The sun had begun to set as Serphia paced along the hallway in front of the throne room, her mind worried over the reason she had been called here. She had been shopping with Sylphy for groceries for Oliver's house as she stayed there when she had been told by one of the stationed guards to meet with Prince Arlus immediately, something that hardly ever occurred outside of dire events. As she continued to pace, her mind ran through the possible reasons why he would call her. Was it due to the actions Oliver took? Was it from some action that she had done during the time against the behemoth? More thoughts poured through her head before the door to the throne room opened, making her turn to see Arlus entering the area.

"My prince," Serphia spoke, kneeling immediately as Arlus walked over to her. The prince only nodded to her as he raised his hand to signal her to rise, which she did so while keeping her gaze down. "For what reason have you summoned me?"

"Walk with me and I'll explain," Arlus responded, making Serphia look at him confused while Arlus walked past, causing her to follow in tow as the doors leading outside opened. Once they were outside, Arlus turned his head to her. "So then, according to my sources you'll be watching over Oliver's house, correct?"

"Yes, my prince, he placed the task upon me," Serphia spoke, seeing Arlus nod as the two began walking through the path of the garden. "This doesn't exactly explain why you've summoned me, though."

"To get some things ready before I have to leave," Arlus responded, making Serphia look at him confused. "As instructed by my father, I'm to go to the country of Putolu in order to aid with their plight caused by the Western Kingdom. With this, I'll be taking a majority of our most elite troops from the royal guard as preparation."

"This is the first I'm hearing of this," Serphia spoke, which wasn't a lie. Despite being a common soldier, Oric normally told her of events in order to inform Oliver of the current affairs, so it was something she wasn't prepared for.

"The order had come this morning directly from the king," Arlus responded as he looked to Serphia, his gaze calculative as he turned his head back to the garden. "Tell me, did Oliver give you anything to contact him by as he did me?"

"Yes, he did," Serphia responded, holding up her hand to show a silver bracelet with a green gem. During her time cleaning his house earlier that day she received a message from him, catching her completely off guard and causing Sylphia to worry over. After a bit of an explanation on how it worked, however, she could understand the benefits of the bracelet. "He said to tell him if anything important were to happen so he could be kept up to date on the events of the city."

"That's good, we'll need someone for information in the city," Arlus responded as he looked to the ring and her bracelet. Then, he held his thumb on the ring and rubbed it, making Serphia look at it confused. However, soon her bracelet began to glow, making her look at it confused before Arlus let go of the ring, causing the glow to fade. "It seems that all the items are connected, be they ring or bracelet. This will help with receiving information much better."

Serphia just looked at her bracelet still as she continued following Arlus, only looking up after a few minutes had passed. "So you wish for me to give you intelligence on the situation in the city as you go through your mission?" Serphia asked, making Arlus nod as he turned his gaze to the wall.

"If it'd be alright, I'd like you to tell both me and Oliver of the events going on, that way if anything bad happens then at least one of us will be able to act on it," Arlus responded, his gaze looking over the wall in detail as his mind was in thought. "Despite Oliver's insight on the matter of this mission, I still find it odd that my father decided to have me take a portion of the royal guard instead of a simple array of troops."

"If you wish for further insight as to why, it can be seen due to your status as the crown prince of Emerial," came a voice, making Arlus and Serphia turn to see Lorthas walking towards them. "I just heard the message on your orders and had come to give my thoughts on the matter."

"I see," Arlus spoke, soon returning his gaze to Serphia, who just stared at Lorthas in confusion before turning back to the prince. "It's quite alright to continue talking, Lorthas is among the most trusted here."

"Which is also furthered by the fact that I refuse to wear any kind of jewelry," Lorthas confirmed, raising both his hands to reveal no rings on either as Serphia kept her gaze on him, soon nodding before turning back to the prince. "I hope I didn't interrupt something important."

"On the contrary, you couldn't have come sooner," Arlus responded, his gaze keeping to the path they walked along it. "I've taken my own time to look and see the kind of troops that I'm being sent with, and the suspicions I told you were confirmed."

"So it isn't just the royal guard but the elite of them," Lorthas muttered, his hand moving to his chin as he processed the information. "The Dragon's Guard."

"Darius will be taking Elia's troops back to the Southwest tomorrow as well, that way to ensure that our defenses are safe," Arlus spoke, his gaze over to Serphia as he continued his talk. "Has Oliver taught you in tactics yet?"

