Two figures watched from high up on the mountainside as they watched the chaos unfold. They had watched as the goblins expertly made their way down the mountain and swarm the scattered ranks of the unaware humans. There were a few capable holdouts who had managed to form proper defenses, but it was evident that the goblins would win out in the end.

“Are you sure this will work?” One of the figures called out as they watched from behind a nearby boulder. She bore a tired and disbelieving expression on her face as she turned to look at the figure on her right.

The figure who turned to look at her counterpart was a tall and lithe woman who looked to be middle aged. She had straight, shoulder length black hair and dressed in a way that made her seem more of a beggar rather than someone who had once been so well prepared to traverse around the world for the past several months. Her dirty and mismatched outfit had holes scattered throughout various places and the once well-made articles of clothing were flayed in even more locations.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going all that well for these humans. A third of the ones who haven’t crossed yet are already dead.”

While it was true that many of the defending humans were either dead, dying or struggled to maintain a proper defense against so many of the surrounding goblins, there were a few figures among them who had made quick work of their opponents or were able to rally those around them and form an adequate defense.

“Nonsense.” The second figure said as he nodded towards a few groups of clustered humans.

The second figure was a younger looking boy who looked to be in the prime years of his life and couldn’t be older than sixteen. While the older woman had the impression of being the type of person who liked to be left alone, the younger boy had the glow and robustness of an individual who sought to go out and explore the world. He was straight-backed, and his muscles were well toned. A testament to his well-bred heritage and the years he had spent under the tutelage of some of his peoples' most notable instructors.

“See that group by that one cart?” He pointed towards a group of three men with their backs against a cart with a large canvas that hung loosely over its mysterious cargo. However, the prideful sounding boy didn’t have the chance to continue his train of thought as the trio was quickly swarmed from behind and their bodies disappeared from sight under the weight of the grey skinned creatures.

“Sorry,” He said with shock in his voice. “I meant those men over there…By that carriage.”

This time he pointed towards the front of the convoy as a group of five men formed a wall in front of the wooden vehicle. Someone within the group gestured towards a few figures who struggled to make it back to the shoreline while simultaneously felling a goblin who had the bright idea of lunging straight at his chest.

“They know what they’re doing.” There was a growing sense of hope in the boys’ voice as he reached for the sword by his hip.

The woman looked at him with a disgruntled face as she silently rolled her eyes before an annoyed sigh escaped her lips.

“So…” She said as she turned to stare back at the unfolding battle. It was obvious that the goblins had the upper hand and they would continue to have it so long as something didn’t change that inevitable fact. “When should we reveal ourselves and lay claim to the spoils of war, oh great and merciful one?”

“Uh, now?” He sounded unsure of what to say as he watched another lone figure collapse from the sheer weight of goblins surrounding them.

He turned to look at the woman with a confused face. Leadership was something he was not used to.

The lithe woman stared at him in disbelief as she raised an eyebrow at his wavering confidence.

This boy had once brimmed in confidence as he led their group into the wider world in search of a fantastical tale to tell his family back home.

“Right.” He said as he looked to his sides. One arm was raised high into the air as he signaled for the others to make ready.

“Now!”

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Argonok let out a roar of defiant anger as he swung his bloodied halberdier into the swarm of hideous creatures in front of him. The goblins, for their admittedly brave effort, stood directly in its path as the weapons sharp edges cleaved their bodies cleanly in two.

Seven more notches were added to his imaginary kill count as the top halves of their bodies flew off into the air while the bottom halves crumpled into the ground. Blood, gore and torn flesh littered the nearby area as he brought his weapon back into a more favorable stance.

These goblins were a smart bunch as they tried in vain to keep their distance from the ever marching, metallic clad monstrosity as he slowly made his way towards Iskra’s arrow covered carriage.

He silently praised the hellfires of Tor Nu'uk as none of the goblins appeared to be armed with anything that was capable of piercing his heavy armor. Of course, he had also given praise to the efforts of the group of humans who stood their ground in front of the wooden carriage. For the moment at least.

Blood-curdling screams came from somewhere behind him as more of the unsavory creatures found the courage to strike at his impenetrable armor.

