You open your eyes slowly to see yourself standing in a field alone. Neither Raylond, Mykel, or any of your companions are standing with you. You are surrounded by tall flowers and above you, the sun is covered by dense clouds. The wind is blowing hard against your face as you look out into the distance as a sense of peace comes over you. You pause for a few moments and look out into the distance to see the man in black armor from the quarry standing before you. His armor is thick with a dull black shine and purple accents on the side of the breastplate and shoulders. His pants are thick and padded with similar purple accents and a purple carried followed him in tow. His hair is brown and neatly cropped and he possesses a very neatly trimmed beard that sits just under a small scar on his right cheek bone.
“Lorian,” he announces slowly and firmly while looking at you. “My name is Lorian, General of the Grand Army of Loccaris, and you are quite peculiar,” he says while staring at you with firm, dark eyes. He crosses his arms while trying to keep his eyes trained on you. He blinks slowly before turning around and showing you his back; his cloak moves majestically with the wind. He holds his hand out and waves it in front of his face, changing the scenery in front of you from a peaceful scene to, what you believe to be, is the port city of Werz.
You are standing on top of a large hill, looking down at the large city and its massive harbors. In the distance, the far harbor is ablaze with all of its vessels and ships torn asunder. The stone and wooden structures in the city are all toppling with demons, the creatures from the previous night, all roaming the city in search of survivors. Screams are echoing through the air and drowning out any other sounds. “This is where it begins,” mutters Lorian as he looks out at the carnage, admiring it while you look on in awe. You stand still and stare as demons swing their scythes into the flesh of the living, severing chunks of flesh with every violent burst. Men and women who are fortunate to still be alive are being hauled away in shackles while the dead are being tossed onto a massive pyre to the north of the city. Smoke is filling the air for miles and the bustling port city of Werz is no more.
Lorian waves his hand again and the scene in front of you changes and now, you’re standing on the side of a mountain, looking out to the crystal towers of Teardret. The mage knights are casting their spells and reigning down fire and brimstone onto the demons, but to no avail. All of their power and knowledge is only stalling the demons from the eventual victory. The scene changes abruptly again, this time, sending you to a grassy field with the tall walls of Shorrek in front of you with massive gaps and holes in them. Lorian smirks before waving his hands one last time, bringing you back to the area from which you came, in the forest near Fierrak where your body is lying before you.
You stand over your body with the bodies of your companions and Raylond at your feet. “Dun-I is not prepared for us, mortal,” Lorian states as he walks beside you and looks down at your body. “The inhabitants have grown quite fat and soft. The many days since all of you had to worry about the Gods and their followers have made you weak and there is nothing that you can do to prevent Loccaris from overrunning this land and making it our own.”
He steps away from your body, moving toward an opening in the woods while leaving you standing still. “Dedrish and her garrison are marching toward Fierrak and I promise you, mortal, she will take it for me and for Latros. She will not fail me. I will be leading the bulk of our forces to Werz and I do hope that you will tell the others of whom you serve. I’d love nothing more than to crush the will of Dun-I with my full might than to be forced to hunt every last living soul down.”
Lorian looks at you and smirks before walking away into the distance. The world changes around you and you open your eyes, finding yourself back in your body. Mykel’s body has now appeared, though he is still unconscious from the beating he received. Raylond rolls over and groans while you and the rest of your allies slowly rise to your feet. “That bitch is named Dedrish,” announces Raylond as he tries to get up onto his feet. “And her boss, Lorian, has split his forces to attack both Fierrak and Werz. We have to tell Aertis and Papis.”
Raylond stumbles over to his brother and tries to lift him up. He motions for you to walk over and assist him, picking up the limp body of Mykel and lifting him up onto your shoulders. “Come on, we need to get him back to the camp and tell Aertis what happened. Maybe he will be able to make sense of this and tell us what our next move is. You nod before walking forward with Mykel on your shoulder. The trek back to the camp wouldn’t be too long, but it would be tiring and you will need all of your strength. The war with the realm of Loccaris has just become a lot more complicated.
The Journey Continues in Chapter 5: An Awkward Proposal