Y2GiyZdY

1Chapter 1 - Greetings from Exile. 
2
3"Their leader, some sort of weird thing with red skin , called Zelikk, had this hammer, with a chain at the end. Artifact weapon, tier two. Apparently, it could extend the chain as much as he wanted. And it also gave the wielder similar power to first tier Valor...passively. That guy must have been a monster with Valor activated. But his Wild power really sold it. See, he could produce some sort of shockwave from places he or his hammer impacted. 
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5Usually, they were too small, but if he threw the chain hammer at you and it hit at the chest or so, the wave would cover you whole. Those waves could disable passive powers, as well as defenses, and briefly stop someone from being able to use any of their abilities at all. Which you know, was terrible if you tried to take him on one one. But when he leapt at the ceiling of the cavern and then brought the hammer down... Before the chain pulled him from up on the cavern's top, down to the battlefield. The impact was pretty destructive. Some of our Mortar Golems fell. Admittedly they were an old version though... But the real issue was, we all...lost our powers, briefly. 
6
7We couldn't mount a counter offensive, and we couldn't defend. Our only choice was to retreat, as the Slasher's troops fired on us, mercilessly. Picking up whatever materials they had left, from their mostly destroyed fortress, they begun to mount their attack. We had very little choice, really... We could only hope not to have been hurt too much, as a whole, or retreated too far, for them to claim most of the cave and then slowly push us out. Then they could barricade the entrance, harder than before and we'd have trouble attempting something like this ever again. 
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9So, some of our commanders, me included, gave the order to stand and throw ourselves at them. Which we did. Most of us did, at least. The enemy was very briefly surprised, but regained their footing very shortly after... However... Our powers, would soon return as well. So we kept on, as the golems did their part, and we started holding the line... Our powers came back, soon, but it wasn't enough either... The enemy was surrounding us, we had a good deal of loses, and they were scrounging up more and more of their weapons and munitions, from the fort, to use on us... 
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11And then reinforcements came. Urash, and his men ran into the battlefield, rushing past our ranks to meet the enemy head on. As soon as their leader, Zelikk, saw our Urash, he charged, and flung the hammer, trying to stop that behemoth of a man, but to no avail. Sure, he could occasionally halt Urash's powers. But the Urash rarely relied on them in the first place. Just his muscles, his axe, and his bloody courage.
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13However, even that wasn't enough against an entire army. The Urash knew it. We all knew it. So what'd he do? Well... He shouted. You know, the Urash has a pretty impressive Wild power. His roar, can infuse people with power...or weakness. Basically, anyone hostile to him, gets the nasty end of it. His allies though, invigorated, empowered! They say at this moment, the tremendous tenacity of the Urash also overflows, filling his allies with great power, and resilience, capable of shrugging off even the most lethal of attacks. 
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15As soon as he unleashed this tremendous power, we leapt into counterattack! The golems charged forward, and fired the mortars on their backs! Arcannan and the Dragon attained their true forms, and laid waste on our enemies. Kathleen, killed them in swathes, as if her bow was a machine gun of some sort. And I too, charged unto them. Mostly their distinguished members... My power really needs something to bite into. 
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17Either way, we won that day. The Urash took Zelikk's Emblem Cape, and gave it to Nilde, to sew our own glorious coat of arms into it. You see, an Emblem Cape is an enchanted item, that only offers it's power, to the armies commanded by the wielder, only as long as this wielder is someone they recognize as their leader... And said leader doesn't retreat. Once something has been sewn on it though, it's effect is lost. 
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19So the Urash, tied the newly 'rearranged' let us say, Emblem Cape, into one of our fallen Golem's axes, that had the top broken off. He struck it into the ground, atop the bump of earth, a good deal into the depths of the cavern, and all was fine. We had recovered from our great loss, previously, in very short time, and then taken the cavern. But Zelikk had escaped, and he went to the Slasher, who came in with his elite forces. 
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21They attacked us, at the first opportunity, catching us by surprise. While we were all legendary warriors in our own right, none of us could fight the Slasher. And he never fought more than two of us at once. Only the Urash, our general could hold his own against him. But only for a while. The Slasher might not be the most powerful man, here in Exile, but he is one of the Exiled Lords for a reason. His power was too great for any of us to overcome, in the end, and our Lady had to intervene personally. 
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23Even she had to whip out some pretty impressive folks out, to fight him. But in the end, the Slasher was soundly defeated, and then thrown back into the darkness where he came from. And thus, he and his men lost a good deal of prestige, power, and territory. Everyone did, really, except for us. For us, it was that glorious day, that catapulted us into being firmly, the strongest of all the Exile factions. Our majestic Lady, herself, the strongest among all the Exiled Lords."-And then an arm was slammed into the table.
24
25The man recounting the tale, Khagol, the Bloodbinder, was a prisoner. He had been put away decades ago, after being captured by Quadrant authorities while smuggling pillows out of Weather. He also had a tremendously high body count, in a number of battles against both Quadrant and Black Sun armies, as well as a number of criminals, the Black Market, a good deal of Mortal subgroups, considerable nobles and businessmen with...certain interests... Let us just say a lot of people wanted him to be  behind bars. 
