Minos PoV [https://i.imgur.com/O4PKZj1.jpg]

Minos stood at the edge of the precipice. Before they left the lodge, the collier told them about the best view of Mt. Visiga. They followed his directions, and it led them to this ravine at the edge of the woods. And the man was right.

From where he stood, Minos gazed at the mountain and its perfectly-shaped cone. A streak of cloud shied away revealing its snow-covered peak, which reflected the orange light of the setting sun. "I could get used to this," he whispered. "I don't blame the charcoal-maker for choosing to stay here."

Rei stopped right beside him and turned to face the mountain. The young nobleman placed his arm on the foreigner's shoulder, while he used the other to motion towards the forest and fields that encompass the imposing landmass.

"They said that Eon built a wall around his city, so wide, from afar it looked like it surrounds the mountain itself. It should be somewhere there, buried in all that. They say the kings pulled down every stone they can find, so as not to remind humanity about what has been here.

"I'd like to imagine that Markelus himself stood here, right on this spot, to look at Eon's city below, as they planned for their assault." He continued on narrating, but Rei's mind was off somewhere else. "The Sorrowful March, they called it. Everybody thought they were all going to die. To face-off a god like that... But they lived, and no glory had ever come close in the history of mankind.

"To say that it was all a lie is an insult. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand where she's coming from, she is an educated woman, one of the enlightened ones. But there's a time and place for rationality, and there's a time and place for faith.

"Faith. That was all they had, that was all Markelus had. It wasn't his sword, his sword was just a symbol, a symbol of his faith. Faith is his actual weapon. Faith is what killed Eon, not the sword." Minos finally noticed that Rei wasn't paying attention. "Hey, are you even listening?"

His companion looked at him and shrugged, before walking away.

"Of course you're not. You don't care about our land's history, you're not from here." Minos looked wide and recognized a small little village on the foot of the mountain. "Oh hey look, it's the village. You know what, we should camp here, the sun's getting low."

Rei studied the horizon and nodded in agreement. He pulled his knapsack from the horse's saddle and started readying a fire for the coming dusk while the young noble looked for a spot for the horses to rest .

Minos was already sitting comfortably on his bedroll, ready to take a bite of his dinner when his foreign companion called for him. He pointed towards just below the horizon where the mountain meets the farmland and they saw a bright orange light coming from the center of it.

"Is that a fire?"

Rei stood and splashed the contents of his canteen on their campfire.

"It looks like it's coming from the center of the village... the plaza? No... the inn!" Before he could even finish, the foreigner was already freeing his horse from its ties. Minos forced all the bread he was eating down to his mouth and took a big gulp from his waterskin.

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Shouting and screaming filled the air as Minos and Rei entered the village once more. There was a warmth in the evening breeze, and they could see the thick smoke rising from afar. As they got to the center of the village, they were greeted by a dozen villagers desperately trying to put down the fire. Indeed, it was the inn.

Minos jumped off his horse and started asking around what happened, only to get different answers: bandits, vagabonds, sorcerers, drows. Minos recognized the old man with a limp, and tried approaching, but he bumped into another villager who was carrying a bucket of water. He helped the villager get up and salvaged as much water as he could, before running to the building and throwing it all on the flames. He handed back the empty pail, before grabbing another one.

Rei stopped him and motioned for him to listen. Minos tried to block out the chaos on the streets and focused his ears on the burning building. "Someone's crying, someone's inside! Someone's inside!" The young nobleman snatched another pail of water and drenched himself with all its contents. He took a moment to brace himself and dashed through the door.

Minos hopped and skipped across the blazing labyrinth of flame and debris. The water he had poured over himself was quickly turning dry and the smoke was blinding his eyes. He pulled the sash from his tunic and used it to cover his nose and mouth. "Cassana!" He screamed.

He tried the kitchen but a wooden beam was blocking its entrance. To fit through the gap, he will need something to keep it up steady, like a chair or a table. He looked for one that wasn't ablaze and found one just near the southern wall. Walking towards it, that was where he found a gruesome sight.

