If the past two months were what Vanemar considered the worst in his life the day that he landed in the Turbulent Hills would be the worst of them all.

On the exact day before they had left Raverna, Jioh had learned that Vanemar would be disposed of shortly after their return. Due to his fear of an early execution, Vanemar spent his days in the Wilted Rose’s cargo hold with his two allies. Quis had been ordered to commandeer the vessel to the hills, to Jioh's misfortune. To add insult, the man had named Ama as his apprentice, stripping the three rebels of a possible ally. Jioh had swiftly cut all relations with the mage, telling the others that the man was Spidon's most loyal follower.

They had arrived at the Turbulent Hills, as the conditions became unbearable. They would now have to travel through an incredible storm to reach the marker. To make matters worse, both the Tavaranean and Honean fleets had appeared, immediately entering battle. The intent of Spidon's letter was now clear. Vanemar hated that the man would consider such a plan. While they were much safer with the Honean's focusing elsewhere, the battle could easily sparked another war as bloody as the War of Faiths.

They had come to the hills with Spidon's mercenaries and a large number of cultists. Silves had been ordered to stay on the Wilted Rose, an order that the traitors could hardly oppose.

The mercenaries had taken two large ships and nearly one hundred men. They were led by the woman named Captain Yevera who was obviously restraining herself from taking Vanemar's bounty. During the short time that Vanemar spent outside of the cargo hold she would watch him with the eyes of a wolf ready to pounce. While it made Vanemar very uneasy, he still smirked at the thought that she was powerless under the command of Spidon.

"It could be worse." Jioh said shivering under his rain soaked coat. "The Brighthawks could bring their entire army here."

Vanemar looked at him for a second and chuckled. "I'd call that a joke but it actually does sound possible."

"Right! You know how they can get whenever they find one of their artifacts, and we have what might be the greatest find ever just a short walk away!"

With a deep frown on his face, Quis spun his head and stared Jioh down. "Can you please be a little quiet! I already told you that someone could spot us, were you not paying attention?"

As soon as the man looked away, Jioh gave a subtle grin.

They entered a deep wood. A forest dense enough to block some of the downpour as they went through it. It did not last long, it ended as soon as the ground decided to go up again. Vanemar was beginning to learn why no one dared to live in this place. He was becoming so drenched that even climbing the hills was becoming taxing. "Hey Vanemar." Jioh said with heavy breaths. "What do you think we'll find once we get there?"

"You think that I'd know?" Vanemar answered, appearing much less exhausted than his friend. "Maybe that one Magiglove that the Emperor has. What was it called again?"

"The Fist of the Emperor?" Jioh answered.

"Yeah, that's it. I wouldn't know anything else that would be there. I don't really know much about the Brighthawk Empire except for The Great War."

"Well the empire only lasted as long as the war did. I thought you said you thought raising of the Highlands by the emperor was a myth? Do you believe it happened now?"

He shrugged, "I've already seen things that I find hard to believe. I still doubt that he created the Highlands though."

"Really? What could have created the Highlands besides the Emperor?"

Vanemar thought but his mind turned out empty. "I am not qualified to answer that.."

"No one is." Vanemar looked at him curiously. "Nobody except for the very religious at least. There has never been evidence for it and the only writings on its creation are those focused on the Emperor."

His eyes widened as a thought came to him. "Perhaps we'll be the first to learn what really happened." The thought made Vanemar anxious to get to the marker. It was a feeling that he had felt just a week before in Spikel Territory. A motivation formed in his head, telling him that he was doing things that would be remembered for ages past him. By finding where that marker led he would finally do something worth remembering, worth speaking of without shame.

"This is it." He thought. "One last trip before the finale." With this new motivation, all ill thoughts were erased until someone up ahead gestured for everyone to halt. It was the mercenary captain, she had reached the top of the hill and was crouched down with spyglass in hand.

Quis was the only one to approach her, and he did so breathing heavily from scaling the hill. "we shouldn't be stopping." He reminded her. "Have you found something important?"

"We have company up ahead.” The captain said with absolute confidence. “They're the ones in white coats that we’ve encountered before. I'd estimate at least a hundred of them there."

The mage cursed as he peered ahead. The darkness surrounding the hills could not entirely conceal the long line of Brighthawks. "Do you think we can ambush them? Getting there without a fight sounds implausible now."

"It would be hard won but not completely impossible." She scanned the army a few times over. "My forces outnumber theirs so if we can surround them in this weather we'll suffer the least amount of losses, especially when they're formed up in a line." She turned around to see if her men were ready. "I recommend that you make a run for it I keep them distracted, bring whoever you need."

