While Legosia had been out defending their nation, Arneshal had bloomed into a great scholar. After the reclamation of their borders, books and knowledge had been hoarded in the capital. The young king had made use of the resources and dug deep into research.
Knowledge of construction had helped him to improve the waterways of Elneshe. New farming techniques for farming and refining metal helped the nation to prosper further, solidifying them as the most important kingdom of the continent.
-From the 7th Chapter of “The Remont of Elneshe”
Galeon stood on the slope of a mountain, looking down it. Mist was creeping down the slope, and clouds floated above him, sandwiching the Afterburner in grey.
Where is it? He sighed. Galeon took off from the ground and floated in the air, searching. Raya and Ninel were scoping the other side of the mountains, leaving him in the silence.
“We could’ve gone together,” he had told them.
“Ravenishtan’s scouting the mountains too. We don’t want them knowing what we’re up to,” Raya had replied.
But fear still gripped the Afterburner’s heart. Had enough time passed? He looked up to the sky, forgetting that clouds still covered it. He could still take a peek, or he could continue searching for the ruins.
Maybe Leane remembered wrong? He thought. She hadn’t so far, but the thought was enough. Galeon eventually convinced himself, raising into the air and past the clouds.
The sun pricked his eyes, and Galeon shaded a hand against it. But it hadn’t moved from the sky at all. He was overreacting, wasn’t he? Looking around, however, he saw figures in the distance. Small specks that he would’ve mistaken for birds any other day. But these specks were getting larger. And they were clad in all green.
Galeon shot right back down through the clouds, uncaring of the wetness that impacted him. He jetted towards the mountains, curving around their tops.
“Raya! Ninel!” he shouted, and stopped in the air. Come on, shout back! He shouted again, then waited another moment. A glance back at the skies revealed nothing. But it was only a matter of time.
”…galeon…” he heard a slight sound, and smiled. Galeon rushed over and found Raya and Ninel.
“Ravenishtanis!” he shouted, stopping next to them.
“There’s Ravenishtanis here?” she asked him, squinting her eyes.
“Above. They were heading towards me!” Galeon said, pointing upwards. And then three dots appeared from above.
The two groups clashed into each other in the air, pairing off into fights. Galeon got hit in the face by a man with thick arms, losing a tooth in the process. He spat a bit of blood to the side, raising his arms for the next blow.
The Ravenishtani came at him from above, slamming closed fists down onto his forearms. Galeon felt himself being pushed down, and freed bewl to his feet to compensate. Galeon began to dodge the blows instead of taking them. the Ravenishtani grew angry with that, and tried tackling him out of the sky.
Galeon closed off his bewl, and fell from the Afterburner’s path. An old idea came to him, and he smiled at the Ravenishtani.
“What’s wrong, Skybison?” Galeon called him. the Ravenishtani grunted, and then began to chase Galeon.
The Ravenishtani was stronger than him, but by no means faster. Galeon wound further and further down the mountains, towards the blanket of mist at the bottom. All the while the Ravenishtani flicked stones and grenades at him.
“You have to aim a bit higher! Try with your forearms,” Galeon teased him. Maybe the Skybison understood Antir, maybe he didn’t. But it was working.
Galeon crossed the mist, stopping abruptly. He flew into the air, just as the Ravenishtani came through under him. He looked confused, until Galeon tackled him from the back and crashed into the ground.
Dirt and rocks scratched the man as he screamed. Galeon’s arms took a beating as well, but not as strong as the Ravenishtani’s face. The Ravenishtani elbowed him, and they separated from each other. The both of them landed across from each other, and set to work healing their wounds.
Galeon cringed as he saw the state of the man’s face. It was hideously disfigured. He was afraid of the Afterburner coming at him like that, but instead he stumbled around on the ground.
“Searching for something?” Galeon asked him.
The man turned in his direction, jumping at him. Galeon side stepped the assault, watching the man fall again. His eyes were closed, but Galeon could tell. The man was blinded.
“Back… you…answer,” Galeon recited slowly in Ravenishtani. The man took a moment to parse his words, a testament to his accuracy.
“…What?” the only word he replied back with,
“Why fight?” Galeon asked.
the only sound between them for the next few moments were heavy breathing. Galeon didn’t know how the other man would take it. Only that he hoped the answer would come soon. He had no idea what state Raya and Ninel were in.
“For Ravenishtan,” the man replied.
