《Vagabondia Chronicles》


 Chapter 1: A Journeys Beginning

    In a land unfamiliar to the unimaginative, magical energy flourishes through the land as if it were wind. It runs through the grounds, through the seas, through the flora and best of all, through all of this world''s life.


    A story of exploration, fantasy and self discovery. The journey of a young half elf boy as he explores this wild, magical, unknown lands as he takes on the role of a Vagabond.


    The story starts on a small, family owned patch of land, hovering above the folk style town below. Unbenownst to the world, this small patch of land is among an unseen kingdom known as the Skylands. On the small patch of land, dwells the half elf Silverrie family. Specifically the family elder, Edreus Silverrie and his 13 year old grandson, the main character of this tale, Cambrodia Silverrie. Cam is a rambunctious, daring half elf boy with dreams of grandeur, with his trusty little white tiger, Leo.


    One morning, the grandfather and grandson duo are in the middle of harvesting their monthly harvest of Glow melons, when suddenly, they are swarmed by a group of randits. Randits are mole like animals that mainly feed on plants and vegetable matter, they are approximately 45cm tall and do not posses basic intelligence. "Hey, those are ours!" screams Cam as his Grandfather holds him back. The randits'' rampage ends, leaving the Silverrie''s Glow melon supply completely empty.


    Cam kicks the soil in frustration and says "We could''ve stopped them, Grandpa!".Edreus pats his grandson on the shoulder, reeling him in. "We are farmers, Cam.., peaceful folk. We don''t resort to violence.". Cam nods at his beloved grandfather in reassurance. "Well, I''m gonna head to the stores for more Glow melon seeds" says Edreus as he leaves via a ladder above the town below.


    As soon as his grandfather leaves the general area, Cam immediately pouts and says "Like hell I''m letting those little bastards steal our crops again" as he packs his wooden, homemade sword into his bag. He calls for Leo, who runs out of the house, and into his bag.


    Cam runs towards the edge of the patch of land he has called ''home'' for so long, however he is stopped by his quirky, brown skinned friend, a little girl with twigs littering her blue, radiant hair. She waves to Cam as he leaves "Hey, Cam. Save me a Glow melon!"


    Cam takes a deep breath as he descends down the ladder and takes his first step outside of his cozy home.


    Cam quickly locates a randit tunnel and inspects it. "You ready, Leo?", he says to his beloved little tiger. He takes a leap into the unknown.


    He wakes up at the bottom of the tunnel, checks on Leo, and follows it in hopes of finding the Glow melons.


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    Cam reaches the end of the tunnel to find a massive clearing with hundreds of swarming randits. "Whoa, this is..crazy!". He notices a lone Glow melon in the chaos, he readies himself for a jump, "Okay, here I go...", however, he is stopped by Leo with a worried look. "It''s okay, I''ll be back.." Cam says with a reassuring look. He daringly jumps off the ledge and runs swiftly on each of the randits'' heads, towards the Glow melon. "Oh mam, oh man! I''m dead, I''m dead, I''m dead!" exclaims Cam as he runs, evading hundreds of randits. He reaches the Glow melon and draws his wooden sword, "Come at me, bastards!", he screams as the randits swarm him.


    As all seems lost, he emerges from the swarm, holding the Glow melon in one hand and hid wooden sword in hid other. He starts running on the randits'' head towards the tunnel he came from, he reaches out to Leo, "Almost..there!" Cam exclaims as he narrowly reaches the tunnel, escaping the swarm. He breathes a sigh of relief, "Phew, we did it, buddy.", he says as he pats Leo on the head. However, when Cam tries to find his way back, he is met with a complex network of tunnels."Oh boy..", Cam sighs and tries to find his way back home.


    By nightfall, Cam emerges from the tunnel he initially entered, "Well, twenty-fourth time''s the charm..", Cam says with uncertainty. Cam and Leo run back to the ladder, climbing back to their isolated lives on the farm. Cam and Leo look back on the horizon they hoped to explore. When the emerge back on their farm, they notice a peculiar, eerie silence to their home. The door was wide open and the sound of the nighttime owls hooting filled the air. Cam enters the house, proudly holding his Glow melon, but is met with pin drop silence. "Grandpa?", Cam calls out for his grandfather, only to be met with even more eerie silence. Cam and Leo search the whole house, leaving only the forbidden area of the house, Grandpa''s room. Cam tries to open the door, but it''s locked. Cam uses a nearby chair to break it down, and within the room, he sees a note on the bed, and the room in disarray. He picks up the note to read it, and reads out the following:


    "I''ve taken the Orb of Remembrance."


    "I''m sorry.."


    "You were always my guiding light"


    "Lydia Silverrie"


    "Lydia? I thought Grandpa and I were the only Silverrie left. Cam ponders to himself, however, his thoughts stop when a picture of a woman with a remarkable resemblance to himself, falls from the back of the letter. He looks at the picture, suddenly tears start falling from his eyes. "Is this..Lydia?". Cam wipes his tears, thinking to himself "Why..would Grandpa keep this from me?" and "Could this be..my mom?", a million thoughts swirling in his mind. Cam continues searching for answers when suddenly he finds a mysterious document with most of its information faded, all except for the words "Adventurers'' Guild" on the top of the page. Cam, with his lips quivering in shock, utters the words "Mom..was an adventurer? But Grandpa said the Silverrie family were always farmers..". Cam''s head is swirling with a million thoughts, but they all stop when when he looks to his beloved friend, Leo. He nkneels down to Leo and asks "Leo, what do I do?". Leo, with Cam''s wooden sword in his mouth, smiles, motivating him to persevere. Cam, with a slight smile, wields his wooden sword and puts on his bag. As he packs a bunch of vegetables into his bag, Cam says "We''ll find her, Leo. I promise.". Cam leaves a note for his Grandfather with the following:


    "Dear Grandpa"


    "I Know all about Mom being an Adventurer, and while I am mad that you hid this from me for so long, I know you did it to protect me."


    "I''m going to find her, Grandpa. Wherever she is, I know she''s alive"


    "I''m sorry for leaving like this, but I''ll come back with Mom, I promise."


    "From Cam"


    Cam walks out of the house, only to be met with a beautiful sunrise as he steps out. As Cam makes his way off the ledge, he looks to his childhood home one last time. "I''ll be back, Grandpa, I swear." Cam says as he descends down the ladder. However, Twig, the blue haired girl, stops him and enthusiastically says"I''m coming too!". Cam gladly agrees and they set off, on a journey of a lifetime.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 2: Call Of Adventure

    Cam, Twig and Leo make it down the ladder and they finally get a good look at the quaint town that was below them all along. "Whoa, I didn''t notice earlier, because of the randits, but this place is awesome!" says Cam. They explore the town, seeing the local merchants, food vendors, and more. Twig wanders off, taking in all the local scenery, but she bumps into a young elf boy with dark blue hair, an oversized coat and a large wizard''s hat.


    "Oh sorry, I wasn''t paying attention", the young elf boy mutters under his breath. Twig helps him up and says "It was my fault, don''t worry about it."


    Cam catches up to Twig and says to the boy "Hey, sorry about her. You okay?". The boy responds positively, but is interupted by the sound of a bell, "Oh no! I''m late, again!" exclaims the boy as he runs towards the sound of the bell.


    Cam, due to the lack of sleep, starts dosing off. But he is caught by Pollie, Twig''s best friend. Pollie is a half fairy girl with hazel colour hair and small green wings. Twig grabs some coffee beans sold by the merchant and forcefully feeds them to Cam. Cam, with a sudden jolt of energy screams "Yeah! Oh, I''m back!!"


    Twig notices that the elf boy left his wand behind. "Hey Cam, that guy left his wand behind, let''s go deliver it.". Cam, full of energy, rapidly runs to the nearby magic school, following Pollie''s lead.


    At the Sylona Academy for Magical Excellence, Winston, the elf boy, runs into class, over an hour late. He enters the class, only to find that he had missed the first class. "Aw man.." sighs Winston as he walks out of the class.


    During recess, Cam arrives at the school, along with Pollie and Twig, and sees Winston being bullied by three upperclassmen. One of the upperclassmen, Deuse, conjures a fire spell and says "Heh, I bet burning your face would improve it a little.". One of the upperclassmen, Claria, says "Good one, Deuse."


    Suddenly, Cam''s sword knocks Deuse''s wand out of his hand. "Leave my friend alone!" exclaims Cam.


    Deuse looks down at Cam and smirks "Oh? Is this one of your friends, Dorkston?", Deuse says to Winston. Winston, stuttering with his head down in despair, quietly tries to get Cam to leave.


    Cam draws his wooden sword and taunts the bullies. "Yeah, he''s my friend! Let him go!". Deuse tells Claria to attack Cam, which she does. Claria launches an air ball attack at Cam, which he narrowly evades. "Stay still, you runt!", Claria says as she continues firing at him.


    Cam continues dodging the air attacks, steadily readying his attack. He dodges one more, and slams his sword down onto Claria''s hand, not only knocking the wand out of her hand, but breaking her fingers. Claria screams in pain, and cries for Deuse''s help. Deuse releases Winston and wields his wand. "Ugh! Do I have to do everything myself!?", screams Deuse as he activates a fire speel, aimed at Cam.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Deuse launches a fireball all Cam and just as he is about to evade, his body gives out due to the lack of sleep and he collapses. Just before the fireball impacted, Winston uses a peculiar spell to repel the fireball.


    Cam looks up at Winston and thinks to himself "Whoa, this guy''s amazing!".


    Deuse shouts in frustration "What!? How did you..?". Winston turns around in embarrassment, but Cam holds his shoulder and challenges Deuse "Hey Deuse! We challenge you to a duel!", but he passes out due to exhaustion. Winston stands alone as Deuse walks closer to him, wearing a menacing grin on his face.


    He leans closer and says "I evoke a Witches Duel!".


    All the students around them collectively gasp in shock.


    Later, at a closed off arena, Deuse stands on one side, surrounded by admirers. However, on the other side, Winston stands, shivering in fear. He looks back at Twig and Pollie and whispers "Help me!". The duel can only end when one of them leaves the arena. The match begins and Deuse immediately launches a flurry of fire attacks at Winston. He quickly evades in fear, narrowly avoiding the onslaught. Deuse launches even more fire balls at him, and Winston quickly repels it to the side. Deuse says to Winston, "Give it up, Dorkston. You''re all out of mana." as he charges the biggest fireball yet. Winston stands in silence, thinking to himself "What was I thinking? Why would I even try to be..more?", however throughout all the panic, Cam''s drowsy voice stands out. "Winston..you..Got..this...", he says as he drifts off to sleep. Deuse launches the fireball, but Winston starts waving his wand in a wavy, circular motion, creating a circle of magical power. Winston, while confused, still uses it to block the fireball. Deuse increases the amount of mana in his attack and pushes the attack down onto Winston, but he pushes back with more force. The clash eventually explodes, decimating the battle field.


    The dust clears to reveal Winston laying on the ground, he gets up to see Deuse standing, wearing his signature smirk. "Ha, did you think you would beat me!?" he chuckles. However, Winston smiles as he looks where Deuse is standing. Deuse looks at his feet, only to see that he was unknowingly forced off the arena floor.


    "What?!" Deuse exclaims as he contemplates his loss. The school''s headmaster walks up to Winston and says "Congratulations, dear boy. You''ve mastered a sacred form of magic, thought to be extinct for centuries.", as he helps him up. "You may have more magical potential than you know." he adds. Winston receive a wave of adoration and cheers from his fellow students.


    Later, that day. Cam and Winston meet outside the school gates to bid goodbye. "Hey, so are you feeling okay?", Winston asks. "Yeah, I got a great nap. I''m all charged up." Cam replies. Winston, holding his wand in excitement and pride, says "You were right, I was strong enough." Cam smiles as he revels in his victory. Twig and Pollie call Cam, telling him that it''s time for him to continue his journey. "Journey? To where?", Winston asks. Cam explains why he is traveling, to find his long lost mother and to see the world. Cam stands up, ready to set off. Winston stands up as well, "Hey, um..can I come with you?". Cam, surprised, asks "Are you sure? What about your studies?". Winston explains that since he is practicing a long lost form of magic, Spell circle Magic. "Since not even the headmaster knows about it, I figured I''d research it as we travel around the world." Winston says. Cam, tears in his eyes, says "Okay! Let''s go, we''ll search the entire world!"


    They set off, after Winston announces his departure to his family. They take one final look at the magic school, to see Deuse cheering for Winston. Winston smiles and takes his first step into the unknown.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 3: Seek To Protect

    Cam, Winston, Leo, Twig and Pollie, three days after leaving the Magic school, finally arrive at a village. The village is built near a riverside with flowers throughout. "Finally, now we don''t have to rely on rations for food." Twig says. Cam asks "By the way, do any of us have money?", only to be met with an awkward silence. Cam sighs, but Twig quickly runs off to a food stand and steals a bunch of food and runs away. "Everybody run!" she screams and the rest of them follow suit.


    Cam, while running, sees a local blacksmith and stops to get a closer look. He walks in to see a massive range of weapons on display. "Whoa!" He says in awe. He sees the blacksmith working on a blade and says "Hey, nice place you got here.". The grizzly blacksmith simply shrugs him off and continues working. Cam pulls out his wooden sword and asks "Do you think you can fix my sword here?". The blacksmith simply says "That ain''t a sword, boy." Cam, offended, says "Hey, I''ll have you know that I can slay a dragon with this sword!". The blacksmith says sarcastically "Well, if you can do that, then you don''t need me." Cam pleads " Come on! How much do you want?". However, the blacksmith says "I don''t work with money.". Cam, confused, asks "What? Then how do you work!?". But the blacksmith keeps quiet. Cam sits down next to him and declares "Fine, then I''ll never leave you alone, not until you make me a sword!". Cam lets Leo out of his bag, telling him to go find the others.


    Hours pass, and Winston, Leo, Twig and Pollie find the blacksmith working, while Cam pesters him. "Um, what''s happening?" asks Winston. Cam explains the situation and Twig simply asks the blacksmith "Can you just make him a sword so he can leave?", when the blacksmith refuses, Twig and the others leave.


    The blacksmith asks " How long are you gonna stay here?". Cam adamantly says "As long as it takes!".


    As the sun sets, the two moons ascending into the sky, the blacksmith closes his shop, and Cam still doesn''t stop following him. However, as they walk in the empty nighttime streets, they are stopped by a group of thieves. "Hand over all your cash!" They shout, wielding crowbars and other blunt weapons. Cam steps in front of the blacksmith, surprising him. "Not a chance!" Cam exclaims as he draws his wooden sword. The thieves simply laugh at him and knock him away with a stick, knocking him down. The blacksmith, despite his big frame, refuses to fight and lets them mug him. Cam gets up, still wielding his sword and strikes one of the thieves'' head, but is slammed to the ground by a crowbar. Cam, ignoring his injuries, stands up and taunts them, "Is that all you got!?" He taunts as one of the thieves picks him up. He looks to the blacksmith and he throws him an iron sword, which Cam catches. He slashes the thief''s shoulder, which causes him to drop him. "Oh yeah! Lets go!" Cam continues, slashing the other thieves'' legs and arms, immobilizing them. The blacksmith, fully expecting Cam to finish them off, is instead escorted away from the scene by Cam.


    After they leave the scene, Cam washes the blade of the thieves'' blood and hands him back the sword. The blacksmith asks him "You could''ve killed them, but you didn''t.. but why?". Cam says, with a serious expression "I don''t want a blade just so I can kill, I want one so I can protect people who can''t protect themselves." The blacksmith walks into his shop and starts working.


    Cam watches him and starts walking away, however, he is stopped by a grizzled voice "I''m not done with your blade. ". Cam turns around in shock and smiles excitedly. The next morning, Cam wakes up to find his new blade sheathed and ready to be used. Cam, before unsheathing the blade, asks the blacksmith for him to bestow a prayer onto it. "Really? But that''s only an honor belonging to noble blacksmiths." says the blacksmith. Cam says "Well, I''m already looking at one.". The blacksmith''s eyes widen and he kneels down to Cam and places his hand on the blade to bestow a prayer.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "May this blade bless its wielder,


    Striking swiftly and true.


    In the name of justice,


    may it only spill the blood of the evil.


    May it be as noble as its wielder.


    And be put down once its job is done."


    Cam smiles brightly and waves to the blacksmith as he leaves. He meets up with his friends and they ask what he was up to. Cam shows them the blade and it shines with an azure glow in the sun. "Whoa!", they collectively gasp. "It''s so cool!", Winston remarks. Twig asks "So, did you finally get him to make it for you?". Cam looks back at the blacksmith''s shop and says "Well, kinda.".


    They look to the horizon and Winston says "Hey, I''ve gotten my hands on a few maps and they say that we''re in a valley of mountains right now, so if we want to make more progress in our journey, we have to get past the mountain range surrounding the country."


    They leave the village, and enter the Arid Fieldlands.


    The gang treks across the Arid Fieldlands, which is teaming with Birdraptors, rapter like flightless birds which run across the lands at incredible speeds. "Hey, we should catch one of them and ride it across the fields.". Cam seeks out a birdraptor for them to ride, but Twig says "We have to set up a trap for it with food.". Pollie asks where they they''ll get food to use as bait, but Cam asks "But didn''t Twig steal a bunch of food yesterday?", only to be met with silence. "We, um..ate it all..", Winston says nervously. Cam''s mouth opens in shock "What!? I was only gone for a day, how did you eat it all!?". Winston sarcastically looks at Twig and Pollie, as they smile nervously. Pollie draws their attention to the fields as she sees a strange structure ahead. "What is that?", asks Twig. Cam heads forward yelling "Only one way to find out!". They start their trek across the Arid Fieldlands.


    When they arrive at the strange structure, it appears to be ancient. Winston, fascinated, examines the ruins. "This place looks like it dates back over a thousand years!", Winston says. As they try to open the door, the door seems to tighten. Cam spots a lone birdraptor and slowly inches closer to it, "Almost..almost..", he whispers, however, he is carried off by the birdraptor. The rest of the gang chases after Cam as he is carried off by the birdraptor.


