A great many things have happened since the group's attack on the Kest hive. A maddened party, the deaths of comrades, the trip to the next destination, but above all of them, one stood out to the dark elf. Cythlla's defection. He cared not for her reasons, nor did he care if anyone hated her. He didn't care to hate her for doing what she wished. In all honesty, Kaathe had expected himself to care less about it.

But he didn't. He had grown weak. He allowed himself to grow close to her. To talk to her, help her, eat and drink with her...fall in love with her. He hadn't felt the need to care about anything but survival since he was a child, and the girl, for all her strangeness, had managed to capture his heart.

So, in reality, he was the one most devastated by what happened. Though he hid it, a good look into his eyes showed his depression. Kaathe was alone now. Cythlla was not there. Not even her familiar was there to cast him an evil eye. No, it was just as it was before. Kaathe was alone.

Kaathe chuckled softly. In his laugh, one could hear an echo of sadness and despair. However, there was a hint of acceptance there as well. He paused a moment, and then spoke.

"All things are fated to end. I was such a fool, thinking that such a thing mattered."

Kaathe leaned against a wall, and just let himself breathe. He watched. He watched the time pass, and the people traverse the hall. He watched the light brighten and dim, and the breeze push what it could. It was his way of recovering. Thinking of what was and what could have been was foolish. Anything that was done is in the Past now, and the future for anything was simply to fall and be forgotten.

He would never admit this, even to himself, but he'd dream of the day he and Cythlla reunited. Until then, he would settle to watch others do whatever useless thing they wish to do...The dark elf looked out the window and began to think.

Perhaps I should replace my equipment...

As Evelyn exited the catacombs she couldn't help but be taken back by all she'd just heard. How long have these Watchers been observing them? How long has their organization been manipulating the balance of power? Why was no prior warning given to the rest of the world of Sar'than? All these thoughts ran through her head as she headed to her room. The bagged head Tyr had given her was not something she wanted to hold onto but with the king being in his current state it would be best to leave him to rest. Once inside her room she tossed the sack into a nearby chest before heading to her balcony. As she stood there with her arms resting on the ledge, the dialogue between herself and Tyr played over and over in her head. What made this even more of a surprise was that Marcus was of the same group as her. While it did make sense as they both had that same focused demeanor, the fact that Marcus had been implanted in The Order for so long had her at her wit's end. Where else were these agents planted? How much influence did they really have?

Evelyn's thoughts were halted by a sudden knocking on her room door. Grasping her dagger she answered, relieved to discover it was only a courier with a message for her. Opening the letter it read:

Captain Sunderland,
It has come to our attention that a number of your fellow knights have caused a great deal of damage about the city. A number of city guards have been dispatched to apprehend them but so far all attempts have failed with numerous guards severely injured. I encourage you to find and bring your troops under control before more drastic measures are taken.

With Respect,
Guard Lieutenant Oliver Harand

The letter was ignited by the lightening which formed in the hand that held it. In an instant it was reduced to nothing but smoke and ashes as Evelyn's anger grew exponentially by the second. "Every time without fail...they will pay for this", she said through her clenched teeth. Storming out of her chambers fully clad in her armor, Evelyn bolted down the halls of the castle. As she went she passed by Marco, Teagen, Tabetha, and Kaathe. To each of them she ordered to follow her though she did not break her stride as she continued to the front gates of the castle. As she expected the guard lieutenant who notified her was standing at the gated with a frustrated look on his face though he stood at attention the second he saw Evelyn approaching. "Where are they?", she asked with a clear rage in her voice. The lieutenant took a step back as he prepared his words, careful not to further intensify her anger.

"They were last seen outside a tavern in the market district. Shall I lead you there?", almost immediately he received an answer, "No need, I already know where that is".

Evelyn tried to live a virtuous life. Each day she worked towards living the ideals of the gods. But when she saw the destruction those dwarves caused to the tavern and it's patrons...whatever anger she harboured before was nothing compared to how she felt now. Tonight instead of monsters she'd hunt dwarves. Putting her skills to work she examined the scene of the crime, noticing a number of dwarf sized footprints in the dirt path. What made this strange was that it was not simply Argus and Glodin but two other dwarves...and two others, possibly an elf and human. "Karl as well? It matters not, they will all answer for this", Evelyn turned to guard lieutenant Oliver with a cold gaze in her eyes. "What happened here exactly? , she asked with impatience in her tone as she paced aroung the site.

"From what one of our men tell, a dwarf wearing Templar insignias was confronted by another dwarf. Reports say it was a rather strange looking one as well. Dark skin, white beard, black armor as dark as obsidian. The two fought and did all the damage you see here. Not long after did our boys show up and got their arses handed to them. The two fled and when another group was sent a drunken elf attacked them as well...I have to hand it to you Captain, your knights are well trained to fight off a dozen city guards while drunk"

"They won't have such strength for much longer, not after I'm done with them", Evelyn said nothing more as she examined the tracks, following them through the city streets.

@TheDarkTemplar



Marcus swept along with his captain, stern faced as always while she received reports from other guards about a brawl fight in the market district and felt an immediate pain in his chest. The old dwarf hadn't been running errands he'd been running a revenge plot and Marcus had been a blind idiot not to realize it until it was too late. Hopefully nobody had been killed, all signs reported to a dozen injured guards but no fatalities so far. Thankfully, while very rowdy it seemed, Theo was being gracious and not using his abilities for anything more than a harmless sleep so said the verbal reports.
The group proceeded out the gates of the castle and into the streets to follow the tracks and reports of the wild flight of two dwarves, then 4 dwarves and Karl. Tabetha had remarked him being an irregular fellow, forcing Marcus to hide his smile. Nobody here but him had the slightest idea who this black clad trouble maker was or what he could do. The group followed the tracks in silence as the ranger frowned over the information gathered.
Bar fight. Friendly escape of Argus and Theo. Mysterious disappearance. No other Templar had revealed themselves..

"They're playing a god damn game, that old wretch."

Marcus didn't bother to reply to his formal way of speaking of the Dwarf but it was obvious now he had met the ironclad warrior before. He turned to Valmyria and ordered everyone to stop and return to the castle, a hunch was brewing in his stomach and the disappearance of this troupe was all too obvious now. Why escape punishment you could not elude when you could delay it long enough to start a little more trouble!

"They are going to try and sneak into the castle, do not ask me why or how I know, but you must believe this is what they plan to do. Believe me if you will or do not."

Marcus turned around and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him down the wide avenues, huffing as he made swift progress back to the castles outer grounds and looked every way he could but found no sight of the master. Drastic measures then.
Marcus took out his firearm and aimed it at the sky and felt the energy building within the chamber. In one brief moment the night lit up like day as his pistol shot illuminated the sky in a bright white line of energy that turned to shimmering dust on the wind, the darkness taking the night once more. One more similar shot fired off a predetermined amount of time later into the sky. Marcus hoped the old one would see it and realize the game was not funny any more.

----------------------------

"Ohh this gonna be fun! But what are we gonna do?"

Theo was about to respond when a bright light lit the nights sky, all but blinding him not once but twice as Theo rubbed his eyes to get the spots to leave his vision. Without a doubt that had been Marcus, a signal meant to draw the watchers, a second fire to only draw Theo. Risky business using that at this time of night but that only served to simmer the black clad rabble rousers mood, understanding they might have taken the festivities just a teensy bit too far. A grumble escaped his lips as he motioned the rest to follow him and marched up to the main gates, stomping loudly on the stone path to emphasize his obvious displeasure.
As if the frown wasn't enough.

"Marcus, you dolt, ya ruined my fun! First time I've been ta the city in over a hundred years and you go blowin' your whistle the moment I make a party foul?"

His outrage was faked, but the glare he gave to the local guards as they approached him was all to real. Guest of the city or not, lawbreaker or not, he was not prepared to be taken away like some common thief in the night. Dignity and pride were powerful things and this dwarf oozed strength and pride to drown a man in. Marcus obliged by ushering the guards away and stood beside Theo, his right hand grasping the steel shoulderpad while the other rested on his pistol.

As a group they waited for Sunderland to speak.

---

Not long into the search had it been before Marcus ran off towards the castle. As Evelyn followed him back towards the royal castle it became clear to her as to what this was all about. Marcus spoke of another that would come to their aid. It was obvious now that the dwarf reported to be clad in black armor was another Watcher. But what she couldn't figure out is why this all had to happen in the first place. Evelyn stood beside Marcus in the castle courtyard, watching as he fired two shots into the night and bringing light to the dark sky. "Those three better have a damn good reason for all this", she said to none in particular though it was easy to see the great deal of anger and frustration emanating from the captain.

Not long after the shots had been fired did Theodore and the others enter the square escorted by the castle guard. The sight of the strange dwarf raised a brow from Evelyn though it did not distract her from her intentions tonight. As the culprits stood before here she paced back and forth in silence for a moment, contemplating what to say before actually speaking her mind...that would be unfortunate. "Karl, Argus, and Glodin. I gave you leave to explore the city. To enjoy your well deserved time off after what we'd gone through. Before I did so, I asked you all to be on your best behavior. A small request, nothing too arduous. So could any of you tell me as to how in a single day did you managed to leave a tavern in ruins, injure dozens of innocent civilians, and incapacitate almost an entire platoon of city guards?", Evelyn no longer wore that stoic look on her face but instead a furious one, barely held back by her teachings of civility. Evelyn's face was beginning to turn red and it seemed that at any moment she might strike one of them with a lightening bolt(though she'd never really do such a thing).

---

As if things weren't worse, footsteps could be heard lightly tapping the ground as Tyr came running towards them, materializing out of thin air as a result of her invisibility. "Marcus, you fired two shots, you were supposed to fire one to...shit", Tyr went silent upon noticing Theodore alongside the Templars. Tyr didn't have to think, she already knew they'd somehow managed to get into trouble. Serious trouble. "By the gods, one day away from home and you've already enraged a city?!", Tyr said in frustration towards Theo. Though she wouldn't show it, Tyr felt a mixture of anger and happiness from seeing her uncle out and about. Turning to examine the others Tyr noticed Argus standing with the other troublemakers, his nose broken and bruised which immediately told the Watcher what had transpired. Tyr gave that famous smirk of hers but she desperately wanted to laugh. Turning to Marcus she struggled to say, "Did you have to tell him everything? This entire issue could have been avoided if you witheld the details".

@TheDarkTemplar



"You know the rules as I do. He has come with permission from the master.. as his ambassador."

The words escaped him almost comically as Marcus took a sideways glance at the black clad trouble maker. One day away from the city indeed. In less than 12 hours he had proven he was a bad influence, determined, and undeniably aggressive when it came to solving his own problems. Marcus could only shrug at the futility of the moment as he knew full well that whatever he said now would only further damn the cause. All this in public.. Argus was to be expected of this kind of behavior, he had been rowdy before, but Glodin Stonequarry was far from an active provoker. Odds were it had not been him involved in the fighting but had instead been swept up in it, caught in the web of loyalty to comrades. The dwarf woman was likely a similar case.

"I'm afraid I must side with Ms.Sunderland on this one. All of you need to explain your actions." His words lacked conviction, given that it was unlikely he would so much as raise his knife at one of these members with Theodore close by.

----------------------



Theodore looked at every face individually, hands resting casually on his hips while the old dwarf listened intently to the outrage. Same damn conversation he'd given earlier to the pack that had come with 'em. Dwarves settles things different and humans, and elves for that matter, did not understand that a feud between the stubby folk meant property damage and a large bar tab. The latter was after the grievance had been settled, usually with a challenge or a fist fight or in some rare occasions it could be resolved after a bloody 200 year feud where both sides forgot why they hated one another. Usually rival clans. Theodore wasn't about to make enemies of that magnitude for drugging his niece.
HIS NIECE.
If Evelyn had been angry before you would swear it would triple. Despite the stern voice and the demands, Theodore shoved everyone aside as he marched right up to Tyr and grabbed her hand, fiercely pulling her down to eye level. Eyes that held a flame of such anger they would have burned a dragon to the bone in moments.

"YOU CALL YOURSELF A WATCHER, TYR. I TRAINED YOU BETTER. YOU JUST HAVE A PINT WITH SOME NO NECKER LIKE HIM," Theo hooked a plated thumb in Argus' direction, turning to face him slighty, "No offense," Before returning his gaze to Tyr. "YOU OUGHT TO BE LUCKY I DIDN'T GET SENT HERE TA PICK YOUR SCRAWNY ARSE UP AND DRAG YOU BACK TO THE MASTER."

He let go of her hand and took a step back, breathing heavy. Not used to being angry for so long over something so trivial but the dwarf had worried over her, had cared for her as a child, and had promised her deceased foster father he would watch her close. Evidently he had been neglectful of that task thinking her old enough to make these adventures on her own. His angry look faded to one of shame as he approached her again and motioned her down to her knees, crushing her in a teary eyed hug.

"Don't think my old heart could last, something happened to you. Argus told me he didn't touch your purity. Promised me they had treated you well. You tell me if they didn't, girl, I swear." He snorted up and crushed her a little tighter. "You swear to me they done nothin'. If I find out they did.." He let the threat linger in the air before disengaging the hug, holding her at arms length. "Who am I kidding. You're a woman capable of her own choices."

The pain in his eyes at the realization flickered for a moment before the old dwarf coughed uncomfortably and turned to face Evelyn Sunderland. Even without hearing her name it was clear this was her, Argus had mentioned her to be stern but the way she hadn't broken an arm of her subordinates spoke well of her patience. He cleared his throat again and stared her in the eyes, unafraid of her anger or her status. But he did respect her a great deal, having heard the events from Marcus as he had heard them. The woman had led a small party into a massive kest hive in a dwarven complex and killed off the monstrous king and queen with minimal loss. That alone was worth his compliance in this formality of a first meeting.

