Daniel went over his assorted gear. Alektor had provided everything he asked for. Food, supplies, his weapon, even Rin and Matea were ordered to join him.

“Spirit-Sent?” Matea asked, approaching from behind him. “I believe I’m all packed.”

Daniel turned to see her standing, her pack strapped to her back, along with her bedroll and several other pieces of gear.

“You look like it.” Daniel smiled. “First mission as my squire. How do you feel?”

“I feel that you have a great deal to teach me, Spirit-Sent.” She smiled back. “Though I would like to know when the actual training is going to start.”

Daniel laughed, and looked up just as Rin walked in, followed by Katrina.

“We’re all ready.” Katrina said, “It feels good to get back on the road.”

“Speak for yourself.” Daniel groaned, “I could use another week or two of this bed.”

Katrina grinned. “Well, you’re used to sleeping on the ground, I’m sure. So don’t be too sad.”

“As long as we get back to Lokkadonian forces, It’ll be fine.” Daniel was prepared to do far worse things to get back to his allies. Sleeping on the ground would be a piece of cake.

Rin walked over to Daniel, looking over his attire and gear. Much like she did before the fall of Vul De Rah. “Spirit-Sent, you forgot your bedroll.” She reminded him, turning to find it.

“It should be over there.” He pointed toward the right side of the bed.

Rin walked over, inspecting the area, before finding the bedroll, tucked between the mattress and the bed-side table. As she picked it up, Katrina approached from behind, and extended her hand.

“I’ll take it, Rin.” She smiled, and Rin handed it to her.

Katrina brought it over to Daniel, who hefted his bag up onto the couch. As she started strapping it down, she leaned in close to Daniel to speak with him.

“Are you sure there won’t be any issue with Rin, a former Doulos, or Matea, an enemy warrior?” She whispered. “Lokkadonia is a lot of things, but gentle to people they see as an enemy isn’t one of them. It might be better to leave them here, Dan.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You think so?” He looked at the two Dae girls, his mind now going over the possible risk. “Alektor seems to be a bit hesitant as well.”

“Spirit-Sent.” Matea said, approaching them. “Wherever you go, I will go also. Until I met you, I was less than nothing. Now I am staying in the palace. Being given favor from the High King himself, and my family has been elevated to nobility.” She smiled. “It is a dream that I could not ever have imagined. And it is all thanks to you. So, come what may; I will follow you, my Lord. Whatever danger there is.”

Daniel blinked, stupefied. He was unsure how to respond to her. He always had difficulty doing so, after being given praise or a compliment. “I’m glad I could help.” Daniel scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s just, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You know what happens when you try to leave me behind.” She crossed her arms.

“Yeah.” Daniel acknowledged, remembering how stubborn she was at the village. “Alright, then. Just make sure you stick with us. The Lokkadonians are a rough bunch.” He looked over at Katrina, who shrugged. Clearly unhappy with the turn of events.

“Well, Spirit-Sent.” Rin said, handing his pack to him. “I would be a fool to miss the opportunity to travel with you as well. Like Matea, I was nothing before meeting you. I now have a purpose in life. And I will follow it. Besides, you will need a scribe, and an attendant to keep track of the mundane things. For example.” She pointed to their gear. “Spirit-Sent Katrina forgot to pack herself a tent.”

Katrina looked up in surprise. “Oh… yeah. I guess I did.” Glancing around, she chuckled awkwardly.

“They don’t need two tents, Rin.” Matea said, shaking her head. “Lord Turak was telling half the officers and nobles what he found this morning. You can’t tell me you didn’t hear.”

“Hear what?”

“Nothing.” Daniel and Katrina both barked in unison.

Rin looked at Matea, who smirked, then back to Daniel and Katrina. Who were doing their best not to look at her. Her face looked puzzled for a few more moments, then her eyes widened. “Oh… You’re mated now?”

“No.” Daniel huffed, “Can we just get a move on? Our scouts are probably outside waiting for us.”

“Thank you.” Katrina said, grabbing her pack and slinging it on her back. “Lead the way.”

~

They gathered their gear and made their way to the gate of Vul De Rah, where an assortment of warriors and Robert himself stood waiting.

Daniel halted their small party before them, looking suspiciously at the strange group. Particularly Robert, who looked worse for wear. “What’s this?” He asked.

“This.” Robert pointed to the warriors behind him. “Is your guide to the enemy host that is making their way here. And I.” He pointed to himself, “am here to wish you all, good luck. Please be careful.” He was looking at Katrina when he said it. “I… Just watch your back. The Lokkadonians aren’t merciful to those they dislike.” Robert took several steps forward, and reached out briefly toward Katrina, only to bring his hands back down to his sides. Clearing his throat, he turned to Daniel. “You better protect her.” He said, his eyes were deathly serious. “No matter what, you better protect her.”