They knew that the dwarf was their most dangerous opponent and the quicker that they slaughtered him, the better chances they had of routing the remaining humans. However, this quick decision had led to the ruin of countless other goblins as their ruined corpses littered the battlefield. Since the start of the battle, he had done nothing but leave a bloodied trail of rotting meat. A testament to his destructive capabilities.

The bloodied dwarf swung his weapon down and cleaved a goblin in two before he slammed the weapons' pummel behind him. The once cleaned pummel pierced one of the charging creatures but not before several more of its allied had managed slam into his back. The blood smeared suit of armor roared in frustration as he reached back and grabbed ahold of one of the oddly shaped headed freaks. Without blinking an eye, he tossed the goblin by his feet and raised his boot into the air.

A spurt of blood swiftly followed a satisfying crunch as the monsters head vanished beneath the heel of his now blood drenched boot.

Meat and sinew clung to his greaves as he stepped forward while he reached for another creature. This time the beasts head popped in the palm of his hand as he brought its struggling form out front, raising its corpse high into the air. Crushed eyes, blood and sinew dripped from his fingers as he casually tossed the ill-fated goblin aside.

The goblins backed away from their bloodied opponent. A look of terror was a familiar sight among their many faces, but they resisted the urge to turn tail and run.

For their courage, they were rewarded by Argonoks’ bloodied weapon cutting them in half.

The Fire Guard let his displeasure be known with a low growl.

As of that moment, that was the last group of goblins who had been willing to meet him in battle.

He looked around for any sign of leadership that the goblins may have brought with them.

It was common enough, from past experiences, for some small clans to have a trusted individual lead their forces in raids such as this and the irritated man used this small pause in battle as a means to find out for sure.

From his position he saw that all of the humans who had been caught on the outskirts were, for the most part, dead. There were a few brave souls who still struggled in the nearby river, but they were slowly being picked off by several goblin archers who remained a healthy distance away from the chaotic battlefield.

Those who had already crossed to the other side could do nothing except watch as their friends were slowly being cut down.

The goblins, on the other hand, were having the greatest time of their miserable lives. Their faces were grinning in vicious glee as they cackled menacingly at their enemies. Their desire to eat the dead and dying were plain for all to see. Several packs of scavengers had already been formed, and the child sized cannibals had already stripped the dead of their valuables and hacked away at human and goblin bodies alike.

There was no respect for the dead as several of the nearby sunken, and beady eyed monsters chewed on various parts of a goblin corpse. Digging into its rotting meat while they wearily eyed the dwarf as he continued to scan the battlefield.

They weren’t eager to interrupt their current meals in order to fling themselves onto his weapon, and the slow marching suit of armor had no desire to chase after them. For the time being.

There were no obvious signs of leadership among their numbers, but that didn’t mean they lacked someone with the capabilities to direct and influence the ongoing chaos. He just needed to pay attention and look elsewhere.

He turned towards the carriage where his charge had huddled up inside. A few more humans had made their way towards the vehicle and had formed up with the formation already present. A pile of goblin corpses was beginning to form around the guards, but the little devils were starting to learn from their mistakes. There were a few other clusters of guards dotted throughout the wrecked convoy, but the sheer amount of goblins between them and the primary unit of defenders had made the effort to reach them a futile one.

Argonok was satisfied for the moment as he watched the humans bring down three more of the grotesque monsters. So long as the humans kept their wits about them and watched out for any tricks from their opponents than they should be able to hold them off.

He just hoped that those men lasted long enough for him to find the goblins’ leader.

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It happened in the blink of an eye.

Iskra first heard the shouts and cries coming from the nearby men as they watched their friends fall to the ground and lay still. She had stood there, dumbfounded, as she watched more of the men rush towards their friends only to be cut down by unseen archers or had the misfortune of being dragged off into the nearby forest or one of the many large outcrops of boulders. One minute she was outside and the next, she was back inside of the carriage as she listened in barely restrained fear while the sounds of battle raged around her.

Sylvia had also managed to make it back inside as well, apparently. The nerve wracked girl assumed that it had been the older woman who had managed to drag the two of them back inside the safety of the carriage.