"Only in the basics," Serphia responded, the movements of the group now slower as they made another turn. "He's taught me on the concept of fire tactics and detecting and setting up ambushes, though I've never had to implement them outside of his own training."

"From Elia's reports, your ability to scout out traps and ambushes is exceptional, too," Arlus continued, soon getting a nod from Serphia as she looked ahead. "While your arm is healing, if its possible, I'd like you to help with searching for traps and ambushes that may be led by mercenaries around borders of the city of Emerial. We should also start stockpiling food and supplies into the castle itself, that way we can be prepared for the event of an assault being led upon us."

"We've already been moving food and supplies into the castle, my prince," Lorthas responded, making Arlus look over to him. "The herds of the danger beasts are preparing their annual migration, so we've been stockpiling our supplies for the last few weeks."

"The herds are migrating again," Arlus asked, only getting a nod from Lorthas as a response before he stopped and looked to the wall, his mind in thought. "A year ago the herds managed to damage the walls of the castle, and it's due to their paths that we kept from making walls around the city in the first place. If I remember right, it was five days after the last migration that Oliver asked me for a place to live and hunt."

"It was surprising to find that he even found anything out there after the migration period," Lorthas responded as he kept his gaze on Arlus, his voice unchanged. "Within the time span of the migration there should've been hardly any creatures within the area. It seems a miracle that he managed to find any wildlife at all."

"Indeed, including the fact that he managed to help deal with the two beasts that were attacking Elia's forces while he was scouring the forest," Arlus confirmed, making Serphia nod as she remembered the event. "If General Yamada didn't vouch for him before all of this, according to Oric, we would've suspected him for the cause of the monsters."

"What did the general say about him," Serphia asked, making Arlus turn his gaze to her. "From all I've known, he was a general that did all he could for his country. Is there anything else than that?"

"According to what Oric had written after yesterday, yes," Arlus responded, remembering a report given by the barkeeper earlier in the day, the letter itself being detailed in what he knew about Oliver from their own country. "Oliver himself started off as a mercenary, using it as a chance to turn disorganized groups that went for the highest pay into an organized army under his command. From what I've read of Oric's notes, there wasn't any other person in his country that amounted the same number of victories he did during the civil war, the sole exception being his own father who fought in a war that was previously against a country trying to dominate the world. From the battles that Oric talked about in the notes, however, one of his biggest victories was in taking over a large city called New York City after it had been occupied by the military, using empty towers within the city to maneuver the enemy armies into a place he could surround and defeat them quickly, sealing them with no way of escape using remaining towers and with too small of space for them to fight in. It was apparently due to this action that he managed to cut off a major portion of their forces, taking half a million prisoners of war in the process."

"Must have been a lot of towers to funnel them into the right area," Lorthas spoke, only getting a nod from Arlus in response as they finally stopped, now under the statue of the first king. "Still though, if what was said about him being the one who led general Yamada is true, then he has quite the repertoire under his belt."

"Only his fighting prowess has been proven through the fight we witnessed from that looking glass, but we're currently here to talk about the preservation of the city than the backstory of one man," Arthas continued, turning to the other two as his gaze was harsh. "Lorthas, anything you need to discuss with me needs to go directly through Serphia first. In response, Serphia, anything I need to tell King Indras or Lorthas will be directed straight through you, given what we've learned of these items."

"Yes sir," Serphia responded, immediately standing in a salute as Lorthas bowed to the prince. "Is that all you needed of me?"

"At the moment, but there will be more instructions on the matter once you head back home," Arlus spoke, turning to the statue as he stared at the face of the first king. "We don't know who could be listening in, especially with what we've learned recently."

"Of course sir," Serphia responded as she bowed, soon turning to leave as Arlus and Lorthas moved to continue their discussion.

-The Dragons Heart-

Elia wandered through the area as she went through her thoughts, taking the steps she was told to by Ksalso in order to reach the dining area of this fortress. Thinking back on the revelation, she again placed her hand on the wall to her left, feeling the cold touch of stone like she normally would while also feeling what seemed to be a heartbeat. 'Out of all the things this place could be, it's inside of a dragon,' Elia thought as she took her hand off of the wall, continuing down the route as she let the knowledge set in again. Despite how industrious and man-made this place looked, it was all still the inner workings of a dragon. She didn't think she'd ever get used to that. 'If what Ksalso said is true, the dining hall should be just at this door to the right.'

