I am Lena Wolf, Lena's life as it happens Options

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - Romance

"Must be nice to walk with a female who has no qualms taking her clothes off in your presence," said Ser Octavio at the camp where Lena and Scorpio had stopped for the night. "Do you to do 'it' a lot?" He grinned.

"We do not do 'it' at all," Scorpio answered coldly. "Not that it is any of your business."

"Oh come now!" Ser Octavio was still grinning, not offended by Scorpio's rebuff. "You pawns may not be human they say, but I don't see any difference. And neither do the girls in the lower town in Gran Soren."

"Yes, we have the same bodily functions and needs," Scorpio softened his reply. "But it has nothing to do with anything. Wolf and I have a different type of relationship altogether."

"As long as it is one that involves her taking her clothes off, I wouldn't mind it either," Ser Octavio kept grinning. "I wish we had women in our ranks," he sighed.

"It's probably best that you don't," Scorpio said quietly and returned to the tent where Lena was just waking up. "Coffee?" He handed her a cup. "Ser Octavio does make a decent brew, even if I can't say the same for his conversation."

"Oh, do not let me stop you from tending to your bodily needs," Lena grinned. "Even if there are no women around except this one who sleeps with a dagger under her pillow."

"But who cannot resist being hit on the head with a rock," Scorpio smirked. "I told you - some women prefer..."

"Yeah, I get it!!" Lena cut him off, nearly spilling her hot coffee. "I didn't think she'd actually do it! I never gave her any reason to think I'd be even remotely interested!!"

"No, let's see," Scorpio looked pensive. "You chatted her up in the castle gardens to start with. You agreed to meet with her maid after dark. You accepted her invitation to visit her in her bedchamber at night. You actually showed up! And then you came all the way to this remote Northern Prison to rescue her, while again visiting her in her bedchamber... What else was the lady to think?"

"That I accidentally bumped into her in the gardens to start with and was simply making polite conversation? That I thought her request was odd, having met the Duke before, and went to investigate? That I was actually more interested in the Duke's behaviour than in her person? That I didn't think she deserved to die even after she betrayed me?" Lena glared at him. "None of this implies any kind of romantic attraction! She's a woman, for gods' sakes! And I..."

"...prefer men, I noticed," Scorpio grinned. "Don't think I didn't see the way you looked at that knight from her guard, visor or no visor."

"Well, yes, I might have found him appealing," Lena grinned too. "But I didn't hit him on the head with a rock for it."

...

"Another day, another cyclops," Lena sighed after yet another fight on the way back to Gran Soren. "Let's take a break and actually eat some lunch for a change..." She motioned Scorpio towards the hillside. "Before Ser Octavio's excellent pies go stale."

Scorpio didn't argue. He too was feeling tired - perhaps Lena's emotional ordeal of the day before was rubbing off onto him after all. They cleared the hillside of snow harpies, picked a nice spot among the meagre greenery and spent a relaxing afternoon overlooking a Northern landscape with its tall pines, wild apple trees, short dry grass, thorny bushes and rugged rocks protruding from the earth at odd angles. They watched a pack of direwolves lazily lounge on a rock formation, a flock of snow harpies circle around an ox carcass and a group of bandits ambush the road. The air was cool but not cold, the food was plentiful, and for once Lena decided that chasing the dragon could wait.

The nightfall caught them by surprise. Normally Lena would have welcomed the opportunity to travel at night and face nighttime foes, but she felt reluctant to do so that evening. Perhaps she was still tired, or perhaps something else was weighing on her. There was no camp nearby however, nowhere to spend the night, and staying on the hillside was counter-productive if one wanted to avoid the fighting.

"The cave of the Dragonforged is just North of here," Scorpio reminded her. "Perhaps he'll let us spend the night there?" It was worth a try.

...

"What brings you here, Arisen of the present day?" The Dragonforged greeted Lena as they entered. "Do you already know what it is you wish to know?"

"Some of it, yes," Lena smiled. "Forgive me if it sounds too forward, but is your companion in fact your pawn?"

"That is an unexpected question," the Dragonforged raised an eyebrow. "Do you not wish to ask aught of the dragon? No? You wish to know about my pawn instead?" Lena felt his piercing gaze on her but didn't lower her eyes and did not falter. "Very well," the Dragonforged smiled. "Yes, this is my pawn."

"But he has no pawn print," Lena walked up to the pawn and asked him to show his hand with a polite bow. "He is a pawn no longer."

"He is, and he is not," the Dragonforged continued in his ever-enigmatic manner.

"Are you still a pawn?" Lena decided she'd paid enough courtesy to the Dragonforged and could now address his pawn directly.

"It is as my master says," he replied. "I am, and I am not. I no longer answer to the Legion, yet I exist only in the shadow of my master. Were he to perish, so would I."

"This is confusing," Lena had to admit, looking at each of them in turn. "But you are immortal, are you not?" She asked the Dragonforged.

"I am bound to the dragon," he replied, as if that answered Lena's question. She shook her head and looked at Scorpio in desperation.

"Perhaps the meaning will become clear later on," he said quietly. "Remember Selene - her pawn print also disappeared after her Arisen had died of old age."

"Yes, about that," Lena turned to the Dragonforged again. "Forgive me - but does an Arisen continue to age even without the heart? Like that..."

"...like the Arisen of Selene?" The Dragonforged sat down on his favourite chair. "I know of her. Yes, you continue to age and can die of old age if you decide not to pursue the dragon. As the dragon only comes every fifty years, it is entirely possible to die of old age before the next Arisen slays the dragon."

"Before the next Arisen slays the dragon?" Lena repeated his words, letting the meaning sink in. "Because the dragon has the Arisen's heart... So should the dragon die, so will the Arisen." The Dragonforged inclined his head in agreement. "...so will all Arisen whose hearts the dragon holds..." Lena walked around the room, stunned by the meaning of this. "Does the dragon still hold your heart as well?" She faced the Dragonforged.

"Indeed he does," he replied. "I fell in the duel with the dragon, I should be dead. I failed to retrieve my heart. The dragon made me into what I am now."

"And that was a very long time ago," Lena prompted him.

"A thousand years or more," he nodded. "I lost count. Very few Arisen live long enough to even face the dragon."

"And many don't even try," Lena added. "But..." She looked at him with worry.

"No, that question is best left unasked for now." Scorpio stood behind her, with his arm around her waist, and she understood what his words meant - the question about the Duke and his purported slaying of the dragon, if asked and answered aloud, would put events out of sequence. It was enough that everyone in the room knew what she was about to ask, and also knew the answer.

"He who knows what I know, knows it well," the pawn of the Dragonforged said quietly.

"Might we spend the night in your home?" Lena suddenly changed the topic, turning to the Dragonforged. "I feel the dangers of the night might overwhelm me at present."

...

"What do you make of them, master?" The pawn of the Dragonforged asked, once Lena and Scorpio were asleep in the adjoining chamber. "Her pawn's hand print is very dim."

"He's still a pawn and she's still his Arisen," the Dragonforged looked pensive. "The Legion still has hold on him. I don't understand why they released Selene... Her Arisen certainly did nothing for it to happen. We don't have all the answers, my friend," he looked at his pawn with fondness of an age long friendship. "But these two... who knows. Perhaps they will learn more than we ever could."

...

"You seem wistful and distracted lately," Scorpio started carefully as he and Lena were crossing the mountain South of Gran Soren. The narrow mountain pass wedged between high walls of rock made the place feel private somehow, harpies notwithstanding. "What is weighing on your mind?"

"Bonds," Lena answered absent-mindedly. "Several people, including the Duke's wife, have entered my life recently, with needs of love, lust, protection, or... I don't even know what! Why did Selene take over my house?" She looked at Scorpio in confusion. "I don't understand... I never led anyone on... or so I thought..." She shook her head and resumed walking.

"You are the Arisen, the hero of this time," Scorpio caught up with her. "Some of those people simply want to be connected to the hero, without caring too much for your person."

"Now, that I can understand!" Lena smirked. "Madeleine, for one. Asking for fifty-five thousand gold coins to offset her travel expenses!" Lena scoffed. "At least with Madeleine you know where you are - her affection has nothing to do with love what-so-ever."

"But you didn't give her the money."

"Obviously not."

"Even though you have more than ten times as much in the bank, and so many bits of armour and weapons as to raise double that amount."

"True."

"Then why did you not help her out?" Scorpio squinted at Lena.

"Because why would I?" Lena squinted back. "Who is she to me, exactly? A shop keeper. No more."

"Hmm."

They walked in silence for a while.

"Yet you gave gifts to several other shop keepers," Scorpio said suddenly. It seemed he was trying to work it out as well.

"Travelling merchants, yes," Lena nodded. "And I didn't give them money, but something that they could actually use."

"Health and stamina potions."

"Exactly."

"But why?"

"Because I found their services valuable and their manners pleasant. Because I want them to continue providing those services. Because they never asked for any intimate favours!" She finally burst out. "May be that's it."

"So, it bothers you when people ask personal things of you," Scorpio concluded.

"Some people, yes," Lena nodded. "Well, most people."

"Hmm."

The secluded corridor between two walls of rock was about to end and open to the Southern Waycastle. Lena slowed her steps, then turned around and started walking back.

"Ser Maximilian," Scorpio said casually. "You like him, don't you?"

"I like him more than most, yes," Lena nodded. "He's got a good head on his shoulders. But he's a soldier and has to follow orders. He's got the right balance though, I think."

"You will need to give him more gifts and pay him more attention if you want anything to come of it though."

"What?!" Lena stopped dead, staring at Scorpio. "What come of what?"

"You have to be honest with yourself. You know very well what I mean," Scorpio looked at her sternly. "Think on that. Come on, we were going South." He turned around and started walking South, with Lena eventually following.

...

The Witchwood was foggy, as always. They walked through the woods looking for a rare herb that someone wanted for their cooking. It made no sense to Scorpio, other than that Lena wanted to get away from it all. There was no one in the woods, it was quiet and peaceful, apart from a few wolves.

They came to the grave of Selene's Arisen, but no ghost appeared this time. Instead, a person of flesh and blood was sitting by the grave. Lena wanted to turn around, not wishing to disturb him, but he got up, greeted her and pointed at an ancient tablet resting on the gravestone.

"This is an ancient text in wyrmspeak. You should take it, Arisen. The Faith knows how to read such texts, and their services are free. I could read it for you as well, but my fees are highter. What will it be?"

"Err..." Lena was taken aback. "Do I know you? Are you trying to sell this tablet to me?"

"Not at all," the man shook his head. "I am just a traveling scholar."

He offered no further explanation of his presence there, and Lena thought that he didn't look like a scholar at all... But she took the tablet, nevertheless. Something about it was intriguing.

South of Witchwood lay Cassardis, and Lena suddenly felt the need to return there, even though it wasn't her birthplace at all, and "her" house was now Selene's. Still, everyone called her "cousin", and she could use the friendliness. Scorpio too liked the village, it seemed. They spent a few days there doing practically nothing, sitting on the beach, chatting with the locals, eating fish... "An Arisen's life is hard, come, rest a while, cousin!" People thought it was only right. At some point Lena thought that perhaps the priest at the local chapel would be able to read the strange tablet in wyrmspeak. They brought it to him, but he couldn't read it. "I know someone who can, however," he said, somewhat uncertain. "That is, I never met him myself. But there's a hill North of Gran Soren, with a drawing on the hillside, and there..."

"The old man on the hill, of course!" Lena beamed at him. "Indeed. Thank you." It seemed they had to return to the Dragonforged.

...

"Ah, the tablet presented itself to you as well," the Dragonforged held it for a moment, then returned it to Lena. "I held it once before, too. It represents whatever you hold most dear."

"A stone tablet?" Lena was confused. She held it in both hands, and suddenly there was a flash of light, the tablet vanished, and Lena held a golden ring.

"A ring," the Dragonforged nodded. "What you hold most dear, is other people."

"So? Am I to wed?" Lena was even more confused now. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It is called an Arisen's Bond, not quite a wedding ring," the Dragonforged explained. "More powerful than that. Give it to the person you wish to have an eternal bond with, and if they accept, the bond will be sealed. The magic within is immensely strong."

"Oh, this is easy," Lena smiled, turning to Scorpio. "I never wish to lose you again, my friend. Will you accept this bond?" She held the ring in her open hand.

"Never to lose you again," said Scorpio, taking it.

There was a flash of light and the ring vanished.

"You cannot give it to a pawn," the Dragonforged said flatly. "No point - he is already bound to you anyway."

"But I nearly lost him once!" Lena exclaimed, remembering the ordeal in the Rift after Scorpio fell into a deadly abyss and could not return. "He did not return to the Rift!"

"And you got him back?" The pawn of the Dragonforged asked in surprise and amazement. "You offered a piece of your soul?"

"I have," Lena nodded. "But they said they already had my heart."

"You do not need that ring," the pawn shook his head. "Your bond is stronger than that already. Choose someone else," he pointed at Lena's hand - the ring was there again.

"Choose an actual person," the Dragonforged joined in. "The bond will be either your shield or your undoing, it is a test."

"The Legion surely loves its tests!" Lena exclaimed in indignation. "They've been testing me from day one! Whether I am in truth an Arisen! Whether my will is strong enough! Whether I've got the resolve!" She was turning red with anger at first, but now she started turning pale with rage. "Well, I've got an ugly scar on my chest and an empty space where the heart should be. I am an Arisen in truth! Enough tests!" She flung the ring behind the rubble in the cave. It made a noise, then went quiet. "I do not want anyone else." She put her arm around Scorpio's waist. "Thank you," she said to the Dragonforged, her voice sounding perfectly calm now. "Thank you for the explanation, but if I cannot give it to the one I choose, it is of no use to me."

...

"Stubborn," the Dragonforged smirked when Lena and Scorpio had left. He stood in the doorway, watching them walk away. "Well, they can't say we didn't try," he looked at his pawn. "What was that about the soul?"

"If a pawn perishes, the Arisen has to choose a new one," the pawn explained. "It is rare, but it occurs. What is more rare still, and almost never happens, is when the Arisen protests the loss of a pawn. The Legion will ask something in return to bring back the pawn, such as a piece of the Arisen's soul. I haven't heard of an Arisen before who would accept the exchange... until now."

"Stubborn, like I said," the Dragonforged shook his head. "Women." He snorted. "Good thing I never bound myself to any of them... or to anyone else for that matter..."

"Her pawn does not seem to mind though..." He stood next to his master, watching Lena and Scorpio walk away, the road stretching before them.

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - Escort

"Ser Maximilian is requesting an escort," Lena was reading notices on the billboard in the Union Inn in Gran Soren. "Interesting."

"Aha," Scorpio grinned. "Do I get the night off?"

"Not that kind of escort!" She grinned back at him. "He has orders to march to the Greatwall Encampment by way of training," she shook her head. "But he questions the sanity of going alone."

"He does have a head on his shoulders," Scorpio nodded approvingly, peering over Lena's shoulder to read the notice. "That trek is very dangerous and will run into the night even if we set off at dawn and jog most of the way."

"Three cyclopes, two chimeras, three or four groups of bandits..."

"...five if we are unlucky," Scorpio reminded her.

"Five if we are unlucky," she nodded. "Wights, undead warriors and skeleton knights if we tarry, any number of snow harpies, several large groups of hobgoblins..."

"...a debilitating lake that poisons, blinds and silences all at once..."

"...with spirits and phantasms because it will be already nighttime..."

"...and a few packs of direwolves too, let's not forget about them!"

