Art by UnlimitedCrazy.
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"While I was working there, I found an extremely valuable artifact."
-Mia, The Haunted, episode 6: Sunken Treasure
***

Third person point of view-

He stayed as silent as humanly possible, each breath, each step as light as he could maintain. He remained vigilant and focused, not being able to afford a moment's worth of distraction. He swiftly leap across the shadows, only visible in the gaze of the sun for a split moment before vanishing once more like a phantom into the shadows.
Buildings with stories that stretched upon one another offered the only advantage to get to higher ground, the walls around the village blocking off access to the surrounding trees. Luckily for him, building, tree, or another object, climbing was one of his mastered specialties. Morning sunlight gleamed in the glass of his goggles resting over his eyes, the outer layer glazed over from the mist of his own breath forced upwards from beneath his mask.
With another swift sprint, he went across the field to cover himself behind another wall, knowing this place like the back of his palm. Perhaps it was an unfair advantage but it was something he could not be blamed for. As he glanced into the inside of each building, his eyes were only met with desolation, not a soul nor a single piece of furniture in sight.
She nearly mirrored him in elegance, slim body shrouded in the shade. She dashed across the ground, kicking up dirt with steps heavier than his own despite her shrunken size in comparison to him.
Her heart raced with anxiety, eyes shooting around in search for her opponent, and more importantly, their goal destination; their contraband. She knew that it could be anywhere in any of the buildings around her, meaning that her awareness had to remain spiked. Her olive green eyes looked down, resting upon a trail of footsteps leading to the east of the village, vanishing a few feet away but still offering a picture of the whereabouts of her opponent.

"Not as stealthy as you think, hmm?"

She snickered, proceeding to bolt across the ground, her feet carrying her as fast as she could. Her necklace bounced against her chest, so close to swatting her in the face but she attempted to ignore it. Each gasp was forced, sweat dripping onto her tongue and into her eyes. At least the chilly winter air offered some relief from the heat coiled around her body draped in black clothing.
Upon turning a corner, her heels dug into the soil to stop herself in her tracks. As her eyes cast upwards, her gaze settled upon the man standing on the slanted rooftop of a building in front of the girl, his back facing her. She attempted to sneak past him undetected, but without a second's notice, he spun around with an arrow pulled back in his bow and fired.
Without screaming, she swiftly avoided the projectile that would have hit her upper leg with ease, stepping to the side to let it bounce against the wall and fall hard onto the soil. It rolled before reaching a halt; a long stick with feathers in the end, soft, thick rubber replacing what was supposed to be sharp obsidian as the arrowhead. Even with the replacement, it was sure to leave a painful bruise.
It was only a warning shot. He easily would have had the perfect strike rather she had moved or not. She knew that he purposefully did not account her stepping to the side to avoid the strike.
Drawing her own weapon, the girl looked back up only to find that he was out of sight, yet she could head the familiar sound of breaking rooftop tile, proceeded with brief footsteps, then by silence. She huffed, then ran to the other side of the building, passing lifesize wooden cutouts of people on her way, all filled with punctures and scattered slash marks.

"Where's he at now?"

Upon the ground laid scattered roof tiles and a puff of slow settling dust, some tile split in half as if a blade had sliced through them. That was usually the way he got off of buildings, digging a blade into the roof to anchor himself down with ease and swiftness, as well as with more stealth than simply slamming onto the ground. Based on the footprints left behind, he was directly inside of the house to her left.
Acting fast but with caution, she stepped over to the door, reaching twisting the knob, letting it creep open with an eerie squeak that sounded throughout the house. Her heart raced, eyes darting around only to find the room suspiciously abandoned. He must have been upstairs.
She quietly ascended up the steps, each tiptoe bringing a new wave of anxious adrenaline as the floorboards threatened to squeak beneath her lightweight. With a weapon drawn, a wooden dagger, she swiftly turned the corner to face her opponent head on, only to freeze.
He stood there there, twirling a red flag between his fingers that he had ripped from the slim pole in the center of the room. The spy looked up, pulling up his goggles to uncover his bright forest green eyes shimmering with delight. A smile came to his face as his other hand pulled down his black mask, tucking it beneath his knitted black and green striped scarf. His teeth were almost unbelievably pearly, shining in his bright grin. The fluffy, shaggy chestnut hair unkempt but still obviously brushed, his hairline evenly parted down the center of his scalp, yet strands still managed to go over his face, currently pink from the cold. Upon his chin was a small goatee.
Xavier adjusted his black and green striped scarf, his smile widening once more and eyes twinkling in the light, a near insane gleam as they almost always gave off thanks to his abnormally slim pupils. He wore black pants with leg armor from his knees to his toes, the armor going over his black boots with iron toes and heels. His black shirt poked out from beneath his waist belt, long sleeves of grey covering his arms whereas his black tunic had short sleeves. He had on iron shoulder pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and iron on the back of his gloves and fingers. His iron chestplate that covered his upper torso bore no markings unlike most imperial officials.

