Ruveneska, Chapter 7: Powerful Encounter by Darro

Shuren woke up rather early the next day. He went to the stream to wash off the blood and dirt from his body. Soon after, he started breakfast. Shuren went back to the stream for a while to get some fish. He also went to the hunting forest for some Wouk meat and vegetables. He carefully made a hearth out of wood. He then grabbed a pot from his pile of items he managed to save from his house. Shuren pulled out his knife to skin the dead Wouk, after that, and then he cleaned it. He started a fire with the tinderbox that Blurton had made for him. Soon after the fire was set up with the hearth, he set the rabbit meat in the pot, waiting for it to turn into broth. While waiting, he chopped up the fish and vegetables. Soon, the broth was ready. He removed the bones, and then added the fish and vegetables. Shuren then added some spices form his pile of items and tasted the soup. It had a creamy, chewy taste.
Rollan and Karoline were awakened by the smell of Shuren’s soup alone. It was still hot and. While it was cooling down, they went to wash up. By the time they were ready, Shuren had served all of the bowls. They sat down and had a nice relaxing breakfast.
“So how far is the village form here exactly?” asked Shuren with a mouthful of soup. He ate another spoonful of soup.

“It will take nearly a week if we move fast.”
“Walking?” Shuren asked.

“There is no place we can get tamed Paleps, so we must.” Rollan stated.
Shuren was the last to finish his meal. They all walked to the town gate, where Cotoz, Lorica, and Blurton all agreed to meet at. They all had packed their supplies necessary for travel.
When Shuren, Rollan, and Karoline arrived at the gate, they were surprised to see the other three empty handed.
“Where’s your stuff?” asked Shuren confused.
“We’re not coming with you,” answered Blurton.
“Why not?!?” demanded Shuren.
“We must stay back to protect Hogony and help rebuild it,” answered Cotoz.
“But you have to come!” replied Shuren.
“No, we do not. We have no business with the Grundell village, and we must help them with the repairs,” said Lorica.
“Let them be, Shuren,” said Rollan.
“But I want them to come with us,” complained Shuren.
“Let’s go. They’re not going to change their minds,” said Karoline already walking out through the gate.
“ . . . Fine, goodbye than!” said Shuren to the trio. Rollan did the same.

“Shuren, be strong, we know you can do it,” Cotoz said.

Surprised, Shuren said, “You say that as if I’m going to war.” The trio said nothing back but farewell.
Soon they were off to the Grundell village. The stream seemed to go on forever; Shuren’s eyes could not see the end of it. The walk was quiet and the quietness seemed to disturb Shuren and Karoline. The hours seemed like an eternity. Rollan, however, did not seem disturbed by this in any way. He was trotting along, humming a melodic tune and minding himself.
Shuren took a glance at the scene and realized he had never seen this part of Oryk before. It was a remarkable sight. The stream became wider and deeper as it became the Aimon River. There were fish jumping from their position down the stream, at times splashing water. It was quite relaxing and, somehow, Shuren knew that this would be one of his only chances to relax.

He followed along the dirt path along the stream north. The road ahead led to an endless forest. Most of Oryk’s land is made by forest. This was his first time actually seeing and paying attention to the scenery to Oryk. It was great.

Plains and valleys engulfed their vision. The Aimon River began to fade away as they started to travel east.

They stopped late afternoon to rest. They ate early supper - more like salty bitter meat and water. Shuren bit off bit off his bitter chewy meat, the chewing was beginning to tire his jaw. He swallowed the meat when it was grinded as he could make it. He took a sip of clean water to help wash it down. By the time they had finished their meals, the half of the sun was below the horizon. It was cool, and Rollan had told Shuren and Karoline to go search for more water.

Shuren was worried about water. The Aimon River was their last place to fill their water skins and they were already running low. Though Blurton had taught him to get water from dewed grass, the mornings became drier. Shuren informed Rollan about his concern but he simply said: “Don’t worry, we will survive.” This did not completely reassure his nerves.

Shuren was glad he had alone time with Karoline, though. He still regretted what he had said to her back in Hogony. The thought made him timid near her. She seemed calm. She was more worried about finding water. Shuren approached her apprehensively.

“Karoline,” he said.

“What?” she asked turning to him.

Shuren froze; he didn’t know what to say. He suddenly said, “Do you know anything about this Garland?”