"Oh yes, let's not forget them," Lena nodded. "So, what do you reckon? Take Rook with us?" She looked at Scorpio.

"Rook?" Scorpio was taken aback. "A mage, yes, but Rook isn't strong enough for all of that. He trains beginners."

"You'll see," Lena winked and marched to the Pawn Guild.

...

"Hello, Rook," Scorpio greeted them when Lena and Rook emerged from the Rift at the Pawn Guild.

"Not here," Rook said quietly and walked briskly towards the exit. Once they were sufficiently far away from the Pawn Guild, he turned to Scorpio and said, smiling: "I know you think it's mad for me to join your party. But I am not really as weak as I might appear. Not that Barnaby needs to hear of it, mind."

"Oh, your secret is safe with me," Scorpio grinned. "Been training, have you?"

"There will be no new Arisen as long as this one is still chasing the dragon," Rook nodded. "So the Legion leaves me alone for now. I've been helping Olra on the Bitterblack Isle."

"Wow!" Scorpio was taken aback. "You're not exactly level six then any longer."

"I have not been level six for a very long time already," Rook rolled his eyes. "It's just what the newly Arisen are led to believe. But even so, I wasn't supposed to gain too many new skills... So Barnaby doesn't need to hear of it. By hiring me now, the Arisen simply wanted cannon fodder, as far as he is concerned."

"Happens often enough," Scorpio nodded. "All right then! Let's go!"

...

Escorting Ser Maximilian to the Greatwall Encampment started off as a lengthy jog along a largely empty road.

"We want to get through this part of the way as quickly as possible," Lena was telling him. "The 'monsters' around here are mostly just wild animals, they don't attack unless provoked. Which we won't do."

"For once," Scorpio smirked.

"For once," Lena nodded. "This isn't that kind of training. We'll face plenty of trouble further on."

"Good thing they didn't require us to wear full suits of heavy armour," Ser Maximilian patted his coat. "I couldn't jog all morning with that on."

"I do hope you have at least something under that coat though," Lena looked him over without stopping.

"I'll let you find out if we make it there alive," he winked.

"Hmm."

The jog continued, with Scorpio leading and Rook staying close to Ser Maximilian in case of adversity - Rook's primary task was to keep Ser Maximilian alive. It proved more challenging than expected, as Ser Maximilian got into the fun of things and insisted on joining every fight that they encountered along the way. "I need practice," he was saying. "Standing still in the Castle Grounds dispatching orders got me out of shape." Lena objected that he should have brought potions, but he flatly refused anything she tried to give him. "Your mage is healing me already, that's enough!" Lena shrugged and gave up eventually. Rook had his work cut out for him.

Two cyclopes and three groups of bandits later, Ser Maximilian was getting complacent, she thought. Next up was a chimera.

"There's a chimera lurking in these woods," she told him as they were climbing a winding mountain path. "We'll try to avoid it, but there are also bandits there, it might get messy."

"Bring it on!" Ser Maximilian grinned. "This sword could use some action!"

"That may be more action than you're used to though," Lena shook her head. "Chimeras can be overwheeeeee...!!!" A giant lion jumped out of nowhere, a goat sat on its back, his tail a giant snake. Chimeras could overwhelm, yes.

"Whoah!!!"

There were several strategies for fighting a chimera, but none of them involved also trying to protect an eager knight who was constantly underestimating the danger. Plus, there were bandits and direwolves to deal with as well. Lena shot a quick glance at Scorpio who was already climbing on the chimera's back in order to try and hack off its snake tail, thus stopping it pouring poison, even though it was a partial blessing as it affected the bandits and the direwolves as well, except that they were smart enough to avoid most of it. Rook was too busy shooting lightening at the lion's head in order to stop him jumping around quite so wildly - Scorpio was hanging on for dear life, never mind hacking anything. Ser Maximilian lunged towards the chimera, his sword drawn, his shield up, but the shield would not protect him from the snake's poison or the goat's magic... or the bandits' daggers and arrows from behind, as it turned out. He was hit, but not too badly, and Lena dealt swift justice to the bandits, but more were coming in, and with the rampaging lion it would not take long before the fight was lost to the opposition...

"Not on my watch!!" She bellowed, grabbing Ser Maximilian around the waist, hoisting him over her shoulder ("Heavy!!") and running off towards the edge of the cliff. The drop to the lower level was only small, Lena jumped off, still carrying bewildered Ser Maximilian over her shoulder. There she sat him down, took out her bow and started shooting poisoned arrows at the chimera from a reasonably safe distance.

"Stay here and don't charge the chimera!" She ordered him. "I don't know if I can carry you again. We'll rejoin the fight once the snake is done, at least."

"Damn, I should have brought some arrows with me as well," Ser Maximilian sighed. "I didn't expect this..."

"No one ever expects a chimera," Lena smirked.

...

"Phew!" The chimera was slain and Lena and Ser Maximilian joined Scorpio and Rook dispatching the remaining bandits and direwolves. Rook had his hands full casting healing spells now, as Ser Maximilian was still refusing potions that Lena tried to give him.

"That's wine," he said, sniffing a bottle. "No drinking on the job!"

"That's wine, aye," Lena nodded. "It keeps you alive. Otherwise there's no job to begin with." But no, he wouldn't have it, not until they were safely at the camp... Lena shook her head at that logic, but gave up.

After the chimera everyone became more cautious, Ser Maximilian included. They dealt with a few more bandits along the way, but otherwise proceded peacefully.

"The next bit is a danger onto itself," Lena warned Ser Maximilian again. "There's a cyclops further up, but the most dangerous thing about this stretch of road is the cliffside. The path is narrow and uneven, one slip, and you're dead. Watch out when we engage the cyclops - the fall is what is likely to get you first."

"Nah, I walked mountain paths before," Ser Maximilian started argueing, but then they made another turn and the full scale of the drop became obvious. "Oh... I see. What a drop." Lena was only hoping that the caution sank in.

An armoured cyclops was towering in the distance, completely blocking the path. There was no other way but to fight it.

"How did you know there would be a cyclops there?" Ser Maximilian squinted at her.

"There's always one there, it belongs to the bandits that hold that fortress," she pointed at the fortress at the end of the cliffside climb. "That waycastle. The cyclops is their guard dog."

"But you've killed it a few times already, haven't you?" Ser Maximilian didn't give up. "So where do the replacements come from?"

"A cyclops farm? What do I know?" Lena shrugged. "Smuggled over the border? Beats me."

"There is a cyclops farm further up, remember?" Scorpio joined in. "It only had one cyclops there last time, but he was quite tame - friendly to the keeper, that is. I bet that's where they get smuggled." That was indeed very odd, but they had to stop their deliberations because they'd neared the cyclops and it started swinging its giant club... The fight had begun.

...

By the time they defeated the cyclops and dispatched another group of bandits further up the path, the sun started to set.

"Well, that was fun!" Ser Maximilian was in good spirits - they were once again on solid ground past the waycastle, without any danger of falling into an abyss.

"No, the fun is only just beginning," Lena pointed at a flock of snow harpies. "Don't rush them. There's another chimera to the left and a poisonous lake just ahead. You don't want to fall into either, but the harpies will bring it on."

Everyone had to exercise some restraint and avoid chasing the harpies, although letting them come too close seemed like a dangerous idea as well.

"Wait for it..." Lena stood still, watching the harpie approach. "It will try to grab you..." She put her hand on the hilt of her fire-enchanted sword. "Now!!" A swift strike threw the harpie on the ground, the fire enchantment setting its wings ablaze. "It doesn't always work, but is always worth a try," she grinned.

"Help me!!!" Scorpio was less fortunate, another harpie grabbed him and was carrying him towards the poisonous lake.

"No, you don't!!" Rook's fireball hit the harpie in flight, singing Scorpio a little, but mostly making the harpie release its grip as it fell to the ground. Lena dashed to it, making sure it would never fly again.

"Ugh, twisted my ankle," Scorpio swore, trying to set it as best he could - they still had quite a way to go.

"Right, everyone fall in and follow me," Lena said sternly. "The slope is slippery, the ground is soggy, and I don't want to see any of you fall into that lake, harpies or no harpies!" They nodded and followed, picking their way as close to the rising hillside as possible.

After some time walking in silence, they found the hillside opening up to a valley.

"Home stretch now," Lena turned to Ser Maximilian again. "Hobgoblins and direwolves ahead, possibly spirits and phantoms, undead warriors or skeleton knights, we'll see."

"Charming."

"Quite," she nodded. "Watch your step and try not to die this close to our goal."

"Let us take the lead," Scorpio joined in. "We've done this before. Heroics are not called for."

Ser Maximilian was going to protest, but changed his mind. Perhaps they had a point.

"Keep your calm about you," Lena patted him on the arm. "Here we go. Remember, I still want to see what you've got under that coat." She winked and charged into the darkness - hobgoblins were ahead.

"Are all Arisen like that?" Ser Maximilian asked Scorpio who was watching Lena's movements closely.

"No, she's one of a kind," he answered without turning, but stopped Ser Maximilian from interfering.

"Holy fury!"

"Fury - yes, holy - unlikely," Scorpio grinned. "Direwolves!"

The battle continued.

"Watch out!" The wolves were going for Rook. Wolves always went for mages, either because continued use of magic made their flesh taste better, or because they had to stand still while intoning their spells. Lena lunged, leaving Ser Maximilian to his own devices, but the wolves were already tearing at Rook's clothes, then jumping back in pain. "Armour," Lena realised. "Clever Rook!" Mages could not wear most of the armour available to buy - iron and steel interrupted their magicka flow, while bone armour carried curses. But the Bitterblack Isle held ore with unusual properties, ore that could be made into armour suitable even for mages. It wasn't a full body suit, but it was enough to make a difference. "Leave... him... alone..!" She bellowed, and the wolves suddenly stopped their attack...

"Help me..!" She heard Rook call - his armour failed to protect him. Holding her blade in wait and watching the wolves, she moved towards Rook lying on the ground. The wolves followed in fascination, their eyes on hers. She reached Rook and helped him up, then pushed him away. She faced the wolves.

Later on, when asked about what happened, she couldn't quite explain it. She howled, and the wolves howled with her. She bared her teeth - not fangs - and growled at them, and the wolves stopped growling and one even turned around and ran, tail between its legs. She was the Alpha.

Until the real Alpha jumped in, that is. A wolf twice as big as any other, he lunged at her, but she flicked her sword aiming to slice open his belly... and missed. It was a sword, not a dagger. She had expected a dagger. The sword did make a cut, but it only angried the wolf even further.

Landing behind her, the wolf turned and lunged again, knocking her on the ground. The other wolves were watching, transfixed. Dark fur of Lena's warg cape mixed with white fur of the direwolf, and both turned red with blood.

"That does it really!!" Another white wolf jumped into the mix, his silver rapier reflecting the light of the lantern... A silver rapier? Flames erupted around them, the wolves in the circle whined and were finished. The Alpha lay dead.

"Wolf? It's over," Scorpio held Lena in an embrace, she was shaking. His white direwolf cape overlapped the dark warg fur on her shoulders. Rook was casting healing magic at them, and for a moment the night was perfectly still.

"Wow." Ser Maximilian came closer. "Is she all right?" He asked in a small voice.

"She'll recover," Scorpio nodded.

Lena was calming down. She held her cheek pressed to Scorpio's chest, listening to his heartbeat, fast at first, and gradually slowing, the longer they stood still. His armour was only a half-plate, protecting the clavicle and the shoulders and running under the ribs; she slid her hands under his cape, she could feel his muscles under the jerkin... She closed her eyes, letting the last of the shaking dwindle. She felt his cheek brush against her hair... did she imagine a kiss?

...

"What are those?" Lena heard a voice a little further away. Ser Maximilian.

"Spirits and phantasms," she heard Rook reply. "They only appear at night."

"And can only be defeated with magic," Ser Maximilian's voice was getting stronger, although he didn't seem to be coming closer. Lena was recovering.

"Yes, that's why you always need a mage with you," Rook's voice was getting stronger too.

"The Duke does not like magic."

"Then prey, never travel at night."

"I'm all right," she looked up at Scorpio. "We should get to the camp."

"We should," he nodded, releasing his embrace.

The camp wasn't far, but there was no need to rush. They walked at a leisurely pace, Lena and Scorpio leading, Ser Maximilian following a short distance behind them, and Rook following Ser Maximilian, who stopped several times to watch the phantasms in the valley below.

"What is that light?" He asked Rook pointing at an eery illumination seemingly coming from the earth itself.

"It's that poisonous lake that we tried not to fall into," Rook scoffed. "Very dangerous. Avoid at all costs."

"Are they close?" Ser Maximilian jerked his head towards Lena and Scorpio who were by then out of earshot. "Are they..?"

"They are close, but not in that way," Rook was looking at them too. "She must really like you, you know."

"She does..? How d'you work that out?"

"This is the first escort request that she picked up. She hates escorting people places."

"Well, in that case..." Ser Maximilian hastened his step, catching up with Lena and Scorpio just as they were crossing the barricades surrounding the camp, with the soldiers greeting them, then switching to salute Ser Maximilian because of course he was a commander. He came up to Lena, may be a little too close for a formal acquaintance, and said: "That was some trek. With all that I am, I thank you."

"I am glad we made it here in the end," Lena smiled. "Shall we see what Ser Alfonso has cooking in that pot? I am starving."

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - Choices

"And now again, the choice is yours, Arisen," the dragon folded his wings and looked at Lena with interest. They had arrived at the end of their journey - they were facing the dragon on top of the Tainted Mountain. The dragon that could have burned them all to a crisp with a single breath - this was no drake in Devilfire Grove, this was the real thing. And he wanted to talk.

"Are you unique?" Lena walked around his head which was the size of two oxen. "Do you have a name?"

"Grigori," the dragon was watching Lena's movements. "I am as unique as you are, as any living creature. Or perhaps you wish to know if there are other dragons like me? There have been, and there will be, but at each given time there is just the one."

"So, Grigori," Lena squinted at him. "What is it that you want of me? Why did you bring Selene here?"

Selene was cowering on the ground a small distance away.

"She is what you hold most dear, is she not?" Grigori's eye came close to Lena. "She was in your house. You must choose now: sacrifice her and live as the ruler of Gransys, or save her and face me in a duel."

"Err..." Lena was trying to find the right words to explain to Grigori where he went wrong. "Selene was living in my house, yes. Because we rescued her from the woods, and it seemed like the right thing to do to bring her among people. I myself don't live in that house though. Got it? She isn't what I hold most dear."

"Oh... should I have brought someone else then?" Grigori seemed nervous, fire started gathering in his mouth. "Speak up!"

"There is no one in this world you could have brought, who isn't already here," she looked straight into the dragon's eye. "You have my heart. Can you not feel it?"

"Your heart is confusing," Grigori admitted. "I've got so many other hearts, they are plain to read. Yours... you bound yourself to a pawn?"

"I chose a pawn," Lena nodded. "We started out as strangers, then grew close in our time together. He is what I hold most dear. And yes, he happens to be a pawn."

"A pawn won't work," Grigori said flatly. "You cannot have your own pawn as a part of the choice bargain. Selene comes closest, so choose now - sacrifice her and live as the Lord of this land, or save her and face me in a duel."

Selene was watching the dragon transfixed, but now started making small noises.

"Did the Duke face the same choice?" Lena squinted.