He laughed, closing his green eyes as he did so. "Looks like I win, sweetheart."

She stomped her foot on the ground in frustration, sheathing the small wooden blade into her belt. "Darn it! It's no fair, you always get it before I do! You must be cheating!"

Xavier's arm lowered, grin still lingering as he walked closer to her, only to pass by to walk down the steps. "Trust me, Jane, sweetie, I come into these training sessions knowing as much as you. I grew up training here myself so I just happen to know the layout. You'll get it eventually."

The brunette crossed her arms, pouting as she followed her father downstairs. He commented on her she needed to improve in her stealth, only further frustrating the girl. She took a brief moment to complain on how this was supposed to help her in spying, the chestnut haired giggled, replying that it was suppose to help when going up against others who want to require the same information and to get that information before others can obtain or destroy it. A small game of capture the flag seemed like an appropriate session for such topic.
As they stepped outside, turning the corner to face the wooden life size cutouts, Xavier spun around, drawing his sword placed on his back. The iron hissed as it slide along the scabbard, glimmering in the sunlight as he help it up.

"Now," His distinguishing English accent blasted. ",time for my favorite part! Let's see how much you improved. Remember what you need to do?"

She nodded, drawing her own sword from the sheath on her hip. "Strike the vital areas, take the enemy down as fast as possible."

He nodded back to confirm her statement, handing her an old golden stopwatch he pulled from his pocket, proceeding to take his stance and demonstrate. She placed her thumb firmly on the top, awaiting the moment she was to push it down to count the seconds it took for him to take out all twelve motionless targets.
He took in a deep breath, adjusting his grip on the blade as he took two kuni knives from his belt, weapons that had proven to be fairly useful in his time as an imperial spy. Bright green eyes scanned each target, tacking in the positions in which they stood, analyzing the exact placement of each critical hit zone.

Go.

The instant his form became nothing but a blur, his daughter pushed the button to begin the clock. Her ears perked with each sound of a slashing blade slicing the air, hacking at wood, each grunt that her father let out, and each tick that the hands of the clock made. With each slash, his arm vibrated with splinters flying through the air, each slash leaving behind deep cuts on the wood that occasionally would slice completely through the target and each strike hit his intended mark with precision. There was a reason Xavier was the head spy, not just because the emperor had a stronger bound with him than the other spies. With his energy and wits, as well as his experience facing off with the cult and a god, he excelled above the others. He always managed to strike with exact precision.
The instant he came to a halt, finishing his attack after tossing a kuni at the head of his final target, Jane stopped the watch and glanced down at his time. An anxious knot twisted in her stomach, wondering how she was supposed to beat that speed.

5.07 seconds

As she told him this, he smiled with confidence and laughed, sheathing his weapon. "Now, see if you can get a faster time. Remember, it's okay if you don't. This is just practice."

He cracked his neck, followed by cracking his knuckles with individual pops ringing out simultaneously. As he stood next to her, she handed back the watch, then took three steps forward. Jane took in a long, deep breath as she drew her weapon, steadying her feet against the soil. Her mind had to remain completely calm and focused, no distractions. Only able to think of where her blade would strike.
As she took off, Xavier began the timer. Her blade brandished, chopping at wood until splinters flew through the cold winter air. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, rising into her throat then into her ears. The adrenaline pumped through her veins, each swing pulling at her muscles until her shoulder popped and ligaments grew sore.
She came to a stop, panting for breath as she put away her weapon.

"6.09. Not bad!" As Jane saw her father smile, she could not help but to return it. Of course he had to add his own remark which wiped the smile from her cheeks. "Although, some of your strikes missed their point. We will work on that."

Jane huffed, moving a stand of hair away from her eyes. She did not expect spying to be so difficult, then again it was something that she should have expected. It was rough, but seeing her father smile made it all worthwhile, but deep in that gaze, she thought that her eyes could see fear. She rubbed her arm, turning away.

"You're scared for me to take this job, aren't you?"

Xavier was caught off guard, his smile fading away with eyes growing. His pale cheeks grew pink, rubbing his arm as his gaze was cast to the side. A sigh slipped from his mouth before the corner of his lip perked, looking back to his daughter with sparkles like diamonds in his eyes masking the grimness he felt. She knew how he was, protective and paranoid. With the deaths of Luke and Sylvia, how was he suppose to repress that urge to protect?

"Of course I'm worried. Scared?... Perhaps." His expression brightened. "But I know that you will be great at this. You are my daughter after all!"

He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her waist and picking her up, swinging her legs from side to side as he hugged her in a tight embrace. Jane laughed with her face growing red. Only did he stop laughing and set her down when he felt a trembling beneath his feet.

"Dad?" He shushed her, then she too noticed the quiver.

It was quick to fade, bringing relief to the two. Xavier scratched his chin, stating that earthquakes weren't too common in Segatara. They were both quick to brush it off. They both looked up and toward the sound of crunching gravel, looking to a man dressed in light armor and a wide brimmed hat. He bowed to the two to express respect.

