Vox Machina Book 3: Heroes Become Legend

Chapter 13: The Old Wound

Years ago...

The village was peaceful as everyone was going about their day. Happy, working their simple everyday work.

Some worked on the farms.

Some worked on the harvest.

Others worked in the mines.

Mining rich material from the mountain, but one of the miners noticed a young girl working on repairing one of the mining equipment.

"Not sure you hope to accomplish, Anna." the miner spoke with a chuckle as he leaned against the equipment. "I've tried. It's beyond repair," he informs.

The girl, Anna looks at him with a smirk. "Is that so? Well, don't blink, 'cause you got your cart back." she informs, stepping out from under the eqiupment and kicks at the crank.

It spun at a fast rate and dropped the cart. The miner stepped back and laughed, "Goodness, I stand corrected again." He spoke as she walked up, and he smiled down at her.

"What would our family do without your mind?" he spoke and ruffles her head, making her smile "Your gifts will change the world, Anna. But it's up to you to decide how to use them." he informs, smiling down at her.

But the tender moment was ruined as a horn in the distance blows, both look towards the distance, "Dad?" Anna whispers.

Figures appear in the fog as they were flying in at a fast rate. Beings of magic.

"The Assembly." Anna spoke as she recognizes the robes the mages were adorned with. "They're... they're not really gonna..." she whispers looking up at her father.

"The mines, they're seizing them." he spoke and pushes at Anna's shoulder. "Go. Quickly!" he orders and they both began to run for it. The villages began to scream, trying to flee.

"Mages! Mages!"

They cried as the mages fired fireballs onto the docks, setting the small boats aflame and the houses that were close by.

But they didn't stop there, using the materials at their disposal, infused their magics, and slaughtered every villager that stood in their way.

Leaving no bodies left in the wake. The fire spread, setting the entire village on fire, and burning everything.

Some of the villagers were seized as one of them mages stepped towards the wagon full of the rich material and took hold of one of the rocks. "Perfect," he mutters to himself.

Anna and her father kept running, trying to get away from the explosion that was set off close by, enough to knock Anna's hat from her head.

She braces herself as lighting shoots right past her, but a pained grunt catches her attention and she stops, looking back as her eyes widen in horror.

"Dad."

A hole was punctured right through his chest. He stood in shock for a moment before raising his head and looking at his daughter.