Aldritch had seen the way sunlight bounces off the crystal hills at the edge of dawn. He’d visited the garden of firsts, the birthplace of the only living God ever to be born on Mag Ársa. And he’s drank from a bottle of liquid ambrosia: the absolute pinnacle of winemaking, and one of only ten bottles personally created by Aohr: God of Wine, Decadence, and Pleasure… None of those things made him as nervous as the soft, spongy object lying inside the covered plate in front of him.

It was dark through and through, with small chunks of chocolaty goodness oozing from gaps in the sponge layer. A tantalizing smell tickled Aldritch’s nose, that was sweet and light, while at the same time containing a slightly bitter afternote. It was four layers of mouthwatering perfection, held together by carefully crafted cream that was both sticky and cloudlike in its presentation, and topped with a thin layer of cocoa powder.

“Aldritch…” Oakairo whined. “Please, just a bite and I’ll be satisfied.” He muttered in a breathy voice.

“No.” Aldritch replied, shaking his head. “It’s for after we return from the island. You know that.”

“Oh, come on… Who’s going to know? What harm could really come from trying one little piece? You know you want to. Why fight it?” Oakairo replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Aldritch stared at the cake with a longing he hadn’t felt in centuries. Oakairo was right. What harm could really come from trying a piece? He wouldn’t even need a fork, just his fingers would do-

“What’re you doing?” Faeyra asked as she stepped into the kitchen. Her long hair was pulled into a tight bun and held in place by a long silver needle. Instead of a dress, which was her usual attire; she wore tight leather pants, a black long-sleeved shirt beneath a leather hauberk, leather boots, and fingerless leather gloves. She was also wearing a thick leather belt adorned with six pouches of varying sizes, and a rather large backpack. The bottom of the backpack had a strip of leather that anchored it to the belt, preventing it from bouncing or swaying whenever Faeyra moved.

Aldritch used the moment of distraction to quickly shut the refrigerator door and step away. “Currently? Letting my impatience get to me.” He chuckled. “The cake you made is… Something else. I’m finding it more difficult than I thought to resist the urge to eat it now.”

“Why don’t you?” She laughed while tightening her belt. “I know I said it needed to set overnight, but it should be fine to eat now.”

Aldritch smiled slightly and shook his head. “I know. And believe me, I really want to. But it’ll taste even better after we return from the Island.”

“Why do you say that?” She asked, stepping closer to him and looking into his eyes. “Do you think it won’t taste good if you eat it now?”

“Certainly not.” He laughed. “This cake is like victory: it’s better shared amongst allies, than savored alone.”

“I’m surprised.” Faeyra replied, smiling up at him and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her left ear. “I didn’t think you were the kind of guy who liked to share.”

“What I’ll share depends on who I’m sharing it with.” He replied while grinning down at her. “While I’m certainly no dragon, I do have a tendency to hoard that which I value above all else. And when it pertains to my hoard… Well, I’m a very selfish man.”

“Ugh.” Sulika muttered as she walked into the kitchen. “Can you two please keep the flirting to a minimum until I’ve had my coffee? Thanks.” She finished by yawning into the back of her hand and stepping around the two of them to grab the kettle.

Aldritch and Faeyra smiled at each other before stepping a short distance apart and moving on with their preparations. While Sulika was ready to go; armed with her wand, her sword, and wearing her usual suit of leather armor. Faeyra still had a few things to grab out of her lab before she was ready to go- Knowing this, she left the kitchen and went searching for the rest of her gear.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Sulika asked, motioning to Aldritch’s old robe and armor. It was the same thing he’d been wearing since the moment she first saw him… Come to think of it, they never did get around to buying him some more clothes. Did they?

“Until I can forge something to replace it.” Aldritch replied while stepping back and leaning against the wall. He folded his massive arms across his chest and watched her at work, brewing coffee and setting aside a few ingredients for a light breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, toasted bread, and a few pan-fried vegetables: peppers, onions, and two kinds of mushrooms that Aldritch didn’t recognize.

“You make your own armor?” Sulika asked. She didn’t know why she was surprised; he was half dwarf. Realistically, it would’ve been stranger if he didn’t forge his own equipment. She guessed it had something to do with how he carried himself. Almost like he was above such menial tasks. But she knew that wasn’t exactly true. Aldritch hadn’t shown disdain towards work, if anything, he seemed happy to help in any way he could- provided he was compensated for it.