“I will.” Daniel said, a bit confused at the strange encounter.

Robert said nothing else as they left the city and took to the road.

“What the hell was that all about?” Katrina asked, strolling beside Daniel.

“I don’t have a clue.” Daniel said, still thinking about it. “He does know that we’re going to meet with Boros, right? High King Phobos did command we couldn’t be touched too, so. I mean, that is if Alektor is telling us the truth.”

“Alektor is a lot of things, Dan. A liar isn’t one of them.” Katrina said, “at least as long as I’ve known him. He’s a straight shooter.”

“Well, we’ll see soon enough.” Daniel looked at the grey clad scouts who had not said a word to them at all. Worst case scenario he would have to fight these guys. There were only three of them. And between him and Katrina, he felt confident they could take them out if need be.

They spent the rest of the day traveling on their Cro’kan, then they set up a small camp when the sun got low. Daniel took the time to go over several forms that Oros taught him with Matea in an attempt to actually begin training her. After several minutes of the ‘training’ he concluded that she was NOT an elite warrior at all. He was also intrigued to find that she was in fact a very young Dae. It was hard to tell with Dae, as they lived for so long, and aged very well. Avria herself was over fifty years old. Though she looked as though she were in her mid-twenties. Dae matured at around the same time as a human being. Between eighteen and twenty years old, they were considered adults. Matea was twenty one, and had joined the Sabree’ warrior caste right before the war.

“Well done.” He said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “We’re gonna keep practicing that.”

Matea panted, her face dripping with sweat, clearly exhausted after several hours of training. “Thank you, Master.” She said between deep breaths.

“That’s enough for today. We’ll continue tomorrow. Go get some water and get ready for bed. We’ve got an early rise.”

Matea bowed her head and ran off toward her tent.

“You are very kind with her.” Rin said from beside him. She had been observing the training session from a tree stump. “We are lucky to have you, Spirit-Sent.”

“Please, I heard what you did after the fall of the city.” Daniel grabbed a canteen made of animal skin and drank deeply from it. “You saved thousands of lives, even though you didn’t have to. You could have gotten your revenge against the Lokkadonians, but you didn’t.” He smiled.

Rin blushed and shook her head. “I only did what I thought you might approve of. And more violence didn’t seem the answer. That isn’t the way I want to win.”

“Either way, I wanted to thank you, Rin. You’re a good person.” Daniel turned and began walking toward his tent. Opening the flap he saw Katrina lying in the blankets. “So, this is how it’s gonna be now, is it?” Daniel shook his head. “Not taking your tent was pretty on the nose, Kat.

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“It is,” she said, rolling to her back to face him. “But I didn’t think you’d mind. You know… seeing as how.” She shrugged. “I’m going to be honest with you, Dan. I think something messed with my head the other night… I felt… uneasy when I woke up. Like I was waking up after drinking a lot or smoking too much weed.” She paused, and Daniel felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. “I jumped all over you… and, I know you were just being a good friend and…” She sat up and rested her chin on her knees. “I just wanted to apologize, ok? I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You think something messed with your head?” Daniel asked, his thoughts falling on a number of possibilities.

“Y- yeah. I think so.” Katrina took a deep breath. “It was almost like something was whispering in my ear. Egging me on, getting me… you know.” She gestured down with her nose. “In the mood.”

“You’re telling me this. And still didn’t bring a tent? Knowing full well that we’d be sharing one?”

“I don’t know, Dan.” She shot back. “All I know, is that I felt happy for once since we lost everything.”

“But the feelings weren’t real.”

“I didn’t say that. I said the push felt forced.” Katrina’s eyes met his. “But the feeling of security and companionship? That was real. I just, didn’t really know how to talk to you about it. Everything started happening so fast. Now we’re on our way to see Boros.”

Daniel sighed heavily and moved to sit down next to her.

“It’s just.” She started, “I’ve never felt so alone, Dan. During the battle, I was laying on the ground with a spear in my guts. I could feel the blood pouring out of me and felt myself slipping away. I knew I was dying.” Daniel felt a tension in his chest, from her words. “I tried to reach out, for someone. Anyone who could save me. I thought of my mom and dad, how I would probably never see them again. I thought of Robert.” Then she tilted her head up. “Then I thought of you. As grumpy and stern as you’ve been since I’ve known you. I always knew I could count on you.”

Daniel nodded. “Well… considering it was Delmos who rescued you. I’d say you should be daydreaming about him instead of me.”

