"My child, my child, what do you see beyond the horizon?" A gentle, feminine voice speaks out, ghastly yet warm. Long, frail strands of hair drape over a pale figure clad in an old hemp robe. Her eyes unseen, her lips curled into a warm smile. She sits next to a brass-framed window, her background a pale blur, rays of golden light illuminating her figure,
On her lap sits a small child, dressed in an old, oversized white shirt, with short black hair, his green eyes gazing outside the window with a sense of quiet wonder, a pair of small hands holding on to the window frame.
His eyes flicker up, looking at the eyes of his mother, eyes he cannot clearly see, he says in a low voice, "Mommy...What is across the forests and the green? Is it just..." The boy looks towards the window once more, puzzled, as if unable to find a word. Then he looks upwards, instinctively shielding his eyes from the sunlight as he looks upon the skies and the sun, his mouth slightly agape.
Looking at the skies, he says in a slow voice, "Is it just more skies?" His mother chuckles, her pale, frail hands patting his head slowly. The boy looks at her, puzzled, and then she says, in a warm, light voice, "I don't know? Maybe a dream?" She smiles at him with a chuckle.
The boy turns his head towards the window, his eyes serious yet filled with a sense of wonder, mumbling, "A dream..." His mother continues to slowly pat his hair, a warm smile on her lips.
The boy jolts up, a look of excitement in his eyes, as he points outside the window, looking at his mother, saying, "Do you think we can go to that dream? Me, you and Papa?"
She stops patting his head for a moment, her expression slowly growing more solemn, but her lips curl back up, maintaining her warm smile as she looks at the boy, ruffling his hair and saying, "Maybe we can. But I know you will, my child."
He retorts, saying, "But I want you and Papa to go there too!" To which she chuckles, saying, "Alright, alright, we will, my child...We-" The boy's pupils shrank as her face suddenly blurs, covered with scratches, like a scribble, it twirls and twists.
The boy tries to reach out, yet he seems to get farther and farther from his mother and her obscured face. He is thrust into a gathering of black figures, all looking up to the figure of his mother. The pale surroundings turn dark as the figures push past him, looking up.
The boy's expression grows more desperate, his small hands trying to reach out, trying to push past the dark figures around him to reach his mother, and then...he looks up.
Long, frail hair touches a wooden floor, drenched in crimson, atop a raised platform. All the dark figures look at it solemnly, her body replaced with a spear, her head atop it.
The boy shrieks out, horrified, yelling, "MOMMY!!!" Trying his best to push past the dark figures who hold him back, trying and trying again with his frail body, tears, like rain dropping from his chin, he yells and shrieks to no avail and then a gruff voice speaks out behind him, a voice he recognises, "Live, boy. Live, learn and put it to good use, my boy Locht."
He turns almost immediately, and as he does, the dark figures crumble, crumbling away into pages and books that scatter a pale floor, in an endless white space. Books of all colours and pages with all writings lie all around him, the clutter of books stretching far into the horizon.
The boy pants, face drenched with tears, and he crouches down with shaky hands, picking up a book in front of him. Titled, "The Kingdom of Winds" A small brown book in his little hands, and he opens it.
Locht's eyes jolt awake, sweat beading down his forehead. He pants, looking disoriented, as he looks down, seeing that he lies on cotton bedding on the floor, a thick cotton blanket over him. He pushes the blanket to the side, looking around, seeing the old wooden roof and yellow floor mats under the bedding. Sunlight is pouring in through the half-open window in front of the desk, upon which he sees his top hat and waist bag, his cane leaning on it.
He slowly gets up, slightly stumbling and brushing his long hair to the side, still breathing heavily, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He looks behind, seeing bedding similar to his next to him, the blanket spread to the side, looking more dishevelled. Nobody is in it; the door to the room lies open, peeking into the hallway, dimly illuminated.
The floor creaks under his step as he slowly walks to the door, reaching out his left hand and leaning on it, he peeks ahead into the hallway. The dark wooden door is ajar, a step of stairs leading down into a stone-floored area, upon which sunlight falls.
Dressed in a plain white shirt and black pants, Locht begins walking towards the door at the end of the hallway, smelling a faint aroma coming from it. He notices the sunlight coming from the entrance of the house, through the thin material of the door's upper half. He wonders, Is it made of paper? Before he feels someone put a hand on his shoulders, causing him to jolt back instinctively with a loud thud.
