text: as he sent in an ambassador of sorts along with a company of his troops in Sinkhole. There was an attempt to talk the Delergites into just capitulating with assurances that no harm would come to them if they had. Ultimately these empty promises were wasted and with your help, the first battle of Delerg was a crushing defeat for Victor. There was a lot of celebrating afterwards.
  
  You knew it was just the beginning though.
  
  The first few years were a back and forth guerilla war. Victor immediately seized Sinkhole and made it his base of operations. Battles were fought throughout the swamp and jungle. Some of the villages were occupied during this time, but there was still hope.
  
  Then came the moment you knew was going to happen and that's when Victor got tired of playing nice.
  
  Losing way more troops and spending a lot more time than he wanted to, Victor started making demands that if the Delergites didn't surrender immediately he was going to set the whole province to the torch. He also wanted you personally to be delivered to him dead or alive. He probably assumed that since you were a shadow, you were actually the main one responsible for leading this thing.
  
  There were a couple attempts to assault your home, but you had made sure it was a death trap for anyone even entering the nearby area, let alone the ruins themselves. The other attempt was to surround the area to at least contain you, but that didn't really work either considering you just used a different access route that you made years ago and they'll probably never find that one since its nowhere near the ruins and you have to actually swim underwater to access it.
  
  Eventually an order was given to just try to kill you on sight when possible and that the subjugation of Delerg was the main priority.
  
  To her credit Lena managed to maintain the Delergites' enthusiasm of resisting Victor and most continued to fight, but heart alone isn't enough sometimes. Victor just sent in more troops and began to make good on his promises of setting the province on fire. Village after village burned. Those that weren't killed were taken away, probably in slavery.
  
  Things got so grim that you briefly pondered the idea of praying to Dendrin for help if only to try to get your shadow magic back, but given that it didn't save Talia, you saw no reason to bother. Dendrin even told you not to bother, as he knew you'd never be a believer. Apparently your mere lip service would no longer be sufficient at this point.
  
  Dendrin did suggest that you attempt to convert others to the shadow religion though and he'd be more than willing to grant them powers providing they went through all the normal procedures. You laughed at that idea, you're no missionary and had no time to bother with whatever self-serving plan Dendrin was hatching. Besides, the Delergites weren't interested in anything else except surviving the next attack by Victor, they were already committed to one "cause" and that was more than enough.
  
  And now here you are in Lena's village, the last stand of the Delerg resistance. It doesn't much resemble a village anymore so much as it resembles a small walled fort now. And when Victor's forces attack again, it'll resemble a smoldering ruin.
  
  As you look around the village through the rain you see so many wounded and many more just plain exhausted. Things weren't even this bad for them under the Empire during its last days. They weren't even this bad under Brutus' gang.
  
  This is what fighting the good fight has brought them. Death for those that resist and slavery for those that gave up long ago. All of them have to be thinking or have already thought at one time: "Was it worth it?" Some probably think no. Some probably think yes. And they'd both be right.
  
  It's definitely what you think and have thought in the past.
  
  The difference is you know that YOU can survive this. You'll live to fight another day. Its what you've always done and it'll probably what you'll continue to do until some lucky bastard manages to kill you. Who knows? Maybe that day is sooner than you think.
  
  You really aren't worried about yourself though; lately you've been slightly more concerned about someone else.
  
  And it isn't Lena.
  
  "Hey Uncle Shadow, are the invaders coming today?" Tulla walks up and asks you seemingly oblivious to the fact that it's raining.
  
  You have no idea where she got the idea to call you "uncle shadow", but she's been doing it for so long now that you don't bother to tell her not to anymore.
  
  "Probably not in this rain. Victor's soldiers are still going to need a catapult or battering ram to get through the gates. They aren't going to be able to drag one of those things here in the mud at least not effectively. Not just mud either, but water as well; the rivers and marsh are overflowing because of the rain. If you look down there you can see we've practically got a small moat around us. No my guess is they'll wait for the rains to stop and then a few days after so the water level drops." You explain while fixing your hood over your head.
  "And then they'll attack?"
  "Yes, and then they'll probably attack."
  "And will we win again?"
  
