Getting up before the crack of dawn, Cloud and Artanis are in the guardhouse common room discussing soldier formations and marching schedules when Tristan walks in with a rather disconcerting look on his face.

“Excuse me guys might I have a word with you two” Tristan said not trying to butt in their conversation

“Sure” said Cloud

“I had a group of men doing some scouting of my own and they haven’t returned yet and it’s been well over the due date they were supposed to report in” Tristan explained

“Well I know you have training of new recruits to do as well today Cloud,” said Artanis

“I can move the time up later enough to check this out” Cloud recessed

“You know Cloud that’s why you have a lieutenant remember, so you don’t do everything yourself” Artanis reminded him “So I’ll go check it out”

“I would like to come along if that’s alright” Tristan added and thinking about it for a time Cloud agreed “Fine but I want you to take Dawn with you”

“Why?” Artanis questioned

“Because if there is anyone mortally wounded you won’t get them here in time” finished Cloud

“If they are that injured they are going to be dead anyway before we get there” and looking at Tristan he added “No offence Tristan”

Shaking his head Tristan said, “None taken your probably right”

“Doesn’t matter but then take her for your own safety alright” Cloud insisted and nodding his head Artanis and Tristan get ready to go.

At the church Dawn getting word of her new participation in a scouting operation cleans up and is about to close the doors when Elanee comes by on a horse.

“Hey, well I’m leaving on the round trip tour of the towns with Namor and was just saying good bye for the days I’m gone” Elanee stated

“You know those towns are small and boring after the first couple of hours being in them, I wonder what you’ll do in the mean time” Dawn said smiling and having a look of crude thinking going on in her head

“Nothing like that” Spouted off Elanee “Or have you been talking to your brother”

“Hey that’s not fair you know I’m only kidding” Dawns said losing her smile

Giving a half smile she frowns a bit “I only wish Rain was too” Elanee adds

“Still hasn’t said sorry to you has he?” and shaking her head she gets a serious look on her face “You don’t worry about him, when you get back I guarantee he’ll be waiting with one” Dawn seriously promised

“He is a real closed book isn’t he” said Elanee

“You have no idea” replied Dawn

“I just thought I was making progress with him trusting me as he trusts you, and changing his outlook on us a bit” Elanee explained

“You mean humans, umm that will take a lot of work if your starting with him” laughed Dawn

“No not humans; women” she concluded and just nodding Dawn smiled a bit with a facial expression saying good luck with that one. “I just thought he was changing and maybe he was, until Namor came here” finishing with a rolling eyes look.

“Hey don’t bad mouth Namor, I saw your face when he showed up here, you like him don’t you” Dawn smirked

“Oh don’t get me wrong he’s handsome and very gentleman like but way too political, and the more I’m with him the more I know there isn’t really anything between us” she explains

“But there is with Rain; whoa wait a sec you don’t…you know…LIKE my brother do you Elanee?” questioned Dawn

“Oh no I just find him interesting to try and figure out, and he needs to be shown that the world isn’t bad anymore or at least as much as he thinks and I can show it to him if he’ll let me” Elanee says now folding her arms by the neck of the horse and placing her chin on top of them. And changing her position she rose up again “Well Namor is probably wandering where I am so I’d better go”

“Oh yes, wouldn’t want to keep him waiting” Dawn smiled winking her eye and responding with a half baked smile in return Elanee waved and rode as Dawn went to the guardhouse to grab her things for the scouting trip.

The sound of swords clang together as a young man human in race falls to the ground; he climbs to his feet and grabs his sword again that flew from his hand.

