Leaning on the side of a wooden building, which had been turned into a makeshift first aid post, Yakeru had listened to the speech Jared had just given. Like a general rousing his troops. The towering figure of the knight looked in the light of the flames of the many campfires, like one of the heroes of old. Yakeru could see it in the eyes of the soldiers. A glimmer of hope which had turned into a flame itself, burning with a passion. During the speech many had gotten up from their feet, their voices sounding louder until by the end of the speech they roared with their weapons in hand. Even the wounded had come out of the building to listen and let their voices join in with the others. Yakeru wondered that if they had gotten the order from Jared to march back from where they had come from, they would just do that. Yakeru glanced at Jared. Was this why they had been awoken in this world?

Earlier Yakeru had been sitting at one of the campfires, eating and talking with some of the refugees. An older man, one of the people he had saved even came over to thank him. Though he did not feel that he should be thanked, he had nodded with a smile at the old man. Then he got pulled away from the campfire and asked to help out with the wounded by a stern looking young woman and some linen was pushed in his hands to bandage the wounds where needed. He did not know anything about first aid and he had tried to explain this to her but she had merely shook her head and had started to order him around. So he had run around fetching water and wrapping bandages, which she showed him with a sigh as his first attempt was just poorly according to her. In a way had found it funny. The young woman was shorter than he was and she looked not older than eighteen but she walked around and ordered people like a veteran nurse would do in a hospital. She had narrowed her eyes as she had caught him looking at her with a smile, which promptly made him turn to the soldier he was binding who in turn shouted in pain as the bandage was too tight. After that she had shooed him out of the building, there was nothing he could do any more anyway, and he had leaned against the side of the building with a sigh of relief. In time to hear the speech of Jared.

The knight was right of course but if they wanted to take on the Witch, they needed an army. An army the Emperor could perhaps provide. The same Emperor who had ordered all of them to be awakened but did not even sent a delegation to welcome them or take them to the capital. And if Robert Avant had been chosen to be the delegation, the Emperor clearly did not know his subjects. If they truly had been sent to this world to help, Yakeru had expected something more.

Where was the man anyway?

He had not seen him after they had arrived in Hildegard. And Dexter also seemed to have disappeared. He did not dwell on the matter for long. Both were more than capable to take care of themselves. Probably. He would search for them later.

Yakeru had heard from some of the wounded soldiers that there was a city nearby called Pelinor where a decent military force was stationed and would be the place they were going to regroup soon. Something he should tell Jared later. The feeling of certainty this would turn into a full blown war did not leave his mind.

War. He thought back to the words of Chatak. Goblins had joined the Witch because of their mistreatment caused by humans. If the Hume Empire would march their entire military might against the Witch, the goblins would most certainly be decimated, Yakeru imagined. Or was her might so grand, her force so powerful that it would turn the other way around? Would the Empire lose the fight? In any case many lives would be lost and Yakeru did not know if he wanted to be part of an army responsible for that. But could a peaceful solution be possible?

Peace or war. Yakeru knew that he had to become stronger so he could at least aid those in need and to prepare for the times of great strife that were sure to come.

He felt in need of a drink. He had been old enough to drink in his old life and he sincerely hoped he was old enough to drink in this world.

"What about a drink, big guy? I'm sure there is a place somewhere where we can enjoy...whatever they are brewing here." He said as he had made his way to Jared. His eyes caught a glimpse of David and Mackensie and he beckoned them. "Any of you guys seen Dexter or Robert?"

Afki took a quick wide scan of the current party, her mind deep in thought, and quickly made a conclusion, "Let's form 3 groups of three. We'll each search a different area of the city for Cho and come back within, say, an hour and a half." Parshath silently agreed with Afki's proposal. If his train of thought was correct, the group of three rule was perfect for ensuring maximum search coverage while maintaining a sense of safety in numbers. Theoretically, at least one member would be able to rejoin the main party even in the worst case scenario. "We should keep an eye out for each other, as well as for Cho. And if we don't find him with the time limit, we can discuss what to do after we regroup. How's that sound?"

---

Teleus folded his arms and nodded. "Hm, yes, that sounds like a good strategy. Okay, who wants to go with Afki?"
All of them raised their hands. Teleus facepalmed and groaned, "Come on, guys, we can't all go with Afki. Do we need to cast lots?"
"Yup." Law stopped spinning his knife to pull out a handful of sticks.
Gurden threw up his hands. "Yeah, sure, trust the rogue with a game of chance."
"And trust a noble with it instead? You wouldn't know honesty if it slapped your tit and called you mommy."
"Say that again, commoner, and you'll be getting more than just a slap."
"Knock it off, kids!" Teleus barked.
"Excuse you?" Law growled. "Just because our spat looks like it's escalating doesn't mean you need to butt in. Stay out of it, Shield Hero."
"Yeah, stay out of it," said Gurden.
Teleus threw up his hands. "Fine. Work it out. But no fighting."
___

Several bruises later, the party assignments were decided. Hallim, Budam, and Afki formed one party, Heizar, Grin, and Bron another party, and Law, Gurden, and Gio the last party. Teleus would watch from the city entrance.

Budam didn't say much, but his perpetual scowl lessened somewhat when he learned he'd be accompanying Afki. Hallim, on the other hand, looked like he would faint from relief. As they explored the winding tunnels of the Formic city, Hallim whined, "Miss Afki? Do you know how long this is going to take? I'm feeling really sick."

Budam gently squeezed his shoulder in solidarity as he watched for any sign of their missing spearman.

@Thinslayer While the lots were going on, Afki and Parshath were having their own mental conversation. Well, someone's popular, Parshath remarked. To think I'd see the day my little girl would-

Ugh, not this joke again, Afki thought, rolling her eyes at Parshath. You already used this joke when the party first formed. You could at least come up with something new.

Gee, when did you become such a critic? You got no sense of humor anymore, Parshath sulked.

Maybe if this wasn't the 10th time you've tried to use it, I'd actually want to hear it again.

Their argument continued on until the party finally settled on the groups, and Afki set off with Hallim and Budam in tow. The tunnels remained as lifeless as the rest of the city, but that didn't make the situation any better. Honestly, the more we stay here, the more I'm sure we should get out while we still can, Parshath remarked. Me too, but we should at least make an effort to find Cho. Who knows what's happened to him? Afki responded.