"Of course he did," Grigori sounded surprised. "Did the Dragonforged not tell you? Oh, he didn't want to spoil the surprise!" The dragon smirked, and small flames spilled from his mouth. "Yes, this is how it works. You make your choice. Sacrifice your beloved... err... well, Selene in this case... and I shall go away for some fifty years, you will become immortal and will not age and will replace Duke Edmun as the Lord of Gransys. Everything will become normal again. Oh, and you will lose your pawn," he clicked his tongue. "So perhaps the choice works after all."

"So, this is what the Duke chose."

"Yes."

"But I do not get back my heart."

"No. And you can get replaced by the next Arisen."

"This explains why the Duke was trying to get you killed," Scorpio said quietly. "But it is an easy way out. Do not be too hasty to reject it."

"Hush," she shot him a glance. "You already know what I choose, but Grigori needs to understand it... and I want to know more first, now that we're talking."

"You have to say it out loud, Arisen," Grigori was getting bored. "For the spell to work. Come on, what is your choice?"

"Not yet," Lena shook her head. "Tell me first..."

"I do not need to understand your choice!" Grigori was gathering flames in his mouth again. "I grow bored with you, Arisen! What will it be?!"

"You can't just kill me, can you?" Lena squinted. "That'd be against the rules... You'd get punished... A great big dragon like yourself - punished? I wonder who is that powerful... No, wait - I know. The Legion."

"The dragon serves the Legion after all," Scorpio said mostly to himself. "Interesting."

"Nothing interesting about it, pawn!" The dragon spat fire, but not enough to actually burn anyone. "I am an Arisen! I defeated my dragon! You bow to me!"

Scorpio didn't bow but stood there, watching the dragon gathering more and more flames in his mouth.

"Watch out - you'll choke," he said derisively. "I now know what you are. You are an Arisen who got back his heart from the previous dragon but failed to return it to his chest. You forgot what it was for! You fought your dragon for all the wrong reasons!"

The dragon flew into a rage, it seemed. He breathed fire, and Lena dashed to Selene to protect her from the flames. However, the flames were cold.

"So, this is where the Legion gets its replacement dragons," Lena smirked. "Arisen who fight the dragon for all the wrong reasons. Regardless whether they live or die, they would make perfect dragons themselves. Clever."

"A never-ending supply," Scorpio nodded.

"Make your choice!!!" The dragon bellowed. "Now!!!"

"Or what?" Lena put her hands on her hips. "You'll spit more cold fire?"

...

"Stubborn," the Dragonforged and his pawn were peering into a crystal ball, watching the events on the Tainted Mountain. Someone in the Legion was watching it too. "She's taunting the dragon."

"She's taunting the Legion," his pawn objected. "That is most dangerous."

"Stubborn," the Dragonforged repeated, shaking his head in disapproval.

...

Back on the Tainted Mountain Lena was trying to learn from the dragon what was supposed to happen after their fight, in case she won. The dragon wasn't telling; perhaps he did not know.

"It depends on you!" He rolled his eyes.

"All right, tell me how it went for you, then," Lena insisted. "You fought your dragon as a human, then something happened and you got this form..."

"That's personal, that is!" Grigori sounded offended. "That's my business! You'll have to see for yourself what happens to you! Chances are, I'll kill you and you will never find out!"

Lena wasn't getting anywhere with him. Perhaps it was time to make her choice.

"Get Selene out of here," she told him. "I choose the duel."

"Finally!" The dragon sighed a sigh of relief and Selene vanished, teleported away. "Prepare yourself, Arisen!"

...

"She is not dragon material," someone at the Pawn Legion was peering into a crystal ball. "Her heart is still beating inside the dragon, it didn't turn to stone like the others. If she gets it back..." The person looked at another, also peering into the crystal ball.

"She is of no use to us," the other person agreed. "Grigori will kill her."

"And her pawn?"

"And her pawn," the other person nodded. "Before his print goes out. He'll make a decent wight."

...

The fight had begun. It was an epic battle, or rather it started out as an epic battle. Grigori was breathing fire, Scorpio was shooting at him from a ballista, Lena... Well, Lena was no where to be seen.

"Where is the Arisen?" Someone peering into a crystal ball asked nervously. "Dead already?"

"Grigori hasn't started yet," the other person came closer to the ball. "Can't be!"

"Nooooo!!!" They cried in chorus as Grigori faltered and fell, white tendrils engulfing his body.

"You always meant to kill me then," he said, looking at Lena as she lowered her bow a short distance away. "The Maker's Finger..." He squinted at a large white arrow in his chest. "Assassin."

...

"She cheated!" Someone pushed the crystal ball off the table. "The Maker's Finger! Bah!"

"She is an assassin," the other person objected. "She took the easiest way out."

"Giving up Selene was the easiest way out!" The first person exclaimed in rage. "Now what are we going to do?"

"Well, there's always the Final Solution..."

"She cannot be allowed to get to the top."

"Then we'll need to make sure she doesn't."

...

"I cheated." Lena turned to Scorpio. They stood in her house in Cassardis, they were all teleported there by some unknown magic. Selene was there too, still in shock. Rook and Scarlet stood a short distance away. Lena felt apologetic. The fight with the dragon was supposed to be an epic battle, culmination of their long and arduent training, but instead... Was it all for naught? "I took an easy way out." She looked at him with a little smile.

"You killed the dragon," he said quietly. "You won."

"Have I?" She pressed her hand to her chest and felt a faint heartbeat inside. "This doesn't feel right."

"Let me see," Scorpio took her in an embrace. "You should have your heart back, that was the deal." He pressed his hand to her chest. "It's there, but it's very faint. Give it time, perhaps?"

Lena nodded.

"So, what now?" She raised her eyes to his. "Is this the end?"

"If you want it to be."

"No... wait... that's not right! I cannot lose you again!" She exclaimed with worry. "I meant it, what I said to the dragon." She looked into his eyes, but his expression was closed.

"You have your heart back, you've achieved your goal," he said in his dispassionate voice. "You do not need me any longer. You will return to your world and your friends there, and I shall stay behind. Isn't it how the story goes?" He smiled.

"I want to return home, yes," Lena nodded. "But also... No, this is not right." She stepped away from Scorpio who promptly released his embrace. She was pacing the room, her head in her hands. "Not right at all," she was talking to herself, it seemed.

She stopped in front of Scorpio, her face set in resolve.

"I shall release you if you wish it," she said. "But know that in this world or elsewhere, a piece of my soul belongs to you. The choice is yours to make."

"But... but he is a pawn," a small voice said behind them - Selene. "He cannot decide for himself... He cannot make a choice... You have to decide for him, Arisen."

"The choice is easy," Scorpio smiled, taking Lena into his embrace again. "You offered me your Arisen's Bond and I took it. I see that it still holds."

"He kissed her... he made his own choice..." Selene was watching them, in shock once again. "And I..." She rubbed her hand but her pawn print did not reappear. "It seems I am a pawn no longer... in truth... and yet... I did not resist the dragon... I avoided making a choice..."

"It'll come to you one day," Rook put his arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the room. "You'll learn. Come. This night belongs to them, and them alone."

[Renee]

Rayenna was losing her touch, or rather losing her head. She found the cave first and entered without an investigation. The next thing she knew was a troll kicking her in the ribs.

Oh my gosh! And then it took her two days to get back to health. Am wondering if you're gaming with Rayenna or if this is just Lena's story. Pretty sure you've gamed with Hauk as a PC, though i Might be wrong.

Uh oh, she's attacking another DB member. Naughty, naughty. And she got poisoned. Tsk tsk.

Bookmark (hope you don't mind. Easier to get back where I was if I link to it.)

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 20 2023, 12:09 AM

[macole]

Wow, what an ending. Well done.

[Lena Wolf]

Rayenna was losing her touch, or rather losing her head. She found the cave first and entered without an investigation. The next thing she knew was a troll kicking her in the ribs.

Oh my gosh! And then it took her two days to get back to health. Am wondering if you're gaming with Rayenna or if this is just Lena's story. Pretty sure you've gamed with Hauk as a PC, though i Might be wrong.

Yeah, I played the Mephala quest with Rayenna, but it was a fudge because I dislike her too much to actually play the whole game with her. But for the same argument, Lena would never do such a quest as what Mephala required, so it had to be Rayenna doing it. As for the trolls episode, that actually happened to me on my first playthrough or so, I was exploring and entered that cave... Ouch! Those are some very mean trolls!!! So I figured as Rayenna was getting desperate, she'd just go into every cave, over-confident as she is, and get her ribs kicked in by the trolls.

As for Hauk, yes, I started a brand new game for him - he's doing Morroblivion. I also started a new game for Geralt and one for Lucien... but sssshhhh... didn't get very far in those two yet, that's still to come.

Uh oh, she's attacking another DB member. Naughty, naughty. And she got poisoned. Tsk tsk.

She didn't get poisoned, she's a Redguard, they are almost completely resistent to poison. So what happened to her? If the hint wasn't clear, you'll find out in the next couple of episodes.

Bookmark (hope you don't mind. Easier to get back where I was if I link to it.)

Don't mind at all. Helps me too - I can jump back in and refresh my memory.

[Lena Wolf]

Wow, what an ending. Well done.

Thanks, Macole!

In this part of the game I have to give it to Capcom - their concept there is brilliant. The Maker's Finger is an actual item you can procure in-game, it is so to speak a legal cheat. It is extremely expensive, heavy and not always available, so you'd have to really plan and prepare if you wanted to use it against the dragon. Not every vocation can wield a bow either, there are many things to consider. And then you stand there and the dragon offers you that bargain... What? I don't have to fight you at all?

Suppose you take the bargain, as the choice of "beloved" is rather odd, especially if you didn't have a beloved. It doesn't matter really, you're asked to sacrifice another person, but what is one person's life on the balance of safety of Gransys? Plus, you get all the money and power you could ever want, for the whole of eternity? (Unless the next Arisen dares to dislodge you, that is.) And so you say yes, you accept the bargain. A cutscene plays out, a decent end for the game, no judgement there, for men are weak... titles roll... music plays... you are enjoying the last sip of your coffee as you prepare to hang your controller...

BZZZT... "Retry" screen pops up!

What?!

You hit retry and are permitted to make your choice again. However, if you had the Maker's Finger in your inventory before, it is now gone and you have to do battle the hard way. And what a battle it is! You better have many wakestones in your bag, for you'll need them, Arisen!

The original game does not have a save history, so you cannot go back and reload an older save. You have to live with your choices. Of course now there's a mod that makes backups, but I really like the original concept, so I only use backups as backups - in case the game crashes or the save gets corrupted, which again doesn't happen with the clean game, but can be caused by mods.

Once you kill the dragon, one way or the other, there again there's a cutscene, titles roll and it generally feels like the end of the game. You got your heart back. You won. Is there anything else to say? Wait and see.

[Renee]

No kidding! Wow. I've also had a couple characters I didn't like too, yet I did enjoy gaming with them to an extent. Nice to hear someone else has done this as well.

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - The Final Solution

Lena woke up late in her house in Cassardis, Scorpio lay beside her.

"Good morning, Assassin," he smiled. "How does it feel to have your heart back? You certainly slept soundly."

"Shall we go see what Pablo has cooked for breakfast?" Lena stretched, but sudden pain in her chest made her crouch and cough.

"What's wrong?" Scorpio caught her. "It still hurts?"

"Give it time, perhaps," Lena smiled at him, the pain subsiding.

They got dressed and went outside, it was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the sea was calm, people were celebrating. But Lena felt a disquiet in her breast that she could not explain. "Just nerves," she thought. "I've been with a man before of course, but not like this... This time it meant something... sealed a bond..." She watched Scorpio take a swim in the sea and remembered one other time when love making actually meant love... Love she could never pursue, she thought, even if she did find a way to return to her world somehow. Her Speaker was out of bounds. "And yet... there he was, in Bravil, in my house. Came to tell me that the traitor was finally dead, that our names had been cleared, that the Brotherhood was ours again... My Speaker... My Brother... My friend..." She sighed. "And he was all of that and none of that..." She watched the seagulls steal fish from the boats. "So long ago... Why did I run away? Pretended it never happened?"

...

Time is a curious thing - it warps and turns, yet always remains linear, except in our memories. The day when Lena fell into the portal in Sheogorath's Palace and landed in Gransys, was a day in a year unknown, yet it was after the Oblivion Crisis was done with, after the Greymarch on the Shivering Isles, after the dreadful events with the treason within the Dark Brotherhood... All of that was behind her. Her vampirism cured, her looks restored. She could breathe easy again... She could have returned to mundus any time, but she didn't, she stayed in the Shivering Isles where time flew by as fast as you wanted, assisted by liquor and felldew. Her duties as Lord Sheogorath were light, and Sanguine's presence turned everything into one constant party.

Gransys was a wake-up call of sorts. Lena found herself in a strange world, embroiled in events she didn't understand, her heart missing, her life in danger. She shook off the felldew and rose to the challenge. She killed the dragon and got back her heart... What now? Should she perhaps just stay? Leave behind everything she knew in Tamriel? Give up that love she could never pursue anyway?

...

The seagulls were fighting in flight over the stolen fish. "That night in Bravil did seal a bond," she nodded to her thoughts. "All that went on before... all that we meant to each other... That bond still holds. The same as this one," she pressed her hand to her chest - her heartbeat was faint, but it was there. "This bond... A bond to a man who is here... in person... in the flesh..." Scorpio was swimming back to the shore, he would come out of the water in a few moments, he would walk over to Lena and stretch out on the sand next to her... "Enjoy the bliss while it lasts," she told herself, for she knew that the disquiet in her breast had nothing to do with nerves.

...

"The dragon is well and truly dead, you did it, cousin!" The people were jubilant.

"Prepare well, child," the old woman at the textiles shop patted Lena's hand. "You have defeated the dragon, now the true fight begins."

"I feel it too, the disquiet in my breast," Scorpio stood behind her.

"It won't still," Rook appeared in the doorway.

"Come, Master," Scarlet stood next to Rook. "Let us face the consequences."

Lena turned around and looked at them in turn. She was still the Arisen, they were still her pawns, her heart was beating in her breast and it made no difference. The fight continued.

...

"What happened? Is this truly the world the Arisen was meant to unleash?" Scarlet got knocked to the ground for the third time, by a mere goblin, it seemed.

"These are no common goblins!" Rook exclaimed, shooting yet another fireball at it. "Grimgoblins or some such! Like I've seen on the Bitterblack Isle!"

The skies were dark, the wind was howling, nature itself seemed to scold the Arisen for destroying the dragon. Beasts that had never been seen before, roamed the land. Hellhounds, succubi, giant undead...

"There is a chimera on the beach!" Scarlet pointed it out.

"Not a plain chimera either..." Rook shook his head. "This is the kind that regrows its tail and kills outright with its magic."

"Just how much time did you spend on the Bitterblack Isle?" Scorpio was taken aback.

"Enough to know the danger we're facing," Rook answered evasively. "Let us focus on the fight! And make for Gran Soren!"

"No, we are going back to Cassardis," Lena turned and motioned them to follow.

"Master?" Scarlet looked up in disbelief.

"I need a word with Olra first," Lena winked. "It is only a fool who rushes into battle unprepared. Isn't it what you always say?"

...

The young woman with a lantern stood on the village pier every night waiting for the Arisen to ask for transport to the Bitterblack Isle. The locals got used to her and paid her no mind. "I am but a shadow, here to serve for transport. My flesh resides elsewhere."

"Hello, Olra," Lena greeted her when they got teleported to the Isle. "Tell me about this place."

"But Ser! I do not know it myself," Olra objected.

