Chapter 3: Unforseen Consequences 1B, The Conclusion.

Onslaught Flaghship Leviathan: Frostsound Ramparts

Everyone was in high spirits over their victory over the Frostbrood who were plaguing the southern reaches of the coastline. The real star of the battle however was none other than the elementalist Tetra, (or rather by her alias Full-Heat Tetra). She was able to drive away the Elder Dragon Jormag which was an enormous feat in itself but also caused the remaining Frostbrood to flee as well. All of Crimson Company raised their glasses in a toast to their General's success.

"Our triumph today would have been for naught, if not for the heroic actions of our General!" One man said.

"Indeed. Once Jormag fell it's foul brethren ran along with it!" A woman piped up.

"TO GENERAL TETRA AND HER VICTORY OVER THE FROSTBROOD! HOOAH!" One man exclaimed to the top of his lungs.

"HOOAH!" Everyone present shouted fervently as cups clanged together like a crescendo. At the end of the table stood a very vibrant Tetra. The whole war in the norn's homeland turned out way better than she anticipated. They decimated the Frost Aspect's legion down to a few stragglers. No one expected the young elementalist to actually hold her own against the Aspect. They were even further amazed at how much damage she caused the great dragon. When she was about to deliver the finishing blow the Elder Dragon took off to the far North. No doubt to lick it's wounds. With how much damage she did and how many of it's own it lost it would be awhile before he resurfaced and they would be ready for him when he did.

She had a hand on her hip as she held her cup in the other. "Thank you but I can't take the credit for all of this. It's you brave men and woman who made all of this possible. I couldn't have did this alone. I'm thankful for all your hard-work and that we all came out of this alive. It goes to show those dragons that us Tyrians can't be fucked with! AM I RIGHT!?" She said thrusting her cup in the air. She was met equally by a quaking sound of agreements from her soldiers.

A door swung open and in came a woman of Indian decent. She had short black hair with a strand hanging out in front of her forehead. A red jewel rested in the center of it. She wore an azure crystalline battle dress similar to the younger general's violet one. Two emerald green giant sized daggers were clipped to her back. Everyone including the purple eyed woman immediately stopped with they were doing and snapped to attention, saluting.

"GRAND COMMANDER ON DECK!" Tetra hollered.

The woman gave a curt nod as her golden eyes focused on her second in command. "At ease men. General can I have a word with you for a second?"

"Certainly commander." She said.

The two woman were outside the large ship. Both of them were resting on the rails. "Is there something you needed to talk with me about commander?" Tetra asked.

"Tetra... I thought I told you not to be so formal with me when we're alone like this?" The commander scolded softly.

"Forgive me Master Freya."

"Master huh? Haven't heard that one in a long time. You really did good out there kid. I'm really proud of you. See? All that hellish training I made you go through paid off didn't it?" She said slyly.

Tetra grimaced. "Well it would be dreadfully hard for it not to stick, after all it was practically beaten into me." This caused Freya to laugh which in turn made her younger subordinate laugh as well. They both had content smiles on their faces as the wind from the moving ship blew their hair. As they stared off into the horizon the snow that was falling had a glittering effect giving the view a winter wonderland kind of vibe.

"So what do you have planned once you get back to the Empire?" The Grand Commander asked her protege.

Tetra rested both of her hands on her cheeks and grinned widely. "Well I told you about both of my brothers right? The youngest became some kind of fancy pants big shot back home. Thought I'd drop by and see how he was doing."

"I see." Freya said smiling. "I'm sure he's going to be thrilled to see you."

Tetra looked up still beaming. "I can't wait to see you little brother. There's so much I want to tell you when I get back!" She giggled to herself. " Better watch out Irvine. Pretty soon tiny toes will make you eat his dust."

Sapphire Hills: Foryoda Formation

Two men were hidden behind a couple of large boulders as three Branded Charr and two Branded Devourers searched for them. One man had on a tan translucent toxic gas mask that seemed to have a computerized aiming reticule on the left side of it. He wore clockwork like power armor that was also tan and sported camo all over it. The other man had on a cobalt version of his power armor. In the bigger man's hands was the Artifact known as Predator. The weapon was quite big for a sniper rifle and looked as if it were impossible for anyone of ordinary strength to wield. It seemed to be charr in design as red like liquid which looked like lava could be seen through the barrel. A large prismatic scope sat on the top of it. Cocking the slide back and holding his breath he took aim. Holding the gun steady he pressed the trigger. A thin tracer like ray of orange came out of the firing chamber and nailed the bigger branded abominations, boring sizable holes in their heads before scattering their brain matter. The second shot was off before their companions could react. The ray this time split into two beams of light shredding the mutant's pets apart. The man stood up from his crouching position as his helmet disengaged and clasped back into the neck folds of his armor revealing a stern looking Irvine. His white irises scanned the area to make sure nothing else other than his spotter and himself were alive.

"Clear!" His deep voice spoke as he emptied the cartridge and slammed another one in, cocking the rifle back.

"Man... no matter how many times I see you fire that thing off it always leaves me dazzled." The spotter said in amazement as his helmet did the same. He had a gruff looking face with green hair wrapped in a pony tail.

Irvine wiped the sweat off his brow. " Indeed. Don't know what I'd do without this rifle." The gun then collapsed back into a compact shape before he stuffed it gently into his backpack. He pressed himself against one of the rocks before sitting himself down. Clearly tired. His partner followed suit.

"It doesn't make a dang lick of sense why we haven't found that Elder Dragon yet." His partner said pondering.

"I agree. Falcon Company has searched this place up and down, even the caverns and still haven't found this thing. Intel said that he pretty much blots out the sun so I can't fathom why something like it would be hard to miss." The norn said sighing.

"Irvine how many months has it been since we been out here?" The spotter asked.

"I lost count after awhile Torma."

The southern accented spotter cracked the back of his neck before rubbing it. He was in a grouchy mood. "Well all this covert op bullshit we're doing is getting us no whar. Mine as well paint a bullseye on our eads and announce to the damn thing that we're here so we can stop all this here slinkin around like a bunch of kaiyotes", (him basically saying coyotes but in his own way).

