A Promise of Hope

Smoke covered the battlefield as the rain washed away the blood of the fallen. The sound of embers crackling, coughs, and crows resonated across the terrain. Faint light emitted through the dark clouds on the horizon as the sun was about to set. Nothing but confusion and pain was on the captain’s mind as he walked through the open field by the forest edge.

Catching a glimpse of a wounded man sitting against a broken tree, trying to inhale some fresh air away from the smoke. Feregreth ran over to him and went down on one knee next to the soldier as he asked. “What happened here?”

“Captain…? You should hurry up to the mountain, the army is engaging their last line of defense. Soon … soon they’ll pay for everything they did to us.”

“Why aren’t you with them?”

He explained that amid all the chaos, a lot of people lost their lives and that there was no time to attend to the wounded. The battle was still ongoing, but most of the vanghouls had already been wiped out. Taking his arm around him, Feregreth helped him back up on his feet as he continued. “Let’s get back to our men.”

“No, captain, I will only slow you…”

“No one is left behind, brother.”

Looking at him for a brief moment, the soldier gave him a grateful nod right before an arrow pierced through his chest. The man fell through Feregreth’s hands, dropping to the ground while gurgling blood. With an alert mind and shocked expression, the captain immediately drew his blade and turned in the direction where the arrow came from. Standing strong with a spiteful look in her eyes, Malisha prepared another projectile for Feregreth as she shouted. “We trusted you! Now my people are bleeding and being massacred by your doing.”

“Mine? What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” As she pulled the string of her bow, Feregreth hastily grabbed the soldier’s shield from the ground to cover himself from the arrow coming his way.

Charging towards her while deflecting the attacks, Feregreth dropped the shield once he was close enough and engaged her with his blade. Having already unsheathed hers, the two entered into a fierce fight. With anger filling his eyes, the captain swung his sword directly against her, no longer focused on disarming, but rather avenging his fallen brethren. Dropping his blade, he grabbed around her oval shaped head as he kicked his knee into her stomach. Breaking free, she tried to get him as he reached for his blade. Roaring alongside her swings, she seemed adamant on killing him.

Being kicked backward onto his back, Feregreth quickly rolled away from the next attack, stating in a low and bothered tone of voice. “I don’t know what happened here, but these soldiers have been slaughtered by your people. I have a hard time believing the king orchestrated any of this.”

“Believe what you want, human. Your traitorous king lured our commanders out into the open only to ambush them. Now all of them are dead. As far as I see it, you’re equally to blame for this.”

Not trusting a word coming out of her mouth, the clash of swords continued. With a deep and loud shout in the distance, the two halted for a moment as Arthouras came running towards them.

“Enough!” Neither of them lowered their weapons, but they refrained from engaging as the old vanghoul approached. His body language reeked of annoyance as he threw a few bloodied arrows down on the ground. “The humans weren’t behind the attack. Look, these are elven crafted arrows.”

Glancing over at the projectiles, Malisha shook her head as she replied. “Then they’re in collusion with them!”

“Take a look around you, Malisha. The elves aren’t here, they’re not assisting the humans in this fight. I fear we’ve been deceived by the only faction who would benefit from us destroying each other.”

Feregreth slowly began to lower his sword as he stared into the old one’s eyes. From what he gathered, he seemed true to his word. Asking confused, the captain moved his unkempt hair away from his face before he spoke. “What? Why are the elves involved…?”

Before he finished his sentence, he just remembered what Fraya had told him earlier. Her Grandfather was the one who had set up the feud between the elves and the vanghouls to begin with. Mumbling as he looked down on the muddy soil beneath his feet, Feregreth stated. “That’s why he’s here…”

With his eyes narrowing, Arthouras told the captain to speak up, which he did. “That’s why Ni’rosh is here.”

“The elven elder is here at the Vanquished Island?”

“Yes, I saw him earlier. He was escorted by a ranger unit. At the time I thought he was just coming for Fraya, but that’s not the case, is it?”

Looking at the former Overlord, Malisha told him that they should go after Ni’rosh immediately now that he was in the area.

Before Arthouras replied, Feregreth spoke in a concerned tone of voice. “It’s already too late. We played our part in this perfectly. Malisha, if what you said before is right, we’ve already slain your military leaders. Both forces have lost countless soldiers, so even if we fail in this battle, the elves will sweep in and kill the remaining ones with ease.”