"Now listen. I'm the one what caused the trouble. Your lad did me wrong trickin' Tyr into a cell. I came lookin' for an apology and some compensation, and I got both of em. Karl there didn't strike any guards down to cause trouble, he did it tryin' to protect his friends." Theo leaned in and loudly whispered, "Not the smartest elf I've seen. Good lad though." A sly wink and a grin took to his face before continuing. "My name is Theodore Doubleblade, founder of the silent order serving under the nameless one. I take full responsibility for my actions and deny any punishment you may mete out on the unwilling participants of my assimilation into Farendar culture."

He did not bow as he had done to the fine dwarven lass, but he did bow his head as a sign of respect amongst equals.

Argus wasn't scared quickly. But when he saw Evelyn approaching all his instincts told him one thing. Run ! However what he did not expect was how simply calm she acted. But even though she was calm she could explode into a fury so bad that the gods themselves would take a small step back. And what most Surprised Argus was Tyr standing in the background." What the devil is she doing here?" He mumbled to himself. But before he could say anything Theodore rushed towards her and the two had a not so very lovingly reunion. After that little drama Theodore explain what had happend. And even putting all the blame on himself. Now even though Theo was an enormous ass. That didn't exactly mean that he was gonna let him take all the blame for himself. So Argus stepped forward took a deep breath and spoke." Captain Evelyn i can assure you both Theodore and me are to blame for the chaos that was created. The rest had nothing to do it with it." He looked at the elf with a side glance."Although i'm not so sure about him."

Kaathe walked about the town silently and and peacefully. His eyes were half-closed, but he could see just as well as normal. On his face was a small grin. It was a strange grin. One that let off a dark feeling. Even Kaathe was unsure of what feeling it was, though it must be known that he didn't care enough to try and identify it. It simply didn't matter to him, so he continued on his way. Even with his relaxed, half-closed eyes, the dark elf turned his head and shifted his eyes to look about for a blacksmith or weapon seller or someone that would replace his spear.

As he went about his way, he heard some...familiar voices. Not the voices of his most recent comrades, but voices he hadn't heard from in a long while. Kaathe looked towards the source, and found that a few other dark elves were nearby. They were looking at him. One were confused, others didn't seem to know him, but there was one that was different from the others. That one had the expression of a person that knew who Kaathe was. And unfortunately, the owner of that expression was someone that Kaathe knew as well.

Kaathe walked over to the group of other dark elves. As he approached them, he took in some of the smaller things around them. A caravan with horses, tools, an assortment of supplies and medicines and weapons...they were traveling merchants. Given that they were dark elves like himself, they must be able to travel about with much more ease, even with the occasional monster encounter.

"Kaathe Oolacile. It's been a while" said the dark elf that knew him.

Kaathe was silent.

"What, don't recognize me? I mean, I know I'm just one of the guys you kept losing to, but-"

"I recognize you, Reeve.", said Kaathe in a rather annoyed tone of voice.

The dark elf merchant smiled.

"So what are you doing around here? I heard you left to join the Knights."

"I did. I lost most of my equipment on my last mission. I'm looking to replace them."

Reeve laughed at that. He always was a loud person.

"You never did use a proper weapon. Last I heard of you, you were carrying around toys made by dwarves and humans. Not the most reliable things for a dark elf."

Kaathe chuckled a bit. He knew what Reeve was doing, and he wanted to get to the point.

"Very well. I'll see what you have."

Reeve smiled as he brought out two weapons. Like many of his childhood 'rivals', Reeve knew what fit Kaathe. What he brought out was different than what Kaathe had expected, though. Instead of something simple, it was unique spear. One that seemed to have been made special. Reeve explained that it had been enchanted by blood magic to enhance and work with spells of the same kind. Kaathe rarely used blood magic, but it did seem useful to keep around. Besides, he wasn't a picky person. As long as it works, it's useful to him. The second item was a different decorated crossbow. It was bladed and pointed for close combat. This one had no enchantment or rune or anything. It was simply a crossbow that was meant to combat monsters, but diversified in the ways it could be used to accomplish the task.

Kaathe bought these weapons with the money he had saved up. He also bought some crossbow bolts, as he had run out on the Kest mission. Kaathe didn't thank Reeve, but Reeve only laughed as he left.

Don't worry, Kaathe. thought Reeve as he watched the dark elven knight walk away. I'll keep your secret from the knights.

@OtomostheCrazy@boomlover@Zelosse@TheDarkTemplar

All Damien wanted, was to find the Lord Commander of the Dawn Covenant Templars, give his report, and get to bed. Unfortunately, it seemed things had changed in Farendar since he had been here last. He was just beginning to leave the castle and head toward the inns and taverns on mainstreet, when he sudden ruckus and rush of individuals speaking of Templars caught his attention. Not many regular people were up and about this late, but these people, with their knightly dress and dutiful speech, he recognized. Unfortunately, they didn't recognize him.

But where was the surprise in that? Damien frowned skeptically as two flares went off in the courtyard. Some Dwarf was standing there all huffy, apparently waiting for someone in response to his calls. Eventually, several Templars showed up, among them a strange dwarf, an elf, a hooded woman materialized out of thin air... and all of them received a mild beratement from a Templar woman with blonde hair. She must've been their captain.

The whole thing was fairly meaningless and childish. Nobody here looked like they were about to get eaten by zombies or have their blood drained alive by the icy fangs of a vampire-wraith. Damien's stomach turned as he stood just up the stairs leading into the castle and watched. The members of his order who lived at home were pathetic. For a moment, he almost didn't want to be associated with them.

The sound of a throat sharply clearing signaled Damien's presence behind the group. The young necromancer walked over to the disintegrated remains of his former steed and picked up his knapsack. "Do any of you 'Templars' know where I can find your Lord Commander? I want to see if he at least is worth a shit."

The look on Tyr's face, like that of a stubborn child, matched her emotions as she endured Theo's scolding. Shooting a look at Argus it was clear that the message she was trying to get across was, "your fault!". Being yanked down to his level didn't help the situation either as she knelt awkwardly before the dwarf. Despite all this she did smile warmly as Theo bear hugged her, "It's good to see you too, uncle". After that short moment of weakness, Tyr stood back up to notice Damien approaching the group. Leaning towards Evelyn she whispered, "You have company".

Evelyn turned to face Damien and just in time to hear his remark about the late Lord Commander. "The High Templar is dead, along with all the commanders. That does not mean you are free to speak of them without showing some respect. Teagen, please speak with this one. I've yet to deal with this lot", Evelyn cared not for how Damien spoke of her and her men. He'd not seen what they've been through and so his words were hollow. But she would not tolerate disrespect from a subordinate to the late High Templar whose lead The Order so far. "Speaking of which, Master Doubleblade, you and Argus will repair the tavern which you so enjoyed destroying in the process of your little spat. You will not drink another drop of mead, ale, wine, or brandy until it is done. Glodin, you did not participate but you failed to halt this incident from progressing further. The castle armory requires inspection and cleaning of its arms and armor, see that it is done. As for you, Karl-", Evelyn looked to Karl who was clearly still hungover from tonight's binge n' brawl, "Tomorrow morning you will be taking the positions of the guards you scraped with tonight while they recuperate...someone remind him in the morning". Lastly was the female dwarf, Evelyn had not met her dfore but she was brought in with the others so it was unknowns as to her role in all this. "Report, Knight, your name and commanding officer", Evelyn was growing tired of this, the night was getting old and tomorrow would be a busy day. She wanted more than anything to just sleep and get this all over with.

@TheDarkTemplar"The names Kylie, Knight-Sergant Kylie Bronzeblade ,and your my new CO. My old CO died at Starguard. I've been here for a while." Kylie knew of Captain Sunderland and she had heard a little of what her and her troops have done, but know seeing her in the flesh Kylie was awestruck barely keeping her excitement in check.

Karl was sober and laying on the ground staring up at the Captain's face. "Aight, boss take on the guard's patrols in the morning. Also I think I have something in my head, I've heard two voices so far and one seems nice while the other said something about converting me to the side of "what's his name" over at Starguard. I think that might be a problem, or a really bad hangover."

---

Gavlan knew two things in life: one, that death was certain, and two, that he despised human cities. He did not mind Wood Elven cities, though, as most of them were built with the utmost respect for nature, which he appreciated. None of these narrow roads, however, were conducive to his brain, so used to the openness of the vast wilderness that lay outside the city walls, which stood high, looking down upon its residents with an unspoken promise of safety across the smooth, bricked surface.

"All of these GODDAMN UGLY houses look the same." Gavlan growled loudly enough to award him the dirty looks of passersby, which he shot right back at them ten fold. He was fed up. The map that his client had provided him to locate his address was about as useful as an elf at a belching competition. It was around evening and the streets were crammed and bustling with people from all over, but none were able to assist him in finding the house he sought, and those that did help lead him on false trails. Gavlan had been marching around aimlessly, now, and he found himself nauseated, and had to stop and lean against the nearest house, but not before being bumped into for the twentieth time that day. "You're lucky I'm a busy dwarf, or I'd come over there and explain to you why you should be more careful!!" He might have kept his cool a little better if the High Elf that had knocked into him with a smirk hadn't also made a snide comment on his height as he was doing so. The elf dissolved into the crowd, and Gavlan unfixed his fierce gaze from the matter. Leaning hopelessly on the house while still wondering what the penalty for, 'seriously maiming,' was, Gavlan heaved his worn satchel onto the cobbled street, and took out his flask. After a long swig, he gazed up into the pale blue sky. Nighttime was approaching and he knew if it did, he would never be able to find his client in the dark. "How big is this accursed city?" Gavlan pondered to himself. "At least the streets are starting to empty, now. Might be able to walk in peace. How do city dwellers stand it?" He stood up and swung his satchel over his back and trodded off, again. At this point, he would be happy enough if he found a place to rest his head, and his weary feet.

In the middle of a three way street, Gavlan saw just what he needed; the Sun was casting a perfect ray down onto a tavern called the, "The Devilish Gnome." It's vaulted roof on top of three stories, it stuck higher than the buildings around it, and the orange light from the sky shining down onto it almost gave it a holy appearance. He was unsure whether the building really was blessed, or that he was becoming delusional from walking all day. Deciding that this matter was unimportant, he quickly made his way inside. The music from a Dwarven bard in the corner, and the clinking of glasses were welcoming signs as Gavlan made his way through the wooden threshold. This being a human tavern, he was happy to see that there was a shorter end of the bar that he could sit comfortably in. "What'll it be, master Dwarf?" Came a deep voice from a wrinkly barman, as Gavlan hopped into an open seat.
"Four pints of your best."
"Ah, expecting company?"
"No."
"Oh..."
The barman gave a funny look, as he scurried off to fetch Gavlan's beer. "Haven't seen you in here, before." Came a smooth voice from Gavlan's side. Looking over, he was greeted by a dwarf with a long flowing amber beard, wearing a fine merchant suit. Obviously, a well to do Dwarf, a stark contrast from himself who was still clad in his worn set of armor, chips, dents, and scratches adorning it. "Aye, never been to Loringrad, before. Mess of streets, if you ask me." At this, the merchant chuckled.
"Can't blame you for getting lost here. Loringrad is marvelous city, though, albeit a little on the large size. But, it's the best place in the world to do business."
"Hah! Your type of business, I suppose. Meanwhile, I'm walking around for hours trying to locate my mouth breathing client. If I ever do find him, I'll be happy to let him know what I think of this lousy map he gave me."
Gavlan slammed the map onto the bar, making a few patrons look over in concern. The merchant peered down at the map, and, with a smile, he looked up, again. "I know this area very well. Let me give you hand here." Tracing along the paper, while black ink flowed from the tip of his finger, the merchant created a line from the tavern they were in to the house Gavlan was looking for. "Show off..." Gavlan thought to himself; he prided himself on the fact he had never needed magic in his life, believing that its convenience made people soft. It was too late to visit his client, but he was still incredibly thankful towards the merchant, and, to show his appreciation, bought another round of beers for himself and his new acquaintance.
"The name's Gavlan. I never got your name, by the way."
"Aberforth. I own a bookstore in the Market District. I also sell a lot of magical tomes, which has made me a wealthy Dwarf, indeed."
"Bah, I've no use for magic or books. The only thing a dwarf should ever put trust into is the blade at his side."
"Spoken like a true mountain Dwarf. I never lived in a mountain for long, but I do occasionally long for the grand halls of my birth home."
"And so you should! These Human cities make me feel ill. Nothing charming about them in the slightest."

After a lengthy discussion on Dwarven architecture, the simplicity and horrendous nature of Human architecture, and seventeen beers later, Gavlan decided it was time to retire for the night. He and Aberforth walked outside into the dimly lit streets.
"If you're ever close to the market district, make sure you visit me in my store."
"Well, I might, but I won't be buying, unless you've got a book with a giant spike on it." Aberforth gave him a raised brow, but then gave a hearty laugh. "I must be off, now. Thank you, for your company!" Gavlan watched as the merchant stumbled away in the direction of their home. "Barely made it to thirteen beers, and he's already tipsy? Living in a city does weird things to a Dwarf." Gavlan thought to himself as he returned to the bar. After paying everything he owed to the barman, and buying a room, he made his way up the stairs to the third floor. "My legs are aching, will be nice to finally take off this stinking armor."

Looking out the window of his room, the moon shone brightly in the sky. Glad that the annoying part of his job was over, and that he would be able to collect his money, tomorrow, he lay on top of the large bed.