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27And when someone dangerous was required to be behind bars, Exile was the place for them. It was not a bad world, really, depending on where you landed, and on how good a standing you were with them. Khagol himself, had found a comfortable position of favor, with the Lady... A mysterious, but undoubtedly very powerful Exile Lord...or lady in this case. The few, vastly powerful leaders of that world, were given the title Lords (or Ladies in her case), and they commanded a great deal of authority and power.
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29Khagol himself, was a muscular man, wearing a white linen shirt, and atop it, a thick, red coat, with a high collar. His hair was long and blonde, his eyes, a deep red, from the nature of his powers. He wielded a sword, a saber of sorts, together with his powerful sorceries and enchantments. Bloodbinding, as he oft described it, was a difficult art to manage. 
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31He had finished recounting his tale, to the most recent "inmate" if one could call them so any further. While they had much more freedom than your traditional inmate, the world itself was a prison. No way out, and teleportation was sealed, as were almost any possible escape solutions in the book (and out of the book too). No administration or so inside, and the last time a Calamity visited... 
32
33Well, it stirred things up a little, but it left soon after. Apparently, not even the Calamities cared, really, at that point. So this gave the ones inside quite a bit of freedom, freedom they used to wage war on one another. But moving on, with said inmate. His frame was thin, his skin, rather pale. He was however, above average, in terms of height, and his hair seemed to be rather uncared for. 
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35It spiked out, in places, while in some others it was partially combed. His eyes, were a bright blue however, and he seemed to have been clothed in a messy outfit, a large, cyan robe, with very broad sleeves, some sort of vest, connected to a pair of baggy pants, both black, as well as a series of three beige belts, with white sewings, and several small trinkets, hanging from them. A dark, segmented belt, with various pouches, hanging by his waist, a white shirt, underneath the vest-pants combo, with a fishnet cover on top of it, but underneath the vest, and with a thick lining of golden plates... Or at least looking golden.
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37Not to mention, the presence of this odd... Staff with him, a lengthy pole of some brass-like metal, that had several small, arced, glowing cyan panels, floating near the slightly broader top... And an orb, of a similar shade, as the panels, floating on top of it. He seemed to still be a bit uneasy. Especially since the people in the story were around him. 
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39The Dragon, mentioned there, was standing in a corner. A man with slightly slanted eyes, as well as slightly tan skin, dark hair tied up in a lengthy ponytail, black eyes, crooked nose, and armor. Red armor, composed of thin plates, arranged on top of one another, slightly diagonally. The shoulder plates were like this, as well as the back of it. The front was made of smaller, rectangular plates, arranged together, via a piece of modified chainmail underneath. His gauntlets, and greaves, had a similar build to the shoulder and back plating, but the armor in between these, and the shoulder of hip plates respectively, was more streamlined, flatter. 
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41The hip plates were pretty long, and had a bit of the layered structure from above, at the start, then continued with a vast piece of black cloth, covering his sides and back, that had on top of it, the small rectangular plates from the front of his wielded a short axe, in one hand, and a sword on the other. It was said, this man, the Dragon... 
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43Could turn into a dragon. They had been real creative with his nickname. Kathleen stood at the corner, quietly eating her piece of meat. She always wore a leather cloak, with the hood on, at all times, and a monocle-like device over her right eye as well. She did not like showing her face too much either. Also had a scarf, with which she covered her mouth and nose, but occasionally removed it, especially when eating. Her body was covered in some sort of form fitting dark suit, with certain glass panels, the inside of which had a weird glowing blue liquid, filled with small crystals. 
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45Kathleen's entire body, bar bits of her face, was covered in this suit, and she never took it off. There were just some lines in it, leading up to the small panels, in her arms, legs, and one, around the center of her chest, and the back, circle shaped, with the liquid mentioned. There were words, she had really pretty white hair, too...but nobody ever got the chance. She wielded a black bow, rather thick, with seven very thin strings, very close to one another. The arrows, were manifested through her power, the result of a Quadrant Deal.
46
47Nilde, on the other hand, from what he got was the one behind the Mortar Golems. She was at the side of the room, with a small, pen like device,(although slightly larger than the average pen) in hand, creating glowing blue symbols, atop a black metal cylinder, with an open top and bottom. She had very straight brown hair, tied in a single (again, very straight) ponytail, with two perfectly measured bangs at the sides of her face. 
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49Her skin had a tan to it, much more obvious than the Dragon's, and her eyes were a deep, even if slightly unnatural blue. The boy immediately recognized her as a fellow mage, an user of Mortal. Not just any user, actually, an experienced one, looking at the sheer amount of mana she must have been close to, for her eyes to take on it's very color. She wore a black sleeveless shirt, with a turtleneck, as well as a pair of dark pants, with several pockets, at the sides, two pairs, a single pair, behind and a single pair at her front. They didn't seem very filled though, and were added artificially. 
