Dexter

I breathed a sigh of relief as I climbed the crest of hill to the Great Hall. The caravan had left earlier in the week and with it my need for an escort. Now I could enjoy the gradually warming morning sun without care about any Ne'er-do-wells spotting me. I rounded the top of the hill and trudged into the thatch building as I stretched and popped a joint or two. I was met with the usual dim interior and array of tables that was the Great Hall, complete with sparse seating and Dubak at his throne. As it turned out, I wasn't the only one that needed a word with the Chief. A soil dusted orc stood in the center of the room. His arms were practically coated in dirt and his shawl seemed equally dirt-stained. His movements would occasionally drop specs of dirt as he practically pleaded with Dubak. "Contact the guilds if you must, but I beg of you to find my son." I leaned against a nearby pillar as I waited for Dubak to respond.

Dubak nodded as he gestured calmingly. "I assure you, Garthan, the city will be alert for your offspring. I shall also have the Institute relay a message to the guilds. If the disappearance is cause for alarm, they must be informed. Now please return to your home. I am sure your family eagerly await you."

Garthan let out a slow sigh as he stared at Dubak. He finally relented as he gestured and turned to leave. He faltered as he spotted me, deep brown eyes locking onto mine. He showed a visage of disdain as he stared at me. He resumed walking and deliberately maintained eye-contact, turning his head as he passed. I followed suit as I watched him slowly make his way towards the door. He finally turned away as he pulled open the door and left the hall. I turned back to the throne as I heard Dubak let out a sigh. "I just have the worst timing, don't I." I said out loud.

Dubak jumped slightly, evidently not noticing me until now. He relaxed as he noticed who it was. "It would seem so." He admitted. "Then again, some would call it an advantage. I assume you heard our discussion?"

I extended my hand and tilted it back and forth as I stepped out into the center of the room. "Just the tail end of it I think. Still, I'm glad he mentioned the guilds. It's kind of why I'm here."

Dubak gave me a quizzical look as he tilted his head back. "Is that so?" He asked curiously.

I nodded as I stopped in the center and folded my arms behind my back. "Probably not what you're thinking. I don't need any of their services. I need some kind of deed to the barn I'm staying in. I plan to continue working with the others I've gathered, and a guild seems like the most efficient way to do that."

Dubak's curious look briefly turned to shock before shifting back. A murmur of intrigue rippled throughout the hall as those in attendance heard my declaration. "A most ambitious proclamation," Dubak noted. "And what, pray tell, do you require with those papers for?"

I gestured towards the door I came in as I explained. "I plan to make it my base of operations. Technically your daughter made it so when she stuck my car in it, but I've kind of gotten comfortable in there. I need the deed so that I can register it with the Institute as a guild house. I'll try not to mess with the exterior too much, just make the interior suitable for a guild."

Dubak leaned back in his throne and cupped his chin as he stared at me. I could feel dozens of eyes on my back as I waited for his response. Finally, he lowered his hand as he sat forward again. "Allow me to ponder this for a day or two. This is a most unusual collection of circumstances. I must carefully consider my decision on this."

I nodded as I bowed slightly. "Of course. It's always wise to consider all the possibilities. My team still has papers to work out so we're okay with waiting."

Dubak nodded in response as he rested his thumb on his chin. "I shall send a messenger with a response once I have one. . . Know that it will be the only response given on the matter."

My face fell slightly as I nodded and bowed again. "Of course. I'll wait eagerly for your decision. . . . I wish you the best then." Dubak nodded as I turned and walked back to the edge of the Great Hall. I felt the eyes continuing to follow me as I left the Great Hall and began walking back to the barn.

