`Alright then, be careful on the road.’ The guard let their small caravan through without much issue. Security was tightened significantly after the recent events that had taken place in and around the Celeran Canopy. The atmosphere had changed completely during the dreary winter that Kaylirr spent mostly bedridden. His wounds were serious and he fell ill for a while. Towards the end of the whole ordeal, he wasn’t quite sure if the voices he’d heard were even real or just hallucinations.
`Good thing we found another job on the way to Larania, right, lad?’ Sairoc was as optimistic as always. The caravan they were guarding this time around was carrying a lot less than the previous ones, but it was only the two of them now. They disbanded their mercenary company and took their savings to go towards the Zargahal Mountains in the east. Rumor had it that a guide in Larania, a small elven settlement on the outskirts of the Celeran Canopy, was willing to bring people to an entrance to the dwarven mountains. Sairoc had never been there before and there was talk of strange evils wandering the forests. They were lucky enough to find a merchant that was heading in the same direction and they offered their services in return for pay. They were hobbling alongside the cart as the rain that had been pestering them all morning slowly started to dissipate. The sun peeked through the clouds and before noon arrived, the weather had turned into a sunny spring day. `So what brings you young folk to Larania, then?’ the old merchant asked. 
`I got a mate in the mountains that I haven’t seen in a while, I’m going to see if he’s still kicking.’ Sairoc replied. Their horses were keeping pace with the merchant’s wagon.
`I see, that’s mighty brave of you all, considering the dangers lurking right now.’
Sairoc laughed. `Dangers have to wake up pretty early to get us down, don’t you worry about us now, old man.’ He let out a deep sigh. `Besides, we’ve got important matters to discuss, so we can’t sit on our asses and wait for the world to become peaceful.’
The old man chuckled. `It’s always dangerous, no matter how long you wait.’
`Ain’t that the truth.’ 
Kaylirr had stayed silent throughout the exchange. He still wasn’t feeling his best, but he was well enough to travel. He hoped that his recovery would continue on their way to the mountains, which was quite a journey. By the time they’d reach the dwarven stronghold inside, he hoped his wounds would have mostly healed. The itching was killing him, though. The strange feeling of metal on his flesh was something he hadn’t quite gotten used to yet. Against his own advice, Sairoc had continued to work on the metal lantern construction that he had talked about and this was now dangling from the metal frame on his arm. There was some oil and a wick in the lantern, but Kaylirr wasn’t quite sure what the point of it all was. At least Sairoc designed it in such a way that the lantern could be removed and replaced with something else. It was honestly quite a well-designed system, with latches and hooks, but he would never dare to admit it to the dwarf. He was already way too proud of what he had made.
Evening came all too quickly and they set up camp on the side of the road. They were still far enough out from the forest to not be too worried, but they’d have to take watches just to be safe. With only two of them, that meant they were facing a couple of short nights.
The merchant invited them to sit with him for dinner and they talked about the local trade routes for a while before the merchant and Sairoc went to sleep. Kaylirr sat next to the fire while keeping watch. The flames danced in front of his eyes as the pain from losing his arm flashed through his mind. He kept thinking back to that moment. The voices in his head, the burning pain of losing his arm and then the strange meeting he had in the forest. Some of it still felt like he had hallucinated it, but there were too many weird things going on for him to be certain.

As he sat there, he closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again, he was back in that forest clearing.
`Good to see your arm recovering.’  Facing him stood a woman with teal-colored eyes and bright pink hair. She wore it in a braid that reached down to her waist. She was taller than Kaylirr, and he wasn’t exactly short himself. She was holding a candle in one of her hands. On a tree branch above the woman sat an elderly man with skeletal wings.
`I’m sorry, have we met before?’
`Apologies, our souls are unstable right now, so the way you perceive us might change from meeting to meeting,’ the woman smiled. `I’m Elett.’
Kaylirr took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks a couple of times and then opened his eyes again. `So is this a dream, or what’s going on here?’