She frowned. “He is nothing but a foul Ingle. His power is great, for he is the grandson of Ingolor.”

“What is it that he’s planning to do?” Shuren asked solemnly.

“Take over Oryk I believe,” she replied.

“How come we I have never heard of this,” he asked.

“A simple villager would not know. He has been raising an army for years now. I feel that he is going to strike soon.”

“Can anyone stop him?” Shuren asked worried. He gazed around his area, but spotted no sign of water nearby. He sighed and continued to peer at the horizon ahead of him.

“There’s hope still,” she said, smiling intensely. Shuren said nothing back; he was no longer in the mood to be with Karoline.

Karoline pointed a small beyond a hill. Shuren followed Karoline as she made her way over the hill. There was a small pond that was barley reachable from the hills. Below was a dark ditch, all of the shade explained why the water had not evaporated. They slowly and carefully went down to fill their water skins. Soon after this, they began to walk back to their campsite. Shuren did not say a word to Karoline. He felt uncomfortable around her for some odd reason. In spite of his feelings, he looked for an excuse to get away from her. Luckily, for Shuren, Karoline was a quiet type.

The days gradually grew hotter and drier. They had already been traveling for two days. If it had not been for Rollan or Karoline, Shuren would have gone delusional by now.
Karoline continued walking behind Shuren, keeping thoughts to herself and not saying anything to the two. Thoughts about Atlar ran through her mind and the revenge she wanted. Atlar would soon be avenged, and her quest would not end until she did. She thought back to the evening in the graveyard and about the man in the black suit. “I am worried that we may not act quickly enough,” she thought to herself.

After two straight hours of walking, Shuren collapsed onto the ground unintentionally. He bags fell off of his shoulders and his canteen spilled all over the ground. Rollan and Karoline looked back to find Shuren on the ground unconscious. The heat and fast dehydration caused Shuren to faint. Shuren, who neglected to drink his water, was now spilled on over the floor.

Karoline ran to Shuren, she lifted his head onto her lap. “Shuren, are you okay?” she asked, shaking him.

Rollan gave her his canteen. “Give him this,” Rollan said. Karoline unscrewed the cap and tilted Shuren’s head back. She poured water into his mouth.

After a few moments, Shuren spat up a mouthful of water. He looked up in confusion and said, “What happened?”

“You fainted you fool,” Karoline said angry. “You had water, why did you not drink it?”

Shuren thought for a moment, trying to recollect what had just happened. “Oh, I was trying to save my water,” Shuren explained. “Thanks,” Shuren said as he stood up. He picked up his bags and continued to walk. Rollan and Karoline did not follow. Shuren turned around and said, “Let’s go, I’m fine.”

“No, I think it’s wise to stay remain here for now, we can continue to walk later when it is cooler.” Rollan explained. Karoline dropped her bags and began to layout her sleeping area.

“It’s okay, we can continue, I’m perfectly fine,” Shuren protested. He stood for a moment, but Rollan and Karoline resumed setting up camp. Shuren could see that they were not going continue to walk, so Shuren sighed and began making his area. He dropped his bags, and began to prepare his own sleeping area. He laid out a dark fabric blanket along with his stiff pillow. Shuren stared at Rollan as he set up a fire. Rollan held out his arm and muttered a word. A small spark shot from his hand and the wood caught fire. Shuren thought of how Rollan made fire with magic, soon a question popped into his head. “Rollan, if you can make a fire with magic, can’t you make water with it also?” Shuren asked.

Rollan took a breath and said, “I can, though it is not very wise to do it in this condition.”

“Why is that?” Shuren asked as he pulled out some salted meat and began to prepare it for cooking.

“Well, when you cast magic, you are basically using your own energy to convert it into a substance. Fire is easy, for all you need is oxygen. Water, on the other hand, is a little more complicated. When you are dehydrated, you have less energy. If I used my remaining little energy to turn it into water out of thin air, it will take more energy that I have. Though this is fairly simple for me, I can make water with no problems, but out here, there is a cost. Water magic requires more energy as fire, and the more energy you use, the more of a signal it gives off. I do not want anyone coming after us if they sensed me using magic. I would not risk it for water.” Rollan explained.