With that thought, Elia soon turned to the doorway in question, finding a large disc on the top of the door with silverware crossed over it. As soon as Elia pressed her hand on it, the door opened, revealing a massive room with tables scattered all around, the chairs to each having been stacked up over them as she walked through shocked. The lighting came from overhead instead of the walls, where several white gems seemed to hover over the area and keep the room lit while moving slowly through the area. Then, her eyes came upon a table larger than the rest, where Ksalso stood in their male form as he finished the last preparations on the table. Across from him on the other side Elia saw Isao sitting and eating with the now smaller behemoth sitting beside him, having a fairly large piece of meat that was in front of it. As Elia moved toward them, Ksalso's gaze turned to her, a smile on his face as he waved for her to come over.

"Good to see you've finally arrived," the large man spoke as Elia moved to the table, choosing a spot to sit down as her gaze moved to find Oliver. As she did, she noticed him now walking out with several trays on his arms, all covered as he seemed to fluidly move around the tables and chairs in his way, making Ksalso chuckle as Elia looked at the scene. "Oliver's always been one to bring the food he makes out himself."

"Plus it's good balance training," Oliver spoke as he made it to the table, setting down the trays evenly on the table before he relaxed his arms. "Haven't gotten to cook steaks for some time, though I am happy with how they've turned out."

Elia just looked at the trays in front of her, seeing several different versions of what looked to be the same meal as Oliver picked up one of the trays and walked to a chair across from Elia, soon removing his blade from his side and setting it into a slot behind the chair. "You're keeping your weapon with you in your fortress," Elia asked, making Oliver look at her confused. "Seems fairly suspicious to do something like that with guests around you."

"There's no need to worry over it, the weapon is his Weapon of Authority," Ksalso responded, making Oliver give him a look as he leaned back in his chair, making the entity only sigh as they turned and left.

"As the host, I must insist you be the first to choose a meal," Oliver spoke as he lifted his right hand, Elia only nodding in response as she picked the smallest meal of the group. Oliver, after Elia had grabbed hers, immediately moved and grabbed one of the largest ones in the group before he moved back to his place. Isao, at the same time, went and grabbed another plate for himself after finishing his first meal, making Oliver smirk as he moved to his silverware. "The meal is a form of steak made with cattle from my homeland, and I was fairly happy to find that it still remained good after all this time."

"I see," Elia spoke as she picked up her silverware in front of her and cut into the meat. As she bit into it, however, she noticed a large amount of flavor in the bite, making her look at it confused while thinking over what she knew. "...I'm guessing the reason this meal is still good despite the contents being left alone for the year you've lived here is due to something along the lines of your power?"

"Ksalso's, not mine," Oliver responded as he cut his own piece of the meal, taking a bite as he pointed his knife to the entity as Ksalso had returned with a pitcher and several glasses. "He manipulates the area this is placed that to make it where its aging process is literally frozen in time, making it as good as when it was first placed in its containment. I wouldn't be able to manage that on such a wide range even if I focused my power into Erebus on the degree that Ksalso does in that single area."

"What makes your sword so much of a requirement for that if you have that power," Elia asked as she looked over to the weapon, seeing the red gem inlaid in the hilt. "Does it have something to do with what Ksalso said about a Weapon of Authority?"

"Generally, yes," Oliver responded before he took a bigger bite of his meal, Ksalso placing a glass beside the other two, soon pouring water from the contents of the pitcher as he moved to each of them. As he moved to fill Oliver's glass, however, Oliver raised his hand. "I'd like to have some of the mead my cousin made with me if it's okay."

"Of course," Ksalso responded, soon turning and leaving again as Elia looked at Oliver confused. Oliver just continued to eat, and kept that way till Elia began to eat as well, his eyes closed as if thinking on something while he finished a bite.

"My sword, Erebus, represents the rank I bear in the darkness I command," Oliver spoke finally as he cut into another piece. "It's one of three weapons we are required to make in order to master control over our abilities and confirm our status. Erebus itself is a Weapon of Authority, one which shows the power I can command while not being able to unleash it in the same way as the other two, therefore being the weakest."

"I see," Elia spoke as she looked to the blade, noting a dark mist seeming to pass between it and Oliver as he took another bite, his gaze showing a light green light as he did so before looking up at Elia. "And what are the other two?"