"Unusually nerve-racking. Then again, an entire building is a lot to ask for, Champion or not. I better talk to the others about a backup plan. Might have to extend the timeline again. Maybe I can save up for another place nearby. It'll probably take a year, but I'll get there." I glanced down at my watch as I ran through what I needed to do today. "Classes, repository, study, experiments, guild meeting. Hopefully, that last one becomes official. If not, we can always just set it up as a meeting place. Either way, I should hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

I let out another sigh as I stretched and enjoyed the morning sun on my skin. "In any case, I need to learn more about magic, make that extempore stuff a priority. Magic without spells sounds useful. Then again, that might have to wait. A decade sounds like a long time to learn the basics again. That can be for later. For now, classes."

Dumag was unusually harsh in class today. He had us run extra laps for minor reasons and even introduced me and Amelia to a new form of punishment, something he called the demon chair. Admittedly, we were whispering to each other as he lectured. As punishment, he had me and Amelia press our backs to a nearby tree and position our legs so that they were bent in front of us at ninety degrees. We were practically sitting on nothing and had only our strength to keep us up. I felt my legs groan from the strain as we got into position and Dumag pulled out a small hourglass. "Considering you outsiders have such an affinity for stamina, I shall extend this punishment to a full five minutes. Use this time wisely and reflect on your actions." With that, he set the hourglass on the ground and walked away.

I stared at him as he walked away and went back to teaching the others. "What's wrong with him?" I asked strenuously.

I heard Amelia's voice reply from just outside my field of vision. "Something probably happened recently, something that's stressing him out."

I turned so that I could better hear Amelia's strained groans. "You think?" I asked.

I heard a grunt of affirmation as I saw Amelia's hands pressed onto her knees. "Dilated pupils, well pupil, a slight tremor in his hand, a bit sweatier than normal. Something happened recently because I doubt he'd do this yesterday."

I nodded as I glanced at the hourglass before turning back to the group. Dumag was gesturing deliberately as he lectured the group on retreat tactics. "We should ask him about it." I stated calmly. "Teacher or not, he's supposed to be part of our guild. If something is bothering him, we should help."

I heard another affirmative grunt from just out of my field of view. "He's agitated. Wouldn't be useful if he's agitated."

I shook my head as best I could with my back pressed against the tree. My legs were starting to hurt now. "It's more than that. If he's agitated, then something must be wrong. If something is wrong, then it must be painful for him to be agitated. I don't enjoy it when my friends are in pain." There was nothing but silence for a few minutes as we struggled against the tree. I glanced down at the hourglass to check how much time we had left. The sand was falling excruciatingly slow. "This is going to be a long class."

The rest of the class was spent sparring. Dumag had been particular with having me and Amelia sparring other mages. Just like before, the results were painful. The mage I was fighting was ruthless in his blows, hitting me hard but not hard enough to leave a mark. I also found myself grasping at my arm as his attacks flew around my shield and kept slamming into my shoulders. His smirk would always appear as I had to pause to nurse my throbbing muscles. Near the end of class, he took it a step further and smashed my cheek with a hard rock. I recoiled in pain as I clamped a hand over my face. "Son Of A Fucking BITCH! Deep breath. Breathe. Stay calm . . ." I took a shuddering breath as I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down. "Confronting him will only make it worse. Just take it and move on." I wiped the dirt off and spat a wad into the dirt. It had a faint red tint. "That all you got?" I foolishly taunted. The mage's smirk turned into a sneer as he glared at me. He drew his arm back as a tiny pebble materialized in his palm. "I need to learn how to stay calm in a fight. . . Maybe Bulak could help."

I resigned myself to what would surely be a painful fate and prepared a shielding spell when Dumag's voice suddenly bellowed across the yard. "That Will Be All For Today. Return To Your Duties And Prepare For Next Class." A look of confusion then resentment flashed across the mages face.

He finally relented as he straightened and glared at me. "This is not over." He muttered as he walked away. I let out a sigh of relief as I release the spell and started limping over to my bag.

Amelia joined me as she nursed her forearm. "Are you okay? I saw that last one. It looked painful."