`We’re in your subconsciousness right now, to be precise. So calling it a dream is somewhat accurate.’ She lifted her hand and the candle melted into wax that dripped down and formed a sword. It was an exact replica of the one that Kaylirr had still on him, the one that they took from the noble after they were raided. Kaylirr apparently wouldn’t let go of it and Sairoc managed to convince the nobleman that they had to keep it. He did have to pay a lot of gold for it though, which is why they were mostly broke right now.
`So you’re that sword, or something like that?’
Elett nodded. `My brother and I were locked into these two blades by an evil creature that lived in the same forest as we did. After he trapped us in here, he sold us to an arcanist who brought us to your capital city. We spent a lot of time in deep slumber, so we don’t know exactly what happened and why we were brought here, but when you unsheathed us, we regained some consciousness. That is also why our thoughts came flooding into you all at once, which I can only apologize for.’
Kaylirr nodded. `That sure wasn’t great, but I suppose that wasn’t your fault then.’ He pondered for a second. `The last time we met, you said something about four locks, what is that all about?’
`Ah, that is a very good question indeed. You see, we were locked into these swords by very powerful magic. This magical spell involves four locks. Those four locks can be destroyed individually. If you do so, we’ll regain our freedom.’
`And how do I do that?’
The woman sighed and sat down on the forest floor, cross legged. The ground around her started growing all sorts of small flowers, and vines started enveloping her lower body. `I don’t know.’
Silence filled the clearing for a while, before she spoke again. `All I know is that these blades were forged by a dwarven blacksmith who lives deep in the mountains at the edge of the world.’
`Do you mean the Zargahal Mountains?’
`I do not know what these Zargahal Mountains are, but it’s possible. These mountains at the edge of the world are the place where the realm elevator is located. I don’t know if that means anything to you.’
Kaylirr thought for a second, but he wasn’t quite knowledgeable about things like magic, realms or even mountains. `We are heading to the Zargahal Mountains to meet up with a buddy of Sairoc.’ He looked at Elett. `Do you know who Sairoc is?’
Elett nodded. `The dwarven companion who is travelling with you. He seems like an extremely capable person.’
Kaylirr smiled. `That he is for sure.’ He sat down as well; if he was in his own subconsciousness, he might as well get comfortable. Strangely enough, his arm didn’t hurt at all right now. `He has a friend who lives there. This friend of his apparently studied at the Arcane Archipelago for a couple years, so we figured he might know more about magical swords.’
Elett seemed to think about this for a second. `That’s not a bad place to start.’ She stared into the distance. `We will speak again in the near future, but for now, please continue healing – you are our hope right now, so we need you to be in a good condition.’
Kaylirr’s vision started to get blurry again and the world around slowly darkened. `What about the lantern?’ he asked.
`That will come in handy later,’ Elett’s voice said before everything went black again. He woke up from Sairoc poking him in the side. `My turn,’ the dwarf said.
Kaylirr nodded and went to lie down. He fell asleep almost immediately.

The next day went by uneventful, as did the following couple of days. Before they knew it, they reached Larania. The settlement was definitely something else when compared to the main cities of the Fyrston Empire. First of all, one had to travel about three hours into the forest itself before even reaching the edge of town. 
The canopy was thick above them as they made their way over the dirt path. The merchant had gone in this general direction before and knew the way. Even though it was still daytime, the surrounding area was quite dark due to the covering trees and it was quite ominous how the shadows seemed to almost sway in the wind.
`Are we almost there?’ Sairoc asked. `I’m not a big fan of forests.’
The merchant chuckled. `Calm yourself, dwarf, it shouldn’t be much farther now.’ He pointed in the direction they were traveling. `See those lights over there? That’s the edge of town.’
`Greetings,’ a voice said in front of them as they reached the torches that were placed near the outskirts of town. `What brings you to Larania?’ Three elves stepped onto the road. None of them were armed, but Kaylirr quickly spotted another two sitting up in the trees.
`We mean no harm, my buddy and I are just passing through, and this merchant here has been here before.’ Kaylirr stepped in front of the wagon, one arm outward.
