The Orb And The Onslaught {COMPLETE}

Turbulent Times

Over an hour went by and they were still eating and talking. Florence learned not only the names of each person in the room, but all about their families and how much meeting her meant to them. Quentin had calmed down through the meal and even joined in the conversations, he was learning a lot about the different places they were all from.

She knew he'd lived quite a sheltered life in Othon but up until that conversation she hadn't realised just how much. She was now thinking that their trip to find the Orb might actually benefit him, though she wouldn't say it out loud.

When the last plates were finished, Miyah cleared her throat and the room instantly became silent. The tension they'd all been trying to ignore fell heavily around them.

"I'm sorry to ruin the moment, I know you're all enjoying yourselves and I wish we could go on like this forever, but we all have jobs to do. Outside of the Den, the world is falling apart piece by piece."

Florence watched each of their expressions sober, it was easy to forget inside this cozy room, that a darkness was spreading and ruining people's lives outside. The guilt that came from that thought only bolstered Florence's resolve to get going and fix what was wrong.

"Yes, we must be going now, lots to do, saving the world and all. Thank you for the wonderful meal, it was a great way to send us off."

Florence reached for her carpet bag and stood up, the cats were up instantly; Quentin followed once he'd drained the juice in his cup.

"We will retrieve your food packages now," stated Lucia, Miyah's wife; a kind, short, bespectacled woman who liked to hear stories from Florence's younger days.

She was originally from Saphos Woul, as opposed to Miyah who was from Othon- a great talking point for Quentin. Outside of the Harbingers, it would have been very unlikely that Miyah and Lucia would ever have met much less fallen in love and got married. The organisation transcended any outside problems like politics or distance.

Through the use of ancient magik, the Den was mobile, able to open up entrances and exits, and move around when and where the Harbingers needed it. They truly were a globally based organisation and it was yet another thing Florence had grown to like about them.

After Lucia left to get the packages, the others began to say their goodbyes and a few other words of encouragement. Elion, an older gentleman who was in the process of passing the knowledge on to his son when the Onslaught started, moved around the table to shake hands with Florence.

"Thank you, thank you very much. I know you could have run away when this problem was presented to you but I'm grateful you're not that type of person." His Nuplax accent was thick but Florence caught every word. "My family and the generations to come will forever be indebted to you."

Florence was near speechless, she didn't know how to respond except to watch him walk out of the room. The others began to file out after him, leaving her with Quentin, the cats and Miyah who was waiting by the archway.

"As I explained, everything you need is in your bag and our aircraft is waiting at the hangar for you. Again, I'm sorry we can't just take you there through the Den but opening it up more than necessary right now could bring the Onslaught down on us."

"We know, it's fine, a little cross Domain travel is good for the soul."

Miyah inclined her head and walked them out of the room, Quentin had been given his bag from the cart. The Harbingers had offered to keep it safe for them until they returned. Florence knew it wasn't a good idea to be overconfident about their return, but being negative about whether they'd succeed was also counterproductive.