The next day, we packed up camp and set out for Helios. As before, I allowed Luna to ride on my horse while I walked beside her. (Judge me all you want, but I'd rather not have her faint on me from pushing herself too hard.)

About four hours later, we arrived at the gates of the sunbound city, Helios. Brooksvale was a fairly remote settlement, but it thankfully wasn't far away from Helios. The walls of the city glimmered a deep orange in the light of the rising sun, and I felt any tension in my body vanish as I continued to look at the lovely city before me-my home.

As we continued to approach the city gates, a guard's helmeted head popped up on the parapets and shouted, "Who goes there?"

"It's Helix. Let me in Lawrence." I retorted in a curt voice.

The guard sighed. "Hello to you too Helix. How did this mission go?" And as an afterthought, he added, "Anyone die?"

I looked up at Laurence and grinned, "Not this time. I only had to knock out a few people."

"Really now?" He began sarcastically, "That's a change of events. Eh, no matter. Stanford's looking for you, so I suggest you get moving."

I shrugged. Looking back at Luna, I smiled: "Welcome to Helios, capital of Alysia. It's a big place, so stay by me and you won't get lost."

She nodded, "So, what do we do now?"

"For one, we need to pay a visit to my boss, Stanford. I need to submit a report for this mission. Oh, and while we're at it, you can request a room to crash in. Fredrick would gladly give you a place to rest since you're with me." I continued as we walked through a residential area of Helios. The houses around us were modestly-sized, and they were built out of stone bricks rather than wooden logs.

"Oh, thank you."

"And, I'm sure Virrius has already sensed your-." I ducked out the way as an arrow flew through the space where my head used to occupy.

"Dorrian! You-gah! You ass!" I shouted as another arrow flew at me.

Luna seemed genuinely confused, "What's going on?"

"Get down!"

"Oof!" She squeaked as we both hit the ground.

A smoke bomb landed beside me and detonated: "Dorrian! You ass! Quit your shit and show your dorky-ass mug!"

"Aw, that wouldn't be any fun." Came a lightly accented voice, "I'd rather shoot arrows at you. It'd be funnier that way." A shadowy figure dropped down before me and walked out into the light of day. I studied the dark gray tunic, the forest green jerkin and cloak that billowed in the wind behind the spectre. He then flipped his cowl back and that shadowy visage promptly disappeared. My friend's face was smooth as a baby's rear, and his indigo eyes twinkled with childish glee.

Dorrian loosed an evil laugh, "So, how'd the mission go?" He paused and cocked his head to the side in question as he noticed Luna. "Oi, who's the lass? Since she appears to be with you, I take it your mission wasn't a complete bust."

A painful grin appeared on my face: "My mission went swimmingly, you twat. I didn't kill anyone, so that's an achievement at least."

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief: "Seriously? You didn't kill anyone? I'm quite impressed really. You always seem to find a certain amount of joy in turning your foes into kabobs."

I rolled my eyes: "This is Luna. She..." I looked at her: "...wanted to tag along after I disbanded the slave trade going on in Brooksvale."

"Well, Cheers Luna!" Dorrian chortled, "I'm impressed that you haven't strangled my good friend yet."

"Shut your face you little..." I snapped, only to pause when I heard a disappointed sigh.

"Alright boys." Came a feminine(ish) voice, "Quit the bickering or I'll skewer you both."

Dorrian accidentally dropped his bow, and unceremoniously shouted, "Shit! Uh, hey Ana..."

She grinned, twirling a knife in her hand, "Ah, silence, helps a lot when two bickering idiots shut up for once."

Ana's voice was slightly deeper than what you'd usually hear from the women who live in Helios. She was different than most people in many ways. For example, most normal people don't carry knives around on a regular basis and lob them at someone with sadistic glee. Ana also didn't look like anyone else in Alysia, which can easily be attributed to the fact that she's a blood elf. Nothing about her face was soft: it was all sharp edges and harsh lines. Her longer-than average ears also poked out of her crimson head of hair. I would consider that image humorous were it not for the fact that Ana is a blood-hungry psychopath.

