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"When we got to the village we found their bodies. Your parents. But when we didn't find yours. I had thought maybe you were found and safe. Or maybe the wolves or other predators got you. You were so small then." His eyes show wetness and turning red. "After we buried my sister and her husband I thought we'd never see you again. I've never been so glad to be wrong despite the armour."

Jackie blinked, still confused. Memories were slowly beginning to come back to her. Her eyes began to water once she remembered who Jaqyl was. She quickly went over and hugged him tightly, her armor clanking against his.

He embraces Jackie back.
"Over ten years. You surely have grown. A Paladin no less. A Y'kish Paladin." He laughs.

"I'm not technically a Paladin." Jackie said. "I'm still in training." She said said.

"You're part of their order. A Y'kish. I'm surprised Wilhelm did take you in. Most other would have cut you down like a dog." He glared to the door. "But he took care of you. I couldn't thank him enough for that."

"Not all of them are bad." Jackie said. "I mean some of them are pretty terrible but not all of them." Jackie said.

Jaqyl looks to the window and sees the setting sun.
"Your mission is as dangerous as you claim isn't it? Everything that was said about these Necromantic Chimera?" He looks to Jackie concerned. It was easy to see he was scared to lose her again.

Jackie nodded. "Yeah. It is." She said. She decided it was best to avoid going into further detail onto how dangerous the Chimera could be. She didn't want Jaqyl worrying too much about her safety.

"I should be going. Deployment is in the morning. I suggest you get some rest." He puts on his helmet and heads to the door. Hand on the handle he pauses. "Jakii. I'm glad you're doing well." He says heading out.

"Night Uncle." Jackie said, before taking off her armor and lying down for bed.

Jaqyl returned to the High Chieftain to report. He was then given orders for the morning after a small briefing and returned to the barracks for rest. Meanwhile Wilhelm was struggling to sleep. Since the battle with that hybrid Chimera at the outpost he hadn't been sleeping right. He was somewhat obsessed with the Chimera and their strange creator. He struggled to sleep most nights and his dreams were plagued with the images of the decaying beast and screams of those devoured by the deformed jaws. He laid in his bed, surprisingly soft considering the castles frozen build. He managed to fall asleep likely due to exhaustion about two hours later. Throughout the night the nightmares returned. The Chimera and the Revenant. But why he couldn't think. Something about the ghostly being unsettled him more then normal. Something he couldn't shake. It was a restless night but morning would soon break.

Jackie didn't sleep well either. She laid in bed, trying to remember more of her birth family, but only remembering the bits and pieces she already knew, primarily her being alone in a burning village, crying for her parents. Once she did fall asleep, she too had nightmares, finding herself in the carnage of her home village being destroyed but being unable to do anything to stop it, even with her magic and training. She kept waking up throughout the night due to her nightmares.

It wasn't long before the sun rose. Whilst it couldn't be directly seen, its light easily went through the ice, lighting up the capital. Jackie groaned, opening her eyes. She sat up and looked around her room, before sighing and getting out of bed.

Wilhelm rose from bed at the crack of dawn. Eyes bagged with a night of restless sleep. He made his way over to a basin filled with water and washes his face. The cold liquid shocked him to wake fully. Drying he proceeded to get on his armour. Outside the soldiers were informed they would not be allowed to go with the Paladins to their next destination. When they asked for further reasoning they were told it was high ranking business. Their was underlying aggression as the Y'kish of several species snarled. They kept professional but teeth were often shown and weapons emphasized.

Jackie got dressed as well, before stepping out of her room. She found Alrick, Jaqyl, and Motiib waiting out in the hallway for them. "Morning Uncle." Jackie muttered, rubbing one of her eyes. Alrick raised a brow at the mention of Uncle. "Uncle?" He questioned. He knew she wasn't talking to him. He glanced at the other two Y'kish and immediately pieced together that she was referring to Jaqyl. He smiled. "I'm glad she found more of her family here." He said, patting Jaqyl on the shoulder.

Wilhelm caught the back end of the conversation but looked rather surprised by the claim.
"Family?" He looks between Jaqyl and Jackie. "Him?" He says looking confused. "She has family?" He whispers, seeming somewhat bewildered. Jaqyl shook his head.
"Yes. Paladin Jackie is my niece. But that plays nothing on the mission at hand." He stamps his halberd. "If you'd follow me."

They followed after Jaqyl and Motiib as they headed through the city. "We gonna be using Drakes on this trip?" Jackie asked. "No. The path up the mountains is too hostile for them." Motiib said. "If the drakes are incapable of making the trip, how can we?" Alrick asked. "The Y'kish have a natural resistance to the cold, and the same inner flame a Dragon has." Motiib explained, glancing over her shoulder at Alrick. "With a charm you two will have a similar effect and hsould do fine." Motiib explained, before looking forward. "Wait so our insides are on fire?" Jackie asked, eliciting a laugh from Motiib. Jackie blinked. "I don't get it." She said.

"It means the way we produce flame. When Y'kish mature we're able to produce flame similar to dragons. It's done through a sac in our chests." Jaqyl explains.
"Rather efficient fire too." Wilhelm adds. He had been at the front of a Y'kish flaming breath during the war. It was hardly a pleasant feeling to say the least.

"Sounds kinda boring compared to having flaming insides." She muttered. They stopped by a mystic. They put a charm on Wilhelm and Alrick. The two would feel a sudden warmth from within them. Once they were done, they collected the needed supplies for the journey, before heading off.

"Well in times of illness or the sac being broken our people have been known to burst into flames from the inside." Jaqyl says smirking to Jackie. Once they made their way to the gates they were presented with military Drakes. These were much the same animal wise as the last but had armour on and their ferocity was somehow more prominent.

"Didn't you say it would be too harsh for the Drakes?" Alrick questioned. "Yes." Motiib responded. "These are merely to carry our supplies to the outskirts of the Mystic's territory, and to take us to said boarder. Otherwise this tirp would take far longer than it normally would." Motiib said, as she mounted one of the drakes. Alrick nodded and climbed up onto his drake, as did Jackie with hers. "Whyn ot put a charm on the drakes?" Jackie questioned. "They already have the internal flame, but their bodies are too large for it to work as effectively as it does in us and true dragons." Motiib explained. "The Charm we put on your humans wouldn't effect the Drakes. And any charm we put on them that would increase the power of their internal flame would run the risk of cooking it from the inside out." She added.