Gaurdon and Zaptan saw Estrow from far away; he noticed them, so he began speeding up his pace. His trail was directly going to the Dalish village. He was ready to give up on his traitor uncle. Gaurdon buffed himself to increase his agility. Then he ran towards Estrow as fast as he could. It was too late when Estrow realized Gaurdon was already near him; he was tackled to the ground by Gaurdon.
"What are you doing?! "Estrow confusingly asked.
"It's you! What are you doing?! You can't face this problem alone, you fool! "Gaurdon angrily responded.
"You don't understand! I must do this alone or else. . ." Estrow uttered while crying.
"Or else what? "Zaptan asked.
"My lord, I'm sorry. I'm just. . really confused right now. I don't know what to do," Estrow answered.
"Why don't you both calm down, and we'll talk this out? "Zaptan said.
"Yes, my lord," Gaurdon and Estrow both answered.
They sat on stones and made a bonfire. Warm themselves with deafening silence.
"Why did you leave? "Zaptan asked Estrow.
"The message I've got is much more serious than you think. My mother was being held captive by my uncle. If I don't surrender myself, she will be dead by tomorrow," Estrow answered.
"Why didn't you tell us? Perhaps we could make a plan for rescuing your mother," Gaurdon asked.
"There's no time; any minute by now, my mother could be suffering from torture and loneliness. I must save her as soon as I can," Estrow said out of desperation.
"So what's your plan now? "Gaurdon asked again.
"I don't know. I can't think of anything straight. I just wanted to save my mother." Estrow cried out.
"We can't proceed on liberating the Dalish without you, but we can't also ignore your mom. What if the three of us saved your mother stealthily? "Zaptan suggested.
"My lord, that's dangerous. We can't rush to the enemy's hideout carelessly," Gaurdon objected.
"You didn't hear what I've said? We'll do this stealthily. We'll infiltrate the Dalish and save Estrow's mother," Zaptan insisted.
"I understand what you're saying, but how can we do that? We will stand out among the crowd. A general and the previous emperor," Gaurdon asked.
"You can be in your wolf form," Estrow answered.
"What did you say? "Gaurdon confusingly uttered.
"It's quite normal for us Dalish people to stay in our wolf form. It was considered training so no one will suspect you," Estrow answered.
"I see, that could work." Zaptan agreed to Estrow's suggestion.
"But I can't even last a minute on that form. I can't do it." Gaurdon once again objected.
"I can't also last for too long on that form; is there any other way to disguise ourselves? "Zaptan asked Estrow.
"That's the best idea I could think of. Can you show me your wolf form? "Estrow said.
They both transformed. Gaurdon's wolf form looks incredibly strong; his eyes were glowing red, while his shoulders and tail had a glowing purple aura. Zaptan's, on the other hand, was so majestic. His eyes were glowing white, while his fangs and claws looked big and sharp. He also has silver fur with a couple of black ones on his tails.
"I can't maintain this form for too long; I'm going to go back to normal," Gaurdon said, then he returned to his base form.
"I think I can hold a few more seconds in this form, but tell us, why'd you want to see this? "Zaptan curiously asked Estrow.
"I need to see your wolf form's elements. Gaurdon, yours was fire, and my lord, yours was quite unique; it was the moon," Estrow answered.
"How did you know? "Zaptan asked, then he went back to his base form.
"By the color of your eyes, Gaurdon was red, and yours was white," Estrow answered.
"Will this solve our problem? "Gaurdon asked.
"Well, you see, the Dalits hid this thing from the empire for so long, but we discovered something that would benefit the empire. We called it the elemental booster," Estrow answered.
"Is this some kind of technology from humans? What will happen if we use it? "Zaptan asked.
"No, it was made out of stone that emits energy depending on your elements. It's better to just show it to you." Estrow answered, then he got something from his pocket—a pouch with something glowing inside it.
"What's that? "Gaurdon asked.
"This was my booster. My wolf form's element was wind, so I always carry this with me. If I transform this stone, it will continue to replenish my elemental power so that I can last long with my wolf form," Estrow answered as he showed them a stone glowing green.
"Impressive, so where can we get these stones? "Gaurdon asked once again.
"It was a mining facility not so far from here. I just hope it is not swarming with Ramphu's men," Estrow answered.
"What are we waiting for? Let the mining begin," Gaurdon boldly uttered.
They walked a couple of miles through the forest and mountains until they finally reached the minint facility. There was a big gate on a mountain, an entrance to the facility. It was strange that there's neither a guard nor a miner in the area. They slowly walked their way inside.
"You've been mining these stones for how long? "Zaptan asked Estrow.
"About twelve full moons have past. My father was still doing his research on this booster, so he hasn't informed the empire yet. He wanted perfect results before telling you, my lord, please forgive him," Estrow answered.
"He's one of the stars now. Getting mad at him would be useless," Gaurdon said.
"You're right. I hope he's in a better place," Estrow sadly uttered.