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51The Urash was at the head of the table. Three meters, perhaps, was where the boy would put his height at. The man had a shaved head, with a single bit of hair, being tied up and let down, at the end of it. His skin has grown pale...no, not just pale, it had almost taken a purple tone, from the sheer bruising he had taken his entire life, according to Khagol... But the Bloodbinder's tales never seemed to trusty, so, the boy wasn't sure how the man attained his unnatural skin color. 
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53His body was sheer muscle. So much, that if had to describe his arms, he would say a child, or an imp, could easily fit inside and then have room for free movement. Three children, actually, would have to be very cramped in there. But that was just his arms. His shoulders were immensely broad, and his pectorals looked like legitimate armor plates from afar. Perhaps it was why the Urash wore no armor. Just a pair of pants, that were torn and re-sewn at parts, as well as his gigantic axe, as tall as he was, with very broad blades, almost as wide as his chest was. Perhaps wider? The boy couldn't tell, frankly, he was too frightened to approach the aptly called juggernaut or behemoth of a man. 
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55The Urash was silent throughout the entire dinner as well. Perhaps, what struck the boy as odder, and scared him even more than he'd have already been by the man's imposing stature. According to what he had been told, there were more people in there, that he should meet. Their faction had few people, and they made up for it with the fact they had better individual warriors, as well as a number of very powerful figures. More than any other faction actually, and even their foot-soldiers, were often some of the most battle hardened folks found in Exile. 
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57Likely due to the power of their... Leader. The mysterious "Lady" as they called her, had been in charge of their faction for a very long time, and only a very small number of the original members, the Urash, Kathleen and the Dragon included, really knew how she managed to come on top of it, or overall, knew anything from those days. But since she had come to lead them, none had really died, in her faction. Mainly, due to her vast knowledge of how most species bodies worked, her extensive awareness of Souls, as well as a certain... Power. 
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59They weren't specific. The boy could only wonder on what this person actually did... But assuming he'd be there for a while, he would find out. He looked at the plate in front of him. Food. A nice meal. Some salad, then rare steak, with vegetable sauce. He wasn't sure how'd that tasted, since he hadn't put a thing in his mouth, since he arrived there. The meal looked tempting.
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61"We aren't addressing the elephant in the room."-Nilde spoke, suddenly, while still covering the cylinder in runes. "What did you do, to get here?"
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63"Now, now, we don't ask that sort of thing first, you know? We really ought to..."-Khagol prepared to say, but Nilde rose a hand to silence him. "We both know the importance of it. Speak up kid."
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65"I... "-crap. The moment had come, when they were supposed to learn why he was there. Except... Well, he had tried to figure it out himself, yet had come to no conclusion. He remembered the situation vaguely. The academy... The four tormentors, if he could even call them that at this point, pushing him towards one of the ledges at the sides of the main tower.
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67A fall from there'd be lethal. They never really pushed him over, of course, but they did lock off the path and kept him there for a good while. Sometimes, they would cast a wall spell, and keep him there for hours, until they needed energy for their classes and had to disrupt it. And then the advanced classes came. They learned how to cast a spell by mixing their mana together. They needed much less energy, which meant he was locked there for much longer. 
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69Of course, they were the children of the greater magi. Born with greater talent, and capacity for magic as they often liked to say. Plus they got better lessons. Nobody'd side with him, and they would make sure to twist the truth in whatever way they saw fit. The worst part though, was the threats. He could not bear them... He knew they could go through with it, yet hearing them say they'd do something, just to scare him was infuriating. 
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71Being toyed with was. So he decided to fight back, one day, after having firmly cemented his knowledge of a few offensive spells. It was... Well, painful would be an understatement. He did not hold back, but they were still much stronger. They played with him, they flung him around as if he was a rag-doll... Making sure not to leave permanent marks. They healed the few bruises they formed. And kept inflicting them again. 
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73Then they would have hung him by the edge of the tower's ledge, mentioned above, using a magic chain. The fear of that place, one he had developed from being sent there all of those days, would reach new heights, certainly. So he begun shouting. Asking for help. Screaming for help, more like it. He didn't know what happened then... His staff burst in light. Something... Odd... 
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75"Snap..."-He heard a deep, guttural voice speak from behind him. He blinked. The rest of the people in the table were looking at him. ... Had he been absorbed in his own memories for so long, they had to look at him as if something was wrong? ... He didn't rule that out. It was very possible.
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77"You were... Remembering."-He heard the same, deep voice speak. The Dragon. "I have seen people remember. You look like one."
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79"... We can assume what that was about. C'mon, you can tell us."-Nilde spoke. She came off just as cold and serious as before, even if the boy noted her effort to at least say something that in theory, sounded encouraging. Frankly, what scared him the most about her, (and there was something scary in all of the people in that table) was her aptitude for magic. At the hands of those people, he had suffered greatly. Deep down he wanted to differentiate, but the drawn out suffering he has gone through made it difficult.
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81"I... I... Pre..."-He prepared to speak out the charge he was put there for, but Khagol cut him off.
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83"Premeditated Assassination. The only charge that beings with pre-, for which they will throw someone into this wretched circle of inferno. Surely, the one whom you have killed... They were ought to have been important. Significant, even. Undoubtedly so. Even then, you do not seem to have a killer in you. 