"Oh, but I think you do..." Lena walked around her. "You are with the Legion, are you not? A pawn or perhaps an Arisen... You are the siren that calls the Arisen here, to their doom. And so I ask again: what is this place?"

"This is... this is a trap," Olra nodded. "But I know not its purpose!" She exclaimed hotly. "And what I said before... it is all true! I am lost... My hope is that I rediscover myself as you explore the labyrinth's depths and bring me back my memories. And I pray that my goals align with yours, Ser!"

"She speaks the truth, she does not know," Rook said quietly. "They wiped her memory, it seems..."

"If there is aught I can do to help, say it!" Olra seemed genuinely perturbed.

"All right," Lena softened her tone. "Perhaps things will transpire as we go on. I need you to..."

...

"Olra must not betray us," someone at the Pawn Legion was watching the events through a crystal ball. "It is bad enough that this Arisen's heart is still beating - and Grigori will pay for that. But we cannot have Olra talk."

"She won't," another person sounded certain. "She's been purged so many times already, she is truly nothing but a shell now."

"Did you know this about Rook?" The first person looked at the second with worry. "That he goes off on his own? Exercising his will?"

"Yes," the second person nodded. "He keeps Barnaby in the dark, but that's easily done. Rook is no threat to the Legion, he is a pawn, through and through."

"Well, if you say so," the first person shook his head in doubt, but dismissed the matter. "We have bigger fish to fry. Is everything ready?"

"Events have been set in motion," the second person nodded. "She won't survive Gran Soren."

"Well, it better work..." The first person got up from the table. "I am no fan of the Final Solution, it's so much work to put everything back together after that..."

"She won't survive it," the second person got up too. "Quince is already in place."

...

When Lena and her pawns left Cassardis for the second time, they were much better armed and their bags were bulging with salves and potions.

"The Everfall is the key," Rook was saying as they picked their way through hellhounds and succubi. "That light that you've seen in its depths before, those tentacles growing from the ground..."

"It's a gazer," Scarlet nodded. "We've seen one on the Bitterblack Isle."

"We ran from it," Lena reminded her. "We ran for our lives, remember?"

"There's nowhere to run now," Scarlet smirked. "We'll have to stand and fight."

...

Gran Soren was a sorry sight - most of the city had been wiped out, a huge hole gaped inside the city walls, a seemingly bottomless abyss... Beasts rose up from it every now and again, taking to the skies - beasts that now held Gransys. Yet apart from the hole in the ground, the city was unchanged... quiet... peaceful... secure... No beast roamed the streets, and those citizens that had not perished, had nothing to fear. Gran Soren's great walls still served to keep the monsters out, it seemed.

"How is this possible?" Lena was gazing into the abyss, watching the harpies, gargoyles and succubi rise from its depths and take to the skies, yet not one of them land in the city. "Why are they not attacking anyone?" She looked at her pawns in astonishment. "I mean, it's good of course, but..."

"It's like they are being controlled," Rook nodded. "Directed..."

"Like when they descended onto Cassardis together with the dragon," Lena was still watching the beasts. "Not one of them hurt anyone..."

"The purpose being to scare and to impress," Scarlet agreed. "But it ends with the city walls - Gransys has been overrun elsewhere."

"The Duke failed to keep us safe," a bystander nodded. "All his talk of building walls... And the ground caved in under us instead!"

"I shudder to think of the taxes they'll grab from us to rebuild it!" Another joined in.

"The Duke has failed us," another person echoed the sentiment.

"We're all done for! It's the end!"

"Oh shut up!"

Subdued or not, opinions still differed.

"You should go to the castle and confront the Duke," Scorpio said in Lena's ear. "Don't expect it to be a friendly meeting."

"Oh, I have no illusions," Lena nodded. "I'll go in the morning, it'll keep."

It was late and they were tired from their difficult journey from Cassardis that had taken them far longer than it would have done before, especially since Lena had to pick a fight with a dragon along the way... When Scarlet asked her later what possessed her to do such a thing, all Lena had to say was that it looked like an overgrown dragonfly from the ground, it wasn't red and it didn't seem to be that big... It was all true, except the size. It wasn't a great dragon like Grigori, but a dragon nevertheless. "A drake," Lena corrected herself. "It was but a drake."

All in all, taking a break to eat and sleep was the right approach.

...

When Lena came to the castle the next morning, she found it eery empty. No guards, no nobles, no staff were anywhere to be seen. The Duke's Chamberlain was in the throne room. Lena was to go to the Duke's Solar. "Solar?" She scratched her head, climbing the stairs. "Oh, his office. The room with thick curtains in front of huge windows... Solar... A sun room... Except that the present Duke did not enjoy the sun..."

She pushed the door to the Solar. The room was dark, the curtains not only keeping the sun rays out, but the light itself.

"I know you, Arisen," she heard the Duke's voice but could not see the Duke anywhere. "Your avarice, your ambition... You took the dragon's bargain! You came to seize my throne and take my land!"

"Err..." Lena was still trying to locate the Duke. The voice seemed to come from behind a large writing desk in the darkest corner of the room.

"The dragon cannot be defeated!" The Duke stepped into the scarce light in the middle of the room. "A beast like that cannot be slain by man!" He looked old. His hair was white, and although his hand held a mighty sword, his arm had no strength to lift it. His eyes were white as well...

"But you are blind!" Lena exclaimed. "An old man... Your age... You must be ancient!"

"I have ruled this land for many a year!" He might have been weak with old age, but his voice still carried. "You will not take my throne from me!"

The Duke attacked, but Lena could not fight an old man. "Why is he still alive?" She wondered. "He should have perished with the dragon, for the dragon held his heart..." She dodged another attack. "Unless... No, wait..." At that moment the Duke made another lunge at her, but his sword was too heavy for him and he faltered, grabbing at the curtains in an attempt to steady himself, tearing them down, then being blinded by the sunlight flooding in... He fell forward, breaking the glass...

Lena rushed out onto the terrace of the Solar, but the Duke was already rising after his fall, his face contorted with rage. The guards ran in, alerted by the sound of the glass breaking.

"She is a traitor!" The Duke bellowed. "A witch!! She put a curse on me! Seize her!!!"

"Oh, the W-word," Lena smirked. "Sure. Why not." She jumped off the terrace of the Solar and ran out of the gates of the castle.

"Arisen! How could you... No, what am I saying..." A confused but determined Ser Maximilian was barring her way, his loyal troops with him, swords drawn. "I cannot believe it... Yet I am duty bound to heed the Duke's words... Forgive me..." He looked at his men, most of whom seemed as confused as he was. "His Grace commands the Arisen's capture, men!"

Lena knew that it wasn't a bluff. Her pawns gathered behind her, and as she broke into a run, they followed, but the soldiers attacked the pawns while they had the chance... Ser Maximilian himself was chasing Lena, but his long commander's coat was slowing him down somewhat. Or it least he made it look like it was his coat.

"This way, they've sealed the other gate!!!" Lena heard Scarlet shout, but she was already too far away, almost near the wrong gate. "Help me..!" Scarlet's voice sounded hollow. What just happened? But there was no time to think. The gate was sealed indeed, Ser Maximilian was hot on her heels, she dived out of the way of his sword and sprinted in the opposite direction. Scarlet and Rook were both on the ground, she helped them up, sprinted on towards the other city gate...

The abyss of the Everfall released another flock of monsters, and this time they were flying low, close to people's heads, making everyone back off or run for cover... Again, no one was actually hurt, but everyone was scared.

"Ser Maximilian trained his troops well," Scorpio caught up with Lena at the edge of the abyss. "The other gate is also sealed, and they've got us surrounded."

"Follow me," Lena briefly squeezed his hand, then nodded goodbye to Ser Maximilian and jumped into the abyss.

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - Riddles

Lena was falling into an abyss. She wasn't trying to commit suicide, she was quite sure it was a portal. But she'd been falling for a while, and nothing was happening.

"Am I supposed to do something?" She wondered. She tried to pay attention to the walls, but the fall was really fast and she couldn't make anything out. There seemed to be platforms, lights... "Err... Stop!!" She shouted, but continued falling. There seemed to be objects in flight as well... "Jars of marmalade?" She wondered. One was falling right next to her. "Or-... orange... Orange what?" She read the label. "Hmm... Perhaps I should taste it..." She grabbed the jar... And found herself land on a platform, her pawns landing next to her. "Hmm." The jar was empty.

"This is a test of your strength," she heard a voice coming from the abyss. "Pray, show that you have the resolve to throw off your yoke."

"What?! Another test?!" Lena was outraged. "You destroyed this world just to test my resolve?!"

There was no answer.

"Arisen, I would ask aught of you," a voice came from behind, making Lena jump. "Please take these." A woman with a bow and daggers stood before her - a pawn. She was holding three wakestones, offering them to Lena. Nay, ordering Lena to take them. "I am Quince," the woman continued. "My master was like you - she fought the dragon, only to find the same disaster befall the world as now. She set out to collect twenty wakestones, but died trying. For her sake, continue her search."

Lena looked at the wakestones in her hand, they seemed genuine. She put them away.

"Three stones was as far as your Arisen came before she perished?" She looked at Quince with suspicion. "That isn't exactly encouraging... But why collect them at all? And why twenty? What will it accomplish?"

"I know not, Arisen," Quince shrugged. "It was my master's wish."

"Strange, isn't it?" Scorpio said in Lena's ear. "Very strange."

"Pray, explore the Everfall and bring me twenty wakestones." Quince's eyes were cold, too cold even for a pawn. "I'll wait for you by the entrance."

There was a flash of light and Quince vanished. "Teleportation," Lena thought.

There was just one door leading from the platform into the rock, they braced for monsters and entered.

The room beyond had no monsters in it. It was an old crypt with broken down sarcophagi arranged in rows. Two pawns were walking among them. "My master perished in his pursuit of the dragon," one of them said. "I am now left behind to forever wander these halls. My existence lost its purpose." The other pawn was equally depressed. "Some pawns have gone mad with the infinite wandering," she said. "They now attack anything in sight. Be watchful."

Lena spotted another door at the end of the crypt. Monsters or no, she pushed it.

"Gazer!!" Scarlet was the first to spot the danger. The room was an arena, it had another door to the side, locked. There was nothing else for it but stand and fight.

...

"A wakestone," Lena was collecting the loot that fell out of the gazer's pockets, or perhaps detached from its skin. "So this is how we are supposed to collect them." She put it away. "I still don't understand why though."

"Or how to get out," Scorpio put in. "We're done here but we're also out of potions."

They walked through the crypt and out the other door, they stood on the ledge again.

"We must jump," Rook suggested. "Look - there are lights and other ledges along the walls."

"With more arenas and monsters," Scarlet smirked. "It'll be our death. We need to leave the Everfall and return to the world of Gransys."

"I know," Lena fumbled for a polished stone in her bag. "Let's see if this works." She tossed a ferrystone into the air, shouted "Gran Soren", there was a flash of light, and they stood at the portcrystal by the Pawn Guild. The ferrystone had worked.

...

"She cheated - again!" A person pushed away his crystal ball. "Who allowed Fournival to sell ferrystones?"

"Now, look here - we do not control the populace!" Another person was getting defensive. "Fournival will sell anything - he sold her the Maker's Finger too!"

"Damn," the first person was calming down. "You're right, some things are still out of our control."

"Do not worry, she will never collect twenty wakestones," the second person tried to sound soothing.

"Even Fournival cannot supply that," the first person nodded. "If she doesn't jump right back into Everfall, we'll have to force her hand."

"What do you propose?"

"Gifts. And more dragons."

...

It was late evening, but there were still people about. Guards, too, but no one was trying to arrest Lena any longer. "We aren't with the Ducal Guard, we are just here to keep the peace," the guards were saying. "We have no grievance with you, Arisen." What a relief.

"But perhaps you should stay away from the castle for now," Scorpio put in. "Until things get settled."

"It is so confusing," Lena was shaking her head as they walked through the Craftsmen's Quarter where tents were set up for those who lost their homes. "The Duke still alive with Grigori dead... The Everfall opening up and swallowing Gran Soren and Gransys with it... The monsters, the dark skies... I never expected this! The world was not supposed to end!"

"The world didn't end," Scorpio thought she was overreacting. "Most people are still here. In fact, very few people have died. The Duke... Yeah, that's strange, I have no answer to that."

"It's a curse of some sort, it must be," Rook joined in. "The Duke was acting strange since Grigori came, and I don't just mean by trying to get you killed - that was the logical bit."

"Yes, his Chamberlain mentioned that the Duke had been ill... And then that attack on his wife in her chamber..." Lena was rubbing her chin, calming down. "Perhaps his bargain was not with the dragon..."

"His bargain was with the Legion," Scarlet seconded that. "The dragon was just the messenger."

"'We do not need your soul, we already have your heart.' This is what they told me when... you know..." Lena blushed. "'We' they said, not 'the dragon'. It is the Legion that owns the hearts, and the dragon is just a vessel."

"It is the Legion that decides what happens to the Arisen," Scarlet nodded.

"It is the Legion that turns an Arisen into the next dragon."

"It is the Legion that tends to the Everfall." Scorpio shot a glance at Barnaby, as they had now entered the Pawn Guild. "Keep your voice down."

"The Maker had truly forsaken us this time!" Asalam greeted them at the guild. "I have to run my inn from here..." He shook his head. "The Duke was building walls, but instead the very ground fell away from under our feet! It is a miracle that we're all still alive somehow... The Maker's joke, one can only laugh!"

He wasn't laughing, and Lena tried to make some polite noises.

"But not to worry, friend, we shall survive. My inn is gone, but here, your trunk is still intact... What magic is this, I wonder..."

"Take out what you need and let's walk over to Ser Alfonso by the tents there," Scorpio whispered in Lena's ear. "Asalam still charges you 500 gold coins to sleep on a mat in one of the chambers of the Everfall."

"What?" Lena exclaimed in surprise. "Sleep between the skeletons in the crypts down there?"

"Now, look here, Arisen, I have a business to run," Asalam shuffled uncomfortably. "It is skeleton-free, guaranteed! We've got pawns standing watch..."

"Err... I'll pay for using your storage, but I'll sleep in one of Ser Alfonso's tents, I think," Lena shook her head. "Now, let's see what we need..."

...

Half an hour later they sat comfortably by the tents enjoying Ser Alfonso's cooking.

"It's simple army cooking, but skeleton-free, guaranteed," he joked. "No point guarding the Tainted Mountain any longer - we are needed here instead."

"Now, let's see what we got here..." Lena was finally taking the time to look at the gifts of the dragon - items that miraculously appeared in her storage after the battle. "A sword... a bow... and another sword?" The second sword was short, more of a long dagger. "There is an engraving... 'Exclusively for the Arisen'... And on the other side: 'Gifts ultimate freedom'."

"No." Scorpio sat up. "Put that away."

"What a bad joke," Scarlet grimaced.

"There's no call for that," Rook looked grim.

"You know of this?" Lena looked at them in turn.

"We've heard of this," Rook answered for all of them. "It is called 'Godsbane'. This sword is meant for you to kill yourself."

"What a gift," Lena shook her head. "Is that their way of being subtle?" She grimaced. "First an Arisen's Bond with rules on who can have it and why, and now a sword to commit suicide?" She took a closer look at the sword. "It is ceremonial, not useful for battle." She flung it behind the crates and it vanished from view.

"So, what do we do?" Lena looked at her companions in turn.

"We train." Scarlet straightened her back. "The Everfall must hold some answers."

...

