"This way, my friend!"

"Get back here with my maul now!"

Phoebe was already at her wit's end when the group insisted on traveling to Estoria. Although the Oracle's prophecy pointed the group towards the city she had no desire to be here. She would have preferred to wait at the inn, the Dragon's Tooth, for the duration of the stay. Yet, when she woke up this morning, she found that her main weapon was missing. Phoebe searched quickly and found that it had ended in the hands of Zyfon. The satyr then dashed off to the streets and she was quick to follow out of anger.

Zyfon had served as a loyal friend long before Phoebe met the rest of the party. Although he was a trickster at heart, she thought he knew better than to prank her. Granted, she thought that less due to their friendship and more that he wouldn't risk earning her wrath, but she was mistaken. Phoebe knew that Zyfon was getting closer with the rest of the group. One of them must have put him up to this. She was certain that she would be able to convince the satyr to tell her who after she caught him.

The chase was fairly close. Although Phoebe was a skilled warrior and athlete, Zyfon had a head start on her. He was also fairly athletic as well and able to keep one step ahead of her by weaving his way through the early morning crowd. Although Phoebe pushed her way through anyone that got in her way, the effort did slow her down. Still, it was only a matter of time until she caught up. Her stamina from running races was greater than his and they were both running uphill, and the heavy maul was sure to slow him down.

Eventually, Phoebe caught up to Zyfon, who was trying to catch his breath in front of a large building. She cracked her knuckles as she approached to catch his attention. The satyr perked his head up, smiled, and held the maul out toward his friend.

"Please, forgive me for both my theft and my deception," Zyfon bowed his head.

"You have a lot of nerve-" Phoebe paused. "Deception?"

"If you have any problems with Zyfon, you can take it up with me. I was the one who gave the command to bring you here."

With a scowl, Phoebe looked over her shoulder at the mastermind behind the deception. Duris was not alone though. Kyrah and Ranri stood at his side; Yesleth and Korax were behind the group. Of course it would be the man that was insistent on traveling to Estoria that would trick her. Phoebe then glanced back toward the building Zyfon stood in front of. In her haste she didn't realize what it was but standing before it now there was no denying it. There was only one building that could be as large as the one before her yet in shambles and disrepair.

Phoebe's companions tricked her into heading right to Pythor's palace.

Phoebe turned back to Duris. "I do not appreciate being tricked, Duris."

"I hated to do so but I thought that it would be the only way to get you here," Duris told her. "Would you have come if I asked you?"

"I wouldn't," Phoebe's gaze then turned to the others Duris was with. "Three warriors isn't enough to force me, you know."

"We're not here to fight," Korax told her. "We decided that only a small party should meet with the king. Yesleth, Ranri, and myself are lokhagos in service of the city of Mytros, which does carry some influence."

"Enough influence to secure an audience on a night's notice?" Phoebe challenged. "My father may be a disgrace but there is protocol for seeing royalty."

"Actually, my brother invited us this morning," Kyrah said with a smirk. "You have Zyfon to thank for making that a possibility by spending the night telling the entire city of the Oracle's chosen heroes arriving."

"Being a herald is but one of my many duties," Zyfon bowed respectfully. "It also helps that I was able to spend a lot of time telling stories of the epic battles we fought in."

"Phoebe, I apologize for the deception but it is important that you meet with your father," Duris said calmly. "I understand your feelings about him but you have to understand that the Oracle told you that you have to see him."

"And what of the Oracle? I will stand by all of you when it comes to facing Sydon or Lutheria but I must draw the line when it comes to someone telling me what to do with my personal business. I will not see Pythor."

"Unfortunately, Sydon is stepping in," Duris shook his head. "He's responsible for the drought on Estoria. The people are suffering. Pythor may be able to tell us more about what we can do to help, and he may be more open to talk to one of his children. You have to understand that this is necessary if we are to face the might of the Twin Titans."

Phoebe let out a long-drawn sigh, then shrugged. "Fine. Let's go see him. But when you see him for who he really is, you'll understand why I want nothing to do with him."

"He can't be that bad," Duris said, although he glanced over to Kyrah. "Right?"

"My brother may have his faults, but he is genuinely good," Kyrah nodded. "He'll help us."

