To the stations!

Narrator Note//: Holy shit! 100k views and 800 likes! I never expected anything like this for my story! I can't put into words my appreciation for everyone who has viewed, liked, bookmarked and favourited my dinky little story. I know my story can get a bit rough sometimes but the people who have stayed through it all, I humbly thank all of you so, so much. Now, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I will be back at the end of the prologue. Until then dear readers!

THIRTY MINUTES LATER:

The group have all split up from the Kauldron and are doing their part of the plan. Kyuala and Radvar have begun to rally support to help them and the guards fight against Imoga's forces.

Lani, Terra and Cidal have been working away, trying to figure out some sort of way to give the friendly forces a boost against the undead. Amilia is still a little pissed off due to her surprise bath but has managed to get Sylus who is trying to gather as many of his weapons as he can for the people.

Up in the watchtower however, the trio of Daffy, Johtun and John are intently scanning the area just outside of Reduna'z Gaze.

Daffy twirls one of her bolts in her fingers, trying to alleviate some of the silent boredom. Johtun doesn't seem to mind the silence however as he carefully scans the treeline a few hundred feet away.

John on the other hand is curious and since they have time to kill, he asks, "So, commander-".

"Please, call me Johtun".

"Okay, so, Johtun... where are you from? If you don't mind me asking".

Johtun chuckles at the young mans question, "It is fine my friend. Well, I should preface that I am not from any of the continents... I am from a small island known as Amornia".

That name draws Daffy's attention as she excitedly asks, "Wait! Amornia?! As in the island of warrior women?!".

Johtun laughs again, "Yes, the one and the same".

"Hold on..." John says, "There's an island of warrior women?".

"There is. It is an amazing place, not just the warriors but the architecture, the woodlands, and it has the clearest water you could ever imagine".

The dwarf and human are in awe of the description of this place but as John listens, he begins to draw a comparison from home.

"It sounds just like Themyscira".

The two look at John and Johtun asks, "What is this... Themyscira you speak of?".

"Oh, it's this fictitious island of warrior women in these books called comics that people read on my world".

Johtun is intrigued, "Hmm, interesting. I never expected such a similarity even if it is in fictitious form but I have to ask; where are you from John?".

John isn't shocked that this question was asked but he's definitely a little apprehensive on how to answer due to the others reactions. At the fore front of his mind is Lani's warning about people taking advantage of drop-ins, making them slaves etc.

However, from what John has seen and heard about Johtun, he is a good man but even a good man can't know his true origins and so he simply says, "Ooh, uhh, my world is called... Urath".

"Yes! That Invincible binge watch totally paid off" John thinks to himself,

"U-rath. Hmm, sounds strange. Please tell me, what is this Urath like?".

John is internally shocked again, hoping that the name would be enough, "Uhh... well... let's see...".

John spends the next few minutes running over a base description of "Urath" which to those who know, seems a lot like Earth.

"I... uhh... wow!" Is all that Johtun can say, amazed by John's description.

"You say there's buildings as tall as the sky? How is that even possible without magic?" Johtun asks with childlike intrigue which makes John chuckle. He even looks over and sees that Daffy seems to be just as invested as the commander.

"Well... it's pretty much just machinery. We have these massive things called 'cranes' that can lift tonnes and tonnes of weight up to crazy heights. Of course people control them and there's definitely a lot more too it but I don't have much more knowledge about it i'm afraid".

This explanation seemed to be enough as the duo are in awe of the mental image alone.

Eventually, Johtun snaps out of this awe as he says, "Thank you for answering my queries but we really should get back to scouting".

The other two nod in agreeance as they get back into their positions to scan the nearby area.

A few minutes pass by of silent scanning goes by until Johtun once again speaks, "I must apologise to you John".

John is confused, "Why do you have to apologise?".

"Because... I asked you about your old world yet I haven't even told you much more about my own home island, so please... ask away".

John is stunned, unsure of what to ask first but after a few seconds of deliberation, he decides to simply ask, "What are the people like?".