Quis nodded, his expression showed a good amount of worry and annoyance. He turned to the two bothersome men behind him and with a scowl said, "You two, you get to follow me and Ama to the marker. Consider yourselves lucky."

Vanemar and Jioh looked at each other with hopeful expressions.

"You’re bringing him?" Yevera said while glancing at Vanemar. "Are you sure you can trust the man?"

"Of course, he's a good fighter and he knows what'll happen if he steps out of line." Quis said with a smirk, earning a scowl from Vanemar.

The captain nodded, "Fine, wait for the fight to begin before you start running." She stood up and went to address the mercenaries who had lined up behind them. "I want a formation of two ranks!" She shouted loud enough for those in the back to hear. "Stay behind the hill, there is a large army up ahead that will be hard to break if they can form up. Crossbows stay behind the formation and fire at their mages."

The four who would run for the marker stood up with weak legs. Captain Yevera watched the formation manifest closely while fixing up anything that appeared wrong from her view. Eventually, what was once a long line of men became a long wall of men who were ready to fight. "Good." Yevera said. She pointed to both ends of the formation. "I want the last six files on each end to form up into ranks of three to hold the flanks." Those who were on the ends quickly scrambled about in order to create the formation she envisioned. Nodding an approval, she held up her longsword and swung it towards the direction above the hill, "Forward march!" She ordered.

As the men began to move forward in a tight line, Vanemar and the others looked for an easy way behind them. "I suppose we should go around." Quis said as he began to walk quickly.

Looking over the formation with interest, Jioh ran up beside Vanemar. "What do you predict the victor of this battle will be?" Jioh asked as if they were at a tournament.

Vanemar shrugged. "I'm not a tactician, I have no clue really. All I can say is that they will only win if they catch the Brighthawks off guard. Otherwise, their mages will wipe them out before they can get close."

"Are you serious?" Jioh said nervously.

"I've fought only one battlemage and managed to survive because I ran as fast as I could. Having multiple mages to fight only means bad things can happen no matter what we do."

"You fought a battlemage? Was this for your old job?"

Vanemar nodded gravely. He was starting to hate the memories of what he did, what he was. He was cowardly, too cowardly to help his mother when she needed him most. Instead of staying at the village like his father would have wanted, he took the first chance he found to make coin and abandoned all he knew. It was thoughts like this that made him believe that it was really him that was in the wrong all along.

Frantic hand waving from Jioh pulled Vanemar out of his trance. "What?" He quickly spouted in confusion.

"You fought a battlemage before?"

Vanemar nodded his head as he slowly remembered the conversation he just had. "Yeah, they had magic that could tear a fortress apart. Probably would have killed me if I had gotten so close. Threw a ball of magic at me that was strong enough to blow a hole through the wall. A hole big enough for three men to fit through, I'd be in pieces." Vanemar said as he chuckled uncomfortably. "Scared me enough to stop me from doing any work for a month." They followed the mercenaries closely as they reached the back of their formation. "Very bad idea to be in sight of a mage with this much space in between. Good thing that we won’t have to worry about it.”

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Quis approached them with a quick demeanor. That man was obviously nervous. Even if he was his enemy, Vanemar could not blame him as he felt similar. No side would leave with their forces intact and that included the cultists. "I expect the captain to have a plan for such an issue." Quis told the two men. "Even if their power is extraordinary, they are still human and that makes them good targets for crossbows. They're all bunched together as well." He shook his head and sighed. "Focus on the marker you two. No need to worry about the battle."

The two stared at him with frowns as he approached Ama. "Says that even though he's worried about it himself." Vanemar thought. While he was a scheming bastard he at least cared for those he commanded. He looked at Jioh and worried of the man’s state. His body drooped and it seemed that he was using all of his strength to keep himself on two legs. "Think you're good if we start running?" Vanemar asked with concern.

Jioh flashed a sheepish smirk. "I feel terrible but I still have some energy left in me," he reassured. "I've been in situations such as this before, I can handle myself."

Vanemar continued to watch him. The man may have played him a fool, but at least he had not abandoned him when he was most vulnerable. Vanemar thought that it made a Jioh a more respectable man than himself.