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85You strike me more as a... Hmm... How do I phrase this politely..."-Khagol rubbed his beard, for a few moments. "A bit...wimpy.  ... I apologize. I had to."
86
87"Don't mind the Bloodbinder, kid. He always talks like that."-Nilde butted in.
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89"Excuse you! How exactly is it that I talk?"
90
91"... Like that. Either way. Who'd you kill?"
92
93"Nobody... I... I am not a killer!"-The kid defended himself. He wasn't after all. He knew he wasn't. At least not for premeditated assassination. He hadn't killed anyone on his own free will, he never wanted to... It was never his intention. But the light. He was there. He saw something, come out of his staff. He felt it's rage... It was so familiar to his own. He wanted to keep it at bay, like he had done with himself for all those years. Keep the anger in. Don't let it explode. Keep it inside... He had failed.
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95That thing, had unleashed it's wrath, somewhere. It hurt him too. He knew it was digging it's talons into someone's chest, and drawing out the heart. He felt it, on his own body. He felt something dig into his chest, and drag his heart away. The pain was too much. He screamed, then fainted. When he woke up...still alive. Just... A little bit devastated. The memory of the pain was still very real. 
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97"Then...?"-Nilde asked.
98
99"... It was an accident. I... I am not even a powerful mage. They were much better. I killed one of them... They were... Were going to hang me by the corner of... Of our tower. Of one of the towers of our academy I mean...."-He said. "I tried fighting back. I asked for help.... I..."
100
101"You didn't get any. Which prolly lead to a violent awakening...of something. Now, I need to analyze this... Situation. Come with me."-Nilde said, extending a hand in his direction. "Come."-but before she could say much, something unexpected happened. An arrow, of an odd, blue crystalline composition, covered in a very faint aura, struck in front of her legs. Kathleen had fired. She didn't bother with Nilde though, instead, she looked at the boy.
102
103Pointed in front of him, then at his face, before looking right in his eyes. She had put her scarf up again, so her mouth couldn't be seen, but by the faint movement of her cheekbones, the boy could deduce she was smiling. Or frowning. He wasn't sure. She did the pointing gesture again. The boy however, tried looking at her eyes. Slight glimmer there... She was smiling. Definitively smiling.
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105"Your dinner. You have not eaten."-Curt as always, the Dragon translated the meaning of Kathleen's gesture.  Pointing at the plate, then pointing at his mouth. "U... Umm... Is that alright...?"
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107"Of course. Food... Is always alright."-The Dragon clarified, yet his eyes were fixed somewhere on the distance. The boy got the impression, most of the time, the Dragon wasn't there, mentally. But being a passive watcher, he could perhaps make a good deal of sense, out of certain situations. 
108
109"Yeah. Sorry about that. You may eat first, of course."-Nilde apologized, and returned to her work, with the cylinder and the runes. The boy shot her a final glance...she had lost all interest in him, focusing on her work once more. He figured he should do the same, and eat. He hadn't eaten in a while, after all.
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111"Do not mind us. We are simply attempting to enlighten ourselves on the subject of our new members, provided of course, that you will join us. We would be both glad, and flattered, to a degree... It is very rare, for an innocent man to be thrown here."-Khagol spoke. "And before you ask, yes, we can all tell you are innocent. We have seen killers before. We have seen stranger things before too. The Shadow, takes the cake for me. But either way, your innocence, is all but clear to us. It is what makes your...delegation, in Exile, even more mysterious."
112
113"... Many... Many grateful thanks...sir... I.."
114
115The Dragon chuckled however. "Even the kid sees it."
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117"Sees what? Excuse you, fellow exile. But I fail to see the point of this most rude interruption! The boy was perfectly on point with the way he expressed his..."
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119"Come on Khagol. You try to sound fancy all the time. Admit it."-Nilde interjected.
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121"I do NOT! What gives yo... Alright maybe to a degree I do. But it doesn't mean anything. I simply find it that a man of wealth and taste such as myself, should appropriate the proper manner of speech."-And with that, he left the table. "Boy, when you are done with the examinations or whatsoever process they out you through, come and meet me. I will teach you how to use that staff. I am a master of over one hundred and fifty weapon disciplines. Some of them, I cannot even remember knowing right now though...so do not ask me for a list. I bid you all a good night. Bloodbinder, out."-and with that, he left the table, and exited the hall.
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123The hall itself was pretty big. There were tall armors, of the knights of old, there were portraits, too aged for the ones in them to be discerned, there were pretty big chairs, and a very long table...with very few people sitting in. The boy continued eating...remembering his circumstances. One of the wards. The one he was thrown at, after he collapsed. Where he heard the words "killed" first. Referring to his tormentor of course. 
124
125And then an angry man. He knew the sound of his voice... The boy's father. He was demanding "that little killer, that living, walking, talking danger to us all" to be put away permanently. It was among tears. Sometimes the boy wondered if, should he have ended up killed, his parents, would be able to do the same. He struck it out as unlikely. They were nowhere near as powerful, and were also too poor to avoid a trial, and see it to it's just end. 
