There had been a lot going on. Emerath seemed to be everywhere, and doing everything. But there was always that nagging feeling that he felt. Like something had been lost in the shuffle of being too busy playing the game. Like something important hadn't been ironed out. There was a loose end somewhere. But where?

As Emerath sat on the ongoing contstruction of the Northwatch wall, looking out at the sunset after another day of helping with the rebuilding efforts, he seemed to have gotten his answer. Someone named Orin brought him a letter, and it all came back to him. "That's right. The Caenis. Oh man, Rodger is going to be so excited when he finds out that we're leading an expedition into the unknown! And to help save the Caenis people no doubt!" Emerath told Orin, who seemed specifically only to care about getting Emerath to the palace as quickly as possible.

Emerath relinquished, and followed Orin, his mind going a mile a minute. There were a few key things he understood from the letter. One, Astorea was really interested in the Caenis. Enough that a couple of adventurers were about to break new ground. Two, Emerath was about to meet the head of an esteemed organization. Not just a representative. The leader! Three, Emerath might be about to meet the king! Finally!

Emerath had heard much about King Astor. He had even bet on him once in the Dark Harvest Festival. But he would be lying if he said he really knew anything about the man. At best, Emerath had joined at the tail end of a war with another nation, and he had really only cared because he saw the pain and suffering in the people of Astorea. But to say that he cared about Astorea because of the man leading it would be a lie. Perhaps a meeting like this could change that.

------

After a good trek back to the city and up to the palace, Emerath found himself in a room designated specifically for the meeting of Cessia, Rodger, and Emerath. Orin disappeared shortly after leading him here, and he could only hope that it was because they were going to go get Cessia. Or Rodger. He'd be happy to see either. Happier to see Rodger.

As Emerath thought about it, he realized it had been a good bit since he had seen the man. Perhaps he had just been busy. Emerath couldn't fault him for that. It was a wonder Emerath found so much time to play sometimes.

These thoughts continued to run through his mind, as he stared at the letter and tried his best to be formal and contain his excitement for the task at hand. Though, if anyone were truly paying attention, they'd notice that Emerath was practically vibrating in place from his excitement.

 

Rodger sat atop a downed log, eating his kill over an open fire. He'd been sharpening his skills over the last few weeks, an attempt to go on more dangerous quests. Rodger had managed to break away for his work to finally log back in and resume the role of the hunter. He didn't realize how much he missed the game until he was back in the saddle so to speak. Bow in hand, he tackled the wilds with a vigor that was both mentally and physically refreshing.

Lunch finished, he dug through his pack and took inventory of all that he'd manage to acquire in the past few weeks. It had taken a lot of effort, but he managed to gain some pretty materials for trap making. He hadn't really expanded on his trapping skill, most of his focus was on keeping his arrows straight and hitting his shots, but now that he gained a handle on that he was looking to increase his arsenal. 'I'll have to make sure to be prepare for when trouble calls. Emerath and Comet won't always be there.'

Rodger pulled up the letter that he'd gotten a few days ago, a smile forming as he read it again. A steward named Orion had delivered it to him just before he was set to venture back into the brush. The offer that they'd extended to the Caenis was apparently accepted in official capacity. Now he and Emerath were being summoned to the Palace to meet with someone name Cessia to discuss it further, a truly exciting turn of events for him. 'Its been a while since I've meet up with him, wonder what he's been up to?'

Finishing his meal, Rodger began to gather his supplies and extinguish the fire. It was time to head back to Astorea.

----

The Palace was just as impressive inside as it was out. Shimmering banners, fine cloths and carpets, all of it kept pristine even in the rebuilding process. The same steward, Orion, had lead him to the waiting room where he spied a familiar face, "Well look what the cat dragged in."

Rodger didn't even try to keep the smile from his face or voice, offering his former and likely current partner a pat on the shoulder as he greeted him. "So, looks like the Caenis decided to accept our offer after all. The letter said something about funding for this expedition of ours, but I wonder if more people are coming with us. I mean, if its you and me then I know we can handle anything that comes our way, but we'd still be pushing our luck ya, know what I mean?"

 

Emerath turned when he heard a familiar voice, and he was overjoyed to see that his good buddy had made it to the meeting. Not that Emerath had any doubt, of course. But it was still refreshing to see the man. It had been quite some time since they had gone on an adventure. Last thing Emerath remembered was them being a part of the three way tie in the Dark Harvest, and then their schedules had just never matched up from there.

But life couldn't keep men on a mission apart like this for long. And here they were, about to go on an adventure. Emerath patted Rodger on the back as Rodger patted him on the shoulder and said, "Looks like they did. We probably wouldn't be here if they had denied us." Emerath gave his friend a wink, before thinking more about the aforementioned expedition, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I feel like more people on the expedition would defeat the idea of what I thought was a scouting mission, but we are going into unknown territory, and who knows when we'll be back? I suppose it makes sense to back this up with known explorers and good funds. We could end up traveling with some real legends, you know?" Emerath chuckled and followed it up with, "Not that we won't be legends ourselves, I mean, after we travel into unknown lands and save the Caenis people, uniting them into a powerful force for good. Yeah?"

The thought actually made Emerath incredibly happy. Despite his arrogance and somewhat unfeeling nature at times, he wasn't one to watch a people get oppressed. He had seen Snefrid fight, and he had seen her brutality. To imagine that the Caenis people still suffered under that was heart wrenching. "We'll do everything we can to save them. I won't have lied to that prisoner," Emerath's tone taking a bit more of a serious tune. He wasn't sure exactly what the rest of the expedition would have in mind, but he had his mission. He'd see it through to the end.