  You don't answer; instead you motion Tulla to the overhanging roof at a nearby sleeping house.
  
  "Didn't your mother teach you to come in out of the rain?" you say shaking off your own water soaked tunic.
  "I like the rain. It feels nice." Tulla remarks.
  
  It's funny to see how Tulla was brought up in such a warzone yet she maintains an innocent sense of appreciation for simple things like rain.
  
  "Where is your mother anyway? Shouldn't she be looking out for you?"
  "Oh you know her, she's busy a lot making plans with people to fight the bad people that attack us. It's boring to sit there."
  "Perhaps, but you still should stay near her. Its not exactly safe out here."
  "But I am safe, because you're here and you're a great warrior! Mommy says so!"
  "Hmm. I'll bet, but I'm also busy and I can't keep an eye on you all the time."
  "I'll bet you can! Mommy says that you're also the fastest warrior here!"
  "Mommy talks a lot about me to you does she?"
  "Yes! She says that you're a lot more useful than daddy was."
  
  You don't even know how to respond to that. You always figured that even if Lena never did truly "love" Henry, you always thought she at least respected and cared for him. Henry wasn't a bad guy; he just wasn't cut out for fighting. It's certainly not his fault that he died trying to defend this village. He's only been dead a year and it really doesn't seem right that she's bad mouthing him to their daughter like this. Its not really right that she's always been so distant to Tulla in general, but you've never understood that.
  
  Or maybe you do.
  
  Lena's deluded herself that she's always pursued this resistance because it's about defending her family, other families and the homeland from tyranny, and it is to an extent. But her real reasons? She still hasn't let go of the hate she has for eternals and she wants to kill as many as possible before she dies. (Never mind the fact that it's mostly other humans actually making up the rank and file of Victor's troops and Vic himself isn't anywhere near the battlefield)
  
  In the scheme of things she never really wanted a family because as far as she was concerned her family died when she was a little girl and all that was left was the hatred that burned within. Everyone else to her is a secondary concern. You might be the exception because you managed to better focus her rage and possibly even quell the fire of it a bit.
  
  Who knows what might've happened had you taken Lena as some sort of youthful substitute for Talia. Who knows what might've happened had Victor not invaded. Would Lena still have insisted on her vendetta?
  
  You don't know and it isn't important because it's the past and now is the present. She has obviously chosen a path and its not one you're going down because you're not responsible for her. You've helped as much as you could and you're done.
  
  Still, while it probably won't do any good, part of you feels like you should go confront Lena before you leave.
  > confront Lena
  You're going to try one last time with Lena. MAYBE you can talk some sense into her.
  
  "Come on." You say and grab Tulla by her little hand to pull her along as you walk.
  "Where are we going?"
  "To see your mother."
  
  Lena usually holds her meetings in a drab looking two-floor house near the center of the village which she's made into her home since the village was walled up. You go there immediately and find her standing behind a table while she speaks to a bunch of other people standing in the room. It's packed, but you make your way through the crowd. Lena notices and wonders if you're here to tell everyone that there's an attack coming.
  
  "What's going on? Are those bastards coming to attack us?" Lena asks.
  "No, but I need to talk to you NOW."
  "I'm in the middle of something, can't it wait?"
  "No, this is something that needs to be addressed in private, and if you're unwilling to do so, I'm going to start clearing this room out in a less civilized manner."
  
  Knowing that you'll do it, Lena tells everyone that the meeting is over and that everyone should go back to their duties. When the home clears out, you're left with just Tulla and Lena in the room. You tell Tulla to go upstairs and find something to busy herself with. She complies though she's not enthusiastic about it. She also isn't a fool and knows when an argument is about to happen.
  