Katrina started to laugh, and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, Delmos. He’s something else.”

“Held back by the world.” Daniel smiled, “That’s what he’d say.”

“Please. The only thing holding Delmos back, is Delmos.” Katrina said, through her bouts of laughter. This carried on for a time, but as the laughter died, a heavy feeling of sadness started emanating from her.

“That was the first time I killed someone… Dan.” She spoke the words slowly. Her eyes staring off at the entrance of their tent. “During the battle… human or not… I killed someone. I saw the horror in his eyes as my blade entered his flesh.” She paused again, and Daniel could feel a slight tremble in her body. “I froze, and nearly lost my life because of it.”

“It’s not an easy thing, Kat. To take someone’s life.” Daniel exhaled sharply. “The only advice I can give you, is to keep your guilt at bay. Don’t let it overwhelm you or cloud your actions moving forward. Where we are, and what’s happening here. We’ll be in that kind of danger again. Do what you have to do, and save the remorse for those moments of safety; where you can afford to lower your guard and let it all out.”

He heard a sniffle from her, and felt her arms tighten around his waist.

“Thanks, Dan.” She whispered.

He knew how she must feel. But this world, much like their own, never held anything back. He knew that the first time he saw one of his friends die back in Iraq. The feeling of helplessness as Sergeant Brown died choking on his own blood in his arms. He had never known quite how he felt about Katrina; at least in ‘that’ way. Until last night, he only saw her as a friend and companion.

She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears, and her face flushed. He didn’t say anything. There was no need. This world was just as harsh as his own. And every chance he had to enjoy peace and a bit of joy, he would take.

~

Katrina stirred the next morning, her eyes fluttering open at the sound of commotion outside the tent. She felt with her hand the empty space next to her, where Daniel should have been. She exhaled, running her fingers through her hair. Guilt began to creep into her mind, the emotions of the night beginning to surface again. What the hell am I doing? She thought about it the night prior. As well as the morning after they shared each other’s bed the first time. And still, the feeling of guilt persisted. She was, in essence, taking advantage of him. In more ways than one. She needed support, and companionship. The whispers and urges from the first night weren’t her own. She was sure of it now. Something had played with her perceptions and given her a push she wasn’t expecting. But what now? Her mind raced. She fell into his arms again, and this time completely of her own mind. She shook her head. Maybe I’m over thinking it. Spirits don’t just mess with people’s minds like that. It was probably just a moment of weakness.

The flaps of the tent opened and Metea poked her head in. Spirit-Sent Katrina. We must move shortly. Master requested I let you sleep in a bit, but we just heard from the scouts, the Host is still encamped several hours north. We must meet them before they begin marching again.”

“Got it.” Katrina said, sitting up. She began to frantically look for her clothes, eyeing the inside of the tent.

After several minutes, she exited the tent, and immediately started to break it down, folding the blankets, and strapping the gear on her Cro’kan.

Daniel walked his own Cro’kan next to hers and gave her a friendly nod. “Morning,” He said, cheerfully.

Katrina smiled and walked over to him. They looked at one another for several seconds, Katrina unsure of how to proceed. What do I say? What do I do? She thought.

“Yeah.” he said, looking as awkward as she felt. “So, did you sleep well?” He asked.

The question brought a lump into Katrina’s throat. “I guess so.” she replied, sheepishly. “It was good, you know… I…” She met his eyes, and saw him raise an eyebrow. “Look… Dan… I—"

“It’s fine.” he said, turning and tightening the straps on his Cro’kan. “It’s like you said, it doesn’t have to be serious.”

“That’s not what I mean, Dan.” Katrina felt another pang of guilt stab into her. “There’s just a lot going on right now.”

“Hey, I get it.” He said, “We’ve got a mission to focus on. Let’s keep on track. We’ll deal with whatever ‘this’ is after.”

“Yeah.” She eked out, turning to finish breaking down their small camp.

Several minutes later, they found themselves on the road again. After an hour they could see the encampment in the distance. Thousands of warriors, as far as the eye could see.

“Oh my God.” Daniel said, pulling his Cro’kan to a halt. “This is much larger than the army that left to Rexun the first time.

“Yeah” Katrina said, a sudden fear creeping into her mind. This army would be at Vul De Rah by tomorrow night, if they didn’t do something now to stop it. How the hell do we even do that? She thought. they were out for blood. Convincing Boros would be near impossible. Alektor killed his brother, then his father, using the animated corpse of his brother. Then conquered his home. “This is going to be tough.” She huffed.

“Spirit-Sent.” One of the Rexunii scouts said, riding next to Daniel. “This is where we depart. You should have no trouble making your way down there.”

