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POV X

August 24th, 0900 (sharp). Tatego, Bælan.

Two of the royal guards stood at the main entrance, waiting to greet and escort their important guest to the presence of no other than the king himself. General Uhruan strode up with his canine companion, ready at the precise time that had been agreed upon the following day.

"Welcome back, sir!" the guards chanted simultaneously. They each stepped aside and pulled the doors open to reveal the large interior of the magnificent castle. "It's a pleasure," Uhruan noted. He and Aiko entered.

As they walked, Uhruan noticed the mage gazing at the various scenery and components of his surroundings with astonishment. It had been a chilly morning, so Uhruan had temporarily provided him with a gray overcoat, matching pants and shoes that he was able to scavenge from the facility's reserves; however, he had been as careful to remove the official Bælanian military emblem from each article, as to not cause any confusion. "I suppose you haven't been in here before, have you?" the general asked.

As he continued to look around, Aiko muttered, "I tried to once...the guards wouldn't even let me get near the castle though. They thought I was some kind of peasant, with the beggary to steal."

"Ah, yes. The guards are trained to do that."

With a few more steps, they entered the grand hall, where King Bauxtaurus sat upon his throne. "Gentlemen!" he bellowed. "How lovely for you to see me at this morning hour!"

"Of course. It is an honor," Uhruan said. He bowed, and seeing the need for utmost formality and respect, Aiko was soon to follow suit.

The king nodded. "We best remove ourselves from the petty formalities, gentlemen. There is a pressing matter at hand for us to discuss."

"Of course, my lord. This is Aiko, a mage who up until the events that I previously described to you, had been living down in Aurro." Uhruan motioned his paws for Aiko to step forward. The lightly-colored wolf stepped forward, although timidly. "He will explain the details."

"Before I begin, I'd simply like to see that it is an honor, and that I thank you for seeing me at such a busy time," Aiko began. From there, Aiko began to advise the king of a detailed but somewhat condensed version of his concerns.

"Thank you, Aiko," the cougar king said after the wolf had finished. "I think that given your explanation and the general's trust in you, there is no reason why we shouldn't act immediately." Bauxtaurus turned to Uhruan. "Your suggestion on a course of action, General Uhruan?"

The darkly-clad Uthalian general put his paw on his chin and gave the topic a moment of thought. His black fur stood on edge. "We can't put too much focus on this; it would draw attention from the northern alliance, and they would know of our plot to undermine them. I recommend we only select a small complement of individuals to attend the mission. These individuals would sneak up to the northern ruins and gain as much intelligence about their search operations as they can; and, if possible, they will locate and apprehend the artifact and bring it to safety." The general paused and gulped. "Seeing as Aiko has a wealth of knowledge regarding ancient Liara, he should lead this expedition. If he is willing, of course."

"Of course, I see. That sounds like a solid plan," the king said. "Are you willing to undertake that responsibility, young one?" he asked Aiko.

"Yes, my lord. Once I've had a little more time to heal, I should be able to complete the task at hand," Aiko responded.

"Excellent!" the king said. Uhruan nodded, content with the plan. "Aiko will of course need someone to assist him," the general theorized. "Someone from the military, to serve as...a squire, of sorts."

"Hmm...yes, of course he will," the king affirmed. "Do either of you have someone in mind?"

Aiko and Uhruan looked at each other and grinned; at that moment, they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Uhruan looked back up at the king. "I think we might have an idea of whom."

POV X

August 25th, 0900. Urria Pal, Uthalia.

The woodland grove was quiet, as always. It was where Malcolm often came to think, whenever deep, personal thoughts plagued his mind. Today was such a day, as the old and dislapidadet feline found himself to be in a very troubled mood. He stared down into the aged stone-brick well; moss grew all around it. It was indeed a very nice place to think, and it was quite fortunate that Malcolm was the only person who was aware of the secret location. However, the whereabouts of Malcolm himself at any given time could not be applied to the same extent, and in these problematic times, there was one individual who seemed to always know exactly where to find the tiger, although to his dismay.

"It's quite pleasant here, isn't it?" Pazifal remarked, gazing at the gently light that emanated from the canopy above. Malcolm frowned, still looking down into the well's endless abyss of darkness. It almost looked comforting to him.