Nodding slowly, Arthouras exhaled deeply as he raised his hand towards his forehead, speaking in a low voice he said, “you’re right. Even if we brought this to your leaders now, it wouldn’t stop the battle. Once this fight is over, the rest of the vanghouls will be gone.”

“Damn it!” Feregreth tossed his weapon to the ground, clearly frustrated with the events that had transpired behind their backs. Asking if there was anything that could be done to help them, the old vanghoul shook his head and stated that he had sacrificed more than enough for this cause. Looking up at Arthouras, the captain gave him a slight nod as he continued. “If there is another way into the mountain, save as many as you can. I’ll head to the battlefront and see if I can buy you some time.”

“You have honor, Feregreth. We won’t forget this.”

“I’m sorry things had to end this way. Take care of yourselves.”

The former Overlord pounded his chest with respect for the captain before he rushed away with Malisha. Seeing them disappear between the trees, Feregreth’s attention shifted upwards to the battlefield at the foot of the mountain. The deception of it all made it clear in Feregreth’s mind who the real enemy was.

With his two-handed blade, Declan slashed forward against the dashing vanghouls who had been cutting through their armies. With blood of the fallen on his drooping skin, he remained levelheaded in the midst of battle. He was standing at the forefront alongside the king, who was pushing the beasts back into the mountain. The majority of the battalion was left standing, and Stormhold had gotten the upper hand. Forced back into the cave, the warriors regrouped under one of their vanghoul commanders and formed a triangle piercing formation. With a rallying cry, they charged out into the human army that was swarming the entrance. As they ran forward, slashing and pushing aside the soldiers, one of them managed to penetrate his spear into the king’s horse. Marcus was thrown off his steed as it fell over on the ground, getting the air knocked out of him as he landed.

Seeing this unfold, General Galeran shouted at full capacity. “Get the King out of here, now! Form around him, protect him with your lives!”

Those who could heeded Nathan’s command and threw themselves in front of the vanghouls just to slow them down. As one of the moss skinned creatures who was littered with arrows and blade wounds moved up to Marcus with a whittled polearm, launched his attack. The spear entered right underneath the pauldron, damaging the upper part of his left arm that was unprotected by the armor. Screaming in agony as the vanghoul landed atop of him as it died, Marcus tried to keep his mind leveled.

Stormhold soldiers immediately rushed to the king’s rescue, pulling the beast away.

Nathan jumped off his horse in a hurry. Grabbing around the spear, the general spoke firmly as he pulled it out. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, this isn’t what we agreed on. We can’t risk having officers on the frontline, especially not you!”

Coughing with a slight chuckle, Marcus replied, “you’re here, aren’t you?”

“Only because you are, Your Majesty. I admire your honorable decision to fight with your people, but there is a reason we do not put our officers at the frontline, you know this.” Helping him back up on his feet while looking at the wound. It didn’t seem critical, but he ordered the soldiers to get the King off the battlefield regardless to secure him from another attack.

Coming over to Nathan’s position, the admiral brought news that they had secured other entrances leading into the mountain. Anyone who tried to flee from the imminent slaughter got cut down by the soldiers blocking the tunnels.

Leading wagons filled with barrels of black powder up towards the entrance, Aethos proceeded with caution as the final warriors were dealt with. Explosions echoed around the island as the other caves were sealed off, leaving only the main passageway into the city. Traversing over to Marcus who had been brought back to a secure spot, the old Stormcaller spoke in a reassuring tone of voice as he caressed his beard in ponder. “Marcus, everything is settled, and the explosives are ready. In order to get this right, we need to place the barrels within the city itself to ensure that it starts a chain reaction once it goes off. The vanghouls likely know what we’re up to by now as the quake was felt across the island. They will fight back with everything they have; we need to be prepared.”

“Very good. Nathan is preparing a unit to go into the mountain. If possible, we’ll take all three wagons with us and proceed as planned.”

As the unit entered into line formations outside the entrance, a towering shadowy figure appeared from within the cave. Walking slowly out of the darkness with a battle hammer dragged against the stone floor, the overlord revealed himself. Growling with spit dripping from his teeth, Gathon spoke with a menacing voice as the spearmen raised their weapons. “For too long have we’ve been forced to hide within the deepest darkest holes in the ground. No longer. It’s time for the roles to be reversed.”

