The Phoenix Order

Tangled Ruin

Siegfried prowled through the underbrush, his senses attuned to the faintest whispers of the forest. The Four Hundred Year Old wolf-human hybrid had long since learned the balance between man and beast, merging them into a singular, formidable presence. Tonight, the usual thrill of hunting had been replaced by a deeper call—a call to adventure.

"Foxtrot!" Siegfried shouted out into the woods for Foxtrot, but the response was nothing. Suddenly, Siegfried heard the bushes rustling and he knew who it was, and Foxtrot sprang out of the bush, pouncing on Siegfried and the two of them sparred together, Foxtrot rapidly releasing kick after kick, but Siegfried kept on blocking her hits and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

And that perfect opportunity came when they were called by Khang Yu "Foxtrot, Siegfrid? is that you guys?!" He shouted as he was going back from his expeditions in the open seas. Foxtrot was the first to look away and that gave Siegfried the opportunity to kick her off of her feet, and that shocked Foxtrot as she thudded to the soft grass, only seeing the sky now.

"Shocked are you?" Khang Yu asked as he walked closer, shaking Siegfried's hands after he helped Foxtrot get up, "Nice to see you again here Khang Yu, we've made some advancements after you left for the seas." Siegfried said as the three of them walked away "I can already tell, looks like Cassaport is going back to it's glory days!" Khang Yu exclaimed as they walked past the walls and into Cassaport.

The three of them all traveled all the way to the palace of the elder.

"Khang Yu?" The Elder asked as he stood from his throne, "Long time no see." Khang Yu greeted as Foxtrot and Siegfried trailed behind him. "So. Tell me, why are you here old friend?" The Elder asked as he went back to his throne. "Ah indeed, I have a message from an old friend," Khang Yu said as he pulled a scroll from his pouch and started to talk.

"It was many nights ago when the war was still ongoing," Khang Yu began, his voice a deep, gravelly whisper that commanded attention. "William and I set sail to explore the eastern waters, to seek what is beyond our realm, I had many questions asking myself if the myths of the eastern islands of peace were true, or if they ever existed at all. And when we set sail for the open waters, the sea was calm, the sky, was blue and clear of clouds, but there was an unease in the air that neither of us could shake. A sense of dread was atop our heads, but we do not know what or who was causing it."

William nodded, recalling the journey vividly. "We were two months out at sea, father," he added, his voice younger but tinged with the same weariness. "The waters were treacherous, and yet, we were drawn further east, as if something unseen was guiding us, or pulling us towards there."

Khang Yu continued, "The realm's eastern reaches are wild, untouched by no Man, Orc, Hybrid nor elf. But as we ventured further, we came across a fog so thick that it swallowed the sun whole. It was past sunset when we were in that fog, that's when we saw him—Captain Steelboots, an old comrade, now an undead wraith steering his ghostly ship, a once beautiful battleship full of glory and men, now just a hollow shell of itself." 

Foxtrot glanced at Siegfried, "He's still alive?" she asked, "Well, we have to listen to wat he says first," Siegfried said as he pointed his finger to Khang Yu, but only slightly so to not appear offensive to him.

"The last time we saw Steelboots," Khang Yu said, his eyes distant as if looking into the past, "Well, I didn't see him myself, but with Foxtrot's reportings, she said that he had fallen in the Great War, in an island waiting for Kanok, Afleck and Galgavun to capture a valuable artifact. We all thought he was gone, but there he was, his once vibrant eyes now hollow, glowing with a pale, eerie light, but luckily his soul is intact."