<div class="floatleft">(http://i61.tinypic.com/96wdi0.jpg)</div><br/>Queen Beryl's tower loomed heavily in the background. It was once the majestic central spire of Lunarius Keep and now it was a beast of living stone, the building itself corrupted and turned into the sorceress' prime defender. With massive stone claws it repelled any invader and it's glowing gaze watched over the dark one's new kingdom. It has been a year since Beryl brought the kingdom to heel and the land has grown twisted and dark, the evil seeming to radiate out from the keep, corrupting everything in around it slowly, but consistently. It was this dark keep that lurked in the distance as a woman in a ragged brown cloak pounded on the door to the Tower of Hermes.<br/><br/><strong>"Please! Let me in, It's urgent!"</strong><br/><br/>The voice was desperate, pleading. It belonged to Serenity Solarius, former princess and now wanted fugitive. Under her cloak, a small gem shard attached to a chain around her neck glowed with a soft light. It pulsed warmly against her chest. It was telling her that another stone bearer was here, somehow. It was confounding, as the Order of Hermes was composed entirely of men, but Serena was certain the stone was not wrong. It had always been hard to communicate with the Order of Hermes - they were secretive even in the best of times - but now it was all but impossible. They seemed to be shutting themselves away from the world.<br/><br/>Creak..<br/><br/>The door swings open on squeaky hinges. Serena steps back as a trio of hooded mages step out, surrounding a fourth mage. The fourth, the one in the center of the formation, has his hood down, his face wrinkled and wizened, a long white beard nearly reaching his waist spilling down.<br/><br/><em>"Begone, girl! The Order has no time for the fairer sex, especially in these dark times. We have important research to do!"</em>he spat, waving a hand dismissively,<em>"Cease your mewling at our door, lest you draw the ire of Beryl's forces to our keep!"</em><br/><br/>Serena frowned, but remained resolute,<strong>"But I must come inside! I... there is something within your keep I need!"</strong><br/><br/>The old man glowered,<em> "And that is?"</em><br/><br/>Serena frowned deeper. She had not planned this far. She could not expose her real identity, nor could she tell them that a woman was probably lurking in their midst. For one, the old man would probably not believe her. For another, if he did believe her, she'd be getting whomever was inside in trouble. Serena kicked herself. Should've come up with a story<em>before</em>approaching the keep!<br/><br/><br/><br/><em>"Bah!"</em>said the old wizard, having grown impatient with her silence,<em>"If you want to beg for help, go up the road and ask Father Avarus! He's been taking care of the wayward sheep in these parts!"</em>With that said, he retreated into the keep, the hooded mages trailing behind him and slamming the door shut.<br/><br/>Serena sighed and clutched her piece of the Star Crystal. She would have to return here at a later point, when she had a plan. For now, she decided, she'd have to do as the old wizard said and find this Father Avarus. Perhaps he would have some information? Someone who comes into contact with so many people would doubtless have heard many stories. One of those could be of a woman with a piece of the crystal. Resolving to return, the princess started away from the Order. Unknown to Serena, however, someone had been watching the conversation from one of the high windows.<strong>Someone who could help her.</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>Not far from the Order of Hermes, fate continues to conspire. It draws a former knight and a former bandit together. Four roads begin to converge into one and here near the village of Darthmoor, two of those roads start to join.<br/><br/>At The Happy Stallion, a roadside inn and tavern that was once bustling with visitors at all hours, a few stalwart travelers and a smattering of villagers from Darthmoor gathered around tables, nursing beverages and drinking their misery away. There was once a time when the Stallion would be packed to the gills, day or night. Now, most were afraid to travel the roads thanks to Beryl's packs of marauding monsters and the spreading corruption radiating out from her dark castle. One of the patrons was garbed as a traveler, but she was, in fact,<strong>Raye Ignacia</strong>, former bandit and current hunter of Queen Beryl's monsters. With her shard of the Star Crystal, she could conjure fire itself and use it to bring justice to the dark monsters that roamed the land. She listened to conversations around her, attentive for any juicy bits of information. One such tidbit came to her from just a table over.<br/><br/><em>"..and all the villagers are bein' robbed, like!"</em><br/><br/><em>"Cor! Wot, on the roads?"</em><br/><br/><em>"Not even, mate! Some of 'em wake up an' find theys houses picked clean of valleybulls!"</em><br/><br/><em>"VAL-YEW-BULLS, ya idiot."</em><br/><br/><em>"Whatev, guv! Point is; picked clean! Some of 'em get robbed on the roads by a mysterious figger! Somes of em just wakes up an' bam! All gone!"</em><br/><br/><em>"Cor!"</em><br/><br/><em>"Right? Word has it, though, that the man at the 'ol chapel, that there Father Avarus is the only one wot got a good look at the robber, so 'e says. I bet if yew could track that robber down, like, he'd 'ave gobs of gold on him!"</em><br/><br/><hr/><br/>And not much further down the road, at the village of Darthmoor, a fighter stands around a crowd of peasants. Her armor is old and worn, the regalia of Lunarius worn off of it. It looks like it has seen many battles, but she wears it with honor and pride. Her weapon looks equally worn. To any, she looks like a simple sellsword, a mercenary out for coin. The profession has seen much growth in the past year, with the rampaging monsters. It takes a hardy fighter to keep the roads clear of Beryl's more mindless minions. Yet she is more than a simple mercenary; she is<strong>Makoto Tormenta</strong>, former knight and the last of Lunarius' military. She is a Star Crystal bearer and one of the strongest women on the continent.<br/><br/><em>"Please, miss, we don't 'ave much to pay you, but if'n you could help us... I... we can't farm out here so well anymore, not with the blight taintin' the ground.."</em>pleaded a villager.<br/><br/><em>"We need our money to buy food and supplies, but 'alf the village has been robbed! Even if we lock our doors an' windows, everythin' we have vanishes!"</em>said another.<br/><br/><em>"Miss, venture to the chapel over the hill, ask Father Avarus! He's the only one who's got a good look at the robber! If'n you can get our belongin's back, we'll pay you proper!"</em>asked the first.<br/>