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127But he had underestimated just how powerful the vengeful and saddened (although rightfully so) father was. The judges and jury did not even take long to decide. Premeditated assassination. Sentenced, to Exile. He would die there, surely. They had drugged him, and put him to sleep. Nobody could know the location of Exile. So when he woke up, he found himself atop a hill. He was tied up, but wiggling a little in the ropes, he found himself able to escape some of his bindings. 
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129Unfortunately... It also made him roll down the hill, sustaining a number of bruises and injuries, until he managed to stop himself, by rotating by ninety degrees, in a horizontal position and then push against a rock that happened to be in his way. He undid the ropes, and begun walking away. He then...
130
131Someone had come close. The boy snapped out of his memories, to see Kath, standing right next to him. She pointed at him...not the meal, him this once. He was sure. Then at his mouth. Then she raised her index finger, before shrugging her shoulders. 
132
133"You noticed it too...huh?"-The Dragon asked. "You say 'I' too much. And you make pauses after it."-A comment that had Kath nod quickly. 
134
135"I..."-Wait. He had just... "No idea why. It just happens. Maybe... It's a habit or something.."-He didn't remember doing it much before though. 
136
137"Either way, don't bother him. Eating is best done undisturbed."-Nilde chimed in this time. He continued eating then, without much question. The Dragon and Kathleen, didn't seem to say much for the time being. But the boy decided to break the silence. "S.. So what...made you all come here?"
138
139"You mean... What did we do?"-the Dragon asked. He had been trying to sound polite. Avoid the obvious implication of them all being hardened criminals and lawbreakers. "I took over a kingdom, in Magna. Kept it under my rule for many years. The Nobles, and their Quadrant allies, tried to take it from me. One century latter, they succeeded. 
140
141I was captured. Thrown here."
142
143Kathleen glanced aside, and then...took one of her knife's as well as a fork. Connected the fork to the knife's tail, creating some sort of makeshift L-shape, and then stood up, swinging it around the air. Then she pointed down, and threw the L thing away, moving to the position where she had pointed, and taking a very reverent bow. She nodded, and then stood up, manifesting arrows, firing them at the empty chairs. 
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145Then she took the L-thing again... Looked down angrily, and then pointed at the door. She took a bow once more, then lowered her head in sadness. Walked away, out of the hall, and then there...seemed to be a lot of movement outside. As if she were struggling. She rolled right back in, standing on the ground. Now it was familiar to the boy. She had the same position as he did, when they left him there. 
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147"Only thing we've been able to figure out is that she used to kill people for someone. Haven't figured out who though. Her acting of him, is very unclear. Different every time. The only thing those acts have in common is that they make not even a semblance of sense."-Nilde explained. 
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149The boy nodded, as Kath stood up, dusted herself, and took her seat once more. "As for me... The Siege of Mal Dug."-Nilde added. 
150
151"... The Siege of M... Wait a second! Wasn't that done by an automaton which escaped the control of it's creator and..."
152
153"No. That was me. I made the Mortar Colossus Mk.IV with the very clear purpose of sieging that castle. I have no regrets, even to this day. Except perhaps... Well the fact I am forced to make golems, instead of automata, in here. Although that is about to change soon."
154
155"... Wait. But if it was you, how come..."
156
157"Some people didn't want it found out. So they shut me up. Put me here instead of letting the truth be found out about. I will escape though. And I will create the Mortar Titan. Powerful enough, to match a Calamity. A very ambitious project, I know. But I am confident I can do it."
158
159"A... Calamity level Automaton? Now that's just..."
160
161"In a few years, it will be a legendary feat. Not only because of the Automaton itself. I intend to kill one of them, with my creation. You are welcome to observe though, when that happens."
162
163"... But..."
164
165"Oh, I can guess what you'd get at. It's too difficult. One could say, impossible, even. But I am the best automaton maker in the universe. No. No... I am the best throughout all the universes. I was chosen to break every limit there is, on the field, chosen to transform the very meaning of automaton making."-Nilde said. Her eyes, glistened with an odd light... Pride. 
166
167"She speaks the truth. Nilde, is the best automaton maker."-He heard a deep, slow voice come from the head of the table. The Urash. When the boy thought slow, he meant it. Every one of his words had a pause in between one another, long enough to make them seem like separate sentences. His voice, was also very hoarse, almost inaudible, if it wasn't for the silence that captured the hall, at the moment he begun speaking. 
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169"Her creations have won us countless battles. That cannot be doubted."-he added, with a nod. And then went back to silence.
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171"Thank you, Urash."-Nilde nodded, with a slight smile. She looked at the table a second after. The boy too... His meal was finished. "Alright, time to come with me. Don't worry, by the way, we won't kill you. Or harm you in any way. Everybody went through it, and they're just fine to this day."-She smiled, almost reassuringly. The boy had a thought, that she didn't really reassure lots of people.
172
173Nilde left the cylinder, covered in glowing blue runes, and made for the exit. The boy stood up, and begun walking after her as well. As soon as they exited the hall, they took one of the many paths, branching out from it, one the boy hadn't been through before. Although to be fair, he had only taken the shortcut to the main hall, when he was brought in. This one had a number of doors, made of black glass. "Sundiamond. The ones who built this place originally, really wanted to keep whatever was inside those rooms in there. But nowadays, they're as empty as they get."