A woman was facing away from him. Her arms were wrapped around a man lying on the floor. Taking one step closer, he recognized the man, it was the collier's son, Ashvell. His dead body was riddled with arrows. He took another careful step and placed his hand on the woman's shoulders. "Cassana!" He pulled her but found an unfamiliar face. A young girl, younger than Cassana. Her cheeks and hair were filled with soot and ash and her lips were bloody red.

He attempted to lift the girl but she resisted, "No, no, help him! Please! Help Ashvell!" Her arm was tightly wrapped around his shoulders, and their combined weight made it difficult for Minos to pull them away.

"He's gone, leave him, let him go," he shouted at the girl.

"No, please, no! Take him with us, please. Please, take him too. Eirene, goddess, please, help us!"

Minos looked at the young driver and the dozen arrows pierced through his body. He was sure he was dead. He looked at the young girl and saw the desperation from her eyes. She was sure he was still alive. Faith. He thought.

"Well, I can't lift you both," he said to the young lass. "Can you stand up?"

She glanced at Minos, and something in his eyes woke her from her languish. She pulled her leg from underneath Ashvell and tried to sit up.

"There you go." Minos rallied with a hopeful smile. "Run out to the door, I'll take care of your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyf-" she tried to object.

"Just go!" he screamed. The young lass stood up and tried to limp towards the exit, but another flaming beam smashed down onto the floor, blocking their way out. The young girl shrieked.

"There's no way out," she said, coughing between the words.

Minos pushed back his hips and lifted Ashvell's body from the floor, "Seti's breath you're heavy!" He looked around, searching for an exit. On the wall behind him he found a battle axe lodged on to the burning wood, along with the dead body of a short female drow. He looked at the adjacent wall, and figured that the fire had weakened it enough and he could use the battle axe to smash through.

He was just about to put Ashvell back on the floor when a sharp metallic device pierced the wall he was looking at. It was a round-shaped projectile held on end by a metal chain. Iron claws burst out of the metal ball and the chain yanked it back, clawing against the wooden panels of the wall. BROOKUHM! In an instant the whole wall fell out, revealing the street outside filled with worried and panicking villagers.

"Go, go, run!" Minos ordered the young lass to go through the collapsed wall. He followed behind her with renewed strength. He saw his companion riding on his horse, the chain and hook that brought down the wall attached to its saddle.

"Bonnie!" Several villagers gathered around the young lass, offering help and aid. Minos brought Ashvell down on the ground, and as they saw his condition, their concern and worries shifted to him.

Bonnie immediately moved back to wrap the young driver in her embrace, careful not to hit the arrows that riddled his body. "Somebody help him, please!"

Minos stood up. The fire had already reached the inn's second floor. With the old wood and dry weather, it easily devoured every inch of the edifice. "Where's Cassana?" He asked Bonnie. A question that she only managed to answer with a look of despair. "Was she still inside?"

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"I... I don't know..." the young lass cried, "when I woke up, everything's already on fire..."

Rei checked Ashvell, placing his fingers on his neck, then on his wrist. He then glanced up to Minos with the look of surprise. The young nobleman understood.

"No way. He's alive?" Minos faced the crowd of people. A few of them have given up in trying to extinguish the fire. "Anyone here a healer? Do you have a healer in this village?"

"Let me help!" One hand rose up amidst the sea of desperate faces. Its owner squeezed through the crowd, "I'm a herbalist. I can help him," and then picked Ashvell up. Another one joined in to assist.

"Go with them." Minos said to Bonnie. He then gazed upon the blazing inn once more, its flames getting bigger and bigger, swallowing it up to the roof. "I could use some magic right now... has anyone seen Cassana?" He addressed the crowd once more.

"They took her!" Another hand rose. This time, coming from a woman. "I saw them," she approached the young nobleman.

"Who's them?" asked Minos.

"Drows. They went to the mountains."

"Are you sure?"

"It's Cassana's hair, I'm sure of it. And the rest... I think they're drows. But the trail they took, it leads up to the mountains."

Minos looked north, to the mighty Mt. Visiga hiding behind a veil of clouds. He had always dreamed of climbing that mountain, finally he was being handed an opportunity to do so, much more, a reason to do so.

