossing into Pozem. The two men originally wore heavy armor and were part of a group of six, but every time they ran into trouble another had to stay behind and was most likely killed.
Dressed like normal citizens and completely unarmed they were at an extreme risk but the reward was no one could identify them as guards, specifically Euto Research Center Guards.
Dent was the older of the pair with a cross shaped scar on his face and bright green eyes, the shorter younger man Telm had livelier brown hair to Dent's gray.
Since they departed, they and their four allies determined that taking a longer winding route would aid them and so they began by going over Old Soldier Hill and passing the abandoned Emerald Hold where they encountered their first problem seeing as how their enemy's guessed they would go that way and one of the guards stood behind as the rest charged for the Lis Forest, as they got lost in the trees, another hung back to lead the pursuers in the wrong direction.
From there the four guards took their convoy along the Ore River, cutting across the Otrobort Way and beneath the Cross Kingdom Path, eventually entering Malsean where they took a much needed rest and planned the route from there to Holtair, Anondye's Resolute Border City which they currently passed through.
Telm realized the enemy was in Malsean so he and Dent disguised themselves and used almost all their money to buy another cart from some traveling merchants and fill it with food. They then moved their charge from one to other in secret.
The other two took the original cart and headed for Amaryllis as Telm and Dent headed for the border city, the pair is certain their allies were found and prayed that their heads were not yet known to the border guards. The conversation with the two men was very basic and while the pair realized that on normal occasions the border guard was not required to examine all carts or halt travelers for almost an hour, as they entered the Pozem side of the border path, they began to breathe easier.
"Well Dent…we're in Pozem…now what?"
Dent sighed "I wish I knew Telm…Soren and Mia reportedly headed for Sarhara…do you really think they rounded through Regalshin and have entered Pozem?"
"It has been months since they left the Research Center, I'm not sure what would bring them to Pozem…but the sooner we meet with them the better."
"We're in Pozem?"
The pair turned to Eminse who also changed out of her lab clothes and poked her head out of the cart.
"Yes, we finally made it past the border guard…thank you for not being spotted while they were inspecting the cart…it-"
Eminse held her hand up "Don't you dare thank me…I owe you both four lives…something I can never repay."
"We do this out of duty, for Krayvon and Orgoth." Dent stated with a smile.
Eminse sighed and reentered the cart as the two headed for the Anondye/Pozem Border Fort's Holtair-end Keep.
"Hey! I'm guessing that's it?" Rhogam called as the Twin Mines came into view along the horizon, the sun was setting darkening the landscape around them, the North Pozem Route they were taking was fairly empty, mainly because the roundabout way along the Coal Dust River passes along many more rest stops. The path from Tier is non-stop and most normal travelers have to camp at least twice along the road.
"The Twin Mine Trail passes over them, correct?" To'Eltz stated, turning to Janie who nodded.
Leena sighed "I feel like this took much longer than it really did…"
Wyre nodded "You and I both. Will we be stopping atop the mines or waiting till we reach the ground level on the opposite side?"
Soren and Mia turned to Wyre, the Trueblade scratched her head "If we can make it to the other side, I think that'd be better…normally I'd be all for a quick break but we've lagged very far behind with our stay at Tier."
Lyle glanced to the group, they all seemed ready to continue, he then turned to Orgoth "The sooner the better, right?"
The knight nodded "Then let's keep going."
Michalis screeched above causing a few of the troop members to look up, Kay'Shera landed near them and Tyazaer and Wayu approached, the latter asking "What happened? He didn't sound too good."
"We saw something on top of the twin mines…it looked like some sort of confrontation."
Tyazaer turned "Should we get involved?"
Rhogam made to take off but Soren stopped him "I know we don't know what is going on, but would it be-"
Soren shook his head "It's not that, at our fastest we wouldn't make it over there."
Lune whistled and the troop turned "Two of you can ride on each of these horses, take them and go see what is going on, the rest can hang back and look out for us."
Tyazaer nodded "Good idea, one more person can get on Alsyia with me, Soren?"