Looking at my friend now, I noticed that she was wearing her usual garb of a black tunic, black form fitting pants, knee-high boots, a near-black breastplate that girded the upper half of her torso, and the dark-colored armor she wore on her right arm. For some odd reason, Ana decided it'd look cool if she only wore a spaulder and a gauntlet on her right arm. I'm not judging. I'm just saying it's a little peculiar.

"Hello to you too, Analise." I said: "This," I continued, motioning to my companion, "is Luna. And no, she isn't target practice for you."

"Aw, why not?" she whined, eyes shining with obvious hunger.

"Because I don't want to put the poor lass back together." I hadn't realized that Luna had taken a few steps backwards when I told Analise to not use her as target practice.

"N-Nice to meet you too." She stammered. Her eyes were as wide as saucer plates, and I could tell she was more than a little freaked out by the Crimson menace.

I rolled my eyes and regarded Dorrian and Ana. "I need to report to Stanford, then we can get a bite to eat."

They nodded.

I looked at Luna and asked, "Wanna tag along?"

She nodded and casted a wary glance at Analise. "She...Won't use me as target practice, right?"

Analise laughed, "Don't worry. I kid. You're too cute to be used as target practice."

A slight blush lit up her face as Luna attempted to pull herself together.

I nudged Luna. "Hey, don't worry. She won't get you."

A small grin appeared on her face, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"She doesn't talk much, does she?" Dorrian mused.

"Not with you flapping your gullet, she doesn't," Ana snapped, "So shut it before I stick you like a bloody pin cushion."

Dorrian's laugh went up several pitches, "Y-Yes ma'am."

I heard Luna chuckle softly at the scene that was currently playing out before her, and I slowed my pace to walk beside her.

"Everything okay?" I prompted her.

She nodded in confirmation. "Y-Yeah, sorry for being so quiet. This...Is a lot to take in. I've never been to a city this size before, so I'm a little overwhelmed..."

"I can understand that." I replied. "Helios is more than a little daunting, so it'll take some time for you to become acquainted with it. I also know my friends may be a little...Special, so don't mind them."

"No, they're fine." she assured me. "I just hope I won't be a bore."

"Nah, you're cool, lass." Dorrian chimed in. "Ana and I don't bite-well, I don't bite, at least."

Analise chuckled to herself. "Yeah, I totally don't bite."

We all shared a laugh before continuing onward.

We walked down the main road leading to our destination-Fredrick's castle. We traveled through the main market place where merchants waved at us as we passed on by. Honestly, people in Helios are pretty cool here. They don't try to kill you-more often than not.

When we trekked into the courtyard of the main keep, I noticed that Luna was looking at all of the greenery, and boy was there greenery. Flowers of every size, shape, and color lined the stone walkways of the courtyard. It was like we were walking into another world. Luna then turned her gaze to the castle that stood before her, and I watched as she studied the stone-brick structure in wonder.

We made our way into the main keep via a set of double doors and entered a spacious hall full of bustling servants and messengers who all went about their day as if the rest of the world didn't exist. The polished oak floor glimmered like a gemstone as one of the king's advisers strode toward us and motioned for us to follow him. Unfortunately for the adviser, my boss had other plans.

"Helix! Over here! Don't follow that frilly goof!"

"My good sir..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it for the outhouse. My man here has to fill me in on how his mission went."

So yeah, that's Stanford. He can be a total prick and my most trusted friend at the same time. I guess you can do that when you're the commandant of the Knights Templar.

So we followed Stanford into his office, which was situated on the second floor of the castle. The king's throne room and the dining area was located on the first and the residential area was located on the third. Virrius, my master, has a tower all to himself that is accessible on the third floor.