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175"The ones who built it? Who..."-The boy was curious. Nilde, did not delay the explanation. "Nobody knows. People are sentenced to this place, but nobody knows who ferries them off, or how. They just know some people, who know some other people... Who do the job. They never speak of it though... Perhaps to preserve the idea of an impenetrable, inescapable prison. Nasty, I know. But we aren't really imprisoned here... Well... With one exception. Elder Veilspurge. Nobody knows when he was thrown in here, and he is the leader of one of the other factions, the Shadowed."
176
177"What... Makes him...imprisoned, exactly?"
178
179"Odd question. He is placed within a sealed cell, and the surroundings of it, are equally inaccessible. We don't know much about him, other than the fact he can't even speak well, under the bindings he is put in. He communicates through pained whispers, and partial phrases. His servants, his CLOSEST servants, who practically lead the faction, based on what he tells them, haven't even seen him. The Shadowed are... Definitively the weirdest faction out there. Then there's the Slasher's Slashers. You already know about them. Their fortress is nigh impenetrable, and that's their main claim to fame. We had to ally the Shadowed for a raid in there. And even then it was exceptionally difficult. Heck, I don't think they lost that much in that conflict. Compared to our losses at least."
180
181"So... There's the Shadowed, Slasher's Slashers and..."-the boy was counting. 
182
183"The Army of Dust. Us. We're in a pretty lovely spot right now. We are about to lead a raid into acquiring another underground cavern. The original i habitants of this world built them, to cover distances. The aboveground, for most of this world is very difficult to trespass. That's why we haven't rode out into extinction, through some all out war or something. Our offensive capabilities are alright, but the defenses are much better. So we can't just wipe one another off the map. Right now, we are trying to wrestle control of some of those tunnels, from the Order. Mostly Quadrant based. Their leader, is a former Quadrant Lord. No idea what his Deal is, but he still has his powers, in this place. The rest of them, are still pretty strong."-Nilde said, taking a turn and going down a thin, spiral of stairs. 
184
185"There's some more factions out there too. The Underfallen Legion, The Cult of the Anathema, the Guardians of Exile etc. Most of them have little interest in expansion though. Some are even helpful, to people, of all sorts. Then there are those without a faction. They are... Lost, in a sense. Nomads. They travel the surface, looking for ways to scrape by. Occasionally help one faction or another, with some task, in exchange for material rewards. Few ever end up joining the factions though. Distrust. Deep seated."-And as she spoke, she approached the single door on that section of the castle, taking a key out of her pockets, and unlocking it. 
186
187"Alright so, in here, we'll check your Soul. Let's hope it's alright."-Nilde said. The inside looked...pretty nice, actually. There was this large bed of sorts, comfortable, cushiony, and a big light on top of it. A set of screens, with a keyboard lied on the other side pf the light, as Nilde gestured for the boy to lie down. She took out a black blindfold, covered in runes, and handed it over. "Put this over your eyes. It will keep you from going blind."-and he did so. "You will only need to lie there, for a bit. A few minutes, generally, until I can gather all the data necessary. Just lie down, calmly.. Nothing else. You won't feel a thing, trust me. Nobody ever has."
188
189"Alright... I... I'll try."-He had said "I" again, in the middle of the sentence. Well... It wasn't as out of place in this occasion, the boy figured. He laid down, and remained in that same position, for a while. "You can talk, by the way. It's alright. Now, I am gonna turn on the light."-Nilde said, as the massive round lighting device, lit up, projecting a bright blue beam over the boy. "So, umm.. What's all this Soul business?"-the boy felt the need to ask, as Nilde was typing something.
190
191"Hmm. You are Mortal, right? Well, the Soul is the animating force of... Anything. You for example, use it to establish a Chamber. The Soul is connected to the Mortal Standing. This connection allows your Soul to draw on it, and create a Chamber. In turn, this empowers Mortal. You use it, as the base means of converting energy to Mana. Well, Mortal does it, but the Soul enables the process. It can possess several attributes, such as a color, density, power, or other qualities. For example...yours is blue. Blue souls are rather uncommon for example. It is... Dually dense, meaning, it has a dense core, but also a medium level of spread. Usually this is good for the battle-mage type."
192
193"A... Alright. I see... That's good to know! So I am not really... Bad, in there or something..."
194
195"There is no such thing as a 'bad Soul'. At least not one that exists naturally. Souls can have defects, caused by a lot of things. Putting Souls into situations where their defects... Do things... Well, that's bad. For example, if you were Soulburnt, you could... Well, you could suffer serious damage, from casting a spell too near your tier cap. Either way..."
196
197"Oh! Umm... Yeah! I was gonna ask. What did the Urash do, to get himself in here?"
198
199"The Urash? Tough one. We all found him here. He doesn't talk much. Two things that don't really make for a heart-wrenching confession. We suspect, it was due to some war or conflict he'd been involved with. Before the Lady took over, our faction was called Black Hole. Terrible times. The Lady spearheaded the overthrowing of the former leadership. Things have only gotten better for us, since then."
