The Elder Scrolls VI: Apocalypse RPG

[King Acunasti]

Chevalier’s carriage rolled to the large metal gate that spread across the path leading to Franco’s woodland estate. Fifteen of Franco’s elite soldiers were already lined at the gate, pointing their rifles at the vehicle with their fingers on the triggers. “HALT!!!” shouted an Imperial soldier.

The carriage slowly stopped a few yards from the line of soldiers. Two of the soldiers approached each side of the vehicle with their weapons at the ready.

“We come seeking out the venerated Franco Rex.” the carriage’s driver told the soldiers.

One of the soldiers near the carriage’s window cocked an eyebrow. “And by ‘we’, you mean…?”

One of the carriage’s doors suddenly opened. Krind stepped outside and fearlessly stood in front of the soldiers’ firearms with a frown on his face. Chevalier slowly stepped out of the vehicle behind him. “By ‘we’, he means Chevalier Rex - son of Oliver Rex, and first cousin of your master, Franco Rex.” Chevalier said sternly. Chevalier could not see the soldiers clearly, but he could see their silhouettes and the outlines of the large firearms they were holding.

Each of the soldiers’ eyes widened. “Of course, Mister Rex!” they each repeated. “Forgive us!” Each of the soldiers at the sides of the carriage retreated back to the gate as Chevalier and Krind climbed back inside The fifteen soldiers opened the gates slowly, allowing the carriage to pass. They then closed the gate and returned to their organized formation in front of it once more.

“A fine job, Krind.” Chevalier told his giant servant.

A large, proud smile spread across Krind’s face. “Thank you, Master.”

[MurtaghSpector563]

Murtagh walked into the council's main hall. He looked across the room at Pandora.
"Missing me already, I see," he said.
"Do not brag, Venim. Something beyond our ability to fight has happened. Orcs have restored the shrine to Boethiah in the Valus Mountains."
"And what are they summoning?"
"The question is, who are they summoning. They seek to make contact with Boethiah himself."

[King Acunasti]

Chevalier’s carriage rolled to the main entrance of the mansion at the heart of Franco’s woodland estate. The driver leaped from his seat and scurried to open the one of the carriage doors. Krind stepped out of the vehicle, closely followed by Chevalier.

Two of Franco’s soldiers standing guard at the main entrance stepped forward. “Mister Rex,” one of the soldiers began. “How may we serve you?”

“Fetch my first cousin, Franco.” Chevalier ordered with a frown. “I have an important matter to discuss with him.”

“Of course, sir.”

__________

Franco had dozens of factories scattered across the Imperial City. Each factory was massive in size with immense smokestacks that were even taller than the White Gold Tower itself. The largest of these factories was located at heart of the far east districts of the city. It was this factory that had been chosen to be shut down for the day in order to conduct the production of the 65 Mandrids Franco had demanded to be brought to him by dusk.

Hundreds of workers ran about the factory, operating the thousands of machines that ran through the systems of genetic engineering in order to produce the required amount of Mandrids. 25 of the vile monsters had already been created. They were being held in the western wing of the factory. The entire wing was under maximum-security by the “Factory Guard”. The “Factory Guard” as it had been nicknamed was a massive army of about 3,500 special Rex soldiers that was spread out across the hundreds of Rex Industries factories that scattered the globe. The majority of Franco's profits were invested into this frightful force. Factory Guard soldiers owed their loyalty to Franco Rex, and Franco Rex only. They were the best of the best. It was these men that had slaughtered so many thousands of strikers who dared to rise against the authority of Franco Rex. They were as fearless as they were feared. They wore dark blue uniforms and wielded semiautomatic rifles and perfectly forged blades. They were satanic. If a group of strikers gathered in a city, the Factory Guard lined up and fired into the crowd. They did not care who they killed or why they were ordered to kill them.

300 Factory Guard soldiers protected the western wing containing the Mandrids. Inside this wing, the Mandrids were chained down in large steel cages that were stored throughout the area.

Spoiler:

This is what a Factory Guard soldier looks like.