The grey haired woman was nestled up against her charge, shoulder to shoulder as the older servant quietly prayed to the gods for protection. Her mouth moved at a rapid pace as her eyes remained shut while her hands formed the holy symbols for countless gods. Iskra thought it was a good idea, but she found herself unable to think of anything to pray for. So the young girl stayed quiet. She was satisfied with the thought that her mother’s former handmaiden was praying for the two of them. Even if that wasn’t the case.

The raven-haired girl had once thought to look outside to see how the battle was going. When she made to put her face near the window, an arrow planted itself in the glass. The crude yet effective missile never managed to pierce through, but it did force the girl to scream in terror while the arrowhead buried itself within the viewport.

She had decided at that very moment that it was better to just wait until someone called out for her to come outside.

Over time more arrows had made their mark on the carriage. The heavy and loud thuds of the missiles caused the two women to follow the repeated sounds of the bolts as they embedded themselves deep into the planks of wood that kept them safe from harm.

Sylvia’s prayers were much more noticeable than before.

In what felt like an eternity, the cries and shouts of the men outside slowly began to fade as the snarls and venomous laughter of the goblins became louder with each passing moment.

Eventually, everything went silent.

To Iskra, it was an odd silence. Nothing seemed to make a sound. Not Sylvia who still played to the gods. Not her ragged breathing as she shifted her eyes from one side of the carriage to the other. Nor the carriage itself as it swayed heavily to the side as something repeatedly slammed into the sides of the vehicle.

She knew that all of these things could make sounds, and most likely had made sounds, but she heard none of it.

Her eyes focused on the door as something tugged on its handle from the outside.

The outer edges of her vision slowly faded away as the door crept open. The oddly bright light of the waning afternoon sun shined through the portal to the outer realm as a strange and oddly shaped shadow cast itself inside of the carriage while a bloodied and gore riddled hand gripped the frame of the door.

Its gangly form moved at a snail’s pace as its long and sickly brown fingernails scraped against the rich interior wood. A clubbed foot took its first step inside as more of the creature's arm slowly revealed itself. An arrow was sticking out of the muscle of its forearm, its own blood dripped off of the heads tip.

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Whether the arrow had belonged to a friend or foe she couldn’t tell. She didn’t need to know.

All she knew was that this was the end for her.

Quietly, she prayed to whichever god had answered her prayers all those months ago and begged for them to hear her final wish.

Now, however, all that stood before her was the ragged and brutal form of a goblin. In reality, this was her very first time seeing such a creature. More than likely it would also be her last.

The child sized creature had harsh grey skin. Scars, pustules and other strange conditions marked its body while the crude looking armor it wore had the visible signs of being worn into battle. Fur, leather and bits of metal were strapped in a mismatched fashion in a way that the scared girl couldn’t fathom as to the reason why they had been placed where they had. Maybe it had made sense in some weirdly elaborate way to the sunken eyed creature. Finding the answer wouldn’t come to her as the goblin stared harshly at her with its dark red pupils as it inched closer and closer while its immediate attention was solely placed on the two women as they huddled into the others arms.

The goblins hand gripped tightly around the hilt of its weapon. The chipped and dulled hunk of metal looked to be near its breaking point, but it had obviously done its job as flesh clung to its surface like a newborn babe would with its mother. Its free hand reached out towards Iskra as the creature slowly raised its sword arm into the air. The bludgeoning weapon was poised to strike as the first of its thin, twig like fingers gripped at the young girls’ shirt.

Iskra wanted to desperately kick and punch at the sickly creature but found that her body wouldn’t respond to her desires.

She sat there, her face drained of color while the monster pulled her in close as it readied to strike down the unfortunate girl.

Time seemed to stand still as her entire life flashed before her eyes. She saw her friends and family, the time she had spent being groomed to become the next queen. All that wasted time. All that wasted effort.

Death was certain. Death was near.

Suddenly…

Someone screamed as a blade exploded out of the goblins head. Blood and brain matter erupted out of the wound while the black liquid splattered across the inside. The creatures’ body went limp as its life was extinguished. A gauntleted hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and yanked the creature out of the carriage. A large piece of the girls’ linen shirt was torn off as the dead creature disappeared outside.