But the answer didn’t satisfy.
“Why Ravenishtan?” Galeon asked him.
“My Country.”
“If you… Phasgorian?” Galeon asked.
“Then for Phasgoria.”
It was annoyingly simple. Is that all the thought they put to who they fought for? To what they dedicated their lives to? Such a flimsy reason was why they took lives?
“Why not… Phasgoria… now?” he strained with the words. His limited vocabulary only slowed him down more.
“Because… I Ravenishtani.” Was all Galeon understood.
He threw the pouch in front of the blind Afterburner. Galeon felt disgusted, having to talk to someone like that. Someone who killed so easily.
The Ravenishtani felt around on the dirt for the bewllan crystals, picking one of them up. He drank from it freely, and opened his eyes a moment later. Galeon closed them again with a fist to the man’s face, knocking him out.
Galeon rushed back up the mountain as fast as he could, helping Ninel and Raya drive off the last of the Ravenishtanis. The both of them were in rough shape by the end of it, and he had to share his crystals to heal them.
Raya grew back a chopped finger, while Ninel wiped a sweat from his brow.
“They’ll come back,” Ninel stated.
“Then we’ll need to find it quickly,” Raya replied. “Galeon?”
His head snapped towards the both of them.
“Hmmm?”
“We need to speed up the search,” Raya reiterated.
“Yeah…” he said half-heartedly.
Seraphas hadn’t blessed them that day, however. The ruins they found were nothing like the ones before it. Just more corpses and dust, and documents that still spoke of Deyfo. The group returned with those little belongings, using Ravenishtani grenades to cave in the entrance behind them.
****
Landing back in the middle of camp, Galeon assessed his arms. The sleeves were ripped again, meaning he’d be needing new cloth. Raya and Ninel strolled on ahead of him, talking to Duke Lambre about the mission.
A brief report later, the three of them were free to leave. Yet, when Galeon tried to, the Duke stopped him.
“Got into a fight, did you?” the duke asked him. He was stern in tone, like a harsh parent.
“We got out of it fine,” Galeon replied.
“The way Raya put it; it was close for you three. Ninel managed to pull out of his fight just in time to help her. But where were you?” Lambre asked him.
“Taking care of the last one,” Galeon kept his reply curt.
“How?”
“Disabling him.”
“How?”
“Fine! By knocking him out!” Galeon admitted. The duke looked more disappointed than enraged when he looked at him.
“Why didn’t you? Your teammates could’ve used the help,” Lambre told him.
Galeon shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he told him, hanging his head low. The duke didn’t ask him for anything after that, and Galeon flew back to his room.
****
Galeon kept his arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. His hadn’t closed his eyes for anything more than a blink. Not when Noviselle needed him tonight. Galeon wondered whether the time had come yet, looking out of his window every few moments.
Only when one of the moons finally rose up into the sky did the young Afterburner rise from his bed. He wrapped a cloak around him, opened his door and looked around himself. No one else was out at such a hostile time.
Winter wind blew in from the mountains, frosting over the houses and dropping snow near his doors. Galeon breathed out, a mist forming ahead of him. Now, it was time.
He jumped off the railing near his room, landing on the snow below. The hood of the cloak fell onto his head, and he began walking straight through the camp. Afterburners still patrolled the streets, but there weren’t enough for them to notice him.
Galeon knew how they operated, and weaved through their search patterns with ease. He arrived at the building he was hoping for. Four Afterburners stood on each of the corners of the buildings, on spires created specifically for them.
He watched from the sidelines, circling the building until he reached the rendezvous spot. And there, Galeon waited.
****
Noviselle tried her best not to shake. Not just because of the cold, but because she’d never been a part of a mission like this. Usually, it was Emile or a spy that she sent on them. But now, the responsibility lied on her, and she was quivering.
She knocked on the Duchess’ doors, waiting for a reply. Come on, Novi, it’s just a routine visit. You’re just here to plan out the next steps. She tried to convince herself. When the doors slowly grinded open in front of her, she clutched her notes to her chest. Just a routine visit, she repeated as she entered the tiger’s den.
“Sorry for making you wait in the cold, my Lady,” the servant who escorted her in said. Noviselle nodded.
“I-it’s not an issue,” she replied, her voice shaky. She worried that the servant would say something, but he just grimaced.
