*Five Years Later*

From a distance, Pyrlord's camp seemed peaceful, no sound of shouting nor hammering only silence. The midday sun shines even brighter, the scorching heat could even dry leather in a matter of minutes. Beside a river, sounds of metal clanging are heard along with the sound of water crashing against the rocks along it.

"Many seasons of the North has passed and you are still recklessly swinging the blade without proper form." Pyrlord easily dodges Jon's attempt at hitting him and striking him as he exposes his weakness throughout the session.

Fwoop! The sound of an arrow being released was heard behind a tree. Sensing the arrow aimed at him, Pyrlord took advantage of the exposed Jon by striking his arm, disarming him, and grabbed him as a shield against the cotton-tipped arrow.

*thud*

"Ow... alright that is my lose." Jon groans pushing himself out of Pyrlord's grasp.

"My bad Jon!" Vernack calls from a distance as he approaches Jon and Pyrlord.

"Verna, your shots are accurate but reminder when you are sure about your shot make sure that the enemy has not noticed you beforehand, especially in close combat because as you just saw earlier, Jon could have died by your hands." He sternly said. "On the contrary, Jon you seem to be too excited or seemingly on a rush to attack me that you tend to forget that the moment you swing, you are not able to move immediately."

"Of course I get agitated, especially with all your comments hurting my ears." Jon murmured as he turns his back on Pyrlord.

Pyrlord heartily laughed at Jon's actions, grabbing him by the neck and roughhoused him.

"You... bushy... old... man... get off me!" Jon struggles to remove the arm around him and resorts to flailing his arms around.

"Who did you call bushy, huh?" He tightens his grip on Jon making it difficult for him to move.

On the side, Vernack would only burst into an unrestrained laughter seeing the person that seemed like his younger brother to be roughhoused by a muscular man. Balak, Lahar, and Lutar snickered as they do their own thing on the other side.

"Oi Verna! Come with me for a bit, let us hunt for more 'taldir'!" Balak calls out as he inspects his bow and arrows.

"Are not the 'taldirs' rare in this area, those six-legged, crystal-horned buck use magic to check its surroundings." Vernack complained as he thought about hunting the rare deer. "The last time we did it, the red bugger instantly noticed us as soon as we saw it and ran faster than it shat."

"That is all because you lad listened not to me, a master hunter, but only listened to a bird whisperer!" He nagged as he muttered profanities against Lutar.

"Well at least uncle Lutar taught me how to handle a bow, while you just nag at me for failing to take a proper form!" The two argued on as other members of the camp watch the two leave the camp with their bow and quiver on hand.

'They are slowly growing on each other.' Lahar chuckled as she continues to chop firewood.

The riverside was livelier than the crash of the river water, the simple life that the campers enjoyed made them feel close as if a family on a trip.

Pyrlord finally loosens his grip on Jon and laid down on the rock bed. Huffing and puffing, Pyrlord once more let out a hearty laugh which made Jon laugh as well.

"Chief, a letter from the Hammun Division." A low-ranking member of the camp approached Pyrlord presenting a rolled red paper, sealed with the symbol of a book below a shield.

He took the letter in an instant and sat on a fallen log. He closed his eyes for a moment before finally removing the seal and read the contents of the letter.

At first, he was confused on what he was reading, but the longer he read the letter the more his complexion worsened. If the scorching heat from the midday sun was enough to dry leather in minutes, the sweat that was escaping his face would be cold enough to freeze metal.

"Chief, anything good?" Seeing the expression that their leader was making, Jon was made curious about the contents of the letter.

"Jon, I need you to bring Balak and Lutar here right now." Pyrlord sternly said while he is still reading the letter. "Tell them this is urgent."

"Right away!" Jon immediately asked two low-ranked members of the camp to call for Lutar while he ran towards the direction where Balak and Vernack went.

"Anything going on Arguhn?" Noticing the rush that just happened and the expression that she saw from Pyrlord as she rested from wood chopping, Lahar approached him curiosity in mind.