A youthful face popped inside. Short, unkempt blonde hair and long, knife like ears were plainly visible as a look of utter shock cascaded across the individuals’ handsome features. The unnamed head quickly disappeared, and a voice called out in a language she never heard before.

As far as she knew, the danger had passed.

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While the goblins had been busy looting and eating the dead, the roughly dozen elves had swooped in and swiftly overwhelmed their loosely scattered formation. The goblins were dispatched in such a manner that they had no time to react to this new threat.

The elves had arrived with not a moment to spare.

For most of the unfortunate humans who were caught in the ambush, it had been a moment too late. Over three quarters of the men who hadn’t managed to cross the river lay dead or dying. The grievously injured were given their last rites as they were comforted before they succumbed to their wounds.

There was very little that the humans, or the elves, could have done for them. There was simply not enough medicine to go around, and the journey to Ruined Home was still a day and a half from being finished. It was decided that while the dead were given a cremation, the convoy would pause and allow for the gravely injured to pass on to the afterlife.

Before the first funeral pyres were lit, Iskra had asked for a moment to speak.

The young girl was quiet at first as she searched for the words that she wished to say but eventually, she did speak. She had apologized to the men, and woman, around her for having them follow her into this horrid land. She had apologized for having them labor and struggle against the wild as they slowly eked out a new home for everyone. She had apologized for sending them out on this journey. She had apologized for sending the men they were about to burn to their deaths. She had apologized to the recently deceased as they suffered in their final moments. She had apologized to the still living as they were forced to watch their friends die without being able to do a single thing.

Yet she also cursed at the kingdom that was able to peacefully sleep at night. She had cursed both their king and their duke for having banished the innocent for the actions of a single person. She had railed against the goblins for daring to strike at their numbers. She had praised the dwarves for their hospitality and spoke of a glorious future where the two races enjoyed a strong alliance. She had thanked and relished relief for the elves who had saved who they could. She yelled out to whichever gods that had listened and thanked them for answering their prayers.

She had said these things and more.

At the end of her speech, the survivors swarmed the girl as they called out her name. They gave her their courage and their worries. Their strengths and their fears. They had cried out for more. For an opportunity to prove themselves and strike at the very land itself.

It was all very emotional, or so Argonok thought as he stood and watched the entire scene unfold. His fingers rubbed at the palm of his armored hand while he flicked a coin in the air.

The smooth surface flickered in the light of the funeral pyre. Its gold and newly minted face clinked pleasantly as the dwarf caught it in the air.

He flicked the coin once more and allowed it to hang for longer. He watched as it spun up into the air.

The coin was not perfect however. Scratch marks had marred its surface while dried blood had corrupted the crisp and clean sheen it once had.

The coin fell and landed in his hand and bounced twice before it slowly clattered to a halt.

The coin had landed face side up.

The coin wasn’t his. He had found it next to the corpse of a goblin while he combed the area as he searched for any friendly survivors.

It wouldn’t have normally caught his interest, as money was something he hadn’t been interested in for a very long time.

The design of the coin was what caught his attention however.

Tails side up there was a trio of spires with some writing on the outer edges that he couldn’t read. The other side was far more concerning.

Face up the coin had a head with sharp, pointed ears that looked vaguely similar to an elf.

Argonok had an eerily feeling that the elves were somehow involved in the ambush.

He just needed some time to find out for sure. As well as someone knowledgeable enough who could give him the answers that he sought.

He could afford to wait for that moment. Time was something he had plenty of after all.

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Once the remaining funeral pyres had burned out, the remnants of the convoy had crossed the river without any further incidents. The convoys leader, a young human girl who had introduced herself as Iskra, had insisted that the elves accompany the humans on their return trip to their supposedly ramshackle encampment that they called home. She had been quite adamant that the elves and humans spend as much time together as possible and even went so far as to provide them a permanent welcome into the camp that they had dubbed Ruined Home.

The elves didn’t need to be convinced or forced, to take up the generous offer being provided to them. They were already near their breaking point after spending the last few days without a proper meal. Nevertheless, the apparent saviors were the actual ones who needed to be saved.

It was probably for the best if the humans never found out about that embarrassing little detail.

“I’m not sure what you’re used to, but I think you’ll like our encampment.” Said Sylvia as she tried to fill in the awkward silence while the carriage rumbled and jolted through the wild and untamed trail.