“Weapons too.” He nodded. “Ever since I was eight years old.”

“That young?” Sulika exclaimed. “Is that normal for Dwarves?”

“No.” Aldritch shook his head. “I was a special case: because of my size, most Dwarven equipment was too small to equip, and custom equipment was more than the temple could afford to provide. But we did have our own forge inside the temple, which was free for us to use as long as we sourced our own materials... And didn't break anything in the process.” Aldritch replied, smiling fondly at the memory of his first ‘sword’... Which broke almost as soon as he tried to cut something with it.

“That’s handy. I wish I knew how to forge my own equipment. It certainly would’ve saved me a few shiny copper bits.” She laughed while dumping eggs out of the hot pan onto a waiting plate.

“I could teach you- Or I could do it for you. Whichever you’d prefer. I don’t mind either way.” Aldritch replied. He noticed the conflicted expression that flashed across her face and asked her about it.

“I would love for you to teach me… But I just don’t have the patience to do such things.” She said in a quiet voice. “It’s why I can’t help Faeyra in the lab. I’m too impatient and can’t help but mess something up.”

“You do not enjoy alchemy?” Aldritch asked, watching Sulika with an expression of curiosity on his face.

“Not really, no.” Sulika replied without looking at him.

“Then it's understandable why you would not succeed. You were trying to force yourself into doing something you have no passion for.” Aldritch said while watching her. “You know you do not need to force yourself to like the same things as your friends, right?”

Sulika hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“What do you like to do for fun?” Aldritch asked while continuing to watch her. “I know you like to fight, your actions the other day proved that. But what else?”

“...I like to read.” Sulika replied after a moment. She dumped more eggs onto the plate, then sat the plate aside before moving on to the next thing; the pan fried vegetables.

“A good hobby.” Aldritch nodded. “What do you like to read? Action? Romance? Fiction? Non-Fiction? Perhaps something a little more… Intimate?” He asked and was surprised to see her spatula clatter to the ground by her foot. Sulika cursed under her breath and quickly brought her hand to her mouth. She blew on it for a second before placing her mouth on the side of her hand, coating it in saliva. Aldritch immediately stepped forward and took Sulika’s burned hand in his own. “Rejection of pain.” He whispered and poured mana into the spell.

Sulika sighed in relief as the pain faded away to little more than a dull ache. Gently, so as to avoid agitating her wound, Aldritch guided her to the sink and placed her hand beneath the facet… Unfortunately, though he knew water could be summoned from the mouth of the facet, he didn’t know how it worked. The sink was simple enough: A concave copper basin with a slender copper pipe protruding from the rear. The pipe curved downwards six inches above the basin and had a small hole from which water flowed. Aside from the pipe, the only objects Aldritch could see were three small, wooden buttons positioned in a triangle formation around the base of the pipe: The leftmost button was colored dark blue, the centermost button was black, and the rightmost button was colored dark red.

Aldritch took a guess and pressed the blue button down- there was a soft click to indicate it was now locked into the ‘on’ position. Water sprang forth from the pipe with a decent amount of pressure. Curious what it felt like, Aldritch stuck his own hand under the flowing water first… And felt nothing. While he could certainly feel the water flowing over his hand and through his fingers, it had no temperature. “Blue is for cold water, yes?” He asked Sulika.

“Yep.” Sulika replied. “Don’t you have a spell to do this? Is the water actually necessary?” She asked, curious about his actions.

Aldritch nodded and pulled her hand beneath the flowing water. “Cooling off the skin before healing can help prevent burns from scaring. Cleaning cuts follows the same logic. Greater Heal.” He muttered while focusing on the wound.

Divine magic flowed from Aldritch’s body to the burn on Sulika’s hand: like a snake shedding its skin, Sulika’s burn first turned from an angry red to a pale gray, then it started to peel off beneath the rushing water. Aldritch cast Purify on the basin, vaporizing the dead skin via holy light and clearing the sink of any unwanted debris. With that done, Sulika stared at her perfectly healed hand in wonder… “My food!” She shouted and raced back to save her poor vegetables from a fiery demise. Once the rest of her breakfast had been saved. Sulika moved the multiple plates of eggs and mixed veggies to the table before going back to toast a few slices of bread. “By the way, I wanted to ask: You’ve used that pain spell on me before, but it felt different this time. Why is that?”