"Where are all the monsters?" Scarlet was looking around in huge disappointment. "Isn't Gransys supposed to be overrun with them?"

"The road from Cassardis to here certainly was," Scorpio echoed her sentiment. "But this... is strange."

They stood just outside Gran Soren, on a vista that was normally home to several packs of goblins, wolves, harpies and an occasional griffin, but now it was completely deserted. Even bandits were staying away.

"How are we supposed to train if there are no monsters around?" Scarlet pursed her lips.

The skies were overcast and may be a bit too grey, but other than that, everything was much more peaceful than before...

Until a dragon swooped down on them, that is.

"DRAGON!!!" Scarlet got excited, even though technically it was only a drake, but this one was red, and therefore of the fire breathing variety. Finally! Something to train with.

The dragon presented a decent challenge, and they geared for a long and protracted battle with many hits. Lena had switched to a magic bow previously, even though she always felt that magic bows were cheats because of all the enchanted enemy-seeking bolts, you didn't have to actually target anything. She also felt that they delivered far too much damage for the effort you had to put into the shooting. But after their extremely difficult journey from Cassardis to Gran Soren followed by the fight with the gazer, she was ready to take any help she could get, cheats or no cheats. And so she took out her new ice-enchanted magic bow and started shooting at the dragon, with the pawns doing their thing as well.

The real danger of this dragon was its tail. One sweep, and you were knocked out, as Scarlet and Scorpio found out repeatedly, and Lena had to dash to help them up. Rook shouldn't have had the problem, but in his enthusiasm he would often stand too close to the dragon, unnecessarily close since his spells did not require bodily contact. After Lena helped him up a few times, she started looking out for him preventively: if he was too close, she'd grab him and carry him over a bit further away.

"You're enjoying it, aren't you?" She winked, putting him down at a safe distance from the dragon yet another time.

"Makes me feel wanted," he grinned.

The dragon seemed to be getting annoyed however. After Rook set its wings ablaze for the third time, the dragon had had enough. It breathed fire knocking everyone off their feet, flapped its wings a few times to put out the flames, and took to the skies... never to return.

"We scared it off!!" Scarlet was shaking her sword at it.

"Well, this one flew off, but the next one won't," Lena didn't like it. "What monsters we do come across, are all much tougher than before. It's like the Bitterblack Isle descended onto Gransys. Each of you needs an upgrade or two, and high level gear is ten times more expensive than the usual stuff..."

"I don't want any new armour, thanks," Scarlet shook her head. She was still wearing the lightest of heavy armours, which had been her choice. "I need to remain agile. Bulky armour will hinder me more than help. I could use a better sword though," she grinned. Yeah, they'd seen one at the smithy, and couldn't even remotely afford it...

"I could use a better staff," Rook said timidly. "This one's Ok, but you can now get those twisted ones..."

"Yeah, we've seen one at the smithy," Lena nodded. "I know..."

...

"Well, and..?" Someone was clearly expecting Lena to come to a certain conclusion. "Did you drop some high level gear in the Everfall to tempt her to go back in?"

"I have... here and there," another person nodded. "Although admittedly may be not in the first chamber she visited..."

"Idiot!!! And who allowed the harpies and succubae to fly back to their nests? They were supposed to prevent her from leaving Gran Soren! Hellhounds, giant undead - where are they?!"

"Staffing the road to Cassardis... We don't have enough for the whole of Gransys."

"Arrggghhhh!!!"

"We'll use Plan B, Master."

"It better work!!"

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - The meaning of life

"Two arenas, eight wakestones," Lena counted their trophies after a foray into the Everfall. "I don't get it. The fights were tough, yes, but it won't take forever to collect twenty wakestones at this rate... I hope."

"What happens once we've collected them?" Scarlet mused.

"Quite."

"I think the purpose of this is to get you killed," Scorpio looked straight at Lena. "Senseless fights against tough enemies... Gransys isn't exactly terrorised by monsters, except for some pockets. I bet as soon as you are dead, everything will be back to normal. Including the Duke and the Dragonforged."

"It certainly looks like it," Lena agreed. "Duke not dead and all... I wonder whether Grigori is actually dead."

"Even if he is, he can be brought back to life," Rook put in. "If the Legion could transform a dead Arisen into a living dragon, they could raise a dragon from the dead as well, if they wanted to."

"We should pay a visit to the Dragonforged, see what happened to him, don't you think?" Lena squinted at her pawns and they grinned. They didn't think she was supposed to do that.

...

On the way to the Dragonforged they got attacked by a wyvern and later on by a griffin. But both creatures flew off after a short while.

"We'll have to be a lot more deadly if you want to kill them," Scarlet said watching the wyvern hover over the bay and periodically dive into the water. "That wyvern is simply gone fishing."

"I don't see any reason for killing them if they are not bothering anyone besides the fish," Lena shook her head. "What's the point in that?"

"It's making about as much sense as those 'training' notices on some of the billboards: kill 29 oxen, kill 23 deer, kill 15 seabirds... How does it go? 'An Arisen must rise to every threat!' The threat of 45 rabbits, among others," Scarlet mocked the stuck-up tone of some of those notices.

"Well, the rabbit one was at least making some sense - the smith wanted the skins for the armour," Lena objected. "The rest... That's why I didn't take on any of them."

They stood by the entrance to the cave of the Dragonforged. Everything looked the same as before, the fires were burning, there were supply crates and barrels by the entrance, the place still looked lived in. They entered.

The pawn of the Dragonforged stood in the room reading a book, but the Dragonforged himself was no where to be seen.

"Hello," Lena greeted him. She realised that she had never asked his name. "The dragon is dead..."

"And so is my master," he replied. "I've come here in the fullness of time..." He smiled at Lena - that was the greeting of the Dragonforged.

"But you have not perished."

"Strange, isn't it?" He looked at Lena in surprise. "I wonder if I am the Dragonforged now? But I have no wisdom to impart to you, for you know more than I."

"Another instance of 'bestowal of spirit', perhaps?" Rook was watching him with interest.

"Don't say he looks just like his old master!" Lena smirked. "He is a man wearing a toga, and that's where the resemblance ends. What will you do now?" She turned to him.

"The same as what I've been doing for the last thousand years or so: nothing. Watch the direwolves lounge on the rocks, the snow harpies pick at an ox carcass, the bandits ambush the road... with an occasional griffin or wyvern making an appearance," he smirked. "And tell enigmatic truths to an Arisen that might pop in for a visit."

"Do you think you're still immortal?" Scorpio wondered.

"Who is to tell?" The pawn of the Dragonforged shrugged his shoulders. "Should I die of old age one day, the answer will be 'no'. You are the first Arisen to kill the dragon since my master was an Arisen himself," he looked at Lena and smiled. "What happens next, is a mystery."

...

"We should not rush to collect the wakestones," Lena said decisively when they stood outside again. "I have a feeling that will force the hand of whoever is in control here. They haven't killed me yet... we should look around some more."

"You might be forcing their hand by not obeying orders already," Rook objected. "Quince is obviously their agent."

"As is Olra," Lena nodded. "And Barroch on the Bitterblack Isle."

"I'm not so sure about Barroch," Scarlet shook her head. "Perhaps we should have a word with him first?"

"Let's go."

...

"You brought some armour forged in the fire of the dragon's breath for me to upgrade, have you not?" Barroch's eyes were positively sparkling. "Hand it over, let's see!"

Lena handed him her gear.

"That's why you stayed here, isn't it? You're a smith."

"An apothecary," Barroch corrected her. "I was an apothecary when the dragon decided to make me into an Arisen. I still prefer alchemy to smithing, but the real fun is to combine the two. This place has materials that'll keep me busy for an eternity and a half..."

"So, it is knowledge you're after," Lena nodded. "That's why you accepted the curse."

"Curse? What curse?" Barroch looked up in surprise. "You think the creatures don't attack me, is that it? They do. But I've learned to stay out of harm's way and I can defend myself if I really have to. The armour I'm wearing, isn't just for show!" He pursed his lips for a moment, then his expression cleared again. "No hard feelings, friend. I have to thank you for coming here. All the Arisen that fall for Olra's trap, make more than enough kills for me to scavenge..."

"Where is your pawn?" Lena asked again.

"He perished," Barroch looked rather sad saying it. "Fell into the abyss in the Rotunda of Dread. I believe you know what it does to pawns..." He squinted and Lena blushed. "Well. I didn't just leave him behind like some," he looked at Scarlet and her face turned grey. "But when he perished, I didn't pick another."

"I killed the dragon but the world did not return to normal, in fact it is gone dark and monsters from here overrun it," Lena changed the topic.

"Really?" Barroch seemed genuinely surprised. "Forgive me, friend, but I would not know what happens after you kill the dragon. I never went after mine."

"All right. What is the purpose of this place, then? What is its secret?" Lena was still trying to get some answers, although her hopes were dwindling fast. Barroch seemed to be only interested in alchemy and smithing.

"This place is a trap for the Arisen and pawns alike," he answered. "Aye, as far as I can make out. Is there a purpose to all the killing? If there is, I haven't found one. Not that I was even looking..."

...

"We're not getting anywhere," Lena was disappointed. "I have a feeling there's another Arisen somewhere on the Bitterblack Isle, and so what? Even if he is a monster."

"Olra is probably a pawn," Scorpio nodded. "That Arisen's pawn, perhaps? We've seen pawns gone mad in the Everfall, who is to say the same thing cannot happen to an Arisen?"

"And she wants to 'save' him? Perhaps," Lena agreed.

"It's a trap designed to kill the Arisen who are of no use to the Legion, simple as that," Rook put in. "I wouldn't bother with it."

"But what is the Legion's purpose?" Lena wondered.

"Control, what else," Rook shrugged. "Isn't it what makes the world go 'round?"

"Asking these questions will get you killed," Scorpio looked at Lena with worry. "Or worse."

"Worse?"

"They'll make you immortal."

...

Lena decided that it was time to start collecting the wakestones, and so they returned to Gran Soren and entered the Everfall.

"We don't have to deliver the wakestones as soon as we've got them collected, do we?" She winked. "But I'd rather get it over with."

She also had quite enough of being a Magic Archer, she thought that surely she should be able to manage everything with her two swords, three sets of daggers and a dragon-gifted bow with seven different kinds of arrows. Scorpio would carry the largest Morgenstern they could find, Scarlet would be the agile fighter as usual, and Rook - the mage and healer. What could possibly go wrong?

They did a few chambers with grimgoblins, succubae and hellhounds, and everything was fine. They did one with goblins, a cyclops and a golem, and they managed. They even did a drake... But then they faced a hydra. Having spent a long time at it and only managed to keep one head out of five cut off, they gave up. The heads were regrowing faster than they could destroy them, and Lena insisted they should leave the hydra be. The next room didn't look all that dangerous - gargoyles and succubae... But Scorpio's giant Morgenstern was making him too slow, and Rook's primary skills as a healer made his offensive magic weaker in comparison... The flying creatures swarmed. They attacked with a kiss - a deadly kiss, different from creature to creature. They would knock out their victim, and if uninterrupted, they would suck the very life out of them, or else they would trample them with their talons afterwards for good measure. Lena had been unconscious for too long. Rook got the kiss of death.

"We lost Rook," Lena realised when the fight was over.

"He'll be all right," Scarlet was drinking deep from her wine bottle. "These kisses are not fatal to us pawns. Not like petrification can be sometimes..."

This was welcome news, but still, a change of gear was needed. Scorpio took up his sorcerer's staff with his offensive spells, and they found a fellow with a huge ice-enchanted blade to be their heavy fighter. They lost their healer, but decided to compensate with extra potions instead. Something had to give. They returned to the Everfall with this new party. After two days they were done.

"Twenty five wakestones," Lena counted the stones in the box. "Wow!"

"It was good thinking to focus on collecting the wakestones and wakestone shards during the fights rather than afterwards. Those stones tend to vanish after a short while," Scarlet nodded. "And we didn't have to fight the hydra," she grinned.

"No need to make it any more deadly than necessary," Lena grinned back. "Now, I am famished. I wonder what Ser Alfonso has cooking in that pot?"

...

"She collected the wakestones!!" Someone at the Pawn Guild flung his crystal ball into the far corner of the room. "She cheated!!!"

"No, she just..." The other person broke off, it was best not to argue. "Plan B has been set in motion, Master."

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - The life of a pawn

"I have a feeling this might be goodbye," Scarlet said quietly when they finished their meal. "Once you deliver the wakestones to Quince, something will happen and I shall never see you again. I want you to know..." She broke off, noticing Lena's bewildered expression. "I want you to know that walking with you has been an honour and a privilege, truly." She paused. "I shall be reliving these memories for the rest of the eternity, it will be enough to keep me away from the Bitterblack Isle after my master finally dies."

"Scarlet..." Lena barely found her voice. "I wish I knew what to say..."

"You don't know what will happen," Scorpio gave Scarlet a meaningful look. "I think you are right that a change is coming, but you don't know what happens after that."

"Oh but I do - for me, that is," Scarlet smirked with sadness. "I shall resume wandering the Rift waiting for my master's call... which will never come. Not written off, not released from service, neither here nor there... I shall be walking the streets of Gran Soren looking for a new Arisen to pick me up... For I am certain that the world will be restored once whatever they have in store for you, is done."

"How do you know all of this?" Lena was dumbfounded.

"I don't," Scarlet shrugged. "I've never witnessed a dragon's death, I don't know what will happen."

"But you are immortal..."

"Yes, it means my life has no end. But it did have a beginning."

They sat quietly, each thinking heavy thoughts. Lena couldn't see a way out, a way that would lift the hold that the Legion had on the pawns. Why the charade with the dragon? Why repeat it every fifty years? Especially since most Arisen either died too soon or never bothered with it to begin with... What was the meaning of it all? Rook thought it was control, but control over what?

Lena got up and hugged Scarlet tightly.

"Something will happen, I agree," she said. "I too have this feeling of foreboding. But there is no point in delaying. We've explored everything we could, talked to everyone, followed every lead... We still have no clue what is going on. The only lead left to follow, is the one with the wakestones. I'll give them to Quince in the morning. Perhaps we'll meet again in what comes after that."

Lena lay down on a mat in a tent pretending to sleep. She couldn't sleep, her heart was heavy. Scarlet had become such a good friend... Rook, too. Would she lose Scorpio as well, she wondered? Was she now supposed to venture forth on her own? Perhaps it was better to never deliver the wakestones after all?

All was quiet, and most people were sleeping in their tents. People who lost their homes when the Everfall collapsed. They weren't dead, but their lives were shattered. Everyone's lives were shattered, even when the monsters did not attack, their oppression was palpable. No, that would not do. She could not leave all those people to suffer the world that she had unleashed. She just wanted her heart back! How selfish.

"What happened with the previous Arisen?" She recalled a conversation with Ilona, the old woman at the textiles shop in Cassardis. "Nothing happened," Ilona had said. "The dragon goes away after a while all on its own, and things get back to normal." So, all of it was really Lena's fault. "Because you cannot leave it well alone," Ilona had said, and although there was no reproach in Ilona's words, Lena still felt guilty.

She didn't take the dragon's bargain, either. Perhaps there was wisdom in Duke's words after all. He took the bargain out of fear, it seemed, but it granted the people of Gransys happy and prosperous life for many years... Until Lena had to destroy it all. "Avarice and ambition," he said. Avarice - no, but ambition... self-righteousness... self-importance... yes, she was guilty of that. "The bargain with the dragon was not just about sacrificing the beloved - it was about sacrificing my own heart as well," Lena thought. And she couldn't do it, not even to grant the whole country a happy life for many years.