I'd rather not stick around to find out, Parshath answered. Turning to Hallim, Afki responded, "Not too long now. With any luck, we'll find Cho and be out of here before you know it." She flashed a smile at the two before turning her attention back to searching for their missing party member. She really hoped her sense of danger was wrong.

---

@Thinslayer

---

["It was passable."] Chatak said as Shaktak joined him. ["To achieve my goals, I'll need to be a lot better than that."]

He turned to the other goblin, Kolgat, and nodded.

["Anyone you can spare. Smiths, architects, stone masons, we could use anything and everything. I understand that the Witch may be wary of parting with them, but in a way, this supports her end goal as well. She requires a strong nation to fight the voidspawn, and with these craftsmen, I will be able to continue working towards that end."]

It was unfortunate that he never actually got to speak to any of the humans whose freedom he'd negotiated, hoping that maybe they'd be grateful enough to connsider joining him, but he supposed this wasn't so bad either. At least they were free, and it looked like he was still going to get some good workers out of it in the end too! Still, it would've been nice to get some human craftsmen as well, if for no other reason than to finally actually make his goal of a community where monsters and humans work together more than just words and wishful thinking.

["Also, can any of them read maps well?"] He asked as an afterthought. ["Because my companions and I may not be able to return to our village just yet, so they may need to make their way on their own."]

Robert perched his lips again at Dexter's question. It is indeed true that he didn't get to play the game very often. "It was more like nobody knew this game here. Only my wife does, and her I almost went bald explaining." It is quite a complicated game for a world full of dumb people, but who knows, there are smart people here and there, maybe even Dexter could turn out to be a hidden prodigy. Robert also grabbed a chair, took off his gambeson and comfortly laid it on his lap as he laid the pieces on the table. 16 filled the two rows closest to him, and 16 more on Dexter's side, but his was black-colored. The second row were all the same pieces, shaped like a lamp. For the first row, the pieces on the far outside looked like a castle, a horse's head, an elephant's trunk, and only the two center pieces resembled something from this world: two crowns respective of queen's and king's.

"In this game, we take turns. I go first you go second, because white pieces go first. Objective is capturing your opponent's pieces, and putting the opponent's king under attack. If your king cannot move while under attack, you lose. Every piece has its own name and rules. This piece is called a pawn." He pointed at one random piece on the second row. "Then rook, knight, bishop, queen, king." Then went to the first row and quickly tapped on the top of these pieces. He then grabbed one of the pawns "Pawn moves forward only one square, twice at first move if so choose. Captures diagonally, becomes either 4 of these pieces if reaching the other side of the board. Knight moves in an 'L' shape. Rook moves straight. Bishop moves diagonally. Queen combines both rook and bishop movements, so it has very powerful scope. And the king just move to any square surrounding it. For every pieces except for the pawn, you can capture the exact same way as you'd move. Cannot capture your own pieces." He reached for his king and immediately set up a simple illustration of a check. "How you put the king under attack, is to put him in the line of capture of other pieces, like your rook here next turn can capture my king. It's called check, and you have to evade, either by blocking, moving away, or capturing the attacker." With every point he made he put his pieces, or rather slamming it on the board in a way that it felt like he was tossing it as well to illustrate. "If you cannot stop this, it's called checkmate, and you lose."

Now, knowing his experience teaching Riley this, this is the part where her head explodes. No matter how concise he put it for this kid to learn, it'd still be a lot of info for someone. So he'd do exactly what he did with her. "Now, best by test. You might be confused, but a few games in, you'll get the idea. I won't go hard."

If he preferred to do something else, that is completely fine by him. He didn't expect anyone to get or enjoy this game this quickly.

Location: Sealed Tower
Interaction: @Thinslayer The Witch

---

Lex's eyebrows rose with the first inhale of his cigarette as he watched the mysterious woman remove her hood. Her strands of hair caught his eyes. Silver and wispy… a great difference from gray and thinned. When her hands reached for her mask, he kept his eyes fixed on her. Enya stared too, remaining quiet to respect their conversation. It's not like she had anything to add. In fact, she desired to learn something from this interaction, from both the Witch and Lex.

He exhaled out of the side of his mouth as the mask was removed, and beneath it, a face was revealed. Her face. He blinked a few times, staring straight ahead while the woman took a seat beside him. His mind briefly flashed to the partially drawn sketch he worked on just before this. What really did this world mean to him? What did this woman mean to him?

He met her gaze and smiled back at the Witch. Her proposal seemed fair enough.

"I'll trade you the story, the plan, and my name for a cigarette."

"Deal. Nothing like a cigarette with company." He did wonder about the value of a single cigarette in this world. The woman knew what it was, sure, but maybe it wasn't a luxury here. "Good company." He added, still smiling as he passed her a cigarette. He held up the lighter, prepared to charitably light her cigarette with it.

Ha! I picked the coolest reincarnation ever! He might fight for us for sure! I just have to make sure he remembers who he's made a pact with. ME! I mean the Witch is great, but she has to come second. It's just the way these things work.

She leaned closer to him to receive his offer, and the tip of the cigarette lit up with a soft golden light.

When she took her first drag, she nearly burst out laughing - only to break out coughing instead. "Wow. I haven't had one of these in centuries. Hoo! I almost forgot how much it burns the first time. Ha ha!" She took another drag and closed her eyes to savor the taste of it.

And I don't even have to worry about the adverse health impact. So nice being immortal. She shot Lex a sidelong glance and a pleased smirk. "My name is Ru. Ru Bain. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lex."

Ru took a moment to breathe in the aroma of her cigarette while she collected her thoughts. "As for the 'crisis,' I suppose the easiest way to explain it is to show you." She rose to her feet and led Lex and Enya out of the tomb. They emerged onto a walkway inside a staggeringly vast tower. Doorways to tombs just like theirs stretched for almost a quarter mile in either direction and looped around the corners of the tower until they hit the entrance, a set of imposing double doors. Layers of these tombs and walkways stacked up as far as the eye could see into the earth and sky to form a hollow interior. The wide walkway they emerged on formed a "bridge" over this abyss of tombs.

She escorted them to the middle of the walkway, where was found a magic circle in front of a central elevator. Goblins occasionally popped in and out of the magic circle carrying supplies. Ru withdrew a knife, cut her elbow, and dribbled blood on the edge of the circle. When the last drop struck the floor, they found themselves inside a smaller stone room.