"Tomorrow will be a breeze compared to today." He sighed to himself as he shut his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Draxis stood at the head of a short table is a small war tent, looking across the table to four able bodied warriors, all who had served under him for some time, all who had proven themselves through trials and missions.”You all have proven yourselves loyal, intelligent and strong. I am confident in placing my trust in you and my life in your hands. You all know of my story, you know of my past and how I’ve worked to get here. But there are things you do not know about me, things that only those closest to me may ever know. I would like to call those people family.” He spoke as he strode around the tent, glancing down at a map set on the table, affixed with daggers in the corners to keep it pinned. A dim, melting candle flickered in the dark tent as the sound of owls hooting in the distance broke his silence. A petite figure stood on the outside of the group, she was younger than the others, and she seemed to have a different air about her than the others. ”This is Alyssis Rosethorn. She is the one of the youngest Templar I’ve ever met to be as accomplished as she is. No offense to you Val, but she is quite skilled and will be an asset to this squad-”

Valerie just sort of looked towards the commander, a small smirk plastered itself across her lips as she interjected into the speech, and spoke in a relatively playful tone, ”Now, listen here, I may look young, but I’m two years your junior. Besides, what sort of conduct is it to compliment another woman in front of your newest soldier? I thought you better than that.”

Regardless of their racist tendencies, a small laugh would break out amongst the crowd of soldiers, before being silenced by Draxis. Even though she had never been a formal member of any team, save for with Gale and Camilla, Valerie had always thought herself as that source of observational humor, the one who could lighten just about anything, but, right now, there was no time for lightheartedness, and from the look she received from Draxis, she understood that, and regained her composure, remaining silent as he continued.

“Which… Is the reason each of you are here. I have picked you five to become a part of an elite squad working directly with me. Two of you know me quite well, but Gale and Alyssis are still new here, new to my command. But with that aside, I want to form a close knit family of warriors. There is a poison gripping our homeland, and it is up to us to rid the land of this poison. We need to right the wrongs of those who have brought this corruption upon us. Up to us to defend the innocent people caught in this brutal struggle.” His back now turned to his squad as a slight sigh was released from his breath. Draxis knew that dragging Camilla with him into his personal business, his dream. But she was his wife, she would stand by him even if he told her no.

The soft braying of horses tied up to a post outside the tent kept the party aware that they needed to enter the capital soon and report to Knight-Captain Sunderland for orders. That would have to wait, at least until Draxis was done with his new Elite Squad. ”All of you have proven yourselves to me through word of mouth from others that I trust, or through showing it to me yourselves. I know what each of you is capable of, and I know that each of you has room to grow. Myself included. We need to be each other’s support, if one stumbles, we all must pick them up, even Gale.” Draxis’ eyes land on Gale for a moment as he turns back to the group. He wasn’t wearing his armor, it was on a bed in the tent, instead he wore a simple brown tunic and chain shirt, brown leather pants and black leather boots. Four empty dagger hilts, attached to two small belts were attached to each of his thighs, two hilts per belt. A simple gold band lay on his left hand on the ring finger, affixed in it was a simple and small diamond surrounded by emeralds. Draxis often played with the ring between his fingers, rolling it back and forth on the ring finger while he spoke. He looked like he hadn’t had a chance to shave in a few days, a short beard growing on his face, and his hair certainly needed a trim. Bags were under his eyes as he tried to fight back sleep, to finish his speech.A tired yawn came from Draxis’ mouth before he finished his short speech. ”Before now, you all followed my direct orders from either me or one of my corporals. But, this will be different, we will act as equals, there will be no rank among us, I may be your leader, but I am also family. What you knew before now isn’t important anymore. I will oversee training and development of skills. Those who were not fortunate enough to afford to learn the way I did as a child, you will be given that opportunity, should you want to take it. I am not here to keep any of you from achieving your absolute best. I encourage it, and hope that we may one day unite the land under one banner. Under one king and under one united people.”

Draxis had hoped his words would inspire something in his chosen warriors, spark something to make them united, vulcanize them into one strong unit. Unfortunately there wasn’t much time to talk about much else, they needed to ride into the capital and meet with Knight-Captain Sunderland and gain their orders. There was something going on in the capital, and for some reason, he felt as though he needed to right the wrongs set in motion by evil-doers and rebels.

---

The ride into the Capital would take an hour or two, they were camped out a ways and would have time to share stories of how they came to serve under Draxis and how they were ultimately picked by him for this squad. Draxis felt the comforting stare of Camilla on his back, knowing that she was watching him, feeling that feeling one gets when someone else is thinking of them. It was calming as he pressed onwards to the capital. He hadn’t heard any news or orders from his superiors in some time, and it was unsettling.

One of the riders was not with them, however, Alyssis. She had business to attend to back in the camp still and would meet them in the city in the morning. It was a decision that meant that Alyssis would miss out on important information from the Knight-Captain, but it was also one that allowed for someone to stay back and help treat sick and injured parties as they returned from missions and from other villages surrounding the capital. There weren’t many healers and doctors out in the field to treat the templars right away, and having one of the most talented among his ranks be the one to treat his soldiers was better than nothing.

Draxis knew that some of his fellow Sergeants were not keen on the leadership or the direction of the Dawn Covenant, but that didn’t matter to Draxis. He was devout and prepared to fight til his last breath to defend the people of Miras. It was his duty, he pledged his life to unity and peace at any cost, and rebellion was not a path to long standing peace. Draxis had many reservations about joining his fellows in a rebellion, knowing that it would only seek to undermine the authority of not only King Gregor, but the authority of Knight-Commander Garthan as well.
Having not known of what destruction that the rebellion did cause when the high ranking officers of the Covenant were attacked, Draxis pressed further onward, the gates of the capital lit up with torches as the night sky darkened. Draxis noticed two flares set off in the city, but payed them no mind, they weren’t important to him, he was too far off to know why they were fired in the first place. ”When we reach the capital, I will make haste to meet with Knight-Captain Sunderland, she will know what we should do. Remember, we will always ride together, no matter what…” He spoke back to his squad members in tow, knowing it was likely they would get split into separate groups to handle whatever missions that Sunderland had for them.

---

Her mind trailed off in that moment as her eyes fixated on Draxis just a bit ahead of her. Even the way Draxis was before her now left her in awe. Everything about him was captivating, he was hypnotizing; the man that now led them to the Capital city was brave, and wise, he was a man that possessed the spirit of a true warrior. It was that alone that brought Draxis and Camilla together, and ultimately entwined their own destinies into one. It was a haunting memory but one that unfortunately would never cease to exist in the back of her mind.

Draxis stood, knee deep in the corpses of his fellow warriors and the bodies of the ogres that he had slain. Right arm broken, rib cage shattered. All of him was a mess, he could barely move on his own, but he had to… He needed to get help. His faint voice called for help as the sound of earth crumbling to the ground rung behind him. Massive pillars of stone marred the landscape, some of them sharp like spikes, some jagged, others flat, but all of them painted red with blood. It was a horrifying scene that Draxis wanted no part of anymore. He heard the sound of hoofbeats in the distance and the braying of horses. Loud voices called for battle, others were confused that there was no sound of combat. Draxis spotted the company approaching him and he fell to the ground, face first in a pool of what he hoped was water.

It was already too late by the time reinforcements had arrived; Camilla was a templar at the time and eager to by at the side of her brothers and sisters in arms… and there he was. Draxis. The lone survivor, painted in red among the corpse of his enemies and his brethren. He was broken and shattered, a fragment of the man he once was. Rushing to his side she called out to him “Corporal Felwind?!” her heart was racing in the moment, she was worried that the outcome of battle would have completely destroyed him mentally. “Draxis?” she spoke now with a soft tone almost in a whisper. Her eyes searched his with desperation for some kind of answer. He was empty… Just a shell. There was no life inside of him. It was in that moment their lives would have changed forever… it was that moment that Camilla decided she would mend him… she would stay by his side and help him put together his shattered pieces.

A few weeks later, Draxis lay in a cot within a makeshift nursing tent, his eyes staring at the roof of the tent. His arm was in a sling with a cast around it, his armor was nowhere to be seen. That was probably for the best, it was severely damaged in the battle. The only words he managed to choke out were, ”Did… did the city survive?”

Thank the heavens… Camilla thought to herself as she heard the faint sound of Draxis voice. “It did.” she replied as she sat on the small stool next to the cot. “Don’t speak Corporal. You fought a long hard battle, and we’re lucky we did not lose you….” the thought alone was unsettling for her.

”Good, good...And what of my men, did any survive? Please tell me they lived… At least one.. Please!” Draxis sat up and gripped his aching ribs, feeling bruised still. His body was mostly healed. His eyes rested on Camilla's face, a familiar and friendly face. But this didn’t calm his nerves, he was anxious about his templars, more worried for their well being, this was evident on his face.

A sigh escaped her lips. She was hesitant to tell him the truth that he was the only survivor. Surely, it would destroy him. “Corporal....” she spoke softly as she looked him in the eyes, afraid of the outcome. “Draxis… You were the only one that survived... I’m so sorry.” She couldn’t pull her eyes away from his, all she wanted to do in that moment was comfort him, pull him into her arms and shelter him from the truth. Moving from the stool to the cot she sat beside him now anxiously.

That news nearly shattered him, his eyes going completely blank as he just turned to stare at the sheets over his legs. ”You mean… They all died because of me… I killed them… This is my fault. How could I do this… How could I have been so arrogant! WHY! WHY DID I NOT CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS!” Draxis’ brokenness turned into rage, swinging his good arm to his side and knocking down some medical supplies. This action caused him to buckle in pain from his ribs, which in turn hid his face. His face was wet with tears and only sobbing could be heard from him, the broken man that he had become. ”My pride... This was for nothing. My men followed me to die and now I have to live with their memories, I have to live with the loss their families will feel. I will be paying for this loss for the rest of my life Camilla… I can never do this again, I can’t be a knight any more. I’m not fit to be a leader.” Draxis cried in pain, physically, emotionally and mentally. His life was shattered in one whole week, he had ruined the lives of so many families.

The sound of his voice pained her deeply, but she knew he was broken, she knew Draxis was a kind man at the core of his being, and that losing so many of his brethren would stay with him for the rest of his life. “Look at me!” She shouted as she grabbed his face, and pulled him a little closer. “Draxis. They believed in you! Our comrades didn’t fall for nothing! You are a true warrior Draxis, and they believed in your dreams. They would have followed you to the ends of the earth… as I would.” Without thinking she pulled him in a little closer and pressed her lips against his letting them linger, savoring the moment before finally pulling away to look at him once more.

Just as Camilla pulled out of the kiss, Draxis stared at her and just sat in silence, his face still wet with tears as he pulled back from her. He sat there in pure surprise. ”Cam...You’ve always been sweet to me… But this isn’t the time to be kissing me… I know you love me, I’ve seen it in the way you look at me… I could tell in the days that you sat beside me and fed me here… I know your heart.” Draxis spoke before laying back down in the cot. His back was sore from not being able to sleep in a real bed, but it wasn’t a thing he could control. Memories of a few weeks ago flooded back in a rush, he sat there blank again for a few moments as images of his power being used to kill and crush his enemies.

”I remember it all… I’ve never lost myself like that before… I killed them all… Tore all of them apart. They tried to stop me, but… I’m the real monster. I’m the one that everyone should be afraid of. You remind me that I am human, you remind my heart of it’s softness. I could never hurt you, we’ve been close since we joined the Covenant. You are still strong and smart, you could go further than I ever could. You’ll be great one day, people will follow you and love you, not like I love you, but they will love you.” Draxis whispered as he shut his eyes, mouthing the words I love you Cam before falling back to sleep.

She couldn’t help but grin remembering the moment Draxis acknowledged his own feelings for her. She continued to watch her husband while a smile before her eyes fell on the back of Valerie. Half-elf or not she was beautiful, although Valerie would have had hard time believing such a thing about herself, it was true. Camilla never stopped to wonder what might have happened that night if she hadn’t noticed Valerie prowling through the night behind her…

She couldn’t help but grin remembering the moment Draxis acknowledged his own feelings for her. She continued to watch her husband while a smile before her eyes fell on the back of Valerie. Half-elf or not she was beautiful, although Valerie would have had hard time believing such a thing about herself, it was true. Camilla never stopped to wonder what might have happened that night if she hadn’t noticed Valerie prowling through the night behind her…

The moon was brighter than usual that night as it lit up the empty streets. Camilla was a new Corporal at the time, and was returning to the keep after a long day of training with her assigned Templars. It was well past midnight, and although it wouldn’t have been dangerous for a Knight to be traveling through the city alone it was still unnerving to feel a set of eyes on you. Camilla wasn’t aware at first of the wraith slayer following closely behind her, not until Camilla crossed paths with a small group of ruffians. They’d know better than to trouble a Knight of the Convent, however, it didn’t stop them from gawking or catcalling as they walked on by. “Hoodlums..” she muttered as she payed them no mind. It had been a long day for Camilla, and she didn’t want her night to end with roughing up a group of men that clearly needed to learn some respect. Well, that was until she heard a ruckus not far behind her.

It seems that the group of three ruffians had pinned a girl against a wall, the shadow masking most of who, or what, this girl was, but, given the fact she was wearing leather greaves, it was assumed she was not a prostitute of any sort. However, it was obvious that she was gagged with something, as her frustrated pants came out muffled. Camilla would have started approaching the men, no, the molesters, with a mix of anger and frustration.

“And what do we have here, boys?” the brute of a man said, it was too dark to make out any kind of features from afar, but it was quite obvious he was the one in charge as the other two had the girl pinned against the wall and waiting for some sort of approval. The tip of his tongue skimmed between his lips as he eyed the girl over with a look of savagery and inched towards her.

“I suggest you unhand girl, and the three of you leave this place immediately.” her voice was stern as Camilla approached them with no hesitation. Perhaps she would be teaching a little lesson on respect after all.