“It’s due to the amount of mana I pour into the spell. I used slightly more this time, so the effect was more noticeable.” Aldritch explained while watching her cook. He thought about asking if she'd like some help, but from the way she was able to flit around the kitchen with such ease, he was almost positive he'd just slow her down at this point.

“Why don’t you use the same amount of mana every time?” She asked while carefully flipping the first slice of bread.

“That’s too dangerous. Do you feel a tingling sensation in your hand?” He asked. Sulika lifted her hand to her face and tentatively rubbed her fingers together. She did feel an odd sensation in her fingers, but she’d assumed that was due to the healing process. “What you’re feeling is the sensation of your nervous system slowly waking up. Rejection of Pain isn’t technically a healing spell. It was created by royal torture masters about a thousand years ago. They learned if you temporarily disabled the nervous system, the victim would become susceptible to torture once it recovered-” Aldritch explained, only stopping because Synne trudged into the room with her ears drooping and her head down. The puppy was still half-asleep but didn’t want to be alone anymore. She trudged her way to Aldritch’s right foot and flopped onto her side, laying her head against his shoes and going back to sleep.

“She’s adorable… But can we please get back to the fact you’ve been using a spell designed for torture on me?” Sulika said in a low voice, so she wouldn’t wake the puppy.

“It wasn’t designed for torture.” Aldritch softly laughed. “That was just a happy accident. They were originally trying to make a spell that would allow the safe reconnection of severed limbs on the battlefield. Back in those days, it was easier to test new medical techniques and spells on enemy soldiers.”

“Wait.” Sulika said, raising a hand to stop Aldritch from speaking. “Why were the royal torturers- or whatever, the ones doing the experiments? Shouldn't that be left to a healer or something?” She asked, feeling genuinely confused.

“A fair question.” Aldritch nodded. “Ever heard the saying; ‘The best chef is a voracious eater’?” He asked.

“Can’t say I have.” Sulika replied, looking even more confused.

“Well, the theory goes, the best healers were the ones who knew how to destroy the body as well as fix it. So, the ‘royal torturers’ were also widely regarded as the best healers in the country.” Aldritch explained in a casual tone, while scratching Synne behind her right ear. He loved how her back leg twitched every time he scratched her on that spot.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“And yet they were overtaken by a fifteen-year-old half-blood with a chip on his shoulder. Some ‘experts’ they turned out to be… Then again, they had to wait for prisoners to be delivered to them, while you were actually on the battlefield.”

“That’s barbaric!” Sulika exclaimed, looking at Aldritch with an expression that perfectly combined disgust with horror. “What did they do to the healers who didn’t want to torture people to further their twisted experiments?”

Aldritch laughed. “They didn’t do anything to them. People were rarely forced into an occupation and were never forced into a job that required them to either take a life or save one. Too many opportunities for spiteful people to take advantage and weigh the scales of justice one way or another. If a healer didn’t want to experiment on prisoners, then they weren’t forced to… But at the same time, it’s almost impossible to create new spells or techniques without practicing on something.”

“Aldritch is right.” Faeyra replied as she stepped into the room. “Even alchemists have to test the effects of their potions on volunteers. Honestly, I’d prefer it if we could use criminals too. At least then we could drastically reduce the possibility of an innocent having an adverse reaction.”

Sulika’s face showed her unease with the way the conversation was going. She really didn’t like the idea of forcing people to be test subjects… At the same time, she wasn’t naive enough to think they’d be better off if those experiments had never taken place. Faeyra approached Sulika from behind and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman. Sulika looked over her shoulder at Faeyra, a slight smile on her face. She patted Faeyra’s arm to show she was okay, then moved to pick up the plate. Faeyra helped her get everything set up; three plates, three mugs of coffee, three cups of fruit juice… But Aldritch didn’t sit down with them, and not just because he couldn’t sit down without completely shattering their chairs.

Aldritch showed them an apologetic smile and said, “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested in food right now-”

“I am!” Oakairo exclaimed, his voice echoing inside Aldritch’s head. “I want to eat. Do you mind?” Aldritch shrugged and focused for a moment. It wasn’t easy to lower your own magical resistance, but you could do it. You just needed to purposefully will your magic into the depths of your soul so it couldn’t interfere with the foreign mana… Admittedly, it was much easier for Aldritch to let Oakairo take over since he was already inside his body. “Good morning, ladies.” Oakairo said as he picked up the plate of food and started eating. Sulika and Faeyra both choked on their food at the sight of the God standing in front of them. He looked almost identical to how he had the first time they saw him: an impossibly tall, inconceivably beautiful woman in a semi-transparent gown. Her luscious silver and gold hair was tied in a long ponytail that hung to her waist. Her lilac eyes shifted from the various items across her plate, unsure of which to try first.