Anyway, Stanford's "office" was just his excuse to have a ridiculous amount of weapons in a single place: long bows, short bows, cross bows, spears, maces, swords, axes, warhammers, and even a few staves he looted from various dark wizards he's killed throughout the years were all crammed into a single, modestly sized room. Most of the weapons were hung on plaques, others were sloppily stored in boxes, and some were in plain sight.

No wonder the Knights Templar never runs out of weapons. Their leader hoards any type of weapon like some type of psychopathic dragon.

"So, how did you your mission go?" Stanford asked as he sat down behind his desk. As we took a seat as well, my boss casually picked up a nasty looking knife and studied it. "I see you have a new companion. A Kaitrit...Interesting. What's your name lass?"

"...L-Luna."

"Good name. You from the village Helix went to?"

"...Y-Yeah."

Stanford rose an eyebrow, but nodded, "Well, glad to have you with us, Luna. While Helix may seem to be completely off his rocker, he has a good heart-."

A knock was heard at Stanford's door.

"Come in, please."

The figure opened the door, and I smiled as I saw my master, who goes by the title of Virrius the Undying, walk through the door. (yeah, that's his title. Well, he did face off against an evil dragon that tried to fry the whole world and lived. Eh, still a strange title no less.) His hair was dark gray with lighter shades of gray peppered throughout. Even though he was an old fart, he was still a head and a half taller than me. His beard must've been recently shaved, because he had only slight stubble. Last I saw him, he had a beard that went past his belly button.

"Ah, my apprentice," Virrius greeted me, "How are you, my friend?"

I smiled, "I'm good Virrius. I see you cleaned up that chin of yours."

A pained smile appeared on his face. Virrius has a thick accent that makes me think he came from the ill-named Northernlands. Only the hardy and bloodthirsty Northernmen inhabit that block of ice, so I am only left with more questions than answers.

"Yes, I got rid of my beard. I didn't want to worry about tripping on it."

Unlike most wizards who prefer staves, Virrius carries a book around with him. No, scratch that, a grimoire. Of course, he uses imagery magic, so he's deadly enough as it is.

He smiled when he noticed Luna, and his silver eyes lit up with intrigue, "I see you have a companion with you. Luna, yes?"

"How do you-?"

"When you've been around as long as I have, you learn a few things." He interjected with a crooked grin as he smoothed out a few wrinkles in the flowing dark gray and blue robes he wore.

"W-Well, it's nice to meet you. Helix told me about you and the branch of magic you teach," she replied.

"Ah yes. Imagery magic. You hear that and think of little children creating imaginary friends, yes? Well, this is so much more my friend. You envision a specific something, and then you make it reality. Now, you can't completely create or destroy something-that would be impossible. No, you use the magic within you to create whatever you wish to make."

"Wow..." she whispered.

"Indeed. However, I'm afraid imagery magic is getting close to being forgotten. Only a handful of people know it and they're in no mood to take on apprentices. Luckily I found my student, Helix, when I did." He continued with a smile.

"Alright," Stanford cut in, clapping his hands together, "the slave ring in Brooksville was stopped, yes?"

"It was, and no one will probably be brave enough to start it up again any time soon."

"Good. You did a great job, Helix."

"Don't mention it. When's my next mission?" I asked.

"You've been working your ass off lately. You've earned five days leave." Stanford countered with a pained expression on his face.

"Whoa, really?"

"Do you think I'm lying?" he demanded

"No, no, no. Of course not." I replied, holding my hands up in a sign of 'I meant you no harm.'

Stanford nodded, "And I'm sure your friends want to spend time with you."

Dorrian grinned, "Yeah, it gets boring here."

Analise twirled a knife and nodded as well.

Luna rose her hand slightly, and I chuckled to myself.

"What's up?" I prompted her.

"If it's of no problem to you, could you, Dorrian, and Ana possibly show me around Helios. I'd...rather not get lost..."