“Now this time come in low and watch your left side carefully, I’ve notice that you favor the right” Instructed Cloud standing ready for the second round of training with the new recruit and sparing again this time for a while longer, Cloud still brings him again to his knees and smiling at him he congratulates the young knight to be on a well instrumented fight. Going over to a pool of water and splashing his face Cloud looks over at Alisianna outside of the practice ring. She smirks at Cloud as she was watching the skirmish from the side while tending to some plants around the training grounds when a little girls tugs to her druid cape from the rear;

“Excuse me are you an angel?” the little girl asks

“No little one I’m not” Alisianna replies with a smile at the compliment

“I only ask because your are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I hope one day I will be as pretty as you” the girl says extending her little arm to give her a rose she had picked, as Alisianna bends down to take it did the girl’s eyes grow huge, “those are the biggest breasts I have ever seen” the girls states as she holds focus to Alisianna’s chest, holding a mild redness to her face she picks up the girl to her arms, “Your beauty is beyond mine already” Alisianna says back bending down again to pick an undeveloped rose from the hedges, she blows to it’s closed pedals and the flower blooms in an instant opening with a fresh moist rose scent that fills the young girl’s nose. She gasps with a cuteness that makes Alisianna grin and placing it to the little girl’s hair does a massive smile come to the little one’s face, “Would you spend some time with me, I have some flowers I have been tending to and my friends think I’ll kill them”

“Kill them, with a love to life like your’s I find that so hard to see happen” Alisianna replies softly, she looks to the girl’s face which held a concentration of dimples and acne. Hearing the little girl complain that she didn’t think she was pretty at all Alisianna wipes her hand across her face feeling a tingle to her face skin the girl felt the power of her natural abilities, finishing she strolled with the young one to the well centered to the side and peering to the calm water surface of it the girl’s reflection gazed back to her, she gasped again at her face now flawless. Touching her cheek she felt it “I’m…”

“Beautiful as I told you were, and you grow in it every moment you are alive, now lets go see your garden, I’m sure it’s wonderful” Alisianna replied carrying the little girl off as she gave direction in her gentle grasping hold.

With a motherly bond well in the view she turns to see Cloud and smiles, his heart warms in the sunshine reflection of her hair blowing in the wind as it gleams off the light. It is captivating and for a moment, Cloud loses his focus to her beauty as he watches, her swaying hips leave baring the child, tapped back into reality by the next soldier wanting to spare he almost jolts like being awoke and noticing it the soldier comments with a grin.

“You’re not the only one she does that to sir”

“Her beauty is troubling without a doubt…but it’s one that I could live with for the rest of my days,” Cloud says back getting back to his training session.

Reaching near the site of where the scouts were supposed to be Dawn, Artanis and Tristan talk about various topics when they suddenly are drawn to a morbid silence, they look around at horrifying site as Tristan gazes upon the brutal slaughtered corpses of his fellow men, some dismembered and scattered about and some slashed beyond identification. Dawn gasps with her hand covering her mouth as they release themselves from the barring backs of the horses to scourer the area for signs of the battling foe.

Looking around for a few moments Tristan pipes up “They were shown no mercy, no mercy at all”, Dawn continues to be silent and looking around she has no words to bare comfort.

“The blood of these men is not totally cauterized yet, means they were killed not too long ago, the perpetrator might still be here” inquired Artanis and following Tristan’s lead in drawing a weapon they spring to the center of the voice.

“You are correct, we recently showed these men what happens when humanoids travel upon our turf” answered a creature standing about seven feet tall being accompanied by four more behind him. The creature wore tattered leather armor and a cleaver the size of Dawn that dripped of fresh blood. They had orcish looking face features and oversized top teeth that fanged down over their jaws, and held a bear like similarity in body as well as the natural over amount of hair growth on the face, arms and legs. Overbearing muscles held their weapons with ease as they approach fearlessly toward the three.

“Bugbears, terrific” Spouted out Artanis as he got battle ready and within seconds, Tristan and Artanis engaged in battle without negotiations. Dawn following suit tried to dodge and block as many attacks as she can evading them when ever possible.

A Figure watching from the bushes of a tree limb and covered by a thick cloak held a bow strung back, aiming an odd formed arrow at Artanis’s head does he patiently wait. Sparring some attacks and delivering some devastating blows Artanis with his added vampirism training dispatches his bugbears with ease. Seeing one still remain in battle with Tristan, Artanis moves to aid when a funny feeling of being watched comes over him, turning around at the whistle in the air to see an arrow targeting his position, with grace he acts redirecting the bolt away from him. Turning back around Artanis sees the remaining bugbear hit the ground from a fatal blow from Tristan’s sword.

