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“Elder,” spoke Staxius,”-thank you for such a warm welcome.”

“It’s our pleasure to welcome the king,” he said with a nervous smile. The king was sat crossed-legged on the bear-rug with Alice beside. The boy played with a toy. A grandfather, a mother, and no father to speak about. Thinking of what could have happened, Achilles was tactful as to not ask. The lady seemed in mourning, her face held a solemn grin, one of requirement opposed to heartfelt.

Sensing the room grow distant, “-how of it,” spoke the King.

“Of what, sire?”

“Of the monster problem.”

“Oh, that,” paused to gather his thought, the Elder glanced at his daughter who had stared away as if to sneeze. “I have no idea,” he breathed with the gaze returned to the fire. The crackling of the burning wood had the room in constant noise. “The last I heard of the issue was when a group from our village headed to check on the Adventurers. Try as I may, I can’t tell you anything about what is happening. There’s a dungeon, an old castle, a dragon, and giants – tis the rumors.”

.....

“Dragon,” mumbled, the face turned silent, ‘-I had a feeling that Mont Blanc had something to do with Eira’s disappearance. I can sense her mana faintly; it’s far up, far above the clouds.’

“Majesty,” interjected Alice, “-are you going to fight the monsters?” he asked with attention on the toys, “-If so, can you tell father to come back soon, mother is getting angrier by day.” Innocent words of truth. It pulled a string in the mother’s heart. Angrier by the day, those exact words made her stumble, a startled expression mixed with woefulness. Alas, unable to bear said words, she fled into the kitchen under the pretense of more drinks.

‘Oh,’ thought Staxius, ‘-must have awakened a bad memory,’ he calmly patted the boy, who in turn, smiled. Checking up on the Elder, he remained fixed on the fire. Long and deep, it was as if it had trapped him, like the call of the mermaid. A melodic voice that soon turns into the teeth of a beast. A trap of beauty, a trap many o’ folk speak on the shores.

“Elder,” he called.

“S-sorry,” astonished out of the trance, “-how may I help?”

“Is there lodging available?”

“If tis a house, then there’s one nearest to the path into the mountain. The couple was killed when the beasts appeared.” On that, goodbyes were exchanged.

The door shut behind, they who had come to save were left outside. The wind sure was chilly, one of which each breath would cut inside the nostrils. It came straight from the mountains, without tip for it was high above the clouds.

The walk down the village was enlightening. The same feeling as Noctis’s Hallow, the people who walked around were rare and very often just hunters. A stone path with snow on one tile to another, it took a few minutes to reach the edge. Cross what seemed to be a red-line, a barrier of sorts, one ended up at the outer-village. The path to the mountain began with two concrete pillars holding a broken gate. The houses here were abandoned, the fear of monsters at night sufficed. Broken to some extent, the one the Elder offered was one of the lucky survivors. An elevated veranda that gave into the doorway inside. Few flowerpots stood on the rather large balustrade. The floor was of logs, wooden logs cut to not be round.

Opened with a screech, a common room presented itself. It bore a fireplace slightly to the right on the opposing wall with four seats facing said commodity. A few steps inside laid a doorframe to the left, it led to the kitchen. A corridor led further to the back where stairs climbed to the right after the fireplace. Upstairs rested bedchambers, a toilet, and showers. The standard for housewares.

The King stood ominously; he needed a few minutes to breathe. As for the others, the butler rushed to the fire; the cold was unbearable. Achilles took to the kitchen, Intherna and Serene rushed upstairs to claim their rooms.

“Majesty,” called the butler with the wood crackling away, “-please, rest whilst I clean.”

“A generous offer,” he smiled, “-why not heat thyself first?”

“Cleaning will suffice,” quick on his feet, the butler vanished away into the background. The warmth from the fire sent shivers up the feet and throughout the body. A pair of tiny legs walked across his face to sit on the head.

“Adete?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied with a fatigued tone, “-leave me alone, I need sleep,” curled like a kitten, she slept.

‘We’re here, the adventurers are fighting someone on that mountain. I need information though the Elder seemed to be in the dark. Why would there be dungeons and a castle so far out into the mountains? Doesn’t sound right. The rumor of a dragon is almost too obvious. Are the dragon’s awakening or is it a ploy. If Eira is here, it must do with them. Gergusser, what are you playing at?’ paused, the mind wandered about.

“Majesty,” said Serene with a gentle push.

“I dozed off,” he coughed. Everyone had taken a seat before the fireplace, some indulged in a book found upstairs and others in snacks and drinks.

“I’m curious,” voiced Intherna, “-what of the adventurers, I keep hearing of a team being sent here. Surely, they must be dead, right?”

“Get off it,” refuted Serene in anger.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” joked the Goddess.

“Cut it out you two,” sighed Staxius, “-the adventurers are Xula’s Elite guards. A man who can split a mountain. A girl with absolute authority over fire and lightning as well as the spirits. A man so silent he’d turn invisible. An elf that could shoot in any given position, angle, distance, and hit her target. Lastly, a vampire, their leader, my secretary, Serene.”