Standing behind his men, the king shouted back to him while the archers lined up a volley. “Make no mistake, you brought this upon yourself. Archers at the ready!”

Readying projectiles aimed at Gathon; the unit waited patiently on their king’s command before unleashing the attack. However, before Marcus gave the order, a monstrous-looking group stepped out of the cave next to the overlord. Their bodies were rotting away, but somehow, they remained standing with their bloodshot eyes trembling with ferocity.

Some of the Stormhold soldiers stepped backward in fear of these creatures, almost falling into despair by the mere sight of them. Not only were they taller than most of the vanghouls, but the twitching they made while holding tightly around the massively crafted axes created a terrifying appearance.

General Galeran ordered the men to maintain their position while Gathon roared, signaling his corrupted warriors to charge. Arrows were sent flying at the king’s command, getting direct hits on the beasts coming towards them. Nevertheless, the attack made little to no difference as the corrupted vanghouls didn’t seem to feel any pain whatsoever. As the war axes were swung against the soldiers, the weapons penetrated the armor and cleaved bodies in half.

Only moments later, countless lives had been lost, and many of the men had started to flee from the battlefield. Another barrage from the archers was prepared and aimed at the monsters’ head by the king’s command. The arrows pierced the skull of each of them, and as they dropped to the ground, Gathon walked back into the shadows with a sly grin creeping across his face. Some of the soldiers began cheering the victory, and the king breathed relieved. However, momentarily, a visible green gas emitted from the corpses that gradually grew.

Staring confused at the cloud appearing before them, the King uttered in a low tone as the general stepped up next to him. “What is that?” he asked.

Recalling what Arthouras had told him earlier about the scourge creatures, Galeran immediately yelled at full capacity for the soldiers to get out of there. The closest men who had come in contact with it started screaming in agony as the substance began burning away the skin on their bodies. Within only a few seconds, the bodies started to drop while covered in blemishes and decay. The horrendous smell of putrefaction spread across the entire area as soldiers ran away in terror. The gas moved at a much faster pace than anticipated and consumed the entire battalion before they manage to get out of there.

Stepping off his horse in a hurry, Aethos rushed towards the fleeing soldiers as he raised both his hands towards the sky. His robe began blowing as a strong wind came with a thundering roar from the clouds. The weather was starting to change into a storm that consumed the entire island. Waving his right hand around his head in a circular motion, Aethos was creating a cyclone of rain and wind from the elements around him. The plague that was about to devour everyone got pushed back and shot up into the air. The sky was littered by the plague as the wind carried it away from the soldiers.

 Standing in complete shock, the men were amazed and terrified at the same time to witness what was happening before their eyes. They were shielded from the environmental powers of nature as the surroundings were upheaved by the unnatural forces at hand. Eventually, thunder and lightning struck into the gas and caused a reaction that obliterated the particles.

Down the road, Captain Sorrowhill looked up at the sky as it rumbled and washed away any trace of the plague. Seeing Aethos stand there with his silver-gray beard and hair flowing in the wind, Feregreth moved over to Declan as he stared surprised at the old man. As soon as the wind let up, Aethos Stormcaller fell to his knees in exhaustion as a result of what he’d just done. It had completely drained him of all his strength.

Barely able to utter a few words, Aethos glanced up at Nathan who came up next to him and stated with a loud, but certain tone. “Go … now!”

With a firm nod, the General raised his blade above his head and shouted for the men to charge into the cave. The ground shook as the soldiers of Stormhold marched simultaneously into the tunnel to fight with renewed strength.

Glancing over at the Captain, Declan spoke with a happy expression on his face as he placed his hand onto his shoulder, “good to see you, lad! I knew you’d survive out there. Where is Fraya?”

A bit distraught about her mentioning, he said she had left the island, but not how or under what circumstances. It was apparent in Feregreth’s eyes that something was wrong, but Declan didn’t want to intrude, so he gave him a simple nod instead. Being asked what had just happened, Declan shrugged in confusion as he honestly had no idea himself. The king was standing next to Aethos and was helping him back up. From the looks of it, Aethos was getting his mind back on track. Walking over to them, they listened in on what Marcus said to his friend.

