User:FourSevensRueful/Fanfic

Hordes.io Fanfiction - Murder of the Crows

By ||

'''Warnings and Notes: Murder mystery, mythical, and fiction genre. Violence, dark themes, and language involved. Not for the faint of heart. Mature. I do not own hordes.io.'''

Prologue

'''It’s been a month after the great war was over in the entire worldly kingdom. This war took effort, motivation, confidence, community, and a long journey. I was made entirely for this - bred without consideration for how I’d feel about my role in that war. I was a twilight half-elf ranger, gifted with the fact that I was born a princess, became a grand duchess, turned into a war general, and then just the leader of my own clan separate from everything I used to know - KRAK (Kesty’s Real Amazin’ Klan) which I repurposed as just called Krak Clan to mean “crackling lightning” as I assumed that lightning was a powerful force, just like the powerful force of my clan.'''

'''I, Kestrel, have no relation to what I once was. I’m now about thirty years old, as I’d think. The war started three millennia ago, ending with me. And I feel ashamed for ending it. I was born a princess until I was three-and-a-half, demoted to grand duchess because of my sister, now Empress Starling, born. I still to this day do not know the whole reason why I lost the title, but I was only a few years old!'''

'''I used to be powerful, famous, rich, but I left all of that behind. The rest of the world declared me missing as I myself went AWOL the night after the head royal of my enemy’s side surrendered their sword. I realized that the two factions that had fought against each other were not all that different, because my faction originally was also split into two, the Bloodlust and Vanguard. We rose up to fight against Monsters, our main foes. They appeared in the five great islands of our world for no reason, going on a killing frenzy against the Vanguard. The Bloodlust seceded from the Vanguard to kill, pillage, and destroy both the Monsters and Vanguard. But these were the wrong ideas. Monsters were purely evil forces that we then banished to the Underdark (a creepy area that can only be accessed by a portal to a different dimension, where evils of all types have been created and invaded us from). '''

'''Nobody knows where my best friends and I are now that we spend most of my time away from the Underdark or  from the regular parts of the material miniverse (where all of us are and have been born, in either a center island shaped like a crescent, the North Alpine Island, the East Mountain Island, the South Jungle Island, or the West Desert Island). Surrounded by the Empty Sea, which extends around the globe forever, these islands remain. I live in Aether, a heavenly, Sierra-Nevada-like place with vast rivers, valleys, mountains, and oceans. Celestial, peaceful monsters live around here but accepted me and promised not to share my location with those of the material universe and those banished to the Underdark. They also left my friends and I here, alone, to explore the sloping valleys and area around to practice our powers.'''

'''Oh, I forgot to explain how you get to the Aether! Of course, like getting to the Underdark, you have to create a magical portal to here from the material miniverse. And I also forgotten to explain who my friends are. I have, well, myself, my steed (Donatello, the talking albino peryton), my two hunting birds (Kite, my, well, kite-bird, and Acromi, my purple owl), my familiars (Clay, the winged homunculus, Doppler, the sentient doppelganger, Elytra, the thri-kreen, Peeko, the squirrel, and Frostbite, my timberwolf), and my human boyfriend (King Lapis Oren of the West Desert Island). Don’t worry, we have no children and aren’t married. We don’t really want to do it yet. We’re both 30. And alone with our monster friends and our thoughts. Until I decide to return home.'''

---

'''Yet another day in Aether dawns to a white-gold sun barely peeking over the canopies of dense woodland. Everywhere is glazed with frost and a small wind chill can be sensed. However, I have been long adapted to this elegant December breeze. I am perched on a yard-thick oak branch about six feet from the sapphire-green grass roots only a body-length below, tantalizing and waving at me as wind passes over them.'''

'''I remember going to sleep with Lapis next to me, but now I turn my head to find him already trying to light a fire with a few birch splittings in the center of a pit with cobblestone around it. However, he obviously didn’t know that flames cannot be made in this dimension. Unlike most dimensions, this one has odd universal rules - no fire, no violence, no need for food or water even for mortals. We would obviously be content without these things for a while because I had no rations and I felt full and content. '''

'''I look below to see Donatello collapsed with his two wings around Kite and Acromi, with Acromi settling down to sleep while Kite is just waking up. Doppler and Elytra are lying flat next to each other, with their two sets of ocellus covered, meaning that they’re asleep. Their simple eyes can’t see through their eyelids, der. Frostbite is whimpering while dozing a few meters from Donatello, mainly because she wants from warmth. Frostbite always seems to like heat despite her name. Peeko and Clay are already playing quietly together, passing a small, green acorn to and from each other.'''

'''I try to climb down without stepping on any of my friends. Easily, I just take a faster route - I dive off the tip of the oak branch and roll when I hit the ground. So I did, and I made no sound. I got up to a regular stance to see Lapis looking at me with tired, loving eyes with a shard of flint and a scrape of steel in each of his gloved hands. “Good morning, Kest. How are you?” he asks.'''

'''“Good morning, Lapis. ‘M good, how are you?”'''

'''“Sleep deprived,” he admits, and I take another look to see small bags under his ice blue irises. “I’ve been trying to ignite a fire for hours, I’ve been freezing.”'''

“Poor Lapis...did I forget to tell you that in the Aether, fires can’t be ignited even if the material is flammable in the material miniverse?”

'''“Kest! How many more secrets have you been keeping?!” he exclaims endearingly. We both laugh quietly as not to disturb our sleeping friends.'''

'''I quickly reply, “Well, I guess I have no more to remember for now. Let’s just find out what we’ll do today.”'''

'''Lapis and I move over to kneel in front of the fire pit. Although there was a heavy amount of loose dirt and morning dew/frost on the ground, no grass stains could appear on Lapis’ white leggings or even scuff his shining ivory boots. Nothing damaged my gray flannel bell-bottom pants or even my already battered wartorn boots. We just knelt in the frost to hesitate for a few minutes.'''

'''Finally, Lapis asks, “Do you think life in Aether has a different drive and meaning than life in the material miniverse? Do you think it was wrong to abandon everyone and everything we used to know back there that long month ago?”'''

'''I stutter a sigh and left my mouth open. I hesitated. I never had to think all that much for an entire month. I really did miss my parents, dead in the war, my sister, Empress Starling, already married off to that Vanguard King’s heir. I truly hated the guy - I wouldn’t return just to see my 27-year-old sister with that middle-aged guy. I missed my old friends that probably died (but I don’t know for sure) in the final battles of the war - Scathe, Felorb, Aaron, Van, Silverscale...gone. I have wanted to return when I recollected my thoughts to deal with everything, but I think Lapis really wants to go back. But I couldn’t return yet...could I? '''

'''I answer, “I do feel a little guilty just leaving the night after the Treaty of Midgard was signed and the banishment of the Monsters. However, I still feel like I need to recollect my thoughts a little more, then make a plan for how we’d return, and see what happens.”'''

'''“To be honest, I really wanted to see the aftermath of the war. Now that we aren’t here to clean up the mess we made, I think my soon-to-be sister-in law and her husband are going to be stressed.”'''

'''“Well, I guess it is time to pack up and return from Aether. But...how are we supposed to create that portal again?”'''

'''I remember that we created an Aether portal by the power of my very first familiar, Felorb, a wisp. He was able to use mage-class ice magic to create a portal out of a Frostcall spell. He made it so that all who entered the blizzard would be transported here through an unseen wormhole made by the speed of swirling snow. Any mage trapped in this dimension that we find could also create the same portal. I make a small hum, which usually is a sign that I discovered something.'''

'''“How made that hum. You know how we can get back!” Lapis shouts, accidentally unleashing a Taunt skill, causing my familiars and friends all to awaken.'''

'''We stand up and turn our attention to them, and they do the same. I speak, “Friends, I’ve made the decision that we’ll get back home today!” Everyone cheers and unleashes their weapons...well, only Lapis formally, because he has his épée with him. They all yearned to get out as soon as possible, because naturally, they found the universal rules of no flames, no violence, and more to be very boring. I continue, “However, we need to find a mage. And this might be complicated, they might still not be aware of the war having its official conclusion. So, if all of you would, could you split out and find any wild thing that could help us? Joining back at this fire pit by the end of the day with at least something useful would be nice! Try to trick them to come here if they aren’t peaceful, please. Break!”'''

'''Everyone splits up and heads out into the vegetation. They all went in pairs or trios, especially the ones they were sleeping next to. It was just Lapis and I, standing around under an oak tree near a fire pit, staring into space.'''

'''I decided, “Lapis, maybe let’s climb the tree we slept on. To the top. We might be able to get a vantage point and scan the area.”'''

'''”Kest, I’m deeply sorry, but climbing trees is hard for me. I’m scared of heights, remember? Getting down from that tree was hard enough this morning.”'''

”Pretty please...with returning to the material mini verse on top?”

'''”Oh-kay…” Lapis whined. This was the last we said for a while. I stood next to the oak tree and clasped my hands together to give Lapis a foothold. He returned his épée to his scabbard on his back and reluctantly placed his right foot on top of my clasped hands. He started putting more pressure on it as he reached shakily to the first branch, the one that we slept on last night. I lifted up, and he was able to cling to the branch like a louse clings to a hair.'''