"This is my fortress in Nazir. Dreary, I know. We won't stay long." As a pragmatic installation, the fortress had little in the way of decoration. The scorch marks, broken arrowheads, and dried blood in the cobblestone walls told of a place suffering constant warfare. Ru glanced back and grimaced a wordless apology. When they found themselves at seemingly a dead end, she pressed in a stone, and part of the wall trundled aside to reveal a hidden passageway.

Even before they saw the creature, they could feel their hairs standing up on end. Tightly chained up in a suspended steel cage, the shadowy visage of a creature resembling a man stared down at them, its murderous eyes glowing a faint crimson in the dim torchlight of the room. It made neither movement nor sound, and seemed for a moment like a just a creepy statue until its gaze shifted to someone else.

"He was once a young swordsman named Hallim Chaom," said Ru softly. And so began her tale:

---

@Scarifar
"Not too long now. With any luck, we'll find Cho and be out of here before you know it," Afki said, and flashed a reassuring smile.
"Okay. I'll do my best." Hallim released a hollow sigh and continued his dragging pace behind her, hunched over a little from nausea.

A scratching sound behind them drew their attention. Budam drew his sword and turned to face it. If the torches around the hive weren't still burning, they couldn't have spotted the shadowy creature trailing them at a distance. It resembled a black six-legged tarantula, bigger than two human hands laid end to end, whose shadowy aura and crimson eyes marked it as something other.

Budam breathed a sigh of relief. "It's only a Voidspawn," he muttered, and promptly cut the thing in two. Its body dissolved to ashes and blew away.

Hallim gulped hard and gathered his strength. "Do- do we normally- see them down here?" he gasped out.
Budam gave a negative tilt of his head, and raised an eyebrow at Afki to request an explanation.

Voidspawn, according to current wisdom, were believed to be "chaotic evil sprites," since they dematerialized like incarnated sprites and exhibited a similar kind of violent, reckless behavior only found in such hard-to-kill beings. Thus, it was thought that manablades and magical attacks, which could kill sprites, could dispatch them. Voidspawn typically attacked any surface-dwellers foolish enough to be caught out in the open, and would occasionally form packs to attack the roads. Whenever a nest was discovered, the Adventurer's Guild would post a quest to have it exterminated. A party of 8 novice adventurers was usually enough to handle the job.

The creatures were almost never found this far underground, let alone in the West Pelinor Labyrinth.

---

"M'lord? Do you think?" One of the thrones' young brunette servants asked a blonde male who shrugged with a perplexed look upon his face. They had been on their way to deliver Emperor Dragan his hourly snack. A necessity that gave the great ruler strength and vitality during the entirety of the day. It was needed even more now. News of the Witch's victories left the Emperor stressed… No, not stressed. Never that. Her victories left him hungry for vengeance! Or so that's what his subordinates spread to the masses. The emperor's weight was indeed a measure of the passion he felt for his people, and he was a very large man.

"Emperor?" She was afraid to touch the emperor as she was much too lowly to under any other circumstance. Part of her screamed at her to leave, as to not be a suspect in the death of the Jaelhorn Dragan. She turned to the young man, but...

"Huh?! What?! What the…" Jaelhorn blinked a few times as he took in his surroundings. The large throne room, the extremely comfortable throne, the two young adults that looked upon him in wonder, his… his gut? Fat fingers, double chin, moist crevices… "What in the actual hell?! Why… What the hell happened to me?! Where the hell am I?!" The servants startled, actually ran in a panic, exiting the throne room thinking the emperor had gone mad. The silver trays were tossed and food was scattered across the ground. Dumplings, the emperor's favorite snack.

"Hey! Who… forget it." Jaelhorn stood up from his chair… well he tried. "How did I get so fat that I can't even…" He sighed as he put some more effort into standing from the throne. "Ugh! There we go." He looked down at his body with a frown. Placing both hands on his large stomach, he shook it.
"Ugh… how? This is…"

It hit him. His last memory before this place. Shot dead in an elevator. Hell. This is hell, isn't it? I'm a fat man… On a throne. A fat king? He reached up to his head and removed the gold and red crown to look upon. It and the many rings on his finger glistened in the light overhead. A fat king eh? Fuck it, I'll take it. Just have to work out some. He shrugged and sat back down, putting the crown back on.

"Ahem! I require assistance in my throne room!" He announced. Perhaps he'll enjoy this. The seat was really comfortable too.

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

Outside the refugee camp



A dark blue portal began to manifest itself upon the starry night sky, slight bolts of magical lightning flickering before fiercely slamming into a hill just outside the refugee encampment. The flashing light of a bolt in the distance, and the rumbling across the skies akin to thunder. Then there was silence as the portal began to spin and twist as a lone shrouded figure began to fall through it, not at high speed but in a soft almost featherlike fall towards the ground below. The landing was soft, as the figures boots hit the solid earth of the top of the hill, having fallen a distance of a three-story high building, yet the hill itself was like a two story building by it's own. The portal didn't stop to spin or twist, smaller crackles of lightingsparks surrounding it before the portal seemed to devour itself, until it finally vanished altogether as quickly as it had come.

The darkhooded and cloaked figure which now found himself standing on the hill allowed his eyes to open to meet the sight of a new world, the golden orbs gazed at the surrounding area and the dark skies. Yet amidst all the darkness there was fire in the night. Campfires. Lit by those who sought refuge from the cold or other things no doubt. The hooded figure allowed himself a slight smirk as he raised his both hands as if to feel if they were still there. Much to his pleasure they were.

"Oh? My my... what have we here then? The moon is very red tonight..." The man said to himself as he stood there watching his surroundings which were most unfamiliar, as if he had been thrown into another world or something akin. It was the wind itself which first answered him, blowing against him, causing his cloak and hood to flicker in the wind. Strands of his long white hair soon following it. In the distance he could see shadows moving, close to the fires that was lighting up the dark. As if indeed they were beacons meant to draw attention to themselves.

