Chapters
Father and Daughter - Normal day for Toric and Lily.
The Raid - Earl's forces attack and abduct children from the village. Toric is subdued and