Everyone was tired. Firenis and Airiox set Tempest down. He was awake, but too weak to run.
Aurora caught up with them in the thick and dense pine forests. Tempest sat up on a log, and Airiox helped Firenis set up a little fire.
"A small one, Airiox," said Firenis. "Minimal smoke. The Voltaris will find us otherwise."
Airiox nodded earnestly and began scraping a flint and steel together, eventually producing a spark. He set some sticks on fire, creating a small bit of warmth. Tempest rubbed his hands near it, and Airiox grabbed his sword to go catch something to eat.
"No, Airiox," said Firenis. "The Voltaris aren't going to be in that house for long. They'll try and find us. Going hunting is too dangerous. Even a training champion such as yourself can't take on three Voltaris at once, especially not one with a diamond enchanted weapon. Stay here."
"Ummm... okay," said Airiox, nervous.
"What troubles you, Airiox?"
"I... I kinda just want to go home. The Voltaris are..." Airiox gulped and looked down. "Really- scary."
Firenis smiled. "Yes, they are," he said. "Tempest may not show his fear of them, but he is truly scared. Airiox."
He looked up.
"There is no hero without fear. Heroes have bravery, for sure, but you can't have bravery without conquering fear."
Airiox nodded.
"Consider that your first lesson."
Aurora went to the log where Tempest was sitting on. She sat on the opposite end, but watched him through the corner of her eye.
They waited for about two minutes for the other to say something, but no one did. While Firenis showed Airiox some simple sword fencing tactics, Tempest decided to break the tension, which had gotten so thick that it would take an enchanted diamond axe to cut it.
"So..." Tempest cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks for... saving me... back, um, there."
"Yeah, no problem," said Aurora, feeling relieved of the tension. "So. Where are you from?"
"Uh, Sendaria," said Tempest.
"Oh! Of course," said Aurora, feeling idiotic. "Of course. Yeah. I knew that," she laughed nervously.
She moved a bit closer to him on the log. Tempest noticed, but tried not to show it.
"How long have you been champion?" asked Aurora, trying to make conversation. She felt very odd talking to Tempest but she rather liked it.
"Just a few months. It's... a new experience. And you? Why were you chasing Voltaris?"
"You're probably going to laugh, but... I time traveled here. Through a big purple portal."
Tempest didn't laugh. "You followed Ingressus? From the Great War? Wait, are you... no wait, you can't be. Are you Lieutenant Aurora Nestoris? Tidesinger's lead general?"
"Oh, you know of me! I... wasn't expecting that."
"Did you find any information about where Ingressus went? And did Achillean also come through?"
"Er, well, I drank something... and I think I forgot..." Aurora racked her brain. Tempest turned away disappointedly. "No, no!" she said, frantically. "I can remember. I just need... B... B-something. Star? No, that's not it..."
Tempest watched her with amusement as she tried to recover her reputation as the Lieutenant, but he switched his attention to Airiox's training. He remembered training with Firenis in the exact same manner - the old Ardoni seemed to have a way with teaching. Tempest smiled as he reminisced, and Airiox spun around and sliced the stick in half.
"Well done, Airiox!" Firenis broke into applause and smiled as Airiox beamed in his success.
"BELESTAR!" yelled Aurora suddenly.
All three of the others jumped out of their skin, and looked at Aurora like she had gone crazy - she certainly looked it, with an unnaturally happy look on her face and her pointer finger up.
"Um... excuse me?" said Airiox, confused. He thought she might be drunk again. For Airiox, first impressions really did define his view of the person.
"Ingressus and the others are in Belestar," she said, calming down a bit. "However, that was when I last saw them; they may be somewhere else now." Aurora looked at Tempest proudly. Tempest simply turned away and acted as if he had never been looking, which made Aurora's shoulders sag a bit.
Firenis spoke, distracting both Aurora and Tempest. "This is very important news you've brought us, Aurora. We now have the location of Ingressus himself, perhaps the former location. Both will be helpful, however. Tempest, are you ready?"
Tempest stood. "As ever."
"You will need all your strength, champion. This enemy will be worse than you have ever fought. And you must take him single-handedly. Aurora may help, but it is the champion's job to deal with threats against the Ardoni."
Tempest looked back down at the fire.
Aurora went all the way to him. "Don't worry, we're here to help!" she said encouragingly.
Tempest gave a small smile. "Thanks," he said, but went back to looking at the fire. Aurora gave up and left. Airiox continued sparring against the branch. Aurora went to find some soft hay to make bedding in the clearing, coming back with a small bale, which she sprinkled around. She set up two beds for her and Tempest, and then another for Firenis and a smaller one for Airiox.
"Airiox, you need your strength," said the old Kaltaris. "Rest."
"But it's not even night," said Airiox.
"You've done lots of fighting since morning. You can just lie down. It helps," he said.
"Fine." he went to lie down. It wasn't much fun for Airiox to sit around and do nothing. Tempest wished that he was that young and impulsive; having all these other concerns felt like a tons-full burden to carry on his head. Airiox had no concerns, and Tempest longed to feel like that.
Airiox, on the other hand, felt the opposite. He had almost forgotten thoroughly about the Voltaris and wanted to play. Airiox was already feeling the joy of training with Firenis. It seemed magical the way that the old Kaltaris was able to produce such great warriors, while having them enjoy their training: Thalleous, Zulius, and of course Tempest himself.
Tempest sat on his log, pondering, as the whole world went about their day, oblivious of the danger stalking their every step.