“Tsk, please, come inside,” the servant opened a door to his left, gesturing inside to a meeting room. There was a fire burning in the hearth, radiating heat.
“Would you like some tea before the baroness arrives, or would you like it after?” the servant asked her.
“She’s not here yet? Why don’t I just go with you for the time being?” Noviselle asked him. she tried disguising it behind a smile, making the servant blush.
“N-no. You should warm up first, my Lady,” the servant asked her.
“But it’s so dreadfully boring in there!” Noviselle whined. “And if the baroness isn’t here, what else am I supposed to do?”
“I… guess you’re not wrong. I-if you insist,” the servant replied.
He started leading her across the halls, which were as rich as ever. But the style of the place seemed eclectic to her. There weren’t just paintings or intricate glassworks, but older things too. Old blades were racked up like fire pokers, ancient armours were placed in stands and ruined papers stretched between a frame, holding writing that Noviselle didn’t understand.
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“Tell me about the armour again,” Noviselle asked the servant.
He talked about it at length, ignoring Novi as she skirted to the side of him. She was looking for something else instead. An opening that she could use.
“And the kitchen’s right here,” the servant said. Noviselle tuned him out, keeping her eyes fixed on the window instead. The latch was closed, preventing anyone from entering.
“I’m peckish. Have the chefs prepare me a steak,” she ordered the servant.
“Ah, we’re all out of beef, actually, and most of the chefs, they’ve left. Apologies Countess, but is there any-”
“Brined and baked potatoes, then. You can make that, can’t you?” Noviselle told him with a glare.
“I… I could, but-”
“Good, then I’ll be expecting it delivered to the meeting room after twenty minutes,” Noviselle told him. She walked away from the servant, who sighed as she left. Noviselle disappeared around the corner, leaving him with more work to do.
As soon as the kitchen door closed, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d bought herself a bit of time at least.
She eyed around the corner, confirming the servant had gone inside. Then, she stepped lightly over to the window. Noviselle wiped her hand on the glass, clearing it away to reveal the camp. But it wasn’t the right side of camp.
Antov damn you! Noviselle tried to grasp her position from the window, but it proved fruitless. There just wasn’t anything identifying to see. So, she had to explore.
The countess walked away from the kitchen and towards the other ends of the building. The decorations seemed to grow more sinister the further she went in there. Some of the vivid displays on the paintings made her look away from them. they were drawn in such an antiquated style, but showed scenes of dismemberment and sacrifices. Noviselle promptly moved away from them, unnerved.
She heard noise in one of the rooms, stepping lightly beside the open door. She peeked inside, seeing a servant cleaning it out, hunched over on the ground.
“You, there, come over here,” Noviselle ordered the man sternly. The man looked over to her, widening his eyes when he saw her glare.
He stood up straight and hurried over, making sure not to look Noviselle in the eyes.
“Who decided to make this stronghold so confusing to navigate? I’ve been lost for so long without a single servant there to help me!” Noviselle complained to the man, who nodded feverishly.
“I-I’m sorry, Countess. We’re understaffed at the moment, and the duchess hasn’t been around,” he replied, still staring ahead blankly.
“So, you shirk your responsibilities when the Duchess isn’t present. Where are the rest of the servants?” Noviselle asked.
“N-no, Countess, the ground floor needed cleaning, so we’re spread throughout an-”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re here now. How do I get to the eastern hall… on the second floor?”
“I could guide you. I-if you would just follo-”
“Just tell me the directions. I’ll find my own way there,” Noviselle cut him off once more. She could see his mounting frustration. He’s near to bursting. I should cut back on the acting.
“Down this hall. When you reach the fireplace, then you turn left, go up the stairwell and take a right at the eastern kitchen,” the servant muttered out the words.
“Good. Get back to your work,” Noviselle told him. She slammed the door behind herself, leaving the man.
Following the directions that she’d been given, Noviselle found the location easily enough. She flicked the latch on the window there, waving outside in case Galeon was already in position. Then she headed back.
****
Galeon was growing restless with every passing moment. Had Arelia’s men already figured out they were onto them? Listened in on their private conversation somehow? He didn’t like entertaining the thought of Novi’s kidnapping, or anything else that followed.
But he had to trust her and wait. And it paid off when he glanced back at one of the windows. It wasn’t the one they’d agreed on, but one on the second floor instead. Outlined by the bewllan, Noviselle was opening the latch on the window. Galeon raised his head, watching as she finished and gave him a wave. Why did she open that one?
