Red Gorge, Atraca
Jakob Phillomon stood in front of the graves of his wife and son, Cecil and Abraham. Like he always did in the morning of each new day. It was routine, and he never wanted to miss a day where he could visit them. Despite the constant reminder of their deaths, the main reason was that he was there to remember the good days. When he had all of his family together. Jakob noticed he was tearing up a little bit, and cleared his face before turning to walk away from the cemetery. However, he was surprised to see the old gravedigger standing near him. The old native man gave Jakob a smile, both hands behind his back. His old milky eyes looking directly at Jakobs. "Still unable to walk away?" asked the grave digger, with his gentle voice. Jakob just made an awkward chuckle, looking away and trying to find an excuse. "I...y-yeah...I...Just can't, to be honest. You see me everyday...I just..." The gravedigger placed his hand on Jakob's shoulder, and the detective felt an odd sensation. His hand was cold, yet Jakob felt...peaceful. "They love you as much as you love them, Jakob. But they no longer walk among us. They're supposed to be at peace...but your sorrow doesn't let them. They don't want you to suffer." The old man looked past him, at both of the graves.
"You remember what you told me? What Abraham said before parting from our mortal world?" Jakob was unable to say anything. "...That he will watch over your family. Like an angel. You think he wants to see his father like this?" Jakob was crying a bit now, but quickly wiped the tears away. "It's not that easy to let go, old man." The gravedigger gave him a smile. "You're a wounded man, Jakob. You took too many hits in life like all us mortals do. But the key is to continue forward...Its to let go and accept the way things are. They are at peace, Jakob...Cecil and Abraham...Even your old war buddies. Let Adona guide you, to look past this pain." Jakob cleared his throat before speaking up again. "...I'll try, old man. Thank you for...your kind words, really." The old man nodded faintly. Jakob then noticed something he saw several days prior. A cowboy, resting by the tree. A plethora of colorful fall leaves around him. The cowboy gave Jakob a look, before looking back to the graveyard. Jakob looked to the gravedigger again, then asked "Who's that guy?" The gravedigger whispered something, but Jakob couldn't hear him well. He then just gave Jakob a pat, before walking away through the graves. Jakob just stood there, confused, before finally leaving the graveyard.
Walking through Red Gorge continued to be a spectacle. The once frontier outpost had become a fully industrialized yet lively town full of culture. Things had eased up a bit since the last visit from the inquisitors and the attempts of the towns people to enact 'frontier justice'. News of this attempt got out, and the Goddess most certainly knew of this by now. Still, she had yet to come and punish the town for its act of defiance. As Jakob walked through the streets, he noticed the kobold newspaper boy selling a newspaper to a tall man in a bowler hat and a suit. Jakob walked over to the little dog boy, and threw him a coin. "Here, boy. What's the news?" The canine had trouble grabbing the coin, before giving Jakob a newspaper. "H-Hrongar & Sons found more mineral veins, sir!" said the shy little thing. "That dwarf company is really leaving a mark on this town. Heard they even found gold near Skull Creek." Jakob pet the boy on the head, before walking away with his newspaper. He headed straight to his agency, which was still doing rather well. The local government had asked them for their service several times, and they had even people from Eshax come and ask for their assistance. Jakob couldn't be happier that his entrepreneurship had started a successful business. All thanks to Mariette, good gods bless her soul.
Jakob walked inside, stretching a bit by the door and waving at his detectives before strolling to his desk and sitting down. He put the paper away, before looking up to see Volog, his goblin detective, bringing a cup of coffee and jar of sugar. He gave the young goblin a smile, before grabbing the spoon to dip some sugar out of the jar. As soon as he touched it, however, he yanked his hand back. His eyes flashed yellow. "G-Gods damn it, Volog. That's a silver spoon! Where's the steel one!?" The little goblin rushed away, while Jakob shook his hand. Soon, the goblin came back with the steel one. "S-Sorry for shouting at you, kid. Just remember, I'm a lycan. I can't touch that shit...it burns a lot." Volog nodded rapidly, before walking away and leaving Jakob to his coffee. As he was drinking from his mug, one of his detectives approached. Ol' Johnson, bringing him something in his hand. "'ey, boss! There's another letter here for you! It says its from a...Weston guy." If Jakob was in his feral form, his ears would have perked up by now. He was waiting for a new letter from Weston. He grabbed it quickly, and began to read it.
Jessica, Jakob's sister and by now a fellow detective, was near when she heard about the letter. She walked over and into his office, to find him reading it. He opened the letter, looking to his board of clues next to him, and then quickly got up and stormed out of his office. Marching right past Jessica and straight to the Agency's armory. "Jakob!? Jakob what are you doing?" He didn't answer, as he grabbed two revolvers, a pump-action shotgun, and several rounds of ammunition. "Jakob! Answer me!" asked Jessica, as Jakob walked past her yet again. "
WESLEY! Wesley!" he called out. Ever since his visit, the artist-turned-vigilante had decided to stay with the Phillomons. Jakob was more than happy to let the young man stay. Jessica certainly didn't mind either, as the man was handsome. Lucy, Jakob's little daughter, was more than happy to paint pictures with Wesley too.