***
Night, thought Forest. Best time to attack! She scaled down the tree. Just one problem. Where would the Necromancers be? If I were Necromancer, where is the best place for me to be? She thought.
Hmmm... she didn't really know where to start. Until, of course, she saw the Necromancer.
A Necromancer! Forest nearly shouted, but managed to keep it down to a sharp intake of oxygen. Follow him. No don't. Trail? Track. Wait... what do I- follow. Just do that. She scaled down the rest of the tree and began to tiptoe, following the Necromancer. He appeared to be holding a staff, an iron one that appeared to be three iron eights created by intertwining silver serpents. Forest suddenly came to the realization that Necromancers used their weaponry to sometimes control undead.
"Uh oh," she said, as an arrow shot past her head and plugged into the tree bark behind her. The Necromancer turned with his staff as Undead advanced from the bush. Forest took on her battle glare and pulled her trident, ready as more Undead advanced and the Necromancer raised a grayish black skull - a wither skull. The Undead's eyes turned white and began to come faster. Forest flung her trident, impaling three Undead in a line, and she unsheathed her daggers and whirled into action, spinning off the tree and decapitating the impaled Undead, retrieving her trident from it and flinging it at two more. One dodged but the other was hit back into a bush, where it crashed and snapped some branches. Forest kicked the one that dodged her attack, and stabbed it in the gut with her swords. She retrieved the trident, and leaped 5 feet into the air. She landed in the middle of the Undead, and threw one of her daggers like a boomerang, which killed Undead after Undead. She threw a zombie into a skeleton, and they crashed into a tree. She stabbed her trident into them, which impaled them both. She whirled about and decapitated two more, then somersaulted over the remaining three and slashed their backs.
Forest went to retrieve her trident, but the Necromancer had gotten there first. He pulled out the trident, and threw it at Forest.
She saw it coming almost in slow motion. Death, by her own trident. It spun towards her, the three sharp points of it all ready to pierce her vital organs. Well, at least she went out trying to avenge Eclipson. It was an unhonorable death; Eclipson remained unavenged, and Forest was about to die.
She locked her eyes on the trident as it came, at an oddly slow pace. And then something fast shot out of the corner of her view and caught the trident. The figure spun around, and impaled the Necromancer in the side. She looked around in astonishment, and saw Castor standing there, a flat expression on his face.
"Well, you could've done better," he said, withdrawing the bloody trident from the Necromancer's side. "Ek!" He doused it in a small brook by the tree's roots, staining the water red. "Well done getting yourself in that position."
"Does it matter?"
"Yes. You made me kill him."
"No, I didn't," said Forest defensively. "I was just here, waiting to be killed, and then you have to come and save me. Now I owe you! Like, why?"
"C'mon, can we just work together? Can't you see if we fight Necromancers in the same area, we're going to end up fighting each other?"
"And I'm fine with that," said Forest. "I'll destroy you anyway."
Castor sighed. "You're not giving in, are you? Don't you see-"
Forest gave a loud sigh of exasperation. "OKAY! Okay, okay. Fine. We'll work together. But once I find out who killed my trainer, and kill him, I'm out."
Castor smiled. "Finally! Well, come on then."
"Uh, where?"
"My tree fort!"
Inside the tree fort, it was surprisingly tidy. The entire facility had been hidden away, and only one plank was visible from the ladder up. Forest climbed in after Castor, and crawled into the spacious wood room.
"So, Why are you so eager to work together, anyway?" asked Forest, settling down in a cozy corner.
"Because we're after the same person." said Castor.
"Wait, what? What do you mean by that?"
"I know who killed your trainer," said Castor. "Agent Eclipson, Felina, Felden government. Legendary fighter, but too well known. That's why he was shot. The Necromancers were expecting him. But it was all because of one person. The North Felden's Necromancer in charge of operations, second only to the Necrolord himself. I call him the Necromaster."
"Necrolord? Is he in charge?"
"Yes," said Castor. "The Felden Secret Agents have been after him for about two months now, although I know of others who have been hunting for far longer. Myself, for example."
"And who else?"
"Their names shall remain classified," said Castor smiling.
Forest retreated back to her corner, disappointed.
"So, what else do you know about this Necromancer-general?" Forest asked, probing.
"Well, he's possibly even more formidable than the Necrolord himself," said Castor. "Your trainer, Agent Eclipson-"
"I know who my trainer is-was," said Forest.
"-was supposed to root this guy out with his team and arrest him. Unfortunately, of course, he was shot. By the Necromaster himself."
"Well then, I'll give him a taste of his own weapon. Actually, not a taste. A huge bite," said Forest, hitting her fist on her palm aggressively.
"Yes, I agree. But we have much work to do, so we had better get moving. Also, you seem to be deprived of said weapon."
"Huh? What? Oh, I haven't a bow... um a trident will work," she said, rubbing her palms together and drawing the trident. It gleamed in the low but warm light of the torches on the walls.
"Great! Now let's go and spy on the Necromancers a bit, to gain information to defeat the Necromaster," said Castor, and casually strolled out.
"Um, wait, shouldn't we, like, plan or prepare?" Forest called, surprised at having been pulled into her first mission so soon.
"Meh. I go impromptu style usually, and I've already figured out where their base is. It's at - well, nowhere in particular. I do know where it is, though," said Castor happily, climbing down and hopping off the tree bark.
Forest shook her head. "Ah, I've got a bad feeling about this," but she followed Castor anyway.