    The sun sets once again, and they have finally figured out how to subdue the creature. Twig reveals a tent she hid in Winston''s backpack. "Where did get that?", asks Cam, but Winston responds nervously "Definitely didn''t steal it..". Cam face palms and they set up a campsite.


    In the middle of the night, Twig wakes up to see Cam, training with his new sword. She smiles softly at him before going to sleep.


    The next morning, the gang sets off on their birdraptor and continue traveling through the Arid Fieldlands. "Hey, Winston, how much further do we gotta go?", asks Cam. Winston looks at his map and says "We''re making great time, at this speed, we''ll be at the nearby city in a few hours.". Pollie asks "City? I thought the valley didn''t have any cities.".


    Winston explains "You see, Three times a year, a city residing in the ocean resurfaces in a really large lake in the middle of the field.". Cam asks "Really? Why is it from the ocean?". Twig says "There are many types of demi humans, so naturally there are aquatic civilizations that mainly live in water.". Winston adds "Though I wonder why they resurface despite being an aquatic city."


    Their journey across the Arid Fieldlands continues and they see a massive lake in the distance. "Guys look, that lake is crazy big.". They get closer to the lake and Winston says "I don''t get it, Oceanica city should be right here.". Twig shrugs and says "Since we''re here, I''m gonna take a bath, it''s been weeks since we left home.". Cam says "Okay, though Leo doesn''t like water.". Cam, Twig and Pollie start taking off their clothes and enter the lake, all except for Winston who says, while covering his eyes "How could you guys be so casual about this!?". Cam, confused, says "We''ve known each other for our whole lives, so it''s pretty normal for us.". Winston sniffs his armpits and says "Fine, I''m coming in.", as he embarrassingly takes off his clothes and enters the lake. They start bathing, and eventually finish, when suddenly, the lake expands and a massive shadowy figure emerges. They gasp in awe as the underwater city emerges from the lake.


    They run away from the lake to get a better view, and they see the city surrounded by a mass of water.


    "So this is it, Oceanica City.", says Cam, as the gang gets ready to venture into the city. Another step in their grand adventure.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 4: Those Who Own Your Heart Part 1

    Cam and the gang go to the entrance of the city and meet a Merman escort, who initially casts a spell on them that allows them to breathe underwater.The spell is shown as a greenish covering. "Whoa, I''ve heard of this. This means we can breathe underwater right?", asks Cam. Winston however says "Actually, it only lasts for about a day.". Twig says "Just a day? Guess the Merpeople don''t like tourists.". Cam says to Leo, who is panicking because of the water "It''s okay, buddy, it''s just for a day, then we''ll be out.".


    They enter the city, teaming with Merpeople swimming around and ordinary fish swimming along side them. Winston notices a magical energy in the city and asks a local Merperson "Hey, um what''s that energy traveling around the city?", the escorted says "Oh, that''s the sun energy that keeps our magical technology functional.". Winston says "Oh, so that''s why you guys resurface every year.". Winston runs off, saying that he must check the local libraries for clues on Spell circle magic. Twig and Pollie run off, saying that they want to taste the Merpeople''s food. Cam sighs and heads around the city to find clues about his mom.


    Hours pass, and Cam asks yet another Merperson "Hey, do you have any idea about any guilds around here?". The Merperson simply asks "You an adventurer?". Cam responds proudly "Well, yes I am.".


    Suddenly, a hulking shark like Merperson strangles Cam from behind, as he struggles, the shark Merperson tightens his grip on Cam, causing him to fall unconscious.


    When Cam wakes up, he seems to be tied up in an unknown location, without his sword or bag. "What the heck!? What''s happening? Where am I!?", he screams. Suddenly the shark like Merperson breaks the door open in anger and shouts "Shut up!", however, Cam persists, shouting "Let me out, you cowards!", only to be thrown across the room by the shark Merperson and he leaves. Cam lays on the ground, bleeding from the nose, when suddenly he sees a lock of purple hair sticking out of a large crate. He knocks the crate open to see a young girl with dark purple hair, clear skin, and a regal, red dress. Cam calls for Leo, who he unties him and the girl. He tries to shake her awake, but she does not respond. "Wait, the green covering is almost completely off, she''s going to drown if it wears off!" Cam whispers.


    He carries her, and tries to find a way out, when a group of criminals walks in. "Hey, put the princess down, twerp!", they shout, while holding knives. Cam stays put, signaling Leo to fetch his sword. Cam tries to divert the criminals'' attention and asks "What do you want with us!?". The criminals say "We captured the princess for ransom against the King, then we got word that they''d send an adventurer to save her.". Cam thinks to himself "So that''s why they captured me, they think some King sent me here to save her.". Leo throws the sword to Cam and he unsheathes it, facing the criminals. He tells Leo to watch over the princess, and he charges at the criminals. He is able to successfully disarm most of the criminals and immobilize them, when suddenly the Shark Merperson barges in and grabs Cam. As he tries to strangle him, Cam stabs the Shark Merperson''s arm, forcing him to release his grasp. Cam rushes over to the wall and cuts off the bars on the window. He grabs the princess and throws her out of the building and follows her, along side Leo.


    As they run through the city, Cam says "Damn it, we won''t make it to the gate in time!". Leo runs to find the others. The princess slowly wakes up to see Cam''s face and punches him, they fall onto the street. "Ow, what the heck!?" Cam shouts. The princess shouts in anger "Back off, creep!". Cam explains that they were kidnapped and she says "Fine, but don''t touch me again.". Cam asks "What? Why?". She says "Your hand was on my butt when you were carrying me!", she says with a big blush on her face, however, due to the spell wearing off, she starts getting dizzy. Cam catches her and says "Don''t worry, I''ve got you, and I''ll watch my hands.", and keeps running. As they get closer to the city''s entrance, Cam starts getting dizzy, only just now noticing that the spell on him is quickly wearing off.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Suddenly, the shark like Merperson crashes in front of them, screaming "You''re not getting away that easy, punk!". Cam holds the princess tightly as the Shark man rears his fist for a punch. Before the punch lands, suddenly a barrier spell shields Cam and the princess. "What the hell!?", the shark man exclaims. Winston stands in between the shark man and Cam and asks "What''s going on, Cam? And who is that?". Cam exclaims "No time to explain, we gotta go, the spell''s wearing off!". Winston uses a spell to repel the shark Merperson away, and they run to the gate.


    As they get closer to the gate, Twig, Leo and Pollie regroup with the gang and they head for the exit. One by one, they leave the city, but the shark Merperson grabs Cam and pulls him into his arms. "Cam!", they exclaim.


    Cam grabs his blade, reflects on the blacksmith''s prayer and stabs him in the chest, the shark Merperson slowly dies and Cam slowly runs out of oxygen as the spell has worn off, and he passes out.


    When Cam wakes up, he is back on land. As he gasps for air, Twig and Pollie wring out his hat. Cam asks "Is everyone okay? Where''s the princess?". Winston says "We''re okay, and actually, she''s the one who rushed back in to save you.". Cam, shocked, looks at her as she coughs up water. "You went in there, without the spell?", Cam asks. She looks at him, with an adorable pout, and says "You went through all that to save everyone, I figured I''d save you too.". Cam''s eyes light up and his heart flutters.


    Twig asks "So, what''s your name, stranger?". The princess answers "Violet, my name''s Violet.".The gang also introduces themselves.Violet asks "Do you guys know how to get to the Castelia Capital?". Pollie asks "The what Capital?". Violet says "Guess I''m not making it home.". Just then, Cam stands up and says "We''ll get you there, I promise!". Violet asks "Really?". Cam confirms and she unknowingly lets out a sweet smile.


    That night, while they eat, Violet tells them about how she got to Oceanica City with her father, the King. "You came here with your father?", asks Twig. Violet confirms and says "We used these weird ''teleport circles'' things to teleport here from the kingdom.". Winston, astonished, says "There are teleportation spell circles?!". Violet confirms and says "I''m pretty sure the one we used sent us to the ruins in the Arid Fieldlands.". Winston, now even more ecstatic, says "We passed those on our way here!". Cam asks "We tried to open it earlier, but it wouldn''t budge. How does it work?". Violet says "The ruins must only open for those of royal descent.". Pollie says "Then, we just need to get you to those ruins and you''re as good as home.". "That''s right, we leave at sunrise, so everyone get a good sleep.", says Cam.


    Later in the night, Violet wakes up to see Cam sitting alone with his hands trembling as he holds his blade. "Cam? You okay?", she asks. Cam says, with a trembling voice "I..I killed that Merperson..". Violet adamantly says "He was trying to kill you! And he was a criminal!". Cam says "I know..but..". Violet slowly approaches him, and awkwardly pats his shoulder. Cam smiles and Violet says "You''re not a bad person, remember that!". Cam smiles and they return to the tent.


    The next day, the gang makes their way back to the ruins on a birdraptor. "We''re here", says Winston as they walk up to the ruins. Violet places her hand on the entrance and it opens with a bright glow. "Whoa", the gang collectively gasps. They enter the inner ruins, the walks covered in mysterious ancient markings, which Winston scribbles into his notebook. They reach the center of the ruins to see a glowing spell circle, while similar to Winston''s, still significantly different. They all step on it, and in a bright flash, it teleports them across the continent.


    Where the portal takes them, a mystery.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 4: Those Who Own Your Heart Part 2

    When they reappear, they are in a massive city surrounded by a towering wall, and at the city''s center, a huge castle. "Where..are we?", asks Cam. Violet stands up and says "Home..", as she runs to the castle.


    They head to the castle, but they stop when they see an Adventurers Guild. Violet takes Cam''s hand and leads him to the guild. "But..what. about your..?", Cam asks but is cut off. They enter the guild to find it teaming with adventurers, and they walk to the lady at the desk, who asks "Hello, would you like to apply for a quest?". Cam looks to his friends and Twig says "Well, we do need the money..". Cam accepts a mission but is stopped by the lady, who says "Oh, it appears that your party isn''t registered to this guild. Would you like to register?". Cam agrees and says "Oh, we should have a name, right? How about ''Destiny Raiders''? Or ''Unstoppable Knights''?", as he tries to think of a name. Violet takes Cam''s hat and says "We''re the Jade Phoenix.". The lady registers their name and gives them a quest to eliminate 10 slimes. Before leaving, Cam asks about his mom, only foe the lady to say "Sorry, but we dont keep a coherent record of all our adventurers.". The Adventurers Guild assigns missions based on difficulty and pay off.


    S class- Impossible missions


    A class- Extreme missions


    B class- Hard missions


    C class- Imdermediate missions


    D class- Normal missions


    F class- Easy missions


    They head out and Cam says "Nice name, by the way. Oh, shouldn''t we be going to the castle?", however Violet just shrugs it off and walks ahead in silence.


    When they arrive outside the wall, they look for the slimes around the area. "Hey, by the way, I''ve learned a bit of water magic at Oceanica.", Winston says to try and break the tension. However, the tension between Cam and Violet persists. Twig spots a slime and says "Aw, it''s kind cute..", but it grows in size and absorbs a whole tree and it disintegrates inside the slime. Twig runs to Winston''s side and everyone gasps on awe as many more slimes appear. They run away from the incoming hoard of slimes and Cam asks "Hey, any know how to stop a bunch of slimes?". Winston looks back in horror as the slimes combine into one massive slime the size of a building. "Oh come on!", yells Twig in frustration. Winston looks at his wand and says "I have an idea! Since they absorb solid things, maybe we should try liquids.". The giant slime bounces once, disintegrating multiple trees in the process. "Winston! This thing doesn''t seem like it''s taking external damage!", says Violet.


    Winston executes his idea by running his wand through the nearby pond, charging up a huge ball of water above his head. Twig and Pollie try their best to use stones to stall the slime, to no avail. Cam uses a tree branch to launch Winston up to the top of the slime. As he falls down to the slime''s head, he falls into the slime. As his clothes slowly disintegrate, he releases the water ball from inside the slime and it explodes, flooding the forest.


    As they return to the city, the gang congratulates Winston for his quick thinking and magical prowess. They return to the Guild to collect their money. "You killed a King Slime?!", the lady asks. They confirm and they receive a C class reward for it. "Whoa, guess that was a C class mission.", Cam says. They receive One hundred gold coins, and Twig shouts "Oh man, that''s a lot of cash!". As they head to an inn to stay at, Violet stops Cam by grabbing his hand and she shyly says "You know, if you needed help with money..you could''ve asked..". Cam smiles at her and says "I didn''t wanna be a bother..", but she cuts him off and says "You gotta learn to rely on people you trust!". Cam nods at her and holds her hand, she gets flustered and releases his hand. They look forward, only to find that they''ve been left behind.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "What do we do!? This place is huge, how are we gonna find them!?", shouts Cam nervously. However, Violet says "Let''s just go to the castle. We''ll stay there for the night.". Cam, initially shocked, eventually agrees.


    They arrive at the castle entrance and Cam admires its size. " Whoa, it''s.. massive!", exclaims Cam. Cam whispers to Violet "Should I be in formal wear? I feel underdressed..", in a nervous voice. Violet giggles and mockingly says "Are you nervous?", she opens his bag and says to Leo "See that, Leo? Your friend''s a big chicken.". Leo smiles and Cam says "Very funny, Vi..", as he walks behind her. Violet blushes and thinks to herself "Was that..a nickname?".


    They enter the throne room and see the king seated at his throne. Cam instinctively bows, but Violet tells him to stand up. The king''s intimidating demeanor immediately disappears when he rushes in to hug Violet, while sobbing "Oh, my sweet baby! I''m so glad you''re safe! I was so worried..", but Violet, embarrassed, tells her dad to let her go. The king immediately assumes a distinguished attitude and says to Cam "Well, boy, I assume you''re the one who escorted my daughter here and ensured her safe return.". Cam, still stunned from the king''s quick change in demeanor, says "I..you''re welcome, Your Majesty. It was an honor to be by her side.". Violet, shocked, looks at Cam with a red blush on her cheeks. The king hugs Cam and says "Oh my, all this time, and my baby girl has found a husband!". Cam interjects "Oh, I''m.. we''re not..", but Violet drags him out of the room, screaming "He''s staying the night!", before slamming the doors on their way out. The king says to his maid "Do they intend to consumate their love!?".


    That night, at dinner, Cam says awkwardly "You father is very kind hearted..", but Violet interupts saying "More like smothering.". Cam giggles, saying "I guess so.". Cam says "Hey, do you think the king has access to all the guilds in the kingdom?". Violet replies, saying "Yeah, we should check tomorrow morning." After showering, Violet heads to her bedroom and Cam follows her. "Whoa! Where are you going!?", shouts a flustered Violet. Cam says "You haven''t shown me where my room is..". Violet orders a maid to show him to his room and they leave. Violet enters her room and thinks to herself "What was he gonna do if we shared a bed!?", but her embarrassment turns to curiosity as she wonders.


    In the middle of the night, Cam writes a letter to his grandfather saying:


    "Dear Grandpa


    I know it''s been a month or so since I left, so I''m writing to let you know that I''m okay, and that I''ve made friends.


    We''re in the Castelia Kingdom, but we didn''t get here on foot, though. We used some cool teleportation spell that took us here in an instant.


    I think I''ve found a lead that''ll take me a step closer to finding mom, the Adventurers Guilds'' records. Maybe if I search in there, I''ll find the guild that mom used before she disappeared.


    I know that you''re still worried about me, but I made a promise, to bring Lydia back, for both of us. We''ll be a family again, Grandpa.


    Love you,


    Cam.


    As Cam drifts off to sleep, but suddenly, he hears his door creaks open. He jumps awake to see Violet, in a black night dress. "Violet?", asks Cam as she crawls closer to him on the bed. She pushes him down and feels his heart beating faster and faster. She gets closer and whispers to him "Don''t tell anyone, okay?". Cam, flustered, slowly nods and Violet places a gentle kiss on his lips. Before she pulls away, Cam pulls her close and kisses her back. Violet, whispers "Again, kiss me again..". Cam, panting from his hot blush, kisses her, but Violet deepens the kiss and she gets on top of him. Cam, with a million thoughts swirling in his mind, holds her waist, but she pull away and says with a sultry smile "Sorry, but I''m not ready to go all the way, yet.". Cam grabs her hand and whispers "Please..stay..". However, without so much as a word, she leaves the room, leaving Cam alone with his thoughts.


    The next morning, Violet arranges for the whole gang to live in the castle, and they immediately move in. "Whoa, this place is nuts!", says Twig and Pollie as they run through the halls. Winston enthusiastically runs to the royal library. Cam tries to talk to Violet, only to be ignored. "Why won''t she talk to me, especially after..", Cam wonders to himself, with a soft blush on his face.


    One part of this epic adventure has passed, but this is only the beginning. For they have not even solved half of this world''s mysteries and its cryptic past.


    Will Cam find his mother?


    Will Violet follow through on her affections?


    Will Winston solve the mystery of Spell Circle Magic?


    Find out next, in the next part of this adventure

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 5: A Cracking Heart Takes An Uncertain Step

    In the Castelia Kingdom, over a year after their initial arrival to the Kingdom, the gang has made many advancements in their endeavor. They have already searched at nearly every Adventurers Guild in the Kingdom, to no avail. Winston has recently received his official Witches staff. Twig, Violet and Pollie are undergoing training under a seasoned, retired knight. Cam is also undergoing swordsmanship training during his free time. However,  he has strangely not received any word from Edreus, his beloved grandfather.


    Early in a chilly morning, Cam, now 14 years old and Leo take a morning jog around the castle. Cam, panting in exhaustion, says "Come on, you getting tired already?". Leo smirks confidently and runs forward, ahead of Cam. "Hey, haha. Wait up!", says Cam as he runs after him.