“Everybody ok” Artanis says and looking toward Tristan he nods

“Dawn?” he repeats and looking around he spots her with her back to them and turning to face them his heart skips a beat as he visualizes the arrow he deflected has impacted her shoulder, “Um guys” Dawn quietly says when she suddenly falls lifeless to the ground.

“DAWN!!” yells Artanis “Dawn, wake up!” he says to her shaking to open her eyes, but with no retinal response he picks her up.

“Pass her to me Artanis, we need to get her back quickly” bolts Tristan and getting on his horse holding out his arms he takes Dawn, cradling her in his lap and with Artanis in his waking strides they race back toward the city.

Watching this transpire the figure leaps down from the tree and unhoods himself to reveal that he was Aries, waiting for a moment until they were gone from sight he says “They’re gone” and forming from smoke arrives Drakon.

“You missed him” bolted Drakon smacking Aries to the shoulder side

“Well it’s not like I didn’t aim for him” Aries replied

“The arrow was meant for Artanis from what I was told from Logan, but hitting one of the Drow can’t be a bad consolation, it’s obviously meant to kill so killing her renders Colossus’s worries neutralized, but we shouldn’t celebrate yet, not until we know the girl is dead” Drakon explains

“I want revenge on that bitch of a sister of mine” snaps Aries

“And you’ll get it, because this success will get us more forces from Colossus which we can use to eliminate the rest of them, but one step at a time” Drakon says calmly and disappears with Aries again

Sitting on a bench commonly bonding with his fellow soldiers, Cloud stops in mid sentence when the horrified sight of Artanis and Tristan carrying Dawn’s fainted body on his own comes hastily through the city gates toward them. Soldiers running up to Tristan’s horse take her from his grasp and he orders her to be taken to the city temple, following Tristan Artanis informs Cloud and Alisianna of what transpired and Cloud orders for Rain to be brought to the temple too. Before his arrival the priests and clerics do every cure in their knowledge to break Dawn from the purplish black infectious color that seem to be growing to her shoulder area and steadily through her body.

Rain arrives in a flash throwing open the doors to see the sight of his sister and grabs Artanis throwing him into the temple wall.

“You we’re supposed to protect her” Rain barked immensely in Artanis’s face

“Rain don’t this isn’t his fault” Cloud says running to break the hold he has on Artanis and looking at Cloud intently he asks for the arrow so that he may try to find a reason and possibly a way to stop the infection. Cloud hands it to him and Rain leaves to go to work. Day turns into night and Cloud goes to Rain for the fifth time to get an update on the progress of his work, going into the door of the shop he witnesses an explosion following the air lifting sight of his brother being thrown in the air and into a table destroying it. Going over and helping pull the debris off his brother he asks.

“How’s it going” and brushing the wood chips off himself Rain responds with a grunting tone “Whatever this shit is it’s powerful and potent, but on a good note I’ve ruled out poison or diseases however you’re not going to like what it might be” Rain explains going over to his work bench and grabbing a book crested open to a page with an unmistakable title.

And reading it causes Rain to turn away from his brother’s face “Lycanthropy” Cloud blurts out

“Yeah” said Rain turning to him again “But not like a werewolf or anything conventional like that” Rain continued

“Then what” Cloud commanded

“I don’t know, yet” stated Rain and calming down he grabs Rain’s shoulder while walking past him and out the door

“Come lets get some sleep, you’ve been at this all day and half the night you need rest” Cloud says turning back to him and shaking his head Rain goes back to work at the bench “Rain come on”

“No I’m getting closer but I need more time,” Rain says wiping the sleep from his eyes

“You can’t expect to find the solution in this state of mind Rain”

“I won’t just stop Cloud, if I stop then for that moment she has no hope; and I can’t leave her like this, I...won’t”

“I don’t want to either-”

“Then let me work Cloud please” Rain interrupted

“What do you have right now as a theory Rain” inquired Cloud

“I think I have to cast a lifting curse spell while adding a powerful chemical agent to her arm and that should lift it” Rain explains

“Any side effects of it not working right” Cloud says staring at Rain

“In some cases of the cursed venom being more powerful than the alchemist there have been results of deterioration of the mind, insanity ……and death” Rain responds with a concern look on his faces and Cloud then shakes his head “No find another way” Cloud dismissed the thought

“There isn’t time Cloud,” Rain says raising his voice

“I will not lose two siblings in two days” Cloud snaps and storms out, Rain turns and throws papers from his desk onto the floor and sits down grabbing his forehead with his hand and thinks intently.