“We owe you everything, Aethos. I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

“No, if there was ever a moment to use the old teachings it was now. The order can choose whatever judgment they see fit, it won’t change anything. But, Marcus, you need to assure these men that what they have seen today cannot under any circumstances leave this island. The ancient order will be in grave danger should news about this come out.”

“I know, old friend. I hope that they value the fact that they’re alive thanks to you. I will do everything in my power to ensure that they keep this secret, as well as the existence of the vanghouls.”

Looking over at Declan and Feregreth who approached, the king smiled and spoke in a pleasant tone of voice, “Captain Sorrowhill, I’m glad to see you’re alive.”

Captain Feregreth bowed respectfully as he addressed him. Once they were assured that Aethos would be fine, it was time to head into the cave. As Marcus stayed with the old man, Declan followed the units alongside the captain.

Standing at the end of the tunnel, Gathon waited patiently for the soldiers to come marching in. The few remaining corrupted warriors stood next to him and were ready to do their part as soon as the command was given. The general marched in alongside several units and held a confident posture as the assured victory was around the corner.

Halting his men as he saw Gathon in the distance, Nathan spoke. “It’s over. Throw your weapons down, and we’ll make quick work of you.”

Bursting out into laughter, Bloodfist raised his hand and gave out a war cry, sending his soldiers running into battle. Watching the gray-skinned abominations charge towards them, Nathan remained still and waited for them to come closer. With his plan intact, the general stepped out of the way and signaled the men to do their counterattack. Archers quickly came upfront and launched arrows into the legs of the beasts, in an attempt to make them fall over. Some of them did, but others pushed through and engaged the soldiers, slamming them out of the way. Nevertheless, the unit actively pursued their task to immobilize these types of vanghouls without killing them.

Moments later, all the elite beings had been taken down with only minor casualties for Stormhold.

Seeing the rage filling the overlord’s eyes, Nathan smiled as he shouted, “we’re done with your schemes. This ends now.”

Charging against the army before him, Gathon swung his hammer around as if it was as light as a stick. Soldiers got thrown into the stonewalls as he engaged them in fierce fighting maneuvers. As multiple arrows were launched into his body, he stepped backward and roared angrily. Dashing back in towards the city, Gathon seemed to have lost his bearing and was beyond desperate to kill them. As Feregreth walked with his mentor towards the end of the tunnel, Stormhold soldiers had lined up in formations and awaited orders from Galeran. Gathon could be sighted at the other side of the vast cavern, standing atop of the temple of Keldora. With an unfortunate and concerned look in his eyes, the captain noticed that a last remaining corrupt vanghoul had been slain by Gathon at the center of the city. Fallen bodies of countless citizens had been devoured by the foul substance, even the young ones had been killed. The Elarikan began to venture out into every direction, and vanghouls were running for their lives towards the exit. This was an awful sight to behold. Families couldn’t embrace their fallen loved ones as the plague almost boiled on their skin. The cries echoed, but the overlord didn’t seem concerned about this at all. His vision was narrowed at getting the humans killed, no matter the cost. However, the plague did not reach the Stormhold soldiers’ position and thus only barricaded the road between them.

The General ordered a ranger unit to prepare a volley towards the vanghouls coming their way, regardless of the terrible situation they were in.

Feregreth grabbed Nathan’s arm as he spoke concerned. “Delay that order! It’s only families down there, these are not warriors, general!”

Galeran pushed the captain out of his way as he yelled out the command to fire at will. As the projectiles flew towards them, the remaining vanghouls fell to their knees in despair. The plague was coming up behind them, and the soldiers of Stormhold were blocking their only way out. There wasn’t anything to do but to wait for the end. A few decided to end it themselves rather than having to experience the hellish flames of the Elarikan.

With remorse and anger, Declan grabbed the general with both his hands as he yelled to the soldiers, “stand down! Under no circumstance does the forces of Stormhold attack innocent people!”

Striking him down to the ground with his right-hand, Galeran stared annoyed down at the former admiral as he growled, “your temporary authority has been revoked. Lay another hand on me, and you’ll suffer the same fate as these mongrels.”

The captain helped Declan back up on his feet while exchanging stares with the general.

After a short while, the plague cloud evaporated and opened a path into the city. Hearing the wagons of black powder coming up behind him, Feregreth turned around and listened to general Galeran as he spoke to his men. “All right, prepare to descend the cargo into their central quarter. Make sure that all three are next to that grand column at the center when they go off.”

