????'s Point of View

Western Border

“Thana’s forces are gathering in the east.” Credo stated as we sat staring at the wall of fog.

“It’s a trap.” Pestilence commented. “This is exactly what she did all those years ago when she captured the Royal Family.”

“You mean when the Royal Family was betrayed by Rudnurth.” I added.

My bandaged companion scoffed. “It’s the same thing.” He then crossed his arms. “Thana put months of planning into just acquiring the Royal Family of old.”

Credo then corrected him. “You mean to test Arthur. Why do you think he rid himself of his cloak and no longer wish to be King?”

“Whatever the answer may be, I doubt we’ll hear it anytime soon.” Picking up a rock and throwing it into the fog, I spoke. “Why do you think this part of the world is sealed off?”

The two brothers seemed surprised at my sudden change of topic. “Does it matter?” Credo inquired.

“It might.” Was my response before I turned back to the fog and tossed in a rock. “Many strange rumors circle around this place. Even Thana lost a few of her creations to this fog, did she not? Perhaps one of them is one of the ones I’m looking for.”

“Then they’re already dead.” Credo answered. “Leave the fog, and let’s leave this place. We have to keep moving.”

Pestilence growled as he spoke up. “You need to make a decision. Are we continuing our hunt, or are we going east?”

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My eyes lingered on the fog. The same fog Aydan told me to avoid at all costs. If Thana sent several powerful Demons here and none of them returned, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk entering this place. There are more places to search before turning to whatever lies beyond the fog.

“Then we’ll head north. If Arthur goes east, I want to be somewhat nearby. We can skirt around the west as much as needed in case anything goes wrong.” I told them.

“Babysitting is not something I would’ve expected from you.” Pestilence shot back.

Turning to them, I pointed north. “Horde installations are constantly being built. Tor can transport enough Ghouls under the radar to continually rebuild. The three of us will make our usual rounds before coming back down the eastern Lestranian border.”

“What? No love for the south?” Pestilence questioned mockingly.

“Perhaps you don’t know, but there are eyes to the south. I try to avoid most beings who can challenge a Demon Lord.” I replied.

“The southwest or southeast?” Pestilence pressed further.

Credo raised a brow as he looked at me. “One is the Dragonlands, and the other is the Hollow Forest. The Dragons are powerful, especially in large groups, but there isn’t one that is particularly stronger than the other. For the most part anyway…” I only looked at him in response and gave no verbal reply. “That means something lurks in the Hollow Forest.”

Pestilence crossed his arms. “That is one of the locations where Demons have disappeared in depending on how deep you go.” Then he smirked. “Although, there are three of us now. I doubt many things would be willing to deal with us all at the same time.”

“…”

“Something you know that we don’t?” Credo questioned.

Turning back to the fog for a moment, I replied. “Do you and Pestilence know what’s on the other side of this fog?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Kheri's Point of View

My Office

I like my office. It’s nice, plain, and quiet. Most of the time. No paintings or other more personable items were here. White walls, a regular wooden desk, and a few chairs were all I kept inside. Keeping things simple was enough for me. Yet two of my lifelong friends had come to plead with me to go with Arthur fucking Pendragon. The same man who entered my office without knocking. My home away from home. A sanctuary of sorts.

The Lestranian Knight looked amused as he called me a troublemaker. “I’ve been known to dabble with the lines of Lestranian law.”

“Birds for the win.” Arthur shot back, amused.

When he entered, there were a few things I noticed. Ziah retreated into herself when Arthur appeared. Greigh seemed far more alert, and Arthur seemed to be stealing glances at both of them. Something had happened between the three. Something that made my friends uncomfortable and nervous.

My eyes narrowed as I eyed the man. “Birds always win.” Perhaps there was more to them seeking my help than I originally thought. “Arthur, so much has been happening that I don’t know what to do. To be honest, all of us are a bit lost. Most of us are just going day by day at this point. Neither the Priestesses nor Alwin are in any condition to be giving out orders.”

To my surprise, the smirk on his face disappeared as his head hung lightly. “I’m sorry.” Arthur said to me. “You’re right. It was mostly dumped on you, which wasn’t fair.” His tone surprised me at how honest it sounded. “However, I’m here now, and I want to help. I may not like Alwin or Ayda, and their mother may have betrayed me, but I owe the Farro’s a debt. If something is wrong with Ayda, and I can help, I’d like to.” Then he glanced to Greigh and Ziah. “That is, if I’m given the chance.”