''']I scale easily to the same branch, landing perfectly thanks to graceful elven genetics. I survey the tree from this platform to find about ninety more feet in the air to go. '''

Finally, Lapis gets up from his pathetic state and whimpers at the sight of the tree being too high for him, “Kest, I can’t possibly go higher!”

'''I feel a wave of sympathy for him, even though the whole reason we were dating was to protect each other and get survival advantages if we were ever trapped in worlds like these. I suddenly remember that all I had to do was get him down and climb the tree myself. “Actually, you know what? I’ll let you down and I can take a peek myself if you want.”'''

'''For the next five minutes, I spend shimmying up the tree and reached the top. From this point, all I could see were an immeasurable amount of deciduous oak trees and green coniferous ones as far as I could see, with the rims of my vision as ice-glazed mountains. Only a few flying creatures were around, and they were either of Krak Clan or of the many celestial creatures belonging naturally to Aether. No mages, let alone humanoids, were anywhere in sight.'''

'''I scaled back down the tree to report to Lapis. “Nothing for miles around besides flying creatures.” is what I admitted. Both of us whined simultaneously. '''

'''“Should we wait?” Lapis asked, flopping down on one of the logs near the empty and useless fire pit. I took a seat next to him, closed my eyes, and held his warmer hand, gloved.'''

'''“Okay, Kest. There’s not much we can do. We survived a war and left everything back in the material miniverse in pieces. Now we’re stuck in this cold purgatory.”'''

'''“Relax, Lap. We’re in a world in which whatever happened before doesn’t matter. How about a moment of zen?”'''

'''“We’re doing it right now. And oh, your hands are cold! We should get back home fast!”'''

'''“It’s fine. We’ll wait for our friends to return and hope for the best.”'''

'''We sit together for a few minutes, trying to warm each other up. Our eyes were closed for that time, yet we could still hear each other’s shortened breaths and feel our warmth against the forty-degree weather. What took us out of our trance was the sudden amplification of a flapping of wings - large wings. We opened our eyes to see a wild pegasus who just landed on the ground, folding its wings back in a compact position. Its ears twitched and I got a chilling feeling. It had something to do.'''

'''Just then, I swear I heard it speak, “This is a message from the material miniverse. Empress Starling’s husband is coming here to get you back. He’s very cross with you two!”'''

'''It unfolded its wings. With a powerful gust of wind, it flew vertically up into the sky and out of sight. What it left was a small scroll of the ground, tied up in withered reeds. I stood up and went over to get it. I gracefully scooped it up and untied the reeds quickly, unfastening the parchment paper. I read aloud, “To Sister and my Sister’s irritating fiancé,'''

'''It’s been a month with you disappeared and we tracked you two and your ugly beast friends to the Aether realm. We sense that you’ve had enough and want to return. I painstakingly governed the new realm for this month and I hate it! My husband is hysterically idiotic and is erratic when it comes to ruling the kingdom. We need you to back right now. You escaped and did so well, but we still need you to clean up the stupid, dumb mess you made right this minute!'''

I hate your boyfriend, Kestrel,

Empress-Czarina Starling Frozscina of the United Crescent and Four Causeways”

'''Starling always hated Lapis ever since we met at age thirteen. That long seventeen years was enough to make Starling turn from nice to jealous to naughty to mean. I figured that she wanted Lapis for some reason, or that she gradually found him to be too dumb for her, but that made no sense. Lapis isn’t only just royal, but has emotions...and feelings solely for me. Starling got twisted and worse through her business in the war. Who knows what happened in the war that I missed! It was all over a month ago when the Dark Overlord surrendered his blade through and evil mercenary who happened to be an old friend of mine. Then they were banished altogether with the only remaining monsters left to be the ones who submitted to our just laws. We had a banquet and I left afterwards, with the only news spread around was the amazing tactics of the soldiers. I didn’t even receive a letter about the death toll or about any ones I cared about who perished besides my parents. I couldn’t even attend their funeral! They’re in Valhalla now, somewhere in Aether inaccessible by mortals.'''

'''And Starling still hates my boyfriend. And her husband is coming after us.'''

'''“Oh, your sister, I could stab her to death!” Lapis threatened, and I grinned. We both hated Starling, but the joke may have went too far.'''

'''Soon enough, we waited around the clearing for hours to find everyone returning empty-handed. Not even Donatello, who has a knack for collecting pretty items. Sunset came with Lapis and I still stuck to the log hugging and trying to keep our body warmth sufficient, as the terrain turned into something like Siberia now that nightfall brought a chill. Starling’s husband still never teleported here. Until…'''

Chapter One - Friend-And-Foe Reunion

'''Light started to glow and appear around the area, but faded. Fireflies came out for their nightly dance, but were quickly subdued by the frigid temperature. However, a sudden flurry of snow appeared in front of us, to the point where a small column of terrain was coated in ice and no longer translucent. It quickly disappeared to leave a human-sized figure stepping out of the small snowstorm. It was wearing a light blue wizard robe yet had a golden crown atop of its head. The man grasped his multicolored staff as it glowed with mage energy. The man’s hair was short yet fluffy-looking, and his coffee eyes pierced into us. Just like the face of the Vanguard king heir, husband of Starling. '''

'''Since from previous experiences, we knew he loved to follow orders and kill as he pleased. As Starling’s husband approached, lapis and I stood us with our main weapon drawn. Lapis had his notorious epée already out of its scabbard and I fingered my tempest longbow accompanied by a tranquilizing arrow. We stopped a yard away from the creep.'''

'''The man says, “I’m here, you rats. You know who I am, humble yourselves.” '''

'''I made a retort, “You humble yourself, brother-in-law. We have the same rank, no need to bow to each other.”'''

'''“I’m the high emperor mage. You deserters are wannabe-rulers.”'''

'''“Close enough, man!” Lapis intervenes, “Let’s just all be nice to each other and return. We have business to do.”'''

'''“Watch it, semiprecious prince. I call the shots and do what I want.”'''

“No, you.”

'''“Stop, please!” I state. “This is not the time to fight.”'''

“You have no say, unmarried girl.” the emperor teases, flicking me out of the way.

'''Anguished, Lapis uses his fencing blade to knock Starling’s husband’s staff out of his reach. Now, he has no magic left. Before Starling’s husband can jump back to obtain his staff, Lapis grabs him by the scruff of his neck and points the epée at his throat. Clearly, Starling’s husband now has no escape. We could kill him for revenge if we wished, but Lapis has a steady conscience and always does things justly. We did not kill Starling’s husband (we couldn’t do so anyway, the Aether has the universal law of nonviolence), but Lapis’ scare was enough to make him faint. We could abandon the man and use the staff to create the portal on our own, humorously leaving Starling’s short-tempered partner in Aether with nothing to use to return home. '''

'''Lapis returns his epée to its scabbard and sets down the emperor to lie on the ground, head propped by the log we sat on. By now, all of our familiars were startled awake as they looked at us, staring.'''

'''Donatello whispered hungrily from across the clearing, “Is that Starling’s husband? He looks delicious.” After all, perytons are carnivorous and can eat humans that aren’t their masters.'''

'''“Sorry, but no eating in Aether. And don’t eat him anyway. We need him to be returned safely, like the rest of you.” I reply.'''

'''I announce to the rest of the startled familiars, “Now everyone, how about we stay for one more night and head out tomorrow? We should hide the staff, however. Break for the night.”'''

'''The familiars all went to do whatever they wanted for the night. I decided to just stay with Lapis. Turning to him, he was staring into space. '''

'''“Thanks,” I cheered, Lapis turning and smiling back. '''

'''“It wasn’t much.” he replied. We both decided to sleep by the trunk of the tree we slept lofted up yesterday night. Before that, Lapis snuck over to the staff still lying on the ground and humorously staked it hard into the ground where it was so that if Starling’s husband woke up, we wouldn’t ever be able to get it out without either my or Lapis’ half-hearted help. '''

'''We quickly sat under the tree so we’d have enough rest for tomorrow. And just in case, we kept close to each other if any real snow were to come through. If we were together, there’d be a less chance of getting hypothermia.'''

'''And we had slept, dreamed. I only dreamed of a future if Lapis and I had returned to Starling who sat on a throne of blood and bones of her enemies. Who when Lapis stepped through, she immediately killed out of lust. A future when I would become a lowly slave of my younger sister, who governed the world ideally to her only.'''

'''Then I had been woken up to Lapis, already with his sword drawn to a just-waking husband of my sister. There was something wrong. I rushed over without a thought about my own waking, still getting used to the gravity of Aether again - lighter and bouncier than my home. “Good morning, Lap. Morning, brother-in-law.”'''

'''Lapis was the first to answer, “Good morning, Kest. Your brother-in-law here is threatening your well-being, so I thought I might shut him up.”'''

“It’s Emperor-Czar Leon Frozscin of the United Crescent and Four Causeways to you, blue-eyes.”

'''Lapis sighs, “Let’s just teleport back to the material miniverse wherever we’re supposed to be dropped off. We don’t have the time for this pettiness, Leon.”'''

