Humanity's Hero Of Despair

Warm golden hues bathe the village of Wardale Heights, with its tall peaks rising around us, as the late afternoon sun paints the landscape.

The village, high in the mountains, is a serene retreat about a dozen miles away from Stonelight, its cobblestone paths meandering through clusters of cozy cottages and soaring pine trees.

Upon arriving the previous evening, the Baron of Wardale Heights, Odinus Hamilton, offers us his guest bedrooms for rest and ensures we are well-fed.

The dinner, a comforting blend of thick stew, warm bread, and perfectly roasted game, is deeply satisfying, nourishing us with energy. We have a hearty breakfast the following morning that leaves us feeling ready for the next stage of our journey.

Despite this perfect brief break, the importance of our mission lingers with us. We wonder every day if the town of Muedar is going to be okay without our protection until we make it back to Stonelight.

The stunning view of the valley from the Baron's manor doesn't distract me from the sense of urgency in my gut. The peace in Wardale Heights feels fragile, a moment of calm before the violence of the outside world inevitably returns. We are still exhausted and mentally drained from traveling non-stop to reach Stonelight faster to give our important report to King Grey.

Shortly after, Quillen and Zephyr join me, their footsteps crunching on the gravel path.

"Ready for the last leg of the trip?" Quillen asks, his voice calm but resolute.

With a sharp nod, Zephyr tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword. "Let's get moving. The faster we reach Stonelight, the better."

We nod, then the three of us climb into the carriage. The Baron, accompanied by several villagers, bids us farewell as our horses trot down the twisting mountain path. After a little less than two hours of travel, we make it back to Stonelight.

The city is alive with decent activity. People walk around shopping, eating at restaurants, and going about their day as if they know nothing about the impending violence. The only thing that catches their eyes is us, as the royal carriage bolts across the road toward the Tarondar Palace. The royal guards see us approaching and stand aside, saluting us as we pass through the gates.

Before we knew it, we are in the throne room once again, even though it doesn't feel familiar, as it has been a couple of weeks at a minimum. King Grey stands in the corner with Avalon Festus, speaking in rapid tones. As the king notices the three of us enter, they both pause their conversation and approach us. The king speaks first.

"Nico! Zephyr! Quillen! It is nice to see the three of you this soon again."

"Thank you, King Grey. We have urgent information to give to you," I respond as Quillen digs into his bag and pulls out the documents that Earl Finley gave us. As King Grey looks over the documents one by one, Avalon speaks to me as if reading my thoughts.

"Your friends are doing well at Hero Academy. King Grey and I were just discussing alternative plans of action to take, depending on the information you would give us from Muedar. The good news is that you have a high chance of reuniting with your friends soon. The bad news is it won't be at Hero Academy or under favorable conditions."

I am about to reply when King Grey looks up from the documents. "He is right, unfortunately."

King Grey asks one of the royal guards to retrieve his royal stamp. Once retrieved, the king stamps the royal seal on the documents while also writing a note on the front page with a pen. King Grey then hands the documents back to Quillen before addressing the three of us in a very grave tone.

"I am sorry to ask you three of this arduous task, but you are the only ones I can trust who are loyal to the crown and can relate to the younger leaders of the nations of Glozaria. According to these documents and comparing them to our own, there is a 99% chance that the dragons and goblins are working together."

"If this is the case, then we have no time to waste. I stamped the documents with the royal seal of Tarondar and added a note to it so the other nations know it is authentic. Please gather a travel group together by tomorrow night to set forth to the capital of the Veltharian Republic to meet the president there.

"Our goal is to establish an alliance with all the nations of Glozaria, starting with Veltharia, to face this immense incoming threat."

"But your highness," Quillen speaks up in a confused tone, "Uniting all the nations together? Empires and republics? That will prove extremely difficult."

"Extremely difficult, yes," the king quickly speaks back with determination. "But not impossible."

We will, of course, reward you three and the others for your contribution to Tarondar and human society. You are welcome to pick anyone to join your group, including students from Hero Academy. We will excuse them from all classes for the duration of the journey, which may be long."

King Grey turns toward me and looks directly into my eyes.

"I would like you, Nico, to lead this expedition. You helped lead the HRC from last year to overthrow the Eradicators, along with your sister. I know you can lead this mission as well. To provide you more credibility to our foreign government officials, I am promoting you to the rank of Viscount. Do not worry. You will still be able to run Mistfall when you return. You just now have the new large village of Altheria under your command as well."

"The large village has many grasslands around it, right outside the outer edge of the forest. In terms of distance, it isn't far from Mistfall. Anyway, just know it means nothing more than an advancement in title right now to make you more credible."

Everyone is shocked and can't do much but just nod in acceptance.

After a short deliberation of details, the three of us just sleep in guest rooms of the palace since we are too tired to return to Mistfall right now. We are supposed to recruit tomorrow morning and then report back in the throne room by tomorrow night with our group.

We have zero time to waste.