Phoebe walked forward, grabbing her maul from Zyfon while entering the palace. The others started to follow behind her while her satyr companion quickened his pace to take the lead. Phoebe had no intention of staying in the palace any longer than she had to. The Oracle's prophecy only stated that she had to do what Pythor could not do and had nothing to do about being friendly with him. She would let Duris handle the talking and be out before she lost her anger.

With attendants pointing the way, the group came across the throne room. Zyfon immediately stepped forward, acting on his duties as herald.

"Mighty Pythor, ruler of Estoria!" Zyfon called out. "I present to you the Fellowship of-"

"You call that a swing? Ha! Let me show you how it's done!"

The statue never stood a chance when a god struck it with a hammer, shattering it to many tiny pieces. Pythor chuckled loudly, throwing back his head and waving his long brown hair. To his credit, Pythor did have the appearance worthy of the Battle of God. He was garbed as a warrior in armor and wielded his hammer with skill (although perhaps a little loosely). Although his strength was divine, Pythor certainly had large and strong muscles as seen with his exposed arm. His beard could use a trim but that was about it. Unfortunately, Pythor's actions were not like that of a warrior as his blue eyes settled on another statue of a soldier wielding a spear and shield.

"You're next!"

When Pythor smashed the other statue, Phoebe looked over her shoulder at her companions with a smirk, curious as to her companion's reactions. Yesleth's eyes went wide with surprise while Ranri's jaw dropped. Duris looked to Kyrah with his eyebrow raised with the goddess looking away with an embarrassed giggle. Only Korax remained stoic at the display. Phoebe rolled her eyes at Korax and looked back with a grunt. Ever the professional, Zyfon stepped forward.

"Uh, I present the Fellowship of Thylea!"

Pythor finally turned to face the group and grinned. "You've answered my summons! Welcome!"

"...Thank you for having us," Duris bowed his head out of respect. "We come-"

"Enough playing nice," Phoebe stepped forward. "Tell me about the weapon you could never wield so I can get on with the oracle's prophecy."

Pythor's eyes settled on Phoebe and his grin turned into a frown. "You… you have your mother's eyes."

"Do you even know who my mom is?" Phoebe stepped forward. "Tell me about the weapon."

Hammer in hand, Pythor fell back to the throne in the back of the room and sat down. He reached for a half-filled bottle of wine as he addressed the group. "Come closer. Let me tell you of my woes."

"I'm not interested in the ramblings of a drunk god," Phoebe said and rolled her eyes.

"Is he actually drunk?" Duris whispered to Kyrah, who nodded quietly before stepping forward.

"Brother, I know that you've had your struggles, but whatever your woes may be, you can't drink them away," Kyrah told Pythor, her scolding showing her disappointment. "As the king of Estoria, you have a duty to serve your people. What good does this excessive drinking serve?"

Pythor bows his head at his sister's words, unable to find a way to defend his actions. "What else can I do? What good does my strength do if it is bound to the terms of the Oath of Peace? The Twin Titans conspire to steal away my precious daughter."

"They seek to steal Phoebe?" Zyfon gasped.

"He has more children than I do," Phoebe flatly told the group. "Drinking isn't his only vice."

"How can we help?" Duris offered, speaking on behalf of the group.

"Warriors from the Order of Sydon arrived in Estoria weeks ago, bearing a message from their master," Pythor revealed. "Sydon demands for Anora to be sacrificed, that she is to be chained to the Rock of Estor and left overnight as an offering."

"Sydon can't do that though," Yesleth said, looking at the rest of the group. "He can't, right?"

"Unfortunately, as the Oath of Peace dictates, the Twin Titans are allowed to demand sacrifices," Pythor shook his head with his frown growing bigger. "Estoria suffers from a drought due to Sydon, and as his messengers warn, if Anora isn't sacrificed by the next full moon, an army of centaurs gathered outside the city will destroy Estoria."

"And that isn't breaking the Oath of Peace?" Korax asked, unable to hide his anger.

"Technically, it's not Sydon destroying Estor, but the centaurs, who are not bound to the Oath of Peace," Kyrah answered. "It's essentially how you're able to get away striking at the Twin Titan's forces even though I'm traveling with you."

"If you save Anora from the Twin Titan's demands, I will forever be in your debt," Pythor told the heroes, looking at each one before settling his gaze on Phoebe. "Perhaps I would even share my weapon with you."

