They had rode for a few hours in a straight line occasionally needing to deal with spirit callers, eventually coming out of the forest and the fog started to fade a bit, and Galus could see Raya Lucaria from here. After moving out of the forest completely the fog seemed to disappear entirely from their view, something wasn't right about that forest. Galus started to ride over to the northwest. "There's a few people I wish to speak with before we're off. One of which I hope to bring along as a companion."

Edgar nodded. "Where are we going?"

Galus smiled. "We're going to save some albinaurics."

Edgar looked toward them. "Do you know what we'll be fighting?"

Galus nodded. "There's a couple of perfumers who have poisoned the surrounding water preventing the albinaurics from escaping the village, considering they have paralysis and polio from the waist down. There is also a perfumer there known as an Omen killer, we'll have our work cut out for us, but I believe there will be somebody there who would be more than willing to help. Unfortunately, they're lead by a man you might have heard of, a tarnished of the round table hold, Gideon Ofnir."

Edgar sighed. "So we're making an enemy of yet another organization, were you not satisfied with the cult of the frenzied flame and the bloody fingers not enough for you? Also, what's Polio?"

Galus shook his head. "I'm not sure how large Gideon's organization spans, but the fact he would disown his own foster daughter for killing them tells me they make up a considerable chunk of his forces." Then he laughed. "And you have no idea how good I am at making enemies and Polio is a disease where I'm from that can cause one to become little more than skin and bones, an apt analogy if you ever seen an old albinaurics legs."

Edgar shook his head. "I was raised to despise creatures of the fringes and even I felt a little offended by that Joke."

Galus smiled. "Good, it means I managed to get a little bit of the Bigotry out of you."

Galus could hear Irina chuckle and Edgar huffed. "It's not Bigotry if everyone is doing it."

Galus winced at that. "It is, we had to deal with shit like this where I came from and it ended in a massive civil war that ended in millions dead. Also, not everyone is doing it, Miquella isn't doing it, and he has a literal army of people who believe likewise."

Edgar looked confused but also seemed to partially understand.

They rode on in silence for nearly two hours and Galus could see the massive cave in the distance. Galus unsheathed his sword and pointed it toward the cave. "We have our heading." He said, wishing he could find a way to get a tv, dvd player, and a copy of pirates of the Caribbean to show these two, then he remembered that Irina was blind, or atleast hard of sight, though given that she had a blindfold on he'd assume the former considering you cannot see through fabric that thick, perhaps she felt that it was better to be completely blind than be ninety percent of the way there where sight was a hindrance.

They sped up to a comfortable trot towards the caves, eventually stopping at the edge of where the lake turned toxic. Galus shook his head, he wasn't going to leave Irina out here alone... Maybe he could have Nepheli watch her while they fought, or maybe he could leave her with Edgar, He'd have liked to have Edgar fight by his side and prove that he was for the change in beliefs, maybe it was too early for that, there was also the fact that friends should never put eachother through tests like that, though he would've liked to have Edgar by his side to help martial the troops, because as horrible of a commander as he likely had more experience in that field, although there was also the argument that his fort fell because the misbegotten caught them off guard and by the time they managed to figure out what the holy hell was going on over half their forces were dead. He was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on that front.

Galus looked to Edgar. "Where will we put Irina? We could bring her with and Nepheli can watch over her or maybe old Albus could hide her using his mimic veil."

Edgar opened his mouth to speak but Galus cut him off. "If she's staying out here then either you or I will be staying here with her, and I need to speak with old man Albus, and I might need your help."

Edgar sighed, looking over his shoulder to Irina. "Stay behind me the entire time."

Irina nodded.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Galus smiled inwardly. "Right, Irina, hold onto him tight we'll be riding fast becaue that water, is poisonous, and I'd bet you Runes to Rowa cake that it's the depraved Perfumers doing, my first goal is to either find a way to get that poisonous algae out of here by any means possible even if that means dunking the perfumer in it to give him a reason to want it gone. Next we'll need to fight off the perfumer Omen killer, and if possible eliminate him, then we'll need to treat these albinaurics of their illness, kill none of the albinaurics, beat em up a little bit or knock them out of your way but killing is prohibited, if I find a single one dead that wasn't before I will not be happy."

When he was sure they were ready he he had his horse giddy up and it started running Edgar's horse away from him. "Spread out or the water will get flung at you!" He called over his shoulder. Galus watched as they separated away from them.

He saw they approached the path up to the village. He directed his horse up the path and and eventually saw the muscular woman kneeling down next to the pile of bodies on the road.

Galus rode up next to her, and dismounted, and knelt down next to his horse, he wished he had a fowl it was absolutely soaked on it's underbelly and legs. He knelt next to Nepheli and put a hand on her metal shoulder pad. "What do you say we get back at the people who did this, all is not yet lost for this village, I'm confident that we can heal the sickness that afflicts these good people... Show them they aren't forsaken." Galus said.

She looked up at him, he saw the fragile part of her retreat into a steel shell, a shell he was sure Gideon could melt through with his barbed words.