“Mind your own damn business, Templar.” The brute huffed in response. His hands now lingering, and caressing at the girl’s thighs as the other two still had her pinned.

There was only silence and darkness for a moment before a forcefield of light energy burst from within the pinned, and helpless girl surrounding her and causing all three men to stagger backwards. “Leave.” Camilla barked once more as she stood between the men and the shielded girl. Frightened, and without another word the three men scurried off into the night.

“Are you alright?” she asked with concern, turning to face the girl as the barrier disintegrated.”Did they harm you?”

“No.” Valerie replied with a soft tone, brushing herself off and straightening her gear.

“I’m glad,” Camilla sighed in relief “Although, is there any particular reason you’ve been following so close behind me?”

Valerie would just stare at her, before giving a resigned sigh, explaining herself. She had been following, and researching, both Camilla and Draxis for the better part of a year now, and had just recently learned of their wedding, following Camilla in order to address her about several things, the most prominent of which was the fact that she was demanding to meet Draxis. She wouldn’t explain why, save for the comment that he had done the impossible, and she wished to meet, and possibly serve, the man who had done the impossible.

Camilla stood before the elf, and nodded as Valerie explained herself. Valerie was eager to meet Draxis, and so unwilling to explain why. It was a little unsettling at first why this random woman knew so much about them, knew of their marriage, and was so eager to meet her husband. Of course, she’d never question Draxis’ loyalty and decided to take Valerie along with her.

---

A day like any other, it seemed, as Valerie half-walked, half-road beside her her companions. Draxis may have only just now formed the elite group, but for Valerie, she was always a member of that membership. She had served directly under Draxis and Camilla for upwards of five years now, ever since Draxis regained his composure and began leading once again. Valerie looked towards Draxis, and then Camilla, knowing full well the story of the two of them. After all, she had done a lot of research before this group was ever formed. Some would call her a stalker, but there was a reason for it all, because, at the end of the day, Draxis had done something that would have been impossible for her to ever accomplish.



It was another day of nothing. No monsters to hunt, and no one that would accept assistance from a half-elf. Nothing exciting had been happening, and nothing of note had taken place. These were the types of days that Valerie hated the most, as these were the days when she was forced to interact with other people, non-Covenant people, the very same people that hated her guts simply because of her combined bloodline. It didn't really bother her that people hated her, no, what bothered her was the constant bullshit she received because of a fact she had absolutely no control over. Days like these were the days she detested being without a team, as she had no one she was expected to be around. However, despite all of the nothing, that was not to say Valerie did not have a plan of her own.

She had just arrived back from the North, after earning her title of Wraith Slayer, and learned of a devastating battle that took place between Ogres and a company of Knights, in which only a single Knight, their commander, had survived. What's more, he seemed to be continuing his Knighthood, something that Valerie understood to be impossible for her. The man had caused every man under his command to die during that battle, and he had barely walked away alive, so, how in the hell did he continue with the mentality of being a Knight? If it was her in that situation, she would have turned in her Templar insignia, and left to live a nomadic life, never again to be responsible for that level of failure. So, what gave this man so much more strength than her, such a better mental fortitude than she could ever have, because, her mind or not, he should have broken.

That's when she developed her plan, a means to end to discover what sort of hidden strength this individual had. Draxis was his name, and he was easy enough to find the location of, but, she couldn't be obvious about it. She was going to shadow him, stalk him, as if he were a monster in the forests of old, one that she had no information on. He wasn't nearly as elusive as, say, a twisted fairy would be, but he did keep to himself, as long as he wasn't with a certain brunette, who seemed to be doing most of the care work for him. So, her initial suspicions were correct, it had caused some sort of psychosis to set in, but, that brunette was a factor she didn't predict. Was she a nurse? A sister? A lover? Whoever she was, in actuality, she was the only social contact that Draxis had been getting, outside of the occasional meeting with a higher-up. It warranted investigation, and that woman quickly became her secondary target.

Camilla was her name, and, apparently, she had been close to Draxis before the event had taken place, and, according to some people, it seemed to be more than just a friendship, especially considering how often they were seen together these days. Pulling whatever strings she could, Valerie began to gather information on both Camilla and Draxis, and learned very interesting pieces of information about the two of them, both of their capabilities and their actual ranks. Camilla was still incredibly new to the order, yet, already achieved Templar, and was quickly rising up, a fact that seemed to be almost inherently tied to both her closeness with Draxis, and the unique magical she possessed, one where she can summon forth auras of power to aid others. It was interesting, to say the least, but, something had been bothering her about this entire thing, and it wasn't going away, no matter how she looked at it.

Love was a weakness, easily exploited and crushed, any enemy who did any sort of study into the personal life of their opponent would expose that wound first and foremost, and it was so laughably easy to do so, she never understood why people claimed that it was such an amazing thing. Why is it, then, that she kept seeing their relationship as a weakness, and one that was growing in strength, and why did they keep pursuing it while Draxis was in the kind of state that he was? In fact, it wasn't until nearly a year later that any of her questions were answered, and, besides the occasional hunt she was sent on, she spent all of her time studying and observing the two of them whenever she could. There was a specific day, though, one that she will always remember as one of her greatest failures, but also as one of the best turns of fate she would ever experience.

Camilla had caught her stalking, but, not in a way that would lead to fault. No, Camilla had saved Valerie from a group of thugs, a group of rapists who planned on using her for her body, and then killing her because of her blood. If it wasn't for Camilla, she doubted she would have walked away from that alive, let alone unscathed. After an introduction, Valerie confronted Camilla about her and Draxis' relationship, and demanded to speak with him once the man had the mentality to resume being a Knight in action, and not just in rank. After some convincing, Camilla agreed, and she was set up to meet with Draxis out during a hunt, a way for him to pass the time and relieve stress. It was here, face to face, Valerie finally got to meet the man who had done the impossible.

It was early in the morning, the morning after the morning that Valerie had first met the Knight-Sergeant Draxis, his wife as a medium between the two of them, and a thick fog covered the forest floor and penetrated the makeshift tents that Draxis and Valerie had built the previous night. Their hunt was about to begin, the first hunt. Draxis intended on seeing exactly how skilled Valerie was, if not by hunting some great beasts, then with a spar. ” We will set out after a little food, we can’t hunt hungry, impairs judgement and effects our ability to concentrate if we’re hungry.” He spoke to Val as he emerged from his tent in a brown leather suit of armor, a simple crossbow and his sword. He needed to be nimble for the hunt, his bulky armor would be too much for this. Of course he kept his chain mail on and a few other things like his daggers

Valerie, meanwhile, had yet to change her apparel, and, almost in contrast to the man known as Draxis, keeping her blade, her second main weapon, to her side, the scabbard giving no indication for the blade within, and her studded leather on. It had seen many a combat, and was obviously worn from use, but, very little actual damage seemed to have touched it. Her weapon for this hunt was, obviously enough, her shortbow, one that seemed more alive than inanimate, as the wood seemed to twist and turn, and the string seemed to move, as if the bow as breathing. This action, though, was only evident inside its sheath, for when she drew it, as she had done now, it stayed rigid and taut, although. The quiver on her back was nothing special, save for it’s elvish design, and it’s arrows were but simple steel projectiles, nothing inherently strange or magical about them.

”I wouldn’t recommend it,” Valerie commented, almost absentmindedly as she checked and rechecked the bow and her arrows, ”Eating strong food leaves a residual smell, and since we’re going to be hunting a dire boar, they’ll be able to smell it from several hundred meters away. Unless, of course, you intend to be the bait.” Despite the humorous nature of the words, the question sounded genuine, as Valerie had actually considered using the man as her bait, and was legitimately asking if he had considered it as well.

Draxis grinned as he looked over to Val, he had intended on making this a challenge for her, if she was as good as Camilla told him. He needed to make it so she needed to focus on more than just the hunt. ”Cam told me that you are an excellent Slayer, and you’re a candidate to move up. Also told me you’ve been among the ranks of the Covenant for a lot longer than most in our current generation. But I don’t think you have what it takes to be a part of my elite squad. You may have heard of growing concerns across the country that the king is growing old and that he is a weak, ineffectual leader, and some people seek to usurp his throne. I would stand by him no matter what the cost to myself is. I have dedicated my life to the service of King Gregor and the people of this land. I would expect you to show me that you have a heart and drive similar to that. I cannot allow you into my ranks and to be under the leadership of Knight-Corporal Camilla if you cannot uphold our values. I will be the bait, but you must keep me safe, as if I am a defenseless hunter from a village who happened upon this beast. We as knights are capable of slaying a beast like this quite easily, but an untrained hunter trying to feed his family does not have what we have.” Draxis spoke as he adjusted one of his dagger sheaths, his eyes not breaking contact with her own. He was an intense man with an equally intense sense of justice and lawfulness. ”You may be a great Slayer, but that won’t mean anything if you don’t have the heart and soul required to be a champion of the people. They are the reason we are Knights. Our purpose is not to slay these monsters for our own enjoyment, but to defend the weak and protect the helpless. We are a bastion of hope, if you cannot prove to me that you are worthy of being a part of that bastion, then we have nothing more to discuss and I will put in a request for your discharge. I have no patience for those who don’t care for our people.” He was rude and abrupt, but it was how you needed to talk to Half-Elves, they weren’t known exactly or loyalty where he came from.

”You know,” she replied, the hand that had held the bowstring now rested on her hip, her eyes never breaking contact, ”If I had an arrow for every time someone like you gave me a speech like that, this monster problem wouldn’t be around anymore. First of all, if you put your human king first, then you’ve failed in what the Covenant stands for. We are for all races who wish peace, we protect mer as well as men, and have no place in the greater politics. That’s why we were founded, and that’s why we changed from hunting heretics to hunting monsters. Second of all, Knight-Sergeant Draxis, I’ve seen the very worst your kind, the elves, and even the dwarves, have to offer this world. That’s what I get for being born. I’m sure you think I’ve deserved it, too. Hell, I would put gold on the entire reason you’re giving this speech to me is because I -am- a half-breed, and not some pure-blood. It’s funny, though, because, despite all the shit I’ve been given and all that I’ve seen, I’m still willing to put my blood on the line to protect these bastards. Thirdly, we are not the bastion of hope, we are the bastion of peace. The symbol does not inspire hope in civilians, it inspires safety, security, a place that peace can prosper. We don’t ride forward into battle, save to protect them, and we have no place in a war against nations.” She paused for a moment, and broke eye contact, only to place the bow back in her sheath, adding, ”Oh, and by the by, you may -think- I’m a bastard, but my parents had a great love and respect for each other, and for me. So don’t try the whole “broken family” line. I’ve heard that one far too often.”

Draxis smirked at her remarks, trying to deconstruct what he said, she was partly correct ”You’re not entirely wrong. But with the king growing older and becoming more likely to fall ill, enemies of the throne and of peace would seek to slay him, and his family. I am a man who has been an advocate of peace among the races, but you mixed breeds have had a bad track record with the Covenant, talented yes, but selfish.” He sat in front of the cinders of a dying fire and took a piece of bread from his pack and began to eat it slowly. Once he was done with the bread, he took a drink of water from a skin before resuming his speech. ”As for bastions of hope and peace. You do know who I am, don’t you? The Ogre Assault? Any bells? We are a symbol of hope to these people on their walls and in their streets. Not only a hope to survive against the growing presence and unification of these humanoid beasts, but the hope to keep the fragile peace we have intact. Mer of all three branches hate each other, but that hate is not readily out in the open. The peace we know could be shattered quite simply. Were it not for the Knights of the Dawn, this peace would have crumbled long ago.” Draxis spoke softly before grabbing an apple from his pack, waving it at Valerie jokingly. ”Now, I’ll be saving this for the boar. We will eat well tonight, provided you slay the beast.”

Valerie did not seem entertained by him or his notions, and her eyes seemed to narrow, starting from when he insulted her blood, and continuing throughout his conversation. It was obvious that whatever distrust he had against her kind affected his work, and his self image.

”Your wife, because I can’t rightly call her your caretaker anymore, seemed to have forgotten about your brazen arrogance. Congratulations, oh great “hero” of the Ogre Assault. You barely survived. And were it not for her, I doubt you’d be here, having this conversation, with me or anyone else. You boast your own strength just fine, and your own conviction, but never forget that you are nothing without those who brought you to this place. I’m here because I am spiteful. I despise those that despise me to a point that I want to disprove everyone who spits on my bloodstains. I will show every human, elf, and dark elf out there that a half-breed is the one who put her life on the line, every day, to hunt that which would hunt them, while they remained happy, and friendly, with their families. You don’t--”

”Listen here, before you go any further! Don’t you dare assume that I don’t know why I am here, don’t you dare think that I don’t carry that weight on my shoulders every waking moment of my life. I am no hero, I am an example of arrogance and pride. Something a Knight should never become. I let my closest friends die because I was too blind to see the true folly of my situation. You have no right, Templar, speaking to me like that! You are a half blood, and you may be different from your kind, but remember your place. I am your superior, you do not lecture me on my failings. I don’t care who you show outside of yourself and I. They aren’t what matters. We don’t do this for the recognition, we don’t do this so that they know who is protecting them. We do it because it is right.” Draxis stood up quickly and stepped up right into Valerie’s face, staring straight into her eyes, ”You cannot imagine my own pain, you think that your life is sad because you’re the little half elf that no one loves. You didn’t watch your brothers in arms get ripped to pieces because of your mistakes.”