Even though he was drunk and miserable, Pythor's intentions were clear. If Phoebe didn't help Pythor save his daughter, then he would withhold his weapon from her. Her gaze turned into a glare as Pythor focused on the rest of her companions, who were more willing to help. Although she could care less about the prophecy and her father's troubles, she couldn't deny that she needed a powerful weapon to contend with the Twin Titans.

Even then, Phoebe wasn't convinced.

"Keep your hammer to yourself then," Phoebe scowled. "Like you'll do any good with it other than turning statues to rubble."

"Alas, if only I could fight the enemies that plot against me myself," Pythor sighed.

"There's plenty of us to help," Duris told Pythor. "We'll be able to save Anora."

"Maybe we can deal with th' centaur army ourselves," Ranri suggested. "If we disperse the invaders, that would save Estoria."

"There's still the matter of the drought," Yesleth brought up but nodded to Ranri's idea. "I'd like to volunteer to at least try."

"I'm not sure if there's enough of us to fight the army but perhaps they'll settle for a duel, our champions against theirs," Duris thought out loud. "Would that be possible?"

"It would!" Pythor said with an eager nod. "I shall send a messenger to arrange a meeting."

"Be sure that you don't go alone," Duris quietly told Yesleth, who nodded in acceptance. "Take Tellek and a few others."

"Have you tried negotiating with the Order of Sydon?" Korax asked Pythor.

Phoebe laughed. "You want to try to sit down and talk with our enemy?"

"It's not like we can fight the Order of Sydon," Korax shot back with a shrug. "This isn't like when they occupied the Temple of the Oracle."

"Perhaps we could sway Sydon's messengers," Pythor nodded slowly, realizing what Korax had in mind. "Fifty oxen for my daughter! Tell them that! I can have someone show you where they reside in the palace!"

Zyfon looked to Phoebe. "Perhaps we-"

"No," Phoebe grunted.

"But I didn't even-"

"No."

Zyfon sighed. "I've tried."

Duris shook his head in disappointment. "Korax, I think you may be best suited to talk with the Order of Sydon. Don't go alone if they try anything."

"Of course," Korax said. "I'll do what I can."

"In the meantime, I'll get the others together and see if we can come up with answers," Duris bowed toward Pythor. "Might we have your permission to leave?"

Pythor waved his hand dismissively. "You have it. As long as you intend to save Anora, you may walk these halls as you please!"

"Thank you," Duris said and the group turned to leave.

Phoebe was the first of the group to leave the throne room, followed by Zyfon. Although she couldn't see the rest of the group, she could feel their anger and disappointment at her. They were willing to help Pythor and thought that she should just be as eager. Phoebe wasn't going to bow to the woes of Pythor so easily. If he really wanted her help, he should have considered being a part of her life before now. She was content to stay in the tavern and watch as everyone struggled with a solution.

Korax returned to the palace in the same hour that he had left it to meet with the representatives from the Order of Sydon. Following Duris' advice, he stopped by the Dragon's Tooth, where the rest of the fellowship resided. Although he was tempted to pick Cyrene and Halius given that they worked well together, he preferred to have them help Duris. Instead, he decided to pick Leira (who was in a cheerful mood), Semestra, and Argades. The half-orc in particular was surprised by the decision given that he hadn't gotten along with the lokhogos before. Korax figured that aside from the potential of team bonding, having Argades along might have the Order of Sydon recognize his lineage.

The Order of Sydon was given their own wing in Pythor's palace and kept to themselves. One of the palace attendants led Korax and his group to where the representatives resided. Gathered around a feast table were seven men in armor and wearing blue cloaks that showed their allegiance. They stopped eating and turned to face the new arrivals with glares. The man at the head of the table stood up. He was taller than his companions with short dark hair. What drew their attention was the man's armor, which consisted of silver scales.

Leira stepped up in front of the group, acting as their herald. "I present to you the Oracle's chosen and members of the Fellowship of Thylea. I am Leira, humble servant of the Oracle, and with me is Lokhagos Korax of Mytros along with Argades and Semestra, who seek to become Dragonlords!"

The man was unimpressed and crossed his arms. "I am Gaius, Commander of the Order of Sydon. I take it that Pythor has invited you."

"He has," Korax confirmed. "We have a lot to talk about regarding your plans."

"Then by all means, let's talk," Gaius turned to his men. "Clear the table."

The remaining six representatives left the table, taking what plates they could. Gaius took his seat at the head of the table and motioned for the seat across from him. After nodding to his companions, Korax stepped forward to claim the seat opposite the commander. Leira and Semestra stood at his side while Argades crossed his arms and didn't move from the doorway, glaring at the members of the Order of Sydon.