Shuren understood vaguely. He felt that Rollan was not telling him something, though Shuren acted as if that excuse was enough to shut him up. Shuren focused his mind on waiting for his meat to cook. He pulled out the stick and faced the uncooked side of it at the fire. Within a matter of minutes, his food was finished. He pulled out the stick and blew on it. When it was cool enough, Shuren ate the chewy bitter meat.

* * *

They woke up after dark. Rollan was already awake; his bags were packed and already able to go. Shuren never saw Rollan unpack his bags, he wondered if Rollan ever went to sleep. Shuren and Karoline packed their bags and began to walk.

The cool night was refreshing after the harsh sun all day. They were less tempted to drink the water, thus saving their water supply. The clean fresh air was relaxing, and the crescent moon that lit the plains was high above them. Shuren, Karoline, and Rollan walked for hours that night, silent, and fast. After these few hours, Rollan told them that they needed to resume back to their original sleeping schedule, for they would arrive at the forest soon.

The next day, they woke past noon, due to their midnight travel. Shuren could already see a line of what appeared to be gray trees in the distance. According to Shuren’s calculations, they would reach that place by the end of the day. They began to pick up their paste hoping to reach this place sooner. Eventually, their paste slowed down into a regular walk.
Shuren halted. There was a familiar smell in the air. It smelled of ash and burnt oak wood. This also disturbed Karoline, and her train of thought was broken by this stench. Shuren continued walking, hoping for the smell to go away as he thought he was the only one to smell it, but the longer they continued, the stronger the smell became. Rollan did not seem disturbed at all. It continued to grow stronger and stronger. Shuren just opened his mouth to speak when a sudden sight kept his jaw hanging open.
“We’re here,” said Rollan. It was the first thing he said in hours.
The sight was terrifying. It resembled the aftermath Shuren’s dream. It was a forest in ruins. The trees were pitching black from fire, and the ground was covered in bits of burnt wood and thick gray ash. It looked as if there had just been a wild fire.

Shuren walked toward Rollan asking, “What happened?”

“Like I said, it was burnt down during the raid,” answered Rollan who was not surprised.
“It remained like this for sixteen years?” asked Karoline who was also stunned by this. Rollan nodded. It was astonishing for Shuren to see this. Both dread and sorrow filled his head.
Shuren stayed silent. He walked through the pile ash and deeper into the forest with Karoline and Rollan following behind.

They continued to walk deeper into the Dead Forest. After what seemed an hour of walking, they approached something.

In front of him stood a tall gray stone tablet that was covered in green moss and vines. It was very odd to fine a stone tablet in the middle of an abandoned forest. In the tablet were inscriptions. Shuren was oblivious to what they were or what they meant. But somehow, he knew what it said, as if the inscriptions were reading themselves to Shuren. They arrived to see Shuren staring at the stone tablet.

“This is the shortcut,” Rollan said.

“This is a shortcut? Care to explain?” Shuren said.

“This is an ancient magic tablet. The Grundells created this to enter places in secret. Shuren, you should be able to open portal to the village,” Rollan said.

“Why can’t we just walk there?” Shuren asked anxiously.

“It is hidden and it would take us even longer. This forest extends for miles, it is nearly impossible to find your way out, unless you are a Grundell,” Rollan said, looking at Shuren.

Shuren studied the tablet carefully. The inscriptions were alien to him, but sounds rang in his head corresponding to the hieroglyphics. The words exited his mouth as if he had no control over his body. The inscriptions lit up a white light. Suddenly, a tear in the dimension appeared before them.
He cautiously slipped his arm through the whole, but felt nothing. Without another word, Shuren stepped through what appeared to be a portal. Suddenly, his body was shifted in all directions. He saw his hand dematerialize which soon advanced to his whole body. Momentarily, his particles were reassembled back together to its regular form. His body was thrown out and into a sunny bright village. There was a loud wail from behind as a body was thrown on top of him, it was Karoline. They got up and brushed themselves off. They waited for Rollan’s body to get thrown out of thin air but instead, it appeared next to him.
The village looked as peaceful as it sounded. The houses were made out of logs and straw; they plentiful and disperse. There was a dairy nearby that was surrounded by a wooden fence. There was also a large pond in the village center. Shuren searched around for a familiar face, from which he and hoped to see from his dream.
“Who are you?” said a voice from behind. The trio turned around to see a young Grundell around the age of seven.
“Me?” asked Shuren.
“We are not enemies!” said Karoline from behind Shuren. He turned around to see three Grundell’s in uniform grabbing Karoline. More Grundells came after Shuren and Rollan and, soon, they were helpless. They were unarmed and their items taken. They were picked up and carried against their will.
Shuren was thrown into a musky stone room with lanterns barley lit enough to see. There was a long table at the front and a few desks within the back. He then realized there were other people in the room, along with Rollan and Karoline.
“Let us go!” said Shuren without motion,” we haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Ah, but you have. You intruded our village! How you did, we haven’t quite figured that out yet,” said a loud gruff voice from the front table.
“My name is Shuren Willans, and I recently found out I’m a Grundell,” said Shuren trying to prove that he was innocent.