'''“Emperor-Czar Leon Frozscin of the United Crescent and Four Causeways, get it right!” Leon roars. Lapis pokes him repeatedly with his epée enough to get him mad. '''

'''I paid no heed to their childish fight and pluck the multicolored staff out of the ground. Metallic and heavy, it was harder to hold in my hands that my giant tempest longbow. I assumed it was made of something even heavier than lead. However, I only took a few seconds to get over to the pinned Leon. I teased him back, “You can have your staff back if you promise to get us three...and all of our familiars, back to the material miniverse.”'''

'''“Fine, peasants.” he states. Lapis puts away his weapon and I pass over the staff. Leon leaps up and whisks everything in the vicinity into a whiteout. We were transported back to the material miniverse…'''

- - -

'''...And the blizzard dissipated to reveal us, familiars and all, at the place where we left off - the citadel’s remains. It was nothing like when I was thirteen - the walls were decimated and turned into a rubble pile for miles around, all huts and houses burned. Bodies still rotting and left here, no weapons of useful objects in sight. No living creatures except for the occasional roaming timberwolf or dragonfly around. No slimes, no ogres, no sentient skeletons.'''

'''Yet the only thing my eyes missed was the castle and what was in front of it, the place I lived in for a time. It was the only thing kept in perfect condition and still had Bloodlust pennants everywhere. The road in front of us lead directly to the citadel castle, with a figure covered in a feathery dress standing in front. A fan made of short daggers was pulsating in front of the figure’s face. It had strawberry blonde hair in segmented pigtails. Its ears her pointy, but not as pointy as a pure elf’s and not as rounded as a human’s. A half-elf, like me. The girl looked a lot like me, yet was roughly a little more than five inches shorter than I. Even though her face was obscured, I could tell that she had business to do and was quite mad. It was Starling.'''

'''“You have returned, but aren’t welcome here.” Starling growled competitively. It already made me upset.'''

'''“Hey...Star!” Leon cheers leaping over to his wife in sarcastic happiness. They obviously were only married for the kingdom’s advantages. They hated each other.'''

'''“Thank you for the warm invite, you two!” I choke sarcastically back. “Should we do what is needed?”'''

'''“What is needed is for you two and your slave creatures to clean up the entire citadel and return it to its former glory. Then we need you to recruit ten-thousand troops in case any more wars break out. Then we need you to make trade with our other causeways through boat-building and sailors to ship and import goods as well as build battling ships. Then we need you two to wed and have children so we have more royals to watch over our causeways when we’re not around.”'''

'''”Woah there! Kestrel and I aren’t comfortable with the last one there...we’re just together for our survival until the kingdom is restored.” Lapis yelps, stressing out. I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him.'''

'''”Right. Well can you at least restore the citadel by yourselves?” Starling requests.'''

”Can you get an army of archers, warriors, mages, and shamans to become our soldiers and help us to also rebuild?” I ask back.

'''”Oh we can do that all right. On one condition - you two get married like sensible rulers...no heirs needed. Then, you can rule together and we’ll give you this entire causeway - the South Jungle Island to permanently rule under your own dynasty?”'''

”Tough crowd...can there be a different cost?”

'''”Your life, Lapis. Or another one of your measly beast friends die.”'''

'''”Wait! You don’t all have to do this! Maybe we should go and talk this out publicly. Where’s the area that’s the most populated with our subjects?” I ask.'''

'''”Kestrel, whatever. You know what, you’re the only general I know that can make at least a good deal. We can all go to Leon’s Midgard Citadel, the most populated part of the known world. Here, nothing was touched by the war. We can all just settle the deals and get in with our lives.”'''

'''Starling nudges Leon and they send up a chilling frost. We were all teleported to Midgard, in the place she promised. '''

'''We were all standing on a lush plain of grasshopper-green grass, with small, rounded rocks piled near an occasional willow tree. This outstretched for a half mile out, with the clear, cloudless skies shedding light upon ten-foot-tall stone walls surrounding the field like a fort. However, the plain was only extending for a little and a few yards away were victorian-style houses in a village encircling a beautiful limestone castle, probably a good few hundred feet tall. Purple banners with gold designs were everywhere, with an image of a metallic golden shield in the center. This was the new combined flag of the Vanguard and Bloodlust - the flag of unity. It came with a new anthem too that I’ve heard of once, that combined the tunes of the barbaric Bloodlust beats to the graceful Vanguard notes. Now that the Vanguard King and Bloodlust leader are dead, and my/Starling’s parents are dead, Starling was rightfully the sole empress of our two causeways. Her then married to Leon who had already conquered the center crescent island of Felguard (land of the Bloodlust), Midgard (realm of the neutral), and Skyreach (land of the Vanguard) as well as was the governing prince of the East Mountains Island, made them a power-couple. This promoted Leon to emperor and now they own all known lands in the material miniverse - even what neither of them owned before (neither had owned the West Desert Island, which Lapis had once been the governing prince of). Lapis had turned the land over to them when he became a general as well after his parents died too. Technically this new power would have made him king, but he gave away those rights generously. '''

'''Nevermind all of that thought, the beautiful land made me think of a lot of what happened in the past. I’m grieving the loss of both Lapis’ parents’ and my parents’ killing, died in that war. I’m grieving what happened to both heads of government on both factions - as I said before, the Vanguard (Head) King and the Bloodlust Leader had perished of old age. Their sons had all died too, the Wardens. '''

'''The war, however, didn’t seem to affect this place. Maybe since this was the headquarters and summit-meeting-place for the heads of the two factions, it was once heavily guarded enough to be unable to be touched by those brutal monster armies. It was peaceful and pristine, already cleaned up a month after the big bloodbath that had finally resolved last month.'''

'''“Please, visitors. Proceed to our castle where we’ll speak together in our daily held-court session!” Leon broke the silence. “We’ll be late if we stand around for even five more minutes. It always starts in the morning.”'''

'''That signaled for Starling to wave us along with her blade fan. She picked up drooping sides of her feathery dress so she could walk. We followed quickly; I didn’t have to do anything that Starling had to do because I wore my classic brown trenchcoat, always only barely grazing the dew-coated ground because of its long length. Even though Starling is usually quick, she trotted with her head tall, nose in the air, and had to double over occasionally to “fix” something that doesn’t need fixing. That slowed us greatly; when we arrived, a guard at the door spoke in a dwarvish accent, “Enter, royals. You’re a few minutes late for your daily held-court meeting.”'''

'''“Starling, can’t you walk any faster? We have to go.” Leon punishes.'''

'''“Fine! Just shut up.” Starling barks back with gritted teeth. He flings open the large double-doors with pure arm strength and it slams the dwarvish guard off to the side. '''

'''“Sorry…” Starling tells the now unconscious dwarvish guard sarcastically. She poses with her blade fan fluttering in front of her to appear as though nothing had happened. I shakily entered the cathedral-sized throne room with Lapis looking concerned. My familiars padded in silently from behind.'''

'''Inside was gorgeous - torches on a central glass chandelier ablaze with rainbow flame, arches of concrete off to the sides, servants and guards dressed in purple and clad with small shards of armor, rusted through a lack of polishing. It had a retro feel to it that I somewhat missed when I was out in the wild and surviving through the battlefields. '''

“We like this castle.” Lapis compliments.

'''“Thanks…” whispers the quivering Leon, afraid of what might happen if he makes a wrong move to my boyfriend. '''

'''“Sorry, citizens! Our deepest apologies for not being punctual.” admits Starling to the crowd of people. A central line of regular humanoid citizens parted in the middle to let us through, even my friends and familiars. Leon and Starling simultaneously and robotically step up and sit down at their thrones, and motion for us to stand at their sides. From there, Leon booms, “Hear ye, hear ye. Welcome back to the daily morning held-court meeting. In case you are newcomers to the land, or have not heard about the conclusion of the war, please be welcomed into Midgard and follow our new laws. We have struggled hard enough without a set government and now it is just for both nature and for humanity. That is us, the united world. Today we will talk about the arrival of our head generals that have banished themselves for a month in Aether. Please welcome Generaless-Grand Duchess Kestrel Stormwind and General-Prince Lapis Oren!”'''

'''We wave, embarrassed, while we hear a mixture of jeers and cheers ring out loudly throughout the throne room, probably echoing out of the stained-glass windows on the sides depicting battles long long ago and blasting noise into the streets. Staring adds, “These are the head generals that helped to end our war a month ago. With their help of this royal family, with Kestrel in fact being my sister, we used our power against the monsters. Now that we’re at peace, we will show us the new family extensions and share publicly of the death tolls we have taken.”'''

'''The crowd of people started to mumble and talk amongst each other, but Leon held up his hand and silence had followed. Starling continues, “The first order of business is to say that the death toll from the last few years was all to great - the two heads of our separate governments and their Warden sons had all been slain. All parenting royals have been killed with only us few left that haven’t been resigning or have been demoted. Some areas that have been decimated by the war were the two South Jungle Island citadels of Bloodlust, northeast, and Vanguard, northwest...Opalescent City of the West Desert Island was the only one to have been touched, in its causeway, of war...all villages and settlements in the East Mountains island have been minorly raided and stolen from, still unable to be cleaned up yet. The entire North Alpine Island has been spared. The crescent island, our island, has been completely ruined except for this section of Midgard and parts of Skyreach. That is all of the destroyed-settlements list.”'''