  "Okay everyone's gone, now what's so damned important?" Lena says.
  "Well for starters how about your own daughter? You let her wander away like this all the time, knowing damn well how dangerous it is."
  "She seeks you out right? I trust that you'll look after her."
  "Yeah, but the problem with that is I'm not her damn parent and I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on other things that are of more importance remember?"
  "And? I just sit around all day doing nothing? What exactly do you think I do and have been doing?"
  "Losing a war and satisfying your desire for vengeance, but that's not what I'm here about, I'm here to try to talk sense into you one last time... "
  "Oh here we go. Wisdom from the old shadow once again. Save your breath I've heard your fat musings about our situation time and time again. And as I've said before nobody is forcing you to stay. Go on back to your hole and hide with your beloved corpse. That is what you're best at right?"
  "Lena, this isn't about me, this is about YOU and your family, or what remains of it. This battle is lost, you know it and I know. Everyone probably knows it, but they're still following you out of loyalty and desperation."
  "You know damn well we can't surrender."
  "I'm not talking about that! I'm saying you need to take Tulla and just get the fuck out of here. You fought the good fight as long you could; you probably crippled Victor's army and wasted his resources to the point where he's probably struggling to maintain his holdings in Quala. I mean I think you're way past even now."
  "Even? Is that supposed to be a joke? Victor kills us and enslaves us all and because he's suffering from a little manpower shortage we're supposed be even? What kind of leader would I be if I just abandoned everyone?"
  "Fine then, if you really care about the people then talk them into leaving with you. Hell, I even know of an area where everyone could settle down anew. It's not the friendliest place, but it's the northern part of Delerg and out of reach from Victor or anyone else desiring to establish a military presence."
  "Since when have you been some protector of the people?"
  
  Now you start to get exasperated.
  
  "Lena, we've had this discussion before, but if you insist... I was doing this YEARS before YOU were even a lust filled idea in your parents' heads! Protector of the people... I've probably been doing more than YOU to protect the people of Delerg even now. At least I'm suggesting a way for them to survive, but let's get serious for a second. You're right, I don't care about any of them, I only care about one in particular. Okay two, but you don't want me to care in that way... you want me to want me to care on a whole other level but the time for has long since past if it was ever a possibility to begin with."
  
  Lena's expression, which is usually one of coldness nowadays, begins to crack a little. She turns her head a bit and brushes her hair in an effort to hide possible tears starting to form.
  
  "Look Lena, the first time you explained your reasons for staying to fight five years ago, you managed to convince me because you were right and despite how I knew this was going to play out, it was still a worthy cause. However, I'm right too. There is nothing to be gained by being a martyr or dying a hero, or whatever it is exactly you're trying to do here. If you don't care about your own life, at least think of your daughter's life. You've been distant with her ever since she was born, one would think in these times you'd want to spend more time with her not less. Let alone bad mouthing her father who DID spend time with her or leaving her in the company of a complete stranger."
  
  "I'm not leaving her with a complete stranger, I'm leaving her with you!" Lena says and begins to break down.
  
  "SHE'LL BE SAFE WITH YOU! SHE'LL BE HAPPY WITH YOU!"
  
  Lena collapses in a nearby chair with her head in her hands weeping.
  
  "She'll... survive with you... (sob)"
  
  You suddenly realize the situation that Lena has placed you in, and you hate her for it. You shake your head in disbelief. Out of all the things that have happened in your life, this has got to be the most unforeseen to your mind. You have no words; you instead just leave Lena to her crying and walk out the front door.
  
  You stand outside the house for a moment as the rain continues to fall just trying to wrap your head around all of this. You don't even know where to start. Did she always plan this? Was this a last minute decision? Does she just expect you to... 
  
  "Hey Uncle Shadow are you and mommy done fighting?" you hear Tulla ask as she comes from around a corner.
  "Huh? Where'd you come from? I thought you were upstairs."
  "I was, but I sneaked out while you and mommy were yelling at each other. Sneaked like you do! I wanted to play in the rain. So are you done fighting?"
  "Yeah... I think we're done fighting... " you say looking back at the door.
  "That's good. I didn't like it when mommy and daddy fighted either." She says.
  