Interrupting the general with a firm tone of disagreement, the captain was about to speak when he was pulled back by former, Admiral Lowe. Feregreth listened as Declan addressed the general on a matter of saving their own. Gathon still had several gibbets with prisoners at the temple.

“My Lord, look at their shrine. Our men are still in there. Let us at least save them before you destroy the entire place.”

“All right then. Give it a go if you want to, but we’re not sending an entire unit down there.”

While giving a nod to the general, Declan was pulled aside by Feregreth who was adamant that he should do this instead. However, this time, the old Admiral wasn’t changing his mind. The two of them began walking down into the city as the general watched with annoyance.

Coming up from behind him was Admiral Fowler, he spoke in a low, but firm voice. “The cargo is ready, general. Just give the word should things get out of hand.”

“Do it now,” he replied.

“But what about our men?”

“Much more is at stake here, Terrence. They might not see it, but the outcome this will have on the world should the vanghouls escape will be shattering.”

Giving a silent signal to the soldiers, Galeran ordered them to initiate the original plan.”

Moving into the city, Declan and Feregreth glanced upon the countless corpses occupying the streets. It was a horrific scene with the stench of death circling the area. They noticed a few survivors on the far end, gathering at the foot of the temple where Gathon was. Once they became aware of the two humans, the vanghouls charged with rage towards them as if they had nothing more to lose.

Readying themselves, Feregreth spoke with concern as he held his sword up. “Go back, let me take care of this.”

“No, I can draw their attention while you sneak around to the temple.”

Before the Captain got to reply, Lowe gave him a clap on his back as he told him that this was no debate. The lives of the captives had to be the priority. As the group of warriors came swarming around the buildings, Feregreth gave his mentor a quick nod as he snuck out of the way. What they failed to see was that Gathon himself was in the midst of the unit heading towards Declan. As the former Admiral stared death itself in the eyes, he was woefully aware that his chances for surviving this encounter were close to nothing.

The vanghoul forces approached rapidly, but just as Declan prepared to swing his blade, a rain of arrows passed him, striking down multiple warriors. The convoy transporting the explosive wagons came up behind him with a ranger unit defending the path to the location.

Only a few moments later, Feregreth reached the temple stairs and began to run up the steps as he frequently looked back at Declan. Seeing the Stormhold unit fight by his side, eased his mind. Lowe was fighting surprisingly well against the beasts despite his age. Running over to the rusty gibbets, the captain was met by starved and fragile men who had been tortured since they first came to the island. Several of them had already died, and the rest were hoping for a quick death. Using the hilt of his weapon, Feregreth broke through the old locks and got the ones still alive out. One of the soldiers mentioned that more were being held within the temple itself if they hadn’t already been disposed of. Not leaving anyone behind, Feregreth rushed into the temple alongside the ones who had been saved in an attempt to find anyone still breathing.

From down in the city, Gathon caught a glimpse of Feregreth running into the temple, so he quickly shifted his focus. The Stormhold soldiers were already retreating back out as the wagons had been placed, but Declan refused to leave the captain in the hands of these creatures. Seeing Gathon moving back, Lowe grabbed a wall torch and raised it above the powder as he yelled, “Bloodfist! Stand down, or I’ll take us both down into oblivion.”

Slowly turning his head towards the former admiral as he halted, Gathon almost chuckled as he started approaching him while stating confidently, “you wouldn’t sacrifice your own people!”

“If you go after them, they’ll be dead either way. At least this gives them a chance.”

“Once you ignite that hellfire, the entire place will collapse within seconds. There is no escape.”

Noticing Arthouras sneaking up to the Keldora shrine, Declan appeared slightly hopeful as he tried to give them more time.

Coming out with a few more survivors, Feregreth exhaled in a surprised manner as he saw Arthouras appearing next to him. Asking the old vanghoul as he was looking around, the captain was curious about where Malisha was. From what Arthouras told him, she was still outside looking for anyone who might had already gotten out of the cavern. He then went on to inform him about a tunnel leading out on the west side of the volcano, one that came out in an overgrown part of the forest next to the coast. As he conveyed the plan to the prisoners, the captain noticed that only an archer was left at the tunnel entrance, which made him quickly realize what was going on. Gazing back at the center of the city, he saw Gathon standing next to Declan who was holding the torch over the barrels. The former Admiral was staring straight back at his young prodigy as he was ready to do his duty. The wrinkled kind eyes of the old man showed sign of proudness above all the sorrow. Understanding what Declan was about to do, the captain shouted his old mentor’s name.