The mercenary army was getting close now, an impossible act if not for the constant downpour. The thought of facing such a large army made his heart beat quickly. The mercenary formation was starting to fold so that it would catch the Brighthawks before the fighting started. In order to take his mind off things, he instead looked towards the battle still raging in the sky. It was too far to fear for but close enough to stare at with interest. The Honean ships had split in order to get the Tavranean ships at their flanks while the Tavraneans attempted to outflank them in turn. It was a great spectacle that Vanemar was surprised to not be paying attention to before. Bright colors flashed across the sky and hulls exploded into splinters as the opposing ships lobbed ballista bolts upon each other. In the center of it all was a ship with a that kept his gaze for the majority of the fight. It moved and appeared as if it were one of the storm clouds. A war machine encompassed in steel armor with its red banner torn to pieces. Its balloon was like a porcupine's back with bolts blanketing its entirety. Yet for time it spent in the battle the large ship had yet to falter and fought on with its full strength.

The proximity between both armies was causing Vanemar's survival instincts to manifest. He put his hand on his Magisword as they were only a minute away from contact. He had no idea how to use it but if it came to it he would have no issue of learning how during the heat of battle. The formation of mercenaries lifted their shields upward as they prepared to charge. Some even dropped their spears, preferring the maces at their belts. Vanemar was surprised that the Brighthawks had not even attempted to glance towards them, he guessed that the conditions made it too tiresome to do so.

The crossbowmen had broken off from the formation to find some higher distant ground for the advantage. Captain Yevera had no thoughts of hiding behind her army, instead leading at the front center with halberd in hand. The rhythm of Vanemar's heart became more frantic as they got closer. It was the same exhilarating feeling he had when sneaking behind a target. Terrible for his heart yet pleasurable to his soul. In an action that caught nearly everyone off guard, Yevera let out a great guttural yell, signalling the charge. The mercenaries responded with their own cries as they went into a sprint. "That's our queue!" Vanemar yelled over the shouts that now rang out from both sides. He unsheathed his magisword and gripped Jioh by the shoulder to get him running. "Stay behind me, I'll get you to the marker!" He told the other two as they began to run around the chaos. The opposition had responded quickly, forming up to face the mercenaries. It was not working for those on the back end of the line, as they were already getting squished by the great number of attackers. The opposite end of the Brighthawk line began to form up and bend around the attackers. A wall of mercenaries held them back, giving up their lives so that the others would not.

Vanemar wanted to keep his eyes on the action forever but his oath to lead the others made him decide against it. They had run far enough so that the battle was only a small blur behind the fog and downpour. Their pace began to stray away from a sprint as they attempted to conserve their remaining strength. "Quis!" Vanemar yelled out to the man behind him. "Can you see if we're going the right way?"

"Yeah." The man said between breaths as he began to move his hand through his bag. He lifted out the geokey with both hands and used his magiglove to power it. A few days ago, he had found some sort of trick to make the map more detailed and closer to the marker. Vanemar wondered whether he would have found it more confusing if he had decided not to learn magic. "We're still headed towards it. We'll only need to make a slight turn to our left to be on the correct path." The man sounded extremely winded. The ordeal was exhausting the whole of those in the hills both mentally and physically. Whatever the Brighthawks were hiding, it was enough to push them all through it.

When they reached the place the marker had led them their legs could do nothing more than walk. While looking around Vanemar had seen a large black blur in the distance behind the rain. Another army had reached the ground, either the Honean's or the Tavaraneans. Whatever they were, they would likely walk around the battle and go straight towards the marker. That's why Vanemar told the others that they would have no time to explore the place. They accepted his idea reluctantly. Even Vanemar was a bit down about it. If something amazing was down there he would have no time to appreciate it.

Outside the marker was a large cavern protruding from the side of a hill. Unlike other places, caverns were common in the Turbulent hills and appeared across steep hillsides. Vanemar had seen a few on their walk and did not see much difference between those and the one he saw now. "How would they be able to come back and find these if they lost the geokeys?" He asked.

"Who says that they would want to?" Quis told him. "If they still wanted to use it they wouldn't come up with such a trivial set of steps to retrieve it."

"Makes sense, but why couldn't they just keep it?"

"That is a question that has been asked since the fall of the empire and one that we may find answers for."

Vanemar attempted to see through the darkness of the cave. If it were not for his great exhaustion, his want for adventure would have returned to its entirety.

The cavern was like any other, surrounded by stone. They took a moment to shake off all the rainwater that they could. Vanemar felt that his clothes weighed three times as much as they once did. They were led down the cave by thin streams of rainwater that were blown in by the wind. Vanemar was at the front of the group, holding out a magic jar which illuminated the walls with a warm blue hue.

The cavern twisted and turned as they went deeper. As Vanemar's hope was beginning to run out the cavern finally began to turn into a much more artificial shape. Vanemar’s light shined upon an object blocking the path ahead. It was a metal door, similar to the one they had seen in Lorithshield. This one was much thinner, taking up about the same amount of space as any ordinary door. There was a keyhole in the center, square shaped unlike the one in Lorithshield. "Good way to keep out visitors." Vanemar thought as he watched Quis push the geokey into the hole. A simple twist was all it took for the doors to split in half and slide into the cavern walls.

