“We started our return journey as agreed. We would have marched to Burch and report to the Mayor and then back to Etes. It would have been a seven to ten day travel time before the framework, now most of our soldiers have enough stamina to make it in three or four days. As the lead stryker remaining I was sent ahead to report directly to Etes.”

We were seated in the mess hall. The stryker’s name was Nadia, she had been a stryker squad leader for fifteen years with the first army. She had a husband and three children currently under house arrest back in Etes. She was told they wouldn’t be harmed if she complied and completed her mission. Arthur, Rocks, Camile, Myself, Gerald and a few others were present to represent the town.

“I reported directly to General Rale. He is the last General remaining as the King has removed anyone he suspects of treason. Rale reported to the King and the King was furious. He is now even more convinced that you are leading a rebellion against him inside his own borders. Rale commanded me to return as fast as humanly possible and give you this message. The King will hang your mother publicly in one week unless Sylar presents himself before the King.”

Silence followed the end of her tale. I didn’t trust myself to speak, my mind was racing. I had kept pushing back the idea of going to Etes to find my mother and now she was in the hands of the King. She had been a loyal citizen for her entire life, as had my father, and this was her reward. I felt sick.

“How do we know you are telling the truth? How do we know that Sylar’s mother is even alive and that the King has her?” Arthur responded.

“I can only tell you what I was told Arthur.” Nadia replied. “There's more that might interest you. Since you are no longer citizens of Eter you wouldn’t have received the notifications. The Norx Emperor has declared war against Eter again. This time formally through the framework. Everyone received a nation level quest to defeat Norx. It is only a matter of time before he finishes the holdout cities in Norx and begins to move south in full force.

“He is what is called a Necromancer. He commands a great army of undead that follow his every command. Every fallen soldier of the Norx resistance has risen again to join the emperor’s army of the damned. Eter is so divided now that we won’t stand a chance. Rale is desperately trying to keep the city together and the armies organized.”

“The King is desperate to get his hands on you, Sylar. You may not be the same level as the Norx emperor anymore but you remain the strongest person in Eter. Without you on our side we will surely fall. The Norx will not leave you alone in the forest and pass by peacefully. His horde already roams the northern countryside killing everyone and anything it comes across.”

She finished speaking and silence reigned again as everyone took time to process what she had said. It was even worse than I had feared since seeing the Emperor in the vision. Arthur rolled his shoulders and started to speak before stopping and looking at Nadia.

“Thank you Nadia. Rocks will escort you down to the second level to an empty room while we discuss this. I want to speak to you later regarding the state of Etes and then you are free to leave.” Arthur finished and Nadia was led away.

“I have to go. Even if it's not true I still have to go.” I said before anyone else spoke.

“I know Syl. You are a good kid. If what Nadia said about the Emperor of Norx is true then we are all threatened. I will discuss this with everyone else later to decide how we will prepare. I will also speak to Nadia to see what has worked fighting against the undead. If they are affected by hallowed light like the ghouls from the dungeon, we need to make crafting it a priority.” Arthur responded to and looked directly at me.

“When will you leave?” He asked.

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“I can make as many hallowed lights as we have the ingredients for. Anyone who wants to learn how can help and hopefully gain the alchemy skill to craft them while I am in Etes. I will leave in the morning before first light. If Nadia can draw a map of her route from memory I can make it to Etes in one full day with my stamina and agility.” I replied.

I spent the rest of the afternoon crafting. The alchemy room was my favorite part of the mine and I was absorbed in the work. After the most recent Item Boxes I had received a surplus of ingredients. Various members of the town rotated in and out to try to learn the alchemy skill, only two were successful.

Melinda from Thorks Mine and a former resident of Burch named Tul both learned the skill relatively quickly. By the end of the session they were both able to craft hallowed light on their own. I taught them the ingredients required and how to harvest them, where to look according to my map. Arthur divided up teams to go out and harvest the resources. There would be some waste until they learned foraging or harvesting but it couldn’t be helped.

By the end of the crafting marathon my alchemy skill was level 22, crafting the same recipe over and over gave diminishing returns of experience. One of my goals while in Etes was to learn new recipes to use some of the other ingredients stocked in the alchemy supply closet. I had crafted 21 hallowed light potions and 15 more major health potions. The afternoon flew by inside the mine as everyone busied themselves in preparation.

Gerald and the others from Thorks Mine had decided to join the Old Mining Camp. The population was now around seventy and passed a threshold that allowed Arthur to purchase a town upgrade. It was now considered a level two town and had new options for buildings. Arthur was planning with the others on how to best use the town points.

Marci spent most of the day outside. She was enjoying the freedom of the skies again after so long cooped up inside. She scouted out dozens of miles in every direction, encountering beasts but no threats. She was currently sleeping on a branch high up in the forest canopy just outside the mine clearing.

Van had traveled back to his colony for the day. It took him an hour to reach his former home and I could feel happiness and contentment through his bond. I left him alone and let him enjoy the time. I could reach him through See What I See if I needed too.

Arthur learned some new information from Nadia. The citizens of Eter had started being offered religious based classes that could counteract or directly damage the undead. There were classes that gained skills that used mana, called spells, that could harness elemental powers. The army had its own division of these spell users near the border trying to keep the undead from spreading.

The city of Etes itself was falling apart. The citizens were ready to rebel against the King for the cruelty he was displaying. There were nightly riots and the law was outright ignored. Crime was rampant as guards turned to better paying jobs working for the criminal organizations that had always existed on the fringes of society.

The two other generals had been removed and imprisoned for suspected treason. There was no proof levied against them, just the word of the King. The King had gained a skill to convert guardsmen to his own personal guard. This empowered them greatly and granted them a new class called Kingsworn. They enforced the King's increasingly paranoia driven decisions with force.

We decided that I would travel back with Nadia using the same route she did. Nadia seemed genuine in her desire to return peacefully. I was hoping to sneak into the city without being Identified. Nadia told Arthur about a hidden tunnel the stryker teams used that would lead to the sewers beneath the barracks. No one who knew of the tunnels had much love left for the King, it was worth the risk.

Before I left the alchemy room I decided to craft as many bombs as I could using my portable alchemy table so that they could be placed in my inventory. I was able to craft fifty simple bombs and twenty standards. I was missing the ingredients for any major bombs. I had crafted five of the hallowed light potions earlier using the portable table.

My potion bandolier and bomb bandolier were both full. I packed as much food and water as I could reasonably carry. My cloak and its upgrades to hide my appearance would be important for the city, my armor an obvious giveaway. I had forty arrows between both containers, my dagger in its sheath. I was fully packed and prepared as I readied for bed that night. I wanted to leave as soon as I woke up so that I could make it to Etes before dark.

I called Marci and Van to me to say goodbye. Neither would be able to come into the city with me, it would be too obvious. Falcons didn’t live in cities and forest apes more definitely did not. Marci would follow me until it wasn’t safe while Van would stay in the forest. Neither was happy about the plan but vaguely understood why I had to do it alone.