  With her question answered, Lena's attention has already been distracted by the rain, which she gleefully plays in by splashing a nearby puddle. She has no idea what the hell is going on and what just happened.
  
  You watch her play for a moment and then call her over.
  
  "Tulla, come here."
  "Yes, uncle?"
  "Do you have any items that are special to you?"
  "Yes!"
  "Well go in and grab them, but ONLY the ones you think are really important. Some clothes too. We're going on a trip and we won't be back for a long time."
  "Where are we going?"
  "We're uh, going to your uncle shadow's secret hideout. Nobody will be able to hurt us there."
  "Yay! Is mommy coming too?"
  "No... she's got important stuff to do here. Look, get your belongings and let's go. I'll be right here waiting."
  
  Tulla goes inside and you wait. Doesn't take long For Tulla to come back out with a small bag of her things.
  
  "I'm ready uncle."
  "You say good bye to your mom?"
  "Yes. She was crying and sad when I first went inside, but when I told her I was leaving with you, she looked up at me and smiled a little. She told me that she loved me and to do what you say."
  
  You nod at Tulla's explanation of events.
  
  "Are you going in to say goodbye?"
  "No, your mother and I have said our goodbyes. Let's go."
  
  Your trip back to the temple is surprisingly uneventful. You don't even need to avoid any patrols. You do take the long way though and go through your alternate entrance. This causes a bit of worry for Tulla since she's never gone underwater before, but you reassure her that as long as she holds on to you, you won't let her drown and will hold her up to catch her breath using the air pockets in the underground tunnel. Naturally she believes you can do anything so this immediately alleviates her fears.
  
  Eventually you're home.
  
  "This place is dark and scary." Tulla remarks looking around.
  "Yeah, but my home, and your home too now. You can stay in this room, it was your mother's at one time."
  "Wow there are a lot of books in that room!"
  "That's the library."
  "What in there?" Tulla asks and points to the cavern with the garden.
  "That's... a private area. Don't go in there without permission okay? Even if you talking or faint whispering."
  "A ghost doesn't live there does it?"
  "Heh, well sort of I suppose." You smirk. "But don't worry she's friendly... in fact forget what I said, let's go into that room right now."
  
  You enter the garden with Tulla hiding somewhat behind you still nervous about the "ghost." You point out Talia's grave to Tulla.
  
  "There she is. She doesn't speak or anything though. She just listens, mainly to me of course. Her name is Talia."
  "Oh is she like my daddy?" Tulla asks making the connection that Talia isn't a real ghost and just dead.
  "Yes, yes she is, but I still talk to her. Because I still love her."
  
  Tulla starts to ask another question, but you are in mood to answer any more as its been a long strange day. You tell Tulla to go to her room and dry off and unpack. You then mention you'll see her shortly. Tulla leaves you alone to be with your beloved. You sit down beside Talia's grave and think about the strange situation you're in.
  
  "Well Talia, it probably isn't exactly how you ever envisioned it, but we have a child now."
  > ... 
  Year 70
  
  As the years go by, you know that day is coming soon that you won't and shouldn't keep Tulla sheltered from the surface too much longer. Granted you'll still be with her when that day comes, but having been to the surface every once in a while to keep apprised of the situation, Delerg still isn't exactly the friendliest place.
  
  Victor dumped so much into the campaign to conquer Delerg he's been trying to get the most out of it by rebuilding Sinkhole into a proper town (Calling it Triumph). Apparently he's also decided to make more plans to develop the area namely by chopping down the jungle to the south and to the east. This has been slow going though especially to the east which you know full well just how hostile the jungle flora and fauna get in that direction. (Oddly he hasn't decided to expand north which is just as well since he'd probably call for the temple's ruins to be dug up or built over, or something similar and you'd have to deal with his troops more directly.) As a result of all this redevelopment he's not only got the pitiful remains of the enslaved Delergites working day and night, but he's also imported many of his subjects from Quala to do work as well. A lot of these seem to be prisoners of varying types. Some are genuine criminals like murderers and thieves. Most though just couldn't pay their taxes and it was either this or as a conscript to serve on one of the war fronts that Victor is engaged in with other Quala warlords.
  
