LordWolx

Eager for a Scrap Worry was all Liz could feel at the moment as she zipped through the air as quickly as her eye-covered wings could take her. She'd been hovering over Manjimup, swiftly scanning the town from up high with her many, many eyes for any sign of her missing friends, when all of a sudden a pillar of flame had erupted into the air from somewhere around the docks. Liz didn't even need a moment to consider who would be at the centre of the ever-climbing tower of fire, and practically threw herself in its direction. “Celia... Helen...” she thought, her wings flapping almost as quickly as her heart was pounding. “Please be alright. Please.” Liz had been asleep when both Celia and Helen had disappeared from their hidden camp in the middle of the night, something that wouldn't have happened had Liz forcefully taken watch like she should have. But she didn't, and now two of her best friends were most likely fighting for their very lives. She had to help them. She was the reason

The job had gone off without a hitch. They'd gotten clear of Hollywall and reached the safety of the Nightshade Woods, all without losing a single piece of their loot. Those foolish Braveguard hadn't suspected a thing, not until it was too late to do anything that is. Now the pair of thieves had themselves a satchel full of gold coins, more then enough to take it easy in some of the nicer taverns and inns in the nearby capital for weeks. Months if they were more conservative with their catch. But how could two simple criminals achieve such a feat? Simple. The mayor of Hollywall, recently elected after her predecessor had stepped down to spend more time with her family, had a poor eye for detecting people posing as Braveguard. All the two thieves had to do was knock out a pair of the unlucky Braveguard stuck patrolling the town's many streets at night. Then, once they'd adorned the armour of the now unconscious Braveguard, hurry over to the mayor's house in the middle of the night, and

The jaelium fingers of his right hand tapped impatiently on his throne's arm. And if that weren't enough of a hint towards how frustrated he was at the excuses he was being given, his six narrowed eyes locked firmly on his kin were certainly enough. He'd been listening to this report for five minutes now, and the longer it went on the thinner his patience became. “So, Hyla...” he said, interrupting his fellow kandrai's report. The orange glow of the deeplight crystals kept him half-enveloped in shadows, further enhancing his menance when such situations called for it. “Basically what you are telling me is not one of the dig teams has managed to discover a new kandrite veins.” Hyla, a kandrai with an armour formed of red stones, practically shrank into herself as she nodded. She curled in both sets of her arms, as if worried her ruler might fly down and tear one or two off for her failure. “Yes... Underlord Talaketh” she said, her voice echoing out from her mind as a timid whimper.

Despite my intense desire to become strong enough to protect Freya, further driven by the sense of uselessness that had been weighing on my mind for some time now, I find myself hesitant to reach out and drink the rest of the chalice's contents. Just a long sip has filled me with strength beyond what mortals could achieve, so surely consuming the rest will raise it to even greater heights. And yet... there's something wrong. Not with the chalice or what the water within has done to me. No, there's something else. Something that has been bothering me ever since I entered this temple, though the concern had been forced to the back of my mind by how incredible this place was. This is foolish. What are you doing Sten? You're presented with such an incredible boon, one that would erase that feeling of worthlessness in a heartbeat, and yet you refuse to accept the gift placed before you. After everything you and Freya have been through, why not accept this stroke of good fortune? But...