“Don’t make me laugh, a Grundell traveling with an Ingle and Gippy? That is outrageous!” the voice shouted back.
“Why don’t you believe me?” asked Shuren getting angry.
“Give them the death sentence!” said the voice with a final decision.
“I will do it,” said another voice. It was to the left side of Shuren.
“Sure, go ahead,” the first voice said with a snicker.
Shuren was soon thrown out into daylight. His arms and legs free to move. There was a crowd already outside waiting for him, waiting for a show, which appeared to be their deaths. A man came out of the building not long after Shuren’s body was tossed to the ground. His build was muscular and stout. He was taller than Shuren and had a face that fit his body, rough.

“What are you going to do to me?” Shuren asked trembling.
He laughed, putting on a pair of gloves. He raised his arms towards Shuren. He muttered a few words. There was a flash of light. Out of his arms was a dark blue ball of energy going straight towards Shuren. There was a loud swishing sound as it struck Shuren against the chest. He was forced off balance and thrown backward a few yards. Somehow, it did not Shuren as much as it intended.
“What the . . . ?” the man mumbled. The crowd was silent. Karoline watched from the sidelines in amazement. The man muttered the same words and shot another blast of energy at Shuren and the same effect.
“What’s the matter? Can’t do any descent magic?” Shuren teased. He laughed and stood up. “Go on, hit me,” Shuren said.
The man did not understand; a blast like that should have killed Shuren in an instant. He shot blast after blast until he was exhausted.
“Don’t waste your energy. I want to challenge him,” someone said. From the crowd walked out a Grundell the age of Shuren. He was a bit shorter than Shuren and had long black hair down past his chin. He had a long face to match his hair with a red headband wrapped around his forehead. His shoulders were a bit broader than Shuren’s, and his arms were longer. He was wearing kind of a leather hard suit that was worn out. On his back was a long bow made of some strange material. On his side was a quiver holding long red arrows. “Give him a sword,” he said. He reached over to his side grabbing an arrow. He grabbed the string along with the tail of his bow and stretching the string back.
“What is it?” asked Shuren.

“Fight me. If you can win, I will talk to the council about letting you go,” he said. A man came out of the building with a sharp steel broadsword in his hands. He walked on to Shuren handing him the sword. He picked it up and got in a ready to block stance.
“Fine,” Shuren replied in his serious stance. He had to fight for their lives.

Karoline watched nearly in fear. Rollan on the other hand, was not worried at the least. Shuren planned out his strategy for attacking and defending.

He could get as near as he could to the guy before he fires. When he fires, he could either block it or dodge it, either way, it would be difficult. Then right after he fires Shuren could strike him while trying to reload his bow. However there was a problem, this broadsword was much heavier than the usual scimitar that he used. The swings that came from Shuren would be slower and harder to control, but the blow should be powerful. He would just have to manage. “Come at me,” Shuren said tempting him.
“Ha,” the man said back. He hopped backwards away from Shuren’s blade, while in the air letting go of the string and arrow. Shuren was quick to react to this. He saw the direction of the man’s eyes and knew where the arrow was heading. It would be heading towards Shuren’s head. Within a split second he tilted his head to the left as the arrow flew by. Shuren felt a sharp sting under his right eye. Blood dripped out of his wound while still spinning from the recoil. Shuren collapsed to the ground with a deep slice to his right cheek.
“Hmm, nice move, but an amateur warrior if I ever saw one,” said the man.
Shuren jolted up from this insult. He grabbed the broadsword that had recently slipped a few yards from him. Ready to strike, he slid behind him swinging towards his lower back. He felt a draft of wind as his body disappeared. Putting all of his force into the strike he lost balance falling face-forward. Shuren got up quickly thinking over his strategy. There must have been something wrong with his calculations. The Grundell was fast and very clever indeed.
“You haven’t died after one arrow; I will give you some credit. My name is Lloyd Echar,” he said while reloading an arrow.
“Shuren Willans,” Shuren said back. He lifted up the blade and pointed it at Lloyd, a sign of challenge.
“You will die, today intruder,” said Lloyd with a nasty voice. He pulled back the string.
“Don’t worry,” said Rollan to Karoline quietly, “Shuren isn‘t to be underestimated.”