The fairy's wings flickered momentarily just a slight bit as they were nicely tucked under the cloak, the man himself held out his left hand with the palm facing up towards the sky, then allowed his magic to flow through him channeling it. It felt as it had done so many times before, in a place other than here, to a time other than now. A lone vine began to form from the magic itself, sliding down and digging itself into the top of the hill, then the fairy took a few steps back while still allowing his magic to flow. It didn't take him long until the vine began to change and become bigger and branch out until it finally took upon the shape of a tree. And as soon as it had grown fully, the fairy cut his magic off and flapped his mothlike wings up to the highest stable branch of the tree and sat down there. It provided a little more of an advantage point than the hill, but it also felt more homely and he prefered to sit down whilst eating. He used his magic to form a red apple in his left hand and took a bite out of it, expecting it to taste different from before. Yet it was as sweet and juicy as it had always been, that very thing was even sweeter to him than the taste itself.

'Red the colour of love, passion, revenge and blood. How fittingly it clads so many, and how sweet it taste to those which seek it. Yet the sweetest of things can be oh so very poisonous...' He mused in his own head, as another smirk formed on his lips. His eyes gazing at the area in which he found himself. 'Soon there will no doubt be some meet and greet to do. Let see what greeting gifts can be arranged...' He thought in an amused manner.

@Thinslayer "Well, no," Afki said hesitantly. "At least, I haven't. This is very strange..." At the same time, Parshath shivered a little upon seeing the Voidspawn, overcome with a sudden desire to strike at it, to wipe it out of existence. Afki, noticing the slight tremble in her hands, asked him, You ok, Parshath? The desire soon faded, and Parshath's mind cleared once more. Oh, um, uh, y-yeah. It's all good, Parshath chuckled. You know how it is with Voidspawn... Afki frowned, but decided not to pursue it. It's that again, huh? Well, as long as you're okay... She said, remembering the last time they encountered a Voidspawn. It was dispatched easily, of course, but Parshath's reaction had been the same as before. It's just an instinct, I guess. And hey, it could be helpful if we come across more of those things. I'm telling ya, Voidspawns are more dangerous than what most people think of them. I'm not wrong on that... probably, Parshath said.

Makeshift tents and campfires were erected over the course of an hour, refugees huddled together mourning the loss of their homes and the lives lost on this fateful night. It was a woeful sight to see soldiers weeping and children silent with haunted expressions on their youthful faces, so many people displaced on this most horrific of nights. On this night the cold wind carried the voices of the despaired, a symposium of melancholy that reached the ears of all within miles as it was a grim reminder of this most tragic of nights. Jared watched the people as they wandered aimlessly, fury and guilt in his heart 'These people never deserved this,' the knight slumped against the wall of a building overlooking the impromptu refugee camp, Jared put his head in the palms of his hands 'They had lives, families and homes to return to but now...' lifting his face from his hands Jared once again looked down at the people in the camp, his eyes were full of tears 'These people have nothing, no hope in this cursed world.'

'Jared.'

Jared was startled by the sudden return of the Revenant's voice, it had gone silent since the confrontation with that goblin Chatak. He wanted to respond but his voice was lost as the other's filled his mind for all but a moment 'Jared can give hope, Jared give people hope.' hearing these words from the voice of a monster was strange, to him there was a suspicion welling up within his heart yet even if the monster had a motive nothing about the words were false. Jared would lay down his life to protect those who are unable to protect themselves, and something told him maybe that was his reason for being here.

A burning determination filled his heart that replaced the despair clouding his mind, a flame of hope to beat back the darkness. Jared was that fire, a white hot flame that would never die as long as the knight still breathed.

It was on this most fateful of nights the huddled masses would mourn no longer, the winds would no longer carry the cold touch of hopelessness and despair, no this night was not the end of hope but the beginning of it. "Listen to my words, and listen well." the knight stepped from the shadows his voice silencing the cries of the crestfallen "Look at me and see who I am!" his glowing eyes flashed in the flickering firelight "Am I still standing?" now Jared's voice boomed echoing off the small cottages that dotted the village "Do I look like I have given up?" some voices cried back from the darkness "NO" "Do I look like I'm ready to lie down defeated?" then more voices arose in answer "NO"

Jared pulled his broadsword from it's sheathe with a metallic hiss and a flash of light, his jaw was hard set and his eyes burning with a fiery rage fueled by a determination to do justice for these victims of a conflict much larger than them. "THIS BLADE I WIELD, IS IT TO FIGHT WITH?" now the cries became a symphony that rolled across the hills thundering a reply.

"YES"

"THIS SHIELD IS IT TO PROTECT WITH?" he banged his sword against the old faded steel of the antiquated shield

"YES"

"I WILL NOT GIVE UP. I WILL END THIS SUFFERING" Jared's voice was getting hoarse but he continued and raised his blade high "I WILL RISE UP TO FIGHT. NOW WILL YOU?" the question hung in the air.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Jared whipped the people into a patriotic frenzy. Men and women, young and old, healthy and infirm, everyone burned within their hearts for vengeance against the vile witch who displaced them. With his speech concluded the knight was approached by Yakeru whom proposed Jared join him and the others for a drink.

As much as Jared would have loved to rest his sore body the knight knew he now had a duty to lead these people. So he shook his head "I'll join you later if I can, for now I have a duty to fulfil." with that Jared gave the young man a hearty slap on the shoulder and walked away.

Passing between campfires Jared was greeted with cheers by those warming by dim firelight. On his way the knight was hailed over by a group of what looked like men-at-arms, soldiers and knights who failed in the defense of their city. They did not look nearly as enthusiastic as the others. These men were battered, broken, defeated. Courage died between their pursed lips.

Their commander, unofficially promoted due to the death of their previous commander, looked at Jared with particular irritation. "How can we fight back How can anyone fight back?" he protested. "Even when we were at full strength, we were slaughtered like animals! What are we supposed to accomplish now that almost our whole force was decimated? Are you insane?" it was an understandable reaction to which in response Jared shook his head "No I'm very much sane, I don't expect us to march back and fight right now." Jared replied gesturing to their surroundings.

"I don't expect these people to march to their deaths, look at the fucking poor state these people were in. Now they have hope, that will give them a reason to push forward." the knight sat by the the fire, throwing a bit of tinder from the ground into the pit causing it to rumble and crack loudly.

"We need to get these people to safety, then we fight the people's war. I have heard that wretched woman herself and her plans of conquest." then over the fire Jared's piercing gaze bore into the commander with no humor "A bloody conquest, where innocents will be slaughtered. I want to make sure that doesn't happen." punctuating the seriousness of his remark Jared put more fuel to the fire that rained glittering sparks, popping and crackling loudly.