”Why do you think I’m here? I’m fully aware of what you are, and every mistake you’ve ever made. If I wasn’t absolutely floored by the fact that you’re continuing life as you are, even -when- factoring in your biggest weakness as some sort of strange, improbable “strength,” I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you, or anyone else. All I see is weakness, Draxis, and your arrogance is a big one, but it isn’t your biggest. Titles mean nothing when you’re against these monsters. They simply say how many men you can lead. I can lead none, because I’d see everything as a weakness, and I’d either be too indecisive, or too paranoid, to ever lead a group of soldiers, even if I had hand-trained them from birth. We’ve both seen horrors, in our own right, but the difference between you and I is simple: I don’t work with a team. Ask yourself a question: Why would this half-elf come to the Knight-Sergeant Draxis, after proving herself to be incredibly competent and valuable as a single operator? Because I can confirm that it isn’t because I’ve had a change of heart. You and Knight-Corporal Camilla baffle me, because you are each your greatest weaknesses, and yet, for some unimaginable reason, you give each other strength that I cannot comprehend. Not only that, you continue on in your lives, despite all that has gone against you, and push forward, staying in that same field that you had failed in before. That’s not something I could ever do.”

She sighed, before tipping over a nearby bucket of water onto the remaining cinders, extinguishing the flame completely, saying, ”I don’t care about love. Love is foolish, and a weakness to all who experience it. For example, were I to capture your wife, and hold her hostage, in a situation where you could not free her, you’d be far more malleable than if, say, I took a random human hostage, and demanded the same thing. Everyone can make sacrifices. I’ve yet to meet one who would sacrifice the one they loved. That is why it is the greatest weakness any sentient creature can ever have. That is why I despise it. That is why I hope to never experience such a thing. … Family is a bit different, though. That can’t be helped. Still a weakness, but, your parents are no fault of your own, nor are they a fault of my own, so I love them as a family. I’m speaking purely of that thinly veiled disguise that sentient creatures use as an excuse to have a constant individual to satiate their lust and desire for intimacy.”

Draxis shook his head and headed into the woods, disappointed in her last few comments. ”You have a lot to learn, Val, a lot. You see weakness where I see strength. That love I have for Camilla, and she for me, empowers us to attain feats like no other. I would die for her, I would do anything it took to save her and protect her. You do not have that same feeling for anyone, which is why it is difficult to trust you. Family is different, you are right, but Camilla is my family now, she is my partner. You see the feeling of love as just a disguise for lust, you couldn’t be more wrong. Now, let’s go.” He spoke before heading into the forest to begin tracking the boar.

Some Time Later…

Valerie, who had just finished carving the dire boar into more easily-cooked chunks, had begun to place them atop the cooking tray, a raised metal platform above an intensely hot fire, courtesy of her own handiwork.

”For the record, I’m just glad it wasn’t a sow. It’s around mid-mating season, and while the aggressive ones need to be put down, the population isn’t near expansive enough to start hunting down the potential mothers. Though, this one was trying to run. I’m just glad whatever in him that causes him to charge and kill the villagers isn’t going to passed on to next year’s crop.”

Draxis wrapped his shoulder with a bandage and sighed while he waited for the meat to cook. She enjoyed that a bit too much, he felt, watching him trip over his own feet and tumble into a thorn bush, then almost impale himself on the tusk as he tried to dodge one of the charges. ”Yea well, you could have been quicker, Val, next time don’t waste time on the perfect shot, just shoot it. Christ, the thing almost took me out before you even fired a shot. You are too critical of yourself. You need to let that go. You have the heart of gold, but your mind is clouded with self doubt and diminishing self worth. You would make a great fit with us, but you need to let your mind go of these things. You are better than that.”

”If I hadn’t have gotten that perfect shot, right along the throat, it wouldn’t have taken it down. The ice stopped him from breathing, and froze his trachea. Dire boars are nearly impossible to down in a single hit, especially from an arrow. You told me to handle you as if you were a peasant, so I did. You walked away alive, with all limbs intact, and a superficial injury. That’s more than most people would walk away with. You might think it’s a weakness, my constant doubt, but, it’s made it so I’ve never lost a hunt. … I’ve had to hand over the dead because I was either not around to save them, or not in time, but I’ve never let my mark live.”

Draxis laughed a bit as he watched the meat cook on the pan over the fire. ”You, will, with time, become less sarcastic with me. I know you were stalling to see how I fared on my own. I know your skills Val, I’ve read the reports. You are calculated, and you’ve done your research, you know the exact spots to hit, and you are deadly accurate. I would be terrified of you if you chose to walk the path of an assassin rather than that of one of the Knights of the Dawn.” He held out his hand to her in a gesture to accept her. ”I know I was harsh with you. I may have been less than agreeable about your race, but you proved to me that when it comes down to it, you just might be worthy of becoming one of my close friends, perhaps worthy of being called family.” A sincere smile was spread across Draxis’ face, this was an ally he wanted, needed. Someone he could trust. Her mind was like no other, and that was something you could not just train. Draxis knew that Val would be a perfect leader one day, she just needed the coaching and she needed the confidence. Draxis would help her.

And that was that, she had become an official member of Draxis's squad of people, the third member ever, and the second elite, next to Camilla. But, none of that was important. What was important, though, was the fact that she was welcomed as Draxis's third, and the promise that she would not be assigned to any group but Camilla's, and retain her role and expertise as a Slayer. It was a huge moment for her, and the Covenant supported the decision in it's entirety, as Valerie had, perhaps, finally found a place that she could fit in. However, in the beginning, it wasn't all milk and cookies. In fact, Draxis even harbored a few racist tendencies and dispositions towards her, only to have his wife, Camilla, smack some sense into him whenever they came about. Eventually, though, she learned to trust the two of them, not only with her life, but with her secrets, as well.

Well... not every secret.



Valerie smiled, her mind and thoughts shifting back to the present, and she looked towards the woman riding at her flank. Gale, formerly known as Abigale Freshen, was the only person in the world she felt she was fit to lead, or instruct, in any fashion. There was something special about the way that her mind work, and while it was not to level, or negativity, that Valerie's did, Gale was still a unique individual. What's more, she was special to Valerie, and Valerie and Gale had led most of their companions to believe that they had a bond very close to sisterhood.

"You know," commented Valerie in a light-hearted tone, breaking the seemingly perpetual silence that plagued the group as they made their way towards whatever the capital held for them, in either intrigue or death, "Since we're marching to what is probably going to change this group forever, I suppose I can let you guys in on one secret that I've been keeping for about two years now. I know, I know, I promised I'd tell you guys everything, but, this was a secret that was quite important to me. You see," continued Valerie, winking at Gale as she did so, "You may want to change how you see Gale's and my relationship. Unless, of course, you guys think incest is okay."

---

Gale smiled slightly as Val let slip the secret they had been keeping for so long. It felt great that they could finally let their secret out instead of hiding it. No longer did she have to hold back on her displays for affection, the hugs she gave Val for an example. Everybody was certainly shocked as they should have been but Gale’s smile was a more distant one as she thought back on the first day she ever met Val. She took a moment to look about the crew until her eyes landed on Val’s at which point she allowed the memory to flow like a river.



A woman whose long, brunette hair flowed in the wind, stood in the middle of the sparring field as she faced her opponent. It was a man, most likely only a year older than herself, but he showed signs of long years of training. It was far from a fair fight but it was one Gale was use to, it would be one she had to get use to if she were to fight monsters. The pair took their stances and stood stock still for a few moments as they sized each other up, one deciding how take on a bigger foe while the other waited for the first chance to disarm his opponent. In less than a second, the young woman lunged forward in a feint and quickly turned on the heel of her boot to instead bring the sword around for a strike into the man's left ribs. Having only partly fallen for the feint, the man easily blocked the sword and proceeded to deflect it to the side and land a punch into Gale's gut. With the wind knocked out of her, Gale fell to the ground and the man brought the sword to her neck, solidifying that the victory was his.

"That's another loss Initiate! When are you going to learn to stop leaving such obvious openings! Even a farmer could deflect that attack and easily take you out. If you fight like that against a monster, you are as good as dead!" called the Templar who had been overseeing the spar as he stepped towards the young woman. He stood over her easily and was trained far beyond her own skill which was why he was perfect to assess her training. The Templar was a hard man but it was only because one could not be weak when fighting monsters, weakness meant death. "Now, take up your sword and do it again." He said as he took his position off to the side and gave the signal to begin the spar.

The same ritual was performed as they stood still and watched each other but this time around the man was far more confident in his skill. This time, Gale was determined to win and it was obvious by her actions as she threw water out from a small water flask and it splashed on the ground. The man, having thought her to strike took a step back but quickly lunged forward just as Gale had predicted he would. It was then that she froze the water into ice and the man, having not seen this coming and his lunge putting him off balance, fell as he slipped forward on the ice and landed on the hard ground. Gale stood above him with the sword's tip at the point of his neck and the Templar raised his hand, ending the battle.

"See Initiate, when you actually think about the battle, you win. If you aren't going to be able to learn how to get better with a sword, then you need to sharpen your mind. See things a different way than others and you can win the battle. Now you two are dismissed." the man said as he walked past the pair. The man who had been training with Gale stood up and walked away rather embarrassed, leaving Gale almost alone on the field. She unfroze the water as her training had taught her and moved the water back into the flask. As the last water fell into the flask and Gale felt the drain on her magicka, she began the walk towards the gates heading out of the sparring ground, aimlessly staring at the clouds in the overcast sky above as she went forward.

Gale was almost at the gates when she finally decided to look down from the dull blanket of gray clouds. She noticed something that had become quite common in the past two weeks, a woman who had been watching her spar. Never before had she been close enough to tell what the woman looked like as she often left before her spars were over but this time, Gale was able to get close enough to see the woman’s features. They were fine and elvish in origin but bore a look of curiosity which was almost unique to only humans. Gale assumed that this woman was most likely of Elvish and Human descent and she remember that she had been told as a child to avoid such kinds of people for they were the kind to pilfer whatever they could and lived in alleyways. But that belief flew out the window when Gale did such things herself and thus half-elves could be no worse than herself. Yet this woman’s features were so fine and striking to Gale that she could not stop staring, almost as if she was captured in her brown eyes. ”Oh uh… sorry for staring, I normally don’t do that. Then again, I normally don’t have people watching me other than the Ref when I spar either.” Gale said as she approached closer to the woman, rubbing the back of her head in the process and looking off to the side.

The woman approached her as well, not sure what to make of being spotted in the way that she did. It was visible that the woman, though with an appearance not much older than Gale’s, if older at all, though, Gale would have known that she’s been within the order for nearly fifteen years, and, as a half-elf, she simply looked much younger than she actually was. Part of the elven bloodline, just like the ears were. Valerie Zylcan was her name, and, up until two or three years ago, she was a member of no direct team, though, nowadays, she seemed to work directly under Knight-Sergeant Felwind and his second, Knight-Corporal Thorton. The strangest thing about her, though, was that she has never accepted a single promotion, something that would have been well-known amongst the Templars, but never the reason as to why. As Gale’s mind filtered her memory to these factoids, Valerie was now standing face-to-face with her.

”Come with me.” she said, and turned about, leading Gale towards a small building of sorts, one that was occasionally used as a classroom by the Covenant. Gale followed in surprise as the woman led the way to a place that Gale had been in a couple of times. She was wondering both why the woman had been watching her for the past couple of weeks and why the woman had decided not to leave early this time. It certainly couldn’t have been because of how the spar went for that was something that Gale found to have been a failure as she had to rely on the use of magic to win. Such a happening was something she was not proud of as her opponent was human which meant she couldn’t beat them on even ground let alone beat a monster whose strength could be far greater than her own. But Gale pushed the doubting aside as she sped up to walk beside the woman, a question poised on her lips.

”If I may ask, what is your name?” Gale said as they approached the building.

”Valerie Zylcan, and I’m surprised you don’t know it, Abigale. Or, you prefer Gale, yes? I’ve seen your training, and done my research on you. Your mind… it doesn’t work the way a normal mind does, does it? You process information and scenarios differently, especially on a battlefield. I’m curious to learn if that’s an inherent trait you possess, or if it’s simply something you’ve trained yourself to do.”

Valerie opened the door to the classroom, ushering Gale into the building, only to reveal what was inside. It was not the setup that was to be expected, instead, the floor had been cleared, and a mock war room had been set up, complete with a topographical map of a location that didn’t exist, and several different pieces and flags set about it. It looked as if someone had just starting planning a battle. What’s more, along the edges were books, bestiaries, and the like, all closed, as if they were waiting to be used.

”Oh… well thank you I guess,” Gale said as she entered the building, “but uh… what is all of this?”

”It’s a test. Here’s the situation…”

Gale would find herself in a test unlike anything she ever experienced before, as Valerie would lead her scenario after scenario, gathering input from her on everything from where to position troops to how to handle certain monsters. This would go on for several days, nearing a full week, with the map changing every session, and with the session starting every day after Gale’s training. It seemed as if Valerie had been planning this sort of gauntlet for a while, as there was no question she couldn’t answer, and no angle she hadn’t covered.

Everyday she was put through different scenarios by Valerie and everyday Gale questioned their point. Some were tedious and took a while to solve while others were easier and felt like a breath of fresh air. Despite still having to train everyday and often wishing she could simply sleep, Gale enjoyed the scenarios that Valerie was putting her through. Then again, she also grew to like being with Valerie she stole little glances at her beautiful features when she wasn’t quite paying attention. Gale couldn’t help but notice how Valerie’s hair had the perfect shine to it and fell about her face just right nor could she ignore how smooth and beautiful her skin was. But most of all, she liked to steal glances at Valerie’s eyes which she couldn’t help but find as her most striking feature.

Gale never did figure out the exact reason behind all of these examples, especially the ridiculous or unusual scenarios (as there were those in there as well), and probably wouldn’t have, until Valerie confronted her after it had all finished. It was the end of the week, and this particular test had been the easiest one as of yet, but, the fact that it was solved it so easily seemed to dishearten Valerie, as if she finally accepted something that had been bugging her for some time.

