As the Sun came up the next morning, the village elder, Kassandra, stepped outside for her morning stroll. Her druid ears wiggled and twitched with the grazing of her sandalwood-colored hair that had been disturbed as she stretched on her walk. Her sky-blue eyes fell upon the Village Gate as she lowered her arms and paused to look at it.
Grey and his vestiges seemingly reinforced it with iron interwoven into the wooden doors, reinforcing the frame to ensure any intruders attempting to break it would have a difficult time breaking it down. She nodded in approval before continuing her walk. As she walked, wooden window hatches and shutters opened up, people began their journey to get their buckets of morning water from the village well, the smell of freshly cooked food began to fill the air, and a gentle breeze ran across the meadow and through the willow trees that populated the land around the village.
However, as she came to the outskirts of the village, she stumbled upon Grey meditating just outside the Temple of Shiva. She looked at him curiously, his jet-black hair hardly moved in the breeze as he sat still locked in a deep meditation. His complexion had deteriorated a bit, even after Shiva's attempt that night to stop his loss of skin pigmentation. Suddenly he opened his eyes and waved to her. "Good Morning to you."
"And to you as well, Grey Ghost. Pray tell, what brings you to the Temple this early?" Her hair shifted as the breeze picked up slightly. Grey stood up and looked at the temple. "Simple. It's quiet out here, making it the perfect place to meditate." He turned back to her with a smile before walking to her.
"I apologize, but I don't quite know names yet. Mind if I trouble you for yours?" His smile had turned into curiosity as she laughed. "I am Kassandra Timberwind, Elder of Lorelei Village, and former resident of the Yggesdrei Forest." Grey looked at her for a moment before speaking. "I take it you are...", he paused a moment to gather his thoughts, "a druid of that forest?"
"How very astute. Yes, I am a druid." She smiled as Grey joined her for her walk. They made their way back toward the village before she spoke again. "Tell me, Grey, what do you think of the village?" She watched as he nodded to her question and then looked at the village. "It's small for one thing, but that makes it peaceful, an essence of calmness likened to that of a dream." She laughed a bit at his response but knew his words were genuine.
"You make it sound like a fairytale with words such as those." She sighed with a smile as she waved to a villager. "This place has been under my protection for many years, but it would seem that now falls to you, the Grey Ghost from another world." Her gaze was more stern than her words, but all out of a genuine concern for those living in the place she'd been protecting. "So tell me, Grey. If someone or something were to attack this place..." Her voice quivered at the thought, "Would you defend them?"
As she looked at Grey, his gaze wasn't on her or the village, but upon his scarred hands. He didn't look up to respond but kept his gaze affixed on his hands. "These hands of mine... they've seen their fair share of combat. However, upon my honor and the weight of my words, I swear to you..." He looked at her, eyes glowing their red, white, and blue hue, "I swear that I will defend them... even if it costs me my life."
She chuckled at his words but nodded in acknowledgment of his resolve. "Then come by my home when you have a free moment. I believe I have something that may be of interest to you, Grey Ghost." She waved back to him as she walked into the village and vanished into the crowd.
After searching the village for a while, Grey finally came to Kassandra's house. It was a small cottage wrapped in ivy-vine with flowers in full bloom around it. After a knock, the door opened and Kassandra welcomed him inside. Upon entering the ever-loudening sound of a whistling tea kettle whirled throughout the house. However, it was in the heart of the cottage that Kassandra opened a large trunk to reveal a black sherpa. However, this wasn't something made by the villagers... as it bore the Liberty Union's three-star shield insignia on the left shoulder. The tea kettle began to scream as Grey's body language became rigid and panicked.
Suddenly, Grey tackled Kassandra through the wall as a ball of fiery, molten hot rock pitch, commonly referred to as tar, caved in the roof. Kassandra looked up at Grey, who standing in front of her... seething with rage. "Remember what I promised, Kassandra?" Spoke Grey as he began marching towards the village gates, "Time to make good on it." Finished speaking Grey as the villages with buckets of water rushed over and began to put out the fire. Kassandra got to her feet as Knight Jasper and Priestess Emilee joined her side.
"Ma'am... what should we do?" Asked Emilee, a worried look crossed the priestess' face but found Kassandra with a smile and hers. "Fear not, Priestess Emilee. We have a mighty hero going to face our aggressors. Gather the others and get to the storehouse. Jasper and I will ensure everyone gets to safety." With a quick nod, Emilee began helping others to the storehouse while Kassandra and Jasper rushed around ensuring everyone was evacuating to the storehouse.
Meanwhile... Grey spoke to his historical and folklore vestiges as we walked outside the village to face the aggressors. As he entered their line of sight, the enemy commander made himself known. A man, well-dressed, too well-dressed for a battlefield or a normal soldier. Kassandra and Jasper stood upon the guard post, watching their new hero... eager to see what the hell decided to attack them.