`Let me see your hands so I can make sure you’re not holding a weapon.’
Kaylirr removed his cloak, revealing that his arm was missing. `As you can see, although I am definitely well-armed, I’m not about to start any trouble.’
The elf who asked took a step back, clearly feeling bad about asking after seeing Kaylirr’s situation. `Very well, you may enter.’
`Much obliged.’ Kaylirr readjusted his cloak and they walked into town, alongside the cart and their horses.
The town was built into the forest as much as a dwarven town would be built into the mountains. Houses and trees intertwined and ladders and wooden stairs were carved into the trees themselves. Everything was covered in faint lantern and torch light to make up for the shade cast by the dense canopy.
At the center of the town, the merchant said his goodbyes. `I appreciate the protection, even though it seems the journey here went without hiccups.’
Kaylirr smiled. `You never know what will happen out there, so it never hurts to be careful. Then if everything turns out okay, that’s a good thing for everyone involved.’
The merchant laughed. `That is very true, young man.’ He handed them a sack of coins and, after Kaylirr had a quick look through it, he nodded. `Thank you for your business and good luck on your venture.’
The merchant waved at them as they walked away, towards the nearby inn. 
The inn was carved from a giant willow. Most trees around here were larger than any in other parts of the Empire, but this one was almost in a league of its own. Three different buildings were carved into its large trunk: a general store, a town center, and an inn. Outside the inn was a sign attached to a small pole, with a lantern hanging from it. The sign read Celeran’s Outpost.
`This is the place,’ Sairoc said. Kaylirr followed his friend into the building. As soon as they entered, the smell of beer and candles came at them in an intense wave. It took their eyes a second to adjust to the dim lighting. The inn was mostly empty, save for two elves sitting at a table, and the innkeeper himself.
Sairoc walked straight to the bar.
`What can I help you folks with?’
`Good afternoon, we’re looking for a man by the name of Shiraq, he’s supposed to be our guide. Any idea where we can find him?’
As they stood there, the door behind them opened. `I heard my name,’ a deep voice said.

`You ready, boss?’ Sairoc was standing next to the wagon we were supposed to protect. The people we were with were already on the carts, and the horses were all drawn in front of it.
`Ready as always, buddy.’ Kaylirr picked up his swords and put them under his belt. Their company of mercenaries was hired to guard a nobleman’s wagon on the way from Viras to the capital. Kaylirr, Sairoc and their men would walk alongside the caravan for a couple of days. Easy money. Ominous dark clouds did not hamper their good spirits as the caravan started moving through the east gate of town and onto the muddy roads. The main road was partially made out of cobble, in a recent attempt to make the journey more safe, but the sides were still very much dirt and sludge, and there wasn’t enough room for the wagons and the guards to all walk along the cobble, so they had to walk through the muddy part.
`So what are you doing after this?’ Sairoc asked Kaylirr.
They had a tradition where they would all take the coldest month of the year off. They’d save up their profits so everyone could get paid and they’d take a break. Their mercenary work wasn’t easy and in the past several members of their company quit because it was becoming too much. Ever since they implemented this vacation month, things were going a lot better. This was their last job before the month off. Rain started to fall right after they left town, and it was freezing cold. `I’m planning to go back to Viras and spend some time there. There’s a nice local inn there that I have some friends at. I’ve also been thinking about going to the library to study. I’m getting older and I don’t want to do this kind of work forever. I hear that the people who work directly for nobles are making as much money as we are, if not more, and they don’t even have to risk their life doing it.’
Sairoc laughed. The dwarf’s laugh was deep and hearty. `Bah, I can’t imagine sitting inside all day, writing on a piece of paper. It would drive me mad, no doubt.’
Kaylirr chuckled. `I doubt your legs would even reach the floor if you sat behind a desk on one of those fancy chairs.’
`Fuck off, lanky.’ Both of them laughed uproariously.
`And you, Sairoc, what are your plans?’