Velicion noticed that the middle aged servant had been the most talkative person within the group of four. Beyond the initial greetings, when they first stepped into the carriage, the other three individuals had barely uttered a word. For the elven woman, this was mainly due to the fact that she hadn’t spoken this particular human dialect in many years. So it was bound to happen when she struggled to translate her thoughts into something that made sense.

“There’s a lake at the foot of the nearby mountains that we use for various things. It isn’t much to look at, but you can actually see all the way to the bottom. Other than that, there are a few scary things nearby as well.”

The older human gave a short, nervous chuckle while the fair skinned and lithe elf gave an odd look at the mention of ‘scary things.’

“What do you mean by scary things? Is there a cave of ravenous bears close by or something?”

The female elf asked as she shifted her gaze back towards the human who tried her best to keep the silence from stifling everyone inside the battle scarred carriage.

“Oh, no. There’s nothing like that. It’s just that there’s this massive hole in the ground that makes a terrifying noise. Lots of people are claiming that there’s a demon trapped down there. Plus, I don’t think anyone’s actually seen a bear since we first settled down.”

As ludicrous as that sounded, Velicion wouldn’t actually doubt it if there was a demon or two inside of this mysterious pit that the humans had managed to stumble upon. She’s seen her fair share of demon infested caverns in her one hundred and thirty odd years.

If asked, she would advise anyone to just vaporize the whole area if they had the means to.

“I seriously doubt that.” The elf started as she gestured with her right hand. “Demons tend to be around areas where there are large reservoirs of magical energies. It’s very rare for the spawns of chaos to just amble about in the wider world without some ill purpose in their twisted minds. It’s even rarer for someone to imprison a demon without telling other capable individuals about said prison."

“I see.” The servants' voice trailed off in thought as she no doubt imagined all sorts of scenarios involving demons being trapped inside of the dark places of the world.

The elven woman wondered what the two children had been up to ever since the four of them sat inside of the wooden vehicle.

Iskra had suggested that the two adults sit opposite of each while she hinted for the boy to sit right next to her. For her efforts, the young girl watched in disappointment as her counterpart decided to sit beside the elven sorceress. Ever since then, the two of them were dead quiet.

She looked over to Aurelius as he stared absent mindedly towards the younger human. His gaze was angled in such a way that he couldn’t possibly be looking towards the raven-haired girls face.

Velicion followed the gaze of the young prince and sighed in mild disappointment as she realized where he had been staring at this entire time.

The boy had his eyes glued right on the girls’ ample bust.

No, that wasn’t right. The word “ample” wasn't at all an accurate description for the young humans’ bosom. Something along the lines of mountainous would more than likely be adequate.

The sorceress looked back at the boy with mild disgust as the younger elf followed the movement of the girls’ breasts as they bounced up and down while the carriage drove through a particularly rough patch of ground.

The elven woman realized that the prince was becoming more like his father with each passing day. She wondered what his mother had to say about that.

The girl didn’t seem to mind, or notice, that the perverse boy stared so brazenly at her breasts. The tall and curvaceous young girl had a look of amazement and genuine awe plastered over her face as she looked deeply into the boys' eyes.

The elven sorceress worried that the raven-haired girl had suspicions towards her rescuers' true intentions.

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Iskra had no idea where she was. It was pitch black, cold, wet and eerily quiet.

Of course, the only thing was she knew for sure was the fact that she had been swimming in a strange feeling liquid for what felt like an eternity.

As she swam in the pitch black darkness, the young girl was amazed at how scary it all was as she struggled to see past her own nose.

“Hello?” The young girl called out for what must have been the hundredth time.

And for the seemingly hundredth time, there was no answer. Only complete and utter silence.

She didn’t know what else to do except continue to swim.

So that’s what she did.

She swam for as long as she could, never tiring in the physical sense as the odd liquid splashed against her freezing body.

Eventually, she stopped.

Her arms had grown heavy at the thought of continuously swimming for an eternity, and it had eventually drained her will to continue forward. The question to her current whereabouts would have to be answered at a later time. Probably.

She let out a tired sigh as she floated in the water.

