Curse of the Crystals

Chapter 19: The Final Matches - part 5

Frode replied. "I fear our enemies were extremely careful, as every single person we identified as a traitor was unable to tell us anything of importance about our enemies. They kept their identities and their real goals extremely well hidden. All we got were vague answers and most of them were convinced to join them by falling for hollow promises. Our enemies clearly knew the weaknesses of their targets quite well. They were also using the crystals to gain new allies through magic, but we've yet to fully understand how they do so."

Maiara continued. "That is where the other two crystal locations come in. It is clear that they used the crystals in the capital and in New Haven to experiment with infecting animals and people. We were also able to witness the results of that by fighting those crystal-infected opponents at the camp and at the Heart of the Forest. All in all, it is safe to say that they were preparing for something big by bolstering their numbers."

Ezer picked up from there. "Which is why we are very lucky that the two Dwarves who participated in the tournament, Steinar and Torsten, are here to offer their help in our investigation of the irregularity at the border. We fear that this irregularity is either a decoy for a plan we've yet to uncover, or that all other irregularities were decoys to work on whatever is there. Like us, the Dwarves confirmed that any people wandering near the area there have gone missing, and a thick layer of fog seems to be permanently covering the region."

That's when Frode spoke up. "That leaves us where we are right now. We managed to save the Empire from ruin so far, but whatever is there might ruin all our efforts. We're planning an expedition into the area, and I'd like for all of you to join it. Our best option is to keep the expedition group relatively small, as the area there is difficult to traverse and the situation is still politically sensitive. We also can't afford to lose a large amount of people to a decoy."

Frode nodded towards Ezer, who took over. "The prince and I shall join the expedition, as we both wish to confront this enemies ourselves. I'll be bringing Alon and Nash, who were also with me in the tournament. We've also hired the Warriors of Dawn we fought against in the tournament, as they are our best option for additional protection. They've shown us their worth during the tournament, and their overall organization seem to be relatively free of our enemies influence. I carefully tried asking some of the other participants if they wished to work with us as well, but most of them were difficult to get into contact with, while others outright refused."

He paused for a bit, almost expecting someone to object to the prince's presence in the expedition, but nobody did. Having the prince join was surely dangerous, but they could understand his desire to face the enemy himself. Besides, if Ezer couldn't convince Frode not to join, they wouldn't stand a chance either, so there was no point in trying. Maiara and Itzal even suspected there was more to Frode's presence than he let on, but decided to allow him to keep his secrets for now. As a result, Ezer was able to continue uninterrupted. "I've already requested for Arethusa and Nereus to join, as a sign of goodwill towards the overall well-being of the Empire. They both agreed, although they couldn't miss any additional people, so it'll be just the two of them. Sadly enough, the guards and the army are also short-staffed. We've been weeding out most of their corrupt members, which disrupted their organizational structure more than we expected. Even so, prince Adelmar insisted that Lieutenant General Blue would join the expedition on his behalf. Due to the shortages, Blue decided not to bring any of his men. Finally, Sergeant Edward Millard said he wished to join as well, although I am hesitant to allow it."

Maiara was somewhat surprised, as the list of familiar people that were joining the expedition kept growing. "If I have a say in this, I'd gladly have him on board."

Ezer nodded. "That's enough for me to allow it. Finally, I'd like to ask each of you if you wish to join."

Itzal was the first to speak up. "I'd love to."