`Drink, pass out, drink some more. The usual dwarven holiday.’ He looked off into the distance. `Might visit a buddy of mine, but then it’ll take more than a month.’
`Oh? I rarely hear you talk about friends.’
`Don’t got many. But Raze and I grew up together. He went and studied at the Kaharis Academy for a couple years, he knows magic. Pretty rare for a dwarf, so he got an invite to the Academy without issue. Haven’t really talked to him since.’
As the rain increased in intensity, their pace slowed down. The mud was keeping the wagons from going at full speed and the driver didn’t want to risk breaking down during this weather, so they were extra careful. That also meant that Kaylirr and Sairoc didn’t have to walk fast, so that was nice. The day went by uneventfully and around dusk they set up camp. Kaylirr helped start a fire and then put down some logs to sit on.

They were roughly half an hour into dinner and winding down when Kaylirr noticed they were being watched. They were all sitting around the campfire that was staying aflame regardless of the rain. `Kaylirr,’ Sairoc said.
Kaylirr nodded. `I noticed them as well’. He had his sword on his hip and his hands at the ready. Sairoc put down his mug as well and focused. `Any second now,’ he said as he used hand signals to warn the others in their company.
Silence crept over the camp as everyone started to realize something was off, including the noble they were guarding. A few seconds went by and the silence almost seemed to pass until something darted out of the shadows and into one of the wagons.
`Time for work, boys,’ Sairoc shouted as they collectively got up and ran towards the cart. They encircled the wagon that the figure had run into and waited for a moment. When nothing happened, one of their men walked forward and tore away the fabric covering the back of the wagon. A sword pierced the fabric and slashed open his chest. He dodged to the side and rolled through the mud to avoid the worst of the attack, but blood started to appear on his clothes. Fortunately, the cut was shallow.
Kaylirr stepped forward to face the figure in the wagon. They were slender, covered in black, tight-fitting clothes and had their hair bound in a ponytail. Their face was covered with cloth as well. The only thing defining the person was their piercing green eyes. Looking at their stance, Kaylirr assumed it was a woman. He didn’t get a lot of time to look, as the figure dashed out of the cart and within the time it took to blink, their swords clashed. There was more force behind the slash than he expected and he slipped in the mud. Both of them fell to the ground. The figure raised their sword to slash at him again, but before the blade could reach him, Sairoc came in and kicked them off of Kaylirr. The latter noticed a set of two swords lying on the ground next to him. Was that what they came for?
Kaylirr reached out and grabbed both swords. His own weapon was in the mud a short distance away, so he figured he could as well use those. He unsheathed both swords. That’s when the voices entered his head.
`We can offer you a contract, yessss, we can.’
`Do not listen to the fool.’
`Destroy the world with us, vengeance will be ours.’
`We must create peace, stop this endless cycle of pain.’
`Vengeance.’
`Peace.’
`Vengeance.’
`Peace.’
`Vengeance.’
Kaylirr fell to his knees, gripping both swords so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. 
`Are you okay, buddy?’ Sairoc said, stepping between him and their adversary. It didn’t seem like his voice got through to Kaylirr at all. His eyes had rolled back into his skull and his tongue was hanging from his wide open mouth, drool dripping onto the muddy ground. 
`The fool.’ The woman jumped up from the ground and walked towards Kaylirr and Sairoc. 
`You better piss off now, lass, I’m not warning you again.’ Sairoc was clearly angry. He was also worried about Kaylirr, who had gone completely catatonic.
`I need those swords, dwarf, one way or another.’
`Another it is, then.’ Sairoc raised up his large battle axe and charged towards her. With one precise slash she cut open his chest and he fell to the ground. 
She quickly faced Kaylirr, who was still unresponsive. `I can’t imagine that feels good, let me help you  with that.’ She raised her sword and cut off his right arm. Kaylirr slumped forward as she picked up the arm holding the sword. Something seemed to catch her attention, because the last thing Kaylirr saw before losing consciousness was her darting away, having only retrieved one of the swords from him.