Cloud makes his way to the temple to see his sister, he orders the guard of six men to step aside while he sees his sister one more time before hanging his sword up for the day. Drawing it to place the blade down to the ground he puts his head to the hilt to see the comatose look of his sister’s peaceful rest, and only wearing a bra like top to keep track of the infection which has now engulfed half of her arm he preys in her name to not stop until this evil is reversed.

“Cloud” Artanis says to him standing at the entrance way of the Temple,

“What is it” responds Cloud not turning or even moving an inch.

“I might have an alternate solution to the problem Rain seems seem to have hit” Artanis says and nodding for him to continue he first apologizes for sneaking up and listening to the conversation him and Rain were having at the shop and then explain to him about Alex Colten. He says that he was a low-end thief but as luck would be on his side, he found a lamp containing genii inside, knowing that he got only three wishes he wished to be the leader of his particular guild he was in at the time and from there through cunningness became a very rich man. Artanis continued that Alex’s second wish was to put a cursing word on the lamp so that anyone used the lamp would need to pay him a fee to get the word to use. Also adding that the word could not be changed in an attempt to patent the idea it made him very wealthy as well as powerful for he has never used his third wish keeping the genii in his possession.

“And you want to use a wish to lift the curse” finishes Cloud and nodding with commitment Artanis goes to his side by Dawn’s tome like bed and holding her limp hand he kisses it “It’s worth the risk Cloud” Artanis adds to the silent given to him by Cloud and growing impatient with no response from Cloud, Artanis gets up and heads to the door saying in his wake “At least to me it is”

“WAIT Artanis” Cloud says looking back at him for a moment and then nods his own head with agreement, “Be safe and watch your back in his presence, I’ll send six men with you to-”

“No Cloud, I need to go alone, he’s not one to trust in groups” Artanis stops him

“Well I don’t trust him at all,” said Cloud with a serious look

“I agree with you but at the moment we have no choice Cloud, we have to” Artanis sighs

Taken a quick second to think Cloud agrees and sends him off for the day journey to get there.

For the whole night Cloud returns and doesn’t sleep, he sits in the lounge area and being comforted by Alisianna at his side he gets teary eyed at the fact that he can’t this time contribute nothing to help.

Letting the next day pass with nothing new to report Artanis arrives at the guild with guards posted at the door, he explains who he is and is about to de-weaponize himself when he’s told not to, confused he proceeds inside. Waiting inside is the leader Alex Colten, built very small and short he also had about eight gladiator sized guards around him as he sat to his throne like chair.

“The look on your face my dear Artanis suggests that you don’t know why your still armed, well allow me to elaborate, the weapons you have shown you will not use to kill me so there is that many less places for my guards to watch while you are here talking to me, because everyone always kills with a concealed weapon not an exposed one “Alex explained with a grin “And now down to business cause I am very busy you know”

“Yes I bet you are” Artanis says “Look I’m here for one reason”

“Let me guess, for the genii I have am I right,” Alex says with a look of wonder,

“Yes, I need a curse reversed,” explained Artanis

“And I don’t really care one bit about that, all I want to talk about is the price of a fair trade my genii for your services” He grin’s again

“And what do you need from me” Artanis inquired

“There is a mage imprisoned at your castle dungeon and I need him back free, and with your Captain and you at the helm of guard training my men have found it shall we say next to impossible to infiltrate the area undetected, they’re simply too good” Alex stated

“And you want me to free this wrongfully accused man” smiled Artanis

“Oh I never said he was wrongfully accused or that he was even a man, he is a lich and murdered a pile of people deserving what he got, but I still want him free and you accomplishing that will earn you the wish from the genii” Alex concluded

“You’re mad if you think I will do this task, Malice the arch lich is locked up to a Tran dimensional cell that requires-”

“A lot of work on your part to be done, yes I know how tightly locked up he is, but those are my terms and my only reason I’ve agreed to see you and well I imagine that if this girl of yours needs a cure you should make haste to get him for she probably won’t last long” Artanis gives him a surprising look and laughing he adds finally “You don’t think I haven’t been watching the city for everyday happenings do you?” and waving him off to go is he escorted out, angered at the thought of what he must now do does he strike to his will what is more important but getting no level to his thoughts he rides off back to the city.