"Pythor has sent us to talk to you about the sacrifice that Sydon demands from Estoria," Korax started. "He would like to change what is sacrificed."

"The Lord of All has made his demands clear," Gaius scowled. "He doesn't take kindly to negotiation."

"We are willing to provide fifty oxen for the sacrifice instead of Princess Anora," Semestra explained, being the expert in sacrifices. "This will provide more power to your master than a single mortal."

"A single demigod," Gaius corrected. "Do you really think that animals can compare to divine royalty?"

"It's simple math, Commander," Korax said, clasping his hands over the table. "Would you rather have one sacrifice or fifty?"

"You make a good point," Gaius nodded and tapped his chin in thought. "Perhaps there is another sacrifice more worthy for my master that can replace Pythor's daughter."

"What is it?" Korax asked.

"The Lord of Storms will gladly lift the drought and tell the centaur army not to raze this pathetic city to the ground if the Fellowship of Thylea were to take Anora's place," Gaius revealed with a laugh. "Surely if you're interested in saving the girl, you'd do it."
"This is outrageous!" Argades proclaimed. "You haven't even bothered to tell Sydon about what we offer!"

"Argades!" Semestra called out harshly.

"As Commander of the Order of Sydon, I speak for the Lord of All," Gaius told, slowly standing up from his seat. "To question me is to question his will."

"You're a pathetic coward!" Argades stormed forward in anger. "How about we sacrifice you?"

"Touch me and the centaurs will burn Estoria to the ground," Sydon said, standing his ground.

"That's enough, Argades," Korax stood up to stand between the two before they could come for blows. "We're trying to find a compromise."

"I grow bored of these talks so I will offer one final compromise," Gaius said, stepping away from the two. "You don't want to sacrifice the princess or yourselves while the Lord of All would gladly see these sacrifices done. So, instead of or, we'll go with and."

"How is that a compromise?" Semestra asked, shaking her hand. "What do you give up for this?"

"Rather than having all of you sacrifice yourselves, I'm willing to say that only three of the Oracle's chosen can be sacrificed," Gaius shrugged. "It matters little who you choose. I imagine morale would be broken for both your band of 'heroes' and for Estoria. Now, I'll let you think about this. Leave my sight at once."

Korax pressed his hand against Argades' shoulder when the half-orc tried to step forward. This was enough to stop him from making a costly mistake. Argades stormed out of the room with Korax motioning for Semestra and Leira to follow him. The group of four went down a few hallways before stopping to talk with each other about how negotiations went.

"That could have gone better," Leira said, unable to stop smiling despite their failure.

"Can we not kill the fool and be done with it?" Semestra asked. "If we do that, and if Yesleth stops the centaurs, then Estoria will only need to survive the drought."

"I doubt we could kill him," Korax admitted.

"Are you serious?" Semestra asked in disbelief. "I've seen your skill with a spear and it's not to be underestimated. We could get a few of the others to help too. I'm sure Phoebe would overlook her issues with Pythor if it meant cracking the skulls of those who follow Sydon."

"I've heard of Gaius before during my time in service to the Epilektoi of Mytros and know what he's capable of," Korax shook his head. "He speaks with authority because he knows how to fight. It would take all of us to even attempt to kill him and his fellow servants, and even then, we'd suffer losses on our own side."

"I'll do it," Argades said, leaning against the wall.

"No you won't," Korax told Argades in an authoritative tone. "None of us are going to pick a fight."

"I wasn't talking about a fight," Argades sighed. "I'll be one of the sacrifices."

Semestra gasped. "You can't be serious! We can't play into his hands like this."

"And what other option do we have?" Argades asked. "It's as Korax told us before. If we don't save Anora, Pythor won't help us against the Twin Titans."

"Throwing away your life isn't going to see your prophecy through," Korax pointed out.

"I know this," Argades nodded with reluctance. "Still, how else am I going to prove my loyalty?"

"This was not what I meant when I suggested that," Semestra sighed, stepping forward. "I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself. You're not going to be able to get others to volunteer."

"I'm sure I can," Argades said, waving his hand dismissively. "A few names come to mind right now. I'll talk to them right now."