A lyre-holding human bard steps up to ask a question, bowing at first, “Your highness, will anything be done to rebuild the destroyed settlements?”

'''The bard steps down and waits for an answer. Leon answers the call, “Yes. The empress and I have been organizing a new squadron of soldiers from our very kingdom to get out to the South Jungle first and cleaning up all of the rubble. Neither of the citadels are going to be rebuilt under our control. Then we’ll try to restore the sandy beauty that we call Opalescent City to its former polished state. And then we’ll work on the East Mountains villages to make a tourist spot. Then rebuild the lands around here to regrow what would have been planned for us.”'''

Another villager asks, “Your highness, what will be done of the corpses we left?”

'''“Simple,” Starling replies coyly, “Bury them in the North Alpine Island somewhere. It’s the best place to keep our deceased members.”'''

'''Leon concludes, “That’s actually all we have for today. I will be here to answer your lordly queries for the rest of the day. Everyone who wished to stay just for the meeting, you are dismissed.”'''

'''With a lot of squeaking feet and roaring shouts, the majority of the village crowd had left. Leon stood motionless in his throne to answer the remaining peasants’ questions while Starling, Lapis, my familiars, and I traveled out of the doors and stepped onto the center road.'''

'''We stopped right before a tree on the side to rest under while we conversed. I asked Starling, “If you don’t mind me asking, had any of our close allies died in the war?”'''

'''Starling replies, “Who are they? Have a list?”'''

'''I coldly answer, “No, but I’ll ask you. Did Paladin Aaron die?”'''

'''“Paladin Aaron became a pastor and survived the war. That angel is fine somewhere, but I don’t know here he - it - is.”'''

'''“A pastor? Aaron’s a pastor?” Lapis asks, shocked. Paladin Aaron was Lapis’ angelic role model, probably a few centuries old, and taught him the ways of righteousness from an early age. However, it was no doubt that Paladin Aaron would take on a career in priesthood.'''

'''“Believe it or not, he was the minister that had Leon and I wed.” Starling replies bitterly. This is due to Lapis and I being unable to watch the wedding as we had to be ready for a major battle many miles away.'''

“What about...Silverscale?”

'''“Your old flame? That stupid kid? He committed suicide.”'''

'''I couldn't believe it. Silverscale was a silver-scaled (no wonder) Dragonborn squire that I used to get into harsh arguments with when we were preteens. However, that was a way of us bonding together. I simply had no idea that he’d ever do that to himself. Starling always hated him probably because she’s a little racist against reptiles as she has been bad-mouthed by a few lizardfolks and dragons in her lifetime. '''

'''Starling continues, “He was in the middle of one raid against a Vanguard-controlled village and he was betrayed by his war partner, a pyromancer. He couldn’t find a way to escape that fire mage’s tormenting for the many years he was working with him, so he got mad in the head and hung himself on a large oak tree, burned without a care for his own well-being.”'''

'''“Was that Kajian the Pyromancer? He was a fire mage that was also a squire.”'''

'''“Yes. After Silverscale died, he felt bad for what he did and knew that his jokey, drug-addict lifestyle made him a scumbag. He resorted to sniffing gunpowder and overdosed. Dead by powder poisoning.”'''

'''I hated that guy too - he wasn’t just a pyromancer, but a pyromaniac. He liked setting things aflame all the time, even burning my first ow and some of my arrows too. I used to get angrier than anyone could ever be.'''

“Felorb?”

'''“Ah, he’s still alive. That King Felorb of the Glassfire Wisps had returned to his cracked crystal ball out of boredom. He’s in my possession, sleeping.”'''

'''Felorb was a wisp that I used to like, a kind of ghostly humanoid who is made of pure blue fire. He has the ability to persuade people to do his bidding as all glassfire wisps can do. They can also trap themselves inside of translucent stones where they comfortably like, giving “glass” in their species name. Felorb especially likes clear crystals, though.'''

“Scathe?”

'''“That tabaxi servant of ours is now a thief with unknown whereabouts. He’s wanted for the illegal work of breeding rare birds without a license.”'''

'''“Ooh, that’s cool. How about Van?”'''

“The drow kid you used to be friends with is now gone.”

“What do you mean?” I ask anxiously.

'''“Van is...now finding his own path. He took no part in the war but left squirehood after a death in his family. Now he’s living in the Gaiagorge settlement as the leader of his place, the only non-citadel settlement that existed back in the South Jungle Island...the only settlement to not be ruined.”'''

'''“That’s so good to hear! How about Mason?”'''

'''“He’s on his own trying to be a traveling shaman. That lizardfolk guy has been conversing with many different settlementless areas that have people in them to get them to help restore the destroyed settlements. He’s also a good healer and can practice good magic. He’s somewhere out there as a head missionary under our command.”'''

'''“Good. I’ve always trusted that Lizardfolk Shaman as a helper. Is Lord Errif and Quaile Scourge fine?”'''

'''“Lord Errif has been murdered by Quaile Scourge, actually. It was all a big mess. Everyone was upset; Quaile was jealous of you when you appointed Errif to higher duties before him.”'''

'''I couldn’t believe that either. I asked Starling, “Where was Errif buried?”'''

“An urn of his ashes was spread into the Empty Sea two weeks ago.”

“Where’s Quaile?”

“I don’t know.”

'''That upset me. I choked, “That’s my list, sister. Did you have any of your friends die?”'''

'''“No. But let’s move, I’m actually scheduled to find an inquisition team to work on finding him. We will get Quaile and gt revenge on him.”'''

'''“I guess. We survived a war, so we should be able to get this done.” I solemnly motivated.'''

“That’s right, we can catch that murderer we used to call friend and get him hung.” snorted Donatello.

'''“Now, Donatello, friends, family. Are we going to catch this kenku creep we know as Quaile Scourge and bring justice to him?” inquired Lapis.'''

'''“Sure. Can that be our new quest as well as the brought responsibilities of the kingdom’s reconstruction?” asked Lapis.'''

'''“That sounds good. Do the familiar friends agree?” I ask our animal family. Everyone nods. Donatello, Kite, Acromi, Frostbite, Clay, Doppler, Elytra, Peeko, all of them.'''

'''“Then we agree to help!” I exclaim. We all think in silence for a minute.'''

'''“So where should we set up our headquarters for our research? There’s nowhere safe anymore with a crazy kenku cleric on the loose.” plans Lapis.'''

“Since Starling would be busy with her royal duties so she must stay close, maybe we can  set up a hangout in this Midgard area.”

Bitterly, Starling replies, “I will only allow you to have the deed if you two marry.”

“What is it with you wanting us to be a couple?” I ask angrily.

'''Starling sighs. “You know what, go on your own. I don’t want you and your group of familiars around here until you two agree to tie the knot. There aren’t enough other royal families we can converse with or make trade with anymore. Especially now that it’s your first days back, we need you to cooperate with my orders the most.”'''

'''I make the hand signal that tells Donatello to get into mounting position. I get on his back and Lapis follows. Acromi and Kite fly up into the air and out of reach of any flying blade Starling might send in a tantrum. Clay, Peeko, Elytra, and Doppler find a partner to hold onto as they climb into the talons Donatello has. Frostbite makes a barking run and pounces on Donatello’s tail, holding on tight. He takes flight and we soar into the air, wind almost ripping my face apart. I order for Donatello to fly us to the Hollow Gate - a solemn and eerie place I’ve been to before, and was the closest and somewhat safe settlement in the entire land of Midgard that I assume is only inhabited by mere thieves.'''

At least it was better than dealing with my rotten sister.

Chapter Two - Spark of Hope at Hollow Gate

'''It took quite a few hours to travel by air to the Hollow Gate, about fifty miles south of the Midgard Capital we had visited without any warm welcoming. It was now noontime, and everyone was tired. Finally, over the long, brown-grass plain empty of wildlife, yet marked with cannonballs, deceased soldiers, and dropped weapons, we had seen water. A wide stream of torrentially-flowing water rushed across, with a large bridge made of gray, rotting wood from the centuries the water beat on it. Elder wood was its name. It was held tightly in perfectly-intact metal beams of adamantium, a gleaming reddish metal way more resistant than any other metal known. It never tarnishes, rusts, and is almost impossible to bend unless you have the resolve - like Lapis - to break it.'''

'''The bridge was about a hundred feet long yet looked sturdy even from the centuries of battering it had to endure. However, something seemed quite off, and it wasn’t that it had a supernatural lifetime of use.'''

I requested quietly to my peryton steed, “Donatello, try to find some place behind a large tree to land on this side, please.” 

“Okay, will do.” replied Donatello, muttering through his bridle bit that I lace onto him whenever I have to mount.