”Well, you certainly are special, I’ll give you that, but, your mind doesn’t work the same way mine does. I can’t tell if it’s inborn or just an unnatural talent of yours, but, your tactics, albeit phenomenal, are not the way I see things. I could tell the moment you started looking at the strengths of your units compared to the strengths of the enemy’s.”

Gale was shocked as Valerie’s statement hit her like a hammer would hit an anvil. ”So I… passed the test? What does that mean?” Gale said as she looked towards Valerie. Quite possibly for the first time since they had begun the test, she looked Valerie directly in her eyes with a look of curiosity and excitement.

Valerie thought nothing of it, and, out of respect, maintained the eye-contact as well, though, all that was reflected in her eyes was the color of disappointment, as she said, ”No. You failed. You are not like me, and your mind is not like mine. You can see it all, but you do not see it as a reflex. You can turn it off, you can switch it around. You can see strengths. I can do none of those things. Mine is inherent, and the only way I see “strength” is by seeing where someone is “not weak.” It’s a curse, and I thought, perhaps, that I had found someone that shared it.”

With that, she had begun packing up everything for the final time, letting those words sink into Gale, but, right before Gale could respond, she spoke, as if she was simply continuing the sentence as she had intended to do all along, saying, “But, you did pass a different test. One I had been conducting, in secret, since the very beginning. If you so wish it, Initiate Abigale Freshen, I will take you in as my one, and only, Initiate. I will train you to hone your mind, and see your tactics in everything you do. And I will teach you to no longer feel bad by exploiting your enemy’s weakness, or relying on another’s strength.”

Gale’s emotions clashed against each other inside her mind. At first she felt not sad but disappointed that she had failed the test but, upon hearing that she had passed a secret test, lightened up as if her very heart was jumping with joy. She certainly wanted to learn more about tactics and she enjoyed the time she spent with Valerie, the little glances she stole at her as well. ”Yes, I’d… enjoy the chance to learn more.” she said after having to carefully choose her words so as not to sound a fool.

After hearing Gale’s response, Valerie’s face lit up, a mix of shock and delight, and she said, concisely, and in a somewhat higher-pitch than normal, ”Wonderful! Now, I just have to fight for you to Draxis- I’m sorry, Knight-Sergeant Felwind. It shouldn’t be too hard. Also, I should explain, and ask forgiveness, as I’m not going to be… open to you. Not at first. I have to make sure I’m not making a mistake. It’s just how I am. I can’t let you be my greatest weakness.”

Words failed Gale as her heart leapt about inside her chest as if it was a rabbit. Though she was sure that Valerie hadn’t meant it the way she had taken it, Gale was filled with delight that any person could consider her their weakness. She couldn’t wait to meet Knight-Sergeant Felwind, despite the stories she had heard of him.



”I just wish for you to know Draxis, sir, that I wanted to thank you actually. If it wasn’t for how hard Val fought for me to join you, I may never have fallen for her. In a way, you brought us together sir.” Gale said with a smile as she let her memory close and filed it back into the recess of her mind but couldn’t help and feel the rising of another memory. She had grown to trust Draxis over the years she had served him and she was happy that Val had fought for her right to join them. In fact, that very night was one she wouldn’t forget, couldn’t forget, no matter how little she thought of it.



Valerie would be dragging Gale back to the encampment where both Camilla and Draxis were located, moving swiftly and with a purpose, only giving a brief nod to the occasional hello from the other Templars and Officers under Draxis’s command. Without so much as a moment’s hesitation, she enters Draxis’s command tent, calling out, with a very serious tone, something she only used when the matter required it, ”Draxis! I need to speak with you about a matter concerning this girl! It is rather important.”

Draxis lifted his head from a book, named Creatures of Miras, fixing his gaze on Valerie. He put down the book on the desk in front of him before speaking. ”Go on then, if you think to bring her into the circle, you better have a good case to plead. She’s not ready yet. I’ve seen her fight with the other initiates during sword training. She has no skill with a blade, and her magical skill is far from useful yet. Nothing on the scale we’ll need for our mission.” Draxis rose from his seat and walked around his desk, his normally embracing nature was not present at this time, not when the situation called for skilled, powerful warriors. ”We cannot risk our lives by letting in someone who can’t defend themselves.” Draxis made a gesture towards Camilla, who was working with her templars outside of the tent. This was a signal to say that he wanted to make sure how serious he was about his decision.

”Her mind, though not as severe as mine, works exactly as mine does. Her ability with tactics on the whole can rival my own. I wish to take her under my wing, and train her as my replacement. As a Slayer, and a tactician. I trust her judgement, and succeeded almost every scenario I could throw at her. All she must do, now, is train her magic and sword arm, things I can train her with in equal proficiency. She is still a young initiate, and I have many good years left any more, probably more than you, simply because of my blood. I have never led you astray, and I understand her weaknesses far better than you realize, but,” she pauses, sighing lightly as she looks to Gale, then back towards Draxis, ”She can give me a second point of view. She can give us a second point of a view. She can see strengths, she can see advantages, and she can see things that even I can’t.”

Draxis rubbed his temples before pacing around Val, shaking his head. ”Even if she has a brilliant tactical mind, how will that help us if she cannot be quick to react like you? She may have the same mind, tactically, but under pressure, how can we be sure she will be consistent. We cannot put our faith and our lives into the hands of an untrained initiate.” He sighed gently before resting a hand on Val’s shoulder and stared down at the desk, covered in books, notes and other important documents. ”We can’t take a risk like this and lose everything we’ve been working for. I can’t do that again.”

”With all do respect, Draxis, it’s me you’re talking about. It took me a year to come around to even trusting you all, and you know how my mind works. If I truly thought her weakness would be great enough to cause us detriment, I would never have brought her to us, or tested her as extensively as I did.” She was dead serious, not the light-hearted girl that they had learned to expect. This was like she was when they first met, and almost scarily so.

”I will come see her progress then, tonight. Infact, right now. Take me to see how far she’s progressed and I’ll make my decision. However, should I chose to let her into the circle, she will be your responsibility.” Draxis wasn’t harsh with his words, the opposite infact. He wanted to be wrong, to have Val prove that she had found a good candidate to learn directly from Val, Camilla and himself. Draxis gave a gentle pat to Val’s shoulder and gave a grin that she’d probably seen a thousand times before, one that showed excitement, and eagerness to have Val prove to him again that she was right, and his assessment was wrong. A grin he gave all too often in situations of danger usually. Draxis did enjoy Val’s nature and demeanor, he knew she had a rather flat humor most of the time due to her bluntness, but it was her unwavering honesty that made him trust her as much as he did.

Val would drag Gale out, nodding to Draxis before she went. After all, she would need to prepare Gale for her trial. Gale was nervous, not only because she had to prove herself to Draxis but also because failure meant she had disappointed Valerie. ”What sort of trial will I be put through? Will… will I be watched by everyone else while I do it too?” Gale said with a look of worry upon her face. She knew not what Draxis wanted to see though her guess would have certainly leaned towards a display of how she thought. But what scared Gale the most was having to perform this trial before others, even doing it in front of Draxis was horrifying to her let alone doing it before a crowd. She looked towards Val for answers and put her full trust in her even if she didn’t quite believe in herself.

”No, it’s going to be a private trial, with Camilla and Draxis observing. You are going to fight me. You might not be nearly as fast as me, but, that shouldn’t be a problem. Just use the mind you impressed me with, and pinpoint my weakness. I won’t be going all out, because that would be unfair, especially with me. Other than that, remember what I told you: there is no shame in pressing the advantage, whatever it may be.”

Gale bore a look of bewilderment as Val finished explaining the trial to her. She had to fight Val, a woman who bore far more experience than herself and who, even in holding back, would most likely be able to defeat her with ease. Despite this, she was not quite discouraged as she was determined to impress Draxis and prove that Val’s decision to bring her in would be a correct one. Gale would require not only mental preparation but also physical preparation for the night to come for it would be one which will test the limits of her skill and her nerve.

”Well, as it stands, get ready. We’ll do this at sunset. I trust you’ll use that to your advantage.” With that, Val would leave Gale, returning to the tent with Draxis, leaving to her own devices. Gale stood outside the tent and looked around at the camp she was within with a keen eye. Their spar would most likely be within the dry ground at the center of the camp, commonly reserved for training sessions, which meant that she should get to know every inch of the ground therein. She wandered off to the dry ground, leaving behind the tent and Val, with her water flask in hand. Gale had to be certain to use every advantage she could, even if that meant not playing fair.

Draxis left the tent after a brief conversation with Val, carrying a small vial in his hand. If Val had intended to fight Gale with nothing held back, then Draxis had to ensure that Gale survived the ‘spar’. ”Gale, I’m not entirely sure of how much you have trained with her, nor do I know how much you have improved. I am rooting for you, but I am also going to be judging you harshly.With that said, I do not want your blood on the ground of my camp. We are stationed here until further notice, this camp is a permanent reminder of my resolve. If you cannot impress me, then that is unfortunate. But if you were to die here, then I would be disappointed in not only you, but Val as well. This is not just your chance to prove to me your capability, but the capability of the one who trained you. I know of your magic and what it does, which is why I’m giving you this extra vial. She will already know of the one you carry on your person, as do as well. Keep this hidden from her. You will have an advantage if you’re smart with it, and if you’re not, well… We will leave that as it is.” Draxis handed the small vial of water to Gale and nodded, with a gentle smile, assuring her that he did indeed have faith in her, and that she would be enough for him to trust Valerie with greater responsibility.

Having taken the vial from Draxis, Gale continued her preparation of the sparring field. In a normal setting, the sparring field would not be available to the participants until the actual spar but this was a camp and there was no way to make sure that Gale couldn’t get on the field. The hard packed dirt of the field was coarse and created a fine dust when she let go of a clump, an advantage she would certainly use. The grass around the field was sparkling with dew already in the cooling air and Gale made a note to remember its existence when she fought. Above all else, Gale emptied the contents of the flask she normally carried onto the field and watched as it soaked into the dirt. Her preparations were almost finished by this point but she had one last thing to do. Within a short moment, Gale found a small rag and stuffed it into the small space between her sword belt and her armor. It would be of use later in the night.

As the sun was setting, Gale took her position inside the circle of dirt and waited for Val to arrive. She had made sure to stand with the sun to her back. Valerie had arrived, on time, and could only smile at the girl’s preparation. Gale had taken extra precautions to gain every advantage she could, and it was obvious Valerie expected her to do so, simply by the respectful nod she gave to the girl. Gale nodded back towards Val as a sign of respect as she worked to push her doubts to the back of her mind. She had her sword in her right hand and the empty flask in her left, though it had been corked and one could certainly it was empty. She took her stance and looked towards Draxis for the signal to start. As the glance hit Draxis, he waved his hand gently and uttered the word ‘Begin’ and leaned in a small chair outside the sparring arena. He expected a show, something that he didn’t need to step into to stop. Gale needed to prove that she could handle her own, and from the looks of things, she had set a trap that Val had likely not yet seen yet, at least not without knowing of the spare vial.

Gale took the initiative at the sound of Begin and tossed the vial high into the air. As it rose higher, the glass vial caught the sun and shined brightly down upon the sparring field, the small water droplets which were still inside reflected intense light in several spots. Hoping that the brighter light had worked to hinder Val’s vision, Gale took a lunging stab forward, grabbing a handful of dirt in the process. What would be surprising is that the tactic actually seemed to work, as she stumbled back, taking the light directly into her eyes. She seemed to be completely fazed, but staggered back out of lunge range. Gale, having missed hitting Val, drew her sword in closer to herself while turning on the ball of her foot. At almost a quarter of the turn before she was facing Val again, Gale released her load of dusty earth up and towards Val before taking a step forward so as to swing her sword into the ribs.

As the dust was thrown into the air, Gale noticed a peculiar sight from her end, a red and orange flicker, before the dust itself seem to ignite in flames, and a familiar sound, the swinging of a sword, would be heard. Gale would have to stop herself to prevent injuries and being burned, and she saw Val, half-turned to prevent the glint of the sun from blinding her, with her sword drawn, flames crackling along it as she twirled it about in her left hand. Her face could not hide her satisfaction, not even in the midst of this combat, and, with a smile, she commented, ”You know, I’m impressed. You really are pressing every advantage. How long until you run out of tricks, though? A tactician should have a winning strategy, remember?”

A smile played across Gale’s face at the compliment that Valerie had given her. It was true that Gale was running out of hat tricks to use but she still held hope for her next one. ”A tactician’s mind is always her greatest weapon.” Gale said as she stood a few paces away from Valerie. She slipped her empty left hand into her belt and withdrew the cork from her second vial of water. With a quick movement, Gale threw the rag from within her belt towards Val and drew the water out of the vial, ground, and off the grass around them towards Val’s burning blade as fast as she could. As the water made contact with the strong, magical flames, it turned into steam until a fine cloud hung about the pair. At this moment, Gale threw the second vial directly at Val and circled around her until she was at her flank. Acting out of training alone, as she could only barely see through the steam, Gale stepped forward and swung at where Val was standing.

Gale heard the sound of metal on metal, the distinctive ring a sword hitting another sword, as the steam would begin glowing bright orange, quickly fading away, as the flaming blade continued to burn bright, meeting Gale’s. However, she would notice that something was off, seeing as Val, the left-handed individual, was holding her sword hilt-down in her right hand. As the steam cleared away further, Gale would notice a rather large gash along her left arm. The swing did connect, and left a long wound down Val’s forearm, not a particularly bad wound, but, one that would make it hurt to fight with her left hand. The Slayer back stepped away, running the orange flame from her sword along her arm, wincing at the pain as the wound was cauterized, before smiling, dispelling the fire along her sword, and putting it in her left hand once more.