"I wish real doors would work like that." Jioh said. "Who decided it was a good idea not to do it anymore?"

"They look like they use a lot of magic." Ama told him. "Probably enough that it would be a waste."

Jioh shrugged. "But come on, they should at least have put them on the Gates of Man."

Behind the doors was a room lit by magic lamps. A room as wide as it was tall. The magic light was unable to light up more than half of the room. "We made it." Jioh said, stricken by wonder. There were three paths, two on the sides and one in the center. In the center of the room was the bronze monument of a hawk, with wings outstretched and eyes narrowed. It looked as if it had just been sculpted a day before.

Vanemar watched as the other circled around it as if it were an art piece. "We did not come here to sightsee." He said sternly, wishing that the opposite was the truth.

"Come on man." Said Jioh. "We come to what might be the greatest discovery in all of human history and you get shaken up because we stopped for a few seconds?"

"Well in that case how about we have a look around and wait for the exact second that one of the armies arrive to escape?"

"You're no fun." Ama said lightheartedly.

"Neither is anything else that happened today. Can we get moving?" He hoped that they would agree with him before his eyes began to wander.

"The man is right." Quis said. "We may be able to come back when they’re isn’t a knife at our throats. For now, let's look for the reason why this place was hidden for so long. Lead the way Vanemar." The man said gesturing towards the middle door.

The door led to a passageway. A very long passage was cramped enough to make Vanemar nervous. Just like the room before it, magic lanterns ensured that it was well lit. He could already see the other end from where he was. There was a long staircase and not much else. "Better be another way out of here." Vanemar thought nervously.

They entered another big room, with enough room to breathe comfortably. This one had the steps. Vanemar looked around. The steps were the only thing in the room and it was impossible to see what was over them. “Not like there would be anything dangerous in this place.” He thought with concern.

Jioh groaned. "They make us walk all the way here and now they decide to put steps!"

"Just have to live through it." Vanemar told him. "At least we don't have to run away from anyone right?"

The man didn't respond, too concerned with his own exhaustion.

As they reached the top of the steps Vanemar's legs were beginning to ache. They had done it. They stood on a large circle surrounded by a ring of bright magic liquid that flowed around it. In the center, upon a pedestal was a cube of crystal. A crystal which glowed a brilliant white, bright enough that Vanemar had to squint his eyes. Within it, was a pitch black shroud. The black substance floated like a compressed fog and pulsed like a heart. "That must be..." Jioh said as his voice trailed into a whisper.

"Vanemar." Quis said, causing the man to jump slightly. "Do you mind being the first to have a look at it." The man’s voice held none of the condescending flavor.

Vanemar grunted. While it was one of the most interesting sights he had ever seen from afar, getting closer would create issues. He approached slowly as if avoiding the wrath of an animal. Realizing that it did not react to his presence, he reluctantly put his hands around the cube. That did nothing either. Before he could shield his eyes, he noticed that the cube was made up of two halves. It was like a box. He grabbed the sides top half carefully and with a deep breath slowly pulled it open. He stared at the contents with mouth agape. Surrounded by the black fog was a golden magigauntlet.

"The Fist of the Emperor." Jioh said with astonishment.

Vanemar could hardly believe it. The Fist of the Emperor, the focus of countless years of myths and legends. It was right in front of him, it was real. Without any thought, his hands slowly began to reach for it. What power? What hidden strength did such a thing hold? He would be the first to learn.

As his hands moved closer, the black fog that had been dormant began to react. Before he could back away it began to envelope him. He fell over and began to scream as it traveled across the surface of his body. Sounds became muffled as it covered his mouth and face. The rest watched upon the scene in horror, slowly inching back to the stairs.

As Vanemar laid upon the ground in shock, a voice spoke to him from within his ears. "You have awakened me yet you do not share my blood. I shall return to you once I see the state of your world." Sight returned to Vanemar's eyes as the black fog left him. It floated away and squeezed between the corners of a round exit that was up ahead. He was speechless. Everything had returned to normal but he stood motionless in a state of fear.

Quis looked upon the man with wide eyes. "Well." he said meekly. "I think that is enough of a reason to fulfill my other duty." With a simple grip of his magiglove a flash of electricity exploded towards the lying man. It exploded like thunder and lightning against the motionless body. Vanemar spasmed furiously before he fell limp. Quis did not care if the man died, only that he would never have to worry about that black fog ever again.