"Don't worry; your father was a good man. The one who should take our wrath must be those traitors who hurt us," Zaptan replied.
"Thank you, my lord; I will be forever indebted to you," Estrow replied.
After a while, they saw a glowing blue rock emitting strange energy, and they felt it.
"Let me guess, is this a water element? "Gourdon boastfully said.
"We won't know it yet, until we put some mana on it," Estrow answered, then he got a small portion of the rock. He held it in his hand and released his energy. The stone suddenly changed to a glowing brown.
"It's a brown earth element, right? "Zaptan asked.
"Yes, my lord. This is the hardest part; it could take us some time to find your designated elemental stone. Not to mention, your element, my lord, is quite rare. Sometimes stones don't form when we put mana on them; it just turns into dust," Estrow answered.
"We better split up for better results," Gaurdon suggested.
"I agree, let's do it." Zaptan agreed.
They split up and started their mining process. Gaurdon found a white glowing stone, hoping it could be a moon booster. He quickly got some and put mana on it. However, it instantly turns into dust. Out of frustration, he repeated the process, but the result was the same. When he was about to give up, he gave it one more try, and it turned into a glowing blue stone.
"A water booster, huh? I guess I'll look and try some more," Gaurdon told himself.
Meanwhile, Zaptan found a strange rock. It doesn't glow, but it emits a massive amount of energy. He broke a couple of chunks of it, then put some mana on it. In an instant, it turns into a white, glowing stone. He knew that he already had the right one for him, so he went to find Gaurdon and Estrow.
"I've already found what's right for me," Zaptan shouted.
His voice echoed throughout the whole area, but no one answered him. He continued exploring, then someone grabbed him and shut his mouth. It was Estrow and Gaurdon.
"Please be quite, my lord. They might have heard us," Estrow whispered.
"Who's they? "Zaptan asked.
"Follow me," Estrow replied.
Following Estrow, they pass a hidden passage with a big open area beneath. They saw a couple of miners with their guards. They're also looking for boosters, but in the very depths of the facility.
"Why did they have to go that far? "Gourdon softly asked Estrow.
"Because my uncle hasn't found his booster yet, like our lord's element, his element is rare too," Estrow answered.
"And what is that? "Zaptan asked.
"His element was shadow. If he gets his booster, he can be so powerful that even you, my lord, couldn't defeat him easily," Estrow answered.
"I see, good thing I already found mine," Zaptan replied as he showed them his booster.
"That's amazing, my lord. Sadly, I can't find my booster," Gaurdon said.
"Don't worry, Gaurdon, I have yours," Estrow said, then he got a glowing red stone in his pocket.
"Good job, Estrow, so what's next? "Gaurdon asked.
"We better leave right now; I know a shortcut; please follow me," Estrow answered.
They slowly walked through a tight space in the cave; it was dark and the path was steep. The guards from the previous area suddenly shouted.
"What's that smell? I think there's an intruder," the captain guard shouted.
"You're right, and he wasn't alone; maybe there are three of them," the other guard replied.
"All of you, go find those intruders and kill them," the captain guard ordered.
"Affirmative," all of the guards said.
Estrow and his acquaintances already knew that they'd be in trouble. They quickly made their way out of the cave, but in their haste, they could not avoid getting injured because they were caught on sharp stones on their way. When they were near the exit, they were stopped by one of the guards.
"Your uncle would be happy to see you again, Lord Estrow," said the guard.
"We don't have time for this; let's handle him," Gaurdon said as he walked closely to the guard.
"Oohhh, I have to tell you that I am one of the elite guards. . "," said the guard, but he was cut off when Gordon grabbed his head and knocked him to the ground. The guard immediately lost consciousness.
"You're always dependable, Gaurdon." Zaptan praised Gaurdon.
"Thank you, my lord. We better hurry; other guards might already be on their way here," Gaurdon replied.
They continued on their way to the exit until they saw a little light, indicating that they were close. It wasn't long before they reached the outside; they were relieved, but they still had to get away from the mine facility. Meanwhile, the captain guards found the unconscious guard beaten by Gaurdon.
"You useless fool," the captain guard said, then stabbed him in the heart, causing instant death. "Those intruders have already escaped; seal this exit. Next time, don't let an intruder escape," he added.
"Yes, captain," all of the guards shouted.
When Estrow, Gaurdon, and Zaptan were far enough away, they took a rest beside a tall tree. They sat panting because of the distance they had run.
"Tell me, how do I use this booster? "Gourdon asked Estrow.
"You just need to carry that all the time, but before that, the stone must be compatible with you," Estrow answered.
"And how can we do that? "Gaurdon asked again.
"By dripping some blood on it, the stone must react magically. Then we can say that you're compatible with it," Estrow said.
"Alright, here we go," Gaurdon said, then he wounded himself and dropped some blood on his stone. It suddenly burns and is consumed by fire, but the stones still glow, stronger than before.
