Chapter 3: Part 8 - The Family Motto
There had been times in Oska’s life when he’d questioned his choice of profession. What use was skulking in the shadows when he couldn’t show off his skills? What use were daggers and tools when his parents kept him at home? Most of all, what was the use of being a thief when he couldn’t protect those he loved?
Chapter 3: Part 7 - Weapons and Enemies
Erin wasn’t going to panic. She knew, as the camp descended into chaos, that she absolutely couldn’t let herself. The moment she gave in was the moment Light’s Memory was lost.
Chapter 3: Part 5 - Sworn To Secrecy
Oska and Ruby barely spoke as they raced back across the Wildlands. Oska’s heart seemed to hammer in his chest, beating an unpredictable rhythm that left him gasping for breath. If Auri was hurt…
Chapter 3: Part 3 - Playing Fair
Oska had been involved in some terrible ideas in his time; he’d even devised a few himself. Ruby’s, though, was one of the worst he’d ever heard.
“You want,” he said slowly, “to go poking around in ghost-infested ruins in the middle of nowhere, because…”
Chapter 3: Part 1 - Birds Of A Feather
Oska was fairly certain that Brisban Wildlands was the most boring corner of all Tyria. From what he’d seen as they’d trekked in, the whole region was nothing but jungle and swamp and mountain. It had absolutely nothing to recommend it.
Second Interlude: What A Guild Leader Does
Erin was fairly certain she was having the worst day of her life. There had been, first, a somewhat fractious reunion with Amber.
Chapter 2: Part 10 - Family Is Everything
There was chaos in the hollow at Erin’s feet. On any other battlefield, that would have been an overstatement; there were ebbs and flows to the dance of warfare, ones that any seasoned warrior could read in a heartbeat. But here in the hills above the Grove, in a valley wrapped in mist and shadows and tangling vines, chaos was the only word for it.
Chapter 2: Part 9 - The Sharpest Blade
A wave of heat rolled over Oska’s back, hot enough to scorch the hair at the nape of his neck. Beneath him, Auri twitched, making cool air flood over them. When he raised his head, a bubble of her magic surrounded them, frost nipping at the tops of his ears.
Chapter 2: Part 6 - Stalemate
Chapter 2: Part 5 - Fine Lines
Oska didn’t like waiting. He supposed no-one did, but he’d always had a particular aversion to it. Doing nothing always produced a worm of anxiety deep in his gut, as though to stop moving was to die.
Chapter 2: Part 3 - Chain of Command
Erin had always loved the Black Citadel. Hoelbrak, her home city, was a place the norn went to socialise, to drink, to boast. The charr capital, on the other hand, smelt of hot steel and engine oil. It was alive with the sounds of industry, as busy and productive as a city could be.
Chapter 2: Part 2 - A ‘Conversation’
Two things were vying for Erin’s attention. It did not surprise her, given the current state of her life, that both of them were Valparis.
Chapter 2: Part 1 - Ambush
The Grove wasn’t what Oska had expected. He’d passed through the place only a handful of times before, never going far from the bustle around the asura gate. He also didn’t have a lot of experience with sylvari; there was supposed to be one in Light’s Memory, but he’d yet to actually meet her. Somehow, he’d imagined their home city being somewhat backwards, just a patch of trees in the forest, probably surrounded by swamp.
First Interlude: Absolution
Oska knew, objectively, that what he was planning was a terrible idea. He’d been serious about leaving Divinity’s Reach with Auri, preferably as quickly as possible. He wanted her to be safe. He wanted his family to have no idea where he was. He wanted…
Chapter 1: Part 10 - A Coming War
Dusk had always been Oska’s favourite time of day in Divinity’s Reach. The city came alive with music and colour, the air filled with smells of cooking and smoke, and there was something new to discover on every street corner. As a child, he’d spent long hours roaming through the city as the light faded, until one household servant or another was sent to bring him home.
Chapter 1: Part 9 - Family Reunion
If Erin had pictured the home of the Valpari matriarch, it would have looked exactly like Blackthorn Manor. The grey stone walls, the soaring turrets, the crenellations and grand front doors. Apart from its tall windows, looking back at them like blank eyes, it was surprisingly defensible. It even had a moat, if only at the front.
Chapter 1: Part 8 - The Top of the World
Once, Oska had known his grandmother’s house like the back of his hand. Blackthorn Manor was an imposing edifice in southern Queensdale, but it was also relatively secluded; visitors to Claypool often never realised it was nearby. It had been the perfect summer retreat for rowdy Valpari children and their frazzled parents, which meant Oska could remember sun-baked days running across the lawns and swimming in the lake. It had seemed idyllic.