All in all, Oakairo looked almost identical to how he had the last time Sulika and Faeyra saw him, save for the silvery patch of scales that covered his left cheek. Faeyra was mesmerized by the way Oakairo’s scales sparkled like diamonds beneath the orange light filtering through their kitchen window… Sulika and Faeyra were far too nervous to speak in the presence of Oakairo. Luckily, he was used to such treatment, and didn’t think anything of it. After all, he was the God of Pride. Of course, they would be too nervous to speak in his presence.

After breakfast was over, and Aldritch was back in control of his own body, the three of them left for the docks with Synne riding inside a pocket of Aldritch’s robe. Her small head could just barely peer over the top of the pocket, allowing her a wonderful view of the city she’d never seen before.

Faeyra was nervous, more so than she had been in a long, long time. This would be the first time she's been near a demon in- what- a century? Maybe longer? For probably the dozenth time since leaving the store, Faeyra patted herself down to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything.

Sulika was also nervous. However, her nervousness came from the excitement she was feeling. This was it, their first outing as a guild. Sure, a few members wouldn’t be joining them: Rea, Veta, and Emrid were all non-combatants, so it made sense they’d stay home. But Derrik, Oladi, Zarud, and Ralocan were meeting them at the docks.

Together, the seven of them were heading down to the island with the scouting team from the Hunters Guild. And with the money they earn from today’s hunt, they’ll take their first steps towards becoming a proper guild.

Aldritch was… Well, he was a bit excited for the chance to see how Sulika, Faeyra, and the rest fought. But aside from that, all he felt was the anticipation that always preceded a fight. It didn’t matter to Aldritch what they found inside the dungeon. They could find a literal mountain of gold and he wouldn’t bat an eye, he was killing the devil in charge and closing it. The demons inside were dangerous, and they already knew the taste of Iolaran hunters. Leaving it open beyond today wasn’t worth the risk that came with it.

Synne was contemplating how quickly she could climb out of her master’s robe and locate that absolutely fascinating scent she’d picked up a second ago. It was meat- juicy, delicious, glorious meat. Sure, she enjoyed the breakfast he’d given her: Some kind of dried swine meat he’d brought back from her last home- though he’d told her not to tell anyone. Considering she couldn’t talk; she was certain she could follow her Master’s request without fail. Not that she’d tell anyone even if she could speak their language. Her Master said that meat was for her, and her alone. She didn’t have to share food anymore, so she wouldn’t. Anyone who disagreed would find themselves on the wrong side of her chompers.

A short while later, as the sun finally rose above the outer wall. Aldritch, Sulika, and Faeyra reached the aerial dock.

Standing near the entrance was Max and twelve other hunters, which Sulika recognized as the members of the third scouting team. Joolbic and a trio of ‘official’ looking men in dark suits stood a short distance away, clearly in the midst of a heated discussion. Lastly, the first two members of their new guild: Derrik and Ralocan, were standing off to the side. They were obviously attempting to put as much distance between themselves and the other groups as possible, without coming across as rude.

Aldritch slowed his walking speed and motioned for Sulika and Faeyra to do the same. “Standard decorum would suggest we greet the governor first, then the people next to him, before moving to Max and the others.” He whispered just loud enough for them to hear. “But it’s not necessary for all of us to follow such procedures. Only the guild master should-”

“Have fun then.” Sulika replied, cutting him off with a slight smile on her face.

“Give em hell.” Faeyra chimed in, also smiling up at him.

“...Fair enough.” Aldritch laughed. He shook his head in amusement at how quickly they gave up the position of guild master and resumed his early walking pace. Once they were within fifty feet of the three groups, Aldritch broke off towards Joolbic’s group, Sulika headed for Max’s group, and Faeyra continued making her way to Derrik and Ralocan.

Faeyra greeted the two men with a charming smile, prompting them to respond with equally happy grins in return. “How’s it going, guys?” She asked, stopping only a few feet from the two of them.

“It’s a good day to slay some Demons!” Ralocan replied, looking positively ecstatic to be leaving the city. “Venerable Cyndarr has once again blessed us with a fine sunrise. He’s no doubt pleased we’re moving to reclaim his land from the foul demons, returning it to the rightful hands of the faithful.”