A sign. She walked away from the window, leaving the rest of the work in Galeon’s hands. He stared at the window for a long while, glancing at the red stars in the sky that circled the stronghold. But no search routine could be perfect. He’d spotted the gap in their patrols.
They were just far enough from the stronghold that Galeon could fly up himself. He placed fingers to palms, creating jets. He placed them on the soles of his shoes too, then stood up.
Between the third and fourth Afterburners is when Galeon would find his opening. The first of them returned soon, followed by the second and third. The fourth took a longer time, which Galeon recognized to be because of his lack of skill.
Then they perched on the tops of their stronghold. Minutes passed by as Galeon watched them. Some of them ate rations, while others drank tea to stave off the cold. Once all of them were finished, they perched once more on the spires.
Then the first of them fell off, taking off into the skies. He strolled around the stronghold, searching the perimeter of the area. He peeled off from his path, taking a long trip around the camp. A while passed before the second followed, and similarly did the third Afterburner.
As soon as the third Afterburner gained enough distance from Arelia’s stronghold, Galeon made his move. He rushed into the air, low to the ground. Then, while the walls shaded him, he ascended parallel to them. Galeon stopped right next to the window, glancing inside. A warm inviting hallway stretched halfway into the building. And there were no guards present.
Galeon grabbed the edge of the window and pulled, but it refused to give way. Not now! He grunted. He scanned around for the Afterburners. The first of them was far away but coming back, just before the fourth left. He may be hidden in the shadows, but a close inspection would’ve given away his position.
Galeon freed bewl through his arms, cracking ice and wrenching open the windows abruptly. He jumped through them, closing them with a thud just as fast and crouching near the opening.
The Afterburner waited a scant few moments. If there was a Commander present, Galeon hoped they weren’t using their powers. Those moments ticked by, and Galeon rose from the carpeted floor. He wrapped his cloak around himself, even as the warmth around him invaded his body. Snow and ice that had gathered around his clothes melted off, dripping water onto the carpet.
Now came the difficult part. Noviselle had told him what the offices would look like, but finding them was Galeon’s problem. He stalked through the halls quietly, but apparently had no need. It seemed the entire floor was empty.
The rooms weren’t lit up for the most part, save a few of them. Had Noviselle somehow ordered the entire staff down to the ground floor? Doesn’t matter, as long as we get what we came here for.
The Afterburner started his search, looking for the Duchess’ offices.
****
Noviselle returned to the room to find Baroness Elesen already sipping tea. She was a plump woman in her forties, wearing a dull yellow dress, with greying hair tied up in a ponytail and a sharp wit about her that hadn’t decayed through the ages. She had reports laid out before her, and she gave the countess a suspecting look.
“My servant tells me you were coming back here. What took you?” she asked Noviselle.
“You need to keep your second floor bathrooms cleaner, lady Elesen,” Noviselle replied, taking a seat across from the woman.
“This entire meeting is a bit impromptu. We hadn’t the time. My apologies, Countess,” Elesen replied, but Noviselle waved her hand. It’d been a blessing to check them out, just in case.
“But what were you doing up there? I don’t think even you could get that lost, can you?” the Baroness asked her, forcing Noviselle into a trap. Antov damn you.
“Your servants are packed into the ones down here. I wanted some privacy,” she replied curtly. That seemed to sate the Baroness’ interest, as she leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her tea.
“Well then, let’s begin.”
****
Galeon held his bewllan crystals up as a lamp as he searched. He shined them into lounges, dining rooms, chapels and bathrooms, but found nothing. There were a scant few offices decorated around the halls, where Galeon rushed inside to search. But he couldn’t understand half of the words written there on the paper.
He could read them, but what they spoke of was so dense it was hard to pierce. He usually left them behind, only taking a few papers here and there that interested him. Closing the door behind him, Galeon made his way across the hall.
While he was walking near a crackling fireplace, he finally heard something apart from the hail outside.
“…Retruv told us to bring the good chairs…” someone echoed from the nearby stairwell.
“Retruv tells us a lot!”
Galeon began to panic. In the wide open hallway, there was little room for him to hide. He looked around at his surroundings. Tables? No. Behind a curtain? A kid would do that. The steps grew faster, and Galeon decided to risk it.