    After taking a bath, Cam goes to see his friends and starts by saying hi to Winston, who is practicing advanced water magic with his new staff. "Hey Winston, how''s the staff training going?", Cam asks but sees Winston''s room drenched in water. "It''s going..well..sorta.", Winston, now age 15, says nervously. Cam smiles and moves on to Twig and Pollie''s room. He opens the door to find Twig and Pollie, now age 13, playing with paint explosives. "Hey guys!", says Cam, ignoring the chaos. Twig says "Hey Cam, I''m totally gonna win this time!", however Pollie says "Hi Cam, I''m gonna destroy her this time!". Cam leaves the room, however, his smile fades away when he passes the room belonging to Violet, who is now 14. Leo utters a cute roar at Cam and he answers "Yup, we still haven''t talked much about..it, yet.", referring to the incident that occurred on their first night in the castle.


    Cam goes back into the Castelia archives and searches through all the local guilds once again. Winston enters the archives and sees that Cam is losing hope. "Hey, Cam. Come on, this has to be the one. Twenty-first time''s the charm.", says Winston trying to cheer him up. Cam sighs and says "Thanks Winston, this has to be the one.". They set off to the last Adventurers Guild and Cam walks over to Violet''s door, but hesitates to knock.


    When they arrive at the last Guild, they strangely find it empty. They walk over to the reception and ask them a question, "Why is this place empty?". The reception answers by saying "Our Guild offers the most dangerous missions in the kingdom,  only for S class Adventurers.". Cam sighs and asks "Do you know the name Lydia?". The receptionist simply says no. Cam shouts in desperation "What!? You..You have to know..Come on! Please! You have to know something!", Winston and Twig pull him back and he breaks down. "This..was..it, we searched everywhere..", says Cam as he breaks into tears.


    When they return to the castle, they return to their rooms in despair. Cam finds Violet''s door open and she steps out. "Cam?", she says quietly. "Did you find..anything about..?", she asks. Tears fall down Cam''s face and he says with a shaky voice "I..I can''t.. go..on..". Violet says with a sorrowful voice "Oh, I''m.. sorry.." as she retreats back into her room, however, she is stopped by Cam who begs her with a shaky voice "Please, just talk to me!". Violet says softly "Let me go, Cam.", but Cam persists "I may have just lost all my chances of finding my mom! But I don''t wanna lose you!". Violet says "Cam..Please.. ", asking quietly for him to leave her alone. "I know I did something stupid that night, but please..don''t let it ruin what we had..", but he is stopped by Violet, who pushes him aside saying "You didn''t..Just leave me alone!". Cam runs into her room and accidentally pushes her down onto the bed. "But..why?". Cam notices her tears falling down her face, and she says "Because I''d hurt you again..". Cam hugs her tightly and says with a whimper "I don''t care..if it''s you..". She hugs him back and says "I hate myself..for loving you..". Cam leans closer to her face and they share a deep kiss.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    As they kiss, they are overcome by lust and they start exploring each other''s desires and bodies. Violet''s hands travel from Cam''s chest down to his stomach, and even lower. "You''ve been exercising, haven''t you?", she whispers in his ear. Cam nods slowly and his hands shake as they approach her hips, however, Violet says to him "Go ahead..", and he caresses her hips. She removes his shirt and his hearts starts pounding and he shakily asks "Are you..?", and she answers "I''m ready..for you..".


    Cam removes Violet''s clothes and they lose themselves in the moment.


    As the bed creaks due to all the motion, sounds of sultry pleasure fill the room and their sweat drips from their naked bodies. They continue to devour each other''s bodies for the night.


    The next morning, Cam wakes up, and looks to his side. Surprisingly, Violet is nowhere to be found. Assuming that she''s taking a bath, he lays back down, unsure of how to feel. He looks to Violet''s side of the bed, only to see a blood stain where they committed the act. Cam jumps out of bed in worry and just as he places his hand on the doorknob, he sees a letter on the night stand, slightly nervous, he reads the letter:


    "Cam


    I hope you''re the first to see this letter, but as you''ve already noticed, I''m gone.


    I''ve left on my own journey, a journey to find myself.


    I know you''re gonna try to look for me, but please don''t.


    I have to take this journey to find out who I truly am, what I''m meant to be.


    I''ve left the remnants of my past life behind, and please know, it''s not your fault. I do love you, but I need to be a person worthy of loving you.


    I don''t know how long I''ll be gone, but please move on from me..


    Love,


    Violet."


    Cam''s tears fall onto the letter and he drops to his knees, his expression unchanged. Later that day, Cam delivers the letter to the king and he says "What!? We must search for her! We must...", but Cam says, with a depressed voice "She said not to look for her..", but the king grabs him by the collar and shouts "If you loved her, you''d look for her, nonetheless!", in tears. Winston separates them and Cam walks off, clutching his bag and Leo follows. "Cam!? Wait up, man!" says Winston as his friends follow him.


    Cam walks to the castle gates and Winston yells "Cam, where are you going, Cam!?" Cam stops one of the kingdom''s horse-drawn wagon, completely ignoring his friends'' pleas. Twig grabs his arm and says "Don''t do anything dumb, Cam. You know she said not to look for her!", however, Cam removes Twig from his hand and says with a sorrowful voice "I''m not.." , and he gets onto the wagon. "I''m continuing my journey, alone.", he says. Winston, with tears in his eyes, says "But, we''re in this together!", Twig and Pollie say "Yeah, we gotta stay together..we''ve always been.". Cam interjects by simply saying "Not anymore..", as the horse-drawn wagon starts moving. As the wagon leaves, his friends try to run after him, ultimately failing.


    Cam sits in the wagon, hiding under a hood to conceal his tears. Leo licks his face to cheer him up, but all he says is "Please, not now, buddy. I just..need to be alone.."


    Cam''s journey takes a lonely turn as he continues this journey as a lone Vagabond. His eyes locked on an empty horizon and an uncertain future.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 6: Cracked But Not Broken

    On a rainy night, as thunder echoes through the skies, a lone horse drawn carriage travels across the forest path. In the carriage, a small group of merchants discusses their business matters, and in the corner, Cam sits wearing a hood and keeping to himself.


    "Hey Kid, I can''t go further than this.", says the messenger driving the wagon. Cam, with a monotone voice, says "Okay, thanks anyways.". He and Leo leave the wagon in the pouring rain, Cam puts Leo in the bag to keep him from getting wet and walks through the forest.


    As he walks, he sighs, silently saying to himself "Okay, Cam, keep it together. Gotta keep searching.". Just then, he spots a sign leading to a nearby town. He follows the sign, walking unfazed in the thundering rains.


    He arrives at the town, clearly noticing its big size. He enters a nearby bar, teaming with adventurers and townspeople drinking and laughing. He sits at the bar, burying his face in his hands. "Hey kid, you''re looking a little too sad for a boy your age.", the bartender says, wiping a cup. Cam simply says "I''ve done a lot for a boy my age.". The bartender places a cup beside him and fills it with alcohol, "Wanna talk about it?", he asks. Cam takes one look at the cup, sighs and takes a sip. He winces at the bitter taste. "Haha, it''s not for everybody.".


    Cam takes another sip, saying "All I wanna do is forget the last couple of days..". The bartender remarks "I hear that.". Cam asks "So, where am I, exactly?". The bartender says "Why, you''re in the country of Azurefeld, in Condora Town.". Cam, thinking to himself says "Azurefeld? Did I leave the country in just a week?". He takes a bigger sip and starts feeling dizzy. The bartender simply laughs, saying "First time? You''ll get used to it.", as Cam passes out. When Cam wakes up, he sees the entire bar erupt into applause for a group of adventurers, returning after a successful quest.


    The adventurers'' group is made up of A human rogue, an elf wizard, a half-orc barbarian, and a half elf priest.


    Cam looks on as the adventurers are given praise, and one of them, a blonde haired rogue, declares "We will return with the Snow Crawler''s Head!". Cam sits in his chair, secretly listening in as the adventurers head off.


    Cam''s mind is filled with memories of his friends and he asks "Another.., give me another.". The bartender pours him another cup of beer, and he takes a huge gulp.


    An hour later, Cam hears the bar attendees saying "Hey, have you heard? The Snow Crawler killed those adventurers!". Cam, out of curiosity,  walks out of the bar, however he stops himself, thinking "No, you don''t have time for this! You gotta find clues about Mom.".A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    However, Leo jumps out of Cam''s bag and runs out into the rain, and Cam asks one of the bat attendees where they went. The attendee says "I heard they went to the Sacred Caves, up north.".


    Cam, with a slight smile on his face, runs out of the bar to save the adventurers. At the Sacred caves, the adventurers are locked in a deadly battle with the Snow Crawler, a hulking, white furred beast with four small blue eyes and ice breath. The half orc barbarian attempts to knock it down, but she is forcefully thrusted to a wall, which cracks from the force. The priest, using his healing magic, supports his friends from the sidelines as they charge forth. The rogue, wielding his silver blade, strikes at the Snow Crawler, only to be viscerally slashed on the arm. As the wizard charges an electric attack at the Snow Crawler, it slams down at the ground, shaking the entire cave and knocking them all off their feet. As the monster rears its claw, ready to slice the wizard, the priest leaps in front of the blow, getting sliced in half. "No! Alastor!", screams the rogue in despair and anger. He flies into a blind rage over the death of his friend, and just as the beast charges a massive ice attack with its ice breath, Cam charges in and stabs one of its eyes, distracting it.


    The rogue and wizard ask Cam "Who are you?". Cam answers "An ally.", as they ready themselves for the Snow Crawler''s attack. The monster charges at them and they collectively evade, attacking it relentlessly. Cam, noticing that the beast regenerates most external damage, says "It''s regenerating! We can''t beat it like this!". The wizard says "He''s right! We need to damage it internally!", as she charges the rogue''s blade with electric energy. He and Cam run towards the beast, as the wizard provides covering fire. Cam slashes its arms, distracting it, and the rogue stabs the wound on its eye, and shocks it with the electrical energy on his blade


    The beast lets out a guttural shriek as it dies.


    The rogue and wizard run to check on the barbarian and carry her out of the cave, along with the remains of Alastor the Priest.


    On their way back to the town, carrying the barbarian, Cam says "I''m sorry about your friend..", the rogue says "Don''t apologize, it won''t bring him back.". The atmosphere goes silent, until the wizard says "I''m glad you came to save us, we would''ve been dead if it wasn''t for you.". Cam smiles softly and says "I''m Cam, Cam Silverrie.". The wizard says "I''m Arlotta, and this is Zenith and our barbarian, Olgreda.". Zenith  nods his head and says "Thanks..for your help.".They arrive back at Condora Town, greeted by the townspeople''s cheers. They go to the local church to  cremate the priest''s remains, Cam tries to walk away, but, Zenith grabs his hand and asks "We''re having a funeral, and we''d like you there.". Cam joins them as they cremate their friend, he looks at the group''s faces to see Arlotta being the only one crying, and the rest keeping a neutral face expression as they comfort her.


    Hours later, they walk out of the church and Cam walks to the bar, Zenith follows him and asks "What''s your favorite beer?". Cam, confused, says "I..I dunno, I just started..". Zenith pours him a cup of a different beer and says "I figured, a kid like you shouldn''t be drinking..". Cam takes a sip and says "So you''re gonna stop me?". Zenith shakes his head and takes a big gulp of beer, saying "You wanna forget something by drinking beer? Go ahead.". Cam raises his glass, slightly drunk, and says "Here, here!", as they share a toast, drinking through the night.


    The next morning, at an inn, Cam asks himself "So, now what? Where does my life go from here?"


    Cam ponders on his fate as once he may have thought that he was meant to be alone, but now finds himself other people to trust.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 7: A New Start

    Cam, after five months, has made a name for himself as a temporary member of the Dark Siders, the party led by Zenith and as a great volunteer citizen.


    One morning, Cam jogs around the town, being greeted by passersby and enters the inn. He lays on the bed, sighing in relief. "Leo, do you think Grandpa''s okay? He hasn''t written to me since I left.". Leo nods and jumps on Cam''s lap and cuddles with him.


    He walks to the bar, to be met with cheers and warm greetings. He meets Zenith, Arlotta and Olgreda at a tale and sits with them. "Hey guys, any missions come in?", he asks. Arlotta says "Nope, didn''t get a single call.". Zenith leans back on his chair and says "You say that like it''s a bad thing. How about it, Cam? Wanna hit up the local brothel?". They collectively gasp at his random request. "Zenith! He''s a child!", shouts Arlotta. "Actually, he''s a teenager.", says Olgreda in response. Zenith points to Arlotta and asks "You wanna come too? This place caters to all genders, you know.". Arlotta, blushing, quickly denys the invitation, however, Olgreda puts her arm around her, saying "We''ll be there!". Cam looks to Leo and says "I''m going too, but I won''t..have..", but is cut off by Zenith who says "Great, we''ll meet back here in the afternoon."


    In the afternoon, Cam is doing push-ups in his room and says "Oh, I gotta meet the guys.", and he leaves for the to meet his friends. Later, in the night, Cam and his friends head to the local brothels. "Here, this way.", says Zenith excitedly. Cam remarks "Arlotta? I thought you weren''t coming.", Arlotta, embarrassed, simply looks away. They enter the building and see it filled with prostitutes and customers. Arlotta covers her eyes in embarrassment, and Cam thinks to himself "Whoa! This place is so...", with a bright red blush on both of their faces.


    As Cam and Arlotta sit on a nearby couch, Zenith picks Arlotta up and says "Hey Lottie, I got you a few guys to choose from.". Arlotta, shocked, shouts "I am a noble follower of Maira Faith! I shall not engage in..", but stops as one of the male prostitutes walks up to her with a seductive stare. "Well..I.. guess..I..", she stutters as she is carried off into one of the many service rooms.


    Cam, alone, thinks "Oh man, I did not think Arlotta was..", but smiles as he thinks "Well, even though I''ve only been with them for half a year, I feel like I can deeply trust them.". He walks out, looking out to the night sky, however as he sits down, tears begin to fall from his eyes and his chest tightens. He clutches his chest, whimpering "Why..can''t I.. forget? Why can''t..I be..happy?" The tears keep falling and memories of his old friends flood back into his mind. He falls onto his knees "Oh, that''s right. Even five months later, I still miss them..". He stands up, taking a walk to clear his head.


    As he walks, a blank expression on his face, Cam walks through the woods, reflecting on his past adventures. He walks, unknowingly wandering far from the town. "What''s wrong with me!? It was my choice to leave the gang! Why can''t I just.. be alone!?", he wonders out loud.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Suddenly, he sees a dark figure speed past him, deeper in the woods. Cam, out of curiosity, follows the shadowy figure to a lighthouse near a cliff. Cam sees that there is a group of criminals, kidnapping beastmen. Cam prepares to leap out and ambush them, however he notices that there are hundreds of them loading the hostages onto ships. "I..I can''t.. let them.." , says Cam to himself.


    Just then, a hooded figure attacks one of the criminals with a swift kick from above, releasing some of the hostages. But suddenly, one of the criminals catches the hooded figure off guard and grabs them, preparing to kill them. Cam jumps in and slashes one of the criminals'' legs, forcing them to drop the hooded figure.


    Cam grabs them and runs away from the scene, but then the figure loses their hood, revealing their feminine cat like features and silver, short hair. "A..beastman?", Cam asks himself as they run back to the town, however she keeps quiet.


    At the town entrance, the cat girl asks "Where did you take me!?". Cam tries to calm her down, saying "It''s okay, you''re safe here.". The cat girl simply turns away and walks away, saying "I have to save my people!". Cam  shouts "Wait! There''s hundreds of them! You can''t beat them alone!", however, the cat girl ignores Cam and walks back into the forest. Cam, before he could follow her, hears Zenith calling him from the town. "Hey Cam, where were you?", he yells.


    The next morning, Cam goes back to the lighthouse with Zenith, looking for the cat girl, however the location is empty. "Huh? I don''t get it, there was a bunch of criminals trafficking beastmen last night!", Cam says to Zenith. However, Zenith says "Look Cam, I hate to break it to you, but beastmen don''t live in this continent.". Cam, confused, asks "What? What do you mean?". Zenith explains that the world is divided by race and the continents are divided in the order:


    1. Human Continent( Humans, Elves, Half Elves, Halflings, etc.)


    2. Demi Human Continent ( Beastmen, Dwarfs, Goblins, etc.)


    3. Demon Continent ( Tiefings, Dragonborns, Changelings, etc.)


    4. Seas And Oceans ( Merpeople )


    (Leader of these continents each own various countries around the world)


    Cam asks "So, the demi humans, like beastmen aren''t allowed in this continent?". Zenith replys "Yeah, like how we aren''t allowed in the other continents.". Cam thinks to himself "Then, how was she here?". Zenith walks away casually, remarking "Welp, you sure missed out last night.". Cam stays in the lighthouse, thinking about his encounter last night. Just as he leaves, he sees a letter on the ground, saying:


    "Shipment Requested


    That new shipment is requested at Opeloid City,


    By order of the king.


    The shipment of beastmen is expected in a week''s time."


    "Huh!? Shipments?", Cam asks himself. Cam looks around the area from the lighthouse and sees a pier along the bay. Just then, the sliver haired cat girl said in a melancholic tone "You see it, right?". Cam, startled, says "I..I..what?". She says "The pier.". Cam asks her about the events of the previous night and she simply keeps quiet, only showing Cam a deep, bloody cut on her forearm. Cam rushes to her aid and she says "It''s fine, we beastmen have a fast healing factor.", as the wound stops bleeding, but not sealing completely.


    Cam asks "So, why did you want to go to the pier?", she replies "Because that''s how I''ll leave this cursed place.". Cam asks "So, why haven''t you gone there already?". She explains that this continent doesn''t allow beastmen in public areas, only allowing them to be sold as slaves. Cam says "So, you can''t make it go the pier alone?". She nods and he says "I could take you there.". She asks "Huh? Really?". Cam nods with a smile on his face and stands up, saying "I''ll get you to that ship, I promise.".

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 8: A Lone Voice In The Wind

    They head back to Condora Town, as they walk through the streets, the cat girl wears her cloak, covering her cat ears and tail. "Hey, I never asked, but what''s your name?", asks Cam. She walks ahead of him and says softly "Sylvia". Cam smiles and says "What a beautiful name..", Sylvia walks further ahead of Cam in embarrassment.