Irvine nodded as he lit a cigar. " I hear ya Torms but Captain Marshawn was pretty clear that he wants this place turned upside down until we find it so we aren't leaving anytime soon."

He shook his head." Ah already know that stubborn old coot won't stop until he finds it. Anyway, I reckon you got some kinfolk back at home watin on ya's to come back?" He asked. This got a grin out of the bigger man.

"Yeah, an older sister and baby brother. My sister and I have been able to keep tabs on each other so I've been getting information from her on how he's been doing."

"How in tarnations did tha both of ya manage that?" He asked baffled.

Irvine chuckled. "We have our ways." He looked off into the distance. "Still can't believe little snot nosed Starkk actually turned into a badass while I was away. I'm really proud of you. You exceeded my expectations. I'm sure you're going to keep doing great things. "I'll try to hurry home as quick as I can."

Sunnyside Inn

Morning time had hit the now quiet farm. Yesterday's event had kept most of the residents up, even the aftermath. Some were still ecstatic over the display of the two brave souls who took on the Troll. Others grieved over the losses of their loved ones. Most took the loss of the Hills equally as hard since the family was loved by all and could only wonder what the little girl was going through.

Kasmeer forced her eyes open as she slowly got up into sitting position and placing one hand on her head. Last night was still fresh in her mind as she wiped her eyes to clear the sleep out of them. "Hmph." She breathed out with a tiny smile as she looked at the little girl sleeping next to her. Emily had cried in her sleep most of the night so the mesmer held her close. It wasn't much but she wanted to comfort her the best way she could. She still blamed herself for not being able to save the little girl's parents. Sighing, she got out of bed with her gown trailing behind her. Turning to the girl she leaned over and gently stroked her silky brown hair before pulling the covers up to her neck. Satisfied, she left out the room to wake her friend up.

"Hmm...? Wonder where he could have gotten off to?" She said pondering to herself. She walked down stairs and outside to search.

Over by a waterfall Starkk was practicing, shirtless with black pants on and bare footed. He was a flurry of steps and spins as he performed his sword motions. Overhead slash, step back, horizontal stance, one handed stab, parry, side step to the right then turn. He spun on his toes as his arm sailed in a circular motion causing the blade to sing from the force and kick up a good sized amount of water as it splashed onto the bushes. The drops of water seemed to glint as they fell like rain around him. He took a deep breath before staring up at the sky with one hand balled up into a fist. "I wonder what you would have did in that situation big bro...? Knowing you, you would have probably went out and hunted the little bastard down before it could get to anyone else." Brushing those thoughts aside he focused back on his regime.

Peeking out through one of the trees, Kasmeer was entranced by his display. It was like watching living art. The way he moved. There were never any unnecessary movements when he either swung his blade or changed stances. To her it was breath taking and beautiful to watch. Wait a second? When did she start having thoughts like this? This was her best friend for crying outloud! Of course she cared for him a lot but this, this was different and it made her feel a little uneasy. Smacking her cheeks she walked over.

"Impressive! That was spectacular!" She said clapping.

"Oh, hey Mira. How did you sleep last night?" He asked genuinely as he picked up a cloth and wiped the sweat away.

"I slept okay given the circumstances. Those were some really amazing movements! It was was really neat to look at! She said praising him.

"Not really...yesterday made me realize that I still have a long way to go. If I wouldn't have been so stupid and careless then Miss Veronica and Mister Garoth wouldn't have had to die." He said looking at his hands. This caused her to look at the grass and huddle her knees up to her chest. They were both sitting down.

"Today, I'm going to make a vow to keep getting stronger. I've lost way too many people. Too many in number to count. Those two are going to be the last. So from here on out I'm going to train harder so that I never have to lose anyone precious to me ever again. This I swear!" She stared at him for awhile. There was a fire in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. This wasn't just typical tough guy talk. You could tell in his voice, posture and expression that he meant every word of it. Before he could do anything else she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. It wasn't deep or too much. Just enough for his eyes to stare blankly at what just happened.

"Who knew you could sound so cool and manly at the same time." She said smiling at him toothily with a small patch of rose on her cheeks. He was blushing too as he scratched the back of his head, flustered.

"I don't really know what to say Mira..." He said dumbly. She got up with one hand on her hip and a finger pointed at him.

"That was a kiss between friends and nothing more so don't go getting any wise ideas! Got it?" She said trying to suppress the smile and hint of rose on her face. She offered him a hand. He smiled and grabbed it.

"Right, forgive my impertinence princess." He said jokingly as he got up. They both stood in that position as they stared at each other. Rays of light had pierced through the trees and illuminated the area around them.

They went back to the inn to get dressed and ready for their original assignment. Starkk was back in his Infiltrator suit and Kasmeer in her dress. They wanted to eat first before they headed out.

"You sure you don't need help?" He asked.

"Nah, just sit tight. I'll bring it all here." Kasmeer said as she brought their food over bit by bit.

"Is Emily still sleeping?" Starkk questioned as he looked over to the stairs.

"After I got dressed she was just getting up. She hasn't been really talkative though." She said with a worried expression. As if on q she came slowly down the stairs. She had gotten herself dressed fairly quick as she made her way to where the other two were sitting. Everyone in the inn could see that she had better days. She didn't look either of them in the eye as she sat down. The both of them looked at her uneasily.

"Mornin tiger." Was all Starkk could say. He didn't want to say anything that could possibly make her feel worse than she already did. After all, reading emotions were apart of his trade.

"Are you hungry? There's plenty to eat?" Kasmeer said sweetly. The girl didn't say anything as her lips seem to move inwardly. Getting a single word out would be a feat for the little girl at this point. Kasmeer could feel a slight pain in her chest as she stared at her.

"Emily...you really should eat something. It's not good for you t-" She tried to say before the little girl cut her off.

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY! YOU PROMISED DIDN'T YOU!? WHY DIDN'T YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISE!? YOU LIAR! WHY DID YOU LET MOMMY AND DADDY DIE!?" She said in a loud quivering voice as fresh tears fell out of her eyes. Everyone was silent at the little girl's outburst. Kasmeer dropped the fork in her hand, stunned. She closed her eyes and turned her head. She was right. She was counting on her and she failed. This little girl was now an orphan and it was her fault. Emily got up and ran out of the inn.