"Head spy Xavier?"

The green eyed male nodded. The man continued. "I'll need you to come with me. The emperor has requested your presence in the throne room. It is urgent."

The father and daughter exchanged worried looks to one another that were quick to change for the both. Xavier's smile returned as he agreed to meet with Grayson at his throne, while Jane appeared more sly and eager.
Jane brushed it off, fixing her hair as she stated that she was going to see Kaleb as she turned to leave the empty town, which was surrounded by a forest not too far from the palace, primarily used by training assassins, spies, and occasionally soldiers. Instantly a pit dropped in the male's stomach, mild anxiety creeping up.

Xavier was quick to stop her. "Hold on there las, you're coming with me then you're going with Endy. I don't want you with that boy unsupervised."

Her face turned red. "Dad! I'll be okay! Trust me!"

One of his brows lowered, a fist resting above his hip. Jane looked away, giving into her parent. She wanted to be with her boyfriend, but she was responsible and knew better than to argue against her father when he gave her that expression.

She huffed. "Okay. Alright, but I'm sure Endy will let me see him!"

"If she does, then I'm fine with it. Otherwise...no."

The messenger laughed at the family bickering, causing Jane's blush of embarrassment to deepen. They all left the training ground, cutting across the vast forest between the faulty village and the castle. Once there, they entered into the nearest entrance, heading into the elaborate maze of corridors within the extravagant palace.
...

Drake's point of view-

The hallucination faded, leaving me to sit there until the voices grew more quiet, though they seemed to be refusing to leave my head. I counted to ten and forced myself to breathe until my body stopped shaking along with my mind calming to a degree.
After reading through the book, I was left in shock, as well as curiosity about the apparent ongoing war in the west. Immediately it was apparent that the so called "army dressed in the colors of shadows and blood" were connected to the occult of Herobrine, as obvious by the claims of 'He' written out in blood on the walls of fallen cities. A shiver crawled up my spine at the very thought of those cydistic barbarians.
I recalled what I had seen of them during my time while possessed, the cruel savagery they were caple of, the sick desire in each of their eyes to take innocent lives for the pleasure of themselves and their malevolent god. They were strong, capable of a twisted form of magic known as necromancy. So far in my days of studying magic and its capabilities, I have only ever come across cultists and Herobrine himself utilising necromancy. I considered attempting it out in battle, but while fighting, there is too much to think of beside the twisted act of raising the dead. Besides, what would Grayson and Nathan think if they saw me doing that?
Yet the questions continued to run though my mind. Why was the cult suddenly showing up after eight years in hiding? How were they so powerful? Even back then, the cult was incapable of conquering a massive city without the assistance of Herobrine and the monsters he commanded. Now that Herobrine was gone it became rather difficult to believe that the occult could pose any sort of a threat. Even if they can control necromancy, I had never witnessed the mortals alone conjure enough of the undead to create an entire army capable of bringing down multiple cities.
Another thing that scratched at my mind was the fact that that this did not bring up my dejavu; it did not feel predictable, nor familiar. It felt brand new, intoxicating me with this feeling that I craved. Better than any remedy that I had ever partaken to sooth myself from my own insanity.

"Drake!"

Startled, I jumped up in my seat, the adrenaline rushing through me as I began to panic. In an instant, my thoughts began to run so wild that my head started to ache, the only physical pain I was capable of feeling. As my head whipped to face the voice, all I could see was bright white light followed by the sound of a scream. It only took a second for my vision to clear, spotting a familiar head of blonde with a body draped in a badge trench coat.
The fear crossed to shock and surprise. I had thought that he was one of my hallucinations for a brief moment but I knew that he was real. It seemed that I had involuntarily cast up a spike of energy in attempt to pierce through him, standing slanted beside him like a glimmering pearl spire. He was panting with wide eyes, obviously now terrified for his life.

"Meron! I-" The spike disbursed in a mild flash of light, embers fluttering to the carpet, fading away before they could touch the ground. "I'm sorry! I was startled and-and-" The guilt crawled through my veins.

He laughed it off, obviously forced and nervous. "I-It's okay! I should have taken a better approach knowing about your...well, you know." He began to have a look of regret for the words that nearly came out of his mouth.

Meron was an anxious type, more so shy I should clarify. He was just a mercenary, with no kill or capture count, being only a beginner. As of recently, he had been considering joining the imperial militia properly rather than joining with others who search individually for their next bounty.
Due to his home being in close proximity to the palace and being a friend of Alexa, Lalea allowed him to visit our friends at the palace, everyone instantly forming a bond with him. Meron especially took a liking to Nathan, who decided to help him train in the ways of a proper soldier rather than a standard mercenary for hire. A disciple of sorts I suppose it could be put.

I shrugged it off, pushing down the guilt that was slowly gnawing at me. "N-no, it's...it is fine. Anyway...Is it time to head to the guild already?"

He nodded and confirmed that the answer was indeed so, causing me to ponder on how I had lost track of so much time. My eyes gazed back to the open book on the table, old, brown stains of blood on the paper.