    They enter the bar and order two cups of beer. "Huh? You''re a drinker? But you look so young.". Cam smiles and says "Well, I''m turning fifteen in a few weeks.". Sylvia  shrugs and takes a sip. "So, how are we getting to the pier without me getting caught?", asks Sylvia. Cam thinks and says "Well, even though you have your cloak, your legs are still animal like..". Sylvia tucks her legs and says "Okay, creep. Instead of staring at my legs, we should be leaving before it gets too late.", in embarrassment. Cam suggests "How about we use a covered wagon to conceal you?", however Sylvia sarcastically says"What person would help a beastman, much less let me use their wagon?".


    Just then, Zenith, Arlotta and Olgreda enter the bar. "Hey guys!", Olgreda asks "Hey, who''s your friend?". Sylvia introduces herself but tells them that she''s a human. Cam asks snarkily them "So, how was last night?". Arlotta covers her face in embarrassment, but Zenith and Olgreda brag openly about their experience.


    Cam explains that he needs a horse drawn wagon and they ask why. "Because Sylvia and I.. uh..", Cam says as he struggles to make an excuse. "Because we got word from Castelia about the missing princess.", Sylvia says. Cam''s heart skips a beat as he hears about Violet, he grips his sleeve and he confirms the lie. The group says "Well, we can rent one for a few hours but..", and Sylvia says "It''s fine, thank you..".


    That afternoon, as Cam, Leo and Sylvia leave the town, Arlotta and Olgreda hug Cam goodbye. "You..better come back..soon.", Olgreda whimpers. Cam hugs them back, saying "I will..". As they walk out of the town, Cam looks back to see Zenith as he nods his head in respect. They enter the wagon and Cam thinks to himself "This feels..familiar."


    They leave the village, and head to the city for the pier. Sylvia looks at Cam, to see him whimpering. "Are you okay?", Sylvia asks. Cam looks back at her with soft smile on his face, "Yeah, I''m okay. Let''s get you to that ship.". Cam, thinking back to the time he left his friends, takes a deep breath and says to himself "I''m going to find her, and I''ll return to you, guys..". Sylvia pats his shoulder awkwardly, saying "I.. don''t know what you''re going through, but..". Cam smiles at her and asks "Are you sure you wanna know?". She nods and Cam tells her the entire story.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    They arrive at the pier that night and they sneak near the ship. "Okay, we just have to get on, quietly.", whisper Cam. Sylvia asks "We? You''re coming with me?". Cam nods, saying "Well, I need leads on where my mom is..". Sylvia looks away, hiding a smile on her face. They board the ship sneakily and hide below the deck. "Okay, so this ship is going to the Demi Continent, right?", Cam asks. Sylvia says "Yeah, you sure you want to enter the Demi Human Continent?". Cam nods and pets Leo, saying "Our adventure''s only beginning, buddy.". Sylvia smiles as she stares at Cam and Leo, noticing their bond.


    As the ship leaves the port, Cam and Sylvia exchange stories of their travels. Cam asks "So, how was it living in the Demi Human Continent?", and she replies "It was..perfect. I''ll never forget living with my sisters and brother, and papa..", but as she speaks, tears fall from her face. She wipes her face, apologizing profusely. Cam, simply says "They must mean a lot to you..", she replies "They do..".


    Sylvia tells a story from her youth "I remember my home very fondly, living in Aspertia, among the other beastmen. I lived with my younger sisters, Soma and Silva. They were always so rambunctious and rowdy..


    I remember being so annoyed whenever they made too much noise or followed me around..but now, I''d.. give anything so see them again..". Tears fall from her eyes, bur she keeps telling the story "A..and..my big brother, Seruda. He was the strongest of our tribe, he always put training first above his own wellbeing, every moment I''ve spent with him..motivates me to keep going..everyday..". Cam says "I know how it feels to have someone be your motivation, your..guiding light..", he cries as he thinks back to the letter left by Lydia. He shows Sylvia the letter and she says "You and her are really similar..", Cam asks "How could I.. miss someone..I never even..knew..?", he softly says, holding back his tears.


    Sylvia says "Maybe, you didn''t know her then, but we will find her, I know it.". Cam looks at her in tears and hugs her tightly. "I..I.. can''t.. thank you enough..". Sylvia, initially hesitant, eventually hugs back. "Sometimes, all you need isn''t just to hide your pain, but to share it with someone who understands.", Sylvia says.


    They sail across the seas, on their way to the Demi Human Continent, into the unknown.


    Back at The Silverrie''s Home, a stocky figure wearing a bear pelt  reads the letter that Cam left for his grandfather, and crumbles it up, soon after. They put it in their bag, along with all the letters Cam sent from his travels. They lift their large mace and take a torch and look to the house, one last time. They light the torch and light the beloved home ablaze.


    As the house burns, they walk off, standing near the ladder leading off the island. They let out a small grumble and say in a deep, soft-spoken voice "I lost her already, I can''t lose you too..", as the figure is revealed to be Edreus. He climbs down the alongside Winston, Twig and Pollie as they begin their quest to find Cam.


    The long journey to find Lydia Silverrie has taken an unforseen turn as it seems that not only Cam is on a worldwide quest, but his beloved grandfather alongside his old friends. Will they survive the treacherous and unknown land of the Demi Humans?

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 9: Free Yourself From The Past

    After 2 weeks of travel, the ship reaches the shores of the Demi Human Continent, the ship''s passengers make their way off. Cam, now fifteen years old, Leo and Sylvia, after a long voyage, leave the ship, Cam saying "Oh man, I''m so glad to be on solid land for once.", Sylvia responds "I was so seasick..". They make their way off the pier and enter the wildlands ahead of them. They climb a hill and Cam asks Sylvia "Are you excited to see your family?", she nods, with a sweet smile on her face. They reach the top of the hill, only to see the land in ruins.


    Cam, shocked, asks "Wha..what happened!?" and looks at Sylvia, only to see her breathing heavily and she runs down the hill, as Cam and Leo follow her. When she stops, Cam asks her "What is this place?", as they walk through a burned village. Sylvia, unresponsive, walks to the charred remains of a big cottage in the center of the village. Cam walks alongside her and she whispers "I..can''t.. do..", Cam quickly hugs her and she whimpers "Why can''t I do anything right!?", in his arms.


    Just then, they hear a loud roar and Cam says "Oh no, we gotta go!", however Sylvia just stands there, unmoving. "Sylvia!", Cam screams and she snaps back to reality. Just then, a monstrous Basilisk emerges from the ground and neatly swallows Sylvia but Cam catches her and they run away from the village. They run through the forest, narrowly avoiding the Basilisk''s attacks. "Sylvia! What is that thing!?", Cam asks while running. Sylvia yells "It''s a Basilisk! We can''t fight it like this!". Cam unsheathes his sword and says "Then find a safe place to hide! I''ll distract it!". Sylvia hesitates to leave and the beast attacks, its mouth agape, about to swallow Cam. Just then, Sylvia jumps up high and stabs its eye, forcing it off course. Cam recovers and they run toward a nearby cave, however before they could make it, the Basilisk whips its tail back, knocking them into the trees. Sylvia wakes up, but notices Cam is knocked out. She carries him into the cave and the Basilisk knocks the base of the cave, causing the rocks above to fall, covering the entrance.


    Later, Cam wakes up to see a makeshift campfire where Sylvia sits next to Leo to keep warm from the freezing cave. "What..happened?", asks Cam as he rubs his head. Sylvia looks at the fire with an empty look in her eye, simply saying "I''m.. glad you''re..okay..". Cam says "I''m sorry..about..", but Sylvia stops her by saying "Don''t.. blame..yourself..", as she struggles to hold back her tears. Cam sits next to her and asks "Do you need to..", but is interupted by a tight hug from a whimpering Sylvia. Cam hugs back just as tight, and Leo joins in the hug. Cam says "It''s okay, I''m here..". Cam hugs her tightly as the day turns to night.


    The next morning, they make their way out of the cave and find that the Basilisk has retreated. They walk back to the village and search through the ruins. Just as she loses hope, Sylvia finds a half burnt wooden statue of an unknown entity. Sylvia gasps and calls Cam and Leo over. "Guys, I found something!", she enthusiastically says. Cam, confused, asks "What is that?". Sylvia explains "This is a K''Waki Signal. Our tribe used these to mark whenever we would relocate during hunts of camps.", Cam asks "Does this mean..?". Sylvia hugs Cam in joyful tears and says "The people of my village weren''t killed!", Cam says excitedly "That''s great! That means we can find them! We can find your family!". If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    As they leave the burned village, they pass a town inhabited by Orcs and Goblins. They decide to enter the city, and see it populated by lots of Orc hunters and Goblin Farmers. "Whoa, so this is a Demi Human village, huh?", says Cam. Sylvia says "Yeah, we can ask about your mom here, since some Orcs are allowed to join guilds.". They start asking around for clues about Cam''s mom, with no luck. Until they find a young goblin boy, arguing with his mom. "I wish I wasn''t your son!", the young goblin boy yells. Cam rushes over and covers his mouth, shouting "What do you think you''re saying!? She''s your mom! All she does is for you! Everything she does is make you happy!". Cam continues screaming at the boy, only to snap back to his senses from Sylvia screaming, telling him "Cam! Leave him alone!". Cam backs away as the whole town''s eyes are on him, and runs out of the town.


    Sylvia finds Cam on top of a tree, and calls out to him "Cam! Is everything okay?". Cam looks away from her, only saying "I..I don''t..know..", in a soft voice. Sylvia climbs up to Cam and asks "Is it about Lydia?". Cam says "I..don''t know, I''ve been okay these past weeks, so why did I..?". Sylvia says "I guess you miss her more you thought.". Cam says, holding Leo tightly "I guess, it was hard watching that kid..take his mom for granted..when I''ve never seen mine.., I guess that''s pretty dumb, huh?". Sylvia teases him saying "Yeah, that was pretty dumb. You grabbed a kid, psycho.". Cam giggles and says "Yeah, I don''t know what happened to me..". Sylvia says "You''re lucky I smoothed things over with the town, so they''ll let us stay the night.".


    That night, at a guest house, Cam asks an Orc adventurer, "Hey, do you know ''Lydia Silverrie''?". The Orc gasps and says "I..thought I knew her, years ago..". Cam asks "Huh? Did something happen?". The Orc says "It''s a long story, Boy.", but Cam sits beside him and asks "I''ve got time.". The Orc introduces himself as Thraxus and tells the story.


    Thraxus tells the story:


    "You see, 20 years ago, I was a guard for hire, barely got any jobs or business. Until I met a young elven girl with blonde hair and a hat identical to yours. She hired me to embark on a quest with her, to the Demon Continent. At first, I saw her as nothing more than a psychopath with a death wish, but as we traveled, I started seeing her as more than a teammate, but as a daughter. I saw as it as my duty to always protect her, no matter what.


    Until one day, 2 years after our journey started, she was imprisoned in the Castelia Kingdom for stealing a certain future seeing orb from the royal treasury. Even during the trial, I stood by her, even as I face torture to spare her sentence, I stood by her. Until that night, she had a chance to save me, but she chose that damn Orb of Remembrance..! I watched as she chose an object over my life.".


    Cam, shocked, says "That''s not possible! Lydia wouldn''t..", but he is interupted by Thraxus showing him his scars, "This was my punishment for trusting that woman..". Cam stands up, his vision blurry, and his hands trembling in disbelief..


    "N..no.., it can''t be.., then, the Orb, did she..?"


    A million thoughts swirling in Cam''s mind, but only one at the centre


    "Do I even know who I''m saving?"

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 10: Memories Ablaze

    Days after leaving the Orc village, Cam, Leo and Sylvia continue their journey. Cam, lost in thought, walks silently. Sylvia asks "Still thinking about what Thraxus said?", Cam looks at her and says "How could I not? I just got my first lead in months and it''s saying my mom was a monster!". Sylvia says "We can figure out if it''s true, when we find her.". Cam nods and they continue their walk.


    That night, at their camp, Sylvia notices a strange occurrence deep in the forest and goes to investigate. She runs through the forest and comes upon a group of criminals trafficking rabbit beastmen. Sylvia, fast as a serpent, jumps out of cover and launches her assault on the criminals. She continuously slashes at the criminals'' necks, but is stabbed in her shoulder with a spear. Before they could deal the final blow, a muscular figure quickly kills all of them in mere seconds. Sylvia looks up at her savior, only to see a silver haired, cat beastman standing above her. "S..Seruda?", she wonders to herself.


    As more and more of the criminals'' reinforcements arrive, more cat beastmen jump out from above the trees and Cam joins the fray. The battle escalates and eventually ends with the criminals retreating. Seruda orders the other beastmen to retreat to the trees. Before Sylvia could call him over, he jumps up into the trees and Sylvia, with Cam on her back, follows.


    When they get to the top of the trees, Cam and Sylvia see a massive treetop village built by the cat beastmen. They walk in, only to see Soma and Silva training in the training grounds. They stop when they see Sylvia and tearfully run to hug her, as they share a deep hug, Soma says "S..sister? Is it really you?", and Sylvia nods, saying "Yes, I''m.. back.". Silva, crying, says "We missed you so much, Syl.". Their emotional reunion is cut short as The village elder calls for Sylvia''s attention. She walks up to the elder, bowing and asks "What is your order, Alpha?", but the elder hugs her, saying to the village "Our lost child has returned.". The village cheers loudly, however Cam notices Seruda standing, looking at Sylvia with a mean glare. The village decides to host a feast in celebration for Sylvia''s safe return.


    That night, Cam walks around the village, aquainting himself with the villagers, when suddenly he hears the sound of fighting from the training ground. He runs off to investigate, only to find Seruda and Sylvia locked in an intense fight. Seruda throws a quick punch at Sylvia''s face, knocking her down. Cam rushes to her aid, and Seruda shouts "Leave, Child! This doesn''t concern you!". Cam shouts "What are you doing!? She''s your sister, why are you fighting!?". As Cam shouts, Sylvia pushes him away, saying "It''s okay, this is between us!"


    The fight starts again with a punch from Seruda, which Sylvia dodges and she returns with a hard kick to his jaw, knocking out his tooth. As they clash, the room shakes from the intensity of the fight asthey run around the room, exchanging blows, until Sylvia takes a blow to her stomach, and she falls to her knees.


    "You''re nothing but a filthy deserter!", Seruda shouts. "You left us to die as you escaped!". But Sylvia knocks him down with a punch to his nose, screaming as she beats him down "I gave everything I had to get back to you! Everyday, i thought of our family, our people! How proud you would''ve been!". Cam separates them as Sylvia pants in exhaustion, Seruda lays on the ground, saying "Sylvia..You were..", but Sylvia stops him, saying "I guess I''m just always gonna be a disappointment to you..", as she walks out of the room. However, Seruda follows her and hugs her from behind, saying "I''m.. sorry, I.. didn''t know..". Sylvia quietly says "No, you didn''t.., you chose to hate me over worrying about me..". Seruda says "I did, and I''m sorry. Please, let me make this right..". Sylvia turns around and hugs her beloved brother back.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    As the days pass, Cam grows more accustomed to his new surroundings and the villager get used to seeing Cam frequently, even offering him combat training.


    One day, the villagers are alerted by the village elder, who says "The Raiders, they plan to attack our village.". The atmosphere is interupted by the sound of explosions from below the trees. The Raiders set up multiple explosives around the trees, and the villagers evacuate. The warrior beastmen spring into action, fending off the Raiders. Cam and Sylvia jump down and join in the fight.


    As the battle rages on, Cam notices that the raider are kidnapping the children of the village. "They''re taking the kids! Somebody stop them!", Cam yells as he fights on. Sylvia runs with astonishing speed towards the kidnappers, but is kicked in the stomach into a tree, by a mysterious human man in a red jacket, wielding a black blade. "You''re not taking our Catch!", the man screams as he draws his blade.


    Sylvia gets ready to fight and launches at him, and the man slashes at her, and she dodges. She launches a flurry of attacks at the man, but he effortlessly avoids all of them. The man slashes at her, severing part of her tail. Sylvia winces in pain and scatters the soil, to create a smokescreen. She uses her claws to slash him consecutively and on all his vitals. However, the man remains standing, and slashes her shoulder, leaving a big gash on her shoulder. "Ugh!", she groans in pain. But the man doesn''t stop his assault, he aims for her head, but Seruda leaps in, slashing at the man relentlessly. The fight between the man with the black blade and Seruda rages on, until Seruda manages to disarm the man, leaving him wide open. He slashes at his neck, and he gasps for air, squirming on the ground.


    "Are you okay?", Seruda asks his beloved sister, as he helps her up. Just as they lower their guard, Cam lets out a guttural scream "Sylvia!". Sylvia looks above them and sees a part of a village house falling on them, before Sylvia could move, the man, with his black blade, stabs Seruda through his chest. Sylvia could only watch as her brother chocked on his own blood, just before the debris fell, Cam pushes Sylvia out of the way, letting the debris fall onto him. Sylvia watches in horror as Seruda, on his last breath, screams viscerally "RUN!". The man launches another attack, and Sylvia, consumed by rage, slashes the man''s head off before he could react.


    As the rest of the beastmen ended the battle, Sylvia digs through the rubble that fell on Cam , crying loudly and sorrowfully. The other beastmen mourn Seruda''s death, but Sylvia keeps digging through the rubble until she sees Cam''s unconscious body. "Cam! Cam? Wake up, please!", she begs as she shakes him. Just as she loses hope, Cam weakly says "Are..you..okay?". Sylvia says "You''re alive!", and the remaining beastmen tend to all those injured in the battle.