”I don’t know about you, Draxis, but, if I were a monster, and were I not who I am, that cut would have cut through a few tendons, and taken any non-organized monster by surprise. Hell, it would take most soldiers by surprise. I’d say that qualifies as a success.” A few moments passed after Val spoke, Draxis in thought after the spar. There were a few things that concerned him, but they were minor.

”She is talented, you have taught her well, old friend, but she has a long way to go. She only scored that blow with a lot of preparation, it was a lucky blow as well. I saw you, letting her get the better of you. You are much more perceptive than that and fell right into her trap. She spent all night perfecting the battlefield to suit her. A true tactician would be able to adapt to the battlefield as it changes. Both of you failed in this regard. But neither of you are not qualified to be with me. In fact, you can play off of each other’s weaknesses. Val, you are an expert at adapting to the situation, it is the reason you are an effective slayer. Gale, you are an asset, and a terrifying enemy. Your expertise with traps and leading your opponent into them is something to be praised, you have a lot to learn and a lot to master, but you are on your way to becoming a very brilliant member of the Covenant. You may be able to become a Knight-Captain one day. I fully support you.” Draxis stood and bowed to Gale, his hand on his chest. Once he rose from the bow, he tossed a small sack of coins to Val. ”You won our bet, though part of me wanted you to beat me.”

”Excellent,” she says, catching the pouch of coins, smiling, before tossing it towards Gale, ”And here is your first allowance as my student. Go buy yourself some books about the monsters you want to understand the most about, and some geography books. We’re going to start advanced tactics tomorrow. And, next time we spar, I won’t let your tricks get by so easily. After all, I could have electrified the steam, and sent the charge up your sword.”

Gale caught the coins and squealed in happiness and excitement at the same time. She did not try to hide her happiness at being allowed to join them. ”Whoo, will do Valerie.” She said as she made a mental note not to do that again before Draxis spoke up.”She’s your teacher and your superior, please call her Ma’am, it would piss her off for sure.”. That would catch a glare from Val, both to Gale and to Draxis, but she said nothing on the matter. Gale knew her training would be difficult but she was willing to go through it. That day, she became a member of Draxis’ crew and it was one she certainly would never forget.

---

As the hours passed and the party arrived at the gates, being allowed into the city. Draxis made his way to the castle courtyard on horseback, alone, stopping before the scene of the Templar and other members of the Covenant, save for one Black Clad Dwarf. He stuck out like a sore thumb, a thumb Draxis did not recognize. ”Knight-Captain, It is good to see you. I’m glad you are well.” Draxis spoke as he did a slight bow from atop his horse. His armor glowed in the dim firelight of the torches around him and his gaze was fixed on Sunderland alone, none of the others mattered as much to him, he needed his orders and his greetings and introductions to the rest of the group surrounding the Knight-Captain were only a secondary matter. He stood proud atop his mount and nodded to her, then to the rest of the group as a minor greeting, not that he was above them.

Theodore shook his head and crossed his burly arms, a frown on his face. Did this woman truly believe that he would forgo alcohol on the word of a nobody? Rank in the dawn meant nothing to Theodore, not being a part of it, and ultimately outranking her anyways if his logic was correct. The Ocular was the leader of the Covenants sister chapter and was known only to the highest ranking member of the Dawn and whomever that person took into their supreme confidence. That was why it had remained secret for so long without raising suspicion.
"No."

Theodore reached down and fumbled with his belt buckle for a moment but stopped when he realized it might look a little strange. Glancing up, he gave Tabetha and Kylie a dirty wink, finally unlocking the compartment located on the plating. The cache inside stored precious gems and valuables he didn't want on prominent display. No sense becoming a bigger target. Theo fished out a polished sapphire the size of his thumbnail and put it in Evelyns hand.

"Give that to the barkeep. Now, you need to understand madam, that I am not your underling. I will do as you say but my decision to do so will always remain MY decision. Tavern isn't my darn issue now. As for the armor issue. I will make you a finer deal, lass. You don't send talented craftsmen ta clean up some snot nosed recruits armor or you teach nobody a lesson. With your permission, I would like Master Stonequarry and Master Stonecrusher, along with the dwarf lass there, to accompany me to a private forge."

Theo crossed his arms and stared her in the eye as he made his request, if you could call it that. The way he spoke made it sound like a demand that one had no right to refuse.

"I've skills to pass down. Runes to teach. I've a darn list of things I need to get cleared. Make an audience with the king for the two of us. As of this moment, Evelyn Sunderland, by the grace of my home and the grace of my master, as the highest authority figure present in the order at this time of great upheavel, I raise you to temporary Knight-Commander. Until such a time as the rightful leader can come forward."

Theo did his best to ignore the loudmouthed necromancer. Granted they should not be doing these things in public, but waiting wasn't the way of dwarves. They got what needed done done. Just because they had a long lifespan did not mean they took their time.

The amount of rage that built up in the young Knight-Captain was incomprehensible but she took a moment to compose herself before speaking. From what Theo had revealed, he was everyone's superior, and one with little regard for his actions. Evelyn examined the sapphire before calling over one of the guards. "Take this and see that the repairs are made to the tavern", Evelyn's voice was plain with no serious emotion other than the seriousness with which she gave the order. Once the guard had made his way towards the tavern, Evelyn turned her attention back to Theo. [color=fff79a]"You want me to leave the four of you together with your own private forge? After what just happened?...very well then. Starting tomorrow, I'll approach the king for such a request. But know this, if anything should happen as a result of you four being together, I only see after my own"

Hearing that Kylie had survived Starguard only reminded Evelyn of what was going on in Loringrad. Should a repeat of last events occur was something the captain did not wish to think about for a second. "Very well then, report to Doubleblade tomorrow morning. The four of you will be working together for now", sheer dread was all she felt for tomorrow as she knew something bad was going to happen, all there was to do was wait and find out.

As if things couldn't get any worse, now Karl spoke of voices in his head. What's more, one urged him to defect. Evelyn had spoken to the elf before, at Thanermere before they ventured into the hive. At the time it was merely a growing irritability with a disfigured eye. Now the affliction had grown to create hallucinations. "Forgive me, Karl, I should have seen to your eye the moment we left the hive. The court mage is asleep right now but I promise on the morning we will have this sorted out", the night had proven to be rather exciting in a stressful, aggravating way. At this hour they'd be lucky to get five hours of sleep. Sleep which they'd desperately need soon enough.

"Until then I suggest you all turn in for the night. Tomorrow will have no shortage of work for all of us", Evelyn was just about to head to her chamber when a familiar face arrived at the gates. "Tis good to see you as well, Sergeant. Though I'm afraid you've come to Loringrad at an unfortunate time"

---

King Gregor sat in his armchair, gazing into the fireplace of the royal bedchamber. The crackling of the fire was the only sound to fill the room as His Majesty sat there, pondering all that had come to pass this day. "I've not much time left it seems...I had only hoped to leave this world with some semblance of peace. Now that seems more a vision than a reality", he thought as he watched the dancing fire before him, warming his face against the night air. The sound of his chamber door opening alerted him to the presence of another. "Are you awake father?", Prince Davon called out softly, hoping not to wake Gregor. The king slowly rose to his feet using the chair as a brace. "Quite so ,my son, what has you awake at such an hour?", Gregor asked as he turned to face the door. Davon glanced back outside before entering and closing the door behind him. "I'd heard a commotion in the courtyard and went to investigate. Evelyn's work it seems", Davon looked rather agitated at the mentioning of Lady Sunderland, meanwhile Gregor smiled warmly. "Yes she's been quite busy since arriving. From what I've heard, her and her company have been through a great deal of hardships to reach here. To arrive here only to take on further responsibilities says much about the Templars", Gregor gestured for Davon to come forward by the fire. With some hesitation the Prince approached, a scowl on his face the entire time. "Indeed, that they love to meddle in affairs other than monster hunting. If you ask me, they shouldn't be allowed in the city. Let them keep to their forts and wilderness"

Gregor looked on at his son in silence before answering, "You say all this but if I remember correctly, you often wished to join them when you and your siblings were young"

"I was a child then, foolish and naïve"

"It could be argued that you still are. You fail to see what the Templars stand for, it is not just to vanish the evil in beasts, but the evil in men as well as mer. A good king tries for this as well which is why we and the Templars coexist"

Davon would not hear any of this, only the mentioning of King caught his attention and nothing else. "Earlier today, you said that you'd announce your heir tomorrow. Have you chosen yet?", his eyes were filled with wonder an hope that his long wanted wish would come true. King Gregor placed a hand on Davon's shoulder and said, "Indeed I have, but first I must ask. Are you prepared to serve this kingdom and it's people?". Gregor's question was met with an immediate "yes" from Davon. "Tomorrow I will name Vanessa as my successor. You, Rodrick, and Aedan will serve as her councils and generals", the moment Vanessa's name was spoken Davon began to stumble back. In silence he glared at his father who looked back in confusion, "My decision offends you, it seems"

"Have I not lived as you wished? Have I not grown to be the man you wished for, the king you wished for?! All these years all I've done was to please you, to prove to you that I'm worthy to be your son! What have I done wrong?!", Davon began to sob in anger and frustration. Gregor walked over and embrace his son, holding him tight he said, "Davon you have not failed me. You've failed no one, we each grow in this world for an intended destiny. Yours was never to be king, but that does not mean you will not achieve greatness". Davon pushed Gregor away, who looked back in surprise and disappointment. The anger the prince felt grew and grew until he could hold it no more. Charging at Gregor, grabbing his father by the neck and pushing him down into his chair. Gripping the king's neck he clenched tighter and tighter as his father struggled ever so desperately to break free. His hands scrambling to grab something to aid him he felt a bottle of wine which rested on a table beside his chair. Grabbing it, Gregor slammed the bottle at Davon's head who promptly let go his grasp of his father. Gregor coughed terribly as he gasped for air. Crawling towards the door the king tried to escape to the safety of the guards who'd be but a few feet down the hall. Davon wipped the broken glass and wine from his face and took hold of a fireplace prod. Slowly he walked towards his father who turned on his face just in time to see his son swing the prod into his face. Again and again he swung at his father and King, each time bringing more and more blood to the surface until the Gregor lay dead on the floor. Even with the deed done, Davon continued to beat the skull of his father until it caved in from the damage.

Davon dropped the prod, his body frozen in shock after what he'd just done. For what felt like hours passing in silence was in truth only a few seconds before Davon bolted out of the room. Quickly he walked down the hall and past the guards until he was in the clear. The prince just started running. He ran and ran through the castle and out into the city and into the night.


Evelyn awoke to the sounds of soldiers sprinting through the castle halls. The entire place was in chaos as guards searched the rooms with little patience or tolerance for resistance. Not a moment after she'd been awoken did a couple of guards storm her room and began searching the entire chamber. "What is the meaning of this?", she asked as they practically tore the room apart. One guard had the decency to answer, "Someone has murdered the king, Prince Rodrick has ordered the entire castle to be searched and all suspicious persons be brought to the king's court". Without another word the guard then moved to pull the sheets off of Evelyn's bed. Grabbing hold of the bedsheets she held a freehand towards the guard, preparing a lightening bolt. "Your partner has searched my room enough, leave!", her words went unchallenged as the guard did not wish to be electrocuted.

Evelyn dressed with haste before for running to the king's chamber. There she found Vanessa crying inconsolably beside the body of her father. The sight froze Evelyn to her core as she stood there, terrified. For a moment she thought this all to be a terrible dream, one she hoped to wake from as soon as possible. Unfortunately it was not and Evelyn slowly approached the dead king. "Who is responsible for this?", she asked softly to no one in particular, perhaps to the gods. Vanessa looked up from her weeping to see Evelyn standing before her. Slowly she got up, her legs were weak from shock and she quickly hugged Evelyn tightly. "Please...find Davon"

The ringing bells made Efirinil sit up in a startle her eyes turning towards her door. "The death bells." She had heard them once before and she pushed up from her seat, her purple gown falling to her ankles as she slid her feet into a pair of soft leather boots. And walked towards the door.

Just as she moved to open the door four guards burst into the room with two of them cutting her off and moving to get her into the hall. "Sorceress Efirinil, you are hereby commanded to report to the Royal Courtroom where you stand on suspicion to murder the King."

Efirinil's face took on a expression of horror, and anger all at once as she glared at the two guards before nodding. "Fine, but allow me my veil at least she slid around them back into the room and snatched up her veil just before one of the guards dragged her out by her arm.

"Come now lady Sorceress, we don't have time for your evil dark elf hands to play any tricks," The guard shove her along as they began walking through the halls towards the Courtroom making sure to take longer strides than the Dark Elf so he could occasionally shove her to go faster.

Fed up with the mistreatment Efirinil stopped and turned on the guard pointing a finger in his face. "Stop this brutish behavior or I swear I will get your twig and berries to use in a potion.

The rest of the walk to the Courtroom was quiet and only when Efirinil passed the King's chambers and heard the sobbing inside did she falter. Her hand raised up placing on her veil hiding several tears rolling down her cheeks before they moved right along.

Her mind was ablaze with thoughts. "My king. My friend how did you die? I was so close to a cure. Surely you had a few weeks left." Then the doors opened revealing a courtroom in chaos, royal guard gathering nobles and other officials while everyone talked loudly of suspicions and making claims of who should ascend the throne. Efirnil instantly got a headache from all the commotion as she stood by the wall flanked by the guards that had escorted her there.