'''We looked around the area once more, banking in a large circle fifty feet above ground for good measure. A cluster of small elder-wood and adamantium huts were framed close together by the East side of the Midgard beach. A small crack willow was placed just meters from the houses, with equal distance to the bridge. Donatello made a halfhearted landing, with his two taloned claws making friction with the slightly bloodstained gravel below. No signs of life except for thieves, but all that remained from any battles here were just the blood on the ground. Donatello was used to landing in pools of it whenever I had to ride him during bloodbath battles. '''

'''Peeko, Clay, Elytra, and Doppler were all off and talking to each other in their own languages of clicks, squeaks, and grunts. My avian friends fluttered around tiredly and landed on the ground, exhausted from the migration. Frostbite whined as she, dazed, released her clutch on Donatello’s tail as she has to cling to him while we flew rapidly. '''

'''Suddenly, I had a bad inkling about our sudden escape and didn’t even take the time to go over and comfort my timberwolf buddy - Starling would be looking for us. Until her mercenaries find us, we would all be in danger of dragged back to Emperor Leon’s fort and getting a reprimanding. Probably even Lapis would get karma back and being threatened by a stabbing from Leon’s staff. '''

'''I announced, “Everyone, great job making it here safely. Let’s see what we can get from here in these houses and try to cross the bridge without being seen. It’s high noon, so we all have to be quick and quiet.”'''

'''“Why would we press into Felguard? That’s just on the other side of the bridge.” Lapis adds.'''

'''“Well, Quaile could be hiding here. He might not even know if the war is done and over. He might be on a killing spree here with all the remaining monsters that have been tamed. Some tamed monsters are still here - even Dragon Fall, the nearest citadel, once controlled by Bloodlust forces, might still have a few. However, Quaile might also be in Snowgalive, a menagerie of polluted beaches where he has a good chance of murdering a few there too.”'''

'''“What if he’s farther into Felguard, or not even in Felguard at all? What if that serial killer isn’t even in this crescent island? He could have been out at sea and killing everyone on other causeways.”'''

'''“We just have to wait and see. The next murder might be able to be recorded, and we can get to the area as fast as possible. However, I think this is our best bet. It’s the best cliche-ed place for murderers in the entire world.”'''

'''The familiars and animal friends of ours all went over to the closest house out of the three that actually were there. Lapis and I followed, but he rapped at the door. It opened by itself without creaking, and Lapis didn’t even push it open. We all entered, with the single room tight to about ten-by-ten-by-ten feet. No light seeped in from the outside. No furniture was in it except for a few metallic cages on the ground. Suddenly, the door closed behind us and it bolted, locked.'''

'''I heard the scraping sound of Lapis brandishing his epée while I summoned my tempest longbow, blindly flipping a switch to change it into a tempest crossbow, and I felt its shape change in my hands. I loaded an arrow to the board, making sure it was my leeching arrow. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dark and I could see everything dimly due to my elven darkvision powers.'''

'''However, when I looked upwards, all I saw was a human-sized siamese cat in a rogue’s set of armor pounce on me, broadsword open. The cat was familiar. Then I realized that this is where Scathe, now a thief, was hiding. However, the last time I saw Scathe, he was angry at me and jealous of Lapis with me. Scathe liked me when he was younger, pettier, and more foolish.'''

'''Lapis seemed to realize him too. Blindly, he was able to stab Scathe with his blade, who which Scathe was now trying to choke me, now yelping in pain and dropping to the floor. In the dim vision, Scathe was only slightly injured. I unloaded my leeching arrow quickly to load back a net arrow, one that releases in the air at a perfect moment to contain a creature. I shot it at Scathe and he fell limp, dropping his broadsword. Captured.'''

'''“Everyone, let’s take this outside. We all may need a better look,” I announced, everyone breaking open the sides of the elder wood walls and out to the salty-aired exterior. That was unusual for this place - it wasn’t a marshland. “I think we caught a criminal.”'''

'''We were already outside in the afternoon heat and it was sweltering. Still, I persisted to drag the creature in the net out of the now ruined house. Finally, under the crack willow, Lapis and I examined the creature. It was indeed a member of the catfolk - looking at lot like a siamese breed. It wore a gray loincloth reaching its knees, and it was about five feet tall. It was wearing tarnished silver armor and had a bloodstained broadsword by its side that I saw in the darkness earlier. I could tell by its wide frame that it was just about twenty-five years old and male. Scathe.'''

'''Scathe was the criminal Starling was speaking about. The friend I used to know when Scathe himself was only seven years old. Now an adult. Subconsciously, my familiars seemed to want to tell me that they were very unsettled. And yes - they should be. This is a betrayed friend - trying to trap us and rob us in that hut. The cages on the floor were also unsettling, as I recalled from the interior.'''

'''Lapis requests, “Elytra and Doppler, can you scour the area and look for thick vines? Peeko and Clay, can you get the cages from the destroyed house and bring them here? Please and thank you.”'''

“Ah I see,” I remark, “You’re going to bind him up to the tree and interrogate him on the cages.”

'''“Exactly. And who knows what he might be doing living here. If he knows the area well, he must have decided to live here and use the house to store them.”'''

'''“Brilliant!” I exclaimed. And just in time too - my four familiars brought back a coil of large, taught vines and a few of the cages that looked like they could store rare birds.'''

'''I took them gratefully from the claws of my familiars and set the cages aside. I opened up the net Scathe was confined in and he pounced out! However, he left his broadsword where it was.'''

'''“You think you could catch me, old friends?” Scathe sneered. “You were wrong. I could have robbed you of your things and sold them for gold. Now I can ensure that.”'''

'''Scathe, now landed bipedally right in front of the bridge, roared loudly. Many thieves of all different races crawled out from under the bridge, preventing us from passing through.'''

'''“We don’t want to brawl right now,” I begged. “Because we just needed to find some things and pass through to Felguard.”'''

“State your business here; you, your friends, and your human partner will be unwelcomed otherwise.”

“We’re searching for Quaile Scourge, a notorious murderer, for revenge.”

'''“You shall not pass with that reason. We cannot betray a fellow criminal...at least not after the reason why Mr. Scourge had to murder the men he did murder. We also are former merchants that had many customers, all which haggled money and brought spare change to the men Scourge had slain.”'''

“This is to protect your money…” I stated.

'''“Well, not exactly. We won’t say for sure why we support Mr. Scourge.”'''

Lapis persuades, “I can offer you all a better life, one where income is massive and you can survive without theft or sin.”

'''“We can’t be sure of it. We can’t trust those who have aristocratic lifestyles.”'''

“Do you want to live a different life or not?!?!?!” I scream impatiently.

“I guess…” Scathe trails off.

'''“Then it’s agreed. We can send you to the Emperor’s Land  and give you all some occupations to take. You can become merchants and pay off your debts and fines.”'''

'''Lapis whispers to me, “You could also offer them a demolition job in the South Jungle Island, so you can get the places cleaned up. We might need help with that.”'''

I announce, “We also offer free travel to the South Jungle Island where you can be demolitionists and clear out all of the waste in the citadels.”

'''“Huddle!” Scathe calls to his fellow thieves. They murmur together for a minute.'''

'''Scathe answers our requests, “We will accept your merchant offer. On a few conditions, however.”'''

“What are they?” I ask.

“One, to have a place to stay that is free of rent or payments.”

“Okay, I can organize so.”

'''“Two, freedom to use what we already have here to put into the markets, like our cages and exotic birds.” “As long as you got them lawfully.”'''

'''“Fine, I’ll release ones that I stole. After all, I’m just a thieving bird merchant. And three, only if you purchase one of my birds here and on the spot.”'''

'''“Really? We have two we own. I don’t think -”'''

'''“I have one good one to sell. It’s a healthy resplendent quetzal that only consumes fruits and small bugs. Mine is not a chore at all - it’s only ten thousand gold.”'''

'''I look at my quiver that I have at my back solemnly, where I store all of my currency as well as scrolls and arrows. I usually travel with only fifty-thousand gold kept at the very bottom in case I’d ever need to spend it on something like lodging, clothing, or food. I unsling it and dig out the exact amount. Cautiously, I provide it out to Scathe, who takes a striking rainbow-colored bird, mostly bright green, with a bare hand from the laws of one of his tiefling friends. We quickly trade.'''

'''“Thank you. We’ll take you to the fort secretly. I guess we can return too and come back to this place in hopes that we don’t get a beating from Emperor Leon!” I tease, shaking with the tweeting bird clutching my forearm.'''

'''I sling my quiver back on as Scathe stores the heap of treasure in some sack he carried. His friends eagerly mix into my crowd of familiars as we make a long journey back to the dreaded fort. '''

'''I announce when we walk silently for five minutes traveling back up North, “We may have to spend five days along the path back. I promise to find shelter for each night we need to rest.”'''

'''The gang of thieves cheer. We hear lots of hooting and babbling for the rest of the day we travel along the beaten, brown plain with sandy mountains in the distance. No life in sight. No turning back. I felt a dreadful pang of discomfort as I held the gleaming quetzal bird between my hands.'''

As Lapis walks by my side, still proper and straight despite the warm temperature that would normally make a human faint, he leans over and asks, “So Kestrel, what are you going to name it?”

'''“The bird? I think Opal, maybe after its rainbow shine and Opalescent City, your demolished capital city for your old land.”'''

'''“Okay. Thank you for that, it kind of comforts me to think that someone considers what had happened that distressful year ago.”'''