Lloyd let go of the arrow launching it in Shuren’s direction. Shuren lifted his sword hoping to block the arrow. He felt a strong force on the blade as the arrow ricocheted to the ground.
“I’m not an intruder! I’m a Grundell!” Shuren said back running to Lloyd. Lloyd shot another arrow stopping Shuren’s bull rush.
“Don’t lie to your executer. I will make it more painful!” said Lloyd releasing another arrow. Shuren couldn’t dodge this one. It struck his left triceps while letting out a scream. Blood dripped from the openings of his wound with the arrow lodged in his arm.
“I don’t lie!” Shuren exclaimed back. He pulled the arrow out and threw it back at Lloyd, splattering blood on him. Shuren lifted his sword with his right arm and slashed Lloyd across his right shoulder. Lloyd had not expected for Shuren to land a hit on him. He let out a gag not while not reacting fast enough. His hard leather suite penetrated and stained with dark red blood. Both of them were now injured.
“What business do you have here?” Lloyd said. He ripped off a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around his wound. The wrapping soon turned a dark red. “Well, appears like I can’t use my arm anymore. You win.”

“I wish to stay here!” Shuren said as he dropped the sword onto the ground.

“Do you think we will just welcome you with open arms while you are traveling with an Ingle and Gippy?” Lloyd appealed.
“I don’t,” said Shuren, now doing the same as Lloyd. “But I’m a Grundell like you, but I was raised in a Gippy village.”
“Then get out! You are up to no good, traveling with them!” shouted Lloyd, trying to ignore the pain in his arm.
“Sir, just kill him! He knows the location of our village and also how to get in!” said a man in the crowd.
“I’m not leaving till someone tells me something about myself!” Shuren shot back. The crowd grew silent. “I was raised hated in that village and never knew why, I found out that I wasn’t one of them, that I was your kind, a Grundell!” Shuren explained.
“You were a Grundell being raised with Gippies? Don’t make me laugh,” said the man in the crowd again.
“If I recall,” said Rollan, who was silent up until now, “you would need to be a Grundell to create the portal to this hidden village. Am I right?”
“That is correct,” said Lloyd staring at Shuren, who neglected to look at Rollan.
“But I made it in, we traveled for days to get here,” said Shuren calming down.
“Well, we have never seen you before,” said a woman from the crowd.
“I told you, I was raised in a Gippy village,” Shuren replied. Shuren hoped that they would begin to understand his situation.
“Sir!” a man said coming running out of the building Shuren was thrown out of. He was carrying a blanket, but there was something underneath it. “Sir, I found this with their belongings,” he said revealing the blanket’s contents. It was Shuren’s scimitar.
Lloyd reacted with an exclaimed voice. It seemed as if he was not paying any attention to the pain in his wounds. Shocked by this, he turned to Shuren.
“That’s mine!” Shuren told them, trying to force it out of Lloyd’s hands.
“This is yours?” Lloyd said with disbelief. He held it up in the light to get a better view. The light reflected of the blade caused him to squint.

“Yes it is,” Shuren replied. He looked around as everyone was astonished to see his blade.
“Where did you get such a weapon?” he asked still amazed. He held I up in the air.
“I found it under my house. I found it under the loose floorboard of my house-“
“This was under a house? Are you escorting it?” Lloyd asked quickly as he turned his attention to Shuren.
“Escorting? Why would I be escorting it? I like it. It works really well,” Shuren said to Lloyd innocently. Shuren looked around as the crowd stared at Shuren’s weapon with amazement.
“What’s so special about it? Is there some power to it?” asked Shuren, hopeful for a positive answer.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s here before us!” Lloyd exclaimed, with a bright glow in his eyes.
“What is it? Tell me!” ordered Shuren.
“You mean you don’t know?” Lloyd asked, his eyes where now off of the blade and on Shuren.
“I am sorry, I did not tell him yet, I was waiting until we reached here to explain to you all,” Rollan said suddenly.
“Rollan Canona! I knew you would come back!” the female Grundell said to Rollan.
“Yes, long time Saron,” Rollan said to her.

