The Other Side/Rise Of The Crow

Two days have passed since we got on our carriage and the carriage drivers told us we should be only a couple of hours away from our destination. The journey has been quite treacherous because of the weather but we haven't run into any Colossi or enemies so I guess we should count our blessings.

"Hey, Layla?" I ask as we both put our hands in front of the fire.

"What is it?" She asks.

"Have you ever been to this city before? I looked on a lot of the maps in the library and couldn't find it." I ask as she puts a pot of tea above the fire.

"Nah, I've actually never heard of Forteresse before! This is all new territory for me too!" Layla admits.

"It definitely doesn't help that our carriage drivers won't tell us anything either." I remark as I stretch my arms out.

"It seems like wherever we're going it isn't an area that most people are allowed to go to. If I were to make a guess the city is probably run by the government and is kept a secret to the citizens." Layla guesses her voice full of uncertainty.

"I see. But if that's the case what do you think they're trying to hide?" I ask.

"Hard to say, I think it's just best if we wait until we get there." Layla replies.

Finally, after days and days of being on the road, our carriage stops at the front gate of this enormous-looking fortress with 4 large buildings, weapon shops, taverns, potion shops, a general store, and some restaurants. We all hop out of the carriage and a tall Scavian Man meets us at the front of the gate.

"Welcome to Forteresse, Chosen Children! My name is Landon and I'm one of the captains of the Crimson Blades–" Landon says as Layla looks at him like she's seen a ghost.

"Landon? Is that really you big brother?" Layla asks her voice full of astonishment.

"I almost didn't recognize you… Layla?" Landon says as they both hug each other really tightly.

"Damn you, you idiot! I thought you were dead after you stop sending me letters! Do you know how much I cried for you?" Layla yells as she punches his chest in frustration.

"Layla! Relax!" Mari orders as she runs to her.

"Ugh, she's like a wild bull!" Sachi yells as she tries to grab Layla.

"OWWW! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Landon apologizes as Mari and Sachi hold Layla back.

We all sit inside a warm tavern as we around the room I can sense that these Frodians are very powerful.

"Listen, I'm sorry Layla but I've been on the front lines for the last 4 years! They don't usually let us stay in contact with anyone, guess that's what happens when the government gets involved with guilds… " Lando explains as Layla still looks ticked.

"I suppose it couldn't be helped but I really wish you didn't have to worry me like that! I was training my butt off just in case I had to go find, yet you were here this whole time!" Layla snaps back as she eats her food aggressively.

"Have you talked to Lila at all? I've used some of my connections to try to locate her but nothing came of it." Lando asks his voice full of concern.

"The last thing she told me was that she wasn't going to babysit me anymore, so I guess there's that!" Layla informs as Landon looks really sad.

"Wow, it was really hard for us to stay close after what happened. I really am sorry for not being there for you, but I thought Lila had you covered. Is everything going well for you? I can give you money if you need it, I've made a boatload of coins since I've joined this guild." Landon asks his voice full of sincerity.

"I don't need your money. I'm fully capable of taking care of myself as you can see from your little guild's summoning of me!" Layla declines her voice full of annoyance.

"Sorry to interrupt! But what exactly is going on here? Why is the place not in any public records and why are they keeping it such a secret?" I ask as Landon lets out a huge sigh.

"Right… Anyway, I guess I should give all of you the layout of what's happening down here in Forteresse. My Masters figured it would be best for the Chosen Children to be in the know about what's really going on in Goliath!" Landon says as he chugs down some ale.

"Ugh, now you're a drinker too! Mom would've been disappointed if she saw this!" Layla criticizes.

"Relax, I just drink on my days off! Sorry got off track again, basically, a seemingly endless amount of Colossi have been trying to get into Goliath. For these last 4 years, we've been the last defense against them and it hasn't been fun!" Landon explains as I feel even more confused than before.

"Where are we anyway? Our carriage drivers didn't tell us anything." Mari asks as she combs her hair.