Daniel nodded to him. “Alright, thank you for taking us this far.”

The scout brought his fist across his chest in a salute and rode off with his companions.

Katrina and the rest made their way down to the encampment. And it wasn’t long before horns began to blare, and warriors clad in crimson surrounded them.

~

Daniel held his hands up. “Woah! We’re here to see King Yomin, and Hego Boros.”

The warriors around them held their weapons up, poised to strike. Then, Daniel recognized the golden hemmed cloak of a Lokkadonian officer, a lieutenant. “Spirit-Sent!” He yelled, approaching aggressively. “Send word to the King, that Spirit-Sent have come.”

Daniel tried to reason with them, but all of his efforts of communication were met with silence. After several minutes of waiting, a runner returned, and spoke quietly with the Lieutenant.

“You will dismount and follow me to the King.” The officer said, turning on his heels and moving toward the camp.

They were led through the camp, thousands of warriors peered as they opened a path directly to a large stone structure, probably created as a shelter by Boros himself, or another powerful Dae-Voh. Upon reaching it, they were disarmed, and led inside. Within, there was a throne made of stone, also grown out of the ground, where atop sat a Dae, wearing a crown. That’s got to be Yomin, Daniel thought. Studying the King of Lokkadonia. Beside him, standing on his right, was Boros of House Ignos.

“Boros!” Katrina said, excitedly. She attempted to walk toward him, but was blocked by several royal guards. “What the hell?” She said, “Get out of my way!”

“Silence! Demon.” The man on the throne said. “I am King Yomin, of house Megune’, ruler of Lokkadonia, and loyal servant of the Espi-Dae.”

Those last words caused Daniel to tense. He glanced to his left at Katrina, who seemed to have a similar reaction.

“I’m Daniel,” he said, then pointed to his left. “This is Katrina. And behind me are, Rin, my attendant, and Matea, my squire.”

“You have been branded, Demons, by the High Espi-Dae.” Yomin continued. “And we have been ordered to detain and interrogate you.”

Daniel’s mind slowed at his words. “Wait, what!?” He shouted, fury starting to build. “High King Phobos—"

“Any resistance will be met with violence.” Yomin cut him off and leaned forward. “Take them!”

“Boros!” Katrina yelled, “Do something! You’re just going to sit there!?”

Boros looked away from her, and stayed silent.

“You are a coward!” Daniel yelled at Boros. “Oros and Agron are spinning in their graves!”

Boros’ eyes blazed with fury as they met Daniel’s, but he could see the regret and sorrow in his eyes. Gone was the confident and honorable Dae that stood before his own father to protect them. Now he saw a broken shell of the man he once was. Daniel’s glare intensified, and Boros’ eyes fell to the floor, his shame now on full display.

“The Espi-Dae will take them shortly. Please refrain from unnecessary bloodshed.” The King turned his attention to Rin and Matea. “Interrogate these, Dae. I want to know everything they know.”

Daniel raged, but held his power in check. A fight here would no doubt get Rin and Matea killed. Themselves too for all they knew. Lokkadonian royal guards were extremely powerful themselves. FUCK, he thought, what do I do? The last thing he expected was to be detained by Lokkadonians, while Boros stood by and watched. He thought they would be celebrated and welcomed with open arms. Did Alektor lie to them about Phobos? No… he warned us that the Lokkadonians were servants of the Espi-Dae. Son of a bitch!

“Master, don’t worry about us.” Matea said, while guards grabbed her by her arms. “We’ll sort this out.”

“Lord Daniel.” Rin said, terror in her voice. “I thought that—”

“Shut up!” One of the guards barked, roughly pulling them both away.”

As they were led out, he heard Katrina screaming profanities at Boros, calling him something along the lines of a coward, and a fool. They were brought outside the stone structure and brought to another one. Clearly a prison of some kind. They were tossed in a cell, and Dae-Voh bound their hands against the wall with their Dunamis. Soon after, there were large glowing crystals that were brought in, and placed next to them both. “Good luck getting out of here with these around. These are Ugoto crystals, they sap the Dunamis right out of your bodies.” One of the guards taunted. Soon after, they were gone. And Daniel and Katrina were left alone, and in shock.”

“What the fuck is going on here, Dan!?” Katrina yelled, struggling against her bonds. “What the hell happened to Boros!?”

“I don’t know.” He said, looking around the cell. It was entirely made of stone. Dae-Voh and their annoying ass structures. “We need to get the hell out of here though. I need to get to Rin and Matea. God knows what’ll happen to them if we wait too long.”

“Shut up in there, Demons!” An unseen guard yelled from around the corner.