He looks in front, his eyes landing on Shou, wearing more loose, casual clothes, who seems rather puzzled, saying, "You good?" Locht relaxes, nodding and saying, "Yes...I just woke up" Shou places a hand on his shoulder, saying, "I've prepared the bath. Looking at your state, go and take one buddy, you need one anyway" He pats his shoulder and walks off.
Locht lets out a sigh, looking back at Shou, who is gradually walking towards the entrance of the house. Locht says, "Where's the bath?" Shou looks back with a casual expression, yelling, "It's at the back of the kitchen! Ask the old man!" Then, saying in a lower voice, looking at Locht with a light smirk, "And make sure to fill your stomach, you fell asleep without eating last night. Can't fight on an empty stomach!" He turns back, putting on his sandals and sliding open the entrance door.
Locht quietly turns back after seeing Shou walk out, then heads into the kitchen up ahead. He takes a few steps down into the stone-floored room, a pair of wooden sandals next to the stairs. Gazing ahead, he sees a little kitchen, stone stoves, and around two of them line the right of the room, still smoking, with lidded ceramic pots atop them. The walls are dark wooden, with holes scattered in a zig-zag pattern, light seeping into the room through them.
To the left of the room are wooden shelves of different shapes and sizes, three in total, scratched, some edges splintered. Ceramic pots and containers line the shelves, a large ceramic pot resting right next to the shelves.
To the left corner of the room, next to the shelves, is a small doorway with an additional door to the left of it, slightly ajar. The doorway leads outside, sunlight pouring in from it, as the noises of a broom echo down it. The right corner of the room has piles of disorganised firewood stacked on top of each other.
Locht puts on the wooden sandals, his footsteps reverberating on the stone floor, and walks through the small doorway to the outside, shielding his face from the light with his left hand. He finds himself in a small yard, overlooking the quaint lower village and its streets from above, filled with grass and weeds, fenced with stone, leaves gently drifting down from farther up, as one lands on his hand, green with jagged, sharp ends.
He looks to his side, seeing Ren clearing up the leaves fallen on the yard with a broom, slowly pushing them to a side. Ren looks at him with a warm smile, straightening his back and saying gently, "Good morning, Young Sunseeker"
Locht nods, "Good morning, Grandpa Ren" Looking around, seeing the blue skies, populated with streaks of white clouds, and directly under it, the village, which stands upon a mountain, so close to the skies, the dark spruce forest cascading down. A breeze brushes past him, with muted sunlight falling over the village, and he gazes on, basking in the serenity.
Ren steadily walks up to him, looking up as well, enjoying the serenity with Locht. He exhales, with a gentle smile, looking at Locht, saying, "Right, young lad, Shou prepared the bath for you. You look browbeaten; I reckon you should take one." Ren chuckles, studying Locht's face along with his dirty clothes and body.
Locht snaps back, swiftly nodding, saying, "Ah- Right. I will right now. Could you please show me the bathroom?" Ren chuckles, replying, "It's right here, Young Sunseeker. I'll prepare your clothes and towel, you can take your time" Ren walks to the doorway, and as he slowly fully opens the door slightly ajar to the left of it, a fine plume of smoke creeps out as soon as he does.
The smoke settles at Ren's feet. Locht puts his palm up, awkwardly smiling as he says, "You don't need to really, I can get my clothes myself..." Before he could finish, sweat beads at his forehead as he realised, My luggage is on the ship...the briefcase...I forgot to retrieve it! Locht clears his throat, saying, "Uh- I forgot to bring my luggage with me from my ship...I could go and retrieve it real quick-"
Ren waves his hand gently, letting out a sigh and saying, "Listen, young lad, you're in my care. Don't worry! You're roughly Shou's height. I'll get one of his clothes for you. You can go get it after, alright?" Locht glances down, looking dejected, replying, "I'll be in your care then..."
Warm water splashes over the edge of a wooden tub as Locht sinks his body into it, submerged in water. The bathroom is small, square in shape, with oak walls, a tub to its right, and a step leading down from it onto a narrow stone floor, upon which stands a wooden stool and a folded white towel atop it. The wooden door is locked shut.
White smoke rises, with Locht's eyes looking up, pale light leaking in through a small window above, using his arms to splash the water on his body and hair. His eyes narrow, hair wet, a solemn expression on his face as he reminisces about his nightmare.