'''“Do you ever want to go there and see the damage after we drop these thieves off at the fort and leave? Instead of entering Felguard?”'''

“That would be nice, but I know the dangers of Quaile Scourge and what he might do next if we don’t chase him down fast enough.”

“He might go raiding the place or hiding there.”

'''“Kestrel, he could be anywhere. He killed Lord Errif the Aaracockra back in Skyreach. I felt so irresponsible for not being there to comfort my old citizens when I was just about to be king in Skyreach. I felt so irresponsible for not being there to stop the one-handed fight. Errif was a good friend, a pacifist too. He just let himself die and I couldn’t do anything. He escaped and probably could be out anywhere in the known world. I think waiting for the next death would be a hard thing to do, but is a must if we wish to chase that Scourge character.”'''

'''“Yeah,” I agree, “I hope that none of our other friends would have to die because of that crazy kenku cleric. And I hope our new Opal would never have to suffer from this truth as much as anyone.”'''

'''“That’s the depressing part...but we have more to go. Oh! I have a plan. Since we need to get in and make deals in secret, we should use our birds as messenger birds. We could make a letter to the royals under the false identity of a duchess in distress, as though she needs immediate attention as there’s a major brawl happening in a bar far from merchant marketing or residential areas. All of the guards and maybe even the royal family would race off there while we deal with the thieves and owners of apartments.”'''

“What about if the plan fails?”

'''“Oh Kestrel - you’ve been too worried lately - you’re making me worried. Let’s make a second plan in case that fails - deal with the beatings from our relatives and then just try to make a second, different ruse that we hope is fallen for?”'''

“Well...if that fails?”

'''“Let’s get to the black market - there has to be an alleyway with good deals for housing and merchantry somewhere. Not all monsters have been banished yet that are bad - some lycanthropes might be able to take them in, they’re friendly.”'''

'''“We can’t just show up like this is a dark alleyway without being distrusted. Should we get some different clothes and disguises?”'''

'''“Eh, we don’t really need all that. Just a show of force might do the trick.”'''

'''“Fine,” I whine, “but would you be okay escaping unscathed from a possible battle in an alleyway? Urchins are nasty people.”'''

'''“Let’s just...worry about the present. It’s getting a bit dark, we should find some wood, rocks, and trees. They could work well for the night.”'''

'''The sun is sinking in the sky to our left. We’re still walking at a slow pace along a bare gravel path along a brown-grass plain with sandy mountains. Some boulders with withering bushes and gnarled trees are nearby. We start to see other animals - wild boars and pigs, wild sheep, goats, pronghorns, plain deer and the like, all pretty thin and slightly infected. They all ate from the ground and grazed on whatever they could find - but in turn, all sick from the wilted nature of the ground. Hares, lemmings, and other rodents boldly roamed the area even though other predators could be close...heh. However, us hungry thieves, familiars, and leaders were not the only ones out here peckish for meat. Some cockatrice, griffon, cloakers, banshees, couatl, pseudodragons, wyverns, manticore, and perytons (like Donatello) were in small groups and flying about the sky. All prey were land animals, all predators here were us or in the air. I took out my bow in case I’d ever had to shoot something swooping down at any of us. '''

'''“Lapis, the nearest place anywhere with boulders, bushes, or even trees couldn’t ensure our safety. There’s a whole bunch of monsters up there.”'''

“Huh, didn’t see anyone other than us up here in the morning and afternoon.” muttered Donatello.

“Since we promised the safety of our companions, maybe we should all keep watch for our thief friends over the night we sleep.”

“But some of us need to hunt food for our companions.”

'''“Right, I’m starving. I guess everyone here is. So - we need fatty foods for us thieves since I assume that we all are omnivorous and need to eat for the long walk. You, Donatello, are able to eat all of the prey animals here, right?”'''

“Yep.”

'''“Kite and Acromi are also carnivorous. Opal needs berries and seeds. Peeko needs nuts, so does Clay. Doppler and Elytra need to consume meats too. I’m fine with anything although I might be powerless from just eating apples or grass if I had to.”'''

'''“So maybe we should get a hunting party. How about we use by scabbard to collect seeds we find while others hunt for meat and defend a place we can set up camp at?”'''

'''“Okay, sounds good. What about over there?” ask, pointing to an area near a large group of boulder overhangs bordered with old piles of rotting wood and bushes of large, bulbous elderberries. A few trees nearby are at least a bit leafy with some acorns on the ground near them, uneaten. They were oaks. Wild pumpkin vines with average-sized orange gourds attached to them. Ripe.'''

'''“Just what we needed!” Lapis cheered. He rushes over and checks it out, seeing if he can start a fire, for the first time in forever.'''

'''Some ran over and started to harvest what they wanted, while others grabbed their blades of all kinds and started to murder the nearby animals for meat. I was alone on the path to look around and think about the day. I started in the Aether and managed to get a glimpse of what the old citadel I grew up in looked like. I then traveled to the Midgard Fort that was the most populated, then my sister went impatient after we started to talk about restoring the land, and flew to the Hollow Gate. We got a bunch of thieves to trust us as we promised to help them break away from the control of Quaile, our new target of interest so they can start life anew. Now we’re alone in the Midgard Plane as a group of roughly thirty entities. We have a long wait as we have to beat the searchers looking for us and in hopes of getting the thieves jobs and homes in the same place. We still have to come to terms with my sister and hunt down the murderer. We still have to find our friends we lost from the war. We still have to clean up the mess the war brought. And still, complications along the way are inevitable. But I know that I have a spark of hope for the newer generation - reformed thieves becoming lawful, more people to turn on their old, illegal ways and create a utopian world. '''

'''But I know that even though there is still hope for our world, Quaile Scourge is on the loose. This crazy kenku shamanic cleric is going rogue and might kill others for money and revenge next. That crowlike murderer, that murderer of the crows. I loathe him and want his deeds to be paid for. I want to get him and get payback.'''

Chapter Three - Return to the Fort

'''I snapped from my torrent of thoughts and got to work. By the time I consciously looked around, Lapis had already gathered pebbles and made a fire pit under the largest center boulder’s overhang. He had nothing laying in the pit, so I decided to go out and find wood for kindling.'''

'''The nearest tree away from camp was about a hundred feet away, split and singed by thunder. It was bare of leaves and dry, good for the fire. I would have to make no labors of chopping it down due to having no axes with me. Running over in silence, nothing was in my way. No obstacles on the ground. However, just when I was good and ready to drag over the large, fallen tree, the loud shriek of a banshee could be heard - and close. They’re nasty future-revealing fae and it is said that whenever they scream, a death is approaching. I hope it wouldn’t be of any of my friends, or even thief companions. That would make everyone go angry on each other. '''

'''I hurriedly grasped the trunk of the tree and desperately dragged it over as fast as possible to camp. Doing so in just three minutes of heavy heaving, I returned to everyone in camp gathered around a griffon desperate to eat one of my campmates! Everyone but Donatello, Lapis, and I were scared stiff.'''

'''I had my bow and a piercing arrow ready, in which I then shot square in the heart of the griffon. Donatello raked his talons into the upper back of the griffon, leaving room for Lapis to take out his sword just to scare the griffon into fainting. Immediately at seeing Lapis, it fainted, collapsing to the ground. A hooded thief bent down and felt for its pulse. After a silent minute minus the lowing buffalo in the distance and squeaking prairie dogs peeping from their towns to stare, the thief stood back up and stated, “The griffon’s pulse has slowed to a stop. It’s dead.”'''

'''“Yes, time to dine,” another hooded thief stated, its red rand clasped around a troll blade, severing the head off of the deceased griffon making a nice pool of blood near the feet of the circle of campmates. “I hope I can also take this griffon head with me to sell as soon as I stuff it and stick it to a wooden slab.”'''

“You may go do your thing with it if you want,” I told the thief, “I don’t mind.”

'''He snickers with delight as his already red hands deposit his blood stained sword into the fold of his cloak, then grabs at the head of the beast, slathering them with sanguine blood, further dying them crimson. He hobbles away, cackling, over to a nearby tree and carved out what he needed to.'''

'''“Well...it appears that we’ll have many hostile encounters with these creatures. I hope this killing would discourage the other flying predators from getting close. Oh, and…” I speak, “I think that we can skin this to make some furskins you can sell later, and at least take some good cuts to eat if we want.”'''

'''Some of the thieves already start skinning the creature before my eyes, taking the whole pelt that wasn’t scarred away, leaving bleeding bits of exposed wound everywhere. Just then, a thief sliced off the tail and lower midsection to dispose of or eat by himself, who knows. That’s because obviously nobody that's sane going to eat that part, for sure.'''

“Nice.” I said only mildly sad for the griffon’s death at looking at the now half-used corpse.

