Chapter 2

Jin

Flashes of a burning village and another flash of a village that starts to have acid rain fill my mind as I desperately search for Seig. The mini crowd has become a mass panic as they run to their homes to try and find shelter. I don't care when a dwarf runs into me and sends me to the ground. I get up as fast as I can to run to my home. I almost tripped a few times before I reached the door and my mind tried to tell myself he would be there. That he is safe and sound.

As I get in, I see only the two beds, a table, a few books, and a small amount of my possessions. I rush to my bed and flip it over to open a latch that it was covering. It seems I need this once more. I feel the shadows get heavy as I reach for the latch. Once I open it a few items greet me. A set of light leather armor and a bow made of white wood from my old home. I pick it up with the quiver that only holds a few arrows.

I use my old connection to it and say "Yeah, I didn't want to call you either, but it seems I need you now. No, it's not the Rieper family, it's dragons. Yes, that is worse than them and no I can't run." I said this while putting on the armor. I see from the corner of my eye a figure made of shadows. So, they are here. I say "All I ask is for it all back once more. I need it back. At least some of it. If we need to make a new deal, then my answer is yes so please I need it back." The cabin was quiet after I said that. I heard the soft "So be it." I feel that power once more in my body. My yellow eyes change to white, and I rush out of my cabin.

The heavy wind greets me and with my old sight returns my eyes can see through the heavy snow to see the two dragons fighting in the sky. A white dragon and a black one. Odd two chromatic dragons are fighting. Shite acid can rain at any moment. Please be safe Seig and don't stop to study the dragon. I hear the whispers say, "Your friend is in the woods." I ran without a care to reach him.

☆☆☆

Seig

After the roar, I look back to see the two have stopped looking at the stump and the one named Cogan has his hand resting on his sword. The pale woman Glenda says "Seems we need to wait to get the map. Do you think they have their legion with them or is it just the dragons?" Cogan walks forward and says, "We need to still get those people out of here." Glenda nods as they head out to the village. I was watching from afar and walked up to the stump that had been left alone. Maybe I should go and help but I only know a basic fire spell.

As I was thinking a light shone into my eyes and I looked to see the stump had some object embedded in it. I go to grab it and take a bit, but the object gives, and I look at it. A blade handle with the cross guard. This is a map? How!? I put the handle into my coat and heard someone yell "Alright the boss told us to put the forest on fire." I turn and cast the invisible spell as I see an odd creature come out of the tree line.

A tall draconic-looking person with heavy armor looks around. It says, "Seems this is the best place to do it." He looks to his now-revealed coworkers and hands him a not-lite torch. His threat glows as he breathes fire to light the torch. He must be a dragonborn. Wait if they are burning the forest then the people in the village will need to know. I go to run, and I only make it a few feet before I feel something hit me in the head and then my world darkens.

                                                                                              ☆☆☆

Glenda

I help a mother elf and her child get on a horse. The woman says "Thank you so much. You must have been sent by the Gods." Well, it was one goddess in particular but still nice to hear thanks. I turn to Cogan who is helping an elderly dwarf get on a wagon with what seems to be their family. Cogan says "There. Get out of here before the shite show starts." The dwarf nods and says "Thank you, boy. Let's get out of here." They head out to the snowy plains and my eyes catch a magical signature that resembles something fiendish. Cogan walks up to me and says while sheathing his sword "You got that look again." "What look?" "The look of someone that just got a stupid idea." "You mean that look that you always have." He laughs but I head towards the forest.

Once inside with Cogan, I was using my senses to follow the tainted magic sent. This is a very old sense I can feel like it's a warlock magic but my first pick of it being a devil as the patron now feels falls. There should be more of a sulfur scent but no, it has something off with it. It's not an angel as the patron or I would have felt the holy-like power. Let's see what other warlock patrons are there. As I rack my brain, I remember it. The Archfey but that one would have a scent like rosebuds and sugar cane. The Fathomless is like sea salt and would have felt more uncontrolled like the deep sea. The Genie is out for no scent of copper. I would not have felt the blade and the undead one would have been more obvious. So, all that is less is the Old One. The most mysterious one that not many know about. My teacher told me that we have only had two accounts of an Old One Warlock.

Cogan takes me out of my thoughts as he says "Stop overthinking it. You had a gut feeling to go out here. I would like to remind you that if we want the map, we need to head west not south towards the dragons." I look at Cogan and he sighs. Cogans relaxed look falls as his head turns and he says "Shite. We got to go I believe there is a fire about to start." I nod and we go to head out but my eyes land on a group of Dragonborn and some other races that are dragging a giant box. A woman who has a wolf belt hanging off her shoulders is dragging an unconscious man. Shite, I thought we got them all out of there. Cogan softly motions for us to get down and I do so.

We watch them go and after a few seconds I can feel the heat from the other side of the forest, and we get up but hear a twig break. I prepare a fist full of light magic and turn to see a purple Teifling with a bow aimed at us. He says "Now you two don't make any moves. Now I don't know if any of you are a betting person, but I'll say the odds of me hitting one of you in the neck with my arrows is good." Cogan lets go of his weapon and holds up his hands. He says, "Look whatever you want we don't have." I let the spell go and held up my hands. The bowman says, "Look I just need to know if any of you found a white-haired guy with a blue coat." My eyes widen and Cogan gets a sad look. He says "Look, your friend was taken by what looks like the legion of the White dragon that's fighting above us. Now we only have some time before their fight is taken here and your friend is in whatever base camp they got." The bowman puts his bow down and asks, "You got any idea how we catch up with them?" Cogan smiles and I get a horrible feeling.

☆☆☆

Seig

My eyes slowly open as I feel like I was kicked in the head by a cow. My vision is blurry, and I can hear a soft ringing that bounces in my head. Where am I? My ears slowly stop ringing, but it is replaced by sobbing and the noise of chains. My eyes clear and I see I'm in a big room with other people. So many races I have only heard about in one room, and they all look like death is coming. All of us chained up and only one cell door out of here. I look out of the cell door to see a few dragonborn and only one human. A tall woman with blue paint on her face and a fur belt hanging from her shoulders. Her grey stormy eyes land on me and she only says, "I hope they give you a quick death." What!?