Barracks,

Raynor Castle,

Central Nua,

Back at Raynor Palace, inside in the showroom of the Castle, Imperial Captains have assembled. The number must be slightly over thirty men. General Orham Dhyule stands magnificently in front of them all on the top of a podium. Beside him are two of his chief guardsmen. The soldiers in the vicinity already know why they are there as rumours flood the Castle. Regardless, Orham wants to socially solidify some of his most trusted men in order to do as the King planned. Once Orham scans the room making sure every man is present, they all go silent as they settle, ready for his speech.

“When a threat arises against the King, the unified soldiers of Nua heed the call” General Orham shouted out.

There are constant nods of agreement with the General amongst the crowd of Captains in his front.

“You are all aware of the issue of concern regarding the magnicks.” The General says again as he raises his voice. “Not chosen by God Almighty, these magnicks are all cursed with magica and are a threat to the kingdom!” he continues.

Doubt is clearly written in the faces of a few of the men in this showroom. However, the Imperial General knows exactly what to say to get them on level. First he explains the situation as straightforward as possible.

“It is true, the King has set a new order that magnicks should be imprisoned and then eventually be executed by example. This is the will of Nua!” said the General who acknowledges their efforts so they can support the cause. “I can see many familiar faces here today, some men of age where as others up and comers with youth and a promising rank. You men of glory who fought to restore the kingdom after the era of preservation. But with the kingdom now restored, we have to secure it. Those of you who are strong and want to walk the path of a true warrior may step up. Who’s with me!” he further elaborates.

“Yeah!” shouted out a variety of soldiers up front.

“For Nua” shouted an Imperial Captain at the center of the room.

“I will gladly follow you over the horizon General” shouted a man beside the Imperial Captain.

Smiling frantically, the General is happy that he has inspired his men. Even the ones in doubt are moved by his words, moved enough to go through with King Yomato’s ambition.

Throne Room,

Raynor Castle,

Central Nua,

Parallel to the speech given, a secret meeting has just taken place in the Throne Room, located at the centre of the Palace. King Yomato is speaking to two of his talented and skilled personal knights. He is sat on the royal throne whilst the two of them are stood a relative distance from him. There are no other soldiers present as the three converse. Yomato’s higher ranking personal knight, Rosa is stood slightly closer than Lance the other knight of assistance. Rosa is equipped with light armour and a light weight sword; her dark brown hair is also tied back like a pony tail. Lance however, looking more dangerous out of the two wears tight but heavier armour than his superior of the same position. At the moment he isn’t equipped with a weapon. The conversation between the party relates to the possible troubles the King may face against those who may plan to betray him and Hyperion Shadowbreaker, the Saint General is the subject of talk for this meeting.

“That Hyperion, he could be trouble to the cause.” claimed King Yomato.

“It’s unfortunate because the Battalion of the Saints see him as royalty as his predecessor and father Imperius governed them with apparent grace” replied Lance.

“I am aware of this Lance and I would much rather have him by my side rather than against me.” Yomato mentioned.

Rosa, the King’s female personal Knight can see where this conversation is going. She knows the King really wants the Saint hero out of the way. She hastens the conversation and looks away as she directs it into talk of conspiracy and malevolency.

“If his will was to faulter, then what would you have us do about it?” Rosa questioned.

“More than you’d like to take on but in order to prevent a civil war it’s imperative that you monitor him” King Yomato instructed.

“We understand…However, what should happen if he chooses to go against your wish?” Lance asked.

King Yomato simply gives the thumbs down hand sign, an indication of purging and one his officers know all too well.

“Oh…I understand what that means.” Lance replied.

“How ill fated for Nua’s prodigy” Rosa added.

Portland Dock,

Portland Shores,

Southern Nua,

Just as the King finalises the discussion with his two personal officers, far south of the continent, two travellers have arrived on the Southern Nuan Shores. The small merchant ship docks on the port. The two travellers are no other than Artemus and Ariel. Artemus jumps down onto the jetty whereas Ariel walks downwards across the small bridge Artemus had just connected to his ship at the docking platform on the mainland. Despite being blind, Ariel’s hearing senses are heightened and with the metallic boots she is wearing, the noise they make as she walks allows her to sense around her surroundings. Artemus breathes in the fresh air, embracing the aroma of the people and the environment of the dock. He’s at ease, finally back at his continent. He closes his eyes briefly as the wind gently slides past his hair. Artemus grabs a gadget from his pocket, it’s an advanced communication device developed in Shinda, known as a Crome Device. He types a message on the gadget which says “Brother, I have just arrived in Nua. I will meet you in Abadar as planned”. As soon as he sends the message, Ariel who had heard him repetitively pressing buttons taps Artemus softly on the back to get his attention.

“What are you doing Arty?” Ariel asked.

“I’ve just messaged Hyperion to inform him that I’ve arrived that’s all.” Artemus replied.

“Oh I see” said Ariel.

“You know the situation in Nua is really bad…” Artemus began to surmise.

“Well that I already know. Isn’t that why we’re here?” Ariel replied.

“Yes and the kingdoms fall has already begun. King Tharal has sent his soldiers all over Nua to round up the magnicks to rid them of the land. It’s only a matter of time before the rebellion. You know what to do if I’m not back within two weeks right?” Artemus questioned.

“You’ve explained all of it already. We’ve already been through this” replied Ariel.

“This is important and that’s why we’ll go through it again” said Artemus.

“Aww…come on…I know already. If you fail to get back in the elapsed time we agreed on then I’ll return to Shinda and sell everything, including the ship then live a sheltered life of secrecy. I know the plan all too well” Ariel complained.

“Also, this is a tough region for the weak so you know what to do if anyone suspicious tries to harm you or get to the ship…” Artemus mentioned.

“Then they’ll get their what for” claimed Ariel.

A breath nearly leaves Artemus nose as he chuckles slightly at Ariel’s remark.

“That’s right give them what for” Artemus replied.

Standing on the land with a clenched fist, Artemus smiles. He feels secure that Ariel will do right by him despite her physical disability.

“I’ll leave the Ship in your hands” he summarized.

Artemus walks onwards deeper into the land towards the road leading to the dock town nearby. As he walks off, Ariel senses his presence is no longer around. She is set to stay in the Southern Shores, the edge of the region of Portland. Remembering what she was told, she has an idea of the location where they are currently at. Ariel knows that Portland is a land that had minor conflict in warzone battles between the regions in the last thousand years or so. She concludes that her temporary stay in the area will most likely be safe. As for Artemus, her companion on a quest, the worry on her mind unsettles her.