 Gathon hastily gazed back at the temple, seeing the prisoners already on their way out thanks to Arthouras. Roaring with flaming rage, Bloodfist dashed away from the wagons and towards them.

Speaking in a low tone to himself as he looked at Feregreth with a heavy heart, Declan uttered. “I’m sorry, lad…”

For a moment, it felt like time slowed down as the captain watched the torch leave his mentor’s hand, falling down into the barrel next to him. As the flames touched the powder, a tear rolled down Declan’s cheek as he closed his eyes. With a thundering blast, the wagons went up in fire and smoke, destroying parts of the city as well as the overlord who disappeared in a blaze of light. Resonating through the entire cavern, the loud sound and explosive impact caused it to give in. The earth quaked beneath Feregreth’s feet as everything began to crumble. Most of the vanghouls had been wiped out, and those who survived the blast was gravely injured. Having no time to mourn, Arthouras and Feregreth sprinted as fast as they could through the tunnel to get out before it all collapsed. Followed by a cloud of dust and smoke, Captain Sorrowhill managed to get himself out of there alongside Lord Vordrath as the rubble filled up the cave. As he was sitting on his knees in exhaustion, he watched Arthouras walking away from them. Calling his name, Feregreth realized that the remaining vanghouls had been buried within and that the likelihood for there to be anyone of his kind left was slim. There were no words to be spoken in a situation like this, so he allowed him to walk away without saying anything further.

The prisoners looked to the captain, not understanding everything that had transpired. Giving them enough information to make up their own minds about this, Feregreth eventually began to lead them back to the army.

After a while, they arrived at the battlefield where the Stormhold soldiers were preparing for departure. The prisoners walked up front as they were met by knights following Galeran.

Stepping off his horse, the general walked past them without giving them a second of his time as he was adamant about speaking to the captain before anything else. Pulling him to the side, Nathan addressed Feregreth with a firm look in his eyes. “Are all the vanghouls dead?”

“Yes, and so is Declan thanks to you!”

“Listen to me carefully. It’s a damn shame, but he knew what he was getting into. You might want to address the king, but make no mistake, I have always acted in the best interest of the royal family. And if you try to come after me, you should know that I’m aware of who you’ve been protecting. She wasn’t an Arkanvail noble, and if the king finds out what she really is, you’ll wish you were buried with Declan. All everyone needs to know is what happened here was a tragedy. Mr. Lowe sacrificed himself to save our people. That’s what happened. Do we have an understanding?”

Staring into his eyes with an upset expression, Feregreth walked past him towards the rest of the men without saying a word.

 A few minutes later, King Marcus rode over to him with concern filling his eyes as he asked, “are you okay, Captain? Where is the Admiral?”

“He… I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“No…” Saddened by the news of Declan Lowe, the king looked to the sky with a deep breath. The captain glanced around for Nathan, but he was nowhere to be found. However, his words played over and over in his mind. Sharing the news with the King wouldn’t bring him back and would most likely cost him his own life due to Galeran’s position in the hierarchy.

Walking up a slope at the nearby forest clearing, General Galeran glanced around himself with a confident look in his eyes. He was being watched, and he knew it, so he halted before speaking in a calm tone of voice, “you can show yourself, I’m the king’s informant.”

Almost immediately after he made that statement, people came out from all sides around him with their bows readied. It was elven archers who were positioned in an elegant attack pose. The elderly voice of Ni’rosh spoke soon after, approaching him on his right side. “So, you’re Galeran? I must admit I had my doubts about this incursion of yours.”

“It didn’t go exactly as planned, but we got the job done.”

“It’s quite unexpected to see King Fall here, who sent for him?”

Picking up the relic that Feregreth previously had in his possession, Nathan stared at it and replied with an assumption, “I take it the wizard lost faith in us. Now that’s all said and done, we wouldn’t have been able to wipe out the entire species without their supply of black powder. Thanks to your rangers, it went as planned.”