  Amusingly you're no longer on the "wanted list." An eternal captain by the name of Brom that runs the military garrison in Triumph claims he killed you during the final battle for Delerg. (In fact that's how he got his current promotion) You're not exactly sure how he "proved" this, but you're guessing he just threw a black cloak on some dead body, destroyed the face to the point of recognition and made everything up.
  
  Naturally he brags quite a bit about doing it. You're not sure what's funnier, the fact that he's lying about it, or the fact that he managed to fool everyone into believing his lie (Including Victor, apparently).
  
  In any event, it doesn't bother you since it makes life easier without some angry warlord trying to hunt you down. Besides you've got enough on your mind just looking after Tulla.
  
  "Come on, get your head out of those books, its time for your training." You say to Tulla.
  "But we train all the time! Can't I just finish this one book?" Tulla whines.
  "No! We have to keep to a schedule. Now let's get to it."
  
  Tulla puts away her book in defeat and leaves the library to head to the training room. It's been more of an effort to get her to do her training lately.
  
  "Why do I have to train so hard? You never let me go up to the surface anyway." Tulla says.
  "And you won't be going up to the surface until I'm confident that you can take care of yourself. I know you think I'm just being mean, but trust me what I'm doing is going to ensure your survival. I won't always be around, you know."
  
  Tulla doesn't reply to your remark she just picks up her wooden sword and gets into the fighting stance you've been teaching her. You and her spar for a few moments and fortunately despite her less than enthusiastic desire to be here, she does not slack off and proves to be absorbing everything you've been teaching her all these years.
  
  "Good. Glad to see you're taking this seriously. Now let's try something new." You say and change up your style. You tell Tulla to pay attention.
  
  An hour later you and her are taking a break. Though it's mainly for you. Every damn bone in your body aches and the ravages of time never let you forget that your earlier years of near perpetual combat have taken their toll.
  
  "Are you okay uncle?" Tulla asks in concern.
  "Yes, I'm fine. Just old war wounds acting up as usual. We'll pick up training again in a few minutes."
  
  While you lay prone recovering, Tulla decides to be inquisitive as usual.
  
  "Uncle, did you train as hard as this when you were my age?" Tulla asks.
  "Heh heh... I was trained harder than you at an even younger age." You chuckle.
  "Was it the shadows who trained you so hard?"
  "Not at first. It was some sadistic svelk bitch that called herself Mistress. She trained me up until I was twelve, and then I was transferred over to the shadows."
  "Oh. So is that when you learned magic?"
  "Yeah I learned it eventually. Never really liked using it though."
  "I would like to use magic like a shadow! I've read you could turn yourself in invisible, make yourself really fast or even walk like a spider on a ceiling!"
  "Yeah some of it was pretty handy I guess. Haven't been able to use any in years though.
  "Because Dendrin doesn't like you anymore?"
  "Not exactly... but something like that... yes."
  
  You've explained a little bit about Dendrin to Tulla in the past, you don't think she fully understands all of it, but you do know that she spends a lot of time reading the old tomes about shadow history and such. Which is why she's been getting increasingly more curious about him and the shadows in general. She probably would like to hear a more personal view of the organization.
  
  A view you don't even want to get into anytime soon. So you try to change the subject.
  
  "Alright, we've rested enough, let's get back to it." You say getting off the floor.
  
  Just as you're about to begin, Tulla makes a statement.
  
  "It's a shame you and Dendrin don't get along anymore. If you did, you could teach me shadow magic and it would help me survive better."
  
  You say nothing and just tell her to focus on defending herself. Tulla complies, but she's not the one that's preoccupied, you are. The remark she's just made is going to be the first step in a long series of questions and problems. You know