I nodded as I rubbed my cheek. He'd thankfully missed the glasses, but I was going to need an ice pack for the pain. "I'm fine. Let's go talk to Dumag." Amelia nodded as she grabbed her satchel and we walked over to Dumag.

He was busy with something in his satchel and didn't look up until we were just a few feet away. "What do you want?" He growled.

I gestured at him as I replied. "To know why you're acting like this. You've been stringent, but not to this extent."

Dumag scoffed as he closed his bag and began walking away. "I know not what you speak of. Now leave me. I have matters to tend to."

Amelia and I started walking briskly as we followed him. I walked around to his side and stared at his face as he tried to escape. "That's what we're worried about. Your matters might need more help than you think. Listen." I suddenly stepped in front of him and forced him to stop. "You joined our guild. That means anything that affects you affects the guild. Besides, you're our friend. You shouldn't have to do this alone."

Dumag glared down at me in silence. He finally let out a sigh as he relaxed as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "You truly wish to know?" He asked.

I nodded as I stared back at him calmly. "It's the only way we can help." I affirmed.

Dumag paused again before letting out a soft growl and rubbing his head. "I doubt you would be able to help, but if you must know my brother recently visited." I briefly smiled before Dumag explained further and my smile faded away. "It was not a merry reunion, it hardly ever is. One of his sons has gone missing. He was here to speak with the chief about forming a search party. I do not know the outcome of his meeting, but I do know this. He did not wish for me to interfere."

I paused as I remembered the orc in the Great Hall. "His name would happen to be . . . Garthan, would it?"

Dumag gave me a quizzical look. "How do you know that name?" He asked.

I internally cursed my luck as I let out a sigh. "Because I saw the end of that meeting. It doesn't look like Dubak is making it a priority. Garthan begged Dubak to let the guilds know about his son."

Dumag's eyebrow raised slightly. "He must truly be desperate if he asked for the guilds. Even as a youngling he did not fancy them." His face suddenly turned sour as he sneered. "Not that he fancied anything."

Amelia suddenly stepped beside me to address Dumag. "Okay, what is the story between you two? You were all aggressive today, but you talk about your brother like you're mortal enemies."

Dumag briefly seemed taken aback by the question but quickly recomposed himself. "It has always been this way. I nary remember a time when my brother was not insufferable. His reputation is irredeemable, and I am surprised he has not managed to destroy the family farm."

I tilted my head in confusion as I stared up at Dumag. "So why do you seem all worked up. If you hate your brother so much, why do you care that his son is missing?"

Dumag took a deep breath as he appeared to ruminate on the question. "Because I know where my grievances lay." He finally replied. I stared at him as he continued to elaborate. "Surprisingly, my nephew is nothing like my brother. He is a good spirit. I would hate for anything dire to have befallen him."

I paused as I explored the problem before jabbing my thumb at the door behind me. "So what's the plan? Are you going to make a search party of your own?"

Dumag shook his head as he gestured at the door. "I will not be making anything of the sort. My brother has been transparent concerning my interference. Even if I were successful, he would look ill upon me."

I shrugged in exasperation. "So what about his son, your nephew? Are you just going to leave him? What if he's in trouble?"

Dumag was silent as the question hung in the air, suspended by guilt and concern. He finally growled low and adamantly shook his head. "I cannot go against my brother's wishes. If he does not want my assistance, then he shall not have it. What comes about from his choices are on him." With that, he stepped around me and Amelia and started walking towards the door again. "I shall see you at the barn." He growled over his shoulder.

I turned to catch up with him, but Amelia put a hand on my shoulder. "Let him go." She said. "You're not going to change his mind right now. . . . Just let him stew on it. He needs time."

I thought for a second before letting out a sigh and nodding. "I guess so. Still, I hope he can find some peace. . . . Worrying about a relative can be tantamount to torture. . . . This might be what my parents are feeling. . . ." My face fell and my heart sank at the thought.