His back is full of discoloured, jagged streaks on his body, a contrast to his pale skin. A circular scar on the left of his neck, its edges rough. He puts a finger on it, his face still solemn, water dripping from his black hair.
A knock comes from the door, Ren's voice emanating soon after, "I've prepared the clothes, young lad, I'll place them in a basket down here" Locht snaps back, looking towards the door, yelling, "I'll be finished in a bit!"
Locht opens the door, his hair carrying a light sheen, his face and body visibly much cleaner, a towel wrapped around his lower half. His body is rather lean. He looks down at a basket placed at his feet, seeing a folded plain black yukata and some spare undergarments next to it.
He slowly tries to put on the yukata, yet he narrows his eyes as he finds trouble putting it on, having trouble tying the black ribbon around his waist, trying to imitate the way Shou had worn it. Though he finds it quite difficult, he tries to fasten it and adjust the yukata for a few minutes straight. In the end, he calls for Ren as his last resort.
Ren lightly laughs, finishing tying the black ribbon around his waist, an awkward expression on Locht's face, yet he lets out a sigh of relief, tightening the collar to cover most of his body, including most of his neck.
Ren takes a step back, gazing at Locht's figure, with a gentle smile, saying with a chuckle, "You look like a fine young lad! I'm sure you won't have any trouble attracting any ladies" A drop of sweat beads down Locht's face as he looks down, his black hair gently rests on the black yukata, draping his back in thin strands that trail down to his waist, his tall figure clad in a dark hue, though his piercing green eyes and pale skin stand out in the monotony of his clothing and hair. He says with a puzzled expression, "Do I...? I mean, I don't have that much interest in attracting anybody anyway..."
Ren chortles, replying, "Yes, you do, I'm sure my wife will agree..." Ren glances down, his expression growing darker for a split second, but he quickly looks up, continuing, "She was a feisty woman! Although it's been years since I've lost her...I know her with utmost certainty, and that means this old man does have some insight into the preferences of ladies"
Rens' lips curve into a bittersweet smile as his eyes seemingly look somewhere beyond. Locht gazes at him, his bittersweet expression, his mouth slightly agape, and he looks at Ren. A memory flashes in his mind, the memory of his father having a similar smile, even with his gruff, bearded face; he had always looked so gentle whenever he would look at his wife, Locht's mother. Locht's lips curl up slightly, as he thinks to himself, Love..huh...
Ren shakes his head, looking up at Locht and saying, "Ah, right, I prepared breakfast for you, put in some extra as well, since you fell asleep before eating last night, it's in your room. You should go eat" Gesturing Locht to the door of the kitchen, to which Locht nods and slowly walks out of the kitchen, taking the steps up.
Locht finishes his food, on the desk, pondering about the new flavours that he just experienced, a bowl of rice, a plate of fish and a plate of rolled eggs, along with a bowl of soup, lay empty in front of him, pale light from the window falling upon them, but he doesn't ponder for long, as he stands up, dusting his black cloak and putting it on, covering his figure more in dark, he picks up his cane, while yawning from eating too much food, then putting his top hat on.
He opens his waist pouch that was lying on the desk, pulling out the silver revolver from it, then pulling out a small pouch of bullets he had collected from the assassin. He loads the revolver, a stern look on his face, and puts the pouch with the remaining bullets in his pockets, putting his waist pouch in his yukata, along with the revolver.
He gradually walks down the hallway, his cane tapping on the floor mats. Arriving at the entrance, he takes a step down, slowly putting on his shoes and adjusting his cloak and yukata, before sliding open the door, sunlight beaming in. He yells down the hallway, "I'm going to go take care of a few things! Take care, Grandpa Ren!" Ren's voice echoes down the hallway, replying, "Take care as well! Young sunseeker!" With a nod, Locht steps out.
Footsteps echo through the dark spruce forest as Locht makes his way down the cracked stone stairs through the mountain. Passing by old, decrepit stone arches of the familiar Xiangyang architecture and old stone lamp-posts on the side of the stairs, long forsaken.
He reaches the stony shores, seeing that the caravel still lies docked where he left it yesterday, though it's more wet, a few birds resting on the mast, the misty waves crashing against it and the shores. He approaches it, causing the birds to fly off. Using his cane, he climbs back up on the deck with a large thud, then dusts his clothes, making his way down into the ship's hold.
