Kazeel opened his eyes to see  Cyrus standing in front of him and a large blue electrified shield was enveloping them. He looked around to come and focus on Falaina and Zalora starting to get up from what seemed like the floor of the hut, only it wasn't a hut anymore. It was rubble, and there was fire everywhere.

"What happened?" he gasped to Cyrus.

"Magic blast, Cyrus grunted. "We are lucky I caught it at the last minute or we'd all be dead."

Kazeel looked more around and saw in the distance of the hut where the village was located there was blazing flames running asunder to the roofs and screams of women, children echoed like wailing on the sea. "What is going on?! Why is our village on fire?

He started to walk in that direction as the shield around them dissipated. "Stay where you are Kazeel!!"

He looked at Cyrus who had a stern look on his face, only to stand  out of his way. "If you truly want to know, going down there will get you killed. What use will it help you?"

"How can you say that?!!!" Faliaina yelled at him. "Our families are down there!!"

"They are dead," Cyrus said. "The Dragon's Oracle waste no time on prisoners."

Kazeel tried running past them only for Cyrus grabbing him and slamming him to the ground. "Are you mad boy?"

Kazeel growled and fought at Cyrus to gain his footing, only for Cyrus  to place his foot on his chest. "Stop trying to go! Why are you so insistent?"

Zalora had rushed over to Cyrus to push him off Kazeel glancing at Cyrus, shaking her head. The half-elven sighed,looking away to the burning village away from them, his hand on the hilt of  his blade. Zalora embraced Kazeel whispering soothingly into his ear as he sat there shaking uncontrollably. "I'm sorry Kazeel, there is nothing we can do. The Dragon's Oracle is here to get the map we have."

"You mean nothing can be done? We are to let this happen? Our families, our home? Just up in flames?"
Kazeel said coldly. "A life for a coward at best"

"You can live and help to fight by helping me get the bloodstone," Cyrus said, turning towards their direction. "Stop them from spreading in the land. It's that simple. Sometimes it has to be this way. There will be plenty of time to fight. But that's not today."

"Although we could do something, I can see some wisdom to a degree," Falaina exhaustively replied, walking over to Kazeel helping him to his feet, his silence and eyes lost in the deep abyss of his thoughts. "As much as I don't want to agree now, it would be of a more disastrous if we do engage, let alone if we have a chance." I don't trust you Cyrus, but I trust our keeper"

Cyrus walked over past them looking to the mountain, stepping onto a stone, pointing in the very direction as he turned back to them. "We have a limited time frame, they were just sending fireballs in all directions, but they'll head over here soon. We must make haste."

"You are terrible," Falaina hissed, annoyed at his blatant ignoring her.  " No wonder you walk a lonely road. You humans and half-humans are so alike."

"Well if we are going to debate, " Cyrus retorted, hopping down heading into the woods, leading the way with full strides of speed. "Perhaps you can answer this. What makes you elves any different?"

"What is that supposed to mean? We don't go and pillage other places just because we can!!"

"Hmm, it's not just that," Cyrus said as they rushed through, "Perhaps you can enlighten me as to what makes you different. Besides there are those that are pillaging are condemned on other parts of the land, including quite some humans from the southern territories. So you elven need to jump down from you false pedestal."

They began to go left and notice the elevation started to rise within a few minutes. As they began to ascend the hill, they came to a small clearing and could make out a few dozen figures in the distance around the hut they abandoned . They seemed to be searching for survivors.

"Keep moving," Zalora said, tapping her staff to the ground, sending out a pollen like material of dust gliding behind them from where the walked. "I put a spell on the area to mask our scent."

"Wait, what is that down there? I though there were humans?"Falaina noticed, as the closest being she could see was a rather disfigured creature,  bipedal, but with a grotesque greenish black skin, batty type ears, eyes dark as coal, adorned with a skins of what looked like wildlife and tattered trousers. It carried a curved sword rusted with what looked like blood.

"The Dragon's Oracle is comprised of high ranking Mages that command the Orcs of Korvantur" Cyrus said, "They also command a vast army north of Hashenkalt. These very orc hordes have been laying siege to some villages to the north east of Orenheim."

They passed on onto the rocky path, until Zalora stopped. "Cyrus, we need to teleport a good distance I'll prepare the portal."

Cyrus nodded, unsheathing his blade black with reddish runic inscriptions, each flaring like fire. He stabbed the sword into the ground, muttering some words that Kazeel couldn't make out, yet it sounded familiar. Soon the rocks that was beneath them lifted and shot straight towards the ensuing crowd that started to head into the forest.

The sound of trees being smashed and cries of inhuman screeching rang and vibrated in the air as he Cyrus pulled out his blade out the ground. Sheathing it, he walked to Zalora who had created a fiery blue void in front of her. "We must make haste. We'll be a good distance away. Let's go."

Kazeel glanced at the ongoing flames erupting off his home as the ensuing surge of the goblin/orc horde continued up to their direct. He frowned and walked into the void with Falaina in tow and the others in tow.

They entered out on a beaten path, on what looked like a road that got traveled. "I got us a few miles away from the village. Cyrus we should head to the east to Thorendale. The elven council need to know."

"Do what you think is best," He said, walking down the road. "We will need to get to the nearest village, also we might want to avoid some of the devout clerics of the newfound Holy Order. They can be very annoying and very dangerous."

"Didn't know humans worshipped anything with their idiocy and need for war," Falaina snapped. "Then again, they might worship the gods for war and strife."

"Are you finished?" Cyrus grunted as he turned back to her. "You want to complain, go complain to someone that cares. Because it's a waste of time!"

He then returned back to walking forward, silent as the awkwardness of the silence that pervaded the air as the rest followed behind the half elven male before them.