"Emily! Wait!" Kasmeer yelled but to no avail. She was already gone.

"I'll go find her. I can pretty much relate to her so she will probably be a little more understanding if I talk to her." The purple-eyed man said getting up and heading towards the door. She simply nodded before staring at the floor.

The little girl had sat herself up against one of the trees with her head folded into her arms. Her surprisingly long auburn hair wasn't wrapped up in a ponytail but went down to her back nearly touching the ground. She didn't care how long she sat there. She just wanted to be alone.

The assassin saw her as he came into view. She had her head down and was deathly quiet. Cautiously he approached. "Hey ankle biter...you gave us quite a scare when you ran off." The girl made no attempt to acknowledge him. "I'm going to sit down if that's okay with you?" He said softly. This at least got a barely visible nod out of the girl.

"I don't expect you to forgive me or Mira, not that I can blame you. I just want you to know that me and her care about you more than you can imagine. No amount of sorry is going to fix what what we could have probably prevented." He gritted his teeth. "It just frustrates the hell out of me that good people like you have to go through crap like this when you shouldn't!" He said balling a bunch of grass up in his fist. Emily raised her head up to stare at him. Tiny amounts of tears were still falling down her face but she was listening to him. He noticed her staring at him and quickly composed himself.

"You know I was like you when I was your age."

"Really?" She said as her voice cracked just a bit.

He nodded. "Yup. When my parents died I was bitter, mad at the world, cried a lot, got into arguments with my brother and sister sometimes but you want to know what kept me going? It was the fact that somewhere out there...they were watching over me and my siblings. I can't exactly explain it in words but they've helped me out in times of need. Even in situations that I thought I'd never get out of." He said with a calm expression on his face. She stared at the dirt patch that she was currently sitting on, an unsure expression plastered on her features. Starkk saw this and put an arm around her prompting her to look up at him. For some odd reason she felt warm when she looked at him. Protected.

"I know your parents are doing the same right now I just know it. By Balthazar I really suck at this." He said rubbing his nose with a tinge of embarrassment. He shook his head. "Listen kiddo, there's nothing wrong with grieving and being sad. We all know how much you loved them. We loved them too but at some point you just got to be strong and forge ahead. I'm sure they wouldn't want to see you like this and would have wanted you to be happy. Don't forget, you still have a lot of people here on the plantation who still care about you, Kasmeer and I included. We couldn't protect your parents but I swear on her and my behalf, even if it saps the very energy from our souls, that we will protect you no matter what. That's what big brothers and sisters are for right?" He ended his statement with a gentle smile.

She watched him for a bit before her lips quivered. She speared herself into him as she cried into his chest. Carefully he patted her back. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kasmeer walking up. She had heard the whole thing from a nearby tree. She smiled and nodded at him. He did the same.

"We just want to thank you two again for all that you've done. You did more for this village than we could have asked for." A female farmhand said graciously. A crowd was gathered to see them off.

"It was no trouble at all, really. Are you sure you guys will be alright though?" The blond haired mesmer asked.

"I'm sure of it milady, don't worry. Most of the more vicious creatures and animals stay away from these parts. Even if one strays too far, we got guard patrols that come through here daily and we also have a few who know how to defend themselves so we can manage somehow if it gets that far. Still, it was quite rare for a troll that large to have wondered all the way out here. They usually prefer not to interfere or have human contact at all unless their nesting areas are disturbed. Probably got too curious for it's own good or hungry. Unfortunate for us if you ask me." She said the last statement offhandedly.

This caused the dread head to frown and put a hand on his chin. Something about that last segment didn't sit right with him. There were a ton of theories that came to mind, the cavern and the bandits being one of them but he decided to brush it off for now.

"Still, what a mess. Just wish we would have got him before it escalated to the point that it did."

"Hey now, we can't expect you guys to be perfect. You took it out before it caused irreversible damage. You did more than we could have asked for kid. So hold your head up high and be proud. Isn't that something the old man would have said?" A man with a duster hat said as he took a piece of hay out of his mouth and winked at the young adult in front of him.

"Heh, guess I can't argue with that. Thanks, for having the both of us. Wish there was more we could do for you but you guys seem like you can hold down the fort from here on out. Please take care and keep Emily safe for us. As much as me and Kasmeer want to, we really aren't in a position to take care of her." This got him a pair of nods and smiles.

He turned to his partner. "Well Mira, shall we get going then?"

"Lets! Evil dooers beware! Tyria's number one bad guy butt kicking duo is comin at ya!" She said throwing a peace sign which got them a bunch of cheers from swooning men. It then got quiet as everyone made way for someone. They could hear panting. It was Emily. She had her hands on her knees as she struggled to regain her breath.

"Y-Y-You're leaving!?" She said struggling to breath.

"Yeah... sorry kiddo. Duty calls. This isn't goodbye forever. Kas and me will try to come visit you when we can. Until then keep yourself out of trouble for big brother, okay?" He said with a sympathetic smile.

"Kay..." She said looking down at the ground sadly. She then looked up at Kasmeer. Both of her hands clasped together and were pressed gently on her chest as her green orbs stared at her. She was trying to figure out what to say to her ever since she blew up at her in the inn. She didn't meant it, it just came out. She sorely didn't have a clue on what to say to her at all. Kasmeer simply giggled and turned away and walked off.

The little girl's eyes widened in apprehension. "Kassy, wait! I..." She cried desperately.

"Mira...?" Starkk said in puzzlement at his friend's action. Kasmeer simply put a hand up and waved as she kept walking. Emily's lips began to wobble a little as she struggled to say something.

"KASSY! I don't hate you! I'm sorry for what I said so please don't be mad! I didn't mean any of it! I was just being a stupid little kid! I love you so much and I'm going to miss you! So that's why..."

Kasmeer stopped. She clenched both of her fists as she bit her lip. Her vision was getting blurry as she started to tremble slightly. It proved a bit difficult to try and regain her composure.