"They are weapons of Power and War," Oliver responded as he picked up another piece, raising it up to his eye level as he spoke like a book labeling off items. It was at this time that Ksalso returned, placing a pint beside Oliver with a large bottle as he cut another piece of his food. "The Weapon of War is as it says, it allows our abilities to be channeled for the sole purpose of warfare, and allows us to fight at our fullest without having to worry over using our abilities to maintain it's activation. The Weapon of Power is our actual weapon which allows us to use our power unbridled, and is considered the strongest weapon we can use during times of war alongside our Weapon of War."

"These three make up the acting factors of those who use darkness," Ksalso continued for Oliver, who took this chance to continue eating. "These weapons are meant to act as a catalyst of the users status and abilities, and are personally made by their users for the best connection to them."

"So they're weapons you use to fight in war," Elia asked as she looked over at Oliver, who nodded as he looked down at the blade. "Then why did you only use a weapon meant to symbolize your status when you went to face those men at the camp?"

"Simple, I didn't think them worth it as they were far less of a threat than the people I've faced before," Oliver responded as he looked at her, his eyes now glowing orange as she kept a cool gaze on him. As he did, she noticed that he had quickly finished his meal during Ksalso's explanation, and the plate itself was being picked up by the entity as Oliver continued. "These weapons are meant for more than just fulfilling vendettas we have against others. Sure, I may have used my Weapon of Power, or even my Weapon of War, but to do so with my own emotions connected so strongly to my actions would corrupt them."

"What do you mean by that," Elia asked as she looked at Oliver confused, the man simply taking a gulp of his glass as he rested his free hand on the pommel of his blade.

"The Weapons of War and Power are only meant for war and for unleashing our full power without restraint, with Authority being the exception as it represents our status," Oliver answered as he leaned back in his chair with his glass, his eyes now brighter as he looked down to his blade. "If either of the other two are used in an incomplete form while a single emotion is driving us, then they are corrupted by it and deemed unfit to be used any longer, forcing us to either destroy them or wait until their connection to us has settled. If I had used my Weapon of Power in that area, it might've been corrupted by the rage I had felt in my heart as I cut my way through the mercenaries at the time because it's imcomplete at the moment."

Elia just looked down at her meal, thinking through what Oliver said before Ksalso returned, carrying four books now as Oliver took another sip from his glass. "But enough about the past, given that we'll have a limited time to reach the area we want to," Oliver spoke as Ksalso placed the books beside Elia, who just looked at them confused. "Ksalso went to work on translating the books into your own language so you can understand them, so even if you don't wish to learn tactics from me you can still learn it in your own time."

"So, what makes these books so special," Elia asked as she looked over the top book of the stack: The Art of War.

"What makes them special is the fact they're the books Derek and my father had me learn from back before I had started my mercenary days," Oliver responded while he lifted his glass up, eyeing the way the light shown through it as he continued to speak. "Each book is from a different part of warfare, the one at the top being on the aspects of warfare. The others work on a similar form, but through the weaponry used in war."

"These are books Master Yamada had you read," Elia asked, her eyes overlooking them as she picked up the top book, turning to the first page.

"Granted it doesn't have the name of the authors like the originals do, but they're still helpful in figuring out how to deal with enemies," Oliver continued as Elia read over the page, her gaze overlooking each word as Isao looked up at them from his meal, which was now half done as Oliver looked over to him. "How are you finding your food and living space, Isao?"

"The food is amazing," Isao finally responded after he swallowed what he was eating. "And so is Wayland, I've been helping him with some of his projects he's had around the place."

"So he's still working on stuff here then," Oliver responded with a smile, looking over to Ksalso as the man nodded.

"He wanted to adjust some of our weapons for the area here after he learned how much the environment altered their effects," Ksalso responded, making Elia look up confused before Oliver waved it off. Ksalso then turned to Elia, now holding a slight bow. "Do you wish for anything to drink outside of what you have?"

"No, I'm fine," Elia spoke before she looked over to Oliver, noticing him take another sip of his mead. It was also then that she noticed the size of the cup he had being fairly larger than the ones she and Isao had. "Aren't you worried over drinking too much?"

"If I was on a battlefield, maybe," Oliver spoke as he set the cup down, looking over to her with a smile. "But this isn't the battlefield, and is in fact my own abode. If anything, there's nowhere better for me to drink too much at if it comes to that."