I felt the hand on my shoulder tighten and I turned to see Amelia with a similar look of depression, tears slowly creeping into her eyes. "You'll see them again." She said assuredly. "We just need time."

I let out a long sigh before slowly nodding and looking back towards the door. It was just closing as Dumag left the courtyard. "I hope you're right." I sighed.

Orthan

I awoke prostate on a chillingly cold and damp floor, neither fur nor sack in sight to bring me comfort on the hard stone. I sat up and looked around wildly as the events preceding my position went charging through my head. My eyes were met with bars of timber, bound together with rope and thread that exuded a strange aura. I reached out to tear at the bonds and free myself from this prison. "AAAAHH" I recoiled as the roped burn at my touch. I clutched my scorched digits to my chest as I looked around again. The darkness was slowly receding as my eyes gradually grew accustomed to the void.

A familiar voice muttered from the darkness and sent a chill down my back. "Our guest appears to have joined us again. Marvelous timing." A tiny wisp of light materialized and filled the dark space surrounding me. I blinked in surprise as I turned to the wisp and saw a dim candle flame slowly growing to cast a flickering light on the figures surrounding it. I cast my gaze to each of them as the small fire revealed them. They were stout, smaller than a fellow orc should ever be, at least in this number. They were a dozen or so in total, their faces obscured by black elven furs. The rest of their bodies were covered by similar fabrics, a strange material that seemed to be composed of many threads rather than a single skin. I turned to the figure holding the candle as he spoke again. "You should feel honored. You are to take part in a most righteous ritual, a ritual that will bring Nione what it needs."

I scoffed as I looked around at the prison they had built. "You must be mad if you assume you have my compliance. I would rather perish than take part in whatever scheme you have planned."

The figure holding the candle gazed at me with contempt then let out a snickering cackle. "He hahaha haaa. Quite presumptuous of you to think we require your permission. No no dear primitive. We only require your blood." I felt my heart grow cold as he emphasized the final word. I stepped into the center of the cage, as far away from the bars as feasibly possible, as I glared with as much contempt as I could manage. "You will not have it without a fight." I growled.

The figure appeared to smirk as he continued to gaze at me. "Hear that men? The primitive thinks himself a threat."

The other figures let out chuckles of their own and began heckling me as I felt my confusion grow. "You will not ambush me again." I insisted. "You mistake an arena for a cage. You enter at your own peril." The group burst out into laughter as I postured myself to best appear threatening.

The figure holding the candle wiped at his face as he attempted to compose himself. "Hahahhaha haaaaa. Aaah you primitives have such barbaric banter. Predictably, you are incorrect once more. We will be in no such peril. I foresee you failing to resist even the lowly wizard-slave we brought. He shall have your blood within moments."

I scowled as I clenched my fist and gave them a deadly glare. "They will attempt such at their own peril." I warned again.

The figure holding the candle chuckled as he snapped his fingers and gestured at a patch of darkness. "We shall see then, won't we." He sneered with confidence. "Retrieve the ingredient." He commanded the shadows. Out from the blackness stepped a new figure, shuffling forward as if in a daze but menacingly nonetheless.

I readied myself and raised my fists as I gave the figure a threatening expression. "It would be best that you betray that command, elf. You have neither the surprise nor numbers your masters used to defeat me. You stand no chance." The elf betrayed no emotion as he stalked forward. I tensed as I prepared for the strange magic he would surely use against me. Despite such resistance, I was caught off guard as the elf merely raised his fingers towards me then suddenly jabbed them heavenward. I felt a soft vibration at my wrists and looked down in time to catch a glimpse of the silvery bracelets gracing them before I found myself being yanked forward. I let out a cry of confusion as my arms were dragged downward and I was forced to my knees along with them. The bracelets dragged my arms through gaps in the cage and press my torso into the makeshift bars. I winced as a searing pain poured across my torso and I tried pulling away; to no avail. I felt my arms stretch as my newfound jewelry drew them ever closer to the shuffling figure.