"So that's why I'm going to grow up and become strong like you! You're so pretty, kind and gentle just like mama!" She was crying now. Kasmeer was doing the same. She had a hand cupped over her mouth. The tears wouldn't stop spilling.

"I promise... I promise by the time you come back, I'll have grown into a strong woman just like you so you don't have to worry anymore.." The auburn haired little girl said through sobs.

Kasmeer turned around smiling and wiping tears from her face. "I'm sure you're going to grow into a very strong and beautiful young lady. Nothing is going to make me more happy than when that day comes!" This got a wide smile of joy from the little girl as she ran up to her, both embracing each other. Her partner and the other farmhands grinned at the display.

As everyone waved them off Emily looked up into the sky. "When you two see me again I promise that I'll have grown into a stronger person. I hope you're watching too mama, papa..."

"Wheeeeew, that was quite a ride. Almost made me forget what we originally had to do." Starkk said stretching.

"Well, we need to be on our guard. It's going to get more dangerous from here on out. You thought about it too right?" Kasmeer said seriously.

The assassin adorned a stern look as he looked off into the distance. "Yeah, a gut feeling tells me that those bandit pieces of trash had something to do with that troll. Them and that so called dealer. Either way we will know when we get there."

Royal Palace: Briefing Room

"That's all I have for my report, sir!" The Seraph Guardsman said handing Logan the rest of the papers.

"Thank you, you may take your leave."

"Sir!" The guardsman saluted before walking out the door.

"Something just doesn't add up. A troll coming that far up north to a plantation? Doesn't make any sense on how it got so far without meeting any kind of resistance from wandering heroes or soldiers. It had to have been some kind of outside influence." The Seraph Commander said to himself in deep thought.

Queen Jennah walked in. She saw the expression he had and arched an eyebrow. "There you go with that look again, did something happen?"

"Pretty much. One of the uglies, a huge one came far up north and attacked a plantation. There were casualties and Starkk and Kasmeer happened to be there at the time." He said rubbing his eyebrows.

"I see. Are the both of them alright?" She said concerned.

He nodded. "From the guard's report, they seemed to have killed it and got out with minor injuries. That's not what's bothering me though. Something or someone had a hand in it. There's no way a troll would go that far on it's own."

"Do you think this Toran fellow and the bandits may have something to do with it?" Jennah asked.

"Maybe but it's anyone's guess. Best we can do right now is leave it to the both of them."

After what seemed like an eternity the two managed to reach there destination, no doubt after having to deal with a few nuisances along the way.

"Pardon my french here for a second but fuck harpies, seriously!" Starkk said highly agitated.

"Oh you, you always get grouchy when people take pot shots at you." The mesmer replied back.

"I don't know what's worse, hearing their annoying ass high pitched squawking or having them dive bomb you while shooting arrows or swiping you with swords."

"Sounds like a certain somebody I know when he has a little toooooo many, if you catch my drift..." She said teasingly.

He looked at her flatly. "Ha-ha." His face got serious as he shot a glance over at a rock pathway. There were bandits patrolling it's perimeter. He gave his partner a quick nudge as she quickly caught on. They both hid behind a rock, peeking over it. Kasmeer then felt something rubbing against her. She kept trying to swat it away.

"Starkk, cut it out!" She whispered.

"Wha?" He said confused.

"Come on, I'm serious... h-h-habababababa...HYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She yelped. A 6 legged Luminescent Grub with pincers and the size of a small dog had stumbled onto the two. It seemed to have take a liking to the woman as it tried to snuggle up against her. Starkk had a hand cupped over her mouth as he looked over. The bandits didn't seem to hear the loud noise. He breathed a sigh of relief before turning to his friend.

"Mira, it's just a grub. These things are harmless, isn't that right wittle guy?" He said petting it. It seemed to chirp in response at his affection. Kasmeer was knocked out cold and foaming from the mouth. Starkk had a sweatdrop on his head as he stared haplessly at his friend. He gently nudged the grub to move along which it complied and scurried off back into the woods.

"Mira wake up..." He said shaking her. "Come on, wake up..." Still no response. "Welp, guess I have no choice then." He began slapping her, not hard at all of course but enough to wake her up.

*WHAM!*

Kasmeer planted a fist on his head sending him crashing to the ground and making cracks in it. "Serves you right!" She said still holding a fist up.

Starkk managed to raise a hand up, face still planted into the ground. "I-I-I was just trying t-t-to wake you up..." He said in a muffled voice.

"Okay so here's the plan. I have a couple of SR Bombs, (Shadow Refuge Bombs. People who play the game will know what I mean or know the ability at least). I'll use one to cloak us so we can sneak by the goons at the entrance. Do you think once we're halfway inside that you could pop your invisibility spell?"

She nodded. "You got it! What are we going to do once we get that far?" She questioned.

"Once we're inside we will find some place to hide and then we can decide a course of action on how we're going to apprehend this guy from there. The bandits are of little concern to me, despite their numbers. I'm more worried about how much of a problem this dealer is going to be."

"Well it's like they say, no time like the present." She said passively. With that he grabbed the bomb out of one of the pouches on his utility belt and threw it down, cloaking them. They were silent as they dashed a couple of feet then slowed it down to a silent but brisk creep. They managed to alternate between the two perfectly.

Over in the shadows, someone had watched the both of them before they disappeared.

Bandit Haunt Caverns: Entrance

"We got a killing with that last village we pillaged!" One of the bandits exclaimed excitedly.

"Hahaha, no kiddin!" Another one said. "With that war going on, they've been easy pickins! Say? You know what the boss man was talking about earlier?"

The man beside him shook his head. "No fuckin clue. Not that I care any. If it don have anything to do with loot or booze then it has no interest to me."

A female bandit walked up. "The hell are you losers talking about?" She said pointedly.

The bandit's lips curled upward in annoyance. "None of your god damn business you dumb broad. Why don't you make yourself useful and give me some relief down here." He said pointing down at his crotch.