After a while, he emerges back up from the hold, along with his old, scratched briefcase, standing up on the deck and straightening his back, he looks up at the ship, its looming masts and the old, scratched deck, yet his green eyes seem to lose a bit of their lustre, he thinks, They can probably use this ship to track me down via divination... He shakes his head, letting out a deep sigh, and slowly makes his way off the ship.
He stands a bit off the coast, next to a large spruce tree, his expression focused. Putting down his briefcase on the ground, he holds up his cane at the ship, his arm trembles for a moment, then steadies, and an orange magical circle with a starburst symbol in the middle emerges at the handle's tip, a gush of winds trailing past him, sending his long black hair adrift.
He exhales as the magical circle spins rapidly, two more emerging on top, one smaller than the other in a split second. The circles disperse with a flash of embers, and in the blink of an eye, three large arrows of flames blaze through the air, striking right onto the ship's deck, hold and mast, piercing through the wood and setting the ship ablaze, with a loud crackle.
Locht steps back, lowering his cane, his expression looking dark, thinking to himself, I'm lucky that...maybe haven't found me yet... The misty waves crash against the burning ship as it burns, the sailcloth falling first in a smouldering flame, the ship's frame being ravenously consumed by the inferno, shrouded by the white of the seas and the grey of the shore, golden light falling upon it from above. Locht sits down on the dull-green grass, next to the spruce tree, watching the ship burn, the colour of the embers reflected in his eyes.
As the flames fully consume the ship's mast, it begins falling with a loud, shrieking creak and then... a bang, along with the crackle of the fire. It falls. Suddenly, Locht jolts up, hearing footsteps from behind, gripping his cane, and instinctively looking back.
His eyes land on a familiar figure, though his long brown hair is more tucked in now, along with his bun, his yukata fastened, leather braces on his arms and ankles, the same black-sheathed katana on his waist. Shou looks at Locht and the burning ship in puzzlement, but he approaches, gazing at the burning ship, scrutinising it with his eyes as he leans on the tree.
Locht's eyes narrow, looking rather troubled, he glances over to the burning ship and then tries to casually lean back, looking at it, trying to think of what to say as they both look at the burning ship.
Shou points at it in a slight puzzlement, casually saying while looking at Locht, "I heard adventurers have few things they love more than... their ships" Locht slightly tensens, clearing his throat, replying, "Yes, I am aware of that..."
Shou looks on as the fire crackles, tilting his head, and then saying in a more puzzled tone, "So why in god's name are you burning yours?" Locht glances down, his expression seemingly calm, and then says in a low voice, "It was...cursed"
Shou looks at the ship and the fire consuming it, and looks at Locht, saying, "Cursed?" To which Locht nods, Shou thinks for a moment, his expression relaxing, leaning back against the tree and saying with a nod, "Well, if it was cursed, I'll get you a fine temple priest, and he'll uncurse that thing in a minute"
Locht tilts his hat up, unable to gauge his intent, shooting him a glance, saying, "I don't think 'uncursed' is a word..." Shou looks down at him with a smirk, "It is now!" Locht narrows his eyes at Shou, now being the one who is puzzled, saying, "Even if that is the case, I can't pay the temple priest for his services..."
Shou shrugs, shaking his head, saying, "Ah, don't worry, a priest has little use of money, and if he needed it, it'll be on me" Locht lets out a sigh, looking at the burning ship, the flames slowly turning it to char and ashes with loud crackles, and his lips curl into a light smile as he says, "I doubt, he could unburn it"
Shou smirks, replying, "You don't know that!" His head turned to the burning ship. Locht nods, watching the ship slowly sink into the clouds now, saying with a light chuckle, "I hope he can unsink it now"
Shou laughs, saying, "Now you're asking too much" Locht nods with another chuckle. Shou straightens his posture, looking at Locht, and then looking up at the dark forest, saying, "How do you folks say it...? Shall we get going now? Something like that"
Locht adjusts his hat, slowly standing up, a light smile on his face, "About...time, I suppose, we shall." He gazes in the same direction Shou is, into the forest, and he dusts his clothes. Then, seeing Shou hold up his palm, he looks at it with a puzzled expression. Shou waves his hand, prompting Locht to hold up his palm too.
Locht awkwardly holds his palm up as Shou and his palms meet with a clap, Shou saying with a jovial tone, "Let's hope we make good partners" Locht lets out a sigh, nodding and saying, "I sure hope so as well..."
...