“Yes, it was a well-executed mission, nonetheless. Now that the vanghouls are nothing but a distant memory, we can focus on the task at hand.”

Giving a nod of certainty, Galeran approached the elder and handed over the relic. The two stared into each other’s eyes for a while before parting ways. Vanishing in between the trees, the elves headed north as Galeran began walking back to the King.”

As the Stormhold soldiers began marching back towards the coast, Aethos took a moment to approach one of the plagued bodies of the fallen soldiers. Kneeling down next to the man, he reached out with a piece of metal and clothing, peeling off a part of the plagued skin. Wrapping it within metal plates, he took the piece with him before he followed suit. The company rode in silence back to the coast, mourning their fallen. Yet, a glimmer of hope was felt as the threat had been vanquished.

A few hours later, the Stormhold ships raised anchor in preparation for departure back to the kingdom. Standing on the starboard side of the Pride, Feregreth’s hands rested on the wooden railing as he stared back at the island. Closing out the sound of celebrating sailors behind him, the captain’s mind was set on the events that had transpired. A single tear cascaded down his cheek as he felt the painful loss of his friend. Taking a deep breath as his mind played the tragic scenario over and over, Feregreth uttered in a voice no louder than a whisper. “I’m sorry, Declan.”

Slowly reaching down into his pocket, he picked up Fraya’s necklace and gazed at the silver engravings. Unsure what fate was waiting for her, he couldn’t help but to feel guilty for his involvement. There had to be something that could be done, but he didn’t take lightly what Ni’rosh had said back in the cave. Attempting to track her down could ultimately lead to a worse outcome.

Walking over to his side, Marcus joined him in his gaze as he stated calmly, “how are you doing, Feregreth?”

“Your majesty. I’m fine, thank you for asking.”

“No, you’re not, but that’s okay. There’s a lot that has happened, even though I wasn’t here for most of it. Terrence filled me in on what took place on arrival, and that someone from Arkanvail had assisted in protecting our men?”

“Yeah, her name is Fraya. I owe a lot to her, so does everyone else here.”

Hinting at a smile, Marcus handed over a leather wrapped journal as he spoke. “One of the men found this on the island.”

Looking it at surprised as he realized it was his old notebook, the captain replied as he opened it. “I didn’t know I had lost this. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Nodding, the king placed his hands on his back as he went on to explain to the captain that he would have a position open for him once they returned to the kingdom. His achievements on this assignment had not gone unnoticed. After a while, Feregreth approached Aethos who was strolling around on deck, seemingly in his own thoughts.

With a clear tone of voice, the captain addressed him. “Lord Stormcaller, I’m afraid I failed you.”

Glancing over at him, Aethos squinted in a confused manner as he listened to him.

“The relic you tasked me with to protect got lost somewhere on the island.”

“Oh, there is no need to worry about it. It served its purpose well.”

“If I may ask, why were we bringing it with us?”

“There are many artifacts and talismans of the old world left. The one you had is known as a vision stone, it allows someone to experience glimpses of its whereabouts. It’s how we knew the ships had capsized on the Vanquished Island.” Trying to understand any of this, Feregreth nodded along as Aethos continued to explain. “However, the relic is now buried at the heart of the volcano. The vanghoul lord had it in his possession.”

Reassuring the captain that the artifact would be better off lost to the world, Lord Stormcaller went on to inform him that he should get some well-deserved rest.

The screech of an eagle coming down towards the ship caught the attention of Aethos who was walking up the steps to the rear. It flew down and landed on a wooden crate with a parchment attached to its leg. Leaning over to the bird, Lord Stormcaller removed the piece of paper and glanced over it. The scroll was old, but the ink was fresh. It was a letter from Felgarth addressed to him. Mumbling the words to himself as he read through it, Aethos seemed troubled by the news it carried.

Dear Aethos Stormcaller. It is with sincere regret that we inform you that High Elder Uuthar has been killed. The circumstance surrounding the terrible tragedy is being investigated, but we dare not say anything further in this letter. The council has called you to take the Elder’s place as the new Master of the Felgarth Order. Your presence is requested, Lord Stormcaller.

Stroking the eagle over its head, Aethos nodded slowly as he expressed a deep sigh of concern. Watching the bird flap its wings as it jumped off the box, the old man’s eyes followed the eagle as it flew across the water towards the sun on the horizon.