-snip-

---

Gavlan awoke early next morning feeling almost refreshed, if not for the soreness of his feet. Yesterday had been a long and arduous day for him, having circled around Loringrad at least a dozen times over trying to locate his client. Today, he figured, would prove to be much easier, now that his map had become exponentially more useful thanks to the merchant he had met the night before. Donning his armor, grabbing his satchel, and picking up his battle axe, which gleamed extravagantly from the light through his room's window, he made his way downstairs to the tavern. Despite how early it was in the morning, the tavern was abuzz with patrons chattering away. Ignoring this, Gavlan made his way to the bar, where the wrinkly, old barman was busy cleaning out his mugs with one ear perked up, and sat on a stool.
"Five pints. Make it quick, I'm almost sober."
"Any friends this time?"
"No. Get my beer."
"Fine. But I suppose you haven't heard the news, then?"
"I have. I think it has to do with you grabbing my beer." At this comment from Gavlan, the barman gave a long, drawn out sigh, and scurried off to grab his beer. After all, he was a well paying customer. Relaxing in his seat, Gavlan could not help but hear the noisy conversation from two High Elves in the table directly behind him. As he had nothing better to do while he awaited his breakfast, he pretended to be gazing out of a window, and began listening intently to their heated conversation. It was obvious from the beginning that the smartly dressed Elf was none too happy with their male counterpart "You shouldn't speak so loudly about rumors, Il'dur." The female elf spoke, tutting. "Well, it's true. If you ask me, the royal family has everything to do with King Gregor's death. It's obvious." The male elf retorted looking quite vexed from being scolded. He spoke in a more hushed tone, regardless, but still loudly enough to be heard. "Our late majesty, may his spirit rest at ease, had been sick for ages, suspiciously sick, if you didn't know. Of course you wouldn't, though, you're never quick to pick up on things." Looking pleased with himself, he leaned back in his seat. "What does his health have to do with anything? He's dead, now, his sickness is hardly a point, anymore. If you ask me, it was cultists from Starguard." Smiling an annoying smile, the male elf muttered. "Yeah, that would be an idiot's conclusion." Frowning, but not rising to his insult, she continued. "Either way, it's the Dawn Covenant's fault for not protecting him. What a useless bunch..." Gavlan sneered at this disingenuous comment. He knew for a fact that he and many other members of the covenant worked tirelessly to keep the land from being overrun by every new type of menace that cropped up almost weekly. The fact that his covenant, and by association, he himself, were being pinned for the murder of the High King was an absolute outrage, and he would not sit idly by. Turning around, facing the two Elves, who were about to pick up and leave, he belted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Listen, you two blithering oafs! If I hear one more word against The Covenant of the Dawn, which I happen to be a part of, I'm going to start knocking heads!" The two Elves were taken aback by the sudden outburst from Gavlan, but the male Elf was quick to retaliate nonetheless. "Oh, so you're a part of this heralded covenant, eh? Oh, joyous joys, how happy I feel to be blessed with your presence, oh mighty one! How safe I feel knowing that your covenant can hardly watch over their own King, let alone its people. Let's hear what else you have to say on the matter." The sarcasm was biting, but what was more, the entire bar erupted in cheers for the elf. "HEAR, HEAR!" Came the barking cry of thickly bearded human from the corner seat. Growling deeply, Gavlan could easily tell that the mood for the covenant had shifted dementedly overnight; as much as he wanted to break the elf that stood in front of him in two, he knew deep down, that such actions would not help the situation. A mob had already quickly started forming around Gavlan, threatening to close in on him, but he did not fear a single one of them. "Unruly peasants! Out of my FUCKING way!" Shoving three patrons aside, sending a small, fat human bowling over into a table sending several plates smashing to the ground, Gavlan made his way outside.

Gavlan was highly irritated, mostly because of the Elf's words, but partially because he never got to drink his beer. He just couldn't believe it. The nerve of these people to place the blame on his Covenant was astounding. Perhaps, though, there was some truth to their claims, but he would not hear of them until there was proof. He knew deep down, that the only way to quell his nagging doubts about the situation would be to find solid evidence of the covenant's negligence. The castle of Loringrad stood proudly, making it an easy landmark to spot from any point in the city, its towers grazing the skies. Looking up towards it, he decided he should pay the royal family, or anyone else looking into the matter of the King's death, a visit.

"If anyone knows anything about what the hell's going on here, it'll be in that castle."

Ever since the day before, Kaathe had been returning to who he was before. As a templar, barely anyone cared to know who he was, and if they did, they'd barely find anything. He was a forgettable dark elf that was simply 'there.' When not performing tasks given by the leader he was assigned to (or in this case, went along with), then he was wandering around the town in silence. The previous night, he did just that. He wandered the streets, looking at everything with a lack of interest. There was only one interesting sight that caught his attention. A figure had passed him for a moment. The moonlight wasn't enough to completely reveal their appearance, but Kaathe managed to catch a few details. Their eyes, their hair...small things that wouldn't damn a person for anything. The figure ran as if they would be damned, though. Their posture and speed indicated that they were fleeing out of fear, and Kaathe had only chuckled at the sight. The rest of Kaathe's night was spent wandering some more, and resting against a wall.

When the morning came, Kaathe had used his money to buy bread and water, after finding a small place to bathe. He found a corner to sit down and eat. As he ate, the dark elf listened. He eavesdropped on the street conversations, focusing on this and that. It seemed that a majority of the conversations were about the king and his condition that seemed to be getting worse and worse. These same conversations had been talked about the day before, so Kaathe had little interest in them. It was nothing but the same lot of fools worrying about the state of an old leader, rather than what that leader's heir may do.

Kaathe had almost given up on trying to find an interesting rumor to listen to...until one stood out. It wasn't that different in terms of content, but the ones who spoke it held a firm worry in their voices. The type of worry that meant that they truly believed it. The rumor was that King Gregor was dead. He was murdered, in fact, by an unknown person. The guards were searching the castle and its grounds, and the servants were worried that the killer was still around.

Kaathe sighed and finished his breakfast. He would have to confirm the accuracy of the rumor with Evelynn. He got up and made his way to the castle. The dark elf hadn't spoken to his captain since yesterday, so he sped up. It would be bothersome if he had to be scolded by his captain for not reporting. It was easy to navigate his way to the castle, as it was literally the grandest structure nearby, but when he got near, he slowed to approach the gates.

They were closed. Of course they were closed. No one seemed to be around, so they couldn't be opened. If the king really had been murdered, then it made sense that they kept it closed. Problem was that Kaathe cared less. He simply sighed, and ran onto them, before climbing over to land inside the castle grounds.

With all the commotion, Kaathe found it easy to move past the castle guards. In truth, their tactic of gathering everyone in one place was idiotic. Had the murderer still been there, they'd have found a way to escape long ago.

Kaathe was unfamiliar with the layout of the castle, so he simply wandered about. He found himself in the courtroom, where many had been gathered. It was there that he was set upon by castle guards. Apparently they had a bias against dark elves, because he had simply entered, and they came running to him with hands on the hilts of their weapons. They screamed out that he was to be tried under the suspicion of murdering the king.

"My my...accusing everyone in such haste? How idiotic of you."

Draxis looked as though he knew what Sunderland meant. ”Of course captain, we have much to discuss. I shall meet you in the morning with my news, and you with yours. Rest well Ma’am.” He knew that she must have been referencing the unspeakable acts of the traitors, there must have been more than just that to trouble his captain so much, it would need to wait until the morning before Draxis could give a full report of his actions and his assessment of the group that he had put together. He just gave a slight nod and as he turned his horse around to retire to a nearby inn for the rest of the night.

---

Draxis heard the distinctive sound of death bells ringing from the castle as he shot awake. He knew that this morning was not going to be as simple as a pass of orders, a report of his last mission and a report of his own dealings with his company of Templar. His morning ritual was rushed as he quickly dressed in his armor and equipped his sword to his hip and his shield on his back. His hair was a mess, but that wasn’t important, those bells and the sounds of shouts outside the inn were enough to forget that he had an appearance to make. The day had only begun and the castle was already in such an alarm.

As Draxis left the inn to tend to his steed, a militiaman ran past him, shouting something about the king and the missing prince, Davon. Draxis grabbed the man by his forearm before he got too far and looked the man dead in the eyes.

”What did you just say? The King? What has happened? And where is Davon? Surely he is just gone to do some more of his father’s good work for the people. Tell me!”

”Yessir, of course Sir! The king has been murdered, in his own bed chamber no less. The prince is missing as well, Sir. We must make haste to the castle, surely you must see the Captain.”

”Yes, I must. This matter is more urgent than most. notify these people here. Tell them to meet me at the castle. I will need their help as soon as possible. We will likely take our chance to aid the Captain as soon as the chance arises.”

Draxis handed over a few pieces of paper with drawings of each Gale, Valerie and Camilla, with their names and ranks on the papers. Once the militiaman nodded and ran off to find the three, Draxis hopped up onto his horse, and rode towards the castle with as much haste as he could afford. There wasn’t anytime, his king was dead, and everything he had pledged his life to was falling to ruin. This was not the time for Draxis to worry about Camilla and how she had fared last night, the kingdom was about to fall into ruin.

Draxis rode into the castle courtyard and dismounted as soon as he reared the horse to a stop, sprinting into the castle and making his way to the main hall, looking around frantically for the Knight-Captain, hoping to get some answers, and soon. He grinded his teeth in frustration as he ran through the castle, until he stopped for a moment and leaned against the wall of a spiralling staircase.

”Dammit... everywhere I look, everyone is mourning the king, but I haven’t found Sunderland. Where the hell is she.”

Draxis growled lowly before smashing his plated fist against the stone wall. He was upset that a man that he had looked up to and had always hoped would be the path to peace, had been murdered in cold blood.

”If I ever get my hands on his murderer… I’ll kill him… I’ll kill him. The king… Gregor...“

He decided that he would make his way to the king’s chambers, Sunderland would likely be there to know the full truth of the situation. Draxis would be able to volunteer himself to find the murderer and bring justice, one way or the other. A few minutes of wandering passed and Draxis found himself at the doors to Gregor’s bedchambers, rounding the corner to see Evelyn and Princess Vanessa hugging over the body of the king. He bowed his head in respect, keeping his eyes from the mangled body of his beloved king.

”Knight-Captain… what is our move?”

---

The sound of metal crashing against the wooden floors of the tavern had woken Gale up from a long, though rather restless, sleep. Her training kicked in the instance that she heard the footsteps and she grabbed her sword, waiting for whoever to make the sound to enter her room. When a knock came upon her door, Gale stood up warily and cracked open the door with her sword and, upon noticing that it was a guard who stood outside, opened it fully before slightly dropping her guard. ”Abigale Freshen, Initiate of the Dawn Covenant and member of Knight-Sergeant Felwind’s squad? the guard said as he looked down at the paper he held and then at Gale who had already started buckling on her armor.

”Yes, what news do you have to report to me? What is the cause of the commotion out in the streets?” Gale said as she noted the cacophony of running footsteps pass by the tavern outside.

”Oh, the King has been murdered ma’am. Prince Davon is missing and we are on full alert looking for him and the killer. Knight-Sergeant Felwind told me to find you and the others. You are to meet him at the Castle ma’am.” the guard answered and he shuffled through the drawings to find the next member. He ran down the hall of the tavern as Gale finished piecing on the last of her armor. To think that the King had been killed and Prince Davon missing… Gale had no time to stop and contemplate what this would mean for the Kingdom. She rushed into the stables attached to the tavern and saddled up her mare before setting off in a gallop towards the Castle.

Upon arriving in the courtyard, Gale was greeted with something almost akin to chaos. Guards and militiamen rushed about, some leading horses while others carried what appeared to be sealed orders out of the Castle itself. Upon dismounting from her horse, Gale was greeted by a young man in leather armor who took the reigns of her horse. ”Oh thank the Gods you are here ma’am! Another Templar has already rushed off into the Castle, he is most likely with Knight-Captain Sunderland in the King’s room.” the young man said as he led the horse away and pointed towards a hall which led deeper into the Castle. Gale hurried down the hall and through the confusion until she finally happened upon the King’s chamber and found Draxis in the process.

”Sir, I came as soon as I got the message from the militiaman you had sent out. Do we have any..” Gale trailed off as she looked down at the crying Princess and Knight-Captain Sunderland. She bowed towards both before righting herself. ”Excuse me for my intrusion ma’am.” She said before stepping back a few paces in the hallway.

(Super short catch-up post because I am working 10 hours a day currently)

Evelyn turned to face Damien and just in time to hear his remark about the late Lord Commander. "The High Templar is dead, along with all the commanders. That does not mean you are free to speak of them without showing some respect. Teagen, please speak with this one..."

But Teagen never did.

Damien's face showed his dissappointment as he learned that the Order was in leaderless disarray. He shut his trap and backed down while this knight-captain dealt with the wayward Templar knights. He had a whirlwind of his own thoughts to deal with.

This was a bloodless disaster. Now more than ever, because of the impending doom from the North, which only HE knew about, the Dawn Covenent HAD to be strong. Having been the only survivor, Damien alone knew what was coming for them. He absolutely had to inform his order and get this kingdom prepared for war.

At least, there was still the King.

Damien was there when Draxis and his squad rode up and promised a meeting the next morning with additional news. It seemed for now these two were the acting heads of the Templars. Damien would be sure to be at that meeting as well.

The next morning, the scene of the crime, before the body of the late king, his mourning daughter, and the two aforementioned templar leaders, a wild necromancer appears.

A strange looking staff in hand, a grey-hooded Templar "mage" of some sort made his way abruptly into the room. "Stand aside. I'm a seer..." Damien said some shit to get by. He stood witness to the scene just as did everyone else, spotting his current commanding officers. "Bloody hell." He cursed softly to himself. A look in his eye conveyed his present thoughts to Evelyn like an open book: this country was beyond fucked.