"How about I cut it off instead you shitty bastard!" She snarled. Everyone else laughed as the two argued back in forth. Unbeknownst to them, the two Seraph Agents snuck past them and into the humid cave. Once they were inside, Kasmeer quickly chanted her invisibility spell to increase the duration of their invisibility. They took a second to look around. Some were sitting down in chairs, conversing with one another or patrolling. They both looked over yonder to see an opening leading to a bigger room. That's probably where they wanted to be. They slowly made their way there. Once they made it they spotted a large oval shaped rock covered hut. The invisibility was starting to wear off so they made haste inside.

"We haven't seen anyone so far that matches the description so he must be deeper in the cave. Anyway while we're in here we should look for anything important." Kasmeer said shifting through some books.

"Agreed." Her partner said as he made his way to a long counter. The room was rather spacious. He noticed a pair of large pieces of paper spread out along it. Upon closer inspection his eyes narrowed. They were pictures of different regions. He recognized a few of them. Ascalon, Meguuma and the Shiverpeaks. A gigantic crystal like object could be seen planted in the ground in each pic. It looked like a site of some sort.

"Mira, come take a look at this." Starkk said motioning for the girl to come over. She walked over.

"What do you think it is?" She said eyeing them curiously.

"I don't know but it can't be good. I'm sure old man Logan is going to want to look at this. Do you think you can grab these and store them somewhere?"

"Not a problem, leave it to me!" With a wave of her fingers, she lifted the pieces of paper up as a purple like swirl materialized in the air. With a snap of her finger the anomaly opened revealing a pitch black void. The parchment was sucked in and disappeared into thin air. Just as they were about to turn and leave a bandit walked in.

"The fuc...HEY!" He yelled. Before he could draw his dagger or shout for help the assassin closed the distance between them fast. The brigand threw a punch but the tan-skinned manned was quicker as he simply raised an arm up to deflect the would be blow. Using his forearm, Starkk brought it violently to the man's Adam's apple and slamming him roughly to the wall. Before he could do anything else the dread head cocked his free arm back and planted a fist into his gut with tremendous pressure. The bandit slumped against the wall and onto the ground, passed out.

"Come on! We got to find this guy fast."

She nodded in agreement. As they ran a shot rung out and pinged against the wooden frame that made up the door causing the two to duck behind some rocks. Bandits began to file into the area. Either they wandered into said place by chance or came to find out why their buddy was taking so long. They were caught now so it didn't matter. There were at least a dozen of them. The ones that weren't shooting at them were slowly advancing in with melee weapons. They couldn't stay in this position for long.

"Kasmeer! I'll take out the ones with guns. You get the ones closing in on us!"

"Right!" She yelled back. He pulled out Azuza and Raspira. Taking aim with the one in his left hand he looked through the asuran pistol's scope before getting a bead on the brigand's head. He squeezed the trigger. With a sickening crack the tiny bullet pierced the man's skull instantly sending him to a cold oblivion as he hit the ground. The ninja was off as he dashed in between tables, barrels and rocks while taking shots at the people trying to kill them.

"The bastard's trying to flank us! Cut em off." One of the gunman screamed to his melee weapon wielding compatriots.

"Not on my watch! You creeps!" Kasmeer stated matter of factly. Lifting one of her hands up she lifted a bandit that had a sword and shield off his legs and into the air. With one swift motion she slammed him roughly into his friends causing them to careen into the ground hard. A female bandit with braided blue hair had crept up on her. Kasmeer looked up in time to block her Tamini Battle-Axe with her staff.

"Pretty face bitches like you piss me off to no end... that's why I'm going to dice your face open starting with your eyes!" She said in an ugly voice.

"I feel sorry for you..." Kasmeer said with a bored expression.

"Why's that you prissy, smug faced bimbo!?" She roared.

"Cuz of this." Kasmeer leaned on her back as she pressed both of her legs into the woman's stomach and launching her over before suspending her in mid air with her telekinesis. She then pressed her back against the ground as her fists glowed with purple. Thrusting both of her palms in the air, she unleashed a technique that was one of her personal favorites called Psiconic Fury. Purple fists seemed to come out of no where and hit the woman with echoing blows that caused purple like wisps of energy to appear each time they impacted with the bandit's body. With a flick of her wrist she threw the helpless victim head first into a wall then back onto the ground with thunderous force. She wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, or ever. She quickly got up and ran out into the opening, throwing up a spherical forcefield around her as the gunfire concentrated on her. Sadly for the bandits they didn't see the assassin above them as he flipped over, gunning the lot down before he landed. With a blur he shadowstepped to where she was. They were back to back as his arms angled and pointed the twin pistols at the remaining bandits that started to surround them. Kasmeer had one of her arms incased in purple and the staff held out in front of her in the other. Both of their eyes were looking left to right as they sized up the bandit's numbers.

"Hahahahahahaha! Well done, these morons didn't stand a chance against you." An ominous voice said. Starkk's eyes narrowed dangerously as he tried to make out the figure approaching. Kasmeer looked over her shoulder.

"Boss!" One of them piped up.

"Hmph... you guys honestly can't handle two intruders? Pathetic." He matched the appearance in the photo. The reddish purple skin, spikes around his face and yellow snake like eyes. That wasn't all. He was giant and imposing, sporting heavy draconic looking plate armor that was a blackish purple with intimidating spikes around the shoulders, arms and leg armor. A glowing yellow eye could be seen in the middle of it. On his back was what looked to be a translucent red sword that looked like skin with a black hilt.

"Toran I presume?" Starkk asked simply.

"Indeed. Sorry to cut this short but may I ask what you two are doing here? It's pretty hard finding useful idiots you know?" He said in an other worldly voice.

"We're here to arrest you, bring you in for interrogation and end your smuggling operation!" Kasmeer said fiercely.

He waved her off with a bored expression. "To be frank, I technically didn't bring these here rather I ordered these fools to retrieve them for me. Of course these imbeciles go and bring attention to themselves. I tell you, if you want something done then you need to do it yourself."

"Tch!" The assassin smacked his teeth in frustration. "It's all the same to me so I don't really see the difference. Why don't you quit wasting our time and just come quietly so I don't have to pound your ugly mug into the ground to make you cooperate."