[Leyyuce]

Leel held one hand to his forehead as he sat idly; due to his body's inexperience with magic, Sayeal's powerful healing spells had given him a massive headache. He was extremely tired, still dressed in blood-soaked clothing, and an acute, aching pain clearly marked the areas where a wound had been healed. Overall, he was exceedingly miserable.

As Sayeal voiced her concerns about leaving the shop by direct means, the owner of the next building over, a trader of sorts, shifted through the crowd, exchanging a few words with the Imperial guardsmen and then stepping through the remains of the doorway. The pony-tailed man was on fair terms with Leel, and so was willing to lend a hand in such a situation. He moved quickly, holding out his hands momentarily to show he meant no harm.

“You'd be wise to take Leel elsewhere, soon. The guardsmen are growing impatient, wishing to secure the area properly. If you'd take him out the back door, I have a wagon at the ready. Was planning to make deliveries, but, that can wait. It'd be discreet, you see."

[seventhsage]

Sayeal didn't hesitate. She nodded and turned to Antus.

"Carry him." He nodded

she turned back to Zip.

"thank you greatly for your help. Should you wish, you are free to ride with us to my estate."

She then stepped to Leel's side, noting him holding his head. She pulled a small flask from her bag. "here" she whispered, "Drink this. It will help with the pain, your body will have to recover much of the shock and pain on it's own, but I can aid you more back at my home.

She turned back to the outside crowd, as a few began to push past the imperial guards. She turned to Leel quickly.

"Is there anything you need from here?" she paused. "I fear that what little is left will soon be gone to these damned scavengers."

[DerangedPickle]

Antus picked Leel up, his left hand under his knees and his right hooked under his upper back.

"Right, so we'll take him to your estate, after that I want to discuss Bonapartes' fate."

[Master Z]

"Your... estate? Alright... Can you tell me what happened here?"
Zip rummaged through her backpack for a few seconds, before looking back up at Sayeal.
"And why were you talking about last night? What happened then?

[Leyyuce]

Leel had meekly requested that Sayeal retrieve the most valuable handguns from his workshop, as the half-dozen weapons would be no trouble to transport, and that she remove the keys from beneath the shop's counter. His intention was not to secure the shop, obviously, but to ensure the safety of his home, as its key was located on the same ring.

As Antus took Leel from the ground, the pony-tailed shop owner held open the back door to allow both through; he then assisted in placing Leel in the rear of the wagon, which featured a closed design. Finally, he climbed to the seat of the vehicle, which was pulled by a single animal.

Even as Zip and Sayeal conversed, he beckoned them to climb into the back of the wagon.

Spoiler:

Feel free type the vehicle's arrival at Sayeal's residence.

[seventhsage]

Sayeal waved off Zip's questions.

"there will be time for all of that when we are safe." she turned back to Antus "I don't know where Bonaparte is at the moment, but I'd certainly like to discuss a few things about that with you." she gestured for the door, indicating that Zip should follow Antus out, then began her search for the objects Leel had requested.

Unfortunately, a few of the weapons had been damaged, but not seriously. She shrugged, Leel had made it his life work to fix these weapons, and for all she knew, they were like that in the first place... it was a repair shop after all,

She calmly placed them in a small trunk she had recovered from the back room. As she looked around, she noticed a few small bags, containing odds and ends that Leel had accepted over the years in return for services. One in particular gave her an odd feeling, but she ignored it. She gathered all of the bags, added them to the small chest, and then cast a small feather spell to reduce it's weight. She checked that her sword was in place and that she had everything in her bag. She grabbed the keys that Leel had specified and dropped them into her bag as well before leaving.

She dropped the nearly weightless chest into the back of the covered wagon and took the front seat next to the driver.

"I grabbed a few things from your counter as well, no sense letting the looters have everything."

She nodded to the driver and he pulled out. As they circled around the city block, she could see that the rioters entering the shop had finally overcame the city guards. She pointed to roads as they traveled, showing him where to turn as they traveled. She purposefully took a different path than the one she had taken earler with Chevalier, in case anyone was waiting.