Johtun happily chuckles, "Where to begin? Well, the warriors there are among some of the best in the world, some of the strongest too. I guess I should mention that they are all very tall as well, you'll be incredibly challenged to find someone under eight feet tall and the tallest I remember seeing was around twelve feet. Oh... I suppose I should mention that they are all orange as well".

John is immediately confused by that last detail, "Wait... did you just say... orange?".

Johtun chuckles, "I did".

John is now the intrigued one as he looks at Johtun, seeing a pale skinned man before asking, "So... you're an Amornian...".

"You're going to ask why i'm not orange, correct?".

John doesn't respond, feeling a little ashamed of his question.

Johtun chuckles again, "It's fine, it's only natural to ask. So, to start, my mother was obviously a Amornian but my father was a half-elven priest from a nearby island called Regalla. Amornia and Regalla were at war for a few years but eventually there was some talks of peace to end the conflict, while these talks were happening, prisoners were exchanged in good faith... one of those prisoners was my father".

"That wis during the Nine Year War right?" Daffy asks.

"Correct... nine long years of bloodshed led to my birth. Anyway, my mother was tasked with guarding my father during the duration of the talks which lasted around five months... so it's safe to say that they spent a while together. They formed a trust for one another which eventually turned to love which was quickly met with lust and as the talks were coming to an end... my mother became pregnant with myself. My father was allowed by the Amornians to go return however he decided to stay due to the bonds he had already formed during his time there. The moment he decided to stay, he and my mother moved in together and raised me from then... until my father fell during an attack".

Johtun's expression then turns to one of pain after that last part, "My mother was absolutely distraught but her love for me never waivered. She taught me the ways of the warriors of the island but when I became old enough, I travelled into the world with the support of my mother. I wanted to test my mettle around the world and have done so for the past thirteen years".

"Wow... makes my story seem like a fairy-tale now".

The trio laugh about John's quick response but after they settle back down, Johtun looks to Daffy and asks her, "What about you Daffodil? What is your story?".

Daffy is a little taken aback, not expecting to be brought into the conversation, "Ehh... well... i'm no really that interesting tae be honest. I'm the offspring of two traders, got a brother that works wae my uncle who runs a forge in Grunchell, learned tae use the crossbow young and done so ever since".

"Honing your craft with a singular weapon, a respectable trait. I have met many a man who think they are a great warrior because they sparsely train with a multitude of weaponry yet are easily bested by a well-trained fighter with a single instrument of battle".

"Ooh... well... thank you for the kind words, Johtun" Daffy replies.

"You are most welcome Daffy... what about you John?".

John takes a moment before speaking, "Well, before coming here, I was working in a store, aimlessly stocking shelves before getting dragged here. I hadn't actually trained with any weapons until I came here either. Not long after my brief training with Kyuala, I had to fight the Darkcross and... killed someone for the first time. It was... jarring".

"It's always a harrowing experience for any person, unless you are truly detached but at that point, you aren't a true person anymore".

There's an eerie silence that follows Johtun's words, everyone's mind switching back to the threat that's currently on the horizon.

The worsening weather makes seeing any specific movement difficult, especially to the untrained eyes of John and Daffy but Johtun's sight is more focused, like an eagles. He scans the environment, searching for even the smallest of movements not caused by Mother Nature.

As he scans the treeline, he catches a quick glimpse of something red and so his gaze immediately snap back toward the tree to which he sees... nothing.

He could easily surmise it as a simple trick of the mind however the warrior sense within him won't let go of that small glimpse so easy.

Johtun intensely continues his scan, getting more and more quietly frustrated but just as he's about to stop for a moment, that's when they all hear it.

"ARGHHHHHH!".

The trio immediately rush over to the left side, searching for the source of the scream. As John and Daffy look over the nearby area, Johtun is sent back to just a few hours ago, the initial attack.

The traumatic memories flood back, seeing his men fall one-by-one to the horde. Their screams, their terror, rings within his head.

Johtun is eventually snapped out of his trance as the trio hear bells echoing throughout the town but not just any bells...

The warning bells that signal an impending attack.

The trio look amongst each other, fear in their hearts as Johtun says two simple words,

"They're here".