The man, (if you could consider him a man) frowned at him, obviously annoyed with the young assassin's words. "Such hubris...I should gut you myself for that filthy mouth of yours. Unfortunately, time isn't on my side. I'll let you play with these clowns. Kill them." He said before walking off into another area.

"Get your ass back here!" Starkk said as he tried to dash. He stopped abruptly as the bandits moved closer. "Shit!" He growled.

"Starkk, you go after him. I can handle things here." Kasmeer said quickly.

"Like hell! I'm not going to leave you here to take all these guys on by yourself!" He argued.

"These guys are nothing but small fry, gnats even more so." She retorted.

"Don't be stupid! We fight these guys together! He won't get far!"

"Darn it Starkk! We don't have time for this!" She twirled her staff around creating a circular purple trail around the whole area. "This is my entire line. If you try to come back here and cross it without taking care of that guy first then I'm going to beat you up! You're in the way right now! You're an assassin right? You're letting your emotions get in the way of the mission when it shouldn't! Get it together! You got your task I got mine, get going!"

He looked at her for a bit before smirking and turning. " I'll go finish things with this guy and come back quickly. You better be careful Mira, I mean it. I don't want to leave but I'm going against my better judgment to believe in you."

She moved her hand shooing him off. "Yeah yeah, now get going!" With that he immediately broke off into a sprint. She smiled as a tiny blush crept up on her face as she watched him go.

"Don't think so cocksucker!" One bandit said as a group of them tried to impede his way. He shadowstepped through them and kept running.

"Fuck!" A dirty blonde haired bandit yelled as he tried to run after him but stopped after he saw that it was pointless. They all turned their attention to the lone mesmer. Perverse grins spread throughout their ranks.

"Meh, let him go. The boss will split him in two anyway. We got ourselves a more delectable specimen here!" A bunch of laughs rung out around the entire room.

Kasmeer smiled mischievously. "Sorry but I'm afraid I can't hold back on you guys so I hope you're prepared. This will hurt, a lot."

Bandit Haunt Caverns: Staging Room

Starkk followed the narrow cavernous hallway until he reached another large room. This one had banners and rope running along the walls. In the center of the room was a throne. There he was, with his back turned.

"It's a shame really, you two are going to die here. You know that don't you? I mean for what? To try to uncover our dirty little smuggling operation? You're in way over your head brat, you know nothing." He said chuckling evilly.

"I don't think so asshole. All this ends here. One way or another." The purple eyed 20yr old said resting a hand on his hilt.

Toran smirked. "Tell me something? Did you happen to run into a Forest Troll? I sent him to a farm to supposedly deal with two dashing heroes who had the potential to oppose and ruin my plans."

Starkk froze. "What did you just say..."

The monster of a man's face contorted into a twisted grin. "Ah! Judging from that expression it was you two that I sent that troll to kill. Marvelous. The experiment was indeed successful then. I didn't think that Chameleon Serum I infused it with would work. It managed to slip by undetected. Stupendous! Tell me though did it at least get to snack on a couple of filthy humans before it's untimely demise?" He said with a chin on his hand like nothing was wrong with what he just said. The Seraph Agent on the other hand was shaking slightly as his face was shadowed. When he looked up the most virulent form of killing intent was etched across his features as he lunged at the heavily armored foe in front of him sword in hand.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He screeched loudly as Amaterasu clanged loudly against the other man's rather large sword. "THOSE WERE GOOD PEOPLE YOU KILLED YOU DEGENERATE FUCK! GOOD PEOPLE!" He screamed further as he pressed the blade harder against the red greatsword.

The beastman laughed maniacally. "Is this really how an assassin should be conducting himself? I always thought they were suppose to be cold and calculating?" He taunted. This earned him an even more feral scowl from the smaller man. They both then pushed each other back.

"I wonder if your little girlfriend will be more receptive of me once you're dead. Hmm, the possibilities." He said licking his lips.

The assassin's fingers curled as he held a hand up to his face. He lowered the hand down to reveal his eyes glowing an intense yellow color. The look on his face would have made even Tyria's most fearsome monsters soil themselves simply from bearing witness to it. "Logan should be able to settle for a head and a torso. As long as you can form coherent sentences then it should be of little consequence. I'll just have Kasmeer keep your brain from trying to shut down the rest of your body due to the pain." He said in a chilling voice.

Toran's face contorted into a crazed open mouth grin. "SUCH SADISM! IT MAKES MY NAPE HAIRS RISE IN ECSTASY! COME BOY!"

With a blinding flash of light Starkk was in his trump card mode. The monster swung his blade in a wide arc at frightening speed. The assassin managed to leap over it by a hairs breath but also getting his left arm wounded in the process. Time seem to stop as he was parallel to the oversized metal object. Spinning around he revealed one of his Glyphic Pistols as he fired a couple of shots before landing on his stomach. The humanoid shielded his face with impressive speed as they pinged off his armored hands and into different directions. He raised his greatsword in the air before swinging it down. Starkk quickly kicked himself off the ground, avoiding it. It cut a sizable wedge into the floor below. He then got into a hunched position as he pulled a handful of throwing knives out. They started to glow a bright yellow that illuminated the room. With a flash he threw a couple. It was so fast that an untrained eye wouldn't be able to follow it. The other man deflected them. He threw some more. They were quicker than the first. They were deflected. He kept throwing them as he got faster and faster until he was nothing but a blur of movement.

"You're starting to bore me now human and for you that's very bad..." He said before he sensed something above him. The assassin was spinning in the air before making a gale like slash in his direction. Toran slashed through him only for the yellowish ethereal image to disappear. "What the!?" He said in confusion. Another one came in on his right doing the same thing but it was cut as well, disappearing. A feint. The clones were attacking him from all sides. Maneuvering around while trying to land hits. Thing of it is, they weren't just images. They could actual inflict damage on him. One managed to get up under him, doing a backwards frontflip and trying to nick him under the chin. He managed to move a hand in the way to intercept it before slamming the image into the ground. Two more were right in front of him, moving in fast. They both got hits in before the real flesh and blood one came in the middle. Starkk landed two diagonal cuts to the beastman's hard armor before rolling on the ground and positioning himself in a crouch with both hands on his hilt and his blade pointed out in front of him. The technique was another one of his trump card's abilities called Cross-Break.

