Ch 56 Vol 1 The Epilogue

Lake is now missing. The Missing Star continent is in shambles. Sophie and Riksa spent many nights wondering where their lost love had gone.

The news was heard from the Lizard Lands that the potion of Rage was responsible for the devastation of the Faelands and the Troll Lands. The girls were adamant that it had to have been something beyond Lake's control or it wasn't him.

Over the next few years, Sophie and Riksa kept hope. Goby stayed by Sophie's side through the toughest of times.

Riksa however, finally lost her hope. Her brother and nephew convinced her to join a rebellion against a new King that usurped the seat of the King from Arthand.

Many new laws were put into practice by Arthand to help make the Lizard Lands a better place. This was not a popular opinion by the masses. Arthand was assassinated only two years after taking over for his father. All of the slaves in the castle were killed as they fought for Arthand's sake and beliefs.

The usurper King was dethroned by the rebellion. Plans for democracy were found in Arthand's chambers. The plans were put into practice under the supervision of a new King. The leader of the rebellion, Wab.

Riksa was popular among the stronger females in the rebellion. She formed a gang that patrolled the Lizard Lands and quelled any who got in their way.

As Riksa and Wab grew further apart, they no longer saw each other as someone to rely on, only a distant relative.

Sophie spent even more time at the house inside the mountain, waiting for Lake to come home. The early years of waiting for Lake involved Riksa training Sophie to fight in case someone attacked whenever Riksa was absent. Sophie was a fast learner and was able to fight Riksa on equal terms within a year's time.

When she finally gave up on waiting, Sophie decided it was time to go searching. She found makeup that would allow her to cover her slave seal along with long-necked clothing and armor. She returned to Ula Thyfe and joined the military. With her training from Riksa, she rose in the ranks quickly. Her hope was that she could be in an elite squad that would travel the continent, allowing her to get into the thick of problems that could potentially be centered around Lake and his potion of Rage.

Her wish came true, an attacking army of orcs and morcs had broken through the surface of the Demonic Tribelands from underground. Their invasion started with Bastion, making humans effectively extinct.

The damage caused by Lake in his battle with the witch caused such destruction to the Faelands and the Troll Lands that, the orcish army was nigh unstoppable. Trolls, fairies and the fae were forced out of their homes. While the Faelands denizens were allowed shelter in Lak'Tambu, the trolls were not welcome anywhere.

There was a massive troll march to the south. They took up residence near the Dragon Lands. It was perilous but, it was less of a threat than the marching orcish army.

The Lizard Lands were well defended by the new military built by Wab. Any stragglers were easily dealt with by Riksa and her gang.

After leaving the Lizard Lands, Butkis and his crew safely made it to Ula Thyfe. He managed to get a neutral traders license that allowed him to set up shop among the elves for a set amount of time. However, when word came of the destruction of Bastion, the human visitors were kept under guard for their own protection as a newly endangered species. Sophie had passed them many times throughout her years of duty. Unwittingly, they never had a clue about each other's relation to the user of the potion of Rage.

Ula Thyfe? The elf city was now the foremost military power on the continent. The orcish army was unable to match the coordination and might of the elves.

Sophie was part of a brigade that hunted down orcs of repute. Sophie's ten unit group was familiar with wiping out a battalion in a single night. Numbers were simply outdone by strategy, skill and protective armor. Most of the orcs and morcs wore only cloth.

Goby had grown. He trained with Sophie and they became an inseparable pair. He went with her on missions and protected her with ferocity. There were not many individuals that he got along with.

At that point, Sophie could have taken command over the entire elf army, if she wanted the position. Her days of searching would be over though. It was an easy decision for her.

Lake was out there.

Somewhere.

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Somewhere in the darkest depths of the orcs lost ruins. The sound of dripping water falls on deaf ears. Pitch black surrounds everything down here. A lack of heat would surely kill almost any living thing.

No life can be found in these depths. Save for one.

An individual strives to awaken from a seemingly eternal slumber.

Time moves forward.

With or without us.