I turned back to my friend with a fake smile that I had near perfected over the years. "Alright, but there's something important I need to relay to emperor Grayson first."

He bubbly replied that he would wait and follow me in the meantime so we did not lose each other in the labyrinth of corridors and rooms. After I equipped the small notebook into my belt, we both froze up as the ground shivered beneath our feet, gently rattling the shelves and torches laid around the library. Everyone seemed to freeze up before looking to the items around them to be sure nothing collapsed, especially the candles with lit wicks. Fortunately, it seemed that everything remained in place once the earth settled, the quake ending almost as soon as it began.

Meron looked around nervously as if waiting for an aftershock. "An...earthquake? We've never gotten those this far north, at least not that I know of."

He was correct. Earthquakes in this portion of the country were rare, more common in the west. Once again, no dejavu. The day just kept getting weirder and weirder and I did not know rather to be wary or greatful. The day that began as a displeasing morning was becoming more satisfying, more pleasant in a sense that others would not understand. I craved the change.

"You are right about that Meron."

As a noble with the duty to research current events that could impact the empire, I was suppose to know the places in which disaster happens the most, from natural disasters to man made warfare. Being commander it was mainly important to myself to know of warfare, which I had now found, but it seemed that natural calamities were threatening to surface as well. Why so sudden? Why do I not feel like I could have predicted this? It did not feel right. It was not right. My blood would have chilled if it were not already ice cold.

I shook my head. "Oh well, nothing we can stop." My eyes looked back to the notebook, then back up to the kid. "Let's just find Grayson so we can get to the guild faster! If I'm anymore late, Lalea will chew me out!" I laughed to ease the tension, making me calm down when he smiled back.

Of coarse I had no clue on Grayson's whereabouts but I had to assume that he was in the throne room, as that was where he spent most of his time when not in personal meetings or out back with Dracey in his stable.
As I began walking, I felt like there were eyes watching me. My head turned, my legs freezing in place when I saw a transparent body in blue, gold, and white. It only took a moment to realize that it was Lalea with a book in hand, smiling as if at me.

"Sir? Are you okay?"

With one forced blink of both eyes, she vanished. I shook my head and turned back to Meron, continuing to follow him. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

A chill crawled down my spine. I was thankful that the hallucination was at least not covered in blood and wounds, speaking how she would be better off if I were dead.
...

Mia's point of view-

It felt so nice to be home, to see the beauty of the palace and the cities below. The image of my friends came to mind. I couldn't wait to see them again!
We were getting off of the airship, watching as soldiers from other aircrafts were unloading and reloading supplies for the war going on in the west. Many of the them covered their wounds in their thick, fancy armor. I always found fascination with the designs, a diamond centered at the base of the neck, wings like an eagle on the shoulders and helmets that covered their eyes like a knight. Drake and Nathan had armor like that, but preferred to wear them only during war.
As I thought of the boys, my focus shifted to a form by the warship draped in red. I could almost see his hazel eyes light up as their focus shifted towards us.
I smiled, turning around to help my team unload the artifacts we had acquired during our expedition. We grabbed the chests that we had filled to the brim, but there was so much that we would have to come back and take the rest after dropping off this load.
My eyes shifted to our newest member of the team, Jeremiah. He exhibited an enthusiasm for archeology that nearly matched my own, becoming excited and spontaneous whenever it came to anything ancient of the sorts.
He wore a single iron shoulder pad with a brown strap across his chest, black pants with dark grey boots and brown hair with brown eyes. As he looked through our findings once more, I chuckled at the bright glimmer of fascination in his dark eyes.

"Do you think the emperor will let me keep any of this?" He asked with a bubbly voice as he examined a large amethyst gen in his gloved hands.

I laughed. "I'm sure he'll let you keep something."

He smiled back up at me before placing the gem back into its chest, locking it up. He struggled to pick the chest up, knees shaking as they threatened to give up, teeth clenched. I couldn't help but to laugh.

"Are you sure that you don't want to grab something lighter?"

He shook his head, hair flopping from side to side. "I'm good." He forced through his teeth, already breaking out into sweat.

"I'll take that." A deep voice said behind him, walking around, placing his helmet over his groomed black hair, then taking the chest from him.

Jeremiah gave the man in heavy armor a scowl. The male wore a mask, and eyepatch over his left eye. He also had on the armor of an imperial guard, the same as the soldiers minus the wings on the shoulders. He closed his visible eye and bowed towards me.

"Welcome back ma'am. Do you need assistance?"

I chortled as I walked around them. "No. I can lift heavy things myself, but thank you."