As she pulled up to her house, she noticed that several of her wards had gone off, two in particular were screaming into her mind. She mentally switched them off as she stepped from the carriage.

"hold still everyone." she had noticed the broken window. She took a few steps forward, entering the manipulation range of her wards. She disabled several that she used as her security system and two more that went off automatically when the door was opened by anyone not her. She nodded to Antus to step forward, and then nodded to Zip as well.

"Antus, grab Leel please. Zip, if you wouldn't mind, would you grab the trunk. My spell should still be in effect, so it should be light enough."

"approach cautiously please, several of my security systems have been activated." she pointed toward the broken window. "Don't touch anything when we get inside until I can discover what has happened."

[King Acunasti]

The soldier who had spoken to Chevalier entered the mansion while the other soldier stayed outside the door. After a moment or two, the door opened once again. The soldier, followed by Romulus, stepped outside. It was interesting to note that both Franco and Chevalier each had disabled right-hand men. While Krind was mentally disabled and could hardly put 2 and 2 together, Romulus was physically disabled with a severe case of kyphosis and the left side of his face extremely disfigured. However, both Krind and Romulus possessed outstanding power. “Chevalier?” Romulus asked. “What are you doing here?”

Chevalier could not see Romulus clearly, but he could recognize the man’s voice. “I wish to speak with my cousin.” he replied. “Please guide me to him.”

Romulus nodded. “Of course. Follow me.”

Romulus turned and re-entered the mansion. Chevalier, guided by Krind, followed. Romulus quickly led the pair to Franco and Isabel, who were standing just outside Franco’s study. “Master!” Romulus called down the hall to Franco.

“Yes?” Franco replied. He turned to Romulus, surprised to find Chevalier and Krind behind the butler. “Chevalier?”

Isabel smiled. “Chevalier!” she exclaimed with excitement.

“Isabel!” Chevalier yelled.

Isabel ran towards Chevalier and wrapped her arms around him. Isabel and Chevalier had a very close friendship. They had known each other since their teenage years. In fact, Franco had met Isabel through Chevalier. “I am glad to see that you are okay!” Isabel told Chevalier. “I thought you had been harmed during the meeting last night!”

Chevalier chuckled. “Krind pulled me out of the chaos.” he informed Isabel.

“Did you receive my letter?” Isabel asked.

“Yes.” Chevalier replied. “I have had the locomotive prepared. You are family. You owe me nothing. In fact, I am willing to bring Lucien back to the station when I depart.”

Isabel smiled. “Then we shall go with you.” She turned to Romulus. “Romulus! Go and fetch Lucien from the lake! Inform him of Chevalier’s arrival!”

Romulus bowed. “Yes, Mistress.” he said before exiting the chamber.

Franco approached Chevalier and shook his hand. “Hello, cousin.” he said to Chevalier with a slight grin on his face. Franco and Chevalier had grown up together. They were extremely close and cared very deeply about each other.

Chevalier looked in Franco’s direction with a stern expression. “Bonjour, Franco.” he said properly. “I wish to speak with you.”

“Of course.” Franco gestured towards the doors leading to his study. “Let us speak inside my study.”

Chevalier nodded and looked at Krind. “Krind!” he said to his gigantic servant.

“Master?” Krind replied.

“Wait here.” Chevalier instructed. “Be patient.”

“Okay.”

“I would be happy to entertain Chevalier Rex’s most loyal servant.” Isabel said with a smile. “We shall converse with each other, Krind. Alright?”

“Thank you, Lady Isabel.” Krind said with a blush.

Franco chuckled under his breath and led Chevalier into his study. He closed the doors firmly behind them. “So,” Franco began, approaching his desk and sitting in his large and luxurious chair behind it. “How goes your disease? Are you well?”

Chevalier sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. He crossed his legs in a formal manner and folded his hands together. “I am fine. My eyesight has almost been completely dissolved, yet I retain my ability to hear, smell, taste, and feel my surroundings.”

Franco nodded. “Wondrous.”