She wondered what she was swimming in and slowly brought a cupped hand to her mouth. She gave it a quick sniff. It didn’t have that familiar smell that the rivers and lakes near her old home had once possessed. Iskra stuck out her tongue and lapped up small droplets of the liquid. It didn’t have that watery taste either. It was bitter and left a foul taste in her mouth.

What in the world was she swimming in?

The girl didn’t have much time to dwell on it as she noticed a bright light flash below her.

She glanced down in nervousness as the mysterious light blinked once more.

It was only for a quick second, but she noticed something new. She was completely naked.

Why was she naked?

She had even more questions now that she noticed the seemingly plainly obvious fact. That would have to wait however as the mysterious light returned. This time it lingered for far longer than the past two times. In fact, it glowed brighter and grew rapidly in size.

Iskra began to panic; fearful of what might happen to her once the mysterious light came upon her person. She swam this way and that way unsure of where she should go or what she could do.

Eventually, the light stopped. Its golden radiance blinded the young girl as it sat completely still just below her feet.

Her heart pounded against her chest as she stared down at the strange disk.

The light had a strange warmth to it as well as a weirdly calming sensation as the sense of fear slowly faded from her thoughts.

Her worries eventually evaporated entirely as she managed to look away. It was at that moment that she noticed that the liquid she was swimming in was of a silver color.

It was just another thing that she added to the ever growing list that she should most likely be worried about.

Somewhere out in the distance, a noise caught her attention. She couldn’t make out what it was, but she knew for a fact that she did hear something.

She turned to where she thought it came from and started to swim.

No matter how far she went, the strange golden light was directly below her. It had either followed her movements, or it was just that big of an object.

She didn’t have time to dwell on that conundrum as the mysterious orb shrunk in size and darted off into the distance. Far beyond what she could see.

She was shrouded in complete darkness once again.

The noise returned, this time it was much closer and far easier to make out.

The sound of rushing water overwhelmed her sense of hearing as small waves crashed into her while the chaotic noise began to drown her other senses into oblivion.

The light returned once more as it slowly rose out of the silver ocean, its circular form shattered the storm struck surface while Iskra struggled against the growing onslaught of increasingly sizeable waves.

Something else broke the surface as the golden light burned brighter. And brighter. And brighter.

She shielded her eyes from the light as she struggled to make out its massive form. The golden orb slowly began to separate as it split itself into two perfect circles, going off in opposite directions but never straying too far from one another.

There, out in the distance.

She could make out a shape that looked like a shoulder. Next, she recognized what appeared to be a hand. The emerging giant looked vaguely human in shape as its naked form continued to rise out of the ocean. Waterfalls of the silver liquid cascaded down its chiseled form.

Iskra wasn't certain, but the mysterious being looked a lot like-

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“Lady Iskra?” Sylvia’s voice called out as it broke the young girl from her daze while the older woman's hand slowly brushed over Iskras’ shoulder.

“What?” Iskra said softly as she shook her head, clearing away the strange dreamlike vision she had just experienced. “Sorry. I had my mind elsewhere.”

That was an understatement.

“Madam Velicion was asking about a few things, and I thought it would be best if you were to give a more thorough response.”

The grey haired servant nodded towards the elven woman as she intended for the young girl to give a reply here and now.

“Would you be kind enough to repeat your question?” The young girl asked as she rubbed her hand over her face.

“Of course.” The soft and silky voiced elf said in response to the confused girl.

The sorceress went on to ask several questions concerning the location around the humans’ encampment. Iskra did her best to answer the elfs queries to the best of her abilities, but as time went on the young girl found herself drawn back into the eyes of Aurelius.

The younger elfs almond shaped eyes were strangely alluring. The majority of the boys' eyes were as black as a starless night sky where the light from the full moon simply vanished into the vast nothingness of the unknown. His pupils were of a striking silver color that shined brightly while the young girl became mesmerized by its beauty. The strangely intoxicating pupil looked as if the silver, deep within its confines, moved in a way that reminded her of the surface of a lake on a windy day. Yet, deep within that veil of silver were small veins of gold that stuck out to her. It only further complimented the young prince’s fey blessed aura as she stared so intently into the abyss that was the window into his soul.

Over time the world slowly began to disappear once again.