That same night another explosion is caused in Rain’s shop and again for the countless time he is blown through the air slamming hard again to the ground and into the wall side. Getting up Rain combs his hair from his face and shakes his head, he needs to do something; going to the guard house he saw Cloud and Alisianna asleep on chairs in the common room. Going up to Cloud Rain leans over and whispers to him “Forgive me brother but there is no other way” as he touches his hand lightly with his own, leaving quickly letting the door shut hard Alisianna awakes, she goes to the window to see who was there and sees Rain ride off on a horse on his way out. Looking to Rain’s brother she makes a thought and letting Cloud sleep she rides off after him, thinking he went to his shop she races to find no one there but his books all open to what he has been doing the last few days, worried at a thought of what he is planning Alisianna races to the temple to cut him off.

At the temple Rains look upon the sight of his sister almost half covered in the black purplish infection, he now sees a black misty haze surrounding her shoulder and in observation quickly writes something down on a piece of parchment and lays it upon her body. Taking some blood from her hand and some from his own he starts casting the reversing counter spell to combat the curse flowing through her veins. Alisianna arrives shortly after to see Rain’s horse out front of the temple followed by a blinding white light and him screaming to death, running inside she sees Rain unconscious on the ground beside the tome bed where Dawn lays and running up to Rain’s side screaming his name she grabs him and putting his top torso half against her chest. Leaning his head on her chest she pulls back her hair behind her ears and with teary eyes she closes them placing her forehead against his to pray, a quick breath is felt across her hair from Rain’s mouth relieving her thought that her worst fear to him had transpired and with a smile she looks at him.

“Rain, you scared me are you ok” and looking up at her face Rain opens his mouth to only reveal garble coming from his lips and drool runs down his face and crawls onto her breasts. Not understanding what has happened she picks him up and starts to carry him toward her horse when she sees the paper roll on top of Dawn with the words LACANTHROPY- NIGHTMARE SHADE written upon it. She stops to grab that roll and takes both to the guardhouse. She awakens Cloud who is shocked to see and hear from Alisianna what has transpired, summoning the head mage to the guardhouse the mage explains to them Rain has been induced with enfeeblement to his mind roughly the age of a toddler with the same mental stability. They put him in his room and go to his shop to see if they can understand what has happened and to learn any better and how to help Rain. Cloud stays there all night while Alisianna goes to the guardhouse to take care of Rain, wiping his face and feeding him she glanced down to his breeches at his waist line and holds a silent hope this will be over before she needs to change him. As she leans to fill his mouth with a spoon full of food she sees his eyes focus to her breasts, a look of hunger glazes to his face and Alisianna holds a look of disconcertment. “Sorry honey but having a toddler’s mental state doesn’t mean you get all the pleasers, these aren’t for you”, she lays beside him and tells him a story about the woods magical powers and slowly he falls asleep, Cloud awakes from sleeping at Rain’s desk but seeing no sight of Alisianna, heads to the house. He goes to Rain’s room to see Alisianna there sleeping beside him and Rain curled up to her like a son to a mother, seeing that brought a smile to his face but only for a moment for he was interrupted by Artanis’s return and not with good news.

Instead of telling Cloud what he had to do, he told him that he refused to help in anyway, knowing that sharing the info would only get them in a fight morally. Cloud then explain to Artanis what has happened since he left and his spirits start to fail, Artanis wishes to be excused and he’ll come to help out later, needing to take a walk to sort out his thoughts, nodding Cloud lets him go.