There was a scraping of dirt as the commander sat down beside him. "So, what do you plan to do then? Go in there and fight all by yourself? I mean no disrespect, but it's a little tough to believe you alone could handle what five of you could not."

"But we were surrounded back then," said a soldier who sat down beside the commander. "We were decimated and needed to retreat. Now that we've regrouped, we'll have a new set of advantages we didn't have previously."

"Such as?"

"Surprise, for one. I don't think the Witch will be suspecting 2000 soldiers to turn and head back to Ormouth, or that our Knight is going with us. And she won't know from which direction we'll attack."

"That's true. Hey, you've got a good head for this. Maybe you should be commander."

The soldier waved his hands. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly! I'm much too young!"

The commander gave a wry smile. "You're never too young to lead. It's experience, not age, that qualifies a man. Anyway, is it possible for us to sneak into Ormouth and assassinate the Witch?"

The soldier gave Jared a once-over. "The man is dark and goth as hell. I bet he could sneak past the Devil himself in the dead of night." Jared laughed "Unfortunately my armor is not good for stealth soldier, and we have another problem." he thought back to when the Revenant confronted the masked woman, remembering the pointy-earred warrior with a grimace "Her right-hand is that elf," Jared glanced around noting a few nods from the men near the fire.

"Our priority is to get as far away from here as possible, I won't see you get decimated even if we have the element of surprise. Sometimes damage can be dealt in different ways, first we must destroy her reputation." before anyone could scoff the knight raised a hand cutting them off "People are afraid of her, if they didn't she would face fiercer opposition. A full blown rebellion would be brought upon her, but now I must ask you something."

Jared stood from the ground, dusting off his knees before looking around at the men and women gathered around the campfire "Are you willing to rise from the ashes of your burning city, are you not a testament to survival? Are you not the last remnants of Ormouth?" the question was met by the silence broken only by the low rumble of the hot fire as it snapped and hissed, once in awhile popping "You are the Last Remnant, the survivors of Ormouth."

The command leaned forward. "So what you're saying is, we're not going to fight her directly, but use subterfuge and undermine her politically?"

"At first yes, we can't afford for her to be aware of our efforts. Bit by bit we will grow then we will strike."

"I think we can manage that. What will you do?"

"I'm already doing my part, leading your sorry ass's out of this mess." Jared laughed giving the commander a pat on the back "I'll make sure you don't fuck up along the way."

@Rabidporcupine

Kolgat bowed his head and fell silent.

And there they waited. And waited. Then a quiet rumbling sound came from the goblin's nostrils. Shaktak leaned over to look in his face.

"Lo, he sleepeth." Shaktak lightly slapped the goblin on the cheek, rousing him with a loud snort.
["Hm? What? Oh, yes, yes, we have some artisans to spare."]
"Whom canst thou spare?"
["I could have told you if you hadn't interrupted my thinking."]
Shaktak narrowed his eyes. "Thine eyes were shut and thy nostrils sang of slumber."
"Moss trolls sang of summer?"
"Nostrils sang of slumber. [Your nose sang of sleep.]"
["Ah. That is how I cogitate. Please do not interrupt me again like that."]
Shaktak waved his hand with a roll of his eyes. "Continue."
Kolgat sniffed offendedly and continued. ["We can spare a couple blacksmiths, a civil engineer, and a team of old soldiers with good masonry skills. Since Her Majesty mandated we treat you as a friend, we will lend them to you free of charge. You may return them when you have finished whatever it is you are building and have trained their successors. Will that work for you?"]

Shhh, its ok David, I know this may seem bad. I know how you must feel. Scared, angry and confused...I know. But you cant change this.." She reached over to stroke his face wiping away his tears. Giving him a soft smile. Leaning over to kiss his forehead. "Just always remember, accept the things you cant change. But never be afraid to fight for things too change and do the right thing." She closed her eyes. For the last time.

David shot away, panting as he looked around. He mustve dozed off during the escort. Creaking his neck and looked at the others. "Sorry, how long have I been out?" Looking over at Mackenzie, wondering what happened since he was asleep. Knowing that he missed a lot. Letting out a sigh as he tried to remember his dream. It felt like the last minutes of it were slipping away from him, as he tried to hold onto them.

So much has happened since he woke up in this wild place. Despite just arriving, he felt like he spent an entire lifetime here. And even though he was a stranger to this world, he felt like he has been her for ages now. Spent his entire life in this world. Not to mention the shadow arm, it felt...familair somewhow. When ever it came out of his back, sometimes he felt like he wasnt in control of it. As if it had a mind of its own.

It was like it was the arm of someone else, trying to protect him.

Who was this woman? He knew her, he had to have known her! Someone here had to know how to help him. To get his memories back. Looking back at the Seeing Yakeru, he walked over giving his friend a small smile. Maybe a drink would help him. "I could use a drink...people use drinks to forget. I might need one to remember." He said, with a small laugh.

The out of breath sensation was only getting worse, and he had a pins-and-needles sensation everywhere. His head was swimming, and thinking was becoming difficult. He could see his wife's expression of panic and concern, sprinting to the house phone. He didn't have the energy to keep his head up, and let it hang. His eyes fell on the little bundle in his arms, his son sleeping quietly for the first time in hours. His thoughts became more disjointed and he closed his eyes, tired. All he could feel now was his heart hammering in his chest. The sensation slowly faded into nothing.



He awoke in the dim light cast from the walls, snapping to sober awareness in a singular moment. Clarity freed his thoughts, and the realization hit him like a truck. He was dead. He had died holding his son as his wife tried to call for help. It was too sudden, and there was so much he wanted to do. So much he wanted to see. He wanted to see his son grow up, wanted to grow old with his wife. But he would be forever denied that now. He broke down at that, an anguished, horrified scream echoing through the tower as his knees collided with the featureless stone floor of the tower. his arms hung limp, useless as he wailed, head turned upwards towards the countless stories of the tower above.

He had no idea how long he had been there, having gone silent. Misery had given way to the muddled sense of despair, and part of him, deep down, wanted to stay there and just wait for death. Eventually he turned away from the lights above and let his head hang, staring at his own legs and the stone floor beneath him. Absentmindedly he inspected the strange clothing. He'd never seen anything like it, a strange mismatch of colors and materials. Bitter, he reached for the bizarre strings of talismans around his waist, but stopped short. Even his hands were covered by a pair of gloves. Bitterness gave way to unfocused anger. The gloves marked his loss, and he wanted to do away with them, so he did. finding the motivation to move, he reached forward and pulled at the offending garb. Irritation became confusion as he stared at the metal, not flesh, of his hand.