My stomach dropped as I saw the dazed elf slowly reach into his robe and pull out an ornate dagger. The blade, handle, and guard created a swirl as it went from tip to pommel, ending in a clear bead to balance out the dagger. I braced my foot against the timber and tried to pull myself away from the burning sensation against my chest but only succeeded in stretching my arms further. The wood let out a groan as I pressed further and the figure shuffled forward slowly. I let out a roar of rage as my foot slipped and I found myself presenting my leg as well as my arms to the mysterious figure. I panted heavily as I looked up at the cloaked elf and released an angry growl. "Do what you will then. Your victory is empty; just as empty as theirs was. You have not the strength to truly face me. Your lot are cowards and weaklings and you will learn of an orc's wrath." The robed figure finally stopped and looked down at me with his cold dead eyes, drawing the knife up to strike. "Snakhagr will have justice, even against the wretched squabble of Nione."

The figure didn't react to my insults and merely stared, eyes glazed, at me. He paused and waited as if to taunt me. His wrists too were graced with silver bracelets. His throat carrying another accessory in the form of a leather collar with an emblem stamped disk of metal, barely bigger than my thumbs put side by side. The metal was stamped with Almar's infamous symbol. I scowled as the culprit of this atrocity was clearly labeled in my mind. The elf finally began to thrust the dagger downward, causing me to flinch. The thrusting blade suddenly froze as the elf holding the candle barked an order. "Stop." The figure obeyed and halted the blade just above my skin. The only source of light moved as the elf with the candle stomped closer and gave me a menacing look. I could finally witness his piercing blue eyes as he continued to sneer down at me. "You best learn well. It may be your last. Your pathetic forces could never hope to overwhelm us, let alone our city. We have cavalry, soldiers, innumerable armaments and artifacts that would rattle that primitive head of yours. What could make you think you have even a minute chance of success?"

I scowled at him as I panted, still wincing from the burning across my chest. "We have the will to fight, and ever-decreasing patience for your insipid assaults." I spat. The figure continued to scowl at me, eyes burning into me with contempt.

He finally scoffed and turned back to the dagger-wielding wizard. "Make it painful." He growled. I had but a moment to consider the words before a cold pain was suddenly driven into my right forearm. I let out a yell of pain as I felt the cold metal slice into my flesh. The pain was excruciating. I felt my body grow cold and my vitality drain as the elf deliberately sank the dagger into my forearm. I panted and squinted through the agony as I felt my heart quicken and I stared at the dagger. What I saw caused yet another chill to run up my back. The crimson fluid that flowed through me was being drawn up along the curved blade, flowing over the hand of the elf as the ichor converged on the clear stone at the end of the dagger. The stone drank the blood and turned a bright green hue. I winced as the elf twisted the dagger into my flesh before finally pulling it out with a flourish. I collapsed back as the bracelets no longer pulled on my wrists and the fiery pain across my torso dissipated. I quickly removed my leg from the cage's grasp and pressed a hand over the fresh wound.

I began to perspire as I stared up at the elf and watched him walk away. "This shall not go unpunished." I warned, feeling the blackness creeping in again. The elf holding the candle merely scoffed as he followed the robed elf. I watched his back recede from view and the small candle lowering as a soft click echoed about the cave. This was quickly followed by more sounds, muttering, rubbing, and grinding noises that I hadn't the strength to identify. The blackness quickly overwhelmed me again and I fell into slumber once more.