Without much thought, he jumped onto his horse and looked at his companion, "Come on, not a moment to waste," he beckoned. Minos and Rei meandered through the crowd of people and found their way to the northern exit that leads to Mt. Viziga.

Their path ahead was dark, as the moon and stars were obscured by masses of clouds brought in by a slow-moving wind. Minos motioned for his horse to slow down to avoid tripping along the gentle slope going up while Rei lit up a torch. Now would be a good time for both of them to continue on foot, mountain paths are not friendly to the mounted travelers, but they were in a hurry.

After a few minutes of climbing, Minos caught a sharp sound of a whistle amidst the hoof beats of their palfreys. He pulled on his horse to stop, and so did Rei. "You heard that?" he gestured, looking back to where they came from. It was not an animal sound, nor was it an insect's, he was sure that it came from a human.

"Could be a marmot..." Rei responded. Minos would be over the cloud finally getting another phrase from his companion, but his mind has other priorities right now.

"Minos!" a quiet scream hissed from the bushes.

"Except marmots don't talk." Minos turned his horse around and started moving back. He reached for Rei's torch and tried to peer through the darkness, on the lookout for any sudden movement.

"Minos!" the voice became louder and then suddenly out of the corner of his eye he caught something moving on his left. He quickly turned towards it and found a small figure bursting out of the foliage. The figure took one step and Rei's sword was already pointed at its face. Minos moved the torch closer to get a better look. It was the boy from earlier.

"Robb?"

The boy gave a familiar meek wave.

"What are you doing here?" asked Minos. He glanced at the boy's side and recognized the length of wood with a gemstone strapped under his arms.

"Are you here to save Cassana?" the boy asked instead, ignoring the young nobleman's question.

"How do you know?"

"I was there, I saw what happened," the boy answered, holding back tears. "They... they killed Ashvell and Bonnie. Then they took Cassana with them."

Minos stepped down from his palfrey and pressed Robb's shoulder. "Ashvell is alive. And so is the girl with him, Bonnie, is it?"

"For real?" Robb's eyes brightened with hope and relief.

"They're going to be okay," Minos reassured the boy, "Who did this?"

"I don't know who they are... but they're drows. I've never seen them before."

"So, is that why you're here? You followed them?"

"Yes, I know where they went."

"Where?"

"To the manor."

"The manor?"

"Yes. I'll show you. You can leave your horses here, they might see us coming."

"Good idea."

The two secured their horses. Minos pulled out the sword and shield he had strapped on the horse's saddle. He also pulled a bow and a quiver of arrows from his knapsack and then muttered to himself, checking that he has everything he needed. He then walked towards the boy.

"Wait..." Robb stopped them for a moment and pointed at the torch Minos was holding. "We won't need that." He had his one hand grip the staff firmly and held the other up in front of his face, then recited an incantation. As soon as he finished, the gemstone on the staff glowed, and a tiny bead of light appeared hovering above his palms. Minos watched as the boy concentrated, and slowly made the bead grow into a ball as big as his fist.

"How well can you use that thing?" he said, impressed, while pointing to the staff. He doused the flame from his torch and handed it back to Rei.

"I can do a trick or two. But just... kid stuff, really," the boy answered humbly, as they crawled their way through the thick foliage.

"So did Cassana teach you how to do magic?"

"No. I just...read a lot of books about magic at home. My parents'. I still got a lot to learn to reach her level. What she did to fight off those drows was really cool."

"I certainly don't want to be on her bad side. In any case, we could use a help of magic or two, you sure you can handle yourself." Minos glanced back at Rei. The foreigner shook his head.

"I...I think I can. But if we can find Cassana, I can give her her staff back, and I'm sure she'll do better than me."

"That is, if she's still alive."

"Of course she's alive. Or else why would they take her and leave Ashvell and Bonnie behind? They want something from her, so as long as they haven't got it yet, they'll-"

"Going to keep her alive." Minos finished the boy's sentence. "I like you, kid. I like how you think."

They crawled out of the undergrowth to a six-foot concrete wall. "We're here." The boy cancelled the light spell and pressed his palm on the wall. He started walking parallel to it. "There's a collapse here we can climb over."