    Cam wakes up in a bed, surrounded by wounded beastmen in a charred room. "Huh? What..happened?", Cam asks himself. He tries to stand up, but falls to his knees, as he notices his broken leg. Using a stick to support himself, he goes to a ceremony for the dead beastmen. He joins the ceremony to see Sylvia, Soma and Silva at the center, mourning Seruda''s death. Soma and Silva cry sorrowfully, as Sylvia holds them tightly. Cam stands by Sylvia, holding her shoulder. "I''m.. sorry.", Cam says. Sylvia says "It''s.. my fault, I.. should''ve been stronger.., strong like him..", as she whimpers. However, Cam says, quoting her, "Stop, don''t blame yourself!". Sylvia and her sisters cry in Cam''s arms. Cam thinks to himself "In that moment, I wasn''t just feeling sadness, sorrow or regret, I felt all of them. I..couldn''t save them all..I fought my hardest, and I felt so...


    Useless..

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 11: Sacrifice Your Heart

    One month after after their arrival to the beastmen''s village, Cam plans to leave. He goes to see Sylvia to say goodbye. "Hey, um..Sylvia?", says Cam. Sylvia looks at Cam and asks "Why are you all dressed up?". Cam says "I..uh..came to say goodbye..". Sylvia stands up in frustration and takes Cam''s bag from him, screaming "What!?". Cam says "I just..feel..like I could''ve saved all those beastmen..and Seruda..", but is interupted by Sylvia who says "So you''re gonna abandon me, when I need you most!?". Cam looks down, as she continues "Didn''t I promise you that we were in this together!?". Cam asks "Are you sure you want to leave your people behind?". Sylvia says "Until we find Lydia..". Cam smiles, saying "Thank you..".


    However, Soma comes out from outside the room, shouting "Are you serious, Syl!? What about us!? Your family!", Sylvia says "Soma, I''m not leaving forever..", but Silva interupts her, saying "So you''re choosing an outsider, over us!?". Sylvia stands silent, and Cam says "Look, I know it''s awful when someone you love leaves you for reasons you don''t understand, but just know, Sylvia spent years trying non-stop to get to you, don''t you trust that she''ll come back again?". Soma and Silva wipe their tears and nod. They run and hug Sylvia, saying "Please, Syl. Hurry and come back, okay?". She nods, reassuring her beloved sisters.


    As they walk out of the village, Cam asks the village elder, "Sorry, but have you heard of something called an ''Orb of Remembrance?", the elder says "I have heard if such, but only in stories. It''s said to be one of the four divine treasures, wielded by the Gods that formed the land..". Cam asks "Can you please explain more?", however the elder''s guards says "The elder has been alive for hundreds of years, his memory is not perfect.", as he escorts him to his hut.


    They leave the village and Cam thinks about the words of the elder, "Divine Treasures?". He asks Sylvia about it, and she says "I don''t know much about religious stuff..". Cam says "Okay, well we''ve got another lead.". As they walk into the horizon, unbenownst to them, Cam is being pursued by the ones closest to him.


    Back in Castelia, Winston, now sixteen years old, asks the king "So, did you find the fourth teleportation rune?", the king says that it''s located near the continental border. Twig now, fourteen says "Fine, we''ll take the others to find that one.". Edreus says " Your Majesty, you have my thanks.". The king nods and they set off for the ruins. "Hey, Edreus. Can you tell us about Lydia?", asks Pollie, only to be met with silence. "Guess not..", Twig whispers to Pollie. Winston says "Come on, Edreus, we have to at least know who we''re looking for!". Edreus snaps in anger, shouting in a gravely voice "We''re looking for Cam! That is all!", and keeps walking. Winston thinks to himself "Cam..why did you leave us? Why couldn''t you trust us to stay by your side?"The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Elsewhere, a masked figure comes upon a base of Orc Raiders getting ready to storm the kingdom, and the masked figure drops several explosives on the base, completely destroying everything. The masked figure removes their hood, revealing their dark purple hair, which has been cut short and green eyes. She reflects on the only thing tethering her to her old life, a memory of Cam.


    Cam and Sylvia, on their average trek across the continent, regaling each other with stories about stories of their past experiences and adventures. Cam shares all about his adventures in Castelia, his love for his friends, his adventurer friends in Condora Town and even his past love for Violet. "So, you..did it with a princess!?", asks Sylvia embarrassingly. Cam, flustered, says "Yeah, but.. it was a long time ago, and she left after..". Sylvia asks "She left you!? Bummer!". Cam explains "She didn''t just dump me, she left the kingdom, and changed her identity. She even told us not to look for her..". Sylvia remarks, trying to cheer him up "So, you had your first at age thirteen?!". Cam blushes, saying "It just happened, okay? And I didn''t really do..anything. In the moment, it seemed like she was letting out all her pent up feelings.". Sylvia says "Must''ve been nice, huh?". Cam says "Whatever, h..how about you? Have you done it before?". Sylvia, embarrassed, asks "Why do you wanna know!?". Cam says "I told you about my first, tell me about yours!". Sylvia says "I.. uh..it was when I turned fourteen, I was in heat..". Cam, shocked, says "Beastmen go in heat?!". She says "Every once in a few years, yeah. Don''t get any ideas, weirdo.", while mockingly him.


    In an unknown location, there is a meeting, in which Violet joins. The room is filled with people dressed in the same manner as Violet, and the leader makes an announcement. "So, has anyone found any evidence of Dragonsbane?", the leader asks. However, everyone denys, much to the leader''s frustration. "Listen, we have to find that armor, and fast!". Violet speaks up, asking "Hey, excuse me, um..how did you find out about Dragonsbane? Isn''t it a legend?". To which the leader reveals a Teal colored Orb with a lapis glow, saying "This is the Orb of Remembrance, a divine artifact that let''s the user see into any point in history. But it does have one flaw, I can only use it once in a while, since I can''t fully control it, so that''s why we must find Dragonsbane quickly!". The room collectively says "Yes ma''am!", and they head off. The leader sits alone, looking into the Orb, and makes a harrowing discovery.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 12: Unifying Paths

    On their journey across the desert, Cam and Sylvia find a peculiar structure  in the middle of the desert. "What''s that?", asks Sylvia. Cam walks closer and upon further inspection, says "I know what this is! They have secret teleportation runes in them!", Cam looks around the structure and sees that it''s open. "Huh? I thought these could only be opened by royalty.". They enter the ruins and stand before the teleportation spell circle. "So, do you know where these will take us?", asks Sylvia nervously. Cam says "I''m guessing these will take us to developed areas or cities.". They stand on the spell circle and in a bright flash, they disappear.


    Elsewhere, Cam and Sylvia emerge in a large kingdom built downwards descending, instead of towering upwards. The kingdom is populated by a wide range of Demi Humans like Orcs, Dwarves and even some beastmen. "Whoa, this place is crazy!", says Cam, in awe in the city''s peculiar structure. Sylvia explains "This is Eis Gondri, the biggest city in the entire continent. It was originally created from a crater formed during an ancient war.". They explore the city and its features, Cam asks "Do you think there''s any guilds around here?", to which Sylvia nods. "I''ve been here a few times before, apparently it was originally a refuge for Demi humans who''s homes were destroyed, but then it just became a multi racial kingdom.". Cam, intrigued by Sylvia''s knowledge says "Whoa, I didn''t know you were such a nerd.". Sylvia says pouting "I''m not a nerd!".


    They visit one of the local guilds to find it teaming with adventurers, mainly orcs. "Why are there so many Orc adventurers, compared to other races?", asks Cam. Sylvia responds "Since most of the Demi humans came here as refugees, they''d naturally want to lead peaceful lives.". They show the guild''s receptionist the documents about Lydia "Excuse me, do you know about Lydia Silverrie?". The receptionist says "Well, no. But the Scarlet Fate party does, they were friends back then.". Cam ecstatically asks "Really? Where are they?", however the receptionist says that they haven''t been seen in weeks. "Huh? What do you mean?", asks Sylvia. The receptionist shows them a map of an ancient maze and says "They went to the Hymal Labyrinth weeks ago, but they haven''t returned. We even sent recon squads to save them, to no avail.". Cam says "Okay, let''s go. We''ll return with them!". Sylvia buys the map and they head off. "We''d better rest up, before leaving for an adventure like this.", says Cam and they decide to stay the night.


    The next morning, Cam, running enthusiastically, is reeled in by Sylvia, saying "Whoa there, Cam. We gotta get better weapons and supplies!". Cam nods, saying "You''re right, we gotta be ready.". They enter the local armouries and merchants, buying new gear, outfits and supplies. "Okay, mazes usually take a long time to complete, so we need to save our supplies.", says Sylvia. Cam nods and they follow the map to the maze.


    Hours pass, and they walk, hiding their faces in their new cloaks and panting from all the intense desert heat. Cam asks "Syl, gimme the water bottle..", weakly panting in exhaustion, but Sylvia says "You''ve already drank too much, we haven''t even reached the maze yet!". They come upon a strange hut, built suspiciously far from the city. "Hey, maybe they''ll have more water!", says Cam as he runs in, however the house seems to crumble as soon as he touches the door. "What the hell!?", exclaims Sylvia. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As the house crumbles, a spell circle is revealed on the floor. "Huh? It''s another teleportation spell.", says Sylvia. Cam asks "You remember the pattern?", and she nods, saying "I have a great memory.". They tap the spell circle and in another flash of light, they disappear from the scene.


    They emerge in the first floor of the maze, they notice its dark atmosphere, the sound of thunder in the distance and the echoed screams of adventurers. "This place is..crazy..", Cam says, feeling a cold chill up his spine. Sylvia says "Don''t be a baby, let''s just find those adventurers.". They begin their trek across the maze, Sylvia explains "So, according to the map, this place has multiple floors.". Cam says "Then, all we gotta do is keep going until we find those guys.". Sylvia nods and as they turn a corner, a plant like tentacle grabs at Sylvia, but Cam instinctively slashes it in half. "You okay?", Cam asks, helping her up. She nods, saying "We gotta keep on our toes in here. One wrong move and we''re dead.". They carefully watch their steps, slowly advancing in the maze, passing more and more dead bodies. Noticing Cam''s hands trembling, Sylvia asks him "Hey, are you feeling okay?", Cam simply nods, saying "Yeah, just a little..sick.." as he tries his best to avoid looking at the dead bodies.


    As they advance deeper into the maze, Cam asks "Its been hours, how much further?", Sylvia checks the map and says "I''m not sure. I need a birds eye view.", as she leaps above the maze walls. She checks ahead and quickly scribbles over the map, but stops when she sees something horrifying up ahead, causing her to fall over. "Syl? What did you see?", asks Cam. Sylvia shouts "We gotta run!", and just then, a stone massive golem awakens and jumps over part of the maze. Cam and Sylvia quickly run away from the incoming golem as it lands, shaking the entire floor. "What the hell is that!?", screams Cam, and Sylvia says "I.. I think it''s a golem..". Cam asks her to explain and she says "Golems are..monsters born from inorganic matter and magic.". The golem thrashes through the maze and spots them, it swats at them, knocking over part of the maze. They land on the maze walls and Cam says "We can just run up here! Come on!". They run atop the maze walls, narrowly escaping the golem''s raging attacks.


    Just as they lose sight of the golem, suddenly the golem''s arm appears above them and smashes at them. Before it impacts, Cam draws his trusty sword to defect the blow. It''s creates a massive impact, destroying more of the maze. Sylvia and Cam are knocked even further into the maze and she looks at Cam and sees him knocked out, with his sword in pieces. Cam wakes up, groaning in pain, "Huh? Oh damn it..", he lays eyes on his broken blade and says in anger "No! Why..how did..!?". Just then, Sylvia says "Cam! I saw one of those teleportation spell circles up ahead! We''re really close, let''s go!", as she takes him by the hand, leading him. Cam takes his empty sheathe, leaving the shards of his sword behind.


    As they run, the golem throws a massive boulder at them, blocking their path. Just as the golem rears its fist back to deal the final blow, a familiar male voice chants a spell "Eternal wrath of the Sea God, Bathe this world in the depths, Water Basin!",  and a massive wave of water washes the golem away. Cam looks up to see that the caster was none other than Winston, then as the golem attempts to get back up, Pollie flys above, holding Twig up by her arms, and drops her onto the golem. Twig''s hair glows bright blue and she restrains the golem''s arms with vines. And to deal the final blow, Edreus, wielding his silver mace, smashes the golems head apart.


    Cam and Sylvia lay there in place in awe at the display. Cam simply says with a shocked expression on his face "G..Grandpa!? G..guys!?". They all collectively look back at him in shock, Edreus simply saying "M..my..boy!"


    The quest for answers and self discovery has brought two groups, two sides of the story together. However, This adventure has yet to take a another turn.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 13: Another Journeys Beginning

    Two years ago, the night after Cam had begun his adventure, after Cam left his home, Edreus returning from shopping for quality farming tools in another village, reads the letter that Cam left for him in horror. "W..what?! He left!? Where did he..why did..!?", he begins to spiral in panic, just then he notices his room open and documents scattered everywhere. He opens the door to see all his documents abouts Lydia missing. Edreus, breathing heavily in panic, says "What? He..he..knows..why would..how!? Tears fall from his eyes as his mind immediately assumes the worst. He rushes out of the house, and goes to the village below their island. He asks around the area "P..please, have you seen my grandson!?", only to hear "Oh, you mean those little thieves that stole all my coffee beans earlier? They left a while ago.", from a merchant. Edreus asks "Did one of them have blonde hair and elven ears?". The man confirms and Edreus asks "W..where did they go!?". The merchant says "I..don''t know..". Edreus leaves , heading for the next village, but not without getting plenty of food for the journey. "I always thought I left this life behind..", he says to himself. Little does he know, he went the opposite way of his beloved grandchild.


    Days pass, and he journeys from town to town asking everyone about Cam, gradually losing until eventually reaching a mountain with a large gaping cave at its base. He slowly back away from the cave''s entrance and attempts to leave, but is stampeded into the cave by the passing Birdraptors entering the cave. He would go on to spend three days in the cave, living on Birdraptor meat to survive. He carves a stalactite into a makeshift club and uses it to smash his way out of the cave. "I see, my body still remembers how to wield a weapon..".


    He passes through the Arid Fieldlands, living on the field for several weeks, as he would kill them for food, and eventually use one of their fur as a coat. He arrives at the massive lake where, unbenownst to him, Oceanica City was. He bathes in the lake and sets back off on his journey to find Cam. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and Edreus arrives at Golgrad, an elven city near the coast of the Human Continent. Strangely, se seems to know his way around this city. He heads to the local guild and weakly asks "Where..is..my..grandson?". He receptionist, however, cannot understand him due to his throat deteriorating from lack of water. He screams "P..please..tell me where my grandson is!". One of the adventurers grabs him, saying "Hey, we don''t allow outbursts like this..", but is stopped by Edreus who, in a blind rage, slams the adventurer in the face. He recoils back, disgusted at his actions, but just then, more of the adventurers attack him. He simply lays and lets them beat him until he remembers Cam''s face. Just then, his old instincts return and he fights back with astonishing strength and precision. He viciously swings his stone club at the adventurers, slamming them to the floor, one by one, until he is eventually overwhelmed and pinned down.


    Edreus is sent to a maximum security prison and labeled as a great threat. He makes several attempts to escape the prison, each time being caught and being met with punishment after punishment. He spends a whole year in confinement, only having exercise and a slipping image of Cam to keep him sane. He spends so much time in the prison that he grows a beard. One night, Thraxus, along with a fleet of Orc soldiers launches an attack on the prison, launching explosives at the place and releasing the prisoners. Edreus slips through the crowd stealthily, until Thraxus grabs his attention, screaming "Hey Ed! We''re launching that rebellion we always talked about!". Edreus approaches him, asking "So, you didn''t come to save just me?". Thraxus smiles, screaming "I am Thraxus! Savior of all oppressed Orcs!", as his troops launch more and more explosives.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The next morning, Edreus, covered in, not only his blood, but his opponents'' blood, walks away from the partially destroyed city of Golgrad. He bears an empty look on his face. As he continues his travels, he takes any chance he can to steal food and supplies for his travels. He wanders the forest aimlessly, thinking to himself "I..thought I could run..from my past, I thought..I could have a normal life..", he bashes a massive bear''s skull in half and removes its fur and wears it as a coat. He thinks to "I guess..I was born..to be.."


    "A monster..."


    Edreus reaches Castelia Kingdom and enters the castle to meet the king. He enters the king''s throne room, mere days after Cam left. Winston enters the throne room and with a shocked look on his face, asks "Huh? Excuse me, but are you Edreus Silverrie?". Edreus nods and Winston hurriedly calls Twig and Pollie downstairs and they ask him "Edreus!? What happened to you?". Edreus doesn''t answer and only utters the words "Where..is..Cam?", in a deep voice. Twig, holding back tears, says "He..said..", but Edreus holds her hand, saying "Twig, I know you see Cam as your big brother, and we see you as family, so please, help me find him.". Winston tells Edreus the whole story.


    After hearing the whole story, Edreus simply stands there, unmoving and says "Cam..did you hate me..that much?". Twig hugs him, saying "Don''t say that! It''s not your fault!". Edreus says "Where could we possibly find him? It''s been days since he left the castle.". Winston wipes his tears and says "I.. I don''t.. ", but then remembers the teleportation runes. He asks the king "Your Majesty, do you have the records of all the kingdom''s trade routes across the country?". The king nods and takes them to the archives, where they find millions of scrolls disorganized. Winston, determined, says "I''ll sort through this as fast as I can!", but the king says "No, you investigate the Teleportation Gates around the kingdom, I''ll find the records you need. I already lost my baby girl, I won''t let you go through that pain too, Edreus.". They set off, the king rapidly and carefully reading through each individual scroll.


    On their way back to the Arid Fieldlands, Edreus asks "How..did you know..Cam?", Winston responds sadly "We were his friends, before he left..us". Edreus mutters under his breath "Runs in the family..", before walking ahead of them.