“I spoke with your acquaintance, Miss Sayeal Bourdabas.”

Franco nodded again. “Good for you.”

“She is everything you described her to be.” Chevalier continued. “She is strong at heart and says what she wishes to say.”

Franco slowly put a cigar in his mouth and lit it with a match. “Yes…” he said quietly. “A rather intrusive attribute at times. But she is a fine woman in every way.” He paused. “Would you like a cigar?”

Chevalier shook his head. “No, thank you.” he told Franco. “As I was saying, I sought her out this morning.”

“Would you mind telling me why?” Franco asked suspiciously.

“I merely wished to warn her of the dark times to come.”

Franco rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Chevalier,” he began. “The woman is no buffoon. She does not need to be warned of any coming danger. She is able to see it herself.”

Chevalier nodded, understanding Franco’s words. He then continued speaking. “Well, after sparking a serious conversation with Miss Bourdabas, gunshots rang throughout the city.”

Franco pulled the cigar out of his mouth and sat up in his chair. “Gunshots?”

“Rex soldiers raided an Argonian gunsmith’s shop.” Chevalier informed Franco. “They appeared to have lined up in the street before the shop and fired several rounds directly at the building. I believe the Argonian’s name was…Leel. Yes, that’s it. Leel. He was nearly killed. Luckily, Sayeal and a young Breton woman were each there to aid him.”

Franco immediately stood from his chair and shoved everything on his desk to the floor in rage. He kicked his chair over. “JACQUES BONAPARTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” he roared so loudly that even Lucien could hear him outside in the middle of the lake. Every bird within a one-mile radius of the estate flew into the sky. Franco slammed his fist on the desk, breathing heavily like an angry bull. “That rancid, lying, blood-thirsty dolt!!!!!! He deliberately puts MY family on the spotlight after the chaotic events that unfolded last night!!!!!!! Bloody monster!!!!!!!!!!! I should have him hanged from the very peaks of the White Gold Tower itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I should have his corpse thrown upon a flaming cargo ship filled to its limits with explosives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Calm down, Franco.” Chevalier said coolly. “Let us discuss this matter. This is what I truly came here for.”

[seventhsage]

Sayeal tapped the door with her hand. She realized then that there was no one inside. They would have set off the ward on the door had they touched it without her permission. She mentally disabled all wards, but left them responsive in case her two companions turned out to be more than they appeared.

She immediately noticed the rock in the floor as she entered. She pointed to it.

"please give that a wide berth. It may be trapped."

Zip and Antus had stepped in behind her as she pushed the door opened. She called to Zip. "could I get you to mentally lift that rock about three meters off the floor?"

The Breton nodded and strained, glaring at the rock. With a small gesture of her hand she lifted it a few meters from the floor and then suspended it there.

Sayeal tapped several rings on her fingers, protecting herself from everything she could think of. She then cast a minor dispel spell, one that would disable any surface spells on the stone. She took two steps forward, feeling mentally for any spells attached to the stone. Sensing none, she calmly called back to Zip.

"rotate it a bit please."

The rock began to spin slowly. The words engraved into it came into view

"Your friend has suffered for your actions."

Sayeal held up a hand to Zip.

"Please remove it from my home."

Zip mentally tossed it out the window. Sayeal mentally called to one of her wards. The lightning erupted from the rune on the eve of her doorstep, catching the stone mid-flight. It erupted into shrapnel.

She turned to her three visitors, anger blazing in her eyes.

"I assume you all read it?"

the three nodded.

"And we all know who is responsible?"

another nod from the three of them.

She looked to each of them, meeting eyes with each one in turn.

"So... What are we going to do about it?"

[Leyyuce]

Antus had let Leel down as the group entered the residence; he now leaned precariously against the wall, balancing on his uninjured leg.

"Please," Leel asked slowly, with a weakened voice, "If I could have a place to rest..."