He ran towards the stairwell instead of away, and placed a single jet on his chest. Using other jets to reorient himself, he launched into the sky and pasted himself against the ceiling.
A maid and a servant came out of the stairwell. He looked on from the ceiling as they stood for a moment, waiting. They never stopped talking, thankfully coating the sound of his admittedly quiet jets. He thought they might notice, as a single bead of sweat was making its way down his chin. But thankfully, they passed.
Galeon let himself down slowly, discarding his jets and wiping his chin. Thank Seraphas these jets aren’t loud enough to crack your ears. But they’d be back, and Galeon would need to be much further away. He quietly stepped away from the scene of the hallway, waiting near one of the open rooms for their return.
“Do you think these’ll be good enough?” the man asked.
“They better be. If he doesn’t like them, maybe he should come up here and pick them out himself!” the woman replied. Then they both left just as fast as they’d come, leaving Galeon by himself.
The Afterburner decided to move to the next floor, even if he heard more people there. He opened the first door he came across and found himself in a giant office.
Galeon recoiled as his crystals illuminated an armour stand. He’d thought there was a soldier there, standing in wait for him. but it was another armour stand. That figure, along with the bookshelf full of tomes and the glass encased trinkets, told Galeon he was in the right place.
This was Arelia’s office.
Galeon made sure to close the door behind him, bringing out a few bewllan crystals to spread around the room. He started with the bookshelf, but half the languages written on those parchments were incomprehensible to him. He threw the books back into their crevices, turning to the table instead.
There he opened the drawers, placing the notes he found out for himself. Arelia had a copy of the notes they’d stolen from Ravenishtan, with lines highlighted every so often. Her interest in Elneshe seemed demented to him, and she went off on tangents on the sides of the paper.
Though he was suspicious, the Afteburner opened the next set of drawers. Or tried to, when he felt it stuck. He shined a bewllan crystal down into it, finding a keyhole in its place. Galeon took a moment, in case someone else was close by. But no footsteps came, and so he yanked on the drawer as hard as he could.
His enhanced strength might’ve been too much for the drawer, as its bottom seemed to snap off. Galeon was confused for a long moment, until he saw a second bottom still attached to it.
And on top of it lay more papers, but nothing like the ones he’d seen before.
Galeon pulled the stack out, spreading them across the desk. Bewllan light illuminated the drawings, of Necromancer automatons. But nothing of the kind Galeon had seen before. These were humanoid, to an inhuman degree.
The faces of these automatons resembled the faces of humans, only jagged and with a constant expression. They had wires of metal in place of veins and muscles, with long, metallic limbs that betrayed their true form. It was a poor imitation of a human being, or maybe an artistic one.
But most of all, it reminded Galeon of the same hallowmancers he’d faced near the mountains. The ones that had guarded those ruins. Had he been fighting automatons this entire time? And if he had, then why hadn’t Arelia told him what to expect?
Beyond the automatons, there were drawings of locations and hills. And an unfinished map that resembled none that Galeon had seen before. The shape was vaguely familiar, a ring surrounding emptiness, but nothing he could decipher.
One thing was clear to the young Afterburner. He couldn’t let these be. Noviselle would know better than him what these meant. He folded the papers into his pocket, placed the drawers and documents back where he’d found them, and exited the room.
Exited right into the waiting face of Afterplanar, who looked just as surprised as him.
The both of them stood in silence, eyes widening as they processed each other.
“Retruv! Have you gotten them!” someone shouted from the stairwell. Afterplanar looked behind him, scowling.
“Ru-” He was about to speak, but then Galeon barrelled into him.
“You!” Galeon punched him over and over again, while the other man buckled under the blows.
It only stopped when two portals appeared in front of Galeon, and both his hands went through them. He tried retracting them, but the portals closed around his fists, stopping only when they reached skin.
Galeon tried to pull himself forward, but the portals wrenched him backwards. Retruv’s nose was broken and bleeding, and he stared at Galeon with contempt.
“What are you doing in here?” he demanded, moving the portals around Galeon’s arms to the wall. Galeon grunted, placing his legs against the ground. He stood up, dragging both his arms forward, even if they were bound in portals. The skin scraped against the edges of the portal, but he finally managed to wrench a single hand free.
Retruv only watched in bewilderment as Galeon brought the other arm out. He rushed Retruv again, who dodged to the side. Retruv swung at Galeon, but he blocked with an elbow. Galeon went for his knees, folding him as he placed a hand on Galeon’s chest.