    After they properly document all the local Teleportation Gates on a map, Edreus makes a strange request "N..now that we''re done, can you come with me, to finish something at my house?". They agree, and head back to the Silverrie''s Home, on their floating patch of land. Just as Edreus walks towards the house, tears streaming down his face, he lights a torch. "Hey, what are you doing?", Twig ask with a concerned look. Edreus looks at them, walks into the house, crumbles up Cam''s note and says "Destroying my final lie..", and throws the torch into the house, setting it ablaze.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 14: A Lifelong Facade

    The atmosphere is silent, all of them standing in shock, until the silence is broken by Cam running into Edreus'' arms. They share a loving hug, He and Cam whimpering as they are overcome by emotion. "Grandpa..I.. missed you so much..!", Cam says as Edreus says "My boy, We''ve come a long way to find you..", Cam looks beside him to see his beloved friends, Winston, Twig and Pollie. He looks at them with a bittersweet look and says "Guys..I''m sorry..", but is interupted by a big hug from all three of them. Winston says, while crying "You..bonehead..why would you leave us like that!?". Twig, gently punching his chest, says "How could you leave us like that, dummy!". Cam hugs them back, saying "I..I didn''t want to put you guys in danger..". Their heartfelt reunion is cut short by Edreus who says "Okay, we have to leave this cursed place.". Cam interjects, saying "Hold on, we have to talk about..", but Edreus interupts him, saying "We''re going back.".


    They make their way out of the maze and appear back in the desert. They start their trek back to Eis Gondri, Cam awkwardly asks "So, what''s new with you guys?", Winston giggles, saying "Other than your grandpa secretly being a barbarian, I''ve found out a lot about Spell Circle Magic.". Cam, fascinated, says "Really? That''s awesome! How about you guys?", Twig holds Pollie''s hand, saying "Well, Pollie and I.. ", Cam smiles excitedly, saying "Well, I didn''t see that coming.", but looks behind him to see Sylvia hiding behind him. "Syl? Oh, I didn''t introduce you guys!", Cam says as he introduces them. Twig jokingly says "So, this is your new girlfriend, I gotta say, you sure got a good eye.". Cam and Sylvia blush and say "It''s.. not like that! She''s just a close friend!". Winston asks "So, you''re into beastmen?", Cam says "What!? Well, I.. don''t.. ", nervously. Edreus introduces himself, saying "My name''s Edreus, I take it you''re planning to marry my son?". Cam screams in embarrassment as they continue their walk.


    They arrive back in Eis Gondri and enter a restaurant. They sit around a large table and Cam asks "Grandpa, we gotta talk about Lydia.", however Edreus looks away from him. Winston says to Edreus "Come on, you knew you''d have to talk about it eventually.". Edreus sighs and says "Boy, we''re going back home. We''re not going on with this search.". Cam asks "What? No! I still have to find Mom!". However Edreus shouts "It''s been two years,  Cam! How much longer do you intend to waste on this wild goose chase!?". Cam falls silent, Winston and Twig comforting him. Cam eventually shouts back "I''ll search for as long as it takes, even if I have to go it alone!". Edreus says "You don''t even know her, you never did! Just give up this..", however Cam stands up, saying "Come on, guys. Let''s go.", and everyone follows Cam, leaving Edreus alone at the table. He mutters "Cam, do you even know who you''re riskng your life for!?"


    Cam looks back at him, saying "Grandpa, you can''t tell me that you don''t miss her..". Edreus simply sits there in silence and Cam walks off. They head to a bar, Winston asks "That was intense, are you okay?". Cam says "Even after two years, he''s still delusional, never looking beyond that small farm.". Sylvia says "I know you''re mad about what he said, but maybe you should hear him out?", however Twig says "Well, he did sorta keep his whole past a secret.". Cam says "Yeah, and instead of telling me the truth like he should have, he tells me I''ve wasted two years of my life on a wild goose chase!?". The bartender asks for their order and Cam orders beer for the whole table. Winston, Twig and Pollie sit there shocked, Twig asking "Since when did you start drinking!?", Pollie continuing, saying "I never saw you as a drinker..". The bartender returns with five cups of beer, and Winston says to Cam nervously "Oh, I.. don''t.. drink..". Sylvia says "This is Demi Human Continent, as far as I know, there aren''t any underage laws outside Castelia Kingdom.". Twig takes the cup, shouting "Hell yeah!", before taking a big sip. She recoils in disgust and Cam giggles, saying "You gotta pace yourself, you know.". Everyone laughs and they take small sips of their beer. Winston gags from the taste, saying "I..don''t think..I like this..". Cam takes his cup and says "More for me, then. How about you, Pollie?", but Pollie vomits all over the floor, saying "It''s.. not for me..". However Twig takes her cup, saying "Oh yeah, I could get used to this!", taking big sips.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    That night, everyone except Winston and Pollie is extremely drunk. They lead them to an inn and buy two separate rooms to sleep in for the night. Winston asks "Hey, do you think Edreus is okay?", Pollie replies, saying "Uh, I''m not sure. But what I am sure of, is that he and Cam have to talk.". Winston nods in agreement.


    In another room, a drunk Cam asks Sylvia "Hey Syl, how come you''re not drunk?", but she replies saying "I am, but I didn''t drown myself in beer like you and Twig.". They share a laugh and she mentions "Hey, remember how everyone thought we were dating?", Cam, clearly drunk, leans in close and asks "Do you want to?". Sylvia giggles and hugs him tightly. They share a gentle kiss, before returning to their senses and pulling away. "What the hell! What was that, Cam!?", shouts Sylvia. Cam shouts "What do you mean? That was your fault!". They decided to sleep apart for that night.


    The next morning, as usual Cam and Leo jog around the area. Cam thinks about Edreus, thinking "I really should talk to Grandpa about Lydia. Why is he so defensive about it?". Leo rushes ahead and finds Edreus sitting on a rooftop alone. "Grandpa?", Cam asks and Edreus walks up to him. He hugs him, saying "I''m sorry, Cambrodia..". Cam hugs him back, saying "It''s okay, just..tell me the truth, Grandpa.". They sit down and Edreus tells Cam the whole story:


    "You see, Cam, Lydia and I were part of a party formed in Golgrad, after the four divine treasures. We set off from Castelia, to Oceanica City and even made it through the Demi Human Continent. However, as we traveled, I noticed that Lydia had more than a fascination driving her determination. She was enamored with one of these treasures, the Orb of Remembrance. A powerful artifact that grants its user the ability to oversee all the events of history, she initially started the quest to find all four of the divine treasures, but somewhere along the way, all she cared about was that orb."


    "Not her safety, not her own friends, not even her own life. That Orb took over her life. Everytime we asked her about it, she simply said that she needed it to protect the ones she loved. Eventually, after she got one of our own captured in the Castelia Capital, we confronted her, told her to give up the Orb, or we would take it by force. She challenged us, she seemed like she was being controlled by that damned Orb. After we managed to take the Orb away from her, she seemed connected to it, like she could still use it, even if she wasn''t touching it. We eventually had to use a memory wipe ritual to make her forget about it, and it worked."


    "She was finally normal, a happy woman who started a family of her own, she was finally..my baby girl..again. But, one night, the village was attacked by a Snow Crawler. I don''t know what happened to her, but the sight of the Snow Crawler''s lapis blue eyes must''ve  snapped something in her mind. All she could think about was that Orb. She told me ''I need it to protect us, to see any danger coming our way.''. Until that night, she ran away, leaving all remnants of her old self behind, me, her father, and you, her newborn son."


    Cam sits there, frozen in shock. "I''m sorry, Cam. But I couldn''t bring myself to tell you, about the monster that Lydia was.", Edreus says, hugging him tightly in his arms. Cam whimpering in his grandfather''s arms, says "Did.. did she..love that orb..more than..me?",They share a loving hug as their emotions fill the air.


    This lifelong quest has taken a dark turn as a great truth has come to light. This adventure still has many uncertainties, like the mystery of the Four Divine Treasures and the power they hold over mortal minds, Violet''s separate journey of self discovery, and whether Cam''s journey will even continue.

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 15: Persevere Through The Pain

    That day, Cam, Leo and Edreus walk back to the inn in despair. The others see them walking together, seemingly getting along. "Hey, you guys are getting along!", Twig says, but Winston asks, noticing their dower expressions "What''s going on, guys? Is everything okay?". Cam doesn''t respond, and Sylvia asks him "What''s wrong, Cam?". Cam says "This is something you all have to know..". Cam and Edreus sit everyone down a table and they explain the whole story to them.


    They all sit there, shocked at the sudden revelation. "Cam..all this time..", Winston says while covering his mouth in shock. Cam simply looks down in despair as they all ask Edreus about the Orb and the divine treasures. Edreus interjects, saying "Cam, Twig and I are going back home later today..", everyone gasps in shock, Twig asking "What!? What do you mean we''re leaving!?". Winston asks "Edreus! What about the Orb? Are we just gonna let it control Lydia forever!?". Cam comes to a realization, saying "That''s right! The Orb..that''s what made her leave!". Edreus says "Maybe it was, it seemed to put her in a trance..". Sylvia says "So, we have to find the Orb of Remembrance, now too?", Cam says "No, she most likely still has it with her.". Edreus says "Wait, the Orb of Remembrance is a religious artifact of the Demi Humans, Sylvia, do you know anything about it?". Sylvia simply shakes her head in response. "Then we''ll need to find Demi Humans that do know.", says Cam.


    They stand up and Cam asks "Grandpa, you''ve been around the Demi Human Continent, right? Then you must know all the races that follow the religion of the Orb, right?". Edreus nods and says "This will be dangerous, Cam..and we don''t even know where exactly we''re going..". Twig playfully punches his arm and says "We can handle it, and we''re doing it together.". Edreus gently smiles and they leave the inn, with a new determination driving them.


    That decide to go shopping for supplies, in separate groups. Cam and Edreus, Twig and Pollie, Winston and Sylvia. As they leave in separate directions, Winston and Sylvia walk awkwardly in silence. "What the heck should I say?", thinks Winston to himself. Sylvia looks in his direction and asks "Do you wanna say something?". Winston says "I..think we..should buy..", awkwardly diverting the conversation. They continue deeper in the market area, buying more necessities for the journey, the silence becoming more and more apparent. Eventually, Sylvia asks "You have a problem with me, don''t you?", Winston jumps back in shock, asking her "What? Why..would I.. have a..?", but Sylvia stops him, saying "Come on, man. Just be honest with me.". Winston says "Okay, well I guess I am worried about Cam getting hurt again. I remember the thing about Violet and how much it hurt him..". Sylvia says "I know, he told me about it. Sure, he still misses her, but he''s moving on in his own way.". Winston asks "But, you two are dating, right?". Sylvia says pouting "No! Why does everyone..!?", but Winston says "I saw what happened at the inn, you know.". Sylvia panics saying "That..was an accident! We were drunk and..", but Winston giggles, saying "I know, and I also know you care about him.". She nods, saying "I do.", Winston says, extending his hand for a handshake "Can we..be friends?". Sylvia shakes his hand, cementing their new friendship.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    When they regroup at the end of the day, Twig asks teasingly "Well, aren''t you two close?", Winston blushes and says "Not funny, Twig!", then looks at Sylvia and says "N..not to be offensive, of course..". Cam and Pollie giggle at the scene and they head back to the inn to plan their next move.


    At the inn, they begin to plan. They lay out all the maps they bought on the table. "Okay, there aren''t a lot of followers of the Orb. It''s only the Dwarven Colonies that and a few Goblin tribes.", says Edreus. Winston says "Okay, we just have to go to the nearest one, right.". Edreus nods in responds and asks him "So, Winston, go ahead and explain what you found out about Spell Circle Magic.".


    Winston, ecstatic, explains:


    "So, basically, as far as I know, there are nine primary spell circle formations.


    1. Apokro¨²o ( Which is mainly Primitive Repel Magic )


    2. An¨¢vo ( Primitive Flame Magic )


    3. Dialyo ( Water Magic )


    4. Myal¨® ( Mind/Psychic Magic )


    5. Edafos ( Earth Magic )


    6. Anemos ( Wind and Air Magic )


    7. Vront¨ª ( Thunder/Lightning Magic )


    8. Kal¨® ( Summoning Magic )


    9. Fos ( Light Magic )


    Apokro¨²o and Kal¨® are the newest and most complex forms of Spell Circle Magic. Apparently, the teleportation spell circles are made up of a specific combination of spell circles. Spell circles can be combined in specific ways to make new, previously unlearned spells possible, like teleportation."


    Everyone, intrigued, say "Whoa!". Cam asks "So we can do anything we want with spell circles!?". Winston sighs and says "Well, not exactly. I can only do fire, water, repel and basic mind Magic, so far. And teleportation Magic is still a mystery to me.". Twig says "I even came up with a new way to use Magic. I drew the Dialyo and Edafos spell circles on my gloves, and now I can use plant Magic!". Cam and Sylvia gasp in amazement, Cam asks "So, there''s gotta be hundreds of ways to use this stuff!". Pollie says, giggling "Yeah, but it took her 3 days to figure out how to use it properly!". Sylvia inspects Twig''s gloves and asks "So, these only work in sunlight, huh?". Winston nods, saying "Yeah, because a mixture of earth and water magic needs sunlight to photosynthesise into plant Magic.". Edreus asks "So, we can all use this Magic, then?". However, Winston says "It''s.. not really something everyone can use, Twig and I just have a lot of mana in our bodies.". Cam asks, smiling "I wonder what types of crazy magic combinations we can make."

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 16: An Intimidating Independence

    The next day arrives, Cam and Co. leave the city of Eis Gondri, with their supplies in tow. "Wow, I''m.. actually gonna miss this place.", Sylvia remarks as they walk out of the city. Cam looks back at the Eis Gondri city entrance, thinking about the lost adventurers. "I hope those adventurers made it out of the maze..". Twig, nervously tries to divert the topic, saying "Well, they were experts..". They make their way out of the city, continuing their journey.


    They make their way through the lands, Cam asking "So, where are we starting?", to which Edreus responds "Well, the nearest town with an Orb- Following church is just over a day away.". Sylvia says, playfully nudging Winston''s shoulder "Good thing we got those supplies at such a bargain, huh?". Winston, buried in his magical discoveries, looks up from his book, saying "Oh, um..yeah.". Cam, noticing this, says "I''m glad you guys are getting along.". As they continue on the trail, Cam, Twig and Pollie engage in playful banter, rekindling their past friendship, while Sylvia regales them with tales of their adventures.


    That afternoon, as they set up camp deep in the woods, Edreus, holding the map, says "I''ll scout ahead, you kids stay here.". They all agree, except Cam, who looks on with a look of uncertainty. They watch Edreus'' silhouette disappear in the dense forest, only tlfor him to return, running away from something. "Grandpa? What''s wrong?", asks Cam. Edreus simply replies with a breathless pant "Mushrooms..run..", just then, they notice a neon blue glow emitted by mushrooms along the trees, leading them deeper into the forest. Winston and Sylvia lock eyes with the mysterious glow of the mushrooms and mindlessly follow it. Cam, Edreus, Twig and Pollie stop them, Pollie asking "Guys, what are you doing?!", only to be met with their blank faces, mindlessly drawn to the fungus.


    Edreus explains "They''ve been affected by the Mindshroom''s hypnotic glow, shield your eyes!". Cam, Twig, Pollie and Edreus cover their eyes to avoid the Mindshroom''s hypnotic effects. "What in the world is that?!", Cam asks as they run through the forest. Edreus explains "The Mindshroom is a magic infused fungus that has a neural paralyzing glow, causing whoever looks at it to enter a trance.". Twig responds "So that''s why they look so dazed!". Pollies worriedly asks " What do we do? Is there even a way to break them free of this fungus'' control!?" Edreus pulls out his mace, saying "There is a way to free our friends, we destroy the main Mindshroom!".


    Cam looks in Winston''s journal, reading all about the Ancient Spells. Hey Twig, can you use your plant Magic?", asks Cam. Twig sarcastically points upwards to the setting sun, responding "Remember, I need sunlight to actually use it, dummy.". Cam looks at a dagger he bought in Eis Gondri, remembering his broken sword. Nevertheless, Cam and Twig draw their daggers and join Edreus in battle, but before Twig leaves, she looks to a worried Pollie, saying "Hey, Pollie. Could you stay here and watch these knuckleheads?", referring to the entranced Winston and Sylvia. However, Twig notices Pollie''s shaking hands, and she kneels near her, asking "You okay, Pollie?". Pollie responds, with a shaky voice "I..I''m not..", but Twig calms her down with a soft kiss on her cheek. "It''ll be okay, we''ll be alright.", Twig reassuring Pollie. Pollie nods, saying "Thanks, Tweety..". They share a fond moment before Twig runs off after Edreus and Cam.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Cam, using Winston''s journal, draws a semi functional fire spell to burn the Mindshrooms along the trees. They follow the remains of the Mindshrooms to the source, only to be met with a massive mass of glowing fungus, towering above them. They stand there shocked, before Edreus reminds them "Keep your eyes closed!", but the Mindshroom''s luminescence reflects off of Cam''s dagger, rendering him in a trance. "Cambrodia! No!", Edreus screams, as Twig, with her eyes closed, swings at the gigantic Mindshroom, to no effect. It emits a blinding light that causes Cam to take an attacking stance at Edreus and Twig.


    "C..Cam..? What are you doing!?", Twig mutters as Cam draws his dagger, pointing at them. "C..Cambrodia, stop." Edreus asks a dazed Cam. Cam, under the Mindshroom''s control, strikes at Edreus, a strike which he blocks. Cam launches a flurry of attacks at Edreus, which he continues to block. "Cambrodia, please, come back to your senses!", Edreus screams. Twig grabs Cam arm, pulling him back, screaming "Cam, you idiot! You really gonna hurt Grandpa all because of a stupid mushroom?!".  Cam lets out an animalistic growl, while trying to break free of Twig''s grasp. Edreus tries to grab Cam and shake him back to his senses. However, Twig screams "Grandpa! Behind you!", Edreus looks back to see Sylvia and Winston launching a joint attack at him, launching him towards the large Mindshroom. "R..Run..Twig, I.. can''t.. ", Edreus mutters as the Mindshroom takes control of him.