Jakob walked out and up the external stairs on the side of the building to where the guest quarters were. "Wesley! Grab your gear! They found her!" he said, as he entered the room and gave the young man a smile. "Come on! Like old times." Jakob then walked past Jessica yet again. This time, she wasn't going to let him go. She grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. "What in the Abyss has gotten into you, Jakob Phillomon!?" Jakob turned to her. "They found Valeria inside the Abyss, and I'm heading to go help them get her! They know where she is, and not only that, we can do something to stop Sazak!" Jessica looked to Jakob with a mixture of shock and annoyance. "You're joking?! You're going into the ABYSS?! Jakob, you have a daughter to watch over! A business to keep! You could die there, and what am I going to do without my brother?!" Jakob went quiet, looking down to the ground as Wesley arrived with his things.
"I need to do this, Jessica." he finally said. "Valeria... she's my friend. She trusted me back then at Grimtham. And I...I failed her. I could have been there and helped her." Jakob raised his head, and noticed Lucy was now nearby, wearing her school uniform. The young girl looked at her father with utter sadness. Jessica looked down, and stormed past him as Jakob was left alone with his daughter. "...hi, sweetie." Lucy looked away. "Dad...you're leaving again to do something dangerous?" Jakob nodded, ashamed. "...Yes, my dear. I...remember the lady that visited you and your mom? Remember what...I told you? I need to save her." Lucy looked down. "You said revenge is bad." Jakob looked at her for a while, speechless. "I...what?" "You said revenge was bad, and that you should never seek revenge because it consumes you..." Lucy looked straight back into her dad's eyes. Jakob was shocked, but then gave her a smile. "You are right...I said that. This is not revenge, though. This is...its hard to explain....I failed too many people, Lucy. Your mom...your brother...my war buddies...Mariette, hell, I failed the inquiry and Valeria...I want to make things right. I want to save Valeria. Help everyone." Lucy looked down again, but Jakob placed both hands on her cheeks and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you. Don't think I'm leaving because of anger. I'm leaving because I need to do this. I promise you...I'll be back." Lucy teared up a little, before nodding and walking away. Back inside the building.
Jakob looked back to the dirt. He hated seeing his daughter like this, but he couldn't stay. He had to do this. He gave Wesley a look, and the two men walked back around to the front of the building. Jessica and a few detectives were waiting at the doors, as the pair got onto a pair of horses that both Jakob and Jessica owned. Jakob looked to Ol' Johnson. "I'm leaving you and Jessica in charge, but if you need help with academic stuff, go visit Theodore. He's living by the church. He's smarter than all of this town combined, so don't feel afraid to ask for his help. He then looked to Jessica, whom look disappointed. "...Take care, sister. Take care of Lucy while I'm gone." Volog looked at Jakob. "W-Where is you going boss?" Jakob gave the little goblin a smile, before chuckling a bit. "Straight to Hell! Take care, y'all!" He then looked at Wesley, and both left Red Gorge as fast as they could.
The letter stated that a mission was being dispatched soon, so Jakob and Wesley were not going to reach them in time unless then hurried. And so they did, through the red sand deserts with cold lonely nights and hot merciless days. Into the swamps, full of strange creatures such as will o'whisps and swamp cocktrices, guided by the helpful advice of the local swampfolk. There was little time to rest, but the horses needed to. They camped under the stars in the Atracan wilds near Eternis. Close to the Daristein borders, they had to hurry. Through the woods, they had seen incredible things. Fairies dancing and satyrs playing, ogres wrestling with each other and breaking the trees around them. Passing through beautiful towns and settlements they never thought they'd ever see. But there was no time to see the sights. They were close, and they had to push through. Both were tired, but the thought of helping to stop Sazak and save Valeria helped fuel them to push on. Again, the only reason to ever stop was to let the horses rest.
It was sixth day of their travel, and the two were almost there. Jakob looked at his map one last time, before pulling the reins of his horse. "Easy, Duncan. We're close." Jakob looked to Wesley, and gave him a nod. The two were finally there, near the gates of the Abyss...It was so strange. It felt like they really shouldn't be there, but they were ready for whatever awaited them behind it. Suddenly, he saw two men emerge out of thin air, and soon he was followed by several others. The last to emerge were a rather cute looking man with near white hair, and a woman in armor. Jakob stared at the woman in armor, taking in her powerful aura for a while, before realizing just who she was. "...Oh, for fuck's sake." The two got off their horses, and Jakob reluctantly waved his hand at them.