"That's nice; you're compatible with it. Now your turn, my lord," Estrow said, then he looked at Zaptan.
"I hope you're compatible with me, buddy," Zaptan said, and then, like Gaurdon, he did the same thing. Unfortunately, the stone stays the same. It glows white but is not as strong as Gaurdon's stone.
"Does it mean they're not compatible? "Gourdon asked Estrow.
"No. Let me see it, my lord." Estrow answered, then asked Zaptan to hand over the stone to him.
"Here," Zaptan replied, then handed the stone, but it instantly went back to Zaptan's hand.
"What happened? Why did it come back to our Lord's hand? "Gaurdon asked.
"Unbelievable, my lord, your stone definitely chose you," Estrow uttered with joy.
"How did you know? "Zaptan asked.
"A stone booster can be stolen easily from its owner. Like this," Estrow said, then he grabbed Gaurdon's stone.
"Hey, be careful with it," Gaurdon said.
"But your stone, my lord, had a mind of its own. It can simply go back to you whenever it is taken. I think because it's a rare stone," Estrow explained.
"I see, but until now you didn't tell us how this would help us to maintain our wolf form," Zaptan said.
"Oh, sorry, now that you have your own elemental booster, let's test it with your wolf form. You can transform now," Estrow answered, asking them to shapeshift into their wolf form.
They changed form at the same time, and they felt a slight change in their body.
"My energy, it's not draining fast like before," Gaurdon said.
"I agree. Perhaps the stone continues replenishing our energy, to the point that we can't feel that we are losing too much of it," Zaptan theorized.
"I'm glad you like how it works, but I think we should proceed with executing our plan of infiltration," Estrow said.
"You're right. We must talk about our plan now," Gaurdon agreed.
They discussed their plan on how to save Estrow's mother. Going back to the Hidden Falls camp, where a message from the Horkhun tribe was sent. They're talking about how to respond to Lycan's request.
"Captain, what do you think about their request? "Aurdim asked Sharlock.
"I think we should ask the elder first. I don't have the power to lead an army and provide assistance in their battle," Sharlock answered.
"My brother won't easily accept their request without proper negotiation," Ruviel said.
"But it looks like an emergency; as a peace officer, I think I should look into this matter personally," Melisha said.
"They're offer wasn't bad after all. They'll fight beside us in battle with the nameless if we'll help them reclaim the throne," Aurdim insisted.
"Yes, it could benefit both of us, but we're on our own mission now. It could ruin our plan if we don't stick to it," Ruviel replied.
"I understand your view, but like you said, everything might change depending on the circumstances. This is it; a possible alliance can be made between us and the Lycans," Aurdim responded.
"I know I've said that, but having an alliance with them was not included in my calculations. It's too risky; we can't act hastily," Ruviel insisted.
"I'm with Ruviel, but Aurdim wasn't wrong either. How about we vote this out? Whoever wins, we'll do what they want. On one condition, our team will be the only one who'll help them; we won't bring an army," Sharlock proposed.
"Alright, let's do this fair and square." Aurdim agreed, while Melisha and Ruviel just nodded, implying they also agreed on their captain's suggestion.
"Okay, raise your hand if we'll carefully think and ask the elder about their request. "Sharlock said, then he raised his hand together with Ruviel.
"Hmp, idiots. I already told you, it's too risky." Ruviel uttered with disappointment.
"How about those who wanted to help them as soon as we could?" "Sharlock asked, then Melisha and Aurdim raised their hands.
"I guess it's a tie? "Aurdim said.
"There's no tie, look," Melisha replied as she pointed at Dumbo, who was raising his hand.
"You foolish mortal," Ruviel furiously said.
"I almost forgot my buddy Dumbo, hahaha," Aurdim said as he put his arm around him.
"Let go of me; I just thought those lycans might really need our help. We can't ignore them," Dumbo said.
"It's decided we will help them, but only with this team. What's next, Melisha? ." Sharlock said.
"I'll send back a letter to them, then we'll meet at the old ruins near the borders of the empire and colony," Melisha replied.
"How about Craig? "Dumbo asked.
"Fellise told me that he won't wake up any time soon, so we don't have a choice but to leave him here," Melisha answered.
"He really can't handle that kind of power. His body is always taking a great toll," Aurdim said.
"Like Melisha said, we'll leave him here if he won't wake up until tomorrow. You should all take a rest for now," Sharlock ordered them.
All of them found their own place to rest. Melisha, on the other hand, remained sitting beside Craig. She's still hoping for him to wake up.
Meanwhile, Estrow and his comrades were ready to infiltrate the Dalish village. They're on their way to save Estrow's mother, and they're all hoping that it will be successful.
"Please wait a little bit longer, mother; I will save you. I'm sorry, my lord, and Gaurdon, if you'll have to deal with this. I'm really desperate right now. I'll do anything for the only family I have," Estrow told himself.