[seventhsage]

Spoiler:

My bad, I had just assumed that Antus had set you in a chair of sorts

The anger in her eyes dimmed briefly as Sayeal noticed her friend in pain. She calmly stepped over, slipped her arm under his shoulder and guided him to a large, comfortable chair. She settled him into it, dragging a large footrest for him to settle his feet on. As he made himself more comfortable, Sayeal pulled a series of small potions out, and handed them to him.

"Drink these, they should get a large bit of your stamina back. While you do that, I'll see what I can do for the pain."

She laid both of her hands on his body, and very slowly released healing energies into him. When it appeared that he was more comfortable, she stopped and motoined for him to drink another of the potioins.

She turned back to her two guests and smiled, though it didn't completely reach her eyes.

"Let's fill Zip in on what happened last night. That should give Leel time to recover and then we can decide what to do about Bonaparte."

"Last night, Franco Rex, owner of Rex industries, held a party." She paused a moment and then continued. "The only ones invited were the members of his sorcerer clan."

"I arrived late," she turned to Antus before he could say anything and held up a hand. "I'm not a member of his clan, though we have had dealings in the past." She paused again. "I came to warn him. The witch-hunters had infiltrated the party, though it was a rather stupid plan, Rex personally knows the name of everyone in his clan, I can't imagine that he would simply not notice an extra person or two."

"When I went to see him, I intended to warn him not only of that, but to temper his ambitions a bit." Sayeal paused once again, waiting for that buzzing feeling in the back of her head that was Azura warning her. When it didn't come, she continued. "I spoke to Lady Azura last night, through one of her followers, a Winged Twilight."

"It told me that we were angering the Daedra lords with our in-fighting, and that we were upsetting the realms of oblivion by constantly emptying them of creatures."

"As I went to warn Rex of what had happened, he revealed that he had captured a Xivali. At the same time I entered his estate, several witch-hunters breached his mansion as well, this time through the basement. As I was leaving, I ran into Leel. We entered the mansion as well, looking for more evidence of Rex's dealings. We ran into Bonaparte down there. He threatened us, but before it became a fight, a creature of some sort Roared a challenge. Bonaparte took his soilders and ran, allowing the two of us to make our escape. I guided Leel out through the sewers, where we arrived to find Rex's Xivali climbing the white tower. From what I can piece together, I assume it escaped his mansion and rampaged the city for a good while. A marksman, I would assume it was Murtagh, he was always handy with that rifle of his, shot the creature. Someone else, I don't know who, hit it with a fireball at nearly the same time."

"the creature fell, injuring and killing several civilians. I parted ways with Leel there, returning here to rest and recover my energies. Leel went to his shop to check it's condition. I was awakened several hours ago by one Chevalier Rex, whom you met earlier. He had his driver take me to Leel's place, where I found him in this condition."

She paused, a bit winded after revealing all of that. She looked around at each of them once again. Leel had finished the potions and was now comfortably resting.

She turned back to Zip. "All caught up?"

[King Acunasti]

Franco forced himself to pull his chair back up. He sat back down in the chair, still breathing heavily and shaking violently. “He put us at risk!” he mumbled quietly to himself like a madman. “He cut off all ties between myself and Sayeal Bourdabas! Destroyed a shop! A bloody shop! Killing in my name, it is just-”

“Franco!” Chevalier cut his cousin off. “Calm yourself! Calm yourself before you become carried away!”

Franco stood and slammed both of his fists on his desk. “HOW DARE YOU!?” he boomed.

Chevalier did not flinch. “It will be taken care of.” he stated. “The Legion would do nothing to harm you, Franco. You supply their arms and fund their activities. If you were to be arrested, the military would crumble. The only threat now is, quite simply, the Witchhunters.”

“But the Witchhunters have ALWAYS been a threat!” Franco bellowed, sitting back down in his chair with fiery eyes. “Which is why I intend to rid this empire of their plague!”

Chevalier waited a moment or two before speaking, allowing Franco to cool off a bit. “What are you planning, Franco?” he finally asked with a calm tone. “A vicious raid? An assassination?”

Franco went completely still and slowly looked at Chevalier. “You will see.” he whispered. “In time.”