Morning turns to a mid day and Captain Tristan meets with the return of the ambassador and Elanee return from their county sightseeing trip.

“Hello Tristan… what’s wrong” said Elanee and without revealing much to them leads them to the temple.

About a half an hour later Cloud and Alisianna show up to see Elanee at Dawns side, shortly after that Artanis shows up and asked Cloud if he can pull the prison shift tonight.

“But you hate that area of the city, why do you want to guard their tonight?” asked Cloud

“I can’t be around this right now …it’s too hard for me to see,” says Artanis and sympathizing with Artanis, Cloud allows him to take the shift.

“Wait where’s Rain?” asked Elanee and showing her to his room she looked with a stunned glance upon him, she then turned to the herald that was with her and told him to cancel her appointments for the next day, and to inform Namor that she will be here helping where she could.

“But Elanee he will not like this” said the Herald

“I have been all over this land while my friends lay in their death beds, I don’t think it is too much to ask to be a couple days from him” she snaps at the herald

“I’ll tell him Elanee,” said Tristan smiling “He’ll understand”

“Thanks” she said and goes to get new rags for their heads and being together all day with them Artanis fights to gain the courage to do what he must. The day falls to dusk and Artanis starts his shift. He first waves most of the guards away from the empty cell at the end of the hall and with no one looking he chants the incantation he found in the King’s chamber earlier today and opens the door to reveal a set of stairs leading down to a dark room. Descending the case of stairs takes him to a chamber with a bottomless pit for a floor and only a foot wide stone bridge leading to the center of the room where a stone island is set in the middle of the island is a lich chained and bond by magical links to conceal his powers. Walking carefully to the middle he stands before him with uncertainty, looking up at him the lich responds “What are you staring at, by the way what the hell you doing here any, my sentence is one of those forever ones you know”

“It’s about to have a very early parole if you get my meaning” Artanis says waving the key to his chains in his hands

“And what do you get out of this” Malice asked

“I have a friend that is feebleminded and I need you to lift it off of him,” Artanis said

“Agreed now get me out of here” Malice demanded un cuffing him the mage pushed him aside and holds a laugh “You fool I help no one for charity” and raising his hand to finish off Artanis Malice sees that nothing appears at his hand “what the?” Malice says confused “What have you done to me I’m nothing but a skeleton without my powers”

“Just a little safety precaution, in case you know you pulled something like this, your powers are here they are just still in the chains and I’ll release them to you provided you do this little act of charity for me” Artanis smiles and thinking with a grumpy look on his face he agrees.

“Now give me my powers now!” bolted Malice

“Um no; you see we are going to make a potion to bring Rain out of his childhood not a spell” said Artanis

“But that will take hours” barked Malice

“Then you’d better get started” smiled Artanis “Because it will be that long before they realize your gone”

Artanis takes him out of the castle and to Rain’s shop, and complaining about the order of the place while he works. Malice works fast to finish well ahead of schedule and as it comes to pass does Artanis struggle in his soul to retell his mind that this is the right course of action.

“There it’s done” Malice boasts and gives it to Artanis

“Wait here” Artanis instruct

“Why? Oh no you said you would give me my powers back, now!” Malice shouts

“I’m going to see if this works or if it’ll kill him, and I wouldn’t yell so loud if I were you, being who you are and having no powers you wouldn’t last long with the guards” Artanis cautions and goes to the guard house hiding in the shadows. He puts the bottle on the desk of Rain’s bed table with a note to drink it and waiting for a while until he looks over and sees it, being the child that he is he reads it barely and drinks it up.

It works quickly to bring Rain back to his normal state and satisfied Artanis returns for Malice and before he relinquishes his powers back to him, they go to Alex’s guild house.