"Is there something that you require, prince?"

The jaguar slowly made his way up to Malcolm. "Why, I simply thought that you could use some company!" he proclaimed. "It is a beautiful morning, why should one, especially someone as noble as the great knight Aráshvahr himself, spend it alone?" Malcolm didn't reply; he simply continued to stare in a wallowing of depression.

Pazifal patted him on the back gently. "Cheer up, old man! There are still things to be grateful for, aren't there?"

Malcolm slowly turned his head away from the well. "I'm not sure anymore, Pazifal. Perhaps I simply lack your optimism."

"Well, I might have something to put you at ease, my friend," Pazifal noted. Malcolm cocked his head in dim curiosity. "Just this morning, I received word of your son! He is alive and well, in Tatego."

For a moment, the news brought a brief alleviation from his the tiger's worries. Bodey, my son...thank the heavens that you survived. "That is indeed agreeable to hear. Thank you, Pazifal."

"Of course! It is as pleasant of word to my ears as to yours!" he exclaimed. Despite the circumstances, Malcolm still found himself at a loss for enthusiasm.

"Pazifal," Malcolm began. "We're fighting a losing war with the northern powers. Even if we manage to keep up our defence of the homeland, the almost inevitable fall of Bælan will mark the end of this war. We can't stand against the northern alliance on our own under these circumstances."

"So I see..." the prince said, observing Malcolm's words closely. "However, I don't believe that all hope is lost. My mother believes that she has concocted and put a possible plan into action, and we have political groups rallying for support in some of the off-mainland kingdoms."

"Well, I sure as bloody hell hope that our efforts retrieve promising results." After Malcolm's final words were spoken, there was a silence that hung in the air between them. There was little else to be said; despite the perseverance and energy that was contained in Pazifal's voice as always, Malcolm was beginning to get the idea that even he, of all people, was also growing more worried as the days went on. In an unintentionally provoking attempt to appreciate the small pieces of beauty in the world, the young jaguar spoke. "You come here because this place reminds you of Caroline...don't you?"

In less than a second, Pazifal found himself backed up against his tree and with a large, powerful fist gripped around his throat, nearly choking him. The large, striped feline grimaced at the prince with a face of pure, untamable hatred and emotional turmoil, unlike anything that he had before seen from the tiger's face.

"If you...ever say that name again!" he growled out violently. "Then I promise you, I will slit your throat, and cut you up into thousands of little, bite-sized pieces!" His fist reluctantly released it's Pazifal, causing him to plummet to the ground, gasping for breath. With nothing further to say, Malcolm Aráshvahr walked out of the grove and disappeared.

POV Bodey

1. Tatego, Bælan.

It had been several days since we had arrived in Tatego, and I had achieved little more than the objective of laying down in my quarters and sleeping like a sloth. Granted, the primary objective of my prolonged stay was for the purposes of resting up. Unfortunately, my mentality only knew of the way of a warrior. There was no time for such trivial things as resting. There was a war to be fought.

I tried to get out of the military complex one morning, but guard had stopped me, claiming that I was under orders to rest up.

"So you're trying to tell me that I can't even go outside to get some fresh air?" I criticized. The guard kept his poker face and didn't even bother to look at me.

"If you wish to, I suggest you speak with one of the generals," the guard responded.

"They aren't around! I've searched for them already."

"Then you will have to wait. I'm sorry."

"Ugh! Like hell you are!" I shouted, turning my back to him. Come on Bodey, don't loose your temper. Stay focused. "Where might the general be?" I asked.

"I am unaware of Louskayous's whereabouts. Uhruan, on the other hand, is out and about with Aiko."

"What?!" I yelled, turning back around and shoving my presence in his face. "You mean he's with that twerp?"

"That is correct."

"What are they doing?"

"I believe they went out to the market. Uhruan was assisting him with some shopping."

I stood and listened to the guard's words in disbelief. "W-wh...what? Why?!"

"Beats me, sir."

After his final comment, I stormed off in anger. I need to do something to get my mind off of this. After some contemplating from a secluded section of the hallways, I decided to visit the facility's training room. It seemed like a fitting way to get my anger out.