A sharp pain in her chest made Lena sit up.

"Self-doubt will get you killed. It is a luxury we cannot afford," Scorpio said in her ear, paraphrasing something she told him in the early days of their partnership. "You are no saint, thank goodness for that." He put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. "Martyrdom seems like a noble way out, but it is not a solution. We'll have to fix this world through different means, somehow."

"I am afraid I shall lose you this time," Lena pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"You won't," he said quietly. "I am still bound to you."

"What?!" Lena sat up. He wasn't talking about the bond she had offered him, this was something else, something she never considered.

"Why do you think Scarlet cannot leave her master?" He smirked. "Why a pawn in your party can never turn on you, whatever you do?" He smiled at Lena's bewilderment. "When you take on a pawn, the Legion binds us to you. We must follow the Arisen's every command and can never turn against the Arisen, as long as that bond holds. That is, either until you release the pawn or until you die. My bond to you still holds. I shall be with you in whatever comes next."

"But you are more than just a pawn, you are and have been my friend..." Lena was still stunned.

"Yes," Scorpio nodded. "This was my personal choice."

...

"You want to make her into the Seneschal," someone at the Pawn Legion grinned, looking into his crystal ball. "That'll certainly stop her asking questions."

"Indeed," another person nodded. "She will either perish in battle, or die of boredom later."

"We can start rebuilding as soon as she jumps into the Everfall."

...

Lena delivered the wakestones to Quince, and nothing happened. Nothing at all! The world looked the same as before. Scorpio and Scarlet were still standing next to her, the other pawns were still walking around.

"What happens now?" Lena asked Quince, but Quince didn't know or didn't wish to say.

"Have you completed all you wanted in this world, Arisen?" She asked. "How about on the Bitterblack Isle? All done?"

"Why, what is it to you?" Lena squinted, she didn't like it.

"It is just something I have to ask you, is all," she smiled, but her eyes looked empty. "What happens next... the choice is yours, Arisen."

Lena turned to her pawns - her friends.

"What kind of a choice is this?!" Tears were swelling in her eyes. "I cannot allow this world to remain broken! Should I just kill myself now? I'm sure any sword will do, not just that 'Godsbane'!"

"You will do no such thing," Scorpio said sternly. "No martyrdom, please. The Everfall is the key, it is a portal, we've seen it already. Look how it transformed - it defies space itself. I wager, were you to jump now, you'd enter another plane."

"Yes, you are probably right," Lena nodded, looking into the Everfall again. "The lights and ledges are gone," she observed. "It's just the blackness of the abyss now... I'll see you later, I hope," she turned to Scorpio. "Remember our bond." And with that she jumped.

...

"Well met, Arisen," a luminescent figure was seated on a throne of white marble in a place covered in fog. "You made it this far. I have a few tests for you."

"Tests?" Lena said warily. "Haven't you tested me enough already? What do you want?"

"Your death, if I may," the figure was mocking her, it seemed. "I am the Seneschal, the Maker, the Keeper and the Guardian of this world. You will do as I say. Defend yourself, Arisen!"

The figure attacked, and Lena quickly responded. It was absolutely surreal. A duel with God? What manner of madness was that? Besides, if this was God, why was he bleeding?

After a while he called off the fight and offered Lena a choice: return to Cassardis at the moment just before the dragon's attack and live a peaceful life, or continue on, towards more tests, deeper into the Rift. He showed her a vision of herself in Cassardis, surrounded by the locals, everyone calling her "cousin", there's more fish than she could possibly eat, there's no scar on her chest...

"Nice try," Lena smirked. "But this has never been my past."

"I can return you to Tamriel, if you prefer," the Seneschal conjured another image: the New Sheoth Palace, festivities in full swing, someone about to push her into a portal... "That statue will just be a statue, you'll get a bump on your head, and that will be all," he said. "The choice is yours, Arisen."

"Remember our bond."

Her own words sounded in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to listen to her heart, but her heart was confused. She tried to listen to her soul, but a part of it belonged in Tamriel, yet another part here in Gransys. Not just in Gransys, she noted.

"There are no pawns in your vision of Cassardis," she said.

"Indeed," the Seneschal nodded. "They are but shadows of life. They have no place among humans."

Lena looked up at the luminescent figure of the Seneschal. He had the form of a man, yet his features were all but erased. "He speaks for the Legion," Lena thought. "I must accept nothing he has to offer."

"I refuse," she said.

"Then pray, proceed with your test."

Illusions of people she knew in Gransys appeared before her, each trying to make her return to Cassardis. She had to evade them or parry their attacks. "Have you no heart that you are attacking your friends?" A voice asked. But she knew they were not her friends, but mere shadows conjured up to confuse her. She pressed on.

"You are getting close!" The Seneschal stood before her again, raising his sword. "Stand against me!" But this time another person was with him, another fighter.

"You made it this far," she heard a familiar voice - Scorpio stood beside her. "There is nothing left to do but fight!"

There was no time to think about it either. "Clear your mind of all else, focus on the fight," Rook's voice sounded in her head. "This isn't a bluff."

It wasn't. The fight was fierce. It was really hard. But eventually Lena and Scorpio prevailed, no small thanks to Scorpio's superior fighting skills.

"Congratulations, Arisen, you passed your test," the Seneschal got up from the floor where he was lying dead a moment ago. "You cannot kill me," he smirked. "Immortality is a curse." He unbuttoned the collar of his jerkin and pulled out a sword. Lena could have sworn that the sword had been inside his chest, not just inside his jerkin. "Take this," he offered her the sword. "This is the only blade that can kill me. My personal Godsbane. Please, release me."

She took it and pierced his heart.

...

"Well done, Arisen," a voice sounded a few minutes later. "You are now the new Seneschal. You will dwell in this chamber for the rest of eternity."

...

"The Legion won," Lena looked at Scorpio in desperation. "I am stuck here now, and you with me."

"You were not the first to fall for it either..." Scorpio was looking at the corpse of the previous Seneschal that had lost its luminosity and now looked like a corpse of a man, an Arisen. The other fighter must have been his pawn, his corpse was also there, the print on his hand extinguished. "You have released them both. But what of you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lena shook her head.

...

Days had passed, perhaps weeks. They had nothing to do. No where to go. They said all there was to be said and revisited every memory multiple times. Lena could not imagine doing that for the rest of eternity. She did not tell Scorpio of her life in Tamriel - it hurt too much. He understood.

"I don't see a way out," she said to him. "I have to kill myself."

"Then they will have really won," he objected.

"But what do you propose?"

Alas, he saw no way out either.

"I hope... somehow... this isn't the end," Lena looked into his eyes and took his hand. "It's wishful thinking, perhaps... Just promise me one thing: do not bury yourself on the Bitterblack Isle. Become a trader in the Everfall if you have to, that'll give you something to do..." She broke off. "I don't know what I'm saying."

"I wonder..." Scorpio squeezed her hand. "They say an Arisen's Bond carries immense power. Look." He opened his hand, his pawn print dim but visible. And there, on his finger was the Arisen's Bond. "It appeared when I was summoned here," he said.

"All right, wish me luck." Lena kissed him and quickly stabbed herself through the heart before he could protest. She was, after all, a skilled assassin.

[Renee]

"They caught an intruder" Teinaava says. Uh oh. Wonder if it is who I think it is.

Yep. Sure is (Rayenna). Oh gosh. They fed from her??? Dang. As fIcked up as I think Rayenna is, now I feel bad for her. Then again, who did she think she is, trying to sneak into their hideout that way?

Wow, and she's sticking with her 'traitor' story, trying to frame Lena, after all this. Guess she doesn't remember any of what happened.

Sheesh, this is depressing. But as I said... who did she think she is.

"Rayenna will wait for the Night Mother's judgement. The vampire will not touch her until then."

Yikes.

Here

[Lena Wolf]

"They caught an intruder" Teinaava says. Uh oh. Wonder if it is who I think it is.

Yep. Sure is (Rayenna). Oh gosh. They fed from her??? Dang. As fIcked up as I think Rayenna is, now I feel bad for her. Then again, who did she think she is, trying to sneak into their hideout that way?

Do you choose justice or mercy?

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - A dream

Lena was lying on a beach, her chest slashed open, her heart missing. A dragon was standing over her. "Take up arms, newly Arisen," he said. "Come and face me."

Lena sat up with a jerk. Her heart was beating fast, it was still in her chest, with an ugly, rugged scar over it. She looked around. A room with many beds, an inn perhaps. Smells of cooking wafting in through the curtain in the doorway. Salty sea air coming in through a window. Voices downstairs... Familiar voices. Cassardis. She'd simply had a bad dream.

Her head hurt. Was there another party at Pablo's last night? Did she overdo it again with his whiskey? She tried to remember what went on. She remembered being in the Rift, fighting... God? That must have been the whiskey or another dream... That didn't seem possible!

And before that? The Everfall, fighting tough monsters for no reason, collecting wakestones... The world of Gransys all dark, overrun by monsters from the Bitterblack Isle... That didn't feel like a dream. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat. She had defeated the dragon, got back her heart, but the world crumbled in response... She had to fix it... She didn't know what to do, they'd been trying to find out what happened, but ran out of leads... Scorpio should be there somewhere, getting coffee, perhaps?

She got up and went downstairs. Pablo was there, smiling, pouring her a cup, Benita popped in for breakfast, other villagers were coming and going, fishermen brought in their catch of the morning... But Scorpio wasn't there. She asked Pablo about him. "Haven't seen him, no," Pablo shook his head. "Isn't he with you? I haven't seen you come in, you must have got here during the night... Sorry, cousin, don't know."

She felt a pang of panic in her chest. "No, wait, calm down," she told herself. "He must be here somewhere..."

Lena went outside. The sea was calm and life was back to normal, at least in Cassardis. "A good start to any task is talking with others; let's begin with that." She remembered what every pawn would tell her every time she was about to rush into something without so much as a thought... "Perhaps I should listen to them for once," she told herself. She went around talking to everyone, but it didn't help - no one had seen Scorpio, or any of the other pawns for that matter, although there was talk of the dragon's second coming... "But there's always talk of that, pay it no mind," was the common consensus. Finally, Lena decided to have a look outside the village, to make sure that the world really got back to normal. She went towards the village gate...

...

Rook was being recalled. "There is a new Arisen," he was told. "You know what to do." A portal opened and he stepped through it.

...

"Cassardis?" Rook landed on sandy ground, he looked around, recognising the village. "Gransys again, then. Who is it this time?" There was a guard by the entrance, a few fishermen carrying fish, children playing... "Wolf?" A woman with a bow and daggers was fumbling with the village gate, her dragon leather vest and hydra skin boots contrasting with everyone else's simple summer attire... "Wolf?!" She spun around. "Rook!"

...

"As far as I'm concerned, you are the newly Arisen," Rook was looking her over. "That's what I've been told - there's a newly Arisen, and so it is my duty to guide you until you get your own pawn," he was scratching his head. "This is most strange."

"This riftstone isn't working, and I can't find Scorpio," Lena looked at Rook with worry. "And I am not the Arisen, my heart is still in my chest."

"Once an Arisen, always an Arisen," Rook dismissed her argument. "This riftstone is only peripheral, not guaranteed to work. Let's try the encampment."

...

"Well met, newly Arisen! Can you hear our voice?" Lena received the standard greeting when she touched the riftstone on the encampment. "Pray, prove your valor now!"

"What?! Bloody Legion with their bloody tests!!!" Lena's dagger was about to shatter the riftstone when Rook caught her hand.

"Don't," he restrained her. "Not until you get Scorpio back." Lena sighed and relaxed. "Come on, there should be a monster in need of slaying here somewhere..."

A cyclops slain and goblins scattered, Lena returned to the riftstone. She touched it, and this time she was offered to select a pawn.

"Scorpio," she said.

"Are you sure?" The voice sounded doubtful. "This is your chance to pick someone else!"

"Scorpio."

"Still that one, is it? As you like..." The voice sounded deeply disappointed. Scorpio stepped out of the Rift.

...

"But what is going on?" Lena was looking at Rook and Scorpio in turn. They returned to Cassardis and were sitting in Pablo's inn.

"You are back, cousin, that's what matters most," Pablo was putting more and more food on the table. "And your pawns with you. The dragon can come back anytime, I don't care, for you'll slay him again. I have faith in you, cousin!"

"The dragon was supposed to be gone for fifty years though," Lena squinted at him. "I don't understand." But Pablo just shrugged - he didn't understand it either, and didn't care, besides.

"I would ask aught of you, cousin," Benita rushed in. "I need those flowers... Oh, hello, Rook!" She blushed, just only noticing Rook and Scorpio at the table. "Err... the flowers... you know, the ones you collected before... for the medicine..." She couldn't take her eyes off Rook for some reason.

"Sunbright and moonglow, yes," Lena patted her hand. "I remember."

"Right, I'll see you later then," Benita nodded, still looking at Rook, then turned around and dashed out of the room. Lena looked at Rook, he too was blushing.

"Umm... Is there something we need to know?" Lena said softly.

"Not yet," Rook shook his head, and Lena didn't insist.

...

"So, let's review," Lena was having the hardest time getting her head around what happened, separating dreams from reality. "The Everfall is a portal, a complex series of portals in fact, Ok, I can live with that," she pulled a grape off a bunch and put it on the table. "There are many worlds similar to Gransys, all connected to the Everfall, and you pawns can travel between them. The space in between is known as the Rift." Another grape went down.

"The Rift is then actually the same as the Everfall," Scorpio ate her last grape.

"Mmm... No, not the same," Lena plucked another grape. "The Everfall is a portal to the Rift, how abou that?" She put the grape down.

"All right," Scorpio inclined his head. "We pawns travel between those worlds, but Arisen cannot do that, so you never meet other Arisen." He picked a grape and put it down.

"Except the ones that are in this world already," Lena objected, but didn't remove his grape. "Like the Duke, the Dragonforged, Selene's Arisen, Barroch on the Bitterblack Isle..."

"Yeah, the ones that have given up," Rook nodded. "But not other Arisen who are still chasing the dragon."

"But what happens if, say, Barroch all of a sudden decides to go after the dragon?" Lena raised her eyes to both of them.

"He can't."

"Impossible."

"I disagree," Lena shook her head. "It's unlikely, yes, but not impossible. And obviously you don't know of any such occurrence," she grinned.

"All right, skip that." Rook plucked a grape and ate it. "What about that duel with the Seneschal? You fought him, killed him, became one yourself, then killed yourself. Who is the Seneschal now?" He plucked a grape and held it in the air.

"No clue," Lena shook her head. "No one?"

"The Legion will have put someone there to replace you," Scorpio looked dubiously at both of them. "Because the dragon is back, and if you go through with it all again, you'll be back in the Rift, and there must be another Seneschal there to face you."

"But the Seneschal doesn't do anything," Lena was getting very confused. "What is the point of his existence?"

"To make you stop asking questions, perhaps," Scorpio smirked. "It worked for a while, too."

"Hmm... We are not getting very far with this," Lena looked at the very short string of grapes that they had laid out on the table. "I killed the previous Seneschal upon his own request with his special sword, but if he always had that sword with him, why did he not just kill himself already? Like I killed myself afterwards?"

"Because killing yourself is not easily done, perhaps?" Scorpio took her hand. "You are an assassin, he wasn't."

"I am an assassin, true," Lena nodded, playing with the Arisen's Bond on Scorpio's finger. "But that doesn't explain why I am still alive, and he isn't."