He had too many questions, and he felt like he was in a fever-dream. He had to get out. pushing himself off the floor, he looked his location over, the flat, almost-featureless floor extending out an absurd distance to the sides, and forward. He stood on a small rise in the floor at the end of a minuscule depression running to the opposite end of the room where a structure ran upwards along the many floors and out of view. Too far to see easily, he plodded forwards to investigate, his stride feeling oddly long, but natural. taking longer than he'd expected, he came to a stop at the other side of the room and glanced over what looked like the tracks of an industrial elevator recessed into an alcove in the wall, a glowing panel to the side. Without a second thought, he pressed his gloved hand against it, and it flashed. He waited.

Far above, a cacophony of sound filled the very top of the tower as old machinery spun to life, still as ready as the day it was made. The elevator that had been waiting near the top descended faster and faster, massive pulleys accelerated, the spokes within the enormous metal wheels becoming a blur. The goblins left to guard the Witch's new conquest began to panic as the Tower's machines seemingly began acting of their own accord. They scrambled to find someone smart enough to know what to do in the absence of their Goddess.

Minutes passed and nothing had happened. He pressed his hand to the panel again, but it didn't respond as before. His patience endured as he stood in the dim light and silence for something, anything to change. Minutes ticked by, and just as he was about to give up, he heard the hum of tracked wheels from above. Before he realized what was happening, the elevator had arrived, rapidly slowing from a breakneck pace before stopping and opening it's plain metal doors. Stepping in, the only features he observed were a handrail ringing the interior, and a dial filled with countless gears as some sort of interface. looking over it, there were scribbles on the wall marking a button as "return". He depressed the mechanical trigger and the doors quickly shut before the elevator began shooting upwards, causing him to grab the handrail as the constant acceleration caused him to struggle to remain upright.

This is insane, how long has this thing been accelerating?! The howl of the wind was deafening, and the elevator was still accelerating, everything outside the cabin a blur of color and movement. His grip tightened on the handrail, fighting to remain standing as gravity and acceleration attempted to drag him to the floor. After nearly ten minutes of struggle, the acceleration reversed, and he felt weightless, feet held to the ground only by the force of his grip on the railing. It was too noisy and terrifying to think about anything beyond just trying to survive an elevator ride out of hell. Fears of the elevator failing in a myriad of spectacular ways filled his mind. Ironically, he still feared death.

In the last minute of his ascent, the wind noise fell away, and the blur that was the floors of the tower came back into view. The elevator slowed to a stop at a floor with a few unique features. A bridge extended out over the void, and doors set into the exterior wall of the tower... Something else drew his attention away from the room itself. Are those Goblins? A trio of short green humanoids were scrambling out of a nearby door, one with decidedly fancier garb pointing at the elevator and yelling something he couldn't quite make out. He strode out of the elevator, and circled the walkway directly towards the Goblins.

---

Hearing that the Witch hadn't had a cigarette surprised Lex. Was this single pack all he had left during his time here? It wasn't good news but maybe he needed to quit. Besides he was no longer under the pressures of tight deadlines and harsh critics. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Either way, he didn't regret sharing a cigarette with her. Despite the information he would receive, the Witch or Ru Bain as she revealed, came off as a pleasant individual.

"It's a pleasure meeting you as well, Ru." He had replied before listening to what the particular woman had to share with him.

Lex and Enya followed Ru, Enya being uncharacteristically quiet. She didn't want to interrupt or butt in, especially a conversation the Witch was having. She had a great degree of respect for the woman, but there was also some fear too. Her feelings caused Lex to feel uneasy, but he did not know why he felt the way he did. Enya took a comfortable seat on Lex's shoulder, her legs crossed as she leaned against his neck.

"Don't mind me. Just taking a seat." She stated as soon as Lex peered down at her. He shrugged and took another drag, accidentally making Enya lose her balance. She didn't fall, but that didn't stop her from piping up. "HEY! Watch it!"

"My bad."

Once the three were upon the magic circle, Lex noted the small green creatures popping in and out of it. Goblins? He didn't have the chance to ask as he was more concerned with Ru's sudden act of self-mutilation to her elbow with a knife. As the blood dripped onto the circle, Lex remained silent, observing rather than negatively judging. And in an instant, the trio was in a different room. Smaller, but made of stone like the last.

Nazir.
Nazir?

While Lex took note, Enya was left surprised. The location was less welcoming than the last and appeared to have a rough history that hadn't finished telling its tale. The look Ru gave him reminded him of someone silently apologizing for their house being a bit messier than usual. The hidden passageway made Lex smirk, finding it fitting in such a world, but the smirk quickly faded. If he had to describe the sudden feeling he felt once the passageway was open, he might say fright or paranoia. Enya feeling quite similar only made his feeling more dreadful.

Lex hesitantly followed the witch into the chamber where the humanoid of darkness was chained. His eyes locked on its glowing crimson ones. Even as Ru started the tale, Lex stared. He stared at the creature who used to be Hallim Chaom. The story was rather grim as Lex was informed how a party of adventurers was attacked by the Voidspawn.

Once known to be benign creatures by this world, yet they could wreak havoc upon it.

"We'll beat them, Lex. You and I will be ready for them!" Enya got up and flew up to Lex's face and pointed at the tip of his nose, a confident look about her. "You just have to trust us. Especially me! No offense though!" Enya turned to the Witch with both hands raised.

"How?" Lex was wondering if there was some type of training he would receive or perhaps some grand artifact he needed to venture out and find. Maybe a weapon, or a key… Actually wouldn't a lock be more suitable with this kind of thing? A weapon would be cooler though.

"Our pact! You and me. We have power and I'll show you! We'll get the greater flame and help Ru keep our world safe from them." Lex liked Enya's spunk. She was actually inspiring in a way. He pulled his still-lit cigarette up to his lips and took a longer drag than previously. He flicked the cigarette butt to the floor and stomped on it to put it out. With an exhale of smoke, he gave a confident smirk.

"What's first?"

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

The encampment

Interacting with: Yakeru

The remaining core of the apple had been tossed away, and now that the fairy had his food he decided it was right about time to inspect the encampment. None had seemingly seen nor heard his arrival, either that or they paid it no mind. He rose to his feet on the branch he moments earlier had sat upon, before throwing his cloak away, letting it be carried away by the wind. His dark mothlike wings spread out slightly, showing the orange pattern on the inside of them, depicting large scary eyes.