I walked outside, the sunlight bursting into my eye, squinting for a brief second before they readjusted. My eyes settled upon an old friend of mine who had been a part of the team almost since the archeological team was brought back after the rebellion that granted Grayson his place on the throne.
Back then, those of us traveling together after Drake's apparent death had searched through many different cities and tombs and catacombs, collecting money to fund ourselves as fugitives. Then we hit the jackpot; one of the lost crypts. With the riches we acquired, and the fact that dracey was too young for us to take on the emperor at the time, we put the money into funding a revolution against the throne, which ended in our favor, especially since the kingdom were already revolting to his tyranny.
Anyway, her name was Angie. Her dyed red hair reached down to her waist, but was now in a braid, goggles resting over her forehead. Her eyes were an olive green, a mixture of green and brown. Her clothes were included faded brown overalls, a white shirt, and leather boots. Her attire was rather miner-like, matching with her occupation and spunky yet hardcore attitude.

"Nice to be home again. The emperor is going to be so excited about what we've found!"

I laughed, my heart racing. "Definitely!" If not for the heavy wooden chest against my own chest of flesh, I would have jumped up and down in excitement. "Trust me, Grayson is going to be absolutely thrilled!"

She laughed before walking around me, going to get some of the loot. The guard walked out before she passed through the doorway, giving a bow of respect. After she entered, I watched as Jeremiah walked out with another chest, still visible struggling but having more luck with smaller chest he help. He gave me a smile with his clenched teeth, which caused me to laugh for some reason. I suppose I just liked how he was determined, how he wanted to prove himself; a little too hard I might add but it was entertaining nonetheless.
My head turned when I heard the guard speak, followed by a familiar light voice. I smiled once more as Nathan walked up onto the deck, greeting the guard and Samantha as they walked down the ramp with chests of treasure. Nathan turned and exchanged a soft smile that revealed his white teeth towards me, hazel eyes glimmering in the light despite his hat setting a shadow over his face. Every time I saw those eyes, a part of me half expected to see them glazed over. I still had dreams where he was blind even though he recovered his sight years ago.

He laughed as he walked towards me, obviously wanting to shake my hand as he lifted them up, but then realized that my arms were full. "Mia! Welcome back! Allow me to take that m' lady."

I wondered why he always called me that, something so affectionate but I supposed that it was because he wanted to be respectful as he usually tried to be, accept for when it came to Xavier, who he always jokes around with in a teasing manner. He took the chest away from me, buckling a bit from its weight. I watched as his eyes grew and face deepened in red coloration.

He chuckled, though it was suppressed thanks to the weight he was trying to bare. "Wow! You really did come back with a lot this time!"

I laughed once more as I placed a hand against my hip. "Of course! Archeology is my passion after all!"

He laughed. "This is heavy! You must be strong for a girl."

A small flame lit in my eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?! Women are just as capable as men!"

The hazel eyed backed up, surly not meaning for his words to come out the way they did. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean it like that, i-its just..!" His face grew incredibly red. "You know i have nothing against girls. You're my best friend after all!"

My smile returned, trying to keep myself from laughing but inevitably failed. "I know, Nathan. And...thank you."

After a glance towards each other, I spun on my heels and went back to the inside of the airship, looking over to see Dante looking down at one of the maps in a scroll. His eyes examined it with intense interest, lost into the labyrinth of color splotches and lines. I walked up to him, his dark chocolate eyes looking up to me as my presence snapped him out of his focus.

"Oh, Mia! Sorry, it's just that I have taken much interest in this." He spoke with a slight accent but I could not figure out what his native tongue could have been, nor did he speak in a different language. Occasionally something forien would slip out, but he would always bite his tongue.

He was dark skinned with short, curly black hair. He also wore dark pants with a grey shirt and a hooded black jacket. His rolled up the map, tying a string around the middle to keep it rolled up, then handed it over to me.

"It's alright Dante. Now then, care to help?"
...

Third person point of view-

Grayson greeted the elf and her team, consisting of one elf, being herself and four humans, Dante, Angie, Samantha, and their new member, Jeremiah.
A bright smile was on the emperor's face that grew wider as a laugh rose up, echoing with delight. Beside Mia and the other archaeologists stood Nathan, standing close to Mia with a smile on his face.
The elf stood with bright lime green eyes, two scars around her left eye; one above and another beneath her eye. There was another scar on her chin, along with many others upon her frail body shrouded from her clothing.
Her face held a bright glittering smile, hardly able to contain herself as she held a few scrolls and maps against her chest, hopping up and down by lifting herself up and down on her heels.

Nathan laughed with pink cheeks, placing a hand on her shoulder in hopes that it would calm her down. "Mia, relax."

She turned to him with wide eyes and small pupils, causing him to pull his hand away and step back. "You know better than to tell me to relax when it comes to my job!"

The auburn let out a nervous chuckle as he looked away, blush deepening. She was not hostile with her words, in fact it was somewhat playful. His eyes lifted to gaze back to the emperor, standing straight with his arms behind his back. The archaeologists had dropped off their findings into the treasury, safe and secure. Mia handed Grayson one of the scrolls, her arm shaking with excitement.
The royal held out his hand and took it, unveiling the mysteries that it held inside. The elf once again began hopping up and down, the general beside her not even bothering to restrain her this time around.
Grayson opened up the scroll, his emerald eyes scanning the paper quickly before growing. He immediately recognized what was supposed to be made of the splotches of grey, green, beige, blue, and white. In the lower right corner were arrows pointed in different direction towards north, east, south, west and directions between. The sheet was covered in scribbling that created foreign enscripions that he could not decipher nor make out by any means in the slightest.

