"Hi all. Thanks for waiting for me... I've been busy."
Stannir looked around and saw Drummen standing next to his wife smiling.
"Brother... I missed you... Is she really your wife? Than your my sister in law, and also soon to be aunt..." He sighed as Cliffhopper hugged Drummen and didn't let him go. "Drummen, I knew you wouldn't fail on us..."
"I had a lot of help on the side... Let me introduce you to her... Her name is Raven... She'll be travelling with us until she's called back home." He looked at the dark curly haired women and smiled. "Welcome to the group... Thank you for helping him, and for helping us."
"I helped him because he's cute, and we have to keep Athlos safe... Now where do we go next?" Stannir shook his head. "We're missing one... Mouse he's in the sand storm somewhere doing some training of some sorts."
"Ahh so Mouse is the one fighting my brother... Its good to see my brother smile, he's been locked up here for way too long... We can go and see them if you want?" Stannir saw Drummen nod with a smile on his face. "Go see him, he's a very interesting character when you meet him for the first time."
Stannir looked at him in confusion and grabbed Salina's hand, walked down the stone steps until he stood at the edge of the sand storm. He looked into the storm looking for Mouse. "Mouse... Where are you? Drummen is back, we need to move on... Mouse!"
He watched as two shadows walked through the sand storm and stood near him. He looked at the bruises on Mouse's body, and the person standing next to him carrying a pillar on his back with a black eye and bruises over his body. "That's my brother... He's the protector of this area." Stannir nodded. "Hello... Thank you for taking care of Mouse."
"So that's your name... I've had a lot of fun training with you... You've improved a lot in this short time, and I can smell the trees on you... Its almost time for your trial... I suggest heading back home when you can." Stannir smiled as Mouse signed at him and was about to open his mouth when he heard Harnio cut him off. "He said, that he had fun training with him... He also said he's a real dragon among men."
"Hahahahaha... When you come back, lets fight some more... I felt those bruises you gave me on my back... I'm sure my father will kick me for losing a few rounds."
"Brother you lost?" He looked at the man shaking his head. "I didn't lose... Sister, really. It was sparing and training... How could I lose to a little shadow? Mouse... Tell her yourself... No lying." Mouse nodded at Raven, while signing. "You use the old sign language... I understand you... Hmph you call it a draw... Brother... What's father going to say when he hears this?"
"Sister... He was watching us... He also gave pointers to Mouse while he was fighting... So did mother." Drummen looked at Mouse. "You saw their father and mother." Stannir looked around confused. "What's going on? They seem perfectly normal to me... Both are very strong people, a whole family of strong people." He watched as Mouse nodded at him signing. "Dragons among men..." He shook his head. "Why do you keep saying that? Of course, they're strong all of them."
"Hahahaha... You're funny my general." He looked at Salina, and felt his face turning red. "The firewarrior is right... What's going on, I'm confused as well." He saw Drummen look at Mouse and he looked in return, signing to Raven. "Husband, he said don't worry, his mouth is sealed."
"It better be..."
Stannir watched as Raven pushed Drummen in the shoulder. "Don't worry... If brother trusts him, and likes him, he's seen... He'll meet the shadows soon, and from his eyes, he already knows what he has to do at the trial... So I consider him as someone who has passed their trial... Its thanks to a little help, isn't it little shadow?" Stannir looked at them. "We need to let them talk... Lets go back up to the top... While we wait for them to finish..."
"No need... I know what this Mouse wants to do sister. I agree with him..."
"How do you know what someone thinks if they don't talk?"
"Easy sister... I felt it in his attacks, and his heart is in his strikes... Also father said he could feel it too."
"What does he want to do brother?"
"He wants to destroy them, all of them..."
He stood looking confused as Raven looked at him. "Can you give me a moment here with my family and Mouse?" He nodded and pushed everyone up the steps. "Harnio... No listening... They're going to be talking about something seriously." He saw Harnio nod. "Good man." He looked at the bottom of the steps as two others walked up to them and started talking together. He frowned. "I know we need to trust him, but that Mouse seems to know a lot of things... Especially what happened to Drummen."
"Doesn't matter my general... When its our time, we'll know as well. It seems we still have time to prepare... Until than we must be patient." He nodded and smiled at Salina. "What do you think they're talking about?" He looked at the priestess and shook his head. "No idea, but I'm sure we'll all know what it is... Things have to be a secret for a while longer I guess, since we're not strong enough."
He watched as they walked up the stairs together and looked at him, and the others behind him. "Raven will go with you as Drummen's support, since she is his wife and all." Stannir smiled, and looked at Mouse. "This one here, will be staying with us for a while... He has information that we need to discuss further, and we need to take him somewhere... Don't worry he'll be back with you... In time..."