200
201"Aha... I s... S.... "-He tried speaking. But his words were cut off, for some reason. "I s... S... Se... S... Wha... Wh... A... Is."-His voice, was finding it difficult to spread. His breath was short. The darkness, instilled in his eyes by the blindfold was fading. "Lid! KID. WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?"-Nilde asked, before rushing out pf her seat and making her way to his side. She saw the light turn from blue to white, and grow much, much brighter. She had to turn around and cover her eyes, from the sheer brightness. It begun dying down in a few moments, as Nilde tried to get to the boy and then lifting him off. 
202
203She managed that, but... The boy felt heavier. As if his body wasn't really... Alive anymore. And that assumption'd have been correct. She turned to see the bright blue orb, spreading rays all over, floating close to the light. The light itself, was slowly shrinking, into a more contained radius, closer to... Closer to... To the soul. A pathway, formed between the light, and the soul. The boy's body begun radiating brightly, as thin blue strands begun forming from within his body, and connected  with the soul, as it begun sucking them in, one by one. But the boy's body itself begun rising, and making it's way to the soul, slowly engulfed in white light until...
204
205Nothing. In a white flash, everything went back to normal. The light was turned off, the boy was nowhere to be found. Nilde looked at the bed, where he had been a few moments ago, bewildered. Then she remembered. The screens. There would surely be at least a clue to what had happened, recorded there, while she was trying to save the kid or something.
206
207                                                  {~}
208He woke up, to almost complete darkness. Almost complete, because there was a strange... Glow to it all, coming from somewhere behind him. The boy turned around, on instinct, to observe the strange... Structure, in the distance. Some sort of massive downwards pointing red cone, with a golden spiral circling it. An odd structure, atop the base of the cone... He couldn't see it. He wondered, what'd that be... 
209
210Perhaps he had died? Maybe his soul was truly damaged, and it had been the last straw, or his condition was of the kind that didn't allow observation, without vast consequences or... 
211
212"Hey!"-He heard someone shout, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to look around, but before he could cover all angles, the person tapped his shoulder. As soon as he saw her however...the boy was stunned. For a number of reasons, although if he was to name the most obvious one, it would have to be the similarity between them. 
213
214Mainly, how the girl wore the same cyan robe as him. She was a little bit shorter, although also slightly less thin too. A tiny black spot, laid a very small bit underneath her eye. Almost undetectable, but the boy had the same mark as well. The girl had the same hair color as him. The same eye color as well. Some of her hair, fell over one of her eyes, in a lengthy bang. The rest, was behind her head, although there were bits of it that stuck out, mostly behind, just like the boy's. 
215
216The black vest-pants combo was there too, although it was smaller, a slightly tighter fit. She had lost the pouches, but still kept the belt. The segments had glowing runes inscribed on them this time. The beige belts, on the other hand were there, but positioned differently. Two around her stomach, and one was diagonal. There was an odd, golden pendant around her neck. She had the staff too... But she also had another...enhancement, if one could call it so.
217
218One of her arms, had been replaced by a mechanical one. It looked pretty sleek however, and while the color and texture betrayed it's metallic nature, the shape was very much akin to that of a human arm proper. She was waving at him, gently. "I know this must be very surprising for you, Mok."-Even their voices, had a faint... Similarity. Very faint however. Something he noted, was that she seemed a tad bit older. As soon as she spoke, a very odd...sense of familiarity, filled him. 
219
220"You find someone that looks weirdly similar to you. In a place you have never seen before. Well... It isn't a dream, and you aren't dead. I am you. From another dimension. Or rather... Another timeline. There's plenty of those, as you know, but we never have any contact, for understandable reasons.
221
222Except your power... Our power, manages to mess with that. Using it, I managed to elevate myself to our rightful status as a Quadrant Being. Specifically...an Embodiment. Unfortunately for us, there are very few versions that manage to make it this far. We had to intervene, for you to make it here BEFORE you were properly elevated. Sorry...but... The chances of you dying would be too high under any circumstance."
223
224"It's alright. Why are you even apologizing... I... I'm glad you...saved me or.. Something. If... If this is all true I guess..."
225
226"C'mon now!"-she bumped his shoulder a little. "Trust yourself."
227
228"A... Alright. Assuming I do..."
229
230"Assuming you do... Then you sign a contract with me. I return your Soul, from this place, back into the physical world. And then I follow you as your guardian. A protective spirit. You will also sign a contract with... A more aggressive entity, before we go back though."
231
232"I... Umm... Okay I guess... Is it alright to sign a contract with..y... Yourself?"
233
234"Of course it is! Here..."-she rose her hand, her palm standing open, for him to see, as a sigil formed there. "Touch it. And it'll all be done."-She smiled... This time, it was properly reassuring. Although it was, supposedly himself. On a second note...
235How'd he even know that, actually? He... Knew it was true. Deep down, he knew it. He had no explanation for it. Not one bit, but he knew the woman was actually an alternate reality version of him.