The sage turned and Kay'Shera nodded, echoing Tyazaer's statement "Wyre, Mikel on one horse, Leena go with Tyazaer, Janie go with Kay'Shera, Lyle with me, the rest of you watch the caravan."
Nodding, Mia commanded Wayu, Orgoth, To'Eltz and Rhogam to join her with Fistivus and Lune as Soren's troop took off.
Struggling, Zihark opened his eyes; he was still in the cell but on the floor. He struggled to piece together what happened and turned to see Joltam asleep, he felt something strange and noticed that Orkra was lying on him asleep as well.
"Hey…what happened?"
She stirred and faced him, a smile on her face she breathed a sigh of relief.
"You were pacing, trying to come up with something…muttering to yourself."
Zihark nodded "I remember that…"
"Then it got quiet, I turned from peering out the gated window on the door and saw you collapse…"
Zihark racked his brain but could not remember that part, he then examined himself. All of his wounds were cleaned and covered in makeshift bandages out of his clothes.
"You took care of me and kind of forgot about yourself. No need to thank me, least I could do."
Zihark smiled "I guess I didn't really feel any of it…I'm a little too hardheaded when it comes to caring for myself."
Sitting up he faced Orkra who chuckled "Despite what you say…thank you Orkra."
She turned to face him, he stared into her one eye and before he could say anything else, Joltam coughed causing the pair to jump to their feet.
He looked at them "What? What happened?"
Zihark shook his head "Nothing old-timer…more importantly I need a plan…it would really help to know where the others are…"
Orkra nodded "Then…never mind…"
"What?"
"I was going to suggest you call out to them but the guards might not like that."
Zihark grinned "I can take a beating…this is the guy who's been stabbed countless times by various weapons all over my body, I'll be fine."
Approaching the door, Zihark called as loudly as he could for Shinon, Uhnie and Leah.
Several soldiers attacked a group of travelers, killing a few, they roared with laughter as the remaining ones struggled to escape. One man tapped another's shoulder and pointed in the distance. The other peered into the darkening skies.
"Is that…a roc? Strange…I thought it was only Griffons in Pozem."
A figure aboard the bird waved its arms, a black orb appeared above and shot towards them, the pair dove aside as it burned into the ground.
"Sir! We're under attack!" one of the dark robed soldiers yelled, a man turned and looked up.
Aboard Michalis, Kay'Shera's eyes widened "It's the Midnight!"
Janie shook her head "No way!"
"Sir Hectain, what should we do?"
The commander grinned "I believe those two up there are part of that troop we've been trying to kill. What do you know, fate has smiled on me, Dalton and Asai will promote me with this victory…"
Hectain then noticed three horses approaching and his grin grew wider "Take some men and follow me, the rest of you, focus on these oncoming fools!"
As Hectain moved away, Alsyia reached the enemies first, Tyazaer hurled her lance at a Midnight Reaver that threatened the travelers, her weapon piercing his chest and causing him to stumble and fall over. As her steed cut through the forces, she drew out her blade and leapt off followed by Leena who spun in the air and brought her blade into a Sentinel's shoulder.
As they engaged the soldiers, Michalis screeched overhead and Janie formed orbs of Flux above her head before shooting them down into the Midnight mass.
As several more leapt aside one of the other horses reached them, Mikel waving his axe and catching an enemy across the arm before leaping off to engage them. Wyre remained on the steed and shot out quick thunder spells, knocking men back as he rounded the field and came to a stop near the travelers.
Soren and Lyle reached the group last, Soren pulling out his blade and raising it to his right while Lyle raised his to his left, they cut through several Midnight soldiers before bringing the horse to a stop.
Jumping off and engaging the enemy, the two horses took off following Alsyia. "Make sure they don't run away! We still need them!" Tyazaer called out before turning and bringing her sword crashing against a Trueblade.
Lyle engaged a pair of Sentinels with Soren at his back fighting with a Reaver, as the axe hit the earth; Soren struck the man across the chest. The Reaver laughed briefly before Leena leapt by and stabbed him in the back.