"Mia, this is a map! You found this on your expedition?"

The elf nodded vigorously until her head spun. "Yeah! You should have seen everything that we found, Grayson! Enderium, gold, all sorts of precious gems and artifacts!" She was on the edge of drooling over herself until Nathan put a hand on her chin and closed it. She shook her head with a growl.

Nathan laughed with pink cheeks, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from hopping up and down sporadically once more. "Relax, Mia. Try not to pass out before telling Grayson everything."

She rolled her eyes before looking back to her friend. "Right. Anyway, we're going to be taking most of this to the treasury. It's all well worth five hundred marks at most!"

Grayson took a few seconds to rip his eyes away from the map once more. "Have you figured out what language this writing is in?" He said up straight on his throne, emerald eyes bright with curiosity.

Dante shook his head. "I have not figured out a majority of it," His smile widened. "But it is a magic map that reveals more about the location the closer you get. It changed since we left so we know that. We also saw a riddle of sorts that took awhile to figure out with Angie's help!" He let out a nervous laugh, Angie straightening out her back in proudness.

She was a wiz with different languages, this one was a rare one, only known as the language of the barbarians. The only one who was more fluent in other languages was Drake, who studied different ones over the years to drown out the boredom.

"The riddle was 'said to hold riches taken from the Great War of Minecraftia itself, now lost to the human eye. Guarded by magic so powerful that no man has set foot inside since its creation'. It also seems that it can only be opened by magic, meaning that a Mage or a group will have to come along"

"Well, we have Drake and the magi guild. I'll see rather or not they'll accept the offer to go."

The emperor looked puzzled, eyes scanning over the map, holding it in different positions as if the angle would reveal a new perspective upon the writing or perhaps a clue hidden in plain sight. Unfortunately it remained only a shambolic cluster of scribbling.

Mia swallowed to clear her throat, her voice growing unusually calm. "What if it is one of the lost crypts?'

Grayson eyes grew wide as they looked back up to the head archeologist, visibly shaking with excitement. "I-I can't believe it! A-are you sure that this might be one?"

Mia giggled and nodded, putting her hands in front of her legs as if attempting to restrain herself. "Of course! Well, we can't be completely sure but we can go check it out for ourselves to be sure. Can you imagine what might be in there?"

The emperor leaned back in his throne, fantasizing what awaited within the ancient crypt. "Riches beyond our comprehension. Perhaps with that I can do something about the war and our allies without damaging the economy of our own kingdoms! I won't have to ask for peasant taxes! This is great!"

Their eyes lit up, beside Mia, none were brighter than Nathan's. No more taxing the poor? The general was once in that state, out on the streets, nearly starved to death due to emperor Alduin's taxation of the poor. He sympathized with anyone who scrimmaged for a proper life, peasants and slaves primarily, a weakness yet stronghold.
Grayson was always generous and tried to avoid having the lower class pay as much as they had before he had taken rule over the kingdoms. Even then, there were always those in power, lords and dukes, higher class men who threatened rebellion if they were taxed instead. Grayson reduced what needed to payed from the poor, but he despised that he still had to take money from them. This could help fix it, it could assist with the threat of revolt against his throne as well.

Grayson hopped up from his throne, nearly slipping on his prosthetic but he remained firmly planted upon the tile of the floor. "We have to check this out, Mia! I've been looking for this since...before my family died! I can't pass this up!"

Angie was the one to protest. "Sire, are you stating that you...want to come with us to find it? What if it isn't what we think it is? Besides, are you sure that you want to leave your kingdoms so suddenly?"

The blonde waved it off with a chuckle. "Emmit can take care of the kingdoms while I'm gone. I assume that it will only be a day or two, three at most."

He rolled up the map, handing it back to the elf as he insisted that he needed to confront the idea to Emmit and his council as soon as possible. He informed Nathan to stay there to wait for Xavier and for Mia and her team to go plan for another expedition.
...

The general paced as he waited for his friend to arrive and for Grayson to return from the council. I did not take long for he silence that kept over the great hall to be washed away, multiple pairs of footsteps growing louder from one of the corridors. One pair of footsteps were heavy with the clang of metal, the other two were quick and light.
The general smiled softly as the head spy entered into the grand hall from one of the corridors, a guard and his daughter by his sides. The white, red, blue, and a dash of purple light shined down on them from the lavishing stained glass windows as they made their way across the room.

"Xavier! Nice to see you miday for once!" He then turned to Jane. "Hello sweetheart,"

Jane smiled. "Hi uncle Nathan."

Before she could get much else past her lips, the two men began at it. As usual, Xavier instigated it.

"So, how's training your recruits going four fingers?" Jane rolled her eyes, once again beginning to wish that she was with Endy and Kaleb instead.