Shuren looked at Karoline, who did not seem surprised to hear any of this, and then he turned his attention to Rollan. “Come back?” Shuren said to Rollan. ”I’m confused.”
“Saron, she was a part of the Rebellion,” Rollan explained to Karoline.
“You are The Rollan Canona? What an honor to meet you sir, I had no idea,” Lloyd said to Rollan. He turned to Shuren and said, “I'm sorry I did not realize that you were traveling with Rollan.”
He turned back to Rollan asking, “Is he?”

“Yes, he is. I am no longer,” Rollan interrupted Lloyd.
Lloyd shifted his vision back to Shuren. He handed him the blade. He then did something very surprising. His knee touched the ground along with one hand, and he bowed his head down in Shuren’s direction. Soon the crowd bowed down to Shuren also. “I am sorry for putting you in danger. I will repay you greatly.”
“What is happening?” Shuren asked dumbstruck. Nobody answered for a few moments. Shuren began to get frustrated. “Tell me what is going on!” Shuren said now angry.
“You are unique Shuren,” Rollan started. Before Shuren could start talking, Rollan started again, “Before you were born, I had a special power, a very important and holy power, but when you were born, I started to lose it. Then, you began to gain it.”

“You mean, like I stole it from you?” Shuren asked, intrigued.
“Kind of, but I hold no grudge,” Rollan commented smiling. ”The sign of that power is your hair Shuren. It turns white as you gain more of this power, but does not grow white.”
Shuren was shocked by this. He felt the tip of his silky hair, which was a natural brown and now turning white. Somehow it was turning white from the tip of his head and spreading down. The whiteness did not reach halfway yet.
“So now you know,” Karoline added.
“That power is a grave power and holds a great responsibility,” Rollan explained. He sighed and walked towards Shuren.
“I’m beginning to think that this trip was more than to find out about my family . . .” Shuren said with a sigh.
“Correct,” Rollan said, “I knew that this far was more than an informational quest, but a greater one. Sorry, Shuren I put you in great danger.”
Shuren gulped. He looked around to see Karoline not shocked by this, Lloyd with a calm face and the crowd still shocked.

“Shuren, earlier this week, when I told to you there was still hope for Oryk, I mean you,” she said faintly.
“You have the power to destroy all evil, vanquish it,” Lloyd said.
“Evil, what the heck are you talking about?” Shuren exclaimed.
“Believe it or not, Shuren, a war is about to erupt,” Rollan said.
“I have heard something about this before, but I never believed it,” Shuren said looking at Karoline.
“Those men Shuren, back at the graveyard, they were elite Ingles ordered to kill me,” Rollan said. “They knew that I once held that power and believed that I still did, until they captured me.”

The realization connected Shuren’s question of Rollan’s disappearance. It was that man that kidnapped Rollan! They tried to kill him! “What about the village? Why did they attack the village?”

“They were sure that it was a Gippy that lived in Hogony, so they tried to burn it down, but only in vain. But, they saw your blade. At first they would not recognize it, but after reporting it to Garland, they must know now,” Rollan explained.

Shuren looked around. He seemed to be the only one perplexed. “The Ingles are doing this?”
“The Ingles have been creating an army, they have an alliance with the Trolls and since they are necromancers, they already have Sleepwalkers.”
Shuren looked at Karoline. He now understood the whole rebellion they were a rebellion for the war, to stop it.
“Having a war with Ingles? Well the Gippies and the Grundells would be enough to stop them,” Shuren replied.
“No, it wouldn‘t,” Rollan said. “We were at war, remember? They would never join forces. But that power Shuren, Ruveneska, you have the power to end the war.”
“Ruveneska?” questioned Shuren.
“Yes, the holy power, the spell,” answered Lloyd. “We need your power, to help us end it.”
Shuren thought back. He was sure that The Gospel of Oryk would have said mentioned something about it. He regretted not reading it further.
“You have it. You can stop Garland with it,” Rollan explained, looking far more intelligent than before.
Shuren now understood. He had the holy power of Ruveneska. That explained his unnatural abilities, his unusual luck and his surges of power. “Does that mean that I have to stop that war?”
“Indeed, you must learn to harness the power,” Lloyd said with a serious expression on his face.

