(OOC: Wow, already been left behind in the dust...:P Lol. This turned out to be a long post. Just trying to move the story plot along and finally get to Beira...lol)<br/><br/>Jeil pushed his hands against the door, opening it. Inside was another normal room of the inn, except that it was clear someone had spent a night here. On the table was a book, such an innocent item that froze the blood in Jeil's veins. It was a copy of<em>The Rise and Fall of the Noble Empire</em>, and Jeil had read it once before.<em>How would a book only found in the heart of LayGuard find its way here?</em>He walked over, and ran his hands over the worn tomb. It was written by Lestat Arfindol, one of the most famous historians in the known world. He was primarily a traveler, looking for the histories and wonders of the world. Though a citizen of LayGuard, he rarely spent any time in the city.<br/><br/><em>Could this be the original?</em>Jeil wondered. He noticed that there was a piece of parchment sticking out of the tomb. Carefully extracting he began to read.<br/><br/><em>To the Fallen Star-<br/>Whatever may have happened 20 years ago, it is the the present that we must be focused upon. I regretted those days of violence, and fear. The terrible massacres, and deaths of innocents, of an empire. My how time seems to stand still, and rushes by so quickly. It seems in the blink of an eye, I have become an old man, and you, you have grown from that boy I used to know. Though my time upon this world diminishes with each passing second, your life is yet to begin, and I wish and for always, the best.<br/><br/>I know that you have never forgotten the terrible events that had occurred. Why would you? You were 6 at that time, old enough to have lost all your innocence. It was in the ruins of Grandon that I had found you. I'm sure you remember what happened afterward, the times we spent together. I considered you to be my son, treated you as such, and somewhere deep down, hoping that the good that came between us would cast out the bitterness and hatred you feel everyday, when you walk out into the throng of LayGuard citizens. I see that that was impossible, but in our times, I feel that at least you have learned enough to keep an open mind, never letting hatred and revenge warp your soul.<br/><br/>I hoped you would come to see that there are always two sides to the same story, and that is why I now leave you with my original work dedicated to the noble Grandon city. I fear that your journey has just begun, and that you have yet to choose your fate, your legacy. What I had written in the book was true. During the destruction of Grandon, not only you, but many others as well fled the scene. Many are still alive today. Though what had happened to the Queen of Grandon, no one knows. Suffice to say that the only head that rolled that day was of Grandon's King.<br/><br/>Grandon was never a strong dominion, yet its power flowed from nature, the surroundings, and from life itself. Legend has it that the dragons once made a pact with Grandon, and would come to its aid. I've always wondered where they were when LayGuard attacked, but this was only legend, never proven, at least by outsiders. I doubt that Grandon would guard this information lightly. However, there was a prophecy given by a seer of LayGuard. I was one of the few who heard it before the seer was imprisoned, but it depicted the rise of Grandon and its people again through the vessel of an individual born to civilization with the heart of a dragon.<br/><br/>Like I've said, there are many paths before you. Follow your heart, and trust your instincts.<br/>-Arfy</em><br/><br/>Jeil sat, momentarily dazed. This was beyond anything he imagined.<em>Who was this Falling Star? What does the rise of Grandon mean? More importantly, how did this message end up here?</em>In a flash, Jeil realized something. That this important information is here means that whoever the Falling Star was, he wasn't here. It also meant that those six 'robbers' and that innkeeper might not have been what they seemed, for they very likely have read this.<em>Shit.</em><br/><br/>Racing downstairs, Jeil just barely caught the words "...against LayGuard...Would you join me?" Jeil glanced around. The innkeeper was nowhere in sight.<em>Hell.</em>One of the prisoners was awake. Jeil faced Rekka and Pixie, putting a finger to his lips in a shhhh manner. Grabbing a water skin from the nearby bar, he emptied the contents upon that man's face, who proceeded to sputter. Whispering to Rekka and Pixie, "Sorry, I had to make sure he wasn't still under your influence or anything. This is important. If you want to look away, do so."<br/><br/>Placing his thumbs against the man's artery on the neck, Jeil looked the man in the eyes. "Calm down, if you know what's good for you. Now, I'm not like my friends here, so I suggest you think carefully about what you say if you want to live. Now, what's your name?"<br/><br/>The man gulped. "A..a..anin." Jeil noticed no notable change in the man's pulse, nor eyes. "Good. Now Anin, I know you want to live, so I suggest you tell me the truth. Otherwise..." Jeil put pressure upon the man's neck just to prove his point. "Now, who do you work for? Who sent you?"<br/><br/>The man looked bewildered. "What? I was with my fellow theives, we don't work for anyone," he said quickly, too quickly. His eyes had darted and his pulse had skyrocketed. Jeil tsk-tsked. Calming reaching down and grabbing the man's left pinky, he started bending it backwards. It was crude, but efficient. The screams started. "Allright, allright, I'll tell you..." Jeil relaxed the pressure. "I was hired by the innkeeper. I don't know nothing about him, except he paid us to accost any travelers who seemed suspicious." He was telling the truth.<br/><br/>Turning to Rekka and Pixie, making sure the man was hearing him, he announced, "I really wish you two hadn't been so...open...in your discussion of LayGuard rebellion. I don't know how much the innkeeper heard, but as you can clearly see, he already ran off. So, change of plans. We'll head back towards the town we just left and lie low for a while." Turning back towards the prisoner, Jeil swiftly knocked him out with a punch.<br/><br/>Jeil looked annoyed at his traveling companions. "I can't believe just traveling with you two made me a hell of a fugitive against one of the strongest empires around...We need to talk Rekka. Just not here. We need to leave tonight. Tomorrow, I bet you tons of LayGuard soldiers are going to be here. I don't know how, but it seems like there were people in LayGuard who was on a lookout for you, or someone with your appearances anyways. We'll leave the prisoners here. I fed him some false information to give us time. We're still headed for Beira, so grab a horse Rekka. You, my friend, are about to get a crash course in how to run like the wind on horseback." Heading towards the door, Jeil had a second thought, and turned to the other soldier, the one he dispatched. That soldier still had his money pouch, which Jeil promptly took. Heading outside, Jeil took out a coin, and flipped it towards Rekka and Pixie. It had the crown of the LayGuard empire.