Without saying anything, Pyrlord looked at Lahar dead in the eye and gave her the red paper. Lahar reluctantly took the paper from him and read the contents. Just like Pyrlord, at first she was confused, then slowly her face went paler than a white stone the more she read the contents.

"We must hurry and call Balak and Lutar!" She exclaimed as soon as she finished reading the letter.

****

In a distant area, a village called Baritu was built inside the territory of the Dukedom of Cristos, it was built beside a lake and was purposely used to mine Behemite and Iron ores, and because it was a mining village it was an important asset for the Dukedom as it provided the them materials to forge weaponry so the Grand Duke, Prauli Cristos, sent veterans and expert fighters in his army to protect Baritu at all costs.

However, the scene that Ryden sees is a ruined village filled with dead bodies, many villagers were stripped naked and beheaded while some were burnt alive. What was once a lively home for many families is now reduced to a graveyard with its bodies ten feet above ground. The mining area was caved in and many of the belongings could not be found.

Wanting to get a closer look, Ryden flew towards the highest post within the village and surveys the area for a bit.

Cheep Cheep. It continues to survey the surrounding area while blending the color of its feathers with the object its talons touch. It notices the direction where hoof prints and cartwheels were moving. As if knowing it has accomplished its mission it immediately flew back to the direction where it came from.

****

Back on the camp, inside Pyrlord's tent, the four important figures of the camp surround a red paper, their expressions show anger but their complexions paler than the midday clouds.

"How could this happen without us knowing immediately?" Smashing an arrow tip into the red paper, Balak exclaimed. "Those traitorous Elturean bastards set us up to be haunted down by the Supriars and used a red letter as an apology for their two-faced fur asses!"

"I knew it from the start, the mercenary alliance between the Hammun Division, Krampus' Mus Den, Eyes of Alonia, and Pyrlord Brigade was a mistake!" Lahar exclaims as she slowly releases a terrifying aura causing other members of the camp nearby to suddenly shiver in fear as cold sweat falls from their head. "Ever since I first laid my eye on that orange-eyed Kanisi, I always felt that he had other reasons for accepting our alliance request, cunning fur ball!"

"Arguhn, we are strong enough ourselves, why did we need to ally with another mercenary group?" Lutar finally raised his complaint after listening to the other two speak their mind. "Do ye not trust our strength?"

Rubbing his hand over his forehead, wiping any sweat that were to drop on the table, Pyrlord sat down on his chair and sighed loudly.

"No, I have never questioned the strength of our brigade ever since the first formation of this group, I had no doubts nor reluctance in choosing all of you as members of my brigade." Pyrlord explains as calm as he could, but the pounding in his head from the stress of the situation causes him to make short pauses as he spoke. "However, I requested an immediate alliance with the other neutral mercenaries outside the territory of the Supriars and Cristos so that we may be able to protect each other in case the Supriars or the Cristos chose to attack us instead of hiring us."

"But after countless passage of the northern season, the Supriars nor the Cristos showed no sign of hiring neutral mercenaries." Lutar argued. "Two northern seasons ago, we should have broken off the alliance and stayed hidden until the Dukedom or the Kingdom finally took interest in hiring neutral mercenaries."

"In the first place, why them?" Balak added. "Why did we have to ally with mercenary groups from other races and not our own?"

"Balak, you may be knowledgeable about the way the wildlife, their lives and the seasons when bushes and trees bear fruit, but you are no master of it." Pyrlord sternly said. "These groups I have chosen specifically because they are masters of their craft, the Kanisis have great sense of smell and are able to move faster than us Mortals, though they may resemble a wolf but that is not where we should judge them."

"Krampus, does not only have the best alchemical mastery in all of Wesout due to himself being a Winged Serpentine, but he also has a multitude of demonaics with a certain mastery of assassination and alike." Pyrlord added. "Lastly, the Grove Elves of the Eye of Alonia may not be great as warriors, but their special Bloodline Magic allows them to temporarily turn any trees into an obedient wood golem that is said to be able to withstand being burnt."