Dark blue blood leaked out of the fresh cut causing the giant to slide a finger against it. He looked at the liquid on his hand for a second before licking it and smiling darkly. "Very good! You managed to wound me but let's see how you fair against this." A massive red aura formed around the monster as it started to compress the energy into itself. Before the assassin could react the giant sent a huge red energy wave towards him.

"Damn! No time to dodge, got to block!" He said as he raised his artifact up in hopes of enduring the attack. The attack crashed into him as it caused his feet to anchor into the ground. The floor began to break from the immense pressure. He was gritting his teeth so hard that they started to bleed. It was too much. With a scream he was thrown off his feet and impacted heavily into a wall putting a rather large crater in it. He slid to the ground as bits of rubble fell onto him. His helmet disengaged. His face was bleeding and one eye was a halfway closed. He looked up to see the bandit leader walking up to him.

"That it then? Such a shame! Looks like you're at your limit so I'll be ending this now!" He stated triumphantly. Starkk merely glared at him. Before any of them could plan their next move a small spherical object landed next to the brute of a giant. He looked at it only to gasp in fear. It exploded knocking him back. Starkk went wide eyed as he tried to search for the sphere's owner. He then caught a glimpse of a small rectangular glass box landing near him before exploding and releasing a green gas. He coughed a bit before blinking in surprise. He could feel the damage he suffered go away as he inspected his entire body. The unknown person walked up. She was wearing a brown cloak with a hood and had on what looked to be red engineering armor.

"Looks like you could use a hand." She said in a sylvian voice.

"A sylvari? Here?" Starkk said surprised. She offered him a hand. He took it as he raised himself up. "I appreciate the assist but who are you?" He said cautiously.

She smiled under the hood. "I'm not an enemy so don't worry. Seeing as you're fighting him we're both here for the same reason."

"Hieeeeeeee! She's a monster!" One of the bandits screamed like a girl. Using her trickster half of her mesmer abilities Kasmeer had manipulated some of the bandits into fighting each other. The few that weren't busy trying to kill one another found themselves under assault from her vicious telekinetic abilities, exploding clones and deadly purple energy blasts of doom. Some tried to get close but her staff just wasn't for show. With the grace of a swan she avoided strikes that would have caused deep wounds and answered in kind with painful strikes of her own.

"Ahahahahahaahahahah! This is great! I wonder if Starkk is having as much fun as I am?" Her moment of joy was cut short as more of them came running at her. "Geez! There's no end to them! Well guess I have no choice!" She begun to spin as she and her staff twirled at high speed. Lightning began to cackle around her. Everyone could feel the tremendous energy radiating from her as a giant purple swirl began forming under her.

"You guys feel that!?" One of the guards said in terror.

"Man fuck this! We should have never messed with this broad!"

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is!?"

The whirlwind grew even larger. "(EXTREME MAGIC! VORTEX!)" The tornado expanded sucking everyone in as it blew skyward making a hole in the cavern's ceiling. Once it ended, half of the room was cleared with a handful of bandits left. Some were still shaken by the attack while others were still up for taking on the powerful mesmer.

Kasmeer exhaled. "You would think they'd give up by now..."

The two had been arguing back and forth who would take care of the mutant behemoth. Starkk needed him incapacitated and alive for interrogation so he wanted to be the one to take care of him. The slyvari on the other hand argued that her higher ups wanted the guy dead. She said the reason was classified which prompted the assassin to insist even further.

"I already told you vine head! It's classified! All you need to know is that my employers want him dead. I saved your neck back there so you could at least oblige me a little." She said frustratedly

"Screw that you overgrown plant! If you can't tell me the reason why you want to kill him then no deal!" He yelled back.

"Who you calling an overgrown plant!? Shorty!" She said clamping both of her hands on his armor.

"Who you callin short! You mutant vegetable!? We're both the same height!" They both butted heads.

"You know... I've just about had it with the both of your bluthering. I feel like I'm being severely underestimated here. Do you two really believe that this going to be easy for you!" Toran said with growing anger.

The sylvari shook her head. "Look, there's no time to argue. We both just need to focus on taking this guy out. We can decide what to do once we got him into submission" She looked over to him to see if he had any complaints. He had none. "Good! NOW! BLAST! VOLK! (Endless Utilities). She bellowed as she grabbed the artifact gun on her back. It had stretched out from it's original shape. It was a rust color with a box like barrel. It had green lights that blinked on and off on the sides of it. A green laser sight was on the bottom of it. A disk could be seen floating on the top of it and spinning. Judging from the design of the whole thing it's origin couldn't be determined from looking at it.

Starkk eyed the weapon in wonder. "So she has an artifact too? Interesting."

"Here he comes!" The sylvari said in alarm. The assassin's helm came back on as both of them dispersed immediately. He was shooting more of those strange waves at them, splitting them into two. It made it hard for the assassin to get close so he had to focus on dodging mainly. The disk on the sylvari's gun opened up revealing two orb like drones with propellers. The center of them opened up to reveal a tiny minigun like barrel. They began to fire. They didn't seem like they were doing much but they served as a good distraction as he tried to swat them away. This allowed Starkk to get close. Before Toran could stop him he stabbed him in the stomach before sliding the sword to the right, bringing it out with a loud wet sound.

"YOU WRETCH!" The behemoth said nastily as he grabbed the man by his face and slammed him roughly into the ground before running while dragging him against it. He then lifted him up. His palms started to radiate a dark energy. Starkk struggled in his grasp. Before he could release his attack the rogue sliced the arm off and backflipped away from him narrowly avoiding a blue beam of light that took the monster of his feet. If it wasn't for that brief pause in the mutant bandit leader's attention then he might not have been able to get away. Starkk looked around. There were multiple blue holograms of the sylvari around the area that surrounded Toran.

"Looks like I saved your neck once again!" She said in a sing song tone.