Elia just looked at him confused as Oliver looked up at the ceiling, his eyes now glowing a light red as he watched the lights overhead. "Seems problematic for a general to do, even if they're no longer fighting," Elia spoke as she looked at Oliver again, who simply nodded to her statement as he picked his glass back up and took a sip. Then, she pushed the books away, looking over to Oliver with harder eyes. "Didn't you say that those who should hold their titles should hold the ambition to achieve them with their own hands?"

"Indeed, but there is nothing else for me to do here," Oliver responded as he lifted his glass up to his eye level again, making Elia look to the glass itself as she watched the gold liquid seem to swirl in the glass. "We have two days at most before we make it to the North, even with Ksalso still needing to adjust to this land's wind patterns. Once he can understand the wind patterns of the land, however, we'll be able to travel the areas with him far better."

"So we're being delayed slightly from your view based off of how fast Ksalso normally travels," Elia spoke as she looked to the dancing lights in the air, her gaze overlooking each as they moved to form a large circle that drifted around the area above them. Oliver only nodded to this as he took another sip of his drink. "What do you mean by using the land's wind patterns, though?"

"Just as it sounds," Oliver responded as he placed his drink down, his gaze now staring up at the lights circling overhead. "In terms of flying, creatures tend to fly along the paths the winds blow so they can reach their destinations faster, keeping them from overexerting themselves while flying. The same thing can be said for Ksalso, maybe even more so due to his size, so he's relatively slower than when I had used him a long time ago."

"Granted I can still make good distance on my own with the speed we need to go, as is apparent at the moment," Ksalso spoke as he looked over to Oliver, who only smirked at the entity's remark as he leaned back in his chair. "But using the wind patterns will allow me to move much faster than even natives creatures of the land."

"However, we've veered from the question which I placed on you for after you received those books," Oliver spoke as he looked over to Elia, his gaze looking down to the books she had in front of her. "Will you do as what your father asked and learn strategy from my own experience, or will you simply learn from the books I've provided. Either way should still work in his case, so I won't exactly be breaking any promises."

"So I've seen, if you've had your own materials translated for me," Elia spoke as she looked at the books, looking back up to see Oliver eating his food faster while the lights now scattered around them again. "So why do you think my father wanted you to teach me?"

"Probably an idea from Derek, given how he knows my own way of working through tactics," Oliver responded as he finished the last of his meal, pushing the plate to the side as Ksalso moved to take it. "My own way of viewing the battlefield is similar but different, in the regard that I like to see if the different tactics that I'm offered can work together for a better tactic, or from making the battlefield in a similar style as ones which occurred in the past. After all, warfare is similar in nature to water, which is ever changing, so why can it not merge together like water as well, or be forced to freeze so you may discover a better alternative?"

"I see," Elia responded, looking back at the books with her thoughts on his words. His talk of warfare was much more of a general than she expected, despite what she had found out already. "…If it's alright, can I read through these during my time here then test out what I've learned with you at all, if that's possible here?"

"You can," Oliver responded as he picked up his drink, soon downing it before he set the empty glass on the table as well. As he did, he gave a slight cough and tapped his chest, Ksalso simply picking up the glass with the remaining empty plates as Oliver regained his composure. "I have several items which can be used to test out your knowledge on tactics, so I can show you them after you've read through The Art of War, given that will give the best options for the matter. Just take the book more as a set of guidelines in warfare than absolutes, otherwise you'll end up losing against people who are unconventional."

"I'll remember that," Elia responded as she picked up the book, opening it to the first page as Oliver noticed one of the lights changing color to a dark red, making him sigh as he got up off his chair while taking the bottle with his glass. It wasn't till he turned from the group that Isao noticed him leaving.

"Where are you going," Isao asked, making Oliver turn over with a smile as Elia looked up at him from the book, her own gaze resting on the bottle in his hand.

"There's somewhere I need to check that may be having problems at the moment," Oliver responded before he turned and left, his gaze looking up and noticing a second light turn red as he went back to moving away from the group, Ksalso only bowing towards the man as he walked past. "Make sure they're treated well here, I'll need to go focus on some things."

"Very well," Ksalso responded before he lifted his head, turning over to Elia as she closed the book and stood up. "Shall I take you both to your rooms?"

"That's alright, I think I'll go see Wayland again," Isao spoke as he got up, making Elia turn to see that his food had been emptied out completely. As Isao started walking, Susanoo started moving quickly beside him, looking over at Elia for a moment before turning back to the path. Elia then looked back to her books, picking them all up as Ksalso walked over to her, his form reverting to its maid form as Isao walked out of the room.