A gunshot rings out, followed by the flapping of countless birds as they flee into the skies, their visages visible in the distance. With a loud thud, falls a horned creature upon the ground, crushing the weeds and grass with its body as it lies, its fur and body severely discoloured with streaks of red and black all over it.
Blood trickles out from the hole in its head, tainting the grass and ground a deep red. Locht looks around, unloading the empty shell from his revolver, his cane hung around his left hand, the revolver in his right. His gaze lands on the dense spruce trees that surround them, with Shou by his side, taking a deep breath and slowly sheathing his white blade, taking a more relaxed stance, glancing over at Locht.
Locht's eyes narrow, looking at the dead elk, and its head, upon which he sees innumerable eyes, like a spider, cautiously he loads a round and points the revolver at the corpse, scarce sunlight leaking in from the thick canopies above, falling on parts of the body and the revolver. Locht and Shou darkened by the shade.
Leaves rustle here and there as Locht looks to Shou, who also wears a cautious expression. He says in a puzzled tone, "Elk aren't supposed to have that many eyes or have streaks on their body, right?" Shou looks over at him with a nod, and then, letting out a sigh, replies, "I can tell you that I've never seen an Elk like that."
Locht glances back over to the Elk, watching as it bleeds out. He takes a step forward to look closer, seeing the blood trickle out of the bullet wound in its head. He sees the blood turning blacker and blacker while pouring out onto the ground, pooling slowly.
Locht stumbles back, placing his left hand on the revolver as well to steady his aim, letting his cane go, which creates a thud on the ground. Shou's eyes narrow immediately at Locht's movement, and then, simultaneously, he also takes a step back, posture low, a hand on his blade, glancing at Locht, quickly saying, "What did you see?"
Locht's eyes remain focused on the pooling blood and the corpse, with his finger tightening around the trigger, he replies, "The bloo-" Before he could finish his sentence, he sees the black fluid coagulate and form into a multitude of sharp, bladed spikes and appendages leaping at him faster than a blink.
Without delay, Locht pulls down the trigger three times in quick succession with three loud bangs cutting through the air soon after. The bullets pierce through the creature in different spots, just before it could reach Locht. It falls back, riddled with three large holes, as something red shatters within it, causing it to collapse in a pile of black liquid, seeping into the ground.
Locht immediately points the gun back at the dead body of the Elk, Shou having drawn his blade, his eyes darting around, scanning the surroundings. Locht keeps the revolver pointed at the corpse of the Elk, his eyes gazing at the fluid seeping into the ground, slowly relaxing.
He lowers the gun, taking a step back, before crouching down to pick up his cane, and also to inspect the black fluid and its composition. Shou looks over to him for a moment, with his blade still drawn, he continues to scan around the area, the scarcely lit forest stretching in all directions around them, some branches and leaves swaying in the wind.
Locht picks up his cane, using its end to poke at the wet ground upon which the fluid splattered, his eyes inspecting the colour. He quickly shakes the dirt off the end of the cane before turning to Shou, saying in a low voice, "Some kind of...fluid parasitic creature with a core or heart...is...What I can say about it."
Shou looks back, with a nod, he replies, "Well, good job nailing its heart then, the thing probably caused the Elk to look like that...I haven't seen anything like it, not even close." Locht nods, adjusting his hat, and then gazing back at the Elk, saying, "Do you think this is sufficient enough proof?"
Shou sighs, shaking his head, as he slowly sheathes his blade, looking at the ground, he says, "The Magister is damn hardheaded, so are all the damn Rosen folk. Going to need something more shocking for them to take this seriously." His face slowly turned solemn as he finished his sentence.
Locht nods, looking at the dusty, dirty path ahead, thinking if he could even call it a path. Little bits and pieces of old broken bricks and limestone could be seen peeking through the dirt and earth, everywhere else covered in weeds and dirt. Locht slowly reloaded his revolver with what bullets he had pilfered, saying, "We have to press on then..."
Shou nods as they both begin walking on the path, their footprints being imprinted on the ground as the forest grows increasingly darker, its canopy thickening farther in, spaces in between the trees filled with thicker fern, bushes and foliage.
Tapping his cane on the ground, Locht created a small red magic circle at the tip of the cane handle, which ignited into a small ball of flame, floating above, casting its amber light all around. Yet it only illuminated what was around them, canopies of dark green leaves and foliage of similar colour.
Shou's eyes darted around the flank, his hand always at the hilt of his blade, while Locht looked ahead, revolver drawn, as they slowly made their way forward. The forest grew increasingly quieter as they delved farther in, with the chirping of various critters no longer being heard around the forest; the only sound that remained was their footsteps and the crackling of the fire.