Argades stepped away from the group to walk out of the palace with Semestra right behind him, not letting the conversation end. Leira remained with Korax with a wide smile despite the circumstances they found themselves in. Although it was a long shot for the plan to work to begin with, the lokhogos was disappointed with how negotiations went. Gaius was able to abuse his position to raise the value of the sacrifice and there was very little he could do.

With a sigh, Korax started to walk out of the palace along with Leira. He had little intention of getting involved with the feud between Argades and Semestra. The lokhogos had his doubts on the half-orc actually going through with giving up his life and wasn't sure what he meant by having to prove himself. For now, he needed to inform Duris of what had happened and to figure out what comes next.

Estoria was established on the Arkelon River and it is on the other side of the river that Yesleth waited along with Tellek, Iraster, and Valros. The lokhagos followed Duris' advice and asked Tellek to come along with her, and the two agreed to bring Iraster and Valros in case anything went wrong. Pythor had sent a messenger to the centaurs and believed that they would agree to a meeting.

It didn't take too long after their arrival that a small force of centaurs, along with two giants each only having one eye in their forehead. Yesleth had heard stories of what cyclops were capable of and knew better than to underestimate them in combat. They stood across from the members of the Fellowship of Thylea with a large centaur approaching the group. He spoke in a language that sounded familiar to the lokhagos but one she didn't understand.

"Chieftain Baenor asks what is the purpose of this meeting," Tellek translates on behalf of the group.

"Tell him that we wish to challenge him to ritual combat," Yesleth tells Tellek. "If we win, he and his forces will leave Estoria alone."

Tellek translated Yesleth's message and then repeated what Baenor had to say. "He is willing to discuss terms for ritual combat. He is quite insistent that the four of us all compete against him and three of his best warriors."

"These are acceptable terms," Yesleth said with a nod. "Are we ready?"

"I thought this was going to be a duel between you and him," Valros said with a sigh. "I'm ready to fight though."

"Hold on just a moment," Iraster said. "Tellek, ask Baenor if his cyclops will fight as part of his group."

Tellek did as asked and it was Baenor's grin that revealed the answer his words were translated to. "He… he insists that his cyclops are among his best warriors, and that to put them on the sidelines would disgrace this ritual combat."

"We wouldn't be able to take on both cyclops without casualties, not to mention that Baenor looks strong himself," Yesleth noted. "Tellek, ask him if we could have the combat limited to one fighter per side. I think I can take Baenor in a fight."

"Do you think you can take a cyclops on in a fight?" Iraster asked. "Because I am willing to bet that he selects one of them to fight on his behalf."

"He can't do that," Yesleth said with a frown. "This isn't fair at all!"

"I don't think it's supposed to be fair," Valros sighed. "He has an army and we don't. He doesn't have to play fair."

"What do we do now?" Yesleth asked, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

Iraster tapped his chin in thought. "Tellek, please inform Chieftain Baenor that we will need time to discuss if this is what we wish to do, and that we will send a message of our decision before the day's end."

Tellek translated on behalf of Iraster although it soon became apparent by some of the centaurs laughing that they knew the fellowship was seeking to avoid combat. Baenor wasn't going to argue or try to attack, and instead, signal for his group to leave alongside him. Yesleth glared at the chieftain and his group as they left. Truth be told, she wanted to fight. She didn't like the prospect of negotiating with Sydon or his forces as it showed they still have power. Yesleth wanted to prove that they weren't so powerful, but for now, she wasn't strong enough to do so.

"So, are we actually going to talk about if this is something we do?" Tellek asked the group.

"We are not," Iraster answered simply.

Valros laughed. "Good job from saving us, Iraster."

"Good job indeed," Yesleth said, her words having a hint of anger to them. "Let's tell Duris of our failure."

"We'll come up with a plan," Iraster told the others. "I have faith that there's some loophole that we can use to our advantage."

Yesleth simply shrugged and walked toward Estoria. The other three companions looked at her as she sulked away before following. Valros patted her on the back as a way to comfort her, and while it did calm her down slightly, it did little to heal her pride.

A/N: So, it's been over a year, but I'm back to continue the Great Labors. Expect a few more updates overtime as this is what I'm choosing to focus on for another chapter or two.

This chapter was originally going to be longer as I wanted to get all of the planning revolving the sacrifice out of the way. However, given that it's already past four thousand words at this point, I thought it would be best to break it up into two chapters. Stay tuned for the next chapter to see what the Fellowship of Thylea has in mind.

Until next time.