    Twig, with tears in her eyes, runs as fast as she can, hoping to reach Pollie in time. She reaches Pollie, who is frantically trying to find her friends. They greet each with a tight hug. "Tweeety, wh..what''s going on!?", Pollie asks, only to be met with a panicked whimper from Twig. "Twig? Are you..okay?", Pollie asks. Twig simply says with a shaky voice "It''s.. it got them..". Polie, trying to snap her beloved girlfriend back to reality, shakes her,  saying "Come on, we can still save them, Tweety.". Just then, one of the Mindshrooms sprouts near them, and Twig pushes Pollie away, saving her and letting herself get hypnotized. "Twig!!", screams Pollie as Twig throws her the dagger, weakly saying "I know you can..squash..that mushroom.." before getting fully entranced.


    Pollie, filled with determined, repeats to herself "You can do it, you can do it alone, Pollie!", as she flys above the gigantic Mindshroom. Down below, Leo jumps out of Cam''s bag and bites him, temporarily weakening the Mindshroom''s effects. Cam holds his dagger near his wrist, his hypnosis wavering. Finally, he cuts himself, freeing himself from the hypnosis. "I..it worked! Thanks, Leo!", Cam says, putting Leo back in his bag. Pollie quickly grabs Cam and flys him into the air. "Cam! You''re back to normal!?", asks Pollie. Cam says "I think we can free them by making them shed blood.". Pollie gags slightly at the thought, before saying adamantly "OK, l..let''s be quick!".


    They go back down, with their eyes closed, slashing at the Mindshrooms. When Winston, under the trance, attacks Cam, Cam kicks him on the nose, making him bleed and freeing him from the Mindshroom''s control. He quickly covers Winston''s eyes and says "Winston, quickly! Cast a fire spell and burn this whole thing!". Winston, with his eyes closed, starts casting a fire spell.


    As Winston casts the spell, Pollie and Cam lose ground and are held down by their own friends. Pollie looks to her left and sees Twig rushing in to attack, but she repeatedly kicks rocks at her as she drew closer, eventually causing her to bleed, freeing her from the hypnosis. Winston launches his fire spell directly at the massive Mindshroom, instantly incinerating it and freeing all those affected by it.


    That morning, as the sun rose over the charred forest. Pollie, breathing heavily asks "Are..you.. all..okay?", before collapsing out of exhaustion. Twig catches her and says "I knew you could do it..". Cam, helps Edreus and Sylvia up, asking them if they''re okay. Winston, exhausted, asks "What kind of fungus could hold that much magical power?!"


    Later that morning, as they finished their breakfast rations, Pollie woke up from her nap, greeted by a big hug from everyone. "W..what''s..happening?", she curiously asks, to which Twig says "Figured we owe you a little thank you.".

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 17: Rains Of Tears

    The crew continue their journey along the trail, following Edreus'' lead. Winston asks "Hey, um..Winston? I think there''s supposed to be a city here.". Cam asks "Huh? What do you mean?". Edreus explains "Oh, I forgot to tell you, but this very land once belonged to the ancient race of Sky Warriors. Pollie excitedly speaks up "You mean the Valkyries!?". Sylvia adds "Weren''t they just bird type beastmen?". However, Edreus corrects her, saying "It is said that they were supposedly their own race, separate from beastmen, completely made up of female warriors.". Cam asks "Just females? Then, I guess that''s why they went extinct..". Sylvia adds "Actually, they didn''t need males to lay eggs."


    As they walk along the trail, Twig asks "How much longer do we gotta walk until we reach a town!?", to which Pollie responds "Come on, Tweety. It''s not so bad.". Cam smugly looks at Twig, asking her "Tweety? Such a cutesy nickname..", to which Twig replies with a punch to his arm. Winston adds "Oh, right. I was surprised when good old shy Pollie went out of her way to give Twig a nickname.". Pollie hides her face in her hands, concealing her red blush. However, as they bicker amongst themselves, Edreus notices something in the sky, asking "Kids, what is that?". Just then a mysterious figure soars down to them on the ground, revealing itself to be a Valkyrie. The muscular, female warrior towers over them, brandishing a long spear in hand, and spreading her large wings.


    They stand there, in awe of the warrior in front of them. Pollie starts enthusiastically asking "Oh my goodness! Are you really a Valkyrie!? I thought your race was extinct!", but Twig covers her mouth, apologizing to the Valkyrie. Sylvia rubs her eyes in disbelief, asking Winston "I..is she..real?", to which Winston nods in agreement. Edreus walks up to the Valkyrie, having to look up at her, and asks "I had thought your race was eradicated in the Skywars..", but before he could finish, the Valkyrie walks past him, up to the others, asking them "Where have you encountered the Mindshrooms?". Pollie hides behind Twig, who pridefully says "Oh, we took care of those lame fungus.". Cam adds "Actually, Pollie was the reason we made it out alive.". The Valkyrie asks "Oh? Where is this ''Pollie''? Surely she is a mighty warrior to have..", but she stops when she sees Pollie, nervously scratching her arm and looking down. The Valkyrie kneels down and says "Ha! Surely you lie to me! This tiny sprite!?".


    Twig steps between them, exclaiming "Hey, Pollie''s tougher than you think, Bird lady!". Sylvia quickly covers Twig''s mouth, whispering to her "Do you know what happens when you Challenge a Valkyrie!?". Cam asks "Challenge? But she didn''t.. ", but the Valkyrie interupts but grabbing Twig by her arm and flew up. "You seek to challenge me?!". Before Edreus could intervene, Pollie flew up and grabbed Twig out of her grasp. "L..Leave my friends out..of th..this!", Pollie shouts, taking the Valkyrie aback. They descend and the Valkyrie says "I admire your ferocity, little sprite.". Pollie looks away, hiding a proud blush on her face. Edreus asks "Can you inform us of the events following the Skywars?", to which the Valkyrie responds "We''ll inform you at our settlement, come with me, all of you.".


    Following the Valkyrie''s lead, who can support carrying all of them as she flys. However Pollie flys slightly behind them, with Twig in her arms. "Hey, um..Pollie? That bird lady is a total..", Twig says, but is interupted by Pollie, excitedly squealing "She''s awesome!". Twig nervously agrees, saying "Y..yeah, awesome.."


    The Valkyrie leads them to a village concealed in the clouds, built on sections of floating land in the sky. Cam and the others gasp in awe, Winston wondering "Floating land? That''s fascinating..". Cam wonders to himself "Just like home..", thinking back to his childhood home in that floating cottage. They land and get a good look at the place, teaming with both muscular warrior Valkyrie and smaller, civilian Valkyrie. Sylvia excitedly says, in disbelief "I never even thought the Skylands were real, now we''re discovering a lost race?". They look at Pollie, who is ecstatically pacing, squealing in excitement "I''ve heard so many fairy tales about this place, a..and you Valkyries..This is a dream come true!".


    Cam asks Edreus "Hey Grandpa? Isn''t our house also built in the sky like theirs?". Edreus looks down, seemingly lost in thought. Cam taps his shoulder, snapping him back to reality. "S..sorry, Cambrodia. I''m just..lost in my thoughts.", Edreus says. The Valkyrie removes her Knights helm, revealing her long red hair and hazel eyes. "This is merely a fraction of our once proud Utopia.". Winston, curious, asks "A fraction?", Edreus replies "Because of the mass destruction caused in the Skywars, they were only able to save a part of their ancestral home.". Cam asks "What are the Skywars, anyways?". The Valkyrie leads them to a large structure in the middle of the village, housing a tapestry. "We Valkyrie were once peaceful folk, living in the land bestowed to us. Until the cursed ones declared war on all 7 kingdoms. We fought for nearly 5 years through the death and destruction caused by those..Demons.. ".Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Winston, shocked, asks "Demons!? They''re real too!?". The Valkyrie looks back at them, muttering "The Beings Of the Onyx..". Edreus instinctively tightens his grip on his mace, in response. Cam says "It took 5 years for you guys to win the war!?". However, the Valkyrie responds "We didn''t..we escaped with...some..of our lives, and some of our home..". Pollie speaks up, surprising everyone "Well.. maybe the Skylands weren''t fully destroyed in the war..". The Valkyrie kneels down to her, placing her hand on her shoulder "We''ve made many attempts to find our lost lands, but..hope Is a warrior''s greatest weapon.". Pollie smiles in response, but Twig interupts, stepping between them and asking "Alright, bird lady. You''ve told us all this history stuff, but not your name?". The Valkyrie responds "Edna, My name is Edna Greysith.". Twig adds, clearly getting aggressive "Okay, Edna. Why tell us all this, anyways? Most of us are kids..!", but she is interupted by Sylvia, who pulls her aside.


    "What the heck, Twig!?", Sylvia asks. But Twig snarkily replies "What? What did I do? I just wanted Ms. Super cool bird lady to elaborate on why she would involve us in all this.". Sylvia says "She''s not involving us in anything..", but Twig interupts her, mocking Edna "HoPe Is A WaRrIOr''s GrEaTeSt WeApOn. Remember that?". Sylvia sighs, as she comes to a realization "Twig.. are you..jealous?". Twig defensively steps back, shouting "What makes you say that!? I''m not jealous!". Sylvia steps towards her, with a calm tone "Look Twig, I know you love Pollie, but just look at her.", as she gestures towards an enthusiastic Pollie as she follows Edna. "When was the last time you saw her that..happy?". Twig looks down, saying "So, I don''t make her happy, huh?". Sylvia stops herself, quickly saying "N..no, that''s not what I meant!", but Twig storms off.


    Twig sits behind one of the village houses, with a scowl on her face. "Stupid, all this..is so stupid!", she mutters to herself. She thinks back to the day she confessed her feelings to Twig:


    Flashback:


    As Winston, Edreus, Pollie and Twig cnontinued their journey to find Cam. They took a break near a river, as everyone relaxed, Twig looked longingly at Pollie as she admired the butterflies. Twig, with a soft blush on her face, said to herself "OK, Twig..now''s the time! Tell her.", as she walked to Pollie.


    Pollie looked up at her, asking "Hmm? What''s up, Twig?". Twig, initially hesitant, said "I..uh..I have to tell you something..". Pollie curiously asked "What''s up?", Twig blushed, stuttering "I..feel..", before eventually kneeling down and drawing a heart in the sand. Pollie, initially confused, eventually realized what Twig meant. She sat next to her, asking "Do you..really mean..that?", with a soft blush on her face. Twig nodded, averting her gaze. Pollie drew a bigger heart near the one Twig drew, saying "This is how I feel about you..". Twig blushed, asking "R..Really?", Pollie nodded with a soft smile on her face. Twig spotted a flower in the bushes and reached to get it for Pollie, but a bird landed on it, tweeting loudly in Twig''s face as it took the flower. Twig, initially angry, looked back at Pollie who was laughing, saying "It was so cute, how it was tweeting. Hey, your name kind of sounds like..". Twig blushed, saying "Are you gonna start calling me..that?", Pollie nodded, saying "It suits you, right Tweety?". Twig looked away, hiding her intense blush.


    *end of Flashback*


    Tears fall from Twig''s eyes, as she thinks to herself "Maybe I don''t know how to love.. her..". Cam finds her, saying "Phew! I finally found you!", but stopping when he sees Twig''s crying face. He sits next to her, asking "What''s wrong, Twig? I don''t think I''ve ever seen you cry..". Twig looks away from him, saying "I..I''m not..". She look back at him, saying "It''s been a while since we talked like this..". Cam responds "Yeah, it''s been a wild journey..", Twig says "You always seemed like you had it all figured out.. You always knew where to go on your journey, not like me.", as she buries her face in her hands. Cam giggles, saying "Oh, not even close. I''ve gotten lost, many times in my journey..".


    As the rain starts to pour, Twig asks "How do you do it, huh? You know exactly how to..love someone..''. Cam, with a sorrowful look in his eye, asks "Is this about Pollie?", Twig nods her head, saying "Why am I like this? I know I love Pollie, but when she''s with the bird lady, I.. ", Cam says "It hurts when she''s happy with someone else, huh?". Twig says "I...remember what happened with Violet..Is that gonna happen to us?". Cam, puts his arm around Twig''s shoulder, hugging her and saying "She loves you, Twig..Remember that.". Twig cries, whimpering "It just gets..hard to..believe that sometimes..". Cam says as Leo jumps out of his bag to comfort Twig "What Violet did still hurts, but I trust what she said in that letter. That she loved me. You have to trust Pollie, too.". Twig smiles, petting Leo, saying "Y..you''re right..". She stands up, looking back at Cam, who says "Go on, she''s waiting.". Twig runs throughout the village, looking for Pollie in the rain. Cam looks at Leo, with a lone tear on his face.


    Twig finds Pollie waiting near a group of Valkyries. "Pollie!", Twig tearfully shouts as Pollie runs to her. They meet with a tight hug, Pollie saying "Twig? What''s going on..?", but Twig says "I''m sorry, I''ve been a big fat jerk. I was just scared..of losing you..". Pollie wipes her tears, saying "Tweety..". They release each other, Pollie saying "I..uh..I''m leaving the group..for now. I decided that I''m going to train with Edna and the Valkyrie for a while..". Twig, initially shocked, calms down and asks "Is this what you want?". Pollie, surprised, asks "You''re okay with it?". Twig says "I trust that we''ll be together soon.". Pollie hugs her tightly saying "I love you so much, Tweety..". Twig says "I love you, too..".


    Edna says "We must get to training, with haste." They break the hug, as Pollie gets ready to leave, she sees all her friends bidding her goodbye. Tears start falling from her eyes as she flys off with Edna and the other Valkyrie. Twig watches as she disappears in the rainy skies, but the rain subsidies, the golden glow of the sun bathing the Village. She quietly says "Goodbye, Pollie.."

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 18: A Crimson Demons Flame

    In the Skytop Village, days after Pollie''s departure, the gang makes the necessary preparations to leave. As they climb down the newly constructed ladder system leading to the ground, Cam and Sylvia notice Twig''s indifference to the whole situation. Cam taps her shoulder, remarking with a friendly grin "Hey, ''Tweety''. You okay?", but upon seeing her look down slightly at the mention of that nickname, he quickly corrects himself, saying "Oh, um... sorry. Too soon..", but is interrupted by Twig, happily saying "Oh come on, I''m not made of glass, you guys!". The whole group stand there, surprised at her sudden happiness.


    As they arrive back on solid ground they stop to think of where the should go next. "Okay, the nearest Orb- Worshipping society is just under a day''s distance away from here.", Winston says as he holds up one of his maps. They agree and set off for the next town, Cam''s attention set on his grandfather, Edreus. As they trek across the land, Cam approaches Edreus, tapping him on the arm. "Oh, um...Yes, Cambrodia?", he replies. Cam takes a serious tone as he asks "Why was our home built on a floating chunk of land, like the Skylands?", but Edreus quickly diverts the topic by walking further ahead of everyone, saying "We must make haste!", leaving Cam with a slightly frustrated expression on his face.


    As the sun sets, Twig and Sylvia drag their feet in exhaustion as Winston tiredly says "We''re...almost..there..", staring at his map. As they run up one more hill to find a quaint, small village of dwarves. They make their way down the hill and Twig asks Cam "You okay?", but Cam feigns a smile and says "Yeah, of course!", before running to catch up with the others.


    They arrive at the village''s entrance, immediately taken in by the village''s rustic feel. The Village leader walks out and greets them warmly, "Welcome, visitors. Feel free to make yourselves..", the village leader says before locking eyes with Winston. Winston, confused, starts frantically looking around him, nervously asking "Is..there something..on my face?", but the village leader screams "Magic Man! Everyone run!" before frantically running away into the village.


    Winston asks "Did I do something to offend him?", to which Edreus says "I forgot, the Orb''s followers choose to believe that only the Orb has magical power. That it is ''All Powerful''.". Twig says, as Winston steps behind the village entrance "It''s probably best if you sit this one out, buddy.". Winston reluctantly agrees and offers to watch Leo and watches his friends enter the village without him.


    As the others walk through the village, Twig points out a nearby restaurant, saying "It''s been like a million years since I had real food.". Sylvia says "I know, right?", before running off into the restaurant.


    Cam, finally seizing the momentary opportunity to talk to Edreus, asks him "What was Mom like? Before the...Orb.". Edreus, initially taken aback, settles down and answers "She was.. a genius. Truly a visionary.". Cam smiles lightly before saying "She must get it from you..". They share a wholesome moment, which is interrupted by the sight of a noble blacksmith''s shop.


    Cam points it out, saying "Hey! A blacksmith, maybe we can get our weapons fixed.", and they head in.


    In the shop, they see an adult male Dwarf and his daughter. Cam greets them, only to be met with silence as the Dwarven daughter hides timidly. "Oh, sorry if we scared you..", Cam says to the girl to reassure her. The girl comes out of hiding and the adult Dwarf says "Sorry, my little Amber here is very timid around Non- Dwarven folk.". Cam waves at the little girl, saying "Hi, um..your name is Amber?". The little girl nods and the adult Dwarf  says "Yes, and my name is Kyrios. I''m the local noble blacksmith ''round these parts.".


    Edreus asks "Our weapons are in desperate of repair, will you assist us?", to which Kyrios excitedly says "Of course! No weapon is beyond repair with me!". Edreus hands him his mace, while Cam reluctantly hands over his old sword sheathe, along with the shards of his old sword. Kyrios, initially taken aback, inspects the sheathe, asking "This was imbued with with a blessing, was it not?". Cam, shocked, asks "You can see that?", to which Kyrios says "We blacksmiths imbue part of ourselves within a sword when we bestow a blessing.". Cam is overcome with a feeling of guilt, saying to himself "A..and I.. couldn''t keep it from shattering..".


    Kyrios, noticing his expression, says "But there''s a way to retain a Blacksmith''s blessing, you know?". Cam, intrigued, asks "How?", to which Kyrios says "If you can head down to the Orcheyia Mines, near the outskirts of town, and get me a piece of soul amber. I''ll repair it, along with its blessing.". Cam, determined says "I''ll return with your soul amber, at any cost!", as he and Edreus leave the shop.