The doors suddenly burst open. Lucien sprinted into the study. “Uncle Chevalier!” he shouted happily, running to Chevalier’s chair and hugging the man. Although Chevalier was technically Lucien’s second cousin, Lucien had always called him “Uncle Chevalier”.

Chevalier hugged the boy and let him go. “Hello, Lucien!” he replied.

Romulus, Isabel, and Krind had followed the boy into the room. They each had worried expressions on their faces, as they were able to hear Franco’s shouting from outside the study itself. Even Krind knew something was wrong.

“Why did you come here?” Lucien asked Chevalier.

“Well,” Chevalier began. “I came here to pick you up. I have been tasked with bringing you to the train station so that you may depart for High Rock as soon as possible!”

Lucien’s excited expression faded away. He did not wish to go to High Rock. He wanted to stay in Cyrodiil with his family. He looked to Franco. “Father, must I go?”

Franco nodded. “You must.” Franco had calmed down by the time his son entered the study. He did not wish to look like a madman in front of his child.

“Very well.” Lucien sighed. “I will go and get my bags.”

“Your father and I are coming with you, sweetheart.” Isabel said to Lucien.

Lucien’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Mother!” he hollered as he ran to his mother, wrapping his arms around her.

Isabel smiled. “Fetch your luggage, my dear.” she said.

[Leyyuce]

Leel, having finished Sayeal's potions, had the strength to carefully remove his blood-stained shirt and trousers, along with his footwear; seeing as the blood had dried, he simply let the garments to the floor. It was uncourteous, but given the circumstances, excusable. He then returned his feet to the provided footrest and covered himself to the shoulders with a blanket that lay across the back of the chair. Leel sank comfortably into the cushions, soon falling fast asleep despite his efforts to remain attentive as to Sayeal's explanation of the previous night's events.

Sayeal's potions went to work as he napped, so that upon awakening Leel would not only feel the positive effects of a much-needed rest, but also be energized by the concoctions.

[King Acunasti]

Two carriages had been prepared at the woodland estate - a larger carriage for Franco, Isabel, Lucien, and Chevalier, and a smaller carriage for Romulus and Krind. Twenty of Franco’s soldiers encircled the two vehicles, each armed to the teeth and mounted on the backs of powerful horses.

Two soldiers had packed Lucien’s luggage in a compartment at the rear of the larger carriage. Isabel and Lucien were already sitting within the vehicle, conversing with each other as they awaited the others.

Franco and Chevalier, with both Romulus and Krind directly behind them, headed through the halls of the mansion toward the main exit.

Krind was guiding Chevalier through the halls due to his master’s blindness. “Be careful from here on, Franco.” Chevalier warned Franco.

“Captain Bonaparte shall be taken care of.” Franco replied sternly. Their words ended there.

The four men finally reached the main exit and headed outside the mansion to the carriages. Franco and Chevalier got into the first carriage containing Isabel and Lucien while Romulus and Krind got into their own respective vehicle.

The carriages, surrounded by their escort of twenty mounted soldiers, rolled down the path towards the gate, through the gateway, and over the roads leading the Imperial City.

[DerangedPickle]

"So, whats our next move?" Antus asked Sayeal and Zip.

"Everythings about to get much more intense, a war is about to go full scale, so I propose that until it ends, we stay with eachother."

[Master Z]

Spoiler:

Is this... dead now?

[King Acunasti]

Spoiler:

No, it's only been a week since someone posted. It's still alive.

[Leyyuce]

Spoiler:

Right, we've all seen roleplays survive worse situations than this. Deranged Pickle is gone for a while, due to his exams; if seventhsage were to post soon, we could continue. Could be busy with something.

[King Acunasti]

Spoiler:

I saw seventhsage online yesterday. We could continue easily.

But it seems as though the DM has abandoned this RP. We may have to take over.

[Leyyuce]

Spoiler:

Fine by me. Murtagh can always return when available.

[seventhsage]

Spoiler:

funny enough, I was waiting for Zip to say something... I don't mind leading our group, but I don't want to be the only one talking. and yeah, I have been a bit absent lately.

