In the Kingdom of Layne, it had been roughly two weeks since the confrontation between the Crossed Seas guild and the infamous banker himself, Taelin Rutherford.
To say the least, his arrogant comments and the diminutive nature he exuded had pushed both Aya and Dorian to surpass the barrier that wealth and status provided.
It wasn't only that, it was the ease of his words that really weighed on Dorian and Aya and if there was such prejudice against them, then they would have to overcome it.
Aya had also had time to recognise her own faults. Her immaturity and her recklessness. In one way or another, Taelin was correct about Xerxes still being here if she didn't go through with her choice.
But she had promised Dorian that she would try again; she couldn't simply revert back to the shell she was trapped in. It wasn't serving any good for anyone.
In a way, she wanted to carry the weight of Xerxes' dream on her back, she wanted to go to the very end and become a renowned adventurer in her own regard, one who stood proud to carry the ambition of all those around her.
Not only that, there was something she intrinsically needed to do, something of her dark past, that made her run from her kingdom into Layne, abandoning her last name and taking on the name of Insigni.
For that endeavour, she needed to get stronger. Dorian, on the other hand, was more mysterious. He had always been strong, but no one exactly knew where that source of strength came from.
It seemed that, in his way, he was following in the footsteps of Xerxes and Aya, but was that the case for Dorian?
It was hard to say, but they all used that fuel in order to gain strength in their own ways. Dorian vigorously trained with Aya, ensuring that she was back up to speed on everything again.
Sparring with her was different from the ordinary training he would commit to when fighting people of higher rank and status within the guild, like Xavier or Anabelle.
Her wind magic had changed, perhaps shaped by her emotions now. They still had the elegance that Dorian knew, but there was a silent ferocity that weaved itself into the formation of her wind mana, that was almost unassailable.
Cheekily enough, Vanessa would join in on their training sessions, as she had promised that she would call over the Drunkard, known as Bale—but that would take quite a while.
Recently, the Kingdom of the Elves and the Kingdom of Humans had been embroiled in an unprecedented conflict regarding the two most powerful mages of their respective kingdoms.
From the Kingdom of Layne, Hailey Tundra, known as 'The Everfrost', and from the Kingdom of Eros, Cyrus Lanthir, hailed as 'The Bearer of Storms', had been locked in a feud.
The reason for this was not officially known to the public—only those of higher class and greater power were privy to such information.
It was strange for this to happen without any apparent cause. Ordinarily, the human and elven kingdoms saw eye to eye, but when it came to their most powerful assets being in conflict, there was no other path besides divergence.
This had led to the inevitable restriction of travel between the human and elven kingdoms via Stargates.
Of course, that was under most circumstances. There were a few special exemptions to those rules—however, Bale was not deemed worthy of such honours.
Regardless, he was said to arrive in roughly a few weeks, a journey he had reluctantly agreed to. The only reason he complied was because he owed the Insigni family a debt.
After all, the Insigni, dating back to Vanessa's grandfather, had quite the history with Bale, one that was more cordial rather than hostile, which was rare considering the sort of man he was.
But that delay didn't concern Aya or Dorian, as they were determined to proceed on their own accord, but things could never be that simple for them.
Just as their sparring was finishing up, something shocking occurred.
Since the start of their day, a purple smog had been seeping from the Eshvir Forest, visible even from their location, which was surprising considering the wagon ride, which would take up to 2-3 hours.
It bore a striking resemblance to the fog seen in the City of Merkaties—a deprived, crime-ridden subsection of the Layne Kingdom, notorious for its lawlessness.
So why had it appeared here? The questions the three had were about to be answered.
Storming through the city was a horde of horses, their riders barely in control. One of these horses began racing up the hill towards the Crossed Seas guild, its movements erratic.
The horse swayed up the steep hill before collapsing roughly thirty metres from them. Tully immediately heard the crash of the rider's armour as he ran out of the guild, demanding to know what had happened.
What he saw was Dorian—and especially Aya—rushing over to the fallen knight, who was struggling to rise from the horse.
What made Aya dash forward so quickly was the fact that she recognised him.
There was something familiar about the onyx armour, shaped in such a unique and intricate way that she couldn't forget. The large onyx broadsword, resembling the tusk of an ancient mana beast—or something even more harrowing—and the deep chestnut-brown eyes.
It was Cid Eshvir, the knight known as Shadowbound.
Aya slid over and helped the knight, with Dorian following suit. Vanessa approached and extended her hands, channelling her healing magic.
Members of the guild began emerging, some murmuring in recognition—perhaps from encounters at the Stargate in Eshvir.
Aya asked apprehensively, "Cid, what exactly is happening? Does it have something to do with that purple fog settling over the forest and creeping its way here?"