Nathan giggled. "It's going well, crazy eyes."

"How's it going with Mia? Still nothing?"

The general sighed. "I'm not trying to make a move on her. I'm perfectly fine with staying single..." His face went flush.

The two fell into silence before Xavier began to laugh out of nowhere. It caused everyone around him to jump. The Englishman insisted to the younger male that he wasn't going to die out on the field any time soon, but Nathan only looked away with his auburn hair falling over his face, the uneasy silence crawling back.
That was why he stayed single. Death awaited around every corner for him and he refused to allow a girl to suffer if he were to ever lose his life and leave her behind.
Their heads both lifted as they heard footsteps, looking over to the tall figure walking up from their right. Drake smiled, coming to a halt before the two. Meron nearly ran into him from behind, but swiftly walked around before he did.

"Hey guys! What are you two doing here?"

He wanted to speak with Grayson again, not just because of his new discovery of the enemy they were facing, but as well as wanting to apologize for his behavior earlier in the day. He knew that it was rather childish and selfish to act in such a way, the very memories of his actions causing a sense of shame within himself. He hated when he acted that way and yet whenever his fuse was lit, it was nearly impossible to put out.

Nathan spoke up first. "Grayson called us here. He did not explain why but it seems to be rather important."

A pit dropped in the hybrid's stomach. Something had to be going on, and not anything good at that. The only time they were called to be brought together was for friendly meetings or... Drake's fists balled.
All five looked up as Grayson called out that he had returned.
He stopped when he saw Drake, his smile fading as his expression turned blank then almost worried. He swallowed a lump in his throat before continuing over to his throne, standing in front of it rather than sitting down. His eyes kept moving to the hybrid despite that he was trying to keep his focus on the two humans. Having him in the room while discussing this made him anxious. He closed his eyes, taking in a breath to clear his throat.

"Nathan, Xavier. As you know, I called you here for an important reason." He could see Drake's wrist twitch out of the corner of his eye. "Next week, you two are going to be deployed to the west."

All eyes went wide, Drake's teeth clenched. Objections began to run wild through his head, this anger that suddenly appeared from nowhere within him, burning hotter and hotter until it exploded.

"Wait! What about me?! Grayson, they need me out there! You know that, you had to have seen those men who returned this morning. I can stop those casualties!"

"Drake, enough!"

He hated to raise his voice at his best friend, hated to watch him flinch and step back as if he expected him to hurt him. He sighed and turned back to the humans, his arms behind his straightened back.

"The council has allowed the archeology crew to head out to the west as long as the location that the map leads to is a safe distance from the war zone. Along with that," His smile returned. "I will be heading with them. I should return before you two are sent out with the rest of your regiments. You are dismissed. I need to speak with Drake privately."

They all bowed, each turning to leave the palace. Meron watched Nathan as he left, his eyes then turning to look up at Drake, his hair blocking his furrowed eyebrows from his sight, even then he knew that the commander was frustrated.

"I'll wait for you outside by the door. Okay?"

Drake did not reply. The teen looked to the ground as he turned to walk out of the grand hall. Drake watched as he left before he felt a gentle touch on his arm, his head turned, looking into the emerald eyes of his best friend. He watch the light sparkle within them, the movement of his scarred lips as he spoke with a gentle tone.

"Drake, Mia found one of the lost crypts!"

For a moment, Drake's frustrations were washed away in a look of shock. He asked if this were true, the blonde making it more clear that they were not positive and that was why he was planning on being sent out with the archaeologists.

"Anyway," He continued. "Apparently the door can only be opened by magic. Perhaps you would like to come as well? Perhaps the entire magi guild can come along!"

Drake's face scrunched in worry and doubt. "I'm not sure. I'll ask them, but Lalea has to stay behind to watch Landen and Endy has a school to run. But I will ask what the others have to say though."

Drake took a step backwards, preparing to turn around in order to leave, but his body froze in place. The blood in Grayson's veins chilled as his friend let his brows cross the obvious frustration returning to his demeanor. Drake once again spun around to face Grayson, his stern expression staring him down.

"Grayson... I need to go out with the other legions handling the war."

Grayson closed his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. "Drake, you have a wife and a daughter to take care o-"

Drake cut him off. "And those other soldiers don't?! Men who I could have saved, who could have seen their families again if I was out there to save them! Slaves are being killed and tortured because I'm not there for them!"

The tension within Drake himself grew. The voices grew louder, dark smoke before his eyes like a phantom image in the genesis stage of making an appearance in his eyes. Drake shook his head, the voice crying out.

They're dead because you didn't save them.

Grayson doesn't trust you with their lives. Why would he after you've shed so much innocent blood?

Grayson's voice caused the disembodied voice to dial down. "Drake...what's gotten into you really? You said that the voices and hallucinations were getting worse? Perhaps you should go get some rest."

Drake shook his head. Rest was the last thing he needed and the last thing he would get. He did not need it nor did he desire it. His eyes shifted to his large pocket where the soldier's journal was pouched. His hand slipped over it, fingernails digging into the thick leather of the torn cover.