Galus shared his own look with here with only half the effectiveness given his half blindness.

She nodded, standing up and grabbing a pair of axes. "Where do we begin?" She asked. Edgar and Irina trotted up on their horse.

Galus smiled. "We start by capturing a depraved perfumer." He said, motioning for Edgar to dismount. He did helping Irina as he did so.

They tied their horses up one of the poles in the ground they used to hange corpses from. Galus shook his head. "This place looks awfully dreary, how about we lighten it up a bit." He said in his best butler impression. He raised his hand and a discus of light appeared and he threw it and directed it to cut the ropes that the bodies were hung from, one by one they fell to the ground until the area was cleared of hanging corpses, a waste of focus? Sure, in the same way a tombstone is wasting money for a corpse, but this shit wasn't going to stand for him.

Galus walked on, controlling the discus to hover next to his shoulder. He walked up the path. Cutting any corpses that were hanging from the cave cieling or from anywhere else, eventually an albinauric lunged at him. It bit his hand though Galus just shoved it deeper and released an entire cloud of sleep mist down his throat, he'd likely be comatose for a week. It's jaws slackened and Galus took his hand out of it's mouth wiping his hand on his trousers, he still needed new pants after those little gremlins bit holes into it.

He knelt next to the unconscious form, pressed his hand to It's artery and felt a thump thump of it's heart. He got up, giving a thumbs up.

Galus looked to the others. "If anyone has trouble with an albinauric, call me over and I can put them to sleep. Again, not one albinauric dies by our hand."

Nepheli looked around at them. "My name is Nepheli Loux, warrior, who are you guys?"

Edgar replied first. "Our fearless leader up there is named Galus, My name is Edgar, and this is my daughter, Irina."

Galus waited for Edgar to finish before looking over his shoulder. "Do you know who sent these butchers Nepheli?"

Nepheli looked sick. "I don't want to believe it... But I think it was my foster father."

Galus nodded, but decided to ask anyways. "How could you tell?"

She looked at him. "They had his crest branded into their flesh, it's a unique ability that only my foster father has, he can engrave his crest into the flesh of anyone within a certain radius and it causes them to become weakened to his spells.

Galus raised an eyebrow, in the game it never branded them in the flesh but he supposed it made atleast some kind of sense."and it brands him as well right?"

She looked at him, rather shocked. "How did you..."

Edgar patted her on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it, he tends to know things people shouldn't."

She looked at him again. "Like Father?"

Galus looked at her a coldness in her voice. "I am not Gideon."

She just looked flabbergasted. But before she could ask him the usual questions, he held up a hand. "We're coming up on the well, we'll be fighting soon, so we're going to need to cut the chit chat. Story time will come after victory."

They crested the incline and the rickety old village came into view, he made his discus of light once again start cutting bodies down from the cave ceiling, even though they crashed into the ground it was better than having their corpses displayed like trophies.

Galus unsheathed his sword, seeing an albinauric crying near the well. He crouched down next to him putting a hand on his shoulder.

They looked up at him in fear, but Galus smiled a gentle smile. "Fret not, Miquella has not abandoned your people. He has sent his shield to protect you."

He got up unsheathing his sword and walked toward the imposing figure in a fur cape who was looking at him. Galus paused seeing the beanie on their head, and scarf around their face, it reminded him of the robber whom he'd shot, and the one who shot him.

Galus crouched down brushing his fingers along the dirt, his vision blurred and Galus felt his sword collided with steel, he stopped and saw they had blocked his strike with their golden erd steel dagger, it was amazing that he hadn't made a scratch upon it's surface. He rushed forward again slashing his sword rapidly, but the perfumer blocked them all, he threw his discus of light at the man, and followed it slashing the perfumer.It blocked the discus to Galus' surprise.

Galus swung but with his off hand the perfumer threw a spray of sparks. As the sparks absorbed the oxygen in the air and grew brighter before bursting with fire. It burned Galus' face and he backed up, as he blurred backwards he drank his crimson tears potion. Before blood hound dashing and swinging his sword, while at the same time he controlled his discus to strike.

he managed to get them in the leg. And his sharpening his sword hadn't been a waste of time as the sword seemed to sheer through the flesh like water and the bones like clay. He watched them fall down, he hovered his discus in front of their face threateningly.

Galus grabbed their knife and then grabbed them by their cape, and dragged them down the road by their cape. "I heard you like poisons, let's give you a taste of your work." He said as they approached the well. Before throwing him inside, though he held his cape fast. "Reverse what you did to their waters! Or you'll suffer their fates as well!"

The perfumer screamed. "No! Gideon will kill me!"

Galus leaned over. "And you think I won't?"

The Perfumers screams turned into helpless whimpering. "Okay... I will reverse the process..."

Galus heaved him out and the perfumer gasped. Galus dragged them down to the shores and threw them to the ground. The man brought brought out a vial of clear liquid and the algae cleared leaving only clear liquid. Galus nodded and skewered them through the back before tearing it out.

He walked back up to the village. Time to kill an omen killer.