It took much longer for it to become too dark, and by the time we stopped, both of the men were exhausted. They didn't bother with a fire, just laid down on a soft bit of earth and fell into a deep slumber. After helping me build a small fire, the Dwarf gave me a look that clearly said that I was taking the first shift, whether I liked it or not.
I sat in the silence, partially enjoying it, but glancing around nervously. I wasn't sure why, but something didn't feel quite right. Things felt eerie, and my companion's slumber was unusually deep. It was almost as if... No, it couldn't be... But it was. They had been enchanted.
Even now, I am uncertain who it was that cast the spell. It could have been Nicre, it could have been the Lady of the Wood (whoever she was at the time. For all I know, it could have been the Lady of Fortune herself. The fact remained however, that they had all been lured into an enchanted sleep, that could possibly prove deadly, and I had neither the skills nor tools to wake them.
I exaggerate slightly, though, I must admit. I panicked at the time, but looking back the answer was obvious. Cold water shocks the system in such a way that it proves quite effective for throwing off curses and enchantments. I didn't think of that at the time though, so I desperately went to each of my companions, shaking each of them in turn, and getting no response. Then I tried making a horrific amount of noise. Within a quarter-hour, I was distraught, sure that none of them would wake ever again. And then, to make matters worse, it began to rain.
That, of course, woke all of them up. They rose with grunts and grumbles, trying futilely to cover themselves from the pelting droplets. When the grogginess of sleep had worn off of them, they all saw me staring at them with a wide mouth and tears on my face. Sir Knocks was quick in an attempt to 'soothe' me, and I managed to get the whole story out through shuddering sobs. The dwarf and Sir Knocks looked worried, but Leonard Stone had a neutral expression on his face.
After I had calmed down we managed to create a shelter of sorts under the bows of a sturdy oak. The others were oddly refreshed after their enchanted slumber, and I was too wound up for sleep, so we sat in a circle, not saying much until the Dwarf asked,
"So who is this Nicre guy anyway? And why can't someone else take care of him?"
"Nicre is the Wizard of the North, and admittedly one of the most insane persons you will ever meet. Three summers ago though, he was as normal as any other Wizard. Not as normal as anyone else, but certainly not crazy like he is now. Well, that summer the order asked him to go into the Mountains to search for a cave that held the scroll of enlightenment. When he came back, there was something not right in him anymore. No one knows if it was the snow, or the searching, or if he was just crazy from the beginning, but about a week after his return, he snapped.
"With one badly placed fire spell, half of the Cathedral went up in flames. It was a mass of terror and chaos, with a good measure of panic thrown in as well. I wasn't there at the time (being on a quest myself), but all of the novice brothers were eager to tell me about it on my return. James refuses to talk about it though. He watched too many of his brothers die."
"Nicre had disappeared at that point, and I helped wherever I could with the reconstruction. It only took a fortnight for Nicre to return though. He literally flew in on a cloud of fire, his eyes lit in unholy rage. He fired at the Order's orchard, causing more damage than one would think imaginable. I was back at the Cathedral, so it took me a vital quarter-hour to get word. I ran with haste to where Nicre was terrorizing the brothers. I distracted him with a shout, and not even thinking about it, cast a spell that would shoot a stream of purified water in any direction I chose. It hit him square in the face, shocking him enough that he lost concentration. The fire-cloud he rode on vanished, and without his fury fanning them, the flames on the orchard died down.
"It wasn't easy to capture him though. It took all of the brothers and I chasing after him, firing spell after spell at him. It didn't help that the only spells the brothers could perform were light spells. After a chase that seemed to last hours, we caught him, and quickly threw him into a damp cell in the dungeon.
"The High Priest sentenced him to exile in the Cursed land, but didn't let him go until his fire emblem was confiscated and destroyed. Since he's back and attacking the Forest of peace, I'm assuming he found a way to create a new one."
"So... what you're saying through that greatly embellished and wandering story is that you defeated this firebug before out of pure luck."
"I prefer to think of it as intuition."
"Think of it however you'd like. I'm going back to sleep."
The dwarf laid down, and Leonard Stone quickly followed her example. Thankfully, they both fell into a nice natural sleep. Sir Knocks insisted that I too should sleep, and that he might as start his shift on watch. I acquiesced, and settled down with my blanket, starring blankly at the fire. I wondered if Nicre knew that I was coming for him. I wondered if he'd gotten any more crazy. These thoughts lulled me into slumber, neither getting a clear answer.
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