The three went silent as Pyrlord explained more about his decisions and why he thought it was the best decision at that time. Only the sound of popping and crackling from a nearby torch filled the silence in the tent.

The tense atmosphere within the tent could be felt by the other members of the camp, they felt as if they were being choked by the four people inside Pyrlord's tent.

****

"Hey Verna, what do you think chief and the others are angry about?" Jon whispers while he lays in his hammock.

"Based on the mention of Krampus, I believe it is about the mercenary alliance from five northern seasons ago." Vernack replied as he yawns and slowly close his eyes.

"Five northern seasons ago huh..." Jon gazes at Nerva, the third and farthest moon, recounting all that has happened since their arrival in the camp.

'I may have trained with chief Pyrlord for five northern seasons now, but I do not even feel strong yet.' He thought to himself as he turns and lay on his left arm.

'Ever since then, I have not received any vision about the upcoming events, why is that so?' Jon then look toward the dark forest in a distance from him. 'Must something tragic happen for any revelations to enter my head?'

Without finding any clue about the trigger for his visions, Jon shuts his eyes and falls asleep after a day of training.

****

Back inside the tent, the four had finally settled down but the red paper was nowhere to be seen.

"This morning, we will have to tell the others of the alliance disbanding because of the Kanisi setting us all up." Pyrlord decreed as he prepares two red paper.

"I bet the Elfins and the Demonaics already know of this report." Lahar could only sigh as their predicament worsens as time goes on.

"It is better to inform them officially than letting them assume that we are colluding with the Kanisi." Lutar took the two red papers and burnt the tip of a Helen tree branch to be used for writing on the red paper.

"Inform them that we are disbanding the mercenary alliance for two reasons." Pyrlord instructed Lutar. "First reason is that our alliance has been exposed and has informed the Supriars of our hideouts which the Kanisis gave this information to them in exchange for their eternal fealty towards the Supriars, and second reason is that our alliance has gone on too long with no avail from being hired by the Cristos nor the Supriars before we have received the information leak by the Kanisis."

"May Ansi let those traitorous Kanisis suffer eternal punishment even in the Realm of the Dead." Balak grumbled as he tries not to break another arrow on his quiver.

Once again silence, only the sound of wood scratching on a surface and the crackling of the torch flame can be heard inside the tent. As if recognizing the intensity of the situation, the usual gentle breeze of the night never came to cool the air in the camp, not even the swaying of leaves nor the sound of nocturnal wildlife can be heard around the camp.

The moonlight from the three moons were slowly being covered by thick dark clouds and the heat of the night only grew intense.

****

"Jon! Wake up!" Jon hears the panicked voice of Vernack. "They are here! Those murderers are here!"

Jon tries to open his eyes or even move his body, but he could not move anything, even his fingers feeling as if he was paralyzed.

In the darkness, Jon sees a distant glimmer as it slowly gets closer to him. Then suddenly a flash of light appears revealing for a brief moment the figures found in that distant glimmer. He sees the mix of a lion and a horse holding a crown engraved into their breastplate and a golden-plated armor.

Then another flash of light appeared as he sees a cracked image of Pyrlord being split apart by two cavalrymen, one tied to his leg and the other on his right arm.

Jon tries to scream but nothing would come out of his mouth, not even a breath of air. As more flashes of light are seen, the more horrifying the images were. He tries his best to force himself to move or wake up, but the more that he struggles, more scenes are shown to him even revealing scenes from the past where Meadow Cross was burned down and seeing the beheading of Grandmother Bliss in cave by the creek's end.

"Chief! Save me!" Jon sees Lahar struggling to fight against three cavalryman charging towards her and as one of the swords was about to stab into her head, the scene suddenly disappeared and only the sound of metal clanging was heard as it slowly fades out.