"Where is he going to," Elia asked as she looked up at the ceiling, noticing the red lights as more started to appear. Ksalso only sighed as they looked up, their voice now changed completely to match their female appearance. At a first glance Elia thought that the red was just a change in the lighting, but she seemed to feel something off about it as it turned darker.

"Oliver tends to worry over things when he sees that particular color of red in the Dragon's Heart, as it reminds him of one of his personal duties," Ksalso responded as she motioned for Elia to follow, the princess soon walking beside the maid as they exited the area. "More than likely he's gone to check the item of interest now, so you'll probably not see him till tomorrow."

"What kind of item is it," Elia asked as they walked down the hall, her gaze overlooking the area to memorize it as Ksalso's maid form continued to lead her.

"One that's the very reason he can't use either of his Weapons of War or Power," Ksalso spoke as they made it to the end of the hall, soon reaching to open the door before she opened the doorway, holding it open for Elia to walk through as the maid's eyes flashed green for a moment. "It seems he's decided to hop to the chamber in question immediately and bypassed taking the normal path."

"What chamber," Elia asked as they continued into the stairwell, beginning to walk down it as the flames lighting it all started their own change to red, most flickering back the further away they got to the dining area.

"The chamber which holds his Weapon of Power," Ksalso spoke as she continued her path down with Elia, making the princess look over confused. "One thing you should know about him, when he talks about mistakes made or thought through, he normally speaks from personal experience. It's because of his own resolve to push through his mistakes that he has ended up with the experience he has despite his age, though that has also cost him the time he's needed to properly mourn what was lost in them."

As they moved through the stairway, Elia thought through what was told to her. "So the Weapon of Power which he was talking about was corrupted in the same manner," Elia asked as they made it to the floor she was staying on, Ksalso only nodding as they walked through the door.

"Corrupted by his own rage he held during it's use despite it being a justified reason to use a Weapon of Power," Ksalso responded as the two moved through the new hallway, her gaze overlooking the area as their path continued. "When he had used his weapon, it was still incomplete, making it's corruption even worse than many others that are known. With how each weapon works as well, they affect the psyche of the user of them, meaning there is only two options for him to return to his former self: either destroy the Weapon of Power which was corrupted, or to let them release their power that has been coming out of them naturally, while taking an untold amount of years to do."

"What makes destroying them such a problem if he still keeps them," Elia asked, her gaze now following the maid as she thought through the new information. "Does it affect the abilities he has?"

"Indeed, as it removes any abilities he has over his control of the darkness which he has used," Ksalso responded, stopping as she looked over to the princess. "Basically speaking, destroying those weapons would remove the very thing he has worked over a decade to master in the degree he has."

"So it's a matter of what he has worked so hard to achieve," Elia spoke as they finally made it to her room, Ksalso only nodding before they made it to her room. As Ksalso opened the door, Elia walked through as she turned to the maid. "I'll be focusing on these books now to see what may be so interesting about them. Tell Oliver I'll be up for sparring further once I grow more accustomed to the weapon he had me use for it."

"I'll be sure to inform him," Ksalso responded as she bowed to the princess, soon shutting the door as Elia turned to the room she was given again. As she overlooked it, she noticed the desk within holding several pens and sheets of paper, more than likely for her to use with the books.

"So then, let's see how well this book is," Elia spoke to herself as she set the books down, picking up The Art of War as she sat in the chair by the desk. As she looked over the first page, her mind began to wander to her training with Yamada, and the lessons he had taught her as she read the name of the first chapter: Laying Plans.


WHOO, FINALLY GOT TO POSTING THIS!

really sorry for the fact this took so long to finish, but I've been really focusing on my college work. Plus side, once I finish up with this I have to just do eight more classes before I get the degree I want. Down-side, they're all history classes so I don't know if I can take them four at a time or I have to do a four year period with them. We'll find out later on.

Originally I wanted this chapter to be longer, but as I kept writing it the more I felt that certain parts would be better left for later events, plus I want to get on with writing Arlus' chapters now since I've yet to write more of his parts. We'll get bits and pieces over from Oliver and Elia's side of things at times, but the majority will be for Arlus till they arrive at the northern areas.

In short, you should expect another chapter sooner than this one took, so I hope you guys look forward to that. Till then, this is Ron signing off~