    They head near the Orcheyia Mines where they find multiple teams of workers already digging. Cam rolls up his sleeves, saying "Well, let''s get to work, Grandpa!", and enters the mine.


    After hours of searching, Cam and Edreus emerge from the mines, covered in dirt. Cam proudly holding his Soul Amber in his hands says "We did it, I told you the twenty fourth time''s the charm!". Edreus smiles noticing his beloved grandson''s joy, and they return to the village.


    On their way back, Winston calls out to them, pointing out a mysterious figure in the sky. As they ponder, the figure launches a fire ball at the Orcheyia Mines, causing the caves to collapse. "Whoa! What the heck was-", but is interrupted by a sharp pain in his left eye. "Cambrodia! What is wrong?", Edreus says as he checks on him.


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    Winston notices as the figure is revealed to be a black scaled dragon, carrying along multiple carriages. From the carriages, emerges a troop of mysterious figures, who quickly surround the village. As the villagers panic, they are quickly gathered to one point. Sylvia swiftly slashes at some of the figures, while Twig, using her plant magic, tries to restrain the figures but they simply use magic to burn the vines. They meet up with the others, asking "What the hell is happening?!", to which Winston says "I don''t know, there was a dragon, and..", but suddenly a magic crimson chain restrains him by his neck, dragging him towards the carriages. They shout "Winston!", and Edreus reaches for his mace, only to remember that he left it behind. "N..No..!", he says Cam rushes to the blacksmith''s shop, evading capture on the way.


    When he arrives at the shop, he finds it in shambles, with only with Kyrios and Amber hiding from the chaos. "I.. I need you to forge my weapon with this!", as he pulls out the Soul Amber. "You..actually found some..", Kyrios says before taking the Soul Amber and beginning his work on Cam''s blade. "Take your grandfather''s mace, and please keep Amber safe!", he shouts with tears in his eyes. Cam nods, taking Edreus'' mace and declaring "I promise, I''ll protect her with my life!", before leaving the shop. "I''ll get you this sword, half elf child, I promise..", as he keeps pounding away at the steel.


    Back outside, Cam sees the village outskirts surrounded by flames, preventing any escape. Cam hands Edreus his mace and he begins smashing away at the invaders. Twig worridly says "The sun is setting, my magic is getting weaker!". Cam grabs his dagger, saying "Just make sure the villagers are safe.", and he places Amber in her care, "Especially her, I''m trusting you.". Twig nods adamantly as she clutches Amber''s hand tightly.


    Cam, Edreus, Sylvia and Winston engage in a fierce battle for the village. Winston charging a massive ball of water over the invaders'' heads. Sylvia and Cam steadily dealing damage to the individual enemies, while Edreus slams down multiple at a time. The fight goes on, Winston worridly saying "I..I can''t extinguish these flames! I dunno why..". Just then, Cam receives another sharp pang in his left eye, right before instinctively shouting for Winston to move. As soon as Winston moves, a halberd flys right past his head. Before Cam could even move, a hooded figure among the invaders kicks him to a nearby rooftop. The figure zooms up to him, brandishing a gold tipped halberd.


    As Cam recoil from the sudden blow, the figure reveals its red skin, pointed tail, and just as Cam connects the dots on what the figure actually is, the figure unhoods itself, revealing its sharp, pointed horns, its orange eyes and fang like teeth. "Y..you''re.. a..", Cam stutters in shock, as an intense chill washes over him. The figure casts a spell on itself, enabling it to speak English. "You are under arrest for breaking the 1st Demon War Ammendment!". Cam stands there, confused, before asking "W..what? Demon War?", but the figure shouts "That wizard broke the treaty set hundreds of years ago! Humans, nor demi humans should ever use the Ancient Magic!". Cam, stepping back in fear, asks "W..Winston? I''m.. sure he didn''t know..", but is stopped by the figure suddenly attacking him, nearly piercing him, but knocking him down.


    Cam, stands up, with his dagger in hand, and says "I won''t let you hurt innocent people over this!". The figure says "Well, I see you will be a nuisance after all.", before charging him, releasing a barrage of strikes, most of which he manages to evade, but one connects, cutting his knee. "Arrgh!!", Cam grunts before landing a slash on his stomach, but the figure slams him down through the roof. Cam wakes up, to a sharp pain in his left eye, and he instinctively dodges an incoming attack from above. He stands back up, but gets distracted by the sight of himself reflected from a nearby window, showing that his left eye glows with an Azure Colour. The figure quickly knocks Cam down, preparing to stab him, but he  shatters the window, granting him an opening.


    Cam runs to the blacksmith''s shop, only to find it shambles, with everything in flames except for Kyrios, who is still refining Cam''s blade. Cam runs up to him, only to be stopped by him, telling him " No! I will finish this blade! Even if my life depends on it!". Cam asks "Is it ready?", only for Kyrios to say "Just a little longer!". Just as the figure prepares a fatal attack, Sylvia steps in, and temporarily injures him. Sylvia notices him rapidly healing the wounds. "Beings of the Onyx..", Sylvia whispers to herself.


    Winston is continuously pursued by more of the figures, trying to restrain him with more chains. "Winston uses a Fos spell circle and conjures a blinding light to try and lose them, but the figures cast a complex spell to cause a Shockwave that knocks him through a wall. He struggles to get up, as one of the figures uses a spell to interpret what he''s saying "You violated the laws of the Demon realm! Hand yourself in, or would you rather let even more innocents die!?". Winston struggles on the floor, shouting "T..this isn''t my fault! I didn''t do anything!". But the figure continues, saying "The treaty set after the Demon War prohibited the use of ancient magic outside the Demon Realm!". Winston reflects on his actions, thinking to himself "This..is my fault..".


    As the fight continues, the situation gets more dire as the Demon the Cam and Sylvia are fighting lands a devastating blow on Sylvia, slicing her back and throwing her into a crumbling house, causing her to be buried under debris. As Cam runs to help her, his eye starts hurting once again, but it is too late, he is stabbed through the stomach. Edreus notices, and just as he runs to his rescue, screaming "Cambrodia, Nooo!!", he is restrained and disarmed. Just as Cam coughs up blood as the wound gets deeper, Kyrios throws the completed sword towards Cam, just as he is crushed by the debris of his own shop. Cam, growing ever closer to death, catches the sword, and slices the demon in half.


    Cam lays there, his grip locked on his new sword and blood leaking out of his gut. He covers the wound while looking out to the burning village. "Grandpa... Winston...Twig..Sylvia.. I failed..I couldn''t do it after all..", Cam thinks to himself, tears streaming down his face as he thinks of Lydia "M..Mom.. ", as his vision grows darker and darker.


    Just then, he regains consciousness, as a spell seemingly heals the stab wound and saves his life, along with Sylvia, Edreus and Sylvia. Cam runs up to the village entrance to see Winston standing there, in chains as he says "You said you''d heal my friends, in exchange for me turning myself in!". Cam, out of energy, trudges towards Winston, only to see all his friends being restrained by the crimson chains, as he is also restrained, his hands tied behind his back, he notices his sword seemingly disappear.


    He, along with his friends are all herded into separate carriages, and he sees one of the demons holding Leo. "No! Don''t hurt him!", the Demon says "I detect no magical power from this creature, so here.", as Leo is thrown into Cam''s cage. All the carriages are locked and the black scaled dragon begins its ascent into the air, but as they rise into the sky, Cam and the Demon he fought lock eyes in a heated stare down. Tears stream down his face as he calls for his friends, slowly breaking down.


    "Grandpa!! Twig!! Winston! Sylvia....


    Anyone...please.."


    A soul crushing end to this part of the adventure as our heroes are caged and are to face punishment at the hands of the Demons.


    What will our heroes'' future hold?

 Vagabondia Chronicles Chapter 19: The Burning Chains

    Days after the demons'' attack on the blacksmith''s village, the black scaled dragon males its descent onto a small island, amongst a raging sea, below a dark empty sky.


    The dragon lands, and with a loud thud, the cages containing Cam and the others land onto solid ground. Cam, with an angry look in his eye, kicks the door to the cage, still fighting to free himself and his friends. "Let us out of here! We don''t deserve this, please!". The Demon opening his cage simply ignores his plea and, using another chain, drags him and Leo into what looks like a massive prison complex. As Cam and Leo slowly walk into the prison, he catches sight of his friends being chained up. "Guys! Are you okay!?", he shouts, only to be met with a sad look from Twig and Sylvia, and silence from the rest as they are dragged into separate parts of the prison.


    Cam and Leo are placed in a dark prison cell, only illuminated by a single window covered by prison bars. He and Leo are thrown in and locked in just as quickly. Cam, still reeling from the whole situation, breathes heavily clutching Leo in his arms. "T..There''s no...no way, I.. I can..I have to..get us out..", Cam utters as he continues breathing heavily, tears fall down his face as he breaks down. But Leo lives his face, snapping him back to reality. Cam holds him close, as he tells him "It''s.. gonna be okay.., I hope."


    Hours later, as Cam and Leo sit there, in hunger, one of the prison guards opens his cage, restrains them and drags them through the dark halls. "Wh.. what is this?! Where are you taking me!?", Cam asks the guard as his new sword materializes in his hand. He gasps in amazement and tries to cut himself free, to no avail.


    He is led to a cafeteria area, teaming with restrained prisoners. He gasps as he catches sight of Twig, yelling at the guard restraining her.


    "Twig! You''re alright!", Cam shouts in relief and they try to run toward each other, but they are pulled away from each other by the chains. "Ugh! Let me go, you Demon scum!", Twig shouts at the guard holding her chains. "Twig, where are the others!? Are all of you guys okay?", Cam worriedly asks, still fighting to reach Twig. Twig feigns a confident smile, saying "Come on, Cam. We''ll bust out of this hellhole soon enough! Seems like we were separated from the others on purpose, though.". Cam initially smiles in relief, but notices Twig''s sorrowful expression and says "Twig... It''s gonna be okay, I promise..". Twig nods, holding back tears as they are served slop to eat.


    As the prisoners are sent back to their cells, Cam thinks to himself "Grandpa... I..I''m sorry..", as he lays on the ground, but just then, his sword appears in his hand. He jumps up on shock, as he asks himself "W..What the heck is this..", but remembers Kyrios'' words


    "We blacksmiths imbue part of ourselves within a sword when we bestow a blessing."


    "Maybe this is what Kyrios meant when he said Soul Amber was special.", Cam wonders. He tries to cut through the bars, over and over, to no avail. Eventually, he collapses out of exhaustion and asks utters "No, Why cant i...".


    Elsewhere, below the prison, a group of hooded, red horned demons stand around an amalgamation of Spell Circles. They begin a sacred chant in an unknown language and the Spell begins to take the form of a red hot flame. Just then, the same Demon that Cam fought appears from the shadows, remarking menacingly, in an unknown language "Finally, after decades of research, we''ve gotten just the right combination of spells to summon it! ". The spell starts to fade, and the Demon shouts " No! We can''t fail now!! Add more magical energy to the spell!!". The other demons do as they''re told, replying "Yes, Crimson Guard!", but the spell begins to take the form of a red scaled dragon. The Crimson Guard snarls menacingly as the whole island shakes.


    Just as Leo drifts to sleep, the whole island is shaken to its core, as a blood curdling roar shocks all the prisoners awake. Cam jumps up, shook by the sudden noise. "What the heck was that!?", he asks as his sword appears back in his hand. Suddenly, the whole island is Illuminated in a red hot flame, as fire shoots up from under the island, followed by a massive figure flying up into the air. Cam''s eye flickers in an azure glow as he watches the reveal itself as a Crimson Dragon.


    Cam stands there, stuck in place in shock, muttering to himself "Why..do I.. feel like..I''ve seen..this..before..?", but Leo bites him, snapping him back. He runs to the cell''s entrance, trying to break down the bars. Just then, the Crimson Dragon stomps down to the ground, releasing a Shockwave demolishing part of the prison, smashing Cam''s cell bars loose. Seizing the opportunity , Cam and Leo break off the bars and run aimlessly through the halls.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    As the other prisoners escape their cells, a riot breaks out as Twig, Sylvia and Edreus take their chance to escape and regroup. As they run through the chaotic prison halls, Sylvia meets up with Twig, and they meet with a tight hug. "Sylvia! You''re okay!", Twig excitedly says. Sylvia says "Are you kidding? I''m the one who was worried.". Sylvia looks around, asking "Where''s everyone else? Are you okay?", but Twig sadly says "Other than Cam... I dunno if the others are even alive..", she sniffles, looking away from Sylvia. "We''ll find them, Twig...promise..", to which Twig nods and follows Sylvia''s lead.


    In another cell, Winston is covered in scars and chained with his arms and legs apart, Cam burst into his demolished cell, initially excited "Winston! I''m so glad you''re okay!", Cam says excitedly, only to notice that Winston''s numb expression. "Winston!? Winston! Speak to me! What''s wrong?", Cam shouts as he tries to shake him back to his senses, to no avail. "C..Cam.., just leave me..", Winston weakly says. Cam frees him from the chains, asking "What are you talking about!? I''d never leave you guys..". Winston pushes Cam away, shouting "I''m done causing trouble for you guys! Just get everyone and let me atone for all of this!". Cam stands there, speechless. He staggers back, saying "Winston..., this wasn''t..". But he notices the shattered pieces of Winston''s staff on the ground and says "I don''t blame you for all this, Winston... all those years ago with Deuse at the Magic Academy, I knew you''d always have my back, I hope you will today, too. Because I''ll always have yours.", and runs out of the cell. Winston slowly walks to the cell entrance, watching him leave, thinking "Cam..."


    Outside the courtyard, Sylvia and Twig catch sight of the Crimson Dragon as it ascends into the clouds, and charges a fire blast from its mouth. "Oh boy, that''s not good.", Twig remarks before her and Sylvia run around the large courtyard, evading the Dragon''s devastating onslaught. "What do we do now!? I can run like this forever..", Sylvia says, holding Twig on her back as she runs. As they evade, Twig catches sight of Cam through the prison bars as he runs through the halls.


    "Hey, I just saw Cam! He''s on his way!", Twig shouts excitedly.


    Cam makes it onto the prison roof to get a better view of the situation. He pants in exhaustion, remarking "What a work out, huh Leo?". Leo, however stands there petrified and Cam looks behind him to see the Crimson Guard standing there, brandishing their spear. Cam staggers back, wondering out loud "Wh..what''s going on..? You did this, didn''t you?", to which the Crimson Guard smirks, confirming Cam''s thoughts.


    Cam instinctively wields his sword and says to Leo "Stand back, buddy. Go find the others and get to safety.", Leo, initially hesitant, sees the look of determination in Cam''s eye, and follows his order.


    Cam points his sword at the Crimson Guard saying "I thought I beat you..", but the Crimson Guard snarls, casting a spell on himself to translate his language, saying "You thought a weakling such as yourself could stop me, the Crimson Guard!?". Cam charges ahead, clashing with him on the prison roof, as the dragon continues its onslaught. The Crimson Guard launches a series of attacks at Cam, but he manages to dodges and deflect all of the. He dashes in close to get an easy shot. The Crimson Guard remarks "This bloodlust.. I didn''t see it from you that day.. impressive.", and knocks him over the edge of the roof, but he just manages to hang on. Just as the Crimson Guard prepares to deal the final blow, Cam uses his sword to reflect the flames'' brightness at his eyes, blinding him. He uses the opportunity to climb up and slash at the Crimson Guard, but his attack is deflected.


    Back at Winston''s cell, he desperately tries to put his staff back together, to no avail. But as he fails to reassemble his staff, a mysterious fluid oozes from the remains. Winston thinks to himself "Wait, that''s right... Magic Staffs use a chemical called Yssil to conduct magical power, maybe I can..", as he uses the Yssil to draw a spell circle on the ground. Winston completes the spell circle and uses all of his power to activate it, and it causes a massive flood that washes over the prison, extinguishing some of the flames on the island. As the massive wave of water washes over the battlefield, Cam only has one thought on his mind "Got my back again, huh?", as the wave washes him and the Crimson Guard off the roof in different directions.


    As the dragon charges an even bigger flame attack at the ground, it redirects its attention to the remaining part of the prison. Twig comes to a realization and tries her hardest to run to the part of the prison, Sylvia stopping her and asking "What are you doing!? The Dragon''s gonna..", but she stops, when Twig shouts "Edreus!!!", stunning her and Cam as the dragon launches its fireball, devastating the remaining part of the prison. Twig''s sudden out burst snaps Cam to a startling reality as he runs towards the explosion, only to get blown away and knocked out.


    Later, as Cam stirrs back to consciousness, his ears ringing, he notices Leo laying on his stomach, and blood stains on his clothes and head. "Ugh...where''s..", Cam mutters as he tries to get up, but coughs blood and falls. As he tries to get up, Winston stops him, but through all the chaos, Cam sees a harrowing sight.


    Edreus, half of his body charred and his arm burned off, trudges through the debris panting.


    Memories of their life on the Silverrie Farm flash in and out of their minds, fast as a flash, but as clear as a melody. Days spent farming and, and nights spent bonding as a family, all go up in flames.


    Cam could only lay there as Edreus lost more and more blood, trying his hardest to get to his beloved grandson, but as he buckled and kneeled down, Cam knew what was next, as his eye glowed once more. Even though Edreus'' voice was barely as loud as a whisper, Cam knew what he was saying:


    "I Could Only Guide You Astray, My Little One...


    " I Cannot Be Your Guiding Light..


    "Cambrodia..."


    Cam''s eyes widen and his chest tightens as he watches to debris fall onto Edreus'' charred body. Cam''s screams echo throughout the flaming prison yard as he cries loudly, trying his absolute hardest to get up and help his beloved grandfather, but a tearful Winston picks him up and they run towards the coast of the island, leading to the ocean. Cam''s world is completely silent as he just lays on Winston''s back, completely unresponsive. Suddenly, the ledge they were standing on suddenly breaks and they all fall into the ocean.


    As they fall, Cam looks up dragon with a utterly shattered look on his face as his eye glows once more...


    They plunge into the depths of the oceans, into leaving behind a whirlwind of pain and trauma...