236
237He extended his hand, making contact with hers. Power surged through him, but only for the briefest of moments. He could barely even feel it. "So... Is it...done?"-He asked, dubious. The girl however, just nodded in response. "The contract has been signed. Our souls have been bound forever. Well, more so than before. So... While we wait, for our other benefactor to come... Anything else you wanna ask?"
238
239"Umm... Why are you..."
240
241"A girl? Well... From what I gathered, a grandfather of mine, managed to secure a lot of wealth for himself in my timeline. In yours, he is a farmer. Either way, he managed to enter the nobility, but one of his enemies called upon a Black Sun Mystic who in turn, cursed him. In three generations, his line would come to a single descendant. A daughter. And she would bring ruin to the whole lineage, erasing the name they held from history forever. Voila! Here I am!"
242
243"I... See. Umm... So how did..."
244
245"The arm, yes. Bitten off by a dragon."
246
247"I...am not gonna question that. What is your name then?"
248
249"Oria. Nice meeting you."
250
251"Nice meeting you too, I'm Mok. Are there others...like us?"
252
253"Yeah. One of them is here right now. But his form is so radiant and powerful he cannot manifest himself in fear of destroying us both in an instant."
254
255"Oh... That sounds... Pretty strong."
256
257"Yeah, we're awesome like that. Either way... My friend should be here soon..."-Oria said, looking ahead as...something came in, flying. "Any last words before we begin?"-she asked.
258
259"Yeah. Where are we?"
260
261"Oh. That's easy. 
262
263This, Mok....this world... is the Quadrant itself." 
264
265                                  <o>
266
267"I don't get it."-Nilde frowned, as Khagol looked at the screen a few more times. 
268
269"It is pretty clear, ironically. His soul, turned into a portal of sorts. Much like how it works, when it wants to form a Chamber. And this gate, somehow took him in. Even if that's not how spirits work."
270
271"Where exactly, is the clarity there?"-Nilde asked, more annoyed now. "I cannot even... Grasp, why would such a thing happen. I even sent word to the Lady. She is coming here, but her answer is clear already. Never has such an anomaly been seen or heard of before."
272
273"The Lady will be able to fix it though. Her knowledge in Souls is groundbreaking. We must have faith, that our friend will be restored back to this world.,
274
275"Friend?"
276
277"Well, he is no enemy, and he is no mere acquaintance. I consider him a friend, for all intents and purposes. Although it might just be my powers speaking."
278
279"There is little use, he has, for your powers. It's you. Not them."
280
281"That isn't a bad thing, Nilde..."
282
283"Didn't say it was. Even if it sounded like I did. Did Thorg say anything?"
284
285"No. This is beyond him. Only the Lady could help, possibly."
286
287"I coooould heeeeeelp."-An echoey, distant voice, spread from the middle of the room. The shadows at the corners coalesced, as the environment darkened, grew dimmer by the second. Soon enough, a hooded figure stood there, formed out of the merging shadows. They both knew him very well. The Shadow, was one of the most dangerous beings in Exile, one of the two agents of Elder Veilspurge. He was the one to receive the communications directly. 
288
289"Shadow! What... What are you doing here?"-Nilde asked, startled. Stepping back, with eyes wide, she took a defensive stance. She wasn't the best fighter, but...
290
291"Nooooo neeeeed for thaaaat."-the Shadow spoke. It rose both hands, to indicate peace. They were covered in dark gloves. The Shadow's face too, was obscured. His whole body, as a matter of fact. "I am heeeere to...heeelp. Yoooour... Frieeeeend..."-a word that made Khagol let out a triumphant "Hah!" at the back, silenced only by Nilde's cold glare.
292
293"Yoooouuuur frieeeeend... Heeee is about toooo make...coooontact, wiiiith a veeeery daaaaangerous beeiiiiiing. A draaaaagon."
294
295"Like... Our Dragon?"-Khagol asked.
296
297"Noooooo. Your draaaagon... Is moooore of an overgroooow flyyyying lizaaaaard. Paaaaale shadow of the oneeee I meaaaaan. Thiiiiis oooone.. A trueeeee destroyeeeer of woooorlds. Feaaarsome beeeeeing. The Elder doeeeesn't waaaant..."
298
299"Doesn't...want?"
300
301"That iiiiis the whoooole messaaaaaage I haaave for yooouuuu. Will you taaaaake my help?"
302
303"... I..."-Nilde looked down. She cursed, in between her teeth. "We'll wait for the Lady. Is your help available on those conditions as well?"-Obviously not. An opposing faction's leader, would only desire to trick them. The trick here was that his help could save the boy quicker. Perhaps he would tell them something that made them believe that by the time the Lady was there, the boy would be dead.
304
305"Yes."
306
307So of course, he would only offer it for the short time he could remain there safely. But this could mean, she had to make a deal with him, right now. Maybe the boy was really in dan... Wait. What?
308
309"What?"
310
311"I wiiiilll waaaaait. Aaaaand woooork with heeeeer. The draaaaaagon must noooot maaaaaake a Deaaaaaaaal."
312
313.... But this has not happened yet. For the dragon to arrive, new events must transpire. A Prelude, is in order.