I shared a grin with my friends. "Of course. We've all gotten lost in this city before, so we understand your concern." I turned my attention back to my boss. "Thank you for the time off, sir."

"You haven't called me 'sir' since you first arrived here in Helios. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," I replied.

"Uh huh. Helix, you stay here. Everyone else, leave the room please."

I huffed: "Very well." I looked at the others: "Dorrian, Ana, take Luna to the Skag. I'll catch up in a moment, and be easy on her please."

A nefarious grin appeared on Ana's face: "You can totally trust us."

Luna's face went pale, which was a strange thing because her hair almost matched her skin color.

Rethinking my strategy, I decided to save my new friend the trouble of dealing with the psychopathic blood elf.

"On second thought, you two go on ahead. Luna, you can stay outside of Stanford's room. I'll be out in a moment."

She breathed a sigh of relief, causing Analise to laugh.

After everyone left the room, Stanford looked at me with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"She wasn't just a regular villager, was she." It was a statement, not a question.

Well, I can't lie to my superior: He may kick my ass later.

I sighed heavily, "Not exactly."

His eyes glowed as he contemplated my response, "She was a slave then?"

"...Yeah," I murmured.

He nodded to himself as he stabbed his knife into the hardwood of his desk, "So you decided to buy her?"

My face went red, and I thought a vein in my forehead was going to burst.

"No, you sick fuck! She had nowhere else to go you bas-."

I stopped myself when I saw the look on my boss' face. Stan had a look of understanding, not humor, on his face.

"I understand Hel. Don't worry; Mum's the word. I can see quite clearly that you ended the slave ring and opted to bring the lass along with you."

"Then why did you-."

"I have a sick, twisted, and sometimes horrible sense of humor." He winked in reply, "What did you expect from me? A joke about cats?"

I snorted, "Sometimes?" (Well, duh. My boss really is an asshole.)

"So what's my next mission?" I pressed, "I know I have time off, but I'd like to know what I should prepare myself for."

"Well, you're impatient, aren't you?" Stan replied smoothly.

"Give me the details, not your sarcasm," I snapped.

"Okay, okay. Fair enough," He replied, "A town has been having problems with a group of bandits. Basic issue, but there's only a small garrison stationed within the settlement."

"Which one?" I asked. It's a valid question. There are more human settlements in this country than there are scars on my body.

"Erisiir, I think," Stanford murmured to himself, "Yeah, it's Erisiir."

Now my face went pale. (This time, it was noticeable.)

"What? You know the place?" Stanford inquired.

"Know the place?" I echoed, huffing out a soft laugh, "That's...where I'm from. That's the village I was born and raised in before...well, you know."

This revelation caught Stanford off guard.

"Wh-Really?"

"Yep," I replied simply.

I haven't heard that name in a really long time. Damn, I thought I would never even think about that village ever again. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of memories of my time spent in Erisiir that give me a reason to remember my home. It's just...I left my home an exile. I almost died-multiple times mind you- and my father disowned me. That kind of tarnishes the good memories, doesn't it?

I sighed, resigned to what I had to do, "So, you need me to go there and kick some bandits into next year?"

Stanford seemed hesitant to speak, "If you don't want to do this mission, I understand. I'm sure you're not entirely excited to go back there."

"Nah, its fine. I can do it," I replied nonchalantly.

Stan still didn't look convinced, "Well, just think about it for now. You have some downtime to rest up, so use it wisely."

"Will do," I replied, "See you later Stanford."

"Bye Helix," He said with a wave of his hand, "Take care."

As I walked out of my boss' office, I debated on whether or not my father would be happy to see my face again. The mere thought made me shiver.

"I don't want that answer right now," I told myself.

- - -

-H- With this first entry out of the way, a lot has been set on the table so far. I don't blame you for harboring any questions, my dear reader. Secrecy is something I adhere to more often than not. With time, you'll learn more about me, my friends, and the world at large. For now, I hope you're intrigued enough to continue reading.