(by Issic)
Issic found himself the next morning after a very well rested nights sleep traveling to Gothwaite Harbor again. This time it’d be hard to not want to stop by the pub and see if Silas and Caelynn were alright. He was on a mission and needed to stick with it. It was about mid afternoon when he found himself on a horse from Caer Gothwaite and ridding off towards Fort Gwyntel. He thought if he made it out there to the Fort, then at least he could stealth in and around the surrounding areas towards Caelynn’s old house. Hopefully he would be able to sneak by any foul draks on the way. He was definitely prepared for combat, but if he didn’t need to, he generally didn’t look for a fight. Draks for the most part were far from skilled in combat, there are always those with exceptions to that rule, but the thing that makes them the most feared, is that you never fight just one. You fight a horde of them.
As he rode through the market on the horse he thought he saw Caelynn and Silas walking the side of the road gathering the dayly supplies. He saw that she was wearing both the necklace and the ribbon he gave her. He smiled slightly to himself and hoped that she had forgiven him. He continued to think about her on his horse ride. It wasn’t until a guard stopped him in front of Fort Gwyntel that he realized it was dark and where he was. The whole day seemed to pass before him as he was lost in thought.
‘Damn that girl is going to be the death of me.’ He thought to himself with a slight grin.
“I say again, What business do you have here at Fort Gwyntel?” One of the guards asked.
“Issic of The Guild of Shadows. I come on business to which I speak not of.”
The guards both looked at him and then nodded opening the gate doors. “Aye Sir, please let us know if you need anything.”
Issic nodded to the guard and rode the horse to the stable master. He managed to talk the stable master into letting him rent out a small living area above the stables. The following days were much of the same thing. He’d travel to and around the boarder of Dales of Devwy and Avalon Isle looking for her house, looking for any sign of the traitor. It was closing on the time frame of when he told Silas when he’d be back. But he couldn’t return until he found the house, or anything that once resembled a house. He had asked around to see if anyone remembered any residential spots near the surrounding areas. He sent out a messenger to Silas again saying that if he hadn’t found anything in the next day that he’d be back on the following day. Issic recapped on everything Caelynn had told him of the house, of where it was, of the Draks that came after them.
He woke the next morning early, gathered his stuff and headed out to check one more area. He had been walking around check his surroundings when something caught his eye on the ground a good distance away. It looked like rubble from a house; he’d seen a lot of houses tore up, burnt down to ashes, none of them looked like the house that Caelynn described. Not until now. A metal gate with a family crest upon it lay on the ground. It looked exactly like the crest seen at the Costwald house. He walked through the rubble, some of the walls of the house still stood. The great house that used to be was turned into nothing but a memory. He searched the area of anything that was salvageable but there was nothing. Suddenly he sensed something watching him. Quickly he got up and he could see some draks around the outer area of this house rubble. There in the middle of them was a larger grayish white Drak. He knew of him, he had heard of this one. He was famous for ransacking houses and killing people.
“Whhhhaaaaat, are youuu doiiing in my domain huuuumaaaan?”
“I’m checking the area for a good spot to build a house. Know of any?”
A loud roar of laughter came from the leader of the Draks. “Buuuut of coooourrrrse I dooo. Alllllow meee to ssssshow youuu.” A slight snarl creased his lips as he said such.
“I think I’m doing alright by myself, but thanks for the offer. So Nalsor, you kill anyone lately? Invade any poor defenseless people?” Issic’s hand slowly reached behind his back and held upon the handle of his stiletto ready to strike.
Another loud roar, this time of anger. “Sssstupiiiid huuumaaan!!! Howww dare youuu come innntooo ttttthe miiiighty Nalsor’s domaiiin and nnnnot hoooolddd annny resssspect foooor meee!!! Yooou sssshallllll DIIIIIEEE!!!!!”
Issic saw a drak off to the side of Nalsor begin to cast a spell. Instantly he grabbed a dagger with his left hand and flung it at the drak embedding the blade into the throat of the drak. His other hand whipped out from behind his back holding his stiletto, and then grabbing the other. “Come get some if you think you’re tough enough you overgrown salamander!!!”
Another mighty roar as Nalsor pointed towards Issic and the remaining draks rushed forward. Issic held his ground until the last second and then preformed a summersault thrust that embedded this weapons into the chest of the drak, then quickly spun around yanking the blades out and slashing the throat of another that was incoming. “You have GOT to hire better help Nalsor!! What are these, your children???” One of the draks swung a sword at him which Issic evaded quite easily and sliced the tendons in his heel. As it feel over he swung back around and stabbed it through the chest as it fell to the ground. Issic had gotten a bit caught up with the on coming draks that when he looked for Nalsor at the same spot he had been standing he saw that he wasn’t there. Issic spun around just in time to see a large fist hit him straight in the face, knocking Issic to the ground.
A bit dazed Issic looked up again just to see Nalsor’s foot kick him in the stomach which sent him rolling over along the ground. ‘Get up Issic, GET UP!’ he told himself. Again another kick sent him rolling on the ground. This time Issic grabbed a bolt bolt from his side and waited. He looked over and saw the foot come again. This time he stabbed the bottom of Nalsor’s foot with the end of the bolt. Another loud roar, this one of pain as Issic rolled back and stood up. This gave him enough time to rush past Nalsor and retrive his weapons that lay on the ground. As he ran past the drak, he felt a claw grab his arm and spin him around, the other claw was already incoming and sliced through the armor covering his stomach. Issic reached down to his boot to grab another dagger as Nalsor’s claw dug into his shoulder, his nails embedding into Issic’s flesh.
Yelling in pain he grabbed the daggers hilt and thrust it as hard as he could up through the bottom of Nalsor’s jaw and throat. The blade embedding itself up through the mouth and hitting the brain of the drak. They both stood there for a few seconds. Finally Nalsor’s body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Issic stumbled back a bit, his right hand holding onto his shoulder, instantly his hand covered with blood. He gathered his weapons and both daggers then began to make his way to the Fort. His energy fading quickly, he continued to walk towards the Fort. He managed to get to the crest of the hill just before the gate before he fell over and everything went black.