Spinning their weapons together, Tyazaer threw her sword away along with one of the Trueblade's. The man cursed before charging after the escaping paladin, she leapt to the ground and tore her lance out of the dead man's back. She swung around and jutted it out, the trueblade ran himself threw and blood exploded out of his mouth.
Wyre and Mikel remained near the travelers, the Thunder Sage unleashing constant strikes against approaching enemies, giving Mikel time to prep his arrows and send them into faces and exposed skin or parts not entirely covered in armor.
Kay'Shera landed briefly, her lance piercing a man's side before taking off once Janie landed on the ground. She stood with her back to the Sentinel that Kay'Shera struck. He charged her as she slammed her foot into the ground. A pillar of earth shot out of the ground and into the man's chin, shattering it and snapping his head back, swinging around to face the stunned man she cried out "Verrine!" Black slashes tore into the man, rending his armor apart before dropping him to the ground dead.
Lyle leapt away from his two Sentinels, spinning one blade before grabbing the hilt with his leg and pulling out his third sword. The sentinels charged him and he flipped over their lances and cut into them several times as he landed and turned away, swinging his leg out to release the blade, lodging it into a Sentinel's back.
The other turned in time to receive two slashes that formed an X along his chest armor.
"Hey!" Mikel ignored the man behind him and continued to fire arrows. "Hey!" Once one of the Midnight Reavers got too close he threw his bow to the ground and brought his axe to bear, clashing with his opponent's weapon.
"Hey! Their commander left with a troop of them!"
Mikel turned "What?"
To'Eltz sat atop the merchant cart, scanning the dark horizon as the moon began rising. Mia looked up to him and he shook his head at her, nothing was close by.
Orgoth and Rhogam stood very close to the cart as she walked around wondering what was going on. They heard a screech and all turned "Michalis?"
To'Eltz shook his head and pulled out his blade, before he could say anything an arrow caught him in the shoulder and he fell off the cart.
About a dozen soldiers of the Midnight charged Mia, Orgoth and Rhogam, in the sky above them a griffon screeched with what looked like the troop's leader on its back.
Mia gritted her teeth as Orgoth called Lune and Fistivus to hide in the cart "Here we go guys!"
"Did you hear something?" Shinon turned to Leah before standing and nodded "I think so…"
Uhnie lay on the floor with her eyes closed, the assassin was able to stay conscious when they were being dragged into the stronghold and remembered every turn, ascent and descent they took to get to the holds they were in right now. The information was useless if they couldn't get out, but she continued to recall it in her mind, not wanting to forget it.
"Zihark!" Shinon stated, recognizing the Trueblade's voice.
"We have to let him know where we are! He is probably planning an escape!" Shinon nodded to Leah and began calling back.
During the battle at Ukla Cave, the marksman was surprised at Leah and Zihark's growth, he maintained his bow arm regularly and longed for the day he could use Gore Eye against someone. Now that it was taken from him, he wanted it back and was going to kill the men who took it from him when he retrieved it.
He thought to himself, maybe Gore Eye did have an effect on him, making him as vengeful as he was. But after a few minutes, the marksman couldn't help but laugh, he didn't need a demon bow to make him a vengeful maniac, he already was one.
On his feet, To'Eltz charged at a Sentinel and kicked off his chest, as he flipped over in midair and the man stumbled back, he threw his short sword into his foes' neck. As that one died, To'Eltz leapt aside from another strike, replaced by Orgoth who barreled into the man. Lance Knight and Reaver began striking at each other as To'Eltz retrieved his blade and ran past Mia engaged with another Trueblade. Each spun their blades and clashed five times in a row, shooting green sparks all around them.
With all his might, Rhogam charged through two sentinels, throwing them to the floor before bringing his axe around and jamming it into an enemy Reaver. The axe released an electric charge into the man, stunning him and pushing him away, giving Rhogam time to spin around again an cleave into the man's flesh. As the Sentinels stood up, To'Eltz charged in and engaged them, the enemy commander watched above on his griffon and pulled out his axe "One of you will go down…now."