"D'you know, I had the strangest dream..." Scorpio gave her a long look. "When you stabbed yourself... Or may be it wasn't a dream, I am not sure..." He paused for a moment, then continued. "The misty chamber we were in, turned into a portal - the floor vanished an we were falling, you and I, or rather, your dead body and I... Like falling through the Everfall. And I felt as if... Now, this is really weird..." He paused again, and blushed. "I felt as if my body was transforming into yours... I was becoming a girl... Err..."

"Finally, your true nature reveals itself!" Rook erupted with laughter. "I always knew you were..."

"I am no such thing!!" Scorpio looked very angry, but of course he could see it was a joke.

"Bestowal of spirit is what it was," Rook said quietly. "You were supposed to look like your Arisen, but in your case it was more than just a change of hairstyle."

"But bestowal of spirit presumes that the pawn is an empty vessel, ready for the Arisen's spirit to enhabit and to modify," Lena mused. "It might have worked with Selene, but I'd rather say it didn't work, because she still couldn't make any decisions of her own afterwards... Show me your pawn print," Lena said suddenly, turning Scorpio's palm upwards. "Still here." She sounded releaved and disappointed at the same time.

"If it had gone out, you would not have been able to find me in the Rift," Scorpio pointed out. "When you killed yourself, my pawn bond to you was released."

"Which is why the Legion had said I could pick a different pawn," Lena nodded and grinned. "Fat chance!"

"But I still don't understand why you have been resurrected," Rook picked another grape and ate it. "If you were such trouble for the Legion to begin with, why bring you back?"

"They didn't..." Scorpio said slowly. "Wolf was supposed to be dead, or at best her spirit was supposed to live out its life in my transformed body. But I resisted..."

"You execised your will," Rook said softly.

"My pawn bond had been released, but not the Arisen's Bond... Its magic is indeed most powerful."

"Not its magic," Rook shook his head. "It was your own doing. Your will. You brought her back."

They sat silent for a while, taking in the full meaning of it.

"If a pawn who exercises his will, can defy death itself, I wonder what else such a pawn can do?" Rook mused, looking out into the street, watching the locals go about their business, Benita among them. What else indeed.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The events described in this and the previous episode are the actual events in the game - this is the path you have to take to unlock New Game+. It isn't called like that in the game itself, but this is a feature common to many games - the story is restarted from the beginning, but you keep your character, skills and inventory as it was at the end of the previous game. In Dragon's Dogma, a few other things are carried over as well.

Except that the story does not add up. This is the biggest gripe of Dragon's Dogma fans with respect to the story: the ending shows the "bestowal of spirit" happening with your pawn effectively becoming you: he's got your body, your soul and your love interests... err... something is wrong here... Other questions remain, such as who is now the Seneschal since you killed yourself, and why the world of Gransys is once again the same as it was before. In this episode I tried to offer my own explanation in order to link it all together. In my mind, time does not get "rewound" to the beginning, but instead we have the second coming of the dragon.

This is the first time I am playing NG+ because this is the first time I managed to avoid the problem of an incredibly overpowered character in an unleveled world. This time I have mods.

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - The second coming

The events followed an eerily familiar pattern. Olra stood on the pier in Cassardis at night calling Lena to explore the Bitterblack Isle. A hydra attacked the encampment, but retreated once one of its heads was cut off. Ser Mercedes from a neighbouring duchy was back, leading the men of the Enlistment Core, and once again she insisted on taking the hydra's head to the Duke as a tribute. "He will want to know of this attack," she said. "And the head will serve to convince him that yes, once again it was a hydra." She was young and ambitious, but she was making sense. She blushed recognising Lena, but made no mention of some embarrassing events from the past, even though her attitude was visibly changed.

"The Duke is well, I trust?" Lena asked and Ser Mercedes nodded. So, the curse was lifted, it seemed.

"He'll try to have you killed again," Scorpio said in her ear. This was to be expected, after all, who was to say that Lena wouldn't take the dragon's bargain this time around?

...

Gran Soren had been rebuilt! The citizens were back in their original homes, or at least in new buildings where their original homes had stood. No one seemed to mind, and everyone was praising the Duke for rebuilding their city so quickly. "Overnight, can you imagine?" People were saying, attributing all the glory to the Duke.

"How are things here?" Lena greeted Barnaby, the pawn in charge of the door to the Everfall.

"The Everfall had been quiet after... you know," he shuffled uncomfortably. "It closed again as soon as you jumped in... Then the hole in the city was covered and the buildings restored overnight." Barnaby sounded a bit surprised. "Made me realise that what we... I... do here at the Pawn Guild, is not guard the Everfall itself, but just the door to it. Oh well."

"Do you ever go in at all?" Lena squinted at him.

"Err... we don't normally, no," Barnaby admitted. "We dust the riftstone, at best." He patted the riftstone. "If I might ask aught of you, Arisen..." Lena smiled, she thought she knew what was coming. "We felt tremours again. Would you go and check what is going on?"

"Sure, why not," Lena nodded. "I know what to expect."

...

"The light is back," Lena informed Barnaby when they returned from the Everfall. "We were chased by the tentacles again, it's a gazer, but the gazer itself wasn't there. Nothing you can do about that," she shook her head as Barnaby was about to say that they would redouble their efforts in guarding it. "Now that I've seen it, the gazer won't show up until I kill the dragon again," she assured him. "You'll see."

"So you are going after the dragon, are you?" It was Barnaby's turn to squint. "Why? You still have got your heart, don't you?"

"I do," Lena nodded. "But I have other business I wish to discuss with him," she answered evasively. This time Lena wanted a portal to Tamriel.

...

"The dragon cannot transport you to Tamriel," Scorpio objected when they left the Pawn Guild. "You know that, right?"

"Yes, but he speaks for the Legion."

"I don't think it'll work."

"We'll see."

"Hmm."

"Having the last word does not mean that your will is stronger," Rook observed, shaking his head.

...

"Scarlet!!!" Lena rushed at a girl in the lightest of heavy armours with an impressive cutlass on her hip.

"Excuse me?" The pawn turned around - it wasn't Scarlet.

"Oh, sorry," Lena apologised. "Thought you were someone else."

"That's all right, Arisen," the girl smiled. "If you ever need anything else, do not hesitate to let me know," she winked, walking away.

"We'll find her, give it time," Rook said quietly. "Have you tried searching in the Rift?"

...

"Ser Maximilian will be glad to see you," Scorpio smiled at Lena after she was once again presented with the Wyrm Hunt License. "Especially after what happened with that attempted arrest."

"Erm... How did you know?" Lena squinted at him and blushed a very deep red.

"Someone saw you," he said evasively. "But not to worry, I'm bound to you again, whatever you do," he winked.

What Scorpio was alluding to, was not the day when Lena went to see the Duke and got accused of witchcraft. It was true that Ser Maximilian and his men of the Ducal Guard did not manage to arrest Lena then, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. They chased her to the edge of the Everfall, surrounding her on all sides and cutting off every possibility of escape... except into the Everfall itself. Lena jumped, setting further events in motion.

When she returned to Gran Soren later, the guards in the city had no quarrel with her, but then again, they did not belong to the Ducal Guard either. She wanted to speak to Ser Maximilian though, she felt it was important, but wasn't sure why... Important to herself, perhaps. She fancied the man, yes, but there was more to that than a mere attraction.

One evening Lena went to the castle. Of course as soon as she entered the walled part of the city, she was set upon by the Ducal Guard. Ser Maximilian appeared, but Lena dashed through the lowering castle gate into the castle grounds, and there into the dungeons. The castle was largely devoid of guards, and she was hoping to find a quiet corner to talk. Her gamble paid off - the dungeons were not only unguarded, but following a familiar route through a hole in the wall in one of the cells, she ran out of the city walls altogether.

"What the..?" Ser Maximilian saw the hole in bewilderement, realising that it had been there for a very long time. However, he continued chasing Lena until they stood on large rocks that formed the foundation of Gran Soren, looking out into the sea. The path that used to run along the city wall, had collapsed, and there was no where further to go. "Aha!" He exclaimed. "In the name of the Duke, I hearby arrest..."

"Stop," Lena said softly, shaking her head, and put her finger across Ser Maximilian's lips. "There's no one here."

"My duty does not end with the city walls," Ser Maximilian objected, but didn't continue.

"I know," Lena nodded. "Which is why I wanted to tell you a few things. Come, let's sit down."

They talked for a quite a long time. Lena told Ser Maximilian of the events in the Tainted Mountain Temple, first with Salvation ("Salvation, again!"), then with the dragon. She told him of the dragon's bargain, and he was gobsmacked.

"It is bizarre, completely out of this world," he shook his head. "The Duke's duel with the dragon was such a long time ago... No one alive was even born when it took place. Of course we all assumed that the dragon greatly increased the Duke's longevity..." He shook his head again. "And he did, in a way..."

"Point being, the hole in the middle of Gran Soren is not my fault," she looked at him and smiled. "And I did not curse the Duke, nor do I want his throne."

"I couldn't believe that myself," Ser Maximilian nodded. "But the Duke has been good to us, he has been good for Gransys all these years... and I am sworn to uphold his word."

"I understand," Lena nodded too. "But you also do not stop to use your brain. You understand the tasks of the Wyrm Hunt now, don't you?"

"Designed to capture everyone's attention and try to get you killed in the process," he smirked. "Clear as day. But understandable. Damned politics! That's why I joined the Guard and not the Court..!"

"Against your family's wishes, I hear," Lena thought she read it in his expression. She'd heard some talk, and now it seemed it was true.

"My family..." He smirked. "I am sharing quarters with mere soldiers and fraternising with an assassin... of no noble descent, I presume..." He smiled and took her hand. "It would have been the talk of the entire Guard, if not for the destruction of Gran Soren... That night at the Greatwall Encampment... we weren't exactly discreet." He kissed the palm of her hand.

"Assassin... not in Gransys," Lena shook her head. "How did you..?"

"I saw you fight, didn't I?" He grinned, sliding his hand under her jacket and retrieving a box of poisoned shivs. "You are a dangerous woman."

"To some, more than to others," Lena smiled, removing her weapon belts.

What happened next, made no logical sense, yet it felt right to both of them.

...

"When did you learn of that?" Lena turned to Scorpio, her face still fiery red.

"Soon after it took place," he said. "Someone made it a point to make me aware of your 'outing'."

"Yet you said nothing, and still came when I called for you in the Rift." Lena came close to him, looking into his eyes. "You kept the Arisen's Bond too. Why?"

"This isn't a wedding ring," he raised his hand with the Arisen's Bond on his finger. "This isn't that kind of a bond. I can't explain it... but it holds, I know. Perhaps time will tell. It hasn't matured yet."

[Renee]

Do you choose justice or mercy?

Me? As in, me, personally? I'd choose some sort of mercy. Maybe keep the traitor locked up, or somesuch. But it's never really up to me; it's up to the characters in the story. That's the roleplay way!

Uh oh. Night Mother has spoken. Wow, what a punishment. That's actually worse in a way than death. Every time she sleeps, she faces judgement. Bravo, what an outcome!

Here now

[Lena Wolf]

Do you choose justice or mercy?

Me? As in, me, personally? I'd choose some sort of mercy. Maybe keep the traitor locked up, or somesuch. But it's never really up to me; it's up to the characters in the story. That's the roleplay way!

True, but you are the one writing the story. Anyway, the Night Mother is not known for her merciful nature.

Uh oh. Night Mother has spoken. Wow, what a punishment. That's actually worse in a way than death. Every time she sleeps, she faces judgement. Bravo, what an outcome!

In some of the conversations between the members of the DB or possibly conversations of others about the DB, it is alluded that exile means facing the Wrath of Sithis every time you sleep. At least this is what I remember. Not just once as it is done for the player, which is ridiculous. So Rayenna gets the standard punishment.

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - Release

"So it's true, the dragon is back and you are still the Arisen," Ser Maximilian smiled, greeting Lena near the castle grounds. "I've got tasks for you... err... rather similar to last time," he grimaced. "But duty is duty, so here you are." He handed her a list of tasks. "Are you still..."

"...going after the dragon?" Lena finished his sentence. "Oh yes. See you around, Max."

She gave him a quick wave and he blushed.

"Max?" Scorpio grinned.

"'Ser Maximilian' is rather long, don't you think?" Lena grinned back. "It will be easier going this time, now that we know what the tasks are all about."

"Staying alive."

"Precisely."

...

Lena wanted to confront the dragon in order to demand a portal to Tamriel. Demand, ask, beg - whichever, as long as it worked. She intended to grab Scorpio's arm and pull him in with her as well - she wasn't losing him again. She didn't know if it would work, or if Scorpio would object... She ignored all such concerns for the simple fact that she needed that portal first.

"The dragon doesn't go about burning the countryside as soon as he arrives," the old woman at the textiles shop in Cassardis shook her head when Lena said she wanted to force the matter and face the dragon right away. "You won't find him now. He sleeps first, gathers his strength. For how long? Who is to say..."

"So, how will I know when he's ready?" Lena furrowed her brow.

"You'll know," the old woman smiled. "You are the Arisen. He'll tell you, just like last time."

"How do you know all this..?" Lena was perplexed. She never told anyone, not even Scorpio, that the dragon could talk to her inside her head. But the old woman seemed to know it somehow.

"Faith knows," she inclined her head. "All anyone needs to do, is listen closely to their sermons and prophecies. It's all there. And I am an avid church goer," she smiled.

...

Back in Gran Soren, Lena was behaving strangely. She chased people down the street, picked them up, even threw one person off a parapet and into the river... He wasn't seriously hurt, but Lena got promptly arrested anyway.

"Back again?" The jailer grinned, recognising her from her previous stays. "Well, you know the drill: 5000 gold coins will buy you freedom."

"I don't think so," Lena shook her head, turning to the rats for bits of wood and bone to make a lockpick. Once she was out, her belongings would be returned to her - such were the rules.

And once out, she continued behaving badly.

"Don't!" Scorpio stopped her once or twice when she attempted to grab another person. But she pulled out her daggers and took a swing at a citizen, missing him by a long mile, but still earning herself a trip to the dungeons.

"What is wrong?" Scorpio held her by the shoulders when she was out again. "You are not yourself."

"I am," Lena's eyes looked empty. "I just... umm... You just haven't seen this side of me so far."

"What side?" Scorpio squinted. "This isn't the assassin at work, the vampire at feeding or the wolverine on a hunt, not the fury incarnate or the reckless adventurer delving into every cave without thinking... It isn't even the cornered Arisen jumping into the Everfall. What side of you are you talking about? You are no petty thief or town troublemaker."

Lena didn't answer. She slumped her shoulders and walked away, avoiding Scorpio's gaze. She was back in the dungeons by nightfall.

...

"What's gotten into her?" Scorpio was saying to Rook with worry, waiting for Lena at the dungeon exit in the sewers. It was once again locked from the inside. "Why these senseless arrests? She is making a nuisance of herself on purpose. D'you think she is possessed?"

"By what?" Rook smirked. "A rebellious teenage spirit? Don't be silly."

"I don't understand," Scorpio shook his head in desperation.

"I think... hmm... it looks like she is trying to shake you off," he squinted at Scorpio. "To make you dislike her... but why, I am not certain."

It's been several days, but Lena wasn't leaving the dungeons. Scorpio started to worry that she might have gotten herself into some real trouble this time, for she would not have been held that long for a petty offence. He decided to ask around.