Cid coughed violently, his armour rattling with each spasm. He murmured, "There isn't enough time to explain here… Please, we need all the forces you can muster—as many people as possible…"
Tully glanced at him, then back at the guild. He hesitated to send the guild members into danger, not out of spite for the young knight, but out of concern.
There wasn't enough information, and he knew full well the strength of the Eshvir knights.
Yet, no fewer than fifteen riders had been dispatched, likely spreading the same plea, calling upon all adventurers. Something truly cruel must be unfolding.
As a guild master, Tully couldn't refuse aid to those in need. What sort of person would he be if he denied the help of such a group so crucial to society and adventuring, for that matter?
He couldn't refuse a call to adventurers.
Dorian spoke instantly, "We'll help you. Let's get a wagon and fill us in on the way. I don't know about everyone else, but Aya, Nessa—we need to help, right? It's the right thing to do, after all." He stretched with an anticipatory grin.
Finally, a battle. He hadn't had a good fight in a while, and if today offered one, Dorian was more than ready—especially with new techniques he was eager to test.
Aya and Vanessa nodded in agreement as Tully scratched his head. "Crossed Seas, divide into groups of three and cover different parts of the city. Assist the Eshvir knights who rode here—provide healing magic, potions, whatever you can. Then get your asses to the Eshvir Forest!"
The guild roared in agreement. Members hurriedly donned appropriate gear for the mission, while some, like Vanessa, Aya, and Dorian, had already left, supporting Cid.
His horse would likely be tended to at the guild, but securing a wagon was their immediate priority, which they did swiftly. By then, however, other carriages were already racing towards the forest.
People were already willing to help.
They all eventually arrived in the wagon, with Cid slumped in his seat as Vanessa continued her healing magic.
Aya spoke, "Can you fill us in? Otherwise, we'll be going in blind." Something she particularly disliked, especially after recent events.
Cid's voice was weak. "I think it's people from Merkaties. For some reason, they're trying to take over the Stargate. They've arrived infused with some sort of magical enhancement. The forest's natural beasts are acting differently. Stronger, smarter, faster."
"A few of our knights tried to investigate, but out of seventy, half have already fallen. The remaining fifteen—us squires—were sent here, to Riviera city, in search of help. Only about twenty are left defending the village, but I don't know why this is happening. Why now?" Fury simmered beneath his usually composed demeanour.
Dorian found it peculiar. Merkaties was lawless, but something must have triggered this.
Eshvir was a peaceful, rural village—politically insignificant, save for its Stargate. Had the conflict between Cyrus and Hailey somehow incited this?
Aya and Vanessa remained silent, so Aya asked the obvious: "What should we do when we get there? We can fight the monsters, but how do we win? There are thousands—if not tens of thousands—of goblins in that forest, possibly worse."
Vanessa shook her head. "No, I've seen something like this before, during the war between man and beast over a decade ago. Monsters began acting completely out of character."
She took a deep breath, acknowledging the severity of their situation. "What we discovered was that someone was controlling them, using a specific method involving an artifact and vast mana reserves."
"Since goblins aren't high on the threat scale, the controller likely doesn't have unlimited amounts of mana, only enough to influence hordes, but not indefinitely. The artifact complicates things. Dorian, this might be your moment."
Cid frowned. "Why Dorian?"
Dorian understood. The constant missions he would take with Vanessa deepened the chemistry between the two of them, allowing them to act almost as one body and mind. "Emrys grants me thermal vision. If I take to the skies, I can pinpoint whoever's radiating intense mana heat. Nothing burns hotter than someone channelling that much power."
After a brief discussion, they all devised a plan—one that would either save Eshvir or doom it to monsters and a sadistic puppeteer.
The Rutherford Estate
Taelin adjusted his suit, studying his reflection. "Is this blazer basilisk skin from the east, or monster hide from the fallen kingdom?"
His servant replied, "Basilisk skin, my lord. Adventurers retrieved it from Fedradia specifically for you. Does it meet your standards?"
Taelin examined the fabric, then smirked. "It's fitting for the occasion, don't you think, lowly servant?"
The servant remained unfazed, long accustomed to such remarks. "Of course, my lord."
"Everything is prepared. The people of Merkaties are delightfully easy to manipulate, wouldn't you agree? Fools like Dorian believe wealth and status don't dictate power—what nonsense. Greed is mankind's foundation, and I have mastered it. The Rutherford name is built on this truth."
"We offer opportunity—the answer to humanity's greed. Let's see if Dorian Tenum lives up to his reputation. If he succeeds, I'll concede defeat. But if he fails…" He swirled his wine goblet. "I'll have to decide between basilisk or dragon hide for my next suit."