Lazheros turned in her direction, "So you know what the title means then? There is a way for you to get it taken away but that's your choice, Serna."

Serna looked up at Lazheros, "It means that I'm an outlaw. And that no one will want to have anything to do with me. I'd rather be here, among friends, who like me and who want to be with me whether or not I am a Disturber of the Peace. You understand, don't you?"

"An outlaw indicates you have a price on your head, or you have committed a crime and you haven't got caught yet. A Disturber of the Peace simply means that your distraction in the merchant district caused a lot of headaches for those applying their trades and business in a way they won't deal with you." Lazheros corrected her.

"I stand corrected," The Shield Maiden replied, "So, if I was interested in returning to Asylum, not that I am but I'm just saying, how could I redeem myself?"

"Apologize for what you did in the marketplace for starters, and by doing simple errands for those who work there. Think of it as a ladder and with each good deed or task that is completed, the title will start to disappear, Serna." Lazheros said calmly, "Come, we must finish going around the perimeter of the village to cleanse."

"Sure thing," The Shield Maiden continued with her work before she looked at The Fairy, "You're awfully quiet. Are you okay, Caliaphy?"

The fairy had fallen asleep on the shield maiden's shoulder while they were talking but groggily opened her eyes and yawned, "Huh? Were you talking to me?"

Serna giggled, "Go back to sleep, Caliaphy, it was nothing."

The Bronze Man finally came around the last part of the village perimeter with Serna when he stopped to stretch a bit before continuing back to the center of town to bless the place. With that done he and Serna made their way towards the ranger and the elementalist to see that Irzen and Dragolem had returned.

Before they came within earshot of The Swordsman and The Draconic Elemental, Serna whispered over to Lazheros, "You don't like Captain Irzen at all do you, Laz? Why is that?"

The Bronze Man stopped for a moment looking down at the girl, "Think of it as a clashing of minds. Two alpha males contesting the friendship of the elementalist. Irzen prefers Alyson before the darkness awoke within her, while I prefer her just as she is. Nothing more, nothing less. For a more direct answer, I do not like the human half hitching a ride as it were in a body that is not his own, hiding the fact that he would rather be something that he is not than himself. Is he not happy just being human? Alyson is content to being human, to be herself true self instead of something she is not."

The elementalist added her own thoughts, ~ You can't change someone if they don't want to change, Lazheros. I tried so hard to help someone like him back on Earth, and didn't work, I just left the issue alone.~

"From what Captain Irzen told me," Serna replied, "He chose his fate. Dungeon Master gave him a choice to share his body with a Human and he took him up on his offer. Also, the Human in him hasn't offered a word of protest about his fate as long as I have known him. I've talked with him a few times and he seems like a nice guy whose just enjoying an adventure. And it seems like their arrangement is working out for both of them. Has it ever occurred to you that the Human within him may not have been very happy about just being a Human?"

********

"What the hell happened here?!" The Swordsman exclaimed at all of the carnage he saw, "Was it the horde? Or something else? Or someone else?"

"Horde, no. A recently deceased necromancer and some zombies, yes. Lazheros is cleansing the village with Serna at the moment," The elementalist thumbed over her shoulder.

"Necromancers, huh?" Irzen pulled his 'steed' to a full stop before he dismounted, "That's new! Grummasht doesn't trust Necromancers, in fact, he hates them. He always believed that since they had the potential to raise the dead they could always raise an army of them and pit them against his own troops or worse yet, raise his own fallen troops and use them against him. This is a first if this necromancer was a part of his army. Did you get a chance to question him before you killed him?"

"The necromancer was an elf with a grudge, Irzen. As I told Willow, every kingdom has its share of rejects to go around. The horde just made it easier for them to come out of the shadows and raise their own hell." The elementalist told the swordsman.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Willow," The Swordsman turned to his friend, "Necromancy among us Drow is fairly common, heck, it's even a respected profession. But among your people I suspect its more of an abomination than anything else."

"True," The Prince admitted, "My people do frown on such dark magicks. But what concerns me even more is what would have driven such a one as this to engage in such dark and malevolent arts. When I was last here, my people knew only peace and plenty. What has become of my people now?"

Dragolem popped up next to the elementalist, "We got Danvald and his kin to where they needed to be, took out a scouting worg pack with orc riders, killed a giant with some help from Danvald's fellows," The draconian looked over at Irzen, "What was the name of the hill dwarf captain?"

"Captain Mandur is his name. He is the cousin of Knight Captain Martuk, Asylum's second-chief defender," The Swordsman added before he handed the scroll to The Prince, "He wanted us to give you this scroll. He said that a messenger was sent from the king to learn why one of his older sons, Prince Yew, went missing after receiving word to mobilize when the horde began its conquest. His domain was off to the west of the capital. The messanger got waylaid and was forced to take an alternate route for reasons unknown. This is the message for Prince Yew. Captain Mandur wanted us to see to it that he got it or to give it to you."

"Knight-Captain Martuk is Asylum's Chief defender, Irzen. He is responsible for maintaining the primary defenses of the city itself." The elementalist told him.

"That's funny," The Swordsman quipped, "I was under the impression that the dragon cleric that could crap thunder and shoot lightning was the chief defender of Asylum. Don't get me wrong, Martuk looks formidable. But comparing him to Lazheros would be the equivalent of comparing Muhammad Ali to Godzilla."

The Elementalist stood up and walked right up to the Swordsman, "How would you like it if I called you a second rate lord of your homeland in front of your people? I know for a fact, it would NOT go over too well. You did not meet Knight-Captain Martuk, you met Knight-Commander Owen on the temple grounds. What would you know as GOOD cop/BAD cop routine. You met the BAD cop, who would without batting an eyelash, would of smited you where you stood had Lazheros not been present."

"He would have tried and failed," Irzen replied coldly.

"Enough! You two!" Willow accepted the scroll, opened it and began to read it.

"I told Mandur that we'd do the latter as opposed to the former," Irzen continued, "Because if we tried delivering this message directly to Prince Yew, I feared that we would not receive a warm reception from him or his soldiers. Thus, the message is yours. So, if you don't mind my asking, what does it say?"

Prince Yew:

House of Bark, King of Northaven, you are
ordered to mobilize the cavalry at once. Full contingent to ready at sunrise on fifth day.

You are to hold back the invading horde as
much as you can spare. If this enemy starts to overwhelm, fall back to Westfall, and so forth.>

Signed: (Seal of the Sunrider, Tenth of his line
of the House of Bark, King of Northaven.)

Prince Willow read the message aloud so all could hear it. He sighed and turned to the others, "Thoughts anyone?"

Lazheros came over shaking his head at the Swordsman then turned to the Ranger, "Perhaps, what Emissary Orym mentioned about their being a turncoat, or traitor forced the messenger to an alternative route and came upon the hill dwarves, who are loyal to the sovereign of this land."

Alyson shrugged, "Could be this traitor, or could be Gruumasht found a way to undermine some of the defenses that your father had placed in case of an invasion."

"It could be both," Irzen confessed, "A well placed traitor could have forced the messenger to take an alternative route or ended the messenger's life. On the other hand, Gruumasht has cast his forces far and wide throughout this valley. They could have happened upon the messenger purely by accident."

"Either way we have to deliver that message. Don't we, Willow?" Serna asked The Prince.

"Indeed we must," The Prince sighed, "The fate of my people may very well depend upon it. I know the way to Westfell. If we leave now and do not tarry in our pace, then we can reach its borders by nightfall. If you need any rest, take it now. If you need any more supplies, secure them now. In five minutes, we leave for The Kingdom of Westfell.