Stannir felt his smile fade and looked at the ground. "Mouse... You better be joining us again." He saw Mouse nod. "When you come back to us, you better be stronger." He watched as Mouse gave a thumbs up signal, and he nodded. "We'll be waiting... The guard need their shadow... You better return quickly my friend." He watched as Mouse started signing.
"He said. I'll be back and stronger... As Raven's brother said I'm about to do my trial... They'll take me to the place where I need to go... Also, there is something here, that I need to destroy, and make sure it stays that way."
Stannir nodded. "You have your mission... Once its complete come back to us..."
Stannir turned and looked at Drummen and Raven. "Lets go..."
"What about the storm?" He looked at Drummen and pointed. "They're here now, we don't have to worry about it."
"What are you talking about? There's nothing to worry about in the first place." He watched as the older man waved his hand and the storm instantly died down. He looked at the craters and shattered rocks around them. "Mouse did you and Raven's brother do that?"
"It was mainly me... I missed a lot... My father was teaching him, and he learnt way too fast... He's scary... I'd hate to be his opponent on the battlefield." Stannir smiled at Mouse. "You'll never have to be... He's on our side... The side of Athlos."
"That's for certain... Come brother and sister in law... The Princess is going to be waiting for us, and we have lots to see." Stannir nodded and followed them down the stone steps. He turned and looked at Mouse. "Be careful Mouse... Remember, we'll be waiting for your return."
"Stannir... Don't worry about him... Raven's parents are the strongest people I know, and they've seen a lot of things... I think Mouse will be able to help them do what they've been trying to do for a long time... It will let their duty be complete."
"Ahhh husband... You care for my family... I'm proud of you... Did my brother knock some sense into you?"
"Ahh not me... It was your mother... She's scary."
"Ohh that... At least now, you'll be helpful to the group, especially in the future... Everyone will need your help." Stannir looked at them in a surprised look. "Raven... Drummen is usually loud, rude and proud... What did you do to him, to make him become so respectable to your parents?"
"Hahaha... My mother trained him..." Stannir looked at Drummen in confusion. "What does she mean?" He saw Drummen's pained smiled and nodded. "She is telling the truth... Her mother taught me."
"Brother are you saying that woman from hell that you complained about bruises and broken arms is her mother?" He saw Drummen nod. "Husband... Is that how you described my mother to them?" He smiled as he saw Drummen using eyes to curse Cliffhopper. "No... Not at all... Cliffhopper here likes to exaggerate."
"Firewarrior where are we going anyway, whats our next target?" He smiled and looked as the coast line started to come into view. He turned and looked at the group in front of him. "Guards, and fire eater unit... We're about to go on the hunt... We need all abilities and all your skills in hunting down someone very dangerous to the land of Athlos... We're hunting down the queen, and removing her from the face of Athlos."
He saw Drummen smile and look at his wife as he whispered in her ear. "Making drones has got to stop... We'll get all the information out of her about the creator of the trolaiths as well."
"Where do we start looking for her?"
Stannir nodded. "That's an excellent question, and to be honest I'm not sure exactly... I was hoping Drummen and his lady luck to point us in a direction..."
"Ahh lady luck..." He looked as Drummen looked around and closed his eyes. "Brother... Where are we going to next?"
"Shut it... Can't you give me a moment to listen?"
"Sister in law, he still needs to learn how to talk to his family... See he snaps at me all the time... Especially, when he's not been drinking."
He watched as Drummen took a long drink from his wine skin and handed it to Raven. "Your mother's recipe... Its good stuff."
"I know, she gives it to me all the time to drink... I love it." He watched as Raven held up the skin and drank it until it was empty. "Thanks wife... I'll have to make some more."
"Don't be so rash husband... I'm carrying many skins of wine for us..."
He turned around as he saw Drummen kiss her. "Umm cough... cough..."
"Ahh right sorry... I know where we should go..."
"And that is?"
"The one place where the queen can get all the drones she wants, and no one will ever know." Stannir nodded with a smile. "I think I know where you're suggesting..."
"I don't where is he suggesting we go?"
"Its obvious Cliffhopper. He's suggesting we go to the firelands and pay her a visit there..."
"Ahh the firelands... But we don't have a way to get there." He shook his head and pointed at a sail coming into view over the horizon. "I know of one captain that can get us there."
"Its the Princess..."
"Yes... Where we're going, there are no rules, its a giant prison, and the queen will have control of it all... She's probably the one that makes the riots happen through her drones. We need to be careful of every step we make, and lean on each other... Can we do that?"
"That we can... With Star at the wheel, the fire eater unit rowing, and Mouse with the winds, we'll get there, find that queen and bring her down a peg or two."
"I'll be taking her head... She's mine." Stannir looked at the priestess. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure... She has caused trouble for the mountain, and me being from the mountain, its my duty to exact punishment on her as priestess."
He looked at her eyes and nodded. "Fair enough... We tie her down, and Star takes her head.... Lets go to the Princess, and than our hunt shall begin."