Mia disengaged from her foe and turned, noticing a pair of Midnight soldiers attempting to enter the merchant cart. Leaping over there, Ein'Tosen began to glow purple, leaving a streak across the sky, spinning it, she rammed it clean through one of the Reaver's armor with little resistance. The man screamed as she tore it out and he fell to the ground, the other engaged her as the Trueblade she evaded charged towards them.
Orgoth stumbled back from a powerful blow and shot the end of his spear out as he swung the lance. His foe saw the weapon soar far away and laughed, but as Orgoth moved the lance across, the chain wrapped around the Midnight Reaver, restricting his movement. "To'Eltz!"
The trickster leapt away from Rhogam after healing him and with a few flips landed near the entrapped man and stuck his blade in his stomach several times before leaping away. Orgoth pulled the chain and lance back before taking a step and shooting the weapon into the stunned man, killing him.
A loud crash rung out as Mia's blade tore through the Reaver's armor and sliced his weapon in two. He attempted to grab Mia barehanded but she easily avoided him by jumping into the air only to be followed up by the Trueblade, both their swords gave off a green glow as they entered another five strike parry.
Upon landing Mia noticed something from the corner of her eye, an axe flying right for her, she tried to sidestep it but the Reaver and Trueblade were on her "Shit, this is gonna-"
A green flash flew by her, spinning, his left blade cut into the Reaver's face, his right blade deflected the Trueblade's sword and his leg blade stopped the axe.
Lyle landed on his feet as the Trueblade and Reaver stumbled back and above Hectain cursed. "That was close." The swordmaster muttered, motioning for Mia to look to her right, she saw Kay'Shera with Soren on her roc and Tyazaer who undoubtedly had Lyle with her until a moment ago. The rest were probably still securing the site atop the Twin Mines.
Seeing this, Hectain sighed and whistled before flying away aboard his griffin, a handful of Midnight soldiers managed to escape as the rest were quickly put to the sword.
Sheathing their weapons the group gathered around the merchant cart as Tyazaer hooked the other two horses that followed Alsyia to it.
"The Midnight…what did they want?" Mia asked to which Soren pointed to Lyle.
"We're not sure but maybe someone at the Twin Mines knows…let's go."
"I've been meaning to ask." Orkra turned to Zihark upon hearing him speak but the man decided against it, shaking his head.
Orkra smiled "Feel free to ask me anything."
The pair stopped and looked over to Joltam who shook his head "Don't mind me, I may be strong but I'm still old, I'll just take another nap."
Zihark grinned and looked back at Orkra nervously "How…how did…what happened to your eye?"
Her right hand absentmindedly moved to feel the area around her right eye which looked like it had a large scar across it. She wore her armed bandana around it specifically to keep people from seeing it and asking about it, the bandana can easily be explained as just being armor to protect one's eye or something, hell even just cause it looks cool could be enough for some people.
With her long silence Zihark chuckled "I'm sorry, never mind."
After calling out to Shinon, Zihark knew where the group was but wasn't sure what was between here and there, he initially thought that the next time the door was opened they could strike but the guards are well armed and there are many, they wouldn't make the end of the hallway in either direction.
"Actually…" before Orkra could continue the door opened and several guards entered, Yushez stood at the doorway and held two fingers towards Orkra, motioning her to walk over to him.
"Orkra…" she turned to Zihark as he whispered to her "We'll get out of here…I won't leave you behind." She nodded and stood up as Yushez approached.
"This has been a long time coming…"
She glared at him "Nothing was ever going to happen between us…never in any lifetime."
Yushez laughed as he signaled the guards, he left with Orkra and the men behind her, shutting the cell door.
On top of the Twin Mines, the rest of Soren's group finished moving the Midnight bodies and random civilians apart, only a few were still alive, the more severely wounded ones were treated by Wyre.
One saw them coming, a man with red hair, yellow eyes that seemed to always be tired, his clothes was primarily green and he walked with a bag at his side. His shirt was torn along his stomach and stained; he was clearly injured during the attack.