Then the fae set off into flight towards the encampment, allowing the night sky to conceal him as best as it could, and as he got closer he waited for one of the men on guard to turn around on his patrol before sliding past him. The flames in the lit torches flickering as he did, causing the man he just passed to turn around, and see that there was none there. Elthrael quickly folded his wings, and then made his way past several tents and people who were overly noisy for his tastes. The darkwinged fae finally laid his eyes on a suitable target, a young human male by the looks of it.

'Humans hm? I cannot help but think I am not at home no more. Ahh, but where am I? Time shall tell no doubt. Or at least this one might just do that...' He thought as he quietly stepped forth from behind a tent, approaching Yakeru with soft steps.

"My my, If I am not mistaken that does sound like the winds of war.." The fae chuckled as he stepped into the more lit area of the encampment, his golden eyes becoming more flamelike the closer to the light he came, his mothlike wings folded but clearly visible. His horns protruding from his forehead much as his cornerteeth would be clearly visible in his smile. The wind picking up stray locks of his long white hair, a single hand resting at his waist.

"Yet one cannot help but wonder, against whom or what? For what purpose?" Elthrael said in a musing manner, a smirk crawling up on his lips as his eyes scanned the young man from top to toe.

"Ah... but allow me to introduce myself, I am Elthrael Vol'Kerno. A fairy, but not the one that is after your teeth. I have enough of my own as you can see..." The fae grinned while tilting his head slightly to the side, sliding a finger along his own cheek.

"Whom might you be then? An upcoming star upon the vast skies?" The fae asked, whilst his eyes scanned the surrounding area, his eyes being on almost as high alert as his ears.

The slap on his back caught Yakeru by surprise and pushed all the air from his lungs. Jared walked away as Yakeru coughed for a few seconds, amazed at the force of the knight. This had only been a slap on the back but Yakeru had seen firsthand what strength he had. Much like Mackensie had thought earlier, he too was glad that the hulking knight was on their side. But what was their side? Soldiers greeted Jared as he passed them. Yakeru could see that the effect of the speech earlier had not worn off, no it was quite the contrary. People were already talking about taking up arms against the Witch. Soldiers and refugees alike. They wanted to be near him. Wanted him to lead them. Back on earth, Yakeru had seen in movies or read in books about leader rallying their troops or forming a rabble into a capable fighting force but to see it happen with his own eyes really was something. He had no doubt they would follow their hero to the ends of the world and back if he asked them to.

Jared, the Messiah

Yakeru looked down to his gloved hands which were trembling slightly. Quickly he clenched his fists and turned his back to the fire. Jared would lead them. But where to, that was the question. More to talk about, if Jared decided to join them for drinks.

At least David, being a good companion, agreed on a drink or two. Maybe three if it was any good. Drink to forget or drink to remember...Maybe a bit of both tonight.

“A man after my own heart! Thank you, my friend.”

If Yakeru would be correct, this would be the que for Mackensie to join them also. Even if it would be to just keep an eye on both of them. Perhaps he could get her to loosen up a bit. She was a good person. Both she and David were. He felt content to be among them, felt just right to be in their company as if that was where he had to be. After today he needed it. With a smile towards both of them he started to walk. Now where is that tavern...

After only a few steps, Yakeru suddenly stopped. He could sense somebody watching him. A strange sensation ran through his body and somewhere deep in his mind, a faint feeling of alarm. There! Someone had been standing between two tents, his gaze upon Yakeru. Even though the spot was empty now, he just knew that it had been real. He turned his head toward David and Mackensie wondering if he should just continue to go with them or...

“Excuse me for a moment. Nature calls!” He smiled a bit uneasy. He never was much of a liar but hoped that his facial expression would be convincing enough. “Save me a seat will you. I'll be right there after I finish my...business!”

Perhaps it had been wise to take both of them with but maybe it had just been his imagination running wild and he would have made a fool of himself. Again. Besides he was in the middle of a camp filled with refugees and soldiers. What could happen to him, right?

As expected he did not find the person. It was the mysterious person who found him instead.

To say that the man was not what he had expected was an understatement. A fairy?
Bright golden eyes, burning like fire. Horns. Sharp hookteeth. Mothlike wings. Yakeru's vision of the cute, colourful little fairies and pixies living in trees broke, like a mirror, in a thousand pieces in his mind. More evidence he should change his way of thinking in this new world. The fae spoke with a certain eloquence in his voice and was not unpleasant to listen to.

Was uh...he trying to be kawaii? Yakeru thought as he allowed himself a small smile and chuckled at the joke. So they even have the toothfairy here huh
The fae had introduced himself and now asked for his name, which would be rude not to give.

“You can call me Yakeru. If you're looking for a star, you should try the big knight. Can't miss him. Seems like he is the star tonight.”

Yakeru laughed softly, placing his hand on his shaking head.

“Ah. Forgive me. Do not mind me. So, what brings you to this encampement, mister...fairy. Wanting to join the war effort or are you some kind of...disaster tourist?” Amused he raised an eyebrow. Again he could feel the faint alarm in the deepest reaches of his mind. Once more he ignored it.

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

Elthrael stood silent as the young man spoke, adept were those able to speak, yet even more so those able to listen.

"Yakeru? Short yet effective. Afraid I know not this big knight you speak of, yet it is refreshing to hear you have an eye for other individuals. The ability to discern truth from the lies, or greatness compared to ineptitude is a talent not all sadly possess to a higher degree. Whilst some may appear to burn brightly, they can also burn up really fast if they are not wary, alongside those which stick too closely thinking the heat can only keep them warm, never even considering it could put them ablaze." Elthrael said in a soft tone of voice, his fingers tapping slightly at his waist.

"My reason for approaching the flames lit here is not to bathe in someone elses light, but to gain a power far more useful than any other. Knowledge. I know not this foe these people seek to fight, nor do I know their reasoning for it. Therefor I cannot say where I stand in that, after all one is to inspect both sides of a conflicts in order to obtain a greater understanding of things. When it comes to disasters, they are sometimes not too far away, no matter what world you be in. No matter if you believe you are fighting for the good cause or merely a puppet of some evil. Yet disasters can be prevented if one can foresee them, but one can only do such things if there is order. Because chaos is exactly what it sounds like, unpredictable and dangerous, to those which seek to wield it and those caught up into it." The whitehaired fairy took a step forwards, his hair flickering in the wind as he did, his golden eyes scanning over the young looking human as if he were a book.