'''More thieves then took the paws and claws of the griffon away to make into talismans they’d sell in the market. Other thieves started talking to my friends and asking how to cut apart the rest of the meat to share. I decided that looking at a dissected corpse of a winged lion with a beak and talons was a waste of my time, so I went back to my tree and quickly sliced it into ten thick logs, about enough wood to weigh a quarter of a ton in total. '''

'''I decided to pick seeds from the pumpkins next for Opal and the other herbivorous people with us. I picked only one off without needing much force due to the vines pinched from withering. All of the gourds here no longer needed to be connected as they were perfectly ripe for eating! I took one of the daggers I had stolen from Starling long ago from my belt and Sliced open the top, then gutted out some of the seeds, moist from the insides bound to the seed for months. I made sure to wipe off my sister’s dagger and set the gourd and seeds to the side of the fire pit.'''

'''The night pushes on and finally, I was able to start the fire with Lapis and then figured that we required probably four more of similar-sized flames. We needed more of a lit territory even though I can see well in the dark. We need to more efficiently cook all of the griffon cuts now separated by legs, loins, sections of gut, and organs.'''

'''An hour passes and I start to feel starved. I’ve struggled through defeating banshee after banshee as they started to swarm in the darkness, looking to consume corpses like the meat of the griffon. I had to do so to transport rock after rock from the camp and log after lob to light four more fires, and returned in exhaustion. '''

'''Lapis widened the fire pit to fit an entire body length of items inside, making it possible to more efficiently cook the griffon meat. Finally, all of the thieves were finished with their crafts and returned to the fire.'''

“It’s ready?” eagerly asked a thief.

'''“We should bless the GMs for this first, shall we? We aren’t savages anymore.” requests another thief.'''

'''“Sure - does everyone believe in the GMs?” I ask. Of course, everyone nods because they don’t want to disbelieve us. I’ve seen them with my own eyes - the elusive archangels said to create everything we have known now know, and will know.'''

'''We all raise our arms to the sky and silently think of what we wish to thank the GMs for. What I thought was, thank you for our existence so far. Today, returning from Aether was amazing. I successfully got back and I’m grateful for that. Although I’ve had to experience pains today, I thank you for the providing of food, camp, and tools I have for my survival. Frankly, I’m thankful for the survival and deaths of those I’ve loved and hated so I can experience my care for them. Thank you, GMs, for Donatello, the noble steed peryton that brought me places. Thank you for Opal’s safety with the thieves and thank you for the survival of these birds no matter how much they suffer...at least they’re alive. Thank you for my hunting birds and other familiars for their existence, happiness, and health. Most of all, thank you for Lapis staying with me and for helping him learn that fires can’t be made in the Aether.'''

'''Everyone then took a cut of the griffon or pecked at the seeds from the pumpkin. I decided to take a modest-sized, well-cooked piece of lean shoulder blade, still moist enough with blood that I would benefit from decreased thirst yet had to keep my clothes clean from the dripping residue. I finished it slowly as always - I was a slow eater. However, I was bored - whenever I’m full, I’m either itching to attack something or drowsy.'''

'''All of the thieves and a few of my familiars were asleep in an hour of the meal starting. Twenty men including the jumpy Scathe asleep and possibly more. I was still busy with Frostbite, Donatello, and Lapis all night, guarding the camp from foes not deterred by the territorial flames, chopping trees and feeding the hungry blazes. Prepping for food shortages was also something I helped with, harvesting five pumpkins and gutting them all, baking the seeds and skins separately to keep them storable longer. All griffon meat and organs that didn’t get consumed was what I shaven from the white fat, tendons, and bones and wrapped in some leaves I sewn together with a spare needle and spool of phase spider silk I had hidden in the bottom of my quiver. Finally, I was able to pack up everything and take rest.'''

- - -

'''I woke up under the overhang to a rainy morning. It was drizzling and cloudy, all of the rodents taking rest underground. All of the cloven-hooved prey were together under the sparse trees, now growing buds and small bits of foliage. I assumed that this area was dry and withering, but I guess that the stark beginning of Winter didn’t matter. '''

'''None of those winged night hunters were outside and still no searchers have arrived for us from the Midgard fort. I looked around - all four of the distant flames were extinguished. Flame and a small dreggy amount of wood was still left in this pit, so I took the responsibility in spitting in it and covering, kneading the vestiges with a stick lying nearby. The embers were snuffed out.'''

'''Nobody was awake yet, so I decided to leave for ten minutes and look around for any passing enemies I could fight. Although I knew deep inside that I would probably never find anyone traveling along these post-apocalyptic roads, I would be without surprise to find someone hostile coming along these paths. '''

'''I was right. And I regretted it, leaving people I should protect even for a moment.'''

'''I set out to hide each of the fire pits in case someone checks it out and reports back an existence of humanoid-kind messing with nature around here. After all, I figured it illegal now that new laws were placed in protected areas like these not to disturb the wildlife. These plains needed time to restore itself in the war. Lore I’ve read in books sometimes included real places like these very Midgard plains, once with triple the amount of trees here. Green, lush grass. Watering holes. Exotic plants and animals...like a savannah, but also like midwest plains of what you call the prairies in your world.'''

'''I came to the first fire pit eagerly to remove the rocks and mess up he ground. I did so easily with one foot and plucked out all of the encircling pebbles, bringing them back to the overhang. Still nobody was awake. I quickly and quietly returned the rocks and did similarly with all other three fire pits. Still, nobody stirred. The only sounds were the rain and the lowing of bored, cold, wet cows in the distance.'''

'''This wasn’t enough. I quietly did the central fire pit too. And still, nobody awakened. I went back to the gravel path fifty feet away, and looked on with the two sides to the left and right of me, the trail extending immeasurably in both directions. Only a family of deer crossed the trail a few meters away in a frenzy, running right towards the camp! Something was chasing them - I knew very well when a creature is stressed.'''

'''I looked in the direction of where the deer were running from in excitement. Out dashed a person mounted on an armored Pegasus, saddles so the wings wouldn’t be usable. The Pegasus was spooked, rearing up and whinnying. The person in the hood tried to calm it down with the touch of a hand to its cheek, and the Pegasus immediately went tame. I could see the figure better - a knight with race fully obscured by armor, and wearing the colors of our land - royal purple and gold. All he had was a splintered wooden sword and a slab of prickly vines compressed together for a small shield. Weak...if a searcher would be sent, they’re supposed to go in groups as the bulky guys and have their sons, squires, travel out on horseback and scout for signs. The only sign this man could see was me. He stopped and stared. “That’s you...the one we wanted. Are you really the sister of the Empress?”'''

'''“Can’t say. Why are you chasing deer? This is a protected area.”'''

'''“Why are you trespassing then? Who are you...really?” He pushes.'''

'''“I was just hitchhiking,” I lied. “I cannot tell you who I am, but if you could get my friends and I secretly into the walls of the Midgard Fort one-hundred and eighty miles up, that’s nice.”'''

'''“Ma’am, I cannot trust you if you don’t identify yourself and do so truthfully. I am an authority from that very same place here looking for The Empress’s sister, her significant other, and her ‘brutish friends.’ I can only offer you a question if you seen them or not and where they might be and offer your nothing more.”'''

'''“I saw them, actually, sir. They flew on winged steed down to Felguard yesterday afternoon. By now they should be at the very edge of the crescent if they flew constantly over land.”'''

'''The knight studied me for another minute, probably valuing my ruse. It started laughing. It took off its helmet to reveal that it was Mason the Lizardfolk Shaman, my old friend, the traveling healer whom I thought to be all this time. Starling lied - probably to conserve the privacy of her guards maybe by law.'''

'''“Give it up, Kestrel, you’re a bad liar,” Mason teased. He liked to flirt, and I was fine with it because I had to put up with it for a long time in the war. “And where’s your people? We need to get you back to the Midgard Fort at once. Starling’s cross enough having to deal with being pregnant.”'''

'''I cough, “Pregnant? She’s only twenty-seven! I’m far from thinking about marriage, even.”'''

'''“Yeah, she’s pregnant with three right now. Leon did it.”'''

'''“Oh wow - for how long? I didn’t think she was pregnant yesterday…”'''

'''“Her first child is two months old. She’s going to have twins a few days later, I think.”'''

'''“Woah, okay. I’ll be an aunt in a few months. How’s Hannah?” I ask about my other sister I sadly forgot to tell you about. Hannah was adopted into my family right when I went off to war and she’s twenty-four, like Scathe. She’s still a princess and is still a Stormwind. Hannah is actually much nicer than Starling and a lot younger looking, purely human...and she’s also an archer. I could remember her faintly because I haven’t seen her for years.'''

'''“Ah, fine. She’s been traveling lately to meet suitors. I myself am fond of her.” replies Mason as though he wants to eat Hannah the next time he sees her. That was common - being of the lizardfolk race, Mason is a natural predator for elves and humans. Yet somehow my friend, being a half-elf, a mixture of both elf and human. How nice.'''

'''“Good!” I remark with an out-of-breath voice. “Great to see that you’re still in contact.”'''

'''“Well, I have no more time to chat. So where is everyone at?”'''

'''Since I know that Mason is a relentless searcher and likes to do jobs correctly, I guess I’ll have to tell him. Maybe I’ll try just one more to get what I want. “I’ll bring them to you if you promise to wait here and drop my friends off in the black market area, but not to your designated location.”'''

'''“Fine,” Mason whines, his forked tongue sticking out. I knew he’d eventually agree.'''