After a time of walking in silence, a new sound rang out, in front of them, causing Locht to immediately point the revolver ahead. Shou slowly, silently drew his blade, the sound of leaves rustling, perhaps footsteps.
With small steps, they walk ahead, Locht raising the cane with the fire to provide more light to what is ahead. At first, they see orange fur, barely visible in the scarce light, and then white at the tips of the creature, a fox.
The fox gazed at the two, and they gazed back, Locht cautiously pointing the revolver at it, Shou's eyes scanning the fox, as he says in a low voice, "Doesn't look like it has many eyes to me."
Locht's eyes scrutinise the fox as well as he sees it circle in place, not seeming to approach them, he replies, "What is it doing...this deep in the forest?" The fox stops spinning, looking at the two, its posture high, its blue eyes glistening in the firelight as it gazes at them, and then turns its back on them, walking deeper into the forest, along the path.
Shou looks at Locht with a puzzled expression, while Locht looks at the fox walking deeper in. Locht thinks, Ralkien is often depicted as a seven-tailed fox, from what I read...could this be a spirit of sorts?. Locht glances back at Shou, replying with a nod. Shou nods back as they begin to slowly follow the fox, maintaining their caution.
Following the fox, the two find the path to be cut short, the forest sprawling out far, farther ahead, as they arrive at a dead end, surrounded by the dark forest, the path they have travelled behind them, but the fox continues going forward, into the forest.
Locht takes a step back, his eyes looking around at his surroundings, the small ball of fire crackling at the tip of his cane. He looks wary as he looks at the fox, yet Shou, his blade drawn, steps forward, a brazen, determined look in his eyes as he decides to follow the fox.
Locht lets out a sigh, unable to leave Shou behind, he follows with a wary look on his face as the light of the flame now stands as the only illumination present this deep in the forest. Shou presses on, following the fox, as Locht looks around at the surroundings, staying close to Shou. He looks at the trees and their thick canopies that don't let sunlight pass, the barks that look ancient, archaic, and he turns to gaze at the fox.
He sees the fox slowly disappear into the darkness, causing the two to come to a halt. Shou sighs, taking steps forward to try and look for it, gripping his blade, while Locht follows in pursuit, illuminating the area. Locht hurriedly says, "There's something wrong." As he looks around.
Shou nods, saying in a low voice, "We can't sit around then." He quickens his pace ahead, Locht hastily prepares a spell on his palm, an ornate white circle, upon which lies a smaller red magical circle. They quickly rush ahead, driven by the urgency that the quiet and darkness bring.
As they rush ahead, Shou nearly trips on his feet, before looking up, Locht grasps his arm to prevent him from stumbling farther as he also looks ahead. They stand amidst a clearing in the dark forest, still heavily surrounded by tall trees...Yet ahead lies...
A large building made of old stone, moss and vines overgrown upon it, made of ancient architecture, pillars and slanted roofs, all made of stones akin to marble or polished stone, that have now cracked and have been overgrown with moss and other greenery. On the sides of the front are large ornate windows, long, cracked and darkened, some collapsed with rock and debris.
It lies nestled amidst the trees, a large entranceway, in the middle, like an archway, it leads into the structure, the flooring at the precipice of it littered with glints of gold. Atop the roof, there lies an insignia, long cracked and overcome with greenery, yet its symbols are still distinguishable. Depicting a coin upon which two equal scales are inscribed.
The pillars on the outside are marked with many writings, most of which are long faded, written in ancient, to Shou it appears as though the pillars and their writings are covered in thick layers of smoke and smog, yet Shou's eyes widen at the insignia as he mutters, "We're here..."
Locht sees the writings, his piercing green eyes glimmering, yet most of which seem incomplete to him, words and letters missing, but only a few things can he make out of the faded, ancient writing, which say,
" For all the riches, for all the gold
And bountiful harvests manifold
Praise the lord, and thus his might
For only he may answer thy plight
The shrewdest of all, the god of fortune
The king of foxes, wielding misfortune.
He who bears the scales of fate,
On one end comes might
The other hate "
Locht looks at the words, pondering over them as he looks with focused attention at the structure they stand before, a structure old enough that it stands even though forgotten by time, its shadow eclipsing their very own. The fire upon his cane crackled, standing before something truly archaic.