“What he said.” Derrik said before yawning into his hand. “Honestly, I appreciated having a few days off with the wife and young’ns. But they’ve been driving me up the wall since yesterday, I was starting to need a vacation from my vacation.”

“I didn’t know you had children.” Faeyra said, surprised. She knew Derrik was married- or whatever the dwarven equivalent was- but the children thing was new.

“He has fourteen of them.” Ralocan muttered.

“How many times do I need to tell you?” Derrik spat. “Only one of them is mine, the rest are children of the clan. I’m just looking out for them for the time being.” Derrik muttered. He noticed the confusion on Faeyra’s face and realized he’d need to explain further. “It’s customary in Dwarven culture for young’ns with recently born siblings to live with various members of the clan from the age of five until their nameday- Ah, sorry. I meant until their tenth birthday. I forget you elves don’t have namedays.” He said and quietly laughed.

Ralocan shrugged. “Don’t fret over it, Derrik. We may not have namedays, but at least we get to own our own names.” He replied while a sly grin spread across his face.

Faeyra rolled her eyes at the comment and the bickering that followed, the two hurling insults back and forth like a pair of teenage boys.

Over with Aldritch, he approached Joolbic and friends with a professional smile in place. The moment he reached them, he immediately offered his hand to Joolbic- since he was the person Aldritch believed held the highest rank in the group. Once he’d greeted Joolbic, he introduced himself to the other men one after the other.

The first man was a sprightly Kandis. At five feet tall, and probably a hundred pounds soaking wet, he was one of the shorter Kandisi Aldritch had seen. But with his golden fur, intelligent emerald eyes, and… Wait a second- Aldritch recognized this man.

“He’s cleaned himself up since we last saw him at the memorial stone.” Oakairo muttered. Yes, that was it. The Kandis from the memorial stone, the one with the eyes of a dead fish. Now that he was paying attention, Aldritch could see the exhaustion buried deep within the Kandisi’s eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Sir Aldritch. My name is Nikko Hughes, I serve as the public relations representative for the Hunters Guild.” Nikko said. The truest sign of his professionalism was the fact that his voice sounded perfectly normal despite the tumultuous feelings Aldritch knew he was carrying around with him.

The second man was a middle-aged human with short and spiky white hair with black tips and black eyes. Half of his face was hidden beneath a thick, but neatly trimmed beard that matched his hair. And his dark, three-piece suit did little to hide the sheer musculature of the human, who could’ve easily passed for an Ogre with a little make up and copious amounts of brain damage.

“Conan Murray. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Aldritch. I’ve heard so much about you.” Conan said, grinning from ear to ear. He clasped hands with Aldritch and squeezed… Aldritch glanced down at their clasped hands and wondered what Conan was doing. After a few more seconds of this, Conan chuckled to himself and let go of Aldritch’s hand. “I like you.” He said, tapping Aldritch on the shoulder with his right hand. He reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a small card, which he immediately passed to Aldritch. “Come visit me sometime. I’d love to see how well you’d do in the ring.”

“Ring?” Aldritch muttered before looking at the card in his hand, it read: Conan Murray, President of A.G.P (Azuris Gladiatorial Productions). Located at 11-472, Auris, Azuris Island.

Aldritch sent a confused look Joolbic’s way, who sighed exasperatedly. “Despite the name, AGP is the leading provider of arcanist tools on the island. Conan is the one supplying the mana stones you’ll be using to revamp our wards- assuming your offer still stands?” Joolbic asked in a curious tone.

Aldritch had indeed offered to ‘fix’ the ward surrounding the island after their talk of creating a guild was complete. He’d even offered to do it for free… But only on one condition. “Have you found a building for us?” Aldritch asked in the same tone.

“We’re still looking into it.” Joolbic replied with an easy smile on his face.

“Then by all means, revisit the topic after you’ve found us a building, or you have something of equivalent value.” Aldritch said with a similar smile on his face. He looked away from Joolbic to the last man, but not before noticing the sour expression on the Gnome’s face.

The third man was a pretty Lunaren elf with waist-length, curly black hair that looked like it took an hour to brush every morning. Twin emotionless amber eyes stared at Aldritch, while a sardonic smile remained cemented onto his face. “Shael Elvaren, Sentinel commander and the one responsible for keeping the peace while you go down to the island.” Shael monotonously explained. His voice sounded surprisingly feminine considering the way he presented himself… Then again, elves were often considered more attractive than almost any other race, making it notoriously difficult to determine if they were male, female, or something else altogether.