Galeon tried to rip the arm off, but Retruv let go himself. He placed a single jet on Galeon’s chest, which blasted him backwards through another room. Galeon stumbled over a couch, landing on a glass table. He broke through it, raining shards on the ground. The jet disappeared and Galeon struggled to stand.
Retruv stood in the hallway, breathing heavily.
“What did you do, Dull-end? Tell me!” Retruv asked him angrily. Galeon threw a handful of shards at the man, and the two of them threw themselves into each other once again.
****
The tea that Elesen had served was surprisingly spicy, but Noviselle was getting used to it. That’s when someone burst into the room and shouted at them.
“There’s an invader, Baroness! Someone in the upper floors!” the servant shouted.
Had Galeon been discovered? Noviselle looked over at Elesen before she had a chance.
“Who is it!” Noviselle asked the man.
“I-I didn’t get a good look. It was Retruv who shouted to…” but the man paused there. Noviselle noticed the hesitation in the man’s voice, as if he was speaking something he shouldn’t. He glanced at the Baroness behind her, and she caught onto that thread.
“Are they gone now?” Noviselle asked.
“Yes… I saw them leave flying through the windows.”
“Thank Antov,” Noviselle replied. She looked back at the Baroness with a level expression.
“It would cause a real uproar if a noble were to be killed in the middle of camp,” she said. The Baroness nodded reluctantly. Then Noviselle turned back to the servant, assured of her safety.
“Who found the intruder?” she asked, phrasing her words carefully.
“I… I don’t know. It was one of the others. They just shouted at me to run. You should leave as well!” the servant asked her. Before Noviselle could respond, the Baroness took her by the arm.
“Yes, we should! Bring over the Planars!”
And before she knew it, Noviselle was being dragged off.
****
Galeon and Retruv fought manically. They punched, slashed and, kicked and threw each other across the walls, spreading cracks along their surfaces.
Galeon blocked one of Retruv’s blows, grabbing his arm and placing a jet on it. He let go, but Galeon fired the jet, disorienting the man. He jumped into the air and kicked Retruv, sending him careening wildly into the fireplace.
Galeon took a moment to grab a breath. Retruv ripped the still burning jet off of his shirt, ripping the cloth as he threw it away. Before Galeon could punch him again, a portal appeared in front of Retruv. He pulled himself into it, removing it as he passed. Galeon tried to grab him, but Retruv reappeared at the end of the hall. He shot Galeon a dirty look before he started placing jets.
Then, Retruv took off into the air. Galeon did the same, and they flew across the hallway.
Retruv braced his arms and crashed through the window. Galeon followed him, his manoeuvre much smoother.
“Come back here!” Galeon shouted after the man. He thought he might’ve woken the whole camp with the noise, as several bewllan lamps lit up in tents around him. Galeon madly chased after him, shouting all the while.
“I know your name now, Retruv! You can’t escape!” he shouted. Retruv glanced back at him with a glare, turning abruptly.
Galeon shot past him, but the other man grabbed him by his collar.
“Get lost,” he told Galeon, throwing him through a portal he’d opened. Galeon fell through, landing on snow. He rolled around, but recovered quickly. He tried to fly through the portal again, but Retruv had closed it.
Galeon instead rushed into the skies, trying to locate the man. But he was nowhere to be found. His own injuries ached at him, and Galeon placed a hand to his head. It came back warm and sticky, so he fell to the ground.
Galeon was in an open plaza, bleeding out. He was so far away from the stronghold, he wondered how Retruv had even opened a portal here. The difference between their skills was staggering. Retruv was more flexible, stronger and could be much faster. The only advantage Galeon had over him were his jets.
He’d actually felt glad to fight Retruv again. Let his frustrations out. But now he was realizing how much he’d wasted. Galeon might’ve captured him much earlier, if he wasn’t so stubborn. Now the deed was done, and he’d escaped from Galeon once more.
Looking up at the skies, he saw four figures flying away from the stronghold. Galeon focused his eyes to them, grunting as he realized they were approaching him. He may have been bleeding and bruised, but he couldn’t stay. Not as long as they worked with Retruv.
The patrol passed over him, not noticing his bleeding figure crouched behind one of the tents. Galeon patched himself up the best he could, then waited in that damp cold until he could finally be free. Then he started walking to find a warm bed.