'''I left quickly to everyone starting to wake up. Lapis was the most bright-eyed of the bunch, trying to shake everyone awake so we could start are now ended walk of freedom. I told him, “Morning. A searcher came, it’s Mason. He agrees to get us back in secret to a black market area of the Fort instead of where he’d take us originally. So let’s get everyone up.”'''

“Wait, Mason’s not a traveling shaman?”

'''“No, but no more questions. We have to go.”'''

'''He gets busy with everyone waking for our long journey while I gather all of my friends and items to go. In five minutes, we were all back on the road meeting up with the pegasus-mounted Mason.'''

Mason asks, “Got everyone?”

“Yes.” I answered confidently.

'''“Let’s go. It’s one-hundred and eighty miles and would normally take us nine days on foot. If we all get onto flying mounts, we can travel to the fort in only one hour at top speed.”'''

'''“There’s twenty-two men in our group, humanoids including me. I have a peryton I can ride and so can others, but the original group including Lapis and I can all fit. Most flying mounts can take up to five humanoids at a time.”'''

'''“Don’t worry. There’s four other searchers together on five-fitting pegasi ten miles back, they should be here in five minutes at their current pace. I can organize four people on each and adjust the armor on them so we can have them fly. Good?”'''

“Yep!”

'''“Okay. I’m going to catch up to them, you people can stand here. I have to tell them in private.”'''

'''Mason lightly taps the wooden sword to the neck of his pegasus mount and it dashes of along the North direction of the gravel trail. In five minutes, the five guards return with the wings unfurled on their pegasi, ready to fly. Mason motions for the thieves to mount, and so they do. With a flash, my original team gets onto Donatello and he already follows the ascending pegasi knights.'''

'''A boring three hours pass and it’s noontime when the squadron finally arrives in the fort’s southern side, where the streets wind and bustling visitors are, all shady-looking. Ragged tents and huddling paupers hide in the alleyways away from the businesses, with merchants selling exotic and strange items everywhere from Underdark meat cuisine to sword forgeries. I kept myself close to the back of Donatello as now everyone was forced to march on foot, with the guards holding onto the reins of their pegasi. Finally in the very center of this strange part of town, Mason and his crew stopped. “I guess this is where you want to leave off?” asked Mason over the crowds of people talking to each other.'''

'''“This is good. Thanks, people.”'''

“You’re very welcome - after we tell Starling where you are, she’ll come and pick you up.”

'''Mason and his friends remounted their pegasi and took off into the still drizzling sky. I’m back somewhere in the southern side of the fort and with a bunch of thieves. Since I realized that this was a lost cause to spend my life savings on housing and food for these criminals, I told them a minute later, “Thieves, we have prepared plans for your housing and everything. This is where you all can go and set up shops, sell your trophies, talismans, furs, and birds. This is a place of freedom and peacetime. Now, shoo!”'''

'''They all left quickly. Scathe was in the back turning to face me. “Thanks, Kestrel. Now we can actually go plunder this place once more!”'''

'''I sigh. They were only trying to get into a place where they’d steal and rob again. Now there was nothing to do. I had to escape back to the Hollow Gate with my allies and plunder the remaining four huts I left.'''

“So Kestrel, where are we headed to next?” Lapis asks me.

'''“Out of here, we don’t want to get Starling to give us a lecture about her wanting us to get married. After she told us to go away yesterday, I’m mad and she is too. She might want us back just to scream and torture us. I don’t think she meant when she said to make us leave until we got back married. She was probably just ticked off at not getting her way.”'''

'''“So that means that we’ll be flying back to the Hollow Gate again?” Donatello asks, wishing just to take some rest. After all, it was unusual for him to travel about two hundred miles in three hours, that’s like a mile a minute in the air. '''

'''I look up at the sky and see the rain turning into snow in a small column in front of me. I answer, “I think we don’t have to.”'''

Chapter Four - Starling Strikes Again

'''The beacon of blizzard suddenly disappeared when it intensified to the point where the whole area turned white. Leon got notice of where we were and teleported here. “You again?” he grunted, slouching while holding his gleaming staff, a red mark on both cheeks. I could see this through a ripped burlap-bag cloak he was wearing over himself to conceal his identity. This part of town was unwelcoming to the governing people due to the amount of criminals living in the district.'''

“Yeah, what happened to you?” I ask Leon.

'''“Starling wants to half-heartedly apologize for telling you all to leave. But there’s good news and bad news too she wants to tell you all about in person. Plus, this is the mark of her slapping me.”'''

“Why?” asks Lapis sternly yet with a small grin.

“She was unhappy when she was broken to about both the good and bad news.”

“So where are you taking us?” I inquire.

'''“Throne room of the castle. I’m done with the daily questionings by the villagers in the fort, so I have to get you all in. Starling insisted.”'''

“Okay, teleport us there, please.”

'''Leon raises his staff and sends us into a flurry as others around us watch. Nobody but powerful mages could teleport more than themselves at a time - I guess Leon was trained well in magic.'''

'''The flurry dissipated into small water droplets on the ground below. A familiar purple-and-gold-checkered floor shining with wax, to be more exact. We were in the throne room. The same giant rainbow-flame chandelier above, the same stone arches polished and marked with chisels, many stories high. Openings in the high wall shed bright light into the throne room to practically match that of the outside. The same velvet thrones on a raised sanctuary were what we faced, two of the same giant double-doors behind us. I lost my sense of Bloodlust hate for castles a long time ago, so this had made me content just existing in one. '''

“I have returned with them,” Leon spoke aloud to Starling now sitting on her throne, “but I haven’t told them about the good and bad news.”

'''“Well, we’ll tell them it. Hello, Kestrel, unwilling boyfriend, and creatures. I have some surprises for you.”'''

“Hi.” I say anxiously, looking back at everyone trying to wave so I stick up my hand too, twitching it instead of waving.

'''“Ah, you’ve always feared me,” Starling cackles, “but let’s set this aside. Before you get angry and leave me again, I want you and your friends to stay with us for the night, so we can discuss some things.”'''

'''“That’s okay with us, right?” I ask my friends. They all try to say yes but are too scared to say no to an Empress. “We’ll stay.” '''

'''“Great! So my first surprise for you all is that there’s no good news!”'''

'''“But I thought that -” Leon trailed off at the evil glare Starling gave him. Maybe he didn’t want to get slapped again.'''

“Bad news number one - I’m having three children.”

'''“But you should be happy! It would be a wonderful experience to get heirs married off to rulers of far lands later. It’s great that you can play and care for them.” I tried her.'''

'''“You don’t understand, Kestrel. There’s half of a chance that I’ll never have a male heir, one that can actually inherit the throne of the Frozscins, us.”'''

“Well then why did you decide to have children?”

“I didn’t…” Starling growled, throwing a sharp dagger right to where Leon was standing, who dodged frantically in guilt.

“So...if you want, I could take the baby princesses off your hands.”

'''“No, Kestrel. That would mean excommunication! I can’t be dissed by my kingdom.”'''

“What if you have a baby boy?”

“There’s no such luck.”

'''“Well, let’s not get into any arguments anymore about this stuff. I’ll be glad to adopt if needed. So what other news do you have to share?”'''

“Hannah has just been engaged this morning...to Venomfrost Nighthunter of Gaiagorge, that remote town of South Jungle Island.”

'''“My friend Van is engaged? Yes!” I cheer. I’ve talked about that drow friend I’ve had before, and met him when I was a quire. I knew he might be a good match for Hannah, finally choosing a decent suitor. Starling probably was mad that I never actually dated him before when she discovered of his existence.'''

'''“Bad, Kestrel. They’re getting married in a month. I can’t possibly attend their wedding, neither can you at the rate you’re traveling to search for the murderer. And that reminds me - my last bit of bad news is that another murder linked to Quaile Scourge was a massacre in Old Ashfall Town, a place destroyed by a cult he has made...the Murder of Crows is its name. He’s probably not even the leader, but a president to back the elders in the cult. Old Ashfall Town was, to remind you, a woodsy little place in Skyreach full of loggermen and sylvan creatures. This was a big shock - nobody survived that stayed there. Survivors came here to tell of the horrible bloodbath - decaying bodies and other infected things were the only ‘stuff’ left. Huts and yurts were searched through. Markings of orange monster blood were left seeping around the place as well as large areas coated in the red blood of us humans and good creatures alike. This is a cult of terrorists. We think we know where they’d go next, too.”'''

“Where’s the place we might see them next?” Lapis asks gravely, unhappy about Skyreach’s falling, a place he would’ve governed but given up the chance.

'''“To the major Ashfall City only fifty miles from Old Ashfall Town. Still woodsy, the creatures living there have, after the war, been unguarded. They’re almost all fae and good hearted. A massacre there would also have the Murder of Crows in possession of great magical riches probably way to difficult to take away from them.”'''

'''“We need to enlist traveling mercenaries, that’s all I can say. They could spread out and guard every unguarded area of ours, and serve as rebuilder of the damage from the war. They can also be spies.”'''

'''“If we make these jobs open publicly, the Murder of Crows might find out. Who knows - they can change the signs to advertise their cult.”'''

“So how can we get these spies and helpers?”

'''“We can’t. '''