“Pleasure to meet you all.” Aldritch replied. “So, I’m assuming you aren’t here to wish us good luck?” He asked, directing his question to Joolbic.

“No. I wouldn’t waste our time for such a reason.” Joolbic replied with a chuckle. “We’re here, because this is the first time in a bit over a century that a lost island has been reclaimed. I wouldn’t miss such an event for the world.”

“Oh? How do you intend to reclaim it?” Aldritch asked. Joolbic’s words had succeeded in capturing his attention. He'd assumed they were just going to loot it, then leave it. Were they planning to do anything else?

“I’m glad you asked.” Joolbic replied while smiling. “Sir Murray, if you would?”

“Right-O.” Conan said and stepped past Aldritch. He pointed to a building- no, not a building, it was some kind of reinforced platform near the edge of the aerial dock… Aldritch realized there was something being constructed on top of it. “My people are rushing to build forty of those platforms along the western edge of the island. By this time tomorrow, we’ll have everything we need to reclaim the largest piece of the island from the clutches of the sea. Then, with the help of your new wards, we’ll tie the two islands together in harmony. It’ll be like coffee in the mornings, or a pickle and grilled cheese sandwich.” Conan sucked in a deep breath and sighed. “Doesn’t that sound just grand?” He asked, smiling widely at Aldritch.

Aldritch stared at Conan for a few moments before a smile spread across his face. “I’ll stick with chocolate, but hey, whatever heats your forges is not for me to judge.”

Faeyra watched Aldritch and the large human smile at each other and wondered what they were talking about. Sulika was off chatting with Max and the members of the scouting team, leaving the three of them to wait for Oladi and Zarud by themselves.

“Probably should’ve asked this earlier…” Ralocan muttered, getting Faeyra and Derrik’s attention. “What’s the name of our guild? I don’t think I’ve heard anyone mention it yet.”

Derrik realized the elf was right, for once, and looked to Faeyra for the answer. She shrugged and pointed with her thumb at Aldritch. “We rejected about twenty of his suggestions yesterday before settling on one we didn’t hate. Crazy for cocoa, The Ten Chocolatiers, The Chocolate Oracle- which I immediately said no to.” She said, her face had turned bright red from embarrassment. “There were more, but I must’ve blocked them out at some point.” She sighed.

“So, what’d you settle on?” Ralocan asked, suddenly regretting his decision to join without hearing the name first…

“Mag Ársa.” She said, looking completely exasperated. “Aldritch says it’s Dwarvish for ‘The Oldest Mountain.’"

“You’re right.” Ralocan said, laughing nervously at the name. “It could definitely be worse…”

“That’s Dwarvish?” Derrik muttered, a quizzical expression on his face.

“You know, you’re right," Ralocan muttered after a second. "It doesn’t sound like any Dwarvish I’ve ever heard.” He said, looking just as confused as Derrik.

“That’s what he said.” Faeyra replied and shrugged helplessly. “I'm no expert on the Dwarvish language, so I didn't dispute it. Why? What do you think it means?” She asked Derrik.

“Well, in Dwarvish, Mag does mean ‘The Oldest’, but Ársa doesn’t mean mountain… At least, It hasn’t since before I was born. I think its closest comparison in Common is 'Defender.'” Derrik slowly explained, almost as if he were unsure of his translation.

“The Oldest Defender, huh…” Faeyra muttered and glanced over at Aldritch, who was heading their way with a slight smile on his face.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that was the case, what kind of soul was revealed through twin orbs of molten gold that burned with a fierce inner light. And his outfit- a simple, yet clearly old and tattered white robe was evidence of the long years of struggle he’d been forced to endure. While the stark black pants, practical and modest, seemed almost out of place for someone who served a God of Pride. In contrast to his simple clothes, his armor was almost exaggeratedly extravagant. An opulent fusion of gold and silver plate mail that clung tightly to his torso, legs, and shoulders couldn’t have been just for defense. Plain old steel would’ve been stronger, lighter too. No, she could easily see that armor as a beacon- A target willingly worn over his body that drew the eyes and swords of his enemies.

And he’d said he’d forged them himself? Why? Why draw that kind of attention to yourself?

The answer, she realized, was simple.

It was a pledge to both Oakairo, and those he protected. That so long as he remained standing, the people behind him were protected.

“The name suits him.” She said and chuckled quietly to herself.