Kaylirr awoke to the sound of metal being worked. The rhythmic sound of a hammer hitting an anvil was surprisingly pleasant. He was inside and the heat was slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t remember how he got there and the ceiling was unfamiliar to him. It took him a few seconds before the memories started flooding back in. The voices in his head, the cloaked woman and the feeling of her blade slicing through his arm. His arm! He looked at his hands, but one was missing. In a panic he sat upright and the metalworking sound stopped.
`You finally woke up, then?’ Sairoc’s familiar voice came from across the room. `Please don’t get up, you’re still recovering. I don’t want you to mess up the prosthetics.’
Prosthetics? He looked at his missing arm and saw that the shoulder was covered in a metal cap of sorts. From it a small chain was hanging.
`This is the best I could do, but I’ve been following your instructions as best as I could.’
`Instructions?’
`Yes, while you were unconscious you kept going on about how you needed your arm replaced by a lantern to light the dark road to redemption. At first it frightened me, but eventually I started tinkering away and I think I’m getting somewhere.’ He pointed at the metal that was sitting next to the anvil. It looked like a hooded lantern. There was no glass in it yet and it seemed unfinished. `Why would I ask for a lantern when I’m on the verge of death and missing an arm?’
Sairoc shrugged. `Listen, I had nothing better to do while you were recovering.’ The slight raising of his voice seemed to hurt him somewhat, because he winced in pain.
`You alright?’
`Yeah, she slashed me up good, but I’ll be fine. A lot better than you.’
`What do we do now, then?’
`First you recover, then I install this damn lantern on your stump and then we go find the fucker who did this to us, how about that?
`Sounds good to me,’ Kaylirr laid back down and as soon as his head touched the pillow, his consciousness faded again. This time instead of darkness, there was a well lit space in a forest clearing.
Two figures sat on tree stumps in front of him. One looked like a young boy holding a wooden walking cane. The boy sat calmly on the stump, legs crossed and eyes fixed on Kaylirr.
Next to him, on the other tree stump, sat a girl. She was wearing blood covered clothes and she was rocking back and forth, biting her nails and the skin around them to the point where it was bleeding. She was looking at Kaylirr as well, but her eyes kept darting all over the place.
`Thank you for agreeing to meet us here,’ the boy said.
`I don’t know where I am or who you are.’
`That is understandable.’ The boy stood up. `Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elett, you currently possess the spirit weapon that I am locked  in. My sister, Elark, is locked in a similar sword, which is currently not in your possession. I would like to ask you a favor.’
`Hold on a second, you’re telling me that you are locked in a sword. How does that even work?’
The boy raised his cane and moved it through the air, and several symbols appeared. `These are the four locks that have imprisoned me and my sister in these swords. Breaking the locks would free us. As to how we got locked in there, I’m afraid that I am unable to disclose that right now.’
`How am I talking to you two right now?’
`You held both of us in your hands recently, which gave us a space in your subconsciousness. Unfortunately, we were hasty in our excitement to be able to talk to someone and put too much strain on your body.’ The boy seemed to think for a moment, then lowered his head. `I owe you an apology, you lost your arm due to our impatience.’
Kaylirr took a step forward and paused. `I appreciate that.’ He crossed his arms. `Suppose I want to help you out, what is in it for me?’
`I can give you wealth. I’m afraid that’s all I can really offer.’ He bowed his head again. `Please help us out, I can see that you’re a kind soul.’
`Forget kind soul for a second, I want a rematch with the cretin that did this to me.’ He reached for his missing arm.
`That I can promise. If we find the four locks and crush them, I will then be able to find my sister, and through her the person who did this to you.’
Kaylirr’s eyes lit up. `Excellent. So where am I headed?’
`First you recover, it helps neither of us if you go head first into danger with severe wounds.’
He raised his cane again and Kaylirr could feel his consciousness fade to black again.
Guess he wouldn’t get his month off like he planned, but at least the winter got a lot less boring very quickly. He should have asked why Sairoc was instructed to make that lantern. He supposed that was Elett’s doing, but he forgot to ask.