Making the trade Artanis tells Alex about the phrase he needed to say to bring Malice back to power and will only say it after his wish is granted. Agreeing ungratefully he allows Artanis to make his first wish with the genii and getting the cure in his hands he makes his second wish to have it teleported to her and telekinetically poured into her mouth from here, and for his last wish he stops and says that he will save it, Alex tells him that he will have to perform another task to get a chance at saying his last wish in the future and agreeing with that he then proceeds to give back Malice’s powers. He then returns to the temple to check out his heroics and betrayals. He sees her recovering nicely and with inner gratitude he goes down to see her

“How are you feeling?” asks Artanis

“Better, much better thanks” Dawn says sitting up

“Hey it was my fault; you were turning into a nightmare shadow demon”

Moreover, shaking her head, she goes to hug him and he backs away “What’s wrong”

“How I got you back, now I want you to understand this; it’s not your fault but I had to do things that I’ve sworn I’d never do again and I betrayed your brother’s trust in the process,” Artanis explained

“So what will happen, to you?” asked Dawn

“I’ll have to go away for a while but I want you to know that this isn’t your fault” Artanis says with comfort and starting to have tears roll down her cheek she hold his hand

“Did, did you kill someone” she asks

“No but I broke someone out of prison that will kill people” he said with his head down and turning around she spoke “You should’ve let me die that let him go”

“It wasn’t a matter of good verses evil it was what was at stake and right now you and your brother’s life was more important than his release” Artanis concluded

“My brother Cloud” sacredly asked Dawn

“No, Rain but he is ok, you should go see him” and explaining to her what he did for her and having a little bit of a touching talk about what they have learned from one another she goes to leave to see Rain when she stops and looks back

“Will I ever see you again” she with a look of sorrow and hurt

“I promise you that” Artanis smiles and edges her to leave.

Artanis takes a deep breath and heads out side the temple and walking a couple of steps he feels a sharp blade at the back of his neck, and turning around he felt roots and vines from the ground bind his hands forcing him to his knees.

“Are you going to kill me Cloud?” says Artanis knowing it is him, at his side view does he catch sight of Alisianna to his right “Alisianna how’s Rain’s recuperation”

“He made a miraculous recovery over seconds coming back to normal” She replied

“And then shortly after that I heard that Malice has escaped from an inescapable cell, how could you do this, do you have any idea what that pile of bones has done” Cloud said raising his voice

“As I told your sister in the temple it wasn’t a choice of good or evil it was what’s at stake and your siblings were more important alive for the emanating threat of Colossus who I think is way worse than Malice” said Artanis

“Malice was responsible for killing the last King of this land not to mention half the army of his doing the task, so how’s that for what’s at stake” Cloud yelled in his face

“I still stand by my choice Cloud and I think you would agree with it some what or you would have killed me by now” calmly said by Artanis removing his lieutenant cloak and tossing it on the ground “I’m sorry this had to happen this way but it was the only way to save them in time Cloud”

“You understand my position in this Artanis, I may agree with you and god knows I’m thankful but a punishment must be carried out and served” stated Cloud and nodding to Alisianna to draw her sword Cloud and her then turn to the guards and with a swift hilt hit they strike the two other guards with them knocking them out. Confused a little he turns to see what happened

“Alisianna unbind him please” Cloud asks and she does, Artanis holds an uncertain look to Cloud while rubbing his hands “Jail then?” he sigh’s

“I’m letting you go” Cloud explains cutting himself on his arm making it look like they had a fight. “I still owe you for your acts that brought about my freedom, I’m not leaving your side until my debt is paid in full,” Artanis says back to see Cloud nod.

“Outside of the city I will look for your assistance but you must understand you cannot return here, I will be forced to lock you up if you’re caught or worse, executed on the spot” Cloud finishes and nodding his head he shakes Cloud’s hand and hugs Alisianna, about to take off to the shadows Artanis is stopped by Cloud yelling his name and turning around, Cloud thanks him one last time for what he has done, nodding his head again Artanis disappears.

Cloud and Alisianna go back to the guardhouse to see Rain and Dawn in perfect health and to explain what has happened.

Rain then perks up “We’re going to need some help with Drakon, and Malice and Aries know about us too” Rain said concerned. And in agreement from Cloud does a scout guard come to the door with a message saying there are three drow outside the gates wanting passage inside.

“Did they give out names?” questions Cloud

“Yes Lord Straud, Arbiter Maylor and Judicator Cynn” and in hearing the names Rain gave the order to let them in as the three rushed to the gate.