“How is that going to happen?” Shuren asked. “Are you going to teach it to me?” Shuren asked Rollan.

Rollan did not say anything. He only looked at Shuren with a blank face; he did not expect this question.

“Lord Zelzor, he’ll teach you,” Saron said.

“Even if I do learn undertake this training, will we be able to fight with such low numbers?” Shuren asked.

“We are not low numbered Shuren. Lord Zelzor has been creating an army for a while. Though it will be difficult, if we were to attack a Sleepwalker, it will perish, but an Ingle can simply revive it. Your weapon can help stop that.” said Rollan.

“This?” Shuren said lifting his reverse blade scimitar into the air.

“Yes, it was specially created for the Ruven. It can perish any evil, and Sleepwalkers will not be able to be revived.” Lloyd explained suddenly.
“Do you now the way to his mountains?” Rollan asked, changing subjects.
“Yes, we will take you there, but not before the festival,” said Lloyd bowing again.
Rollan turned to Shuren signaling him something, but he couldn't make out what it meant. Finally he said, “It is your choice to go, Shuren. I cannot force you to go anywhere.”
“I need to think this over . . .” Shuren implied. He walked off alone, with an injury still on his left arm. No one tried to stop him. They could never comprehend his situation.
Away from all the distractions and all of the stress, Shuren strolled along the border of the village. No one was there to pressure him and no one there to tell him what to do. He walked around to get a better view of the village.

The unstable log houses were built of old wood and did not look like it was going to hold another rain fall. The hard dirt ground no longer had the stench of ash and the trees were no longer burnt black.

The sun hovered over Shuren in a cloudless sky. It was setting, making the sky look as if it was in flames. He found a small hill and sat at the top. He thought to himself. “Finally, finally I was acknowledged, I finally have friends, I finally know it means to be happy. Then, some stupid Ingle has to try and start a war, and of course, I’m called on. Why? Why is it always me? Why is everything to good for me to have?” The reality of this situation was unquestionable; he did not want to do it. But if he would not go and try to stop the war, his friends will go on and chances are that they will die. If he did go to war, odds were that he would die also. The only way out for Shuren was to win that war.

This was all too overwhelming for him, and also shocking. Shuren sat at the hilltop for quite some time. The bleeding from his wound stopped by the time Lloyd came for Shuren.
“You know that you do not have to go,” Lloyd said, trying to cheer Shuren up. Shuren could tell that Lloyd wanted him to.
“But if I don’t, innocent people will die,” Shuren explained, “But if I do, I’m afraid I’ll let people down...”
“Not going will be the real let down. Lord Zelzor, he’s a great man. I’ve met him once, and I know that he was capable of anything.”
“But can’t he-”
“No, he can’t cast Ruveneska. I’m afraid only you can,” Lloyd said with a sigh. He stood up and brushed himself off. “Your tent has been set up. You should get some rest.”
Shuren nodded and stayed at the hilltop a while longer. As the night crept on Shuren, he listened to the bugs chirping a tune. Tired, he stood up with a stretch and headed back to the center village. As he walked alone in the dark, he saw a faint light casting a shadow near a log house. He hurried to see what it was. The light got brighter with each step. He felt warmth as he turned the corner of the house revealing a bonfire.

Shuren looked at the Grundells surrounding the fire and spotted Karoline sitting on a log. Shuren smiled to see her alone, in spite of the other Grundells.

Shuren was no longer tense to near her. He comfortable sat next to her and gazed at the warm fire before them.
“So, you decide yet?” she asked before he took a seat.
Shuren shook his head. He sat down next to her and asked, “What do you think I should do?”
“The Ingles are evil. We were lucky that time in the graveyard, because they didn’t know that you were the Ruven. If they had, you would be dead,” explained Karoline with an unsteady voice.
“So if I don’t, I’ll probably die anyway, along with all my friends,” Shuren said to himself.
“But whatever you do, I will fight. In spite of our chances to winning, I want Garland to atone for his actions and future ones,” she said angrily.
Shuren sat there with Karoline around the warm fire for quite some time. It was getting even later, and the fire was eating at the wood rapidly. Shuren got up to feed it more wood. Soon he realized that he was alone with Karoline as the Grundells went to sleep. He sat down with Karoline, alone.