"As if you idiot! What if that would hit me as well!?" He yelled with a shark like face.

She shrugged. "Nah, those beams are harmless to anyone I deem an ally so it wouldn't have hurt you either way. He on the other hand isn't so lucky." The blast seemed to leave a large blue trail on the ground that lead up to where the creature had crashed into a wall. His eyes glowed an ominous white through the dust as he got himself up.

"What the hell was that!?" He hissed.

The slyvian engineer smirked. "Allow me to explain. It's one of Volk's trump card abilities. It allows me to create holograms of myself. They have the ability to fire lasers that corresponds to the colors of any organic or inorganic target. It won't matter how many times you try to dodge. As long as you have the colors on that correspond to the hologram then it can hit you. Since you're bleeding blue blood and have on purple then I'm sure you can figure out where this is heading. This ability isn't without a weakness though. My holograms can be destroyed by anyone who's competent enough. That means they're useless against anyone who mainly fights at a range or has strong enough magic or skill to block the lasers. That's not the case with you though since you're pretty beat up and look like you're on your last legs."

"YOU BITCH! YOU THINK THIS CHEAP PARLOUR TRICK IS GOING TO WORK ON THE GREAT TORAN!? WHEN I'M DONE WITH THE BOTH OF YOU NOT EVEN YOUR BONES WILL REMAIN!" He stepped forward and onto the glowing blue trail only to stumble back in pain as a veil of blue washed over him. "ERRK! W-What is this trail!"

"Oh, forgot to mention, those trails can electrocute you if you touch them. So I wouldn't move if I were you! I believe this is checkmate!" With her last words the holograms in the area began opening fire on the bandit leader. He couldn't do anything but take them. Even if he tried to move the trails on the ground left him trapped. Once they stopped their assault and the dust cleared a very battered and wounded Toran could be seen barely standing.

"Sorry... but it's going to take more than that to finish me off! As I stated before you're in way over your heads. This isn't even my true power!" He said dangerously.

The sylvari sighed. "I'll give you this much, it's impressive that you're still standing after taking that attack but it's as I already stated... it's over for you. You're on now vine head!" Toran looked up in time to see the assassin appear in front of him. In a flurry of motion the armored warrior delivered multiple strikes to him in rapid succession. Another clone came in doing the same thing. There were a bunch of clones and they all seemed to move in a 360 degree motion, completely overwhelming him. They seemed to be going through him as they weaved in and out. With one last strike the assassin disappeared in a glint of light, spinning on the ground before coming to an abrupt stop with his blade stretched outwards before slowly bringing it back to his sheathe. He had just performed Cross-Break's finisher, (Ten Step Mirror Dance, Serrated Light Blades). Once the sword clicked back into the sheathe Toran fell to the ground, unmoving. Starkk stared at him for awhile before his eyes widened in horror. The giant's body was disappearing.

"Damn!" He said as he ran over. It was too late he was already gone. He gritted his teeth angrily. Before he could think of anything else the whole cavern began to shake. "Crap! Looks this place is starting to come apart! I need to get back to Kasmeer! Hey! Plant girl..." He looked around but she was no where to be found. She must have left.

Bandit Haunt Caverns: Entrance

"Get the remaining bandits we have in custody out of here! We can worry about the ones who got away some other time!" Kasmeer commanded. Once she finished off the remaining bandits a group of wandering Seraph Soldiers had made their way into the cave to see what the disturbance was about. She filled them in. Before they all could go aid her partner the place began to shake and collapse around them.

"Starkk... I hope you're okay!" She said worriedly before running out into the field. Her worry was cut short as she saw him run out another entrance to the far right. "Starkk you made it!" They both hugged each other. "I'm so glad you're okay! What happened in there?"

"Woah...woah settle down there for a second Mira. I'll explain everything back at Divnity's Reach." He said tiredly. He noticed it was getting awfully shady. He looked up into the sky only for his face to adorn a blank gate. Kasmeer noticed it and followed his vision only for her mouth to drop open. Nearby townfolks and wandering heroes gathered around to stare at the unknown entity in the sky. They all shared the same looks as the other two.

"What in Melandru's name is that!" One of the seraph guards said.

"It's enormous!" A hero said in a shaking voice. This got a lot of audible whispers out of the crowd gathered.

The assassin's irises were tiny as a copious amount of uncontrollable anger began to well inside of him.

Royal Palace: Seraphim Offices

Logan's eyes went wide as he got up immediately summoning his legendary sword and shield. "This presence! Could it be!?"

Jennah immediately got up in alarm. "Logan! What is it! What's going on!?" He teleported before she could get an answer. "LOGAN! Damn it!" She said mirroring the Seraph Commander's gesture.

Everyone saw the new comers appear. This got quite a few surprised reactions.

"Queen Jennah, Commander Thackery!?" Kasmeer said in disbelief. Logan's eyes mirrored the young assassin's. His legendary artifact sword Foltest and shield Paragon were already drawn.

"T-Thats..." Queen Jennah stammered. The dragon was titanic in size and seemed to be surrounded by drakes that were half his size. It was golden in color with a wide wing span too large to give an exact estimate. Golden crystals could be seen on the sides of its head with the rest of it's body sporting smaller ones. Yellow eyes stared the humans below. This was the very creature that caused the deaths of many, Snaff included and was responsible for the disbandment of the original Destiny's Edge. It also was the killer of both of the assassin's parents. It was none other than the Void Aspect and Ruler of the Branded.

"KRALKATORRIK!" Both men howled with an ungodly amount of rage. The Elder Dragon smirked at the both of them.

This chapter turned out way longer than I originally anticipated so sorry about the long pause. This marks the end of the Horizon Arc. Chapter 4 will start the Pursuit Arc where the duo will get a new member and make a trip to the Black Citadel. I'll also introduce three of my other OC's as well in that chapter. The beginning of Chapter 4 won't be nearly as long as this one and will just serve an intro into the arc. Anyway, cookies to whoever can figure out who the sylvari is but I ask you, if some of you happen to leave a review then please don't spoil it. Just pm me in my inbox if you know it.

Thanks and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Jet~