Sayeal nodded softly, glancing at Antus.

"I think we should stick together... we're strong as a group. Right now we should let Leel recover... We'll move out at dawn. Don't touch anything within this house without my express permission, it could be dangerous..."

She stopped, looking at each of them in turn...

"I don't know much about either of you... I trust you, to an extent, but I didn't get where I am by trusting everyone. Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about yourselves?"

she gestured to Leel.

"We'll be some time here while he recovers, I think it prudent to await his awakening before we discuss what to do about that dog bonaparte."

she gestured to Zip.

"Perhaps you'd like to go first?"

[King Acunasti]

Spoiler:

YES! Seventhsage is back!

The Rex convoy roared into the heart of the Imperial City. The majority of civilians cowered at the sight of the Rex carriages and mounted soldiers. The convoy headed across a small stone bridge leading to the southern region of the city. They were destined to arrive at the renowned Chevalier & Co. International Railway Station. It was owned by Chevalier’s locomotive industry, and it was the largest and most luxurious train station in Tamriel. It was situated beside the massive bridge built over the entrance to the Upper Niben. Chevalier had ordered tracks to be built across the bridge about ten years ago. It was a controversial project, considering the bridge had been there for thousands of years. Yet it proved to be an extreme economic boost for Cyrodiil, and the people actually became quite thankful for the new route of transportation.

The convoy eventually arrived at the train station. Franco, Isabel, Lucien, and Chevalier exited the first carriage as Romulus and Krind exited the second. The soldiers dismounted and circled the family for protection. With its escort, the family entered the massive chambers of the train station. Chevalier had personally ordered a first class passenger train to be prepared for Evermor by dusk. The train awaited them at the appropriate terminal.

When they arrived, the family began bidding their farewells to Lucien. Isabel knelt down in front of her son and put her hands on his shoulders. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked softly.

“Mother,” Lucien said irritably. “I’ll be fine!”

Isabel kissed Lucien on the forehead. “I love you so, so much sweetheart.” she told him. “So, so much. Your grandfather will be so surprised to see how much you’ve grown!”

Lucien rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. I’ll tell him you said hello.”

Isabel smiled and rubbed the boy’s cheek. “Okay, my dear.” She stood and turned to Franco. She was absolutely dumbfounded when she witnessed a tear falling from her husband’s eye.

Without warning, Franco bolted forward and picked up his son. Lucien was a teenager, but he was still small compared to Franco. Franco hugged the boy tightly. “You stay safe.” he warned Lucien. “I don’t want to hear one bad report from your bloody grandfather.”

Lucien was just as surprised as his mother (and the others as well). “…Okay, Father.” he replied with a shaking voice.

Franco put Lucien down. “I love you, my son.” he stated, standing up and tapping his cane on the ground in a firm and authoritative way. The tears were gone, but his voice was sincere. “No matter what happens…I want you to know that I love you more than anything in this world.”

Lucien nodded. “I love you too, Father.”

Romulus was next to approach the boy. He patted Lucien on the shoulder. His strength forced the Breton boy forward a few feet. “Good luck, Master Lucien.”

Lucien nodded.

Chevalier was unable to approach Lucien as he was not capable of seeing him. So Lucien ran to his second cousin and gave him a hug. “Goodbye, Uncle Chevalier.”

Chevalier smiled and hugged the boy back. “Goodbye, Lucien.” he said. “I love you.”

Krind waved to Lucien. Lucien smiled and waved back in reply.

With that, the boy boarded the train and took a seat at the center of the massive, high class passenger car. He opened the window and stuck his head out of it. “I hope to come home soon!” he shouted.

Isabel was bawling. Franco had his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. “I love you, my dear!” she shouted through sniffles.

The locomotive began to move forward. In about fifteen minutes, the train was already headed across the bridge. Lucien was on his way to High Rock.

[Leyyuce]

Spoiler:

Don't worry, seventhsage; once Leel recovers every action won't be so blatantly dependent on Sayeal's dialogue.