15 The Send Off, Ending

Alex looked around the darkness surrounding him. It was soothing, and endless, yet familiar. He walked for what felt like a lifetime and then felt eyes on him. He turned expecting to find more darkness but instead found Baret. He was smiling, "Alex, long time." Alex nodded, "Yeah." Beret walked up to him with his hands behind his back, "I see you're doing better, your face seems rested." 

Alex smiled, "I've been getting alot more sleep lately." He nodded and Alex looked around, "So, this is a dream?" He walked around Alex, "You can say that, but it's not quite true." "i brought your letter to her. I made sure she got it myself." A tear dripped down his face, "...I really miss you, but I'm keeping my promise, even if a little late."

Beret put his hand on his shoulder, "I know, thank you." Alex looked down and Beret let go, "Your not done yet, you have a long way to go. You have to awaken that thing, that power deep inside you. If you don't, then we might meet prematurely and you have more things to do." Alex  watched as he walked back into the void with a picture in his hand.

"Thank you, for my second chance." 

Alex woke up and found he was lying in his bed. He tried leaning up but found he was bandaged up. He grimaced and sat up. He was bandaged on the chest, both shoulders, his hand, and his back. Along with his dagger wound he found he had three holes on each shoulder from the thing that picked him up yesterday. 

A bowl of bloody water was sat on his table and a pile of bloody rags and badges lay in a pile. It seems he's survived once again, but he could tell the magic was wearing on him. His entire body ached and it felt as if splinters were stuck underneath his skin. He looked around his bed and found his bag laying next to the bed. He picked it up and felt around inside. 

He pulled out a vile of red liquid that he uncorked and swallowed. It was bitter and burnt going down, like cinnamon mixed water. He laid the viled down and breathed deep as his wounds began to heal one by one. After they all closed he unwrapped the bandages and stood up. The potion also refilled a little magic so he could walk properly without help.

He found a shirt and put it on before walking out of the room. He heard talking in the bar, but not the usual inn talk. He looked down to see everyone sitting down and talking. Grace must have closed shop today. He could see everyone was worried. 

Lance was bandaged up and drinking shots of liquor to numb the pain. John and Roswald were talking to Flint about something. Grace walked into the room with more bandages when she spotted him, "Alex!" She threw them on the table and ran up the stairs to hug him, "Oh, you great big reckless fool. I'm going to whip you once this is all over, I swear it." He hugged her back, "I won't stop you, thanks." 

Everyone else stood up with relief, letting out sharp sighs. Alex then suddenly remembered something important, "Grace, where's Rose?" She opened one of the other rent rooms, "We put her in here." He walked in to see Rose lying lifeless on the bed. He kneeled down and felt her forehead, "Has she moved since we got back?" Grace shook her head, "Not the slightest shiver."

Alex took her hand and cursed under his breath. Flint walked up, "I can't think of any drug that could do this. Something else must be at play here." Alex gulped a dry swallow, "Magic?" Flint nodded, "More than likely, but for now I can't tell." Alex nodded and walked out, shutting the door. 

He walked downstairs and sat down at the bar. The others were clearly waiting for answers. "...What do you want to know." John got up, "What was that last night." Lance was clearly anxious about it as well. "It's my signature spell, a forgotten magic that I happen to have an aptitude for. It's called blood Sacrifice." John looked up, "The forbidden techniques." 

Alex nodded, "I am one of the very few in decades to inherit the ability. It made me a powerful tool to some."  "But it required the user's life force and resulted-" "In deth, I know," Alex interrupted, "Certain people have taken precautions to make sure I can keep being used. That spell last night was actually one of my lighter spells." 

John piped up, "So, why would that woman up there be so important you would risk your life like that." Alex gripped his knee, "Her real name is Rosaline, Princess Rosaline." The room became silent. John sat down, "Nevermind, I don't want to know." Lance fell down in his seat, "That's...That's the Princess?" Roswald rubbed his chin, "The princess, caught by bandit's, that is very unlikely." Flint sat down and poured himself a drink, "Yet she is lying in one of our rental rooms."

Alex nodded, "I couldn't believe it at first either. We're dealing with something very important, and from what I saw in the camp, something big was going down behind the scenes." He described the camp to everyone and Flint frowned, "To think a force so large could muster so close to the city. And those weapons." Alex drank out of a cup Grace had poured for him, "Someone is supplying and hiding them." 

Alex shook his head, "The camp isn't a threat anymore, I made sure of it." John looked up, "The golem?" "I gave it simple instructions. Destroy the camp." No one disagreed with his course of action. "We should go to the guards," Lance said, popping his head up, "they could help us."

John shook his head, "I think it's obvious the guards are behind this to some degree. I've been trying to inform them about the camp for weeks, but they just keep saying they'll send more men. Even when Alex went and talked to the commander directly, it seemed as if he was hiding something." 

Alex stopped drinking, "He was very defensive about the woods, and then he commanded you to keep the gate shut." Lance looked down as he released their situation, "Then, what can we do." The doors of the Inn swung open and every one in the inn jumped up ready to fight. "Alex, we-" it was Turner, "Oh, boy it's worse than I thought." Alex loosened up his grip and the others followed. 

Turner walked up with pieces of paper in hand. "Alex I know you didn't do it, but," he layed three pieces of paper on the table, "what are these about?" On the pieces of paper were detailed sketches of his, John's, Roswald's, and Lance's faces. On the top of each paper were big red letters that he read out, "Wanted for the abduction of the Princess!?"