Rennan took a long, shaky gulp of ale. He set the mug down, his hands still trembling slightly.
"I was looking for new trade routes," he began, his voice hoarse. "Up north, near the border of the Korvan kingdom. The famine has hit those towns hard, and I thought our water could help."
He shook his head. "Along the routes, one day I found something strange. A patch of air that shimmered, like a heat haze on a cold day. I thought it was just a natural magical anomaly. I got too close."
"It was a trap?" Riku asked.
Rennan shook his head. "A teleportation portal. One moment I was on the road, the next, I was inside a stone courtyard, surrounded by armored men. It was the Falco estate, in Dreadspire."
Lysaria gasped. You directly teleported into the Dark Empire? Those people practice the dark arts and are practically monsters…"
"Hey. Watch what you are insinuating." Sherry pouted, unhappy at Lysaria's words