Suddenly, Jon feels a drop of water in his head and rushed out of his hammock as he breathes heavily trying to take in a large amount of air the moment he breathes in. Jon rushed towards Vernack's hammock and violently shakes his hammock trying to wake him up.

"Verna! Verna! Verna!" Jon panics as rain starts to pour, his brown eyes flicker constantly changing from brown to olive green the more he violently shakes him.

"Jon! Am awake!" Vernack roared as he pushed him away. "What in the taldir's ass are you screaming about?"

"They are coming Verna! The murderers of Meadow Cross are coming!" Jon looks at him dead in the eye constantly screaming and repeating what he was saying.

Vernack was taken aback for a second before he suddenly remembered the last time Jon was in this state, the night before the ruin of Meadow Cross. However, he calmed himself down, remembering that the reason why Jon was like this was because of a nightmare.

Jon's scream awakens nearby members of the camp, alarmed by it and thinking that the camp was actually under attack. As they were readying their weaponries, a sound of rumbling along with the heavy downpour almost deafened Jon's screaming.

****

Ten minutes before the downpour.

The sound of wood scratching on a surface and the crackling of the torch flame fills the tent.

"Arguhn, here is the first letter, seal it immediately." Lutar rushes to write on the second red paper the decree that Pyrlord has declared regarding the mercenary alliance.

While Lutar was writing on the second red paper, Ryden finally arrives from its mission to Baritu. The three focused on the red paper that was being written on by Lutar not even noticing the arrival of the 'three tails'.

Squawk! The bird's call alarmed the four and finally noticed Ryden on the table.

"Oh... Ryden, anything to report?" Ryden hopped towards Lutar and told him everything that it could remember in the ruined village and the direction of the horse movements.

As soon as he heard Ryden's last report, Lutar loosens his grip on the Helen tree branch with his eyes visibly widening and cold sweat pouring from his head.

*clatter*

The sound of the stick rolling and hitting the rock bed grabbed everyone's attention/

"What is the matter Lutar? What did the bird say?" Balak gabbled and swallowed back his words soon after.

Before Lutar uttered a word, the sound of water hitting the roof of the tent made out of hide and dry reeds.

"Verna! Verna! Verna! They are coming!" Jon's screams alerted the four that they instinctively stood from their seat in an instant.

Then the drizzle turned to a downpour as everyone around the camp prepared for battle as they were alerted by Jon's panic screaming.

"What in the taldir's piss is happening right now?" Balkan cursed as he sees Jon screaming but the downpour and the thunder rumbling made Jon's scream almost unintelligible.

"Jon is right... Ryden said the Supriars are coming." Lutar blankly stared at Jon that is screaming and being calmed by Vernack. "We need to get ready as well!"

"Tell everyone to go to their positions and kill any light source to make it seem that we are asleep!" Pyrlord ordered one after the other as the downpour drenches him.

Noticing that everyone was going to their positions and seeing that Jon is still in a panic, he grabs a dagger hidden in his hammock and sheathes it in Jon's dagger hilt. He grabs Jon's arm and drags him along to a safe placed for him to hide.

At the same moment, the ground from the riverside of the camp shook but no one knew what it was as the downpour masks the sound of squelching and neighing from a distance. As the mercenaries in the camp were waiting for their arrival, multiple bolts of fire were being shot from the woods.

However, the bolts of fire did not burn the wet camp grounds but instead of burning the camp, the Supriars had another plan.

"Ahh! --" Cries of pain were heard around the border of the camp, the fire bolts were used as a bait to lure out enemies protecting the border.

"Lord Volux, the time is ripe for annihilation!" One of the high-ranking officers in a black-plated armor cheered as he waves his sword.

"'Pyrlord' eh... quickly remove these dirt-grabbers! Do not allow them to lay even a speck of dirt on me." The cheers for Lord Volux rumbled along the border of the camp and everyone charged towards the camp.

Volux grinned from cheek-to-cheek as he starts to hear screams of agony seconds later.