"No. I...many things are getting me on edge. This is one of them." He pulled out the notebook, holding it for Grayson to take and examine. The emperor gave him a puzzled glance before he did just so, taking the book and opening it up to let his eyes glaze over it's content.

Drake waited only a few seconds before cutting in. "What we're dealing with...I believe is the cult of Herobrine."

All of the guards around the room felt the hairs in the backs of their necks stand on end at the mention of that horrendous name. Grayson's eyes moved up to stare into his friend's own, although they hid little surprise or shock, remaining relatively unfazed.

"I don't know why they're suddenly showing up or what they're planning, but I know that it cannot be good. If they've gotten this powerful then...they can bring us down!"

Grayson shook his head. "Relax buddy. We have it taken care of."

"Grayson, if they're in the West and heading northeast, that means that they're approaching imperial territory! Shouldn't we take precautions and let me take care of them before they inflict anymore damage or perhaps...?"

Grayson lowered a brow, watching as Drake stared straight ahead, entranced in thought. "Perhaps what?"

The hybrid, with trembling lips, looked back to his comrade with a look that Grayson had not seen in his eyes for years; worry. "What if they're trying to get to the portal to free Herobrine?"

After a moment of his eyes going wide in realization, his expression painted on a scowl of anger. "We won't allow that. We have constant watch over the portal and we'll be sure that they are taken out before they get remotely close to the sacred lands. We have you and Dracey after all!" His time and facial expression brightened.

Grayson handed him back the book, but Drake was still left with an uneasy feeling crawling up his back. Grayson's aura shifted after revealing who their enemies were, but it was not shock. Rather so, it was guilt.
Drake took the book, slipping it into his pocket. His eyes never tore away from Grayson as the blonde turned around, as if he could no longer look him in the eye, but from what he could see, that expression was a familiar one.

"Grayson, do you...Is there something you're not telling me?"

He looked over his shoulder, only giving a quick glance to his friend before his eyes averted to the floor. His fingers that he had in the pockets of his pants were gently shaking, heart beating faster with anxiety. He opened his mouth, closing it as he found that it had become dry, his sweat draining the moisture from his body.

"I've known, Drake. I've known that it's the cult."

The eyes of the half Enderman grew. Grayson knew this entire time? The anger that persisted in his feelings, anger that he he could not keep subsidied, crawled back into the surface of his emotions. He bore his sharp teeth, a high pitched ring echoing on marble walls.

"How long have you known?" Drake hissed through his clenched molars.

It took a moment for Grayson to reply. "About a month. Almost since the war began."

Drake shook his head as he took a step back. All of those people who died... All of those families and lives left in ruins... Why would his best friend keep this from him? His fingernails, if not for the fact that he wore gloves and his skin could not be injured, would have cut through his flesh from the force of his clenched fists against his palm.

"Why didn't you f**king tell me?!"

Grayson stood tall to defend his position. "It's the cult, Drake! They know more about Herobrine, more about your powers than anyone! If they find a way to kill you...!"

Drake's crossed eyebrows lifted as he witnessed tears willing in his companions eyes like shining diamonds or dews reflecting light upon freshly watered grass.

Grayson took in a few deep breaths, the tears threatening to begin slowly running down his now pink cheeks. "I'd never forgive myself."

"It's not fair that the emperor gets to pick favorites!"

The emotions spiraled inside of him like a tornado, hot and cold, anger and guilt. The headache grew, causing him to clench his head with a hiss slipping past his teeth. The anger became clouded with guilt, feeling sick to his stomach. He spun around to face away from Grayson.

"I know that if it weren't for me, you would have..." He bit his lip, shutting his tight to hold tears from the thought. "But you've lived through my death once and survived. Don't chose me before your kingdoms. My life isn't worth the many that are being lost out there. It's one life for the lives of many."

Grayson wiped the tears away as Drake marched off. He wished that his friend was not like that, numb with not only his own emotions but non-understanding of the emotions of others. After he was freed from possession, he came back as a new man, and not for the better.

Before leaving, Drake looked over his shoulder. "By the way, I'm sorry about earlier...It was rude of me and... I'm sorry for yelling right now...I...I'm sorry."

Drake walked out of the palace as the guards opened up the front door, stepping out into the sunlight to greet Meron waiting for him. Meron greeted him with a smile, until he noticed the hybrid wiping away tears.

"Drake? What happened?"

Drake let his arm fall back down to his side, putting on a, though rather weak, fake smile. "Nothing...I just need to relax. A nice walk and some magic will help!"

Meron's smile returned, also weak with the knowledge that his commander was still troubled but based on everything he had seen, Drake did not particularly like talking about his true feelings. He seemed to lie about them a lot and with his statement, there was definitely something he was holding back from him.
As Drake walked down the steps, Meron was quick to follow, looking up to the hybrid with bright eyes. That gaze brought the smile back to the hybrid's face.
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