"A fine lesson for many. Wield the power, don't let it wield you. Always remember ones reasoning for desiring power in the first place, and never forgetting it. Those who betray their own hearts, can betray the entire world aswell. That said. I know your kind bears some special kind of power. Show it to me. Your magical power." He held out his left hand with the palm facing upwards, his fingers bending slightly as if he was holding unto a stone or an apple.

'Display to me your power, show me of your potential or lack thereof, young one...' The darkwinged fairy thought as his golden eyes followed Yakeru's every move, there was a high chance the young human would have both information about this seemingly odd place but also potentially be of some other use.

Yakeru tilted his head, pursed his lips and nodded slowly as he listened to what Elthrael was saying. The words spoken sounded wise and poetic and seemed to make perfect sense when you thought deeper about them. His eyes were focused on the movements of the mouth with the fanged hookteeth, his ears to the sound of his voice. For a fleeting moment he wondered how old this being was and he realized, while looking at him, that what he was seeing was only a glimpse of the fairy. He could almost imagine Elthrael sitting on a mountain, with all the knowledge of the world at his disposal and people coming up to him for guidance.

Yakeru could feel the golden eyes upon him, much like he had felt before and as he stared back into them it felt as if they looked right through him down to the deepest reaches of his soul. He did not know if he should have felt at peace or uneasy about it. But those words. Preventing disaster. He would love to be able to do that. Could this fairy read his mind? The thought scared him a bit.

Master chaos and create order. Wield power.

But what power?

“Magical power? I...What?”

Magical powers? What is he talking about? Our kind has special power? What does he mean by that and what does he expect from me? To conjure a fireball or something? Make my sword glow like some lightstick? I dunno ho...

He remembered how earlier that day he had escaped the deadly grip of that massive goblin or whatever it was, by...by what? He had closed his eyes back then and prayed and wished and...suddenly he had been out of harms way and in a perfect position to strike. But how? By hoping for the best? Now this fairy wanted to show him his power. A power he had only used once and by pure luck had succeeded. Of course Elthrael did not know that, though somewhere in his mind he doubted that. At least he could try and amuse the other one.

He closed his eyes, like he had done before and breathed in and out slowly, his mind set on escaping. He opened one eye to see that he was still on the same spot. It had not worked. He cursed inwardly and inhaled deep before releasing slowly. This time he tried to clear his mind and picture where he wanted to go. It almost went automaticaly.

There was a flash of green followed by a high pitched shriek coming from one of the tents about two metres away from where Yakeru had been standing. A male voice yelled and Yakeru got pushed out of the tent, his head a very crimson, apologizing to the half naked man and the terrified woman in the tent.

“Go play your jokes somewhere else, idiot!”

Well that did not go as expected.

Yakeru scratched the top of his head as he walked towards Elthrael. He did not want to look into the golden eyes. “Magical power huh.”

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

The Encampment

Interacting with: Yakeru

Elthrael was amused by the reaction which Yakeru had given him, yet the amusement soon turned into surprise as the young human vanished before his eyes. The fairy widened his eyes before blinking, then instinctively jumping up into the air, his hand reaching for his swordgrip whilst his golden gaze scanned the surrounding area. What in the fae realms was going on? Certainly it was true that the humans he had encountered in the past held special powers unlike those of his kind, yet a power to simply vanish into thin air. Remarkable. Even those who practice light magic, such a thing is had been something only a few had been capable of achieving. And even still it wasn't done so swiftly.

It didn't take the fairy long to once again assume his normal composure and land on the ground again after his jump.

'Extraordinary... this boy is unlike any of the others.' The goldeneyed fae thought to himself, gazing around the area trying to see any hints of movement, his ears perking up in an attempt to hear him. It didn't take him long as there was a shriek nearby, from the inside of a tent? Elthrael's eyes quickly darted towards it, and his body seemed to almost ricochet from the loud pitched noise. 'Hnn?' It was then he saw the young man again, he had gotten to the inside of one of the tents before being relocated out again.

'What? How did he get there so quickly?' It did take him a moment before he realized what had most likely occured. 'Relocation... this boy can relocate his physical form?! Unbelievable. Now this is worth my time...' The fae settled back into his more laid back stance and watched the young man approach.

"Magnificent. To think one such as yourself has been bestowed with such a gift." He said softly whilst reaching with one of his hands to cup his own chin.

"More striking than a rose, more seductive than the moon. Place your life in my hand and I will let it bloom, drawn to the light so precious is ones life. Deserving nothing but the best of guides..." There was an almost hymn-like manner in which the fae allowed his words to meld together into sentences. The fae's right hand become enveloped by a faint yellow glow before a vine would form and twist into becoming a red rose which would quickly bloom.

"Allow me to assist you in mastering your power, in return I only ask for information about the people and this world. Things may not always be as it seems, what may be beautiful and alluring can also be poisonous and thorn ridden. I would hate for someone to exploit you for your power alone and negate you from your true wish. Don't you know? All beings have such a thing. Something they desire more than anything else, which motivates and drives them forth. Pray tell, what would you seek to use your power for? For your sake? Others? Some quest you've made for yourself hm?" It was an almost shimmering light from his cornerteeth as his lips formed a smile

Chatak decided to ignore the fact that the older goblin had fallen asleep during their conversation. He seemed to be fairly old, possibly even in his late teens, so he deserved at least some sort leniency just for making it that long. Though of course, he also didn't intervene when Shaktak woke him up and made him get to the actual point.

He didn't let it show on his face, but he was legitimately surprised with how much he was being offered. He hadn't been expecting much, especially considering they were talking about goblins here, but it looked like working with the witch had allowed them to learn a great deal more than they could have before. And all this potential was being used for war.

What a damn waste.

Still, here he had the opportunity to help correct that mistake. He wasn't going to let it pass him by.

["Yes, of course! I'm very grateful for such a generous offer."] He said, nodding with a smile. ["However, I do need to ask one thing. If they decide they'd rather stay with us in our village, would you allow them to do so? We will, of course, provide the appropriate funds to hire them properly in this scenario, but I would like to make sure it would be alright first."]