"So what is this place?" Minos finally asked. He followed the young boy closely behind, while Rei followed him.

"We just call it the manor. It's where Otheric lives. With his mom and dad."

"And who is Otheric?"

"He's a... he's a drow."

"So you're telling me there's a family of drows living on this mountain?"

"No, his parents are humans. He was adopted when he was a kid."

Minos raised his shoulders and gave a dubious look at his companion. "That's the second story about an adopted boy we've heard today! Does this village have a fertility problem or something? That can't be a coincidence?"

"What?" the boy asked.

"Nevermind. So who are these humans and why do they have a manor on the side of the mountain, far away from the village?"

"Uhm, the story I've heard was that they're treasure hunters. Adventurers. Cassana said that her mommy said that they used to pass by their inn during their travels. And then one day they just decided to build a home. And they chose this spot because... I don't know..." The boy found the broken part of the wall and pointed it to Minos and Rei.

Robb quickly found handles to hold onto as he started climbing up. "I see this isn't the first time you did this," Minos commented.

"Me and some kids love playing around these parts. The missus is a nice lady, but she doesn't want anyone trampling on her bushes. And she'd never let us inside. So we only play hide-and-seek outside when there's nobody home of course."

"And is there now? Is nobody home? Why are those drows here?"

"Mister and missus went away for another adventure months ago, they brought Otheric with them. An expedition. Then I heard people talking that Otheric is back. Didn't see him though." The boy hopped over to the other side of the wall, with Minos and Rei following behind."

"So... did they find more drows to adopt? Is that it?" he said, shoulders raised.

"I don't know. These drows, they're... nasty and dangerous. Not like Otheric. He is... well he doesn't talk that much but he's a nice drow. Him and Cassana are good friends, they always hang out."

"Do they hang out with Ashvell too?"

"Both Ashvell and Otheric don't live inside the village, so... sometimes she hangs out with Otheric, sometimes she hangs out with Ashvell."

Even through the dark, Minos looked visibly intrigued. Behind the wall, the opulent manor stood defiantly against the trees and greenery that surrounded it. Its stucco walls were framed with decorative wood. From where they were, Minos could see eight casement windows mulled by pairs. Two gables adorned the rooftop, each with their own dormers.

The boy tiptoed across the lawn, Minos was about to follow until Rei grabbed him by his arms. He looked back at his companion to see the concerned look on his eyes.

"What?"

"Tell him to go home, we can handle this." Rei whispered, out of Robb's earshot.

"He can do magic, he could be a huge help." Minos shrugged.

"It's too dangerous, you saw what they did to that driver."

"Come on, I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"I'm good at what I do, but I can't babysit two children at the same time."

"Now, now, that's a bit harsh." Minos said, feigning offense.

Rei pulled his arm again, with more eagerness, "Take the staff, send him home."

"Look," Minos broke free of his companion's grasp, "if you're so concerned about his safety, and you want to send him home, why don't you stop this, not talking to anyone hullabaloo, and tell him that yourself?"

The young nobleman approached Robb and gave him an encouraging tap on his shoulder. "So, what's next?"

"We... go inside." The boy rubbed his shaved head and looked up along the manor's wall.

"And how are we going to do that?"

"Uhm..." Robb took a step back and started pacing back and forth.

"You don't know how to get in, do you?" confronted Minos.

"There must be an open window somewhere..."

Minos watched the boy for a moment, then considered what he was going to say. "Look," he started, "you've been great. You brought us here, you took Cassana's staff with you... you've been really helpful. But I think we can take it from here."

"But..."

"We don't know what we're dealing with, but we saw the danger they can bring. I appreciate your help buddy, and believe me, if I'm in your shoes, I would hate to miss the action as well. However, this is serious stuff now, and you could really get into trouble, and I don't want that on my conscience."

"I understand..." replied Robb. He handed the staff over to Minos who took it then passed it to Rei.

"Take care going back." said Minos, rubbing the boy's head once again. "Wait a moment. Are you sure you don't really know any spells that can unlock doors or windows?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We'll find another way."

Robb retreated back into the shadows.