Lyle stopped in front of him "Pesh."
The man nodded to Lyle then to the rest of the troop, a woman near the other travelers walked over to them and Lyle greeted her as well "Versha."
"Lyle…what are the odds, eh?" She ran a hand through her long red hair, her green eyes looked fondly at Lyle and her red clothes were bright even in the dark of night.
Orgoth took a step forward "You two!"
They looked at him, Versha smiled "Ah yes! I remember you! Lyle brought you to see us in Treige."
Lyle nodded "Now that you're all safe, I have to ask, what the hall was going on here? Why was the Midnight attacking you? More importantly, why are you in Pozem?"
Pesh stepped closer to the group and cleared his throat "After we met you…we were visited by a man who claimed to know the whereabouts of Ushnae."
Soren's eyes widened "Ushnae? I thought…"
Lyle nodded "Yes Soren, Ushnae is dead."
Soren thought about the talk he had with Lyle, specifically the part where Lyle spoke to Ushnae in Regalshin. Deciding not to get into it now, he stood back as Lyle continued "What is this nonsense?"
Pesh shrugged "I don't know but…we decided to go regardless. Versha specifically has some unfinished business with Ushnae."
Lyle swallowed and scratched the back of his head "Oh right…Soren, remember that talk we had?"
The sage nodded "You told them about the dead people coming back to life?"
Lyle grinned nervously as Soren sighed; the look on his face told Lyle for all intents and purposes, nothing could be done about it now and to continue.
"While we were in the Pozem capital the same man approached us and told us to return home…we don't know who he is or why he followed us, he vanished after that."
Versha cut in and continued for Pesh "We decided to keep going and wound up getting attacked by these crazy bandits…I'm guessing the man was serious about his threat…or it was a legitimate warning…either we, thank you for saving our lives."
Pesh and Versha bowed and Soren looked to Tyazaer to get Lune and Fistivus and aid the other travelers. "We're headed for Helm at the base of the Twin Mines; we'll take you all back with us." Mia stated.
As the troop formed up, Orgoth walked over to Pesh and Versha, the former turned and walked away a lot like he did back in Treige but Versha simply smiled at him "Orgoth…long time no see…you look just as handsome as that night."
"Hmm…surprising you think so considering how fleeting of a moment that was."
Versha continued to smile "I'm all about the fleeting moments. So, what can I do for you?"
"The man told you exactly where Ushnae was or what?"
She shook her head "Just that he was in Pozem, so we've been traveling, staying at every city and searching then traveling some more…tiresome but I have a huge bone to pick with that man."
Orgoth nodded and continued to think to himself, the odds of something like this happening were not good. Lyle noticed this and pulled Orgoth aside "I appreciate your attention to detail Orgoth the Wary but these are my friends, you met them before…and I explained to you the following day Pesh isn't too fond of making new relationships."
Orgoth nodded to Lyle "I'm sorry…it's just…the odds…"
Lyle sighed and rubbed his eyes "I understand…this is you…keep it up but you have my word, we can trust them."
Orgoth shook hands with Lyle, nothing pointed to Pesh and Versha being bad people but Orgoth never believed in coincidences, more importantly he turned to Soren. "What is this Ushnae business?"
The sage looked to Lyle who nodded "I'll tell everyone in the city, I promise. Let's go."
Together the troop started down the Twin Mine Trail, headed for the Foundation City, Helm.
Fun fact: Through out the entire chapter everyone kept saying "The city at the base of the twin mines" "the city that connects North and Central Pozem Routes" "the city before heading for Ilan's Keep" so on and so on because I didn't name it The Foundation City, Helm until after I finished the chapter.
New OC Sheet with: Griffon Knight Hectain, the Midnight CO that attacked them in this chapter, Pesh 2 and Versha 2, wearing new clothes and in Pozem instead of Anondye, Eminse 2 in her civilian gear and Dent and Telm in their civilian gear. I never did draw Dent and Telm as knights...should I?