Kylla woke up disoriented and afraid. She found herself looking around the room frantically, worrying of some gray light. She felt itchy, uncomfortable, agitated, and hot. She sat up on the bed and rubbed her head in her hands, trying to remember why she had been so afraid.

“Bah, it’s no use.” She told herself quietly, and in a fit to forget her fear, she stood up and walked around for a fair bit. When she had calmed down, she tried to return to bed, only to find that it was moist with her sweat.

“Damn brilliant.” She swore, and took of the meager sheets and laid them over a chair sitting in the corner nearest the orange lamp.

Finding herself unable to return to sleep, she softly sang to herself, though she didn’t know what song it was, nor how she knew it. She just softly voiced some words on a melody she seemed to remember from a dream.

“Come find me where dead bones lie…” She whispered softly.

She eventually woke up again, finding herself groggy and irritated. There was a puddle of drool on the side of her bed where her head had fallen, as she had sung herself to sleep. She reached up to rub her head murmuring about what her dream's wonderlands had held.

It was less then a few moments before Gorigan came barreling down the stairs with an air of excitement about him.

"Calm down you great oaf, I can't have this racket so early!" Kylla blurted, still agitated and half-asleep.

"I understand your mood, fair maiden, but the time for us to go is nigh!" He said then angled his head at the ceiling in such a way that you knew he meant it in the noblest of ways.

"To go...? Already?" Kylla muttered, trying to get her tired head's thoughts together.

"Yea, i's abou' time you woke up, darlin'." The familiar cheery half-accented voice spoke up. Half-angry, half-relieved, she jumped off the bed and rushed over to the freshly washed and dressed Kalem. Then she punched him firmly in the gut.

"You bastard! You were going to kill us both!" Kylla screamed at him. She knew it was partially his fault she hadn't died, but she still needed to vent.

"Yea, I kno'. You'd think I was a bi' smar'er then tha', eh?" He said calmly, rubbing his stomach where she had punched him. She imagined after a blow like the one the Omnighost had dealt, her punch was nothing.

"Right, enough chatter, my charges. It's time for us to adventure! To go where no man dares venture, to go where no one dares go!" Gorigan said, thrusting a pointed finger at the ceiling as if life were some sort of movie.

"What for?" Kylla said blankly.

"Why, my dear maiden, it's time to get you home! And therein lies our quest! I've already spoken to the desert-mouse about it, we'll get you safe and sound before you can say 'My soul is about to be eaten by a thousand blood-thirsty demons!'" Gorigan said with the tone of a hero.

"Stop calling me that." Kylla and Kalem said in unison, then looked at each other and faltered. Kylla found herself blushing slightly, but she covered her face and pretended to look for her cloaks. Kalem just shuffled his feet a little and watched the ground.

"So, hero, how do you plan on saving my fair maiden ass in that?" Kylla pointed at Gorigan, who was still dressed in his oddly-tied rags.

"Oh, I don't!" He said, his mood seemingly invincible. "I'm going to save your fair maiden ass in that." He winked with humor and pointed to his armor set resting in the corner.

"Just so you know, my fair maiden ass isn't offering any sort of reward for this. I could get home fine on my own." Kylla said bitterly, not appreciating his good spirits.

"You seem quite capable, but my reward is making sure you get home safe. I'm not taking your word for it." Gorigan responded.

"Not a very trusting fellow, are you?" Kylla humored.

"No." Gorigan said simply. He seemed to have lost his happy edge a tiny bit. "You can never trust anyone in this city." This remark brought up questions Kylla had been meaning to ask.

"Right. City. Where are we, exactly?" Kylla questioned.

"Yllik City, nearest to the eastern border." Gorigan answered. Kylla new that Yllik was the western-most city in Kovulwa.

'If we travel straight from here to Krandoir, I can be in the Solace Forest in a few days.' Kylla thought to herself.

"So," Gorigan said, "It's time to be off!"

"Not quite, happy feet." Kylla said. "I need to restock on throwing knives."

"Aye, an' mah dagger is a bi' dull." Kalem joined.

"No, you don't and it isn't!" Gorigan said with a smile on his face. After checking to make sure, they found he was right. There was a fresh stock of throwing knives in a fold within Kylla's cloaks, and Kalem found his dagger to be sharper then an arrow head.

"I took the liberty of getting you restocked and resharpened whilst you were asleep. Now let's GO!" Gorigan shouted eagerly.

"Hey, Gorgy, you're missing something." Kylla said impatiently.

"What's that?" He said obliviously.

"Ahem." Kylla coughed and pointed at his armor.

"Ah, right! Let's go... in about 15 minutes..." Gorigan said a bit embarrassed.

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Dark eyes were watching. They were far away eyes, but dark ones nonetheless. Eyes that burned into the soul of those who stared into them. Eyes that watched like a hawk the things that it so longed for. A pair of bright red eyes.