There were many that were before us. Many that were with us. But there will not be many after us.

And.... if we fail, there shall be none at all.

-Veteran of Ten Thousand Battles, Halcyon Dias

The air is cold. It's... been a long time since I've seen my homeland. Though, I suppose it doesn't matter.

Since it's all flooded.... Even our ancestral tree must be drowning now. I... I really wish we could've done something.

Ah shit. We are really doing this huh. They said that we were the last group, the last ones with the few artifacts that we could scrounge up.

Damn. You know, you would expect people to give a little more to the last scion of the Nostrom. At least some applause or something. Ah shit. Why did it have to be this way?

Why couldn't my brother just have succeeded like he did always. 

FUCK. . . italics/ I wish I could've just stayed where I was. I was perfectly fine with just being a nobody. God dman it. Why didn't the divines interfere anyway! THEY"RE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING US!!!

I sighed as I shook myself out of my moping. It was the last day I was able to stay in the civilized world and get provisions before we, the Last Hope of Gophut, set out to beat the Trials.

The one thing that stood between our world shaking itself into oblivion and being "reforged", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

I looked at my gear, an extremely antique sword, bequethed upon me by my grandfather.

A masterfully crafted set of full-body armor that was neatly stacked in a corner. It proudly displayed the emblem of my house, a large stylized N that sat in the middle of a frozen pool and seemed to radiate heat. In defiance of its cold environment.

Courtesy of our house's private crafters. 

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10 packets of delicious hard tack rations, a very old and favourite half-broken flute, courtesy of my brother's antics.

And, finally, a pack of whatever the hell the Last Front, the last of the 13 great Military Companies, thought was a good idea to give to me, unopened. 

Though the Last Front was pretty much the final and only battle line against the Merfolk, they were true assholes, requesitioning anything that could give them even a little edge.

But that just meant that they would take everyone's food, precious possessions and so on for "entertainment" and "morale", so I felt uncomfortable taking anything from them. 

Still, I tugged at the bag, there seemed to be a lot inside. 

I decided to leave it alone, for now, as I went to the center of the room.

I stood straight and whispered "The House of Nostrom will endure." as I thought to myself "ugh, so embarassing".

The neatly stacked armour slowly floated in a coordinated fashion into the air and assembled itself onto me as I T-posed. 

I stretched, barely feeling the armour on my body. It felt lighter than usual. I guess the old woman came through huh. "Float like the wind" is what she last said to me, before I had to leave. 

I gave a quick prayer to Tolrim, the god of !improve Safety, for I felt somewhat connected the old Gnome. 

And then, packed my belongings, sheathed my old bastard sword and left the lousy tavern that let me stay for free. "It is a lucky thing, to be able to help the Chosen" the owner told me, I noted that that luck didn't seem to have saved the many other Chosens before us.

I inhaled sharply before I power walked past the smoking patrons. Though they won't be able to suffer the consequences, I was stupified for a moment why they would do such a thing to themselves and others. To dirty the air with such vile conconctions. Ugh.

After dusting myself to ensure no smoke would cling to me, I noticed that my steps seemed ever so light. I tried a few more steps and found myself almost being blown into the direction I was moving in. 

Excitedly, I started to run to the spot we, the Last Hope, had agreed upon with an unexpected ease. An old statue of knight with more tears in it than a flower in full bloom has leaves. 

Berry Thymes, the star diplomat. Apparently she was the one who kept half the world from trying to kill each other for god knows what.

Though, there is less of the world nowadays.