"Criminals are held for a few days, then either executed or released," a guard told him. "That's the law. Your girlfriend's offences don't warrant an execution, so unless she keeps re-offending while locked up, she should be out by now."

"She's not my..." Scorpio started, then dropped that argument, deciding to focus on a more important issue. "How can she possibly commit another offence while being locked up in the dungeons?"

"She can insult the jailer," the guard shrugged. "Or pick the lock of her cell, or attempt to escape, or brawl with other prisoners, or... hmm... plenty of ways to get re-arrested."

...

"And that is for requesting a bribe," Lena was kicking the jailer as he was rolling on the floor of the dungeons, offering no resistance at all. "And for hitting me on the head with a rock... for not giving me any food... for stripping me naked while I was knocked out... for..." She paused. "Why aren't you resisting?"

"You're not wearing boots, which is why we strip all incoming prisoners naked and have them wear prison rags," he didn't seem to be in any pain. "And lack of food keeps you weak. I'm not interested in any part of your person, apart from your purse. And you can't hurt me 'cause I'm wearing armour," he grinned. "Oh, and we confiscated your shivs."

"Hey, Jacob! Need any help?" Another guard was looking in through the bars at the top of the stairs. "This one seems angry..."

"Nah, she just got her fine doubled," the jailer suddenly got up and pushed Lena back into her cell, locking it again. "She'll have to eat eventually, and I know she's got money."

...

Several more days have passed, but Lena was not coming out of the dungeons, not escaping and not getting released. Scorpio was seriously worried. "Something's not right," he kept saying. "That's not like her at all." Finally he decided that desperate times required desperate measures.

"Good morning, Ser Maximilian," he walked up to him when Ser Maximilian had a few moments free. "I know I'm not supposed to... but could I please have a word?" Needless to say, pawns were forbidden from talking to officials.

"Ser Arisen not with you?" Ser Maximilian looked around and squinted. "What's the matter?"

"It's about her," Scorpio didn't know how much time he had before the guards would drag him off, so he decided to be blunt. "She's in the dungeons... and not coming out. The back door is locked and I can't get to her... you know how it is. We're not allowed into the castle."

"And you want me to check on her," Ser Maximilian smirked. "Well, if the Arisen chooses to be a public nuisance, there's nothing I can do..."

"Please."

"Hmm..." Ser Maximilian looked around and lowered his voice. "It's not like her, granted. But I can't just leave my post. I'll go at night. Wait for me by the aqueduct exit outside the city walls... you know it, don't you?"

...

"Is there a problem, Commander?" Ser Jacob the jailer peered at Ser Maximilian through the bars. "We are not with the Ducal Guard."

"And I am not on an inspection," Ser Maximilian smiled at him - he had no jurisdiction in the dungeons. "Rather... err... I wondered if you could see it as a personal favour."

"That depends..." Ser Jacob twisted the strings of his coin purse. "What did you have in mind?"

"I would like to speak to one of your prisoners," Ser Maximilian casually produced a purse from his pocket and held it in his closed hand. "The Arisen," he smiled again. "She is supposed to be doing tasks for the Wyrm Hunt, but instead she is lodging here with you."

"She has several fines outstanding to her name," Ser Jacob leafed through a ledger.

"By all means," Ser Maximilian nodded. "I am not asking for her release. Just to visit her here."

This was enough for Ser Jacob to raise the bars and let Ser Maximilian in, who accidentally dropped the purse he was holding. Ser Jacob busied himself lowering the bars again and making sure no stray objects were left lying on the ground...

"Come with me," Ser Maximilian pushed the door of Lena's cell, realising that it wasn't locked.

"No," she backed off against the wall.

"Now." He stepped towards her, intending to grab her arm and lead her out, but she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him until he started struggling for breath. "You can thank me later," he grinned. "Let's go."

"No."

By that time Ser Jacob was finished with the bars and started walking down the corridor towards Lena's cell. Ser Maximilian couldn't understand why Lena insisted on staying but felt it was the wrong thing to do, and remembering how she had picked him up and carried him from under the feet of a raging chimera, he now did the same, picking her up and carrying her out of the cell, just before Ser Jacob turned the corner. Their previous chase through the dungeons was still fresh in his memory, and he now silently thanked whoever dug out that hole in the wall... With another cell unlocked with his master key, he dashed to it, still carrying Lena over his shoulder.

"Now, explain." He said decisively, putting her down in one of the dead ends of the barred off section of the sewers. "You could have gotten out any time." But once again, Lena wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, cutting off his words and offering no explanation. As much as he was enjoying it, he knew that something was off. He lifted up his lantern to have a good look at Lena's face. She looked gaunt, her skin turned grey with a tinge of green, her bloodshot eyes had yellowish mucus around them, her lips were cracked, her hair matted and missing in places... "What have you done to yourself?!" He exclaimed in horror.

"It shouldn't take much longer," Lena smiled. "You are too late, Max." She let go of him and dropped to the floor, scattering spiders and snakes, and only smiling when one of them pierced her leg with its fangs.

"What?!" Two swings of his sword cleared the place of vermin, but the lantern was now illuminating Lena's body as well. Her legs and arms covered in poisoned bites - small festering wounds left by repeated visits to the section of the sewers they were in. "How long?"

"A week, ten days perhaps," Lena smiled. "With no food... it won't be long now. The poison isn't strong, but..." She seemed to be getting tired from speaking alone. Even weak poison from spiders and snakes could kill, if repeatedly re-applied.

"But why..?!"

"Scorpio was right," she made another effort to speak. "The dragon will not grant me passage home. My staying here is trouble for all. You can do better than romancing me... Scorpio can do better than being bound to me... This is the only way to truly release him... I am an Arisen no longer, I still got my heart... The Legion cannot force him... He'll have his life back..." She closed her eyes and passed out.

[Lena Wolf]

4th Era, Year Unknown - The Arisen's Bond

Commander of the Ducal Guard Ser Maximilian Eizenstern was seen leaving the castle dungeons by the door to the sewers, a limp corpse of a prisoner hanging over his shoulder. A few pairs of eyes squinted but no heads turned, as the people who dwelled there, were long used to various guards disposing of dead prisoners by carrying them out the aqueduct gate and throwing them into the sea. No one recognised the Arisen in that dirty corpse of a female with bloated legs and arms covered in festering warts.

Sir Maximilian pushed the bars of the aqueduct gate and stepped onto the rocks outside, looking out into the sea. The night was dark, with very few stars showing through the clouds, the waves were crushing onto the rocks. "Ideal," he thought, getting a grip on the corpse over his shoulder.

Two men without lanterns stepped out of the darkness. One quickly took off his coat spreading it on the rocky ground, the other started intoning a spell. Ser Maximilian nodded and put the corpse down.

"Poison," he said, and his words were drowned out by the sea. "She is very weak."

"Who did this?" Scorpio clenched his fists, having laid Lena on his coat and checked her pulse.

"She herself," Ser Maximilian shook his head. "I was too late... She stalled me, too," he blushed uncomfortably. "Before I realised what she had done. We must save her."

"She's got a lot of poison in her blood, infection too," Rook shook his head, casting spell after spell. "I can keep her alive for a while but she needs conventional healing. And even then..."

"You must try," Ser Maximilian squeezed Scorpio's wrist. "She said something... I didn't fully understand... She thought the dragon's second coming was her fault somehow, that she brought it onto Gransys... She said the dragon would never grant her passage home, that you were right, and that she had to release your bond... Her thoughts were all of you."

He fell silent. The only light and sound on that desolate rock was from Rook's incantations, and even that was swallowed by the crushing waves and gathering fog.

"Here, take this," Ser Maximilian handed Scorpio a polished ferrystone. "Fournival saw us talking this morning, put two and two together... She's got friends, you know. Take her to Cassardis, I'll forward on your things..."

They sat in silence. Scorpio opened his palm, his pawn print was all but extinguished.

"This is what she meant," he smirked with sadness in his voice. "Release my bond to the Legion. Her death would grant me life, would end my immortality... I would be a pawn no longer."

Rook's healing spells made the droplets of fog sparkle with soft greenish light.

"We should go," he said, putting away his staff. "We'll do all we can," he turned to Ser Maximilian. "Thank you. Letting go is never easy."

"I like her... a lot," Ser Maximilian nodded to Rook, then turned to Scorpio again. "I don't think I could have done much better than romancing her... Her words, those," he hastened to add. "But her bond is to you." He touched the Arisen's Bond on Scorpio's finger and the ring shone with warm golden glow.

They shook hands and Ser Maximilian stepped through the aqueduct gate back into Gran Soren proper. Rook tossed the ferrystone into the air, there was a flash of light and the night swallowed all.

...

Weeks passed, may be months. Lena was lying in bed on the top floor of Pablo's inn in Cassardis, her eyes were closed, her breathing regular, she was asleep. Scorpio was brushing her hair. Benita brought another vile of medicine, Rook was casting another spell. Lena just wouldn't wake up.

The first few days were hectic, with Rook and Scorpio scouring the woods for medicinal herbs and fungi, but at least it gave them something to do. After that all that was left was to wait. "She'll wake up when she's ready," Benita would say every passing day. "We've cleared the toxins, closed the wounds, there's nothing left that would be ailing her body... but her spirit needs healing too."

...

"She did this for me," Scorpio was sitting by her bed, holding her hand, stroking her hair. "But I never wanted to lose her... What's the point of a life if it's not shared?" He twisted the Arisen's Bond on his finger, the ring filled with warmth. "The magic in this ring..."

"The magic in this ring responds to your heart," Rook entered the room and pulled up a chair. "I've read this some place. Doesn't this bond represent what you hold most dear?"

They sat in silence for a while.

"You've been a pawn for too long, my friend," Rook put his hand on Scorpio's shoulder. "I, too. We pawns are condemned to loneliness till the end of times... No bond can last us a lifetime, for our lifetime has no end... And so we avoid all bonds, so as to spare us the pain of separation. Mortals are not like that. And I for one intend to try their way. Do you think she'll like this?" He suddenly produced a golden ring.

"Benita?" Scorpio smiled. "I don't see why not... Except that of course you are a pawn."

Rook left and Scorpio remained seated by Lena's bed, watching her sleep.

...

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to celebrate the union of this man and this woman..." The priest gave a broad smile and the congregation cheered. "The first in Gransys, I daresay... But the scriptures do not forbid it!" He beamed with joy at them all. "And thus it is my honour and my privilege to bless this marriage and to pronounce you husband and wife!"

The village chapel erupted with applause, cheer and laughter, flowers were thrown into the air and dancing commenced in the streets.

The top floor of Pablo's inn was quiet, with only some sounds of music coming in through the windows. "Rook and Benita are getting married today," Scorpio was saying to Lena, stroking her cheek as she slept. "I miss you so... Come back to me... This pawn needs his master..." He smirked at the canonical phrase. "No... this man is missing his bond..."

He took her in an embrace and kissed her like he never had done since that one night after they faced the dragon. They had a bond, yes. A bond strong enough to bring her back from the dead, yes. They were close, very close, but except for once, not in that way... Why not? What was he afraid of? A force of habit... he'd been a pawn for too long.

...

The weeks that followed were no different from the weeks that came before, except for the fact that Rook and Benita no longer needed to keep their love under wraps. Rook was a pawn, so what. He was their resident healer, and between his magic and Benita's herbs, no one in Cassardis ailed with anything for long.

Quina came to see Lena most days. "First the dragon steals her heart, and now this," she would shake her head. "Oh cos... I wish I knew what to do." She'd sigh, talk to Scorpio for a while, bring a new herb or flower from time to time to make the room more cheerful. "You don't know when she decides to wake up. We must make sure the room looks nice when that happens," she'd say with a smile. Like most villagers, she accepted the wait like people accepted rainy days, always knowing that the sun would appear again sooner or later.

Rook's wedding gave Scorpio a lot to think about. Pawns did not age, and so inevitably Benita would grow old while Rook would not. Then Benita would die but Rook would go on living... Would he marry again in another land? Was that worth the pain? "That's the pain that I am suffering now, with Wolf's spirit gone from her body," Scorpio realised one day. "Except that this is worse, for our bond is incomplete."

...

Lena was the Seneschal. She dwelled in a chamber covered in mist, looking down onto a world she did not know. She saw a village, a town, a city; it reminded her of Gransys, but Gransys it was not. A dragon descended onto the land, picked an Arisen; Lena knew what would happen next, if that Arisen survived long enough and didn't give up half way - a tall order indeed. Centuries passed, no Arisen challenged her reign. Lena felt empty. Her heart was beating evenly inside her chest, nothing ever causing a stir. She wasn't bored, she felt no pain. She felt nothing at all.

Sometimes a fleeting thought would make her wonder whether something was missing... whether someone should be with her... But then she would look into the mist of her chamber and shake her head. No. This was her cross to bear, and hers alone.

A cross? Or a ring? A tablet? Confusing images would rush through her head sometimes, but vanish before she could capture the meaning.

It was like a dream.

"A ring, definitely a ring," an image appeared long enough for her to see it properly. "A magical ring, too, look how it glows," she smiled to herself. "Was that mine?"

She saw herself flinging the ring into a far corner of a cave, behind some rubble. "If I cannot give it to the one I choose, it is of no use to me," she heard herself say. Her hand touched another person... Who was that? The image vanished - she couldn't recall.

Days replaced nights in the world below, life went on as before. Another dragon descended upon the land, another Arisen was chosen, another link in the endless chain was forged. How far would this Arisen go?

An Arisen entered Lena's chamber. "Greetings," she said. "I have tests for you." "Tests?! Insolence!!", was the Arisen's reply. "Ah, an angry one," Lena thought.

Yet the Arisen failed the test, failed to see that the shadows of friends that Lena had conjured, were just that - shadows. The Arisen went with them. "Ah, that's the end of that cycle," Lena thought, turning away. How many more times would that play out until one Arisen came close enough to remove the ice from her chest, the blade that could grant her oblivion... "The blade is not a blade, it is a piece of ice bracing the heart," she pressed her hand to her chest but felt no pain.

...

Lena was peering into the mist - was that another Arisen? Did she miss a dragon descending onto the world? She couldn't recall, there had been so many. The person approached, raised his hand in a greeting, a pawn print shining bright on his hand. "A pawn, here?" Lena was surprised, her heart skipped a beat. "What was that?" She saw a ring on the pawn's finger glowing with a golden light.

"My bond is incomplete," said the pawn. "We are close, so very close, you and I, yet not close enough. I've always held back, kept that last wall up, that final safe space for myself... But no more. Come what may. I miss you. I want you back." He stood quite close to her now, so close, she could feel the warmth of his body even without touching. She liked his face... but who was he? She could not remember.

He took her hand and put it around his waist. That felt familiar... the scene with flinging away the ring rose before her eyes. But... who was he?

"I never wish to lose you again," he said, taking the ring off his finger and putting it onto hers. "May the bond now be complete." He kissed her, her heart skipped a beat, he pressed his hand to her chest and pulled out the Godsbane blade. He threw it to the ground and it shattered into tiny shards of ice. Lena woke up.

...

"Aye!" Lena sat up with a jerk, a sharp pain in her chest making her cry out.

"Sshhh, I'm here," she heard a familiar voice, felt familiar touch.

"I had such a strange dream..." She put her arms around Scorpio's neck, responding to his kiss.

"It wasn't a dream," he said in her ear. "But no more ice, I promise."

She felt the warmth of a ring around her finger, she saw Scorpio's ring still on his finger too, glowing with a golden light.

"How..?"

"The Arisen's Bond has worked its magic. The rest is up to us."