Fortunately, my voyage from one side of the building to the other and one floor up was vacant from any other presences. I had an almost complete appreciation for the hospitality that I had been provided at the complex, but there was thing that lied as a perpetrator: my clothing. As a guest, the only articles that they had in store for me were the tank top and shorts that I had received earlier, from the nurse. It was little to spare in the first place, but there was then the problem of size: they only had the clothing in three sizes, and even the largest one was too small for me. Alas, there were no other options, and I was forced to live with what I had.

So now, I walked through the halls with bare feet and lackluster clothing. The floor and the air were both slightly chilly, and I found myself to be shivering with the lack of material to cover me. The tank hugged my chest tightly, and lacked enough length to cover the now-exposed portion of my stomach. The shorts were no better, and amounted to the conclusion of being...let's just say "somewhat disclosing".

The training room was vacant as well (thank the heavens), allowing me a good few hours of sweat-breaking exercise. I first spent some time with the three punching bags that hung from the ceiling. Oh, perfect I thought. This one can be Aiko, this one can be the guard at the door from earlier, and this one...this one can be the culmination of the rest of society, dressed in this dumb, uncomfortably-tight uniform! I proceeded to unleash my wrath upon them. No mercy was included.

After my punching-bag madness, I picked up a sword and recited my previous actions, in a similar manner.

Eventually, it came time for me to call it a day and head back to my quarters. After all, there was little else to do, rest trotting down the halls of course. I gave it a brief moment of thought, then decided against it upon recalling several embarrassing moments from the previous few days.

On my way back, I heard two very familiar voices, threatening to intersect me, come my next right turn.

"Bodey! Just the man we needed to see," Uhruan said. Aiko trotted up behind him, wearing what appeared to be a modified Bælanian uniform. Each of them held several bags of goods inside them, the contents of which I could only imagine. Aiko wore his typical, giddy expression on his face, which didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was that Uhruan had a very similar one. ...what the hell?

"Am I?" I asked, confused. Uhruan bounded up to me. "Yes, of course! And according to one of the guards, you were looking for me too. My apologies for not being available," he added. "Aiko and I were just busy, preparing him with some goods for the mission. But man, Bodey! You should have seen the magecraft stores! They had some really fascinating things there!"

Uhruan continued to ramble on, and I simple stood in front of him, completely dumbfounded. General Uhruan had his tendencies to be of the curious sort, but never in my entire life had I seen him so excited; his eyes were simply burning with glee. "Sir...are you okay?" I asked.

"Of course I'm okay, Bodey! I'm just...thrilled, I guess! Hahaha!" Uhruan bellowed. Aiko peeked out from behind his ego. "I'm sorry if he seems a bit wacky. He might have had a bit too many fizzaros," he explained. "Oh," he added, seeing my confusion drop to an even deeper lever. "They're like a type of magical candy. They had free samples."

My paws collided with my face, infused with pure incredulity. I tried to regain my focus. "So, you've gotten the green light for going after the artifact? Who are you sending with him?" I asked.

"Who's going with him?" Uhruan asked in return. "Why, isn't it obvious? You are!"

...what the fuck.

"Excuse me?!" I shouted. Uhruan's smile dissipated into an expression to bestow discipline on me, although only for a brief second. "You heard me, Bodey. That's an order."

Uhruan walked off, allowing Aiko the chance to trot over to me with his hands full of bags. With an obviously present difficulty, he began to rummage through one of them.

"I have something for you, big guy!" he exclaimed.

"...You do? What?" I asked, accepting my inevitable perish and wondering whether the situation could become any more mind-wincing. After a minute of struggle, Aiko pulled out a small bundle of fabric and shoved it into my arms. I studied it carefully; from first glance, it appeared to be the same exact two white clothing articles that I was wearing currently; but upon further examination, it became obvious that they were quite a bit larger. I looked the wolf curiously.

"When I've seen you in the halls the past few days, I've noticed that you seemed rather uncomfortable in the larges. So I bought you the extra-large versions!" He grinned at me as I stared down at what appeared to actually be a very thoughtful gift.

Aiko continued. "Plus, I could also see your...y-your, umm...nevermind." He scurried away after Uhruan, leaving me alone in the corridor with a bright, scarlet face, as I pondered which form of ritual suicide would be the quickest and least painful.