Year of the Ram – Seventh Entry
I believe now is good a time as any to begin detailing
the events of how my lord came back to Ferus Mundus and our struggle
against my brother and his band of thieves. It does worry me that
Kit, my younger brother, is still on Earth due to the complexities of
opening a gateway between the two worlds. Though I know he is in
good hands, I can not help but wonder if I made a mistake in allowing
him to help me, but even now I still see that there was no other way
for my lord to return. His journey home has brought about many
changes and firsts in my life. One of which was my first encounter
with both a human and a primeran wolf. I have mentioned my
experiences with Kate Walker and Animal before, but this was the
first time I encountered them. At the time I was gravely suspicious
of them as I had no idea as to the relationship they had with my
lord. However, it did not take me long to gain a positive reading on
their character.
Kate, though inquisitive and quite brash, is most
pleasant to talk to. When I first began speaking to her, I felt
concerned that having such an anxious and suspicious human with us
would be a hindrance to our mission. I then quickly came to remember
how I was always taught that humans have given Primerans much and
that their presence is a sign of great change, most often for the
better. I told her this in the hopes that it would ease her mind and
perhaps gain her trust in me. Alternatively, there was Animal. He was
clearly a lost one and it showed in how he continually looked around
him in awe and wonder. Wolves are already known to live in isolation,
but to have lived away from all of Ferus Mundus for the entirety of
his life? That is indeed a burden that I feel may make adjusting to
the ways of this world quite difficult for him, if not impossible.
After our meeting, I explained to them the situation
that was at hand and how I was grateful for the assistance and
camaraderie that both Kate and Animal would bring. For if my lord
allowed them to accompany us, then I had no reason to doubt their
ability to aid us. Speaking of my lord, he has recently decided to
take up the mantle his late father, and has instructed me to call him
Agrond. He has wished to not be held to titles such as 'lord' and
'master.' I can respect his desire to do this as he now wishes to try
and reunite his clan. Though I can not so easily dissolve centuries
of tradition between our two clans, I will endeavor to refrain from
attempting to call him such titles even as I document our exploits to
unite the dragons. The decision to take the name of his father is a
clear indication that he has fully absorbed all the fragmented
essence his father left lingering about after his death. The change
in his demeanor is almost identical to his father now, but taking the
name might be seen as an insult to those who praised and honored
Agrond when he was alive. Never-the-less, I will honor his wishes.
We began our journey towards the city of Pandemonium, a
place where the Zodiac Ministry rules over their respective clans in
a highly fortified habitat. I explained to Kate and Animal how the
Zodiac Ministers take turns each yearly cycle governing the city and
how, for those who follow the Primeran calender, it was currently the
year of the Ram. This meant that Lord Baal was the Zodiac Minister
that was in power at the time. Lord Baal has been known to be very
kind and compassionate, as such, my clan's elders had managed to gain
myself and Agrond an audience with him, if only briefly, to discuss
the nature of my clan's plight. This is something of an impossibility
for outsiders, but my lord's father once served as a Zodiac Minister
himself once, and Lord Baal was willing to hear the words of his old
comrade's son, even if he was considered a notorious criminal.
As we continued along our way, Kate asked if it was
wise that we were traveling out in the open. I explained that even
though I was not native to the area, I was certain that we had
nothing to fear, but I had heard rumors from several travelers that
two female Primerans had been stealing from this land's inhabitants
through varies means. Primarily, it seems they were specialized in
intimidating or fooling their targets into giving up their goods. I
assured Kate that despite these tales, these two Primerans would be
fools if they were to attack our party. No sooner had I said this,
the ground itself came to life and quaked all around us. We fell to
our knees as the ground sank beneath us. All around, the ground rose
and curled above us like fingers clenching towards an upturned palm.
When the earth went still, we quickly corrected ourselves and gazed
at the trap we had fallen into. We found ourselves in a sunken pit
comprised of soil and rock as the walls rose into numerous arching
formations.
After a few moments of questioning what was the nature
of our predicament, we realized that the situation was but a minor
inconvenience as Agrond could simply fly us out one by one. Though
upon my admission of this fact, two voices from above us expressed a
disinterest in our plan.
“Looks
like you caught a few big ones this time, Trill.”
“They
sure look confident that they can get out, Durga.”
“Well
then, I suppose we better give them a reason not to try anything
stupid.”
Their banter was no simple bluff as one look at our
captors caused me to instinctively draw my bow and nock an arrow. One
of them was a tiger wielding a pair of massive sculpted stone blocks
tethered together with a single chain. She swung its weight
effortlessly, a testament to the raw strength of her clan. The other,
a black ram, merely sat crouched and smiling down on us. Kate
followed my instinct and drew her weapon as well. Animal was far too
naive to understand the situation, for he was trying to talk to them
as though he was unaware they were behind our capture. Agrond simply
stood and gazed at our opponents with a menacing glare. Our quest had
only begun, yet there we were, victims of the Primeran rogues know to
these lands as “The Sirens.”