"We're at the border between Goliath and the continent of Taranath! The people of Taranth haven't been able to stop them over there so now the damned things are terrorizing us!" Landon answers.

"Is there a reason why? Shouldn't our government and the king be more concerned?" Sachi asks.

"Those idiots won't lift a finger just because we're around! Somehow we've been able to hold them off just fine but it still doesn't change the fact that they keep coming. Now the guild is trying to recruit younger members while we try to figure out a way to put a stop to the horde. It's all-out chaos down here and no one wants to do anything about it!" Landon responds his voice full of anger.

"Have any legendary Colossi shown up?" Layla asks her voice full of curiosity.

"Nope, just regular Colossi. But we heard from top officials that in six months' time, a Legendary Colossi will show up and at that point a lot of people will probably die… And we'll be the first ones to go! Yay!" Landon replies his voice full of sarcasm.

"We… We actually ran into Vedora not too long ago while we were on a job." Layla informs Landon as he looks surprised.

"Wow, that's pretty intense. We've heard stories about her since we were little kids but I always used to think it was just stories to scare us to sleep. Do you think there's a chance anyone can defeat her?" Landon asks.

"No. She fought off Adora herself and had it not been for her we'd all be dead right now… " Layla answers her voice full of anxiety.

"That's too bad, I was hoping some other person would take her out so I can live the rest of my life in peace… Guild life seemed pretty fun at first but then you start losing people left and right wondering if any of it was even worth it." Landon cautions his voice full of pain.

"That makes it even more important that we move forward! We can't let our parents death be in vain! It's up to us to do what we can to help this land!" Layla shouts passionately.

"I think our parents would be much happier being here with us right now… The only thing that has kept me going is trying to make enough money so that when I'm gone you and Lila would be okay. But I guess I'm doing a crap job at that too!" Landon replies as it's clear he's pretty buzzed.

"Landon… This doesn't sound like you at all." Layla observes as Lando gets up from the table.

"Anyway, let's head on over to guild. We have your quarters ready and I'm sure you all need some rest after such a long journey!" Landon tells us as we all leave the tavern.

We walk across the snowy streets and finally arrive at the guild. The guild is filled with tables, torches, chairs, a bar, a weapons rack, and many rooms. The place is so spacious that it almost reminds me of the lobby of the academy. As we walk in we notice that not a single soul is in here.

"Umm, are you sure we're at the right place?" Mari asks as she looks around for people.

"That's what happens when you drink too much!" Layla yells.

"Calm down, everyone is probably at the front lines right now! They probably won't be back until much later with all of the different duties we usually have. Come this way, I made sure to have all of your rooms next to each other!" Landon motions as we walk up a tall set of stairs.

As we reach the top Landon shows us to four different rooms.

"Here you go… Each of you has your own separate rooms! Be sure to keep the place clean, it'll be an issue if Marda sees it!" Lando hiccups as he's clearly had too much to drink.

"Woah, I can't believe we get our own rooms! Finally, I don't have to deal with any of you's weird sleeping habits!" Sachi yells her voice full of happiness as she jets into her room.

"Yep, think of it as what you can look forward to when you became a member of an Elite Guild! Alright kids, I'm heading in for some R & R. Get some rest, you're definitely going to need it!" Landon suggest as he walks back down the stairs.

"Okay guys, I'm going to bed!" Mari lets us know as she walks briskly to her room.

"Goodnight!" Layla and I say in unison.

Layla stares at the ground and looks really conflicted.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask as I pat her shoulder.

"I will be, it was just a lot to take in that my brother is okay. One of the biggest reasons I started training so hard was to look for him and hopefully force my sister out of that horrible group she's a part of." Layla responds her voice full of sadness.

"Can't blame you there. At least you know that he's okay now. I couldn't imagine how much of a relief that probably is." I concur as Layla smiles lightly.

"Yeah, you're right… Alright Crow, Imma head in too." Layla accepts as she slowly walks into her room.

"Goodnight, sweet dreams and all of that!" I say.

I wonder just how bad it really is in the front lines?