“Is that so,” said Intherna with a hint of curiosity.

“Yes, they were my teammates at one point. Oenus Tuyon, the swordsman. Magra Yeltris, the mage. Rasu, the thief, and Kearen Ellican, the bowwoman. I long to see them again, that’s why I came. To finally put an end at the battle.”

“About that,” the door opened, “-I’m glad to see you again.”

“Who is it?” asked Achilles.

“A friend,” walked the hooded man, “-Serene,” he said and took off the hood. It revealed a demi-human bearing the facial features close to a cat. Sharp eyes, each time he glanced felt as if an interrogation.

“Rasu?” she stood, “-it is you,” she laughed.

“Yeah, I don’t believe it,” he coughed in a sickly manner, “-why are you here?”

“I’ve come to help,” she smiled as they stood face to face. A long due reunion. “Where are the others?”

“Fighting,” he shook his head, “-fighting day and night. I came to fetch this week’s supplies. Honestly, I was scared, the people here don’t even have food to live, how could they spare us a meal,” peering behind to the fireplace, “-who did you come with?”

“Oh,” she turned with a big smile, “-I’ve come as part of the King’s team.”

“The king’s team?” he paused; “-surely nobility isn’t going to sully their hands fighting beasts.”

“You’re wrong on that front,” stood a large figure, “-on the contrary,” he turned, “-Nobility should be at the forefront of the fight”

“M-majesty,” instantly to his knees, “-forgive my rudeness. Thou have changed from the last time we met.”

“And thou art more social than I would have guessed. Stand up, there’s plenty to discuss,” holding out a hand, “-I’m here as a fellow adventurer,” the platinum tag sparkled, “-call me Xenos.”

“Thank you, Lord Xenos,” taking his hand, they sat around the fire once more. The discussion went around. Achilles shared tales of her experiences with monsters and so did they. From reserved to open, stories of fights always had the power to link people. Staxius sat away from the discussion as not to intrude. Intherna did the same, she sat on the ledge of his seat messing with a puzzle.

“Hey,” she gave a quick elbow, “-when are we going to fight?”

“I thought you weren’t going to fight until I was approved as a suitable leader.”

“That’s not it,” she laughed, “-in no way can I refuse thy will. What’s the point I wonder. Still, you intrigue me, thus my interest. Thou know how to keep a lady entertain. The schemes and amount of troubles you go through is unbelievable. I want to see you win, all the time, I want you to outsmart the other. What’s that mind thinking, what are you planning? Those are the thoughts that keep me awake. I can’t figure you out, it’s frustrating. The same as this puzzle, I hate it with a passion.”

“Do you mean to say you hate me as well?”

“Hmm...” she hummed, “-HUMM...”

“Ok, enough. I get it, no need to force the words.”

Ended after a minute, the discussion changed to the matter at hand. Staxius asked Rasu to draw up a map detailing everything they had learned.

“This is it,” he commented with a filled paper, “-from what we got told by the villages, the mountain path goes around the whole mountain. It’s around a two-week journey on foot. It might take longer depending on the climate and such. There’s another issue at hand, altitude sickness. The air is much thinner the more we climb. To prevent that, there are about five stops along the path. Ideally, we must spend at least two to three days in hopes that the body is readied. That would have applied if the monsters weren’t a problem. The first stop has been cleared, the real trouble is the second stop, around here,” he pointed on the map, “-it’s a fortress. The waves of monsters are constant without stop. We managed to make an outpost to rest. I tell you, the beast is unlike anything I’ve seen,” he breathed loudly. “We grow powerful with each kill, and they do the same, they learn of our stratagems and patterns. Their unpredictability is daunting, one would think a commander is leading their forces.”

“Is that the farthest you’ve made it?” asked Staxius.

“Yes, sadly. We could skip the fortress and carry onwards. But that’ll leave the village open to attacks – our priority is to make sure they are safe. Else, what’s the point?”

“That’s a good sentiment,” nodded the king, “-we’ll leave the first thing tomorrow. Take a rest and have some food, we’ve got plenty to go around. If things get tough, I suppose Serene and I will fly somewhere close and hunt. Does that work?” he asked.

“Absolutely, works fine with me.”

On that, he headed upstairs for fatigue caught up. Tomorrow would mark the day of a new fight, a fight for the people as well as the rescue of his daughter. Despite this, he dreaded the day they’d meet. A tough choice might have to be made, one of slaying the one he vowed to protect. A kingdom in peril, a daughter in need of help, a shadowy faction making moves on Dorchester.

‘I wonder if GateSix has any weapon that could strike the mountain. The same as the prototype missiles they spoke about on the phone earlier this week. Instead of the plane, one that was launched on its own. Weaponry will be very much appreciated.’ Tucked under the blanket with a misty window, the room was small but clean. The butler did an amazing job.

Meanwhile, near the borders of Kreston, one leading into Dorchester, rumbling of various kind shook the ground. Heavy machines move to cross the border. Unsupervised, they moved into Rotten thicket, a place filled with memories. At the helm, a lady dressed in white and gold, “-onward peasants, thy angel has descended.”