It was just like Clyde to not put up with being bedridden, especially after the things he had seen and experienced at the ruins of Delos. The horrors he had seen in his dreams had come to pass, and Delos had been dealt a heavy blow because of it…had they been sooner, just a bit quicker, or perhaps wiser, the destruction could have been averted. Now the Delosian forces, or what little was left of them, sat with no king, no leader, and nothing but a commander who was shaken and a few generals who were unsure of their next move.

What was left? Their castle had been thoroughly wiped out and crushed, their capital decimated, and word in from scouts sent out to the other towns revealed all but one had been intact, Airroboros, and they quickly rushed the survivors of that town back to Nindural headquarters. Everyone who was left in Delos was now there, and they needed a plan for the future, or they would quickly be lost into history…

‘�You should be asleep…�

Leon spoke grimly, Sophia in his lap once more, but not even she was happy. The air of the room was a sad one…the carnage that had befallen their people…everyone present had some doubt their mind was playing on, or some regret or fact that they’d wished they had known. Tera Maxwell was present, a few of the scouts whom had rushed out, and an emissary from the mining company in Delos, which had been left oddly intact…but abandoned in the proceedings. Miners were now in with everyone else…

“I should be a lot of things. What’s our plan, Leon?�

Hobbling, and leaning on Mai and a crutch for support, Clyde made his way to the desk, sighing as he looked at the battle map he had been looking on just a week or so before, but now areas had been covered in white paper, signifying they were no longer useable…towns…civilians…citizens of Delos caught in the destruction. Innocent lives that had been massacred by…who?

“We don’t have one…there’s little left to do but evacuate to another kingdom and pray to Eljah that they’ll take us in.�

Mai bit her lip, remembering the speeches Clyde had given about loyalty to their country, to Delos, and the respect he held for the land, even with its flaws. Someone had decided to abuse those flaws apparently, and wiped out the most of the land within nightfall. Not a single spy had even heard word of an army approaching…nothing, it was as if you turned around and the city was decimated in the blink of an eye.

“Velucia. A rough kingdom of merchants…if we can rough it in the wasteland to get out to an oasis, I think we could manage there. Perhaps try and appeal to Gote and Aephris for a bit of aid in looking into things, and maybe try to pay a visit to the Mystics and Elves to see if they’ll help a weary nation. That’s what I’d suggest, but a step at a time, moving out of this area should be top priority, since looking at the land isn’t going to exactly raise anyone’s spirits…What I want to know…is who did this.�

Oh, Mai bit he lip harder, squeezing her eyes shut for a few moments before sighing and hugging close to Clyde, not wanting to dig up the memories surrounding that person…they were painful, and tragic to her, but not on the scale of everything that had happened. No, was he really capable of all this? The man had been…cruel…to Mai, but this simply seemed like the work of a madman…then again, he fit the bill.

“Khaine of the Black Shadow. A lot of rumors about him make their way into Velucia…apparently he traveled alone into the lands over the mountain, and through the darker forests…no one heard from him for years, and now, apparently, he’s back and shrouded in a bit of mystery. I heard he was recruiting before I had left Velucia…� Or rather…she had seen it first hand.

“That just begs the question…who are you?�

Leon was the one that spoke, though Tera’s eyes fell on the girl, Sophia’s and the scouts as well, Leon’s looking her over before Clyde tried, in a bit of vain, to step between her and the majority of the room. Oh, Mai wasn’t feeling well at the moment…it was like blame and guilt was being cast on her, as if those other then Clyde blamed her for what had happened…she knew things that they didn’t, so where she got that knowledge could be false.

“Mai Pyris, a warrior I had the pleasure of running into when we were attacking one of the camps. I suppose you could say I saved her life, but that isn’t exactly how things happened.�

A light smile crossed the Fire Elementals face as she wrapped her arms around Clyde; hugging him close…he stood up for her…that was a first. And he didn’t mention her race, which was normally a cause of worry for her in the past…Some people didn’t take kindly when they found out her past…or at least who she was. Clyde had stood up for her with the troops as well, Mai simply didn’t know of that…

“Alright then…Khaine…first priority, is to move everyone out. Then comes looking into this Khaine, and planning from there…get the refugees ready, and send a scout ahead to ask around for us on where we can relocate to precisely…this won’t be easy. But for Delos’s sake we must survive. You’re all dismissed…�

Clyde however, shook his head, smirking over to Leon who instantly knew the general had other plans in mind…this could go well, or it could go badly, but in either case, Clyde was in no condition to travel. “Actually, Leon, if it’s alright, I would like to take a trip to Aephris and Gote, to see what we can find out…� He would have considered taking a trip into the tundra to search out the mystics if he wasn’t nearly one hundred percent sure Mai would want to accompany him…the ice and cold may kill her.

With a light chuckle he waved the Ice Elemental off, hugging Sophia a little closer in his lap, “Fine then, but I don’t want you straining yourself…if you’re heading elsewhere then us, take some time to rest, and take a horse or two. I say two since I take it you’ll be accompanying Miss Pyris somewhere safe?� Well, to Leon, Sophia, and Tera, it was no secret that Clyde was a hopeless flirt, and a bit of a playboy now and then, though he hardly went after the carnal pleasures, more the fun of the chase…

Mai was the one who spoke up however, “No…I’m going with him.� A hand was raised in protest, Clyde’s, but figuring what he knew about Mai, it was highly unlikely he could EVER sway her mind when she made it up….stubborn little…

“Well, now that that’s decided…dismissed.�

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