Dexter

The meeting that day was a little tense. Amelia and I knew what Dumag was scowling about as Bruga tried to subtly console him, but Salthu, Gremach, and Brokil were all in the dark about the events. We did our best to go through the new gauntlet's enchantment, frustratingly starting back at square one, but whatever had happened made it impossible for Brokil to separate any of them. I rubbed my head aggravatedly as I tried to remain calm, but it was difficult knowing that what was once a massive source of knowledge now only had practical applications. I finally shook my head as I turned to one of my near-empty binders. I was gradually running out of paper. I estimated another couple of months before I would have to rely on parchment for note-taking. "That or find out how to make paper en masse. . . . I should see if Jolagh would be interested in something like that. I'd just need wood pulp and some kind of adhesive." I shook my head and banished the distraction as I looked up at Brokil. "Let's work on plan B then. Do you know any place we could buy for a reasonable price?"

Brokil paused to consider for a minute before shaking his head. "I know none that would part with land for so little. If we had more resources, we could acquire a more local establishment. However, that is our limit at the moment. Anything we could afford, or even haggle for, would be far away from the city. This would prove dire for your education and our professions."

I nodded as I rubbed my head and tried to formulate another option. "If we have to buy something remote, then we'll have to mitigate the distance issue. . . Maybe we just stay here and still register the other place as our guild house."

Salthu shook his head as he leaned forward. "They would not tolerate such trickery for long. The guild house is meant to be a way for the guild to be contacted by the Institute and orc alike. Remaining here would defeat the purpose."

I sighed and rubbed my head. "Good point. . . Then we'll just have to up our mobility. Brokil, what's the maximum range possible for a beacon?"

Brokil let out a long sigh as he leaned back and crossed his arms, sinking deep into thought. "The effect would be stretched thin," He finally began. "but I might be able to construct a pair of beacons that allow us to teleport dozens of miles. However, I would need more ingredients. Wisp dust is the most essential. I would also need a much larger stone to enchant. Only the quarry would have the stone I need. I would also need time to enchant the stone, just one would take a week's worth of mana. There is also the matter of storing the stone."

I tapped the table in response. "The barn is fine. This is plan A. So if Dubak says no, we can at least use it to get to our guild house. I don't think we need permission for something like that."

Brokil paused for a moment before nodding. "Then I shall begin preparations. . . I'll need to make a trip to the wisp fields. Dumag, I may require one of your pouches." Dumag didn't respond to the request. Instead, he scowled ahead blankly as he breathed slowly. "Dumag?" Brokil prodded. Still, Dumag didn't respond. It wasn't until Bruga placed a hand on Dumag's shoulder that he finally responded to Brokil's query.

He blinked in surprise and looked around as we all stared at him expectantly. "I apologize. What were we discussing?"

Brokil shifted in his seat as he repeated his statement. "I may require one of your enchanted pouches. Would you mind if borrow one?"

Dumag paused for a minute then nodded as he turned and began rifling through his satchel. "If you truly require it." He replied gruffly. "Return with it posthaste if you will. I am out of skins to make more."

Brokil nodded as Dumag deliberately tossed the pouch in his direction and he caught it. "I should return in a few days. The wisp fields are a few days journey from here."

I gestured towards Brokil as I thought back to what Dubak had said. "You might want to hold off on that. The chief's reply should be here the day after tomorrow. There's no point in getting ready for something that might be unnecessary."

Brokil nodded as he slipped the pouch into his satchel. "Too true. In any case. We had better search for an adequate substitute for the guild house, preferably one within a dozen miles. Anything further would make the beacons more difficult to create."

I nodded as I leaned back and rubbed my head. "Hopefully it's not necessary though. This is just in case plan A falls through. Now that we have a plan for a remote guild house, we should finish up some of the registration papers. We'll fill in the last of the details once we know where we're going to set up shop."

The others nodded as we shifted our attention back to the registration papers. I glanced up at Dumag as he scowled at his papers. His eyes seemed to bore into the parchment as he read. I wouldn't have been surprised if a small fire suddenly sprang into existence in his hands. "Is there reason to be concerned about his nephew?" I asked myself. My memory of Dumag climbing the colossal statue floated to the surface. "He should be fine. If he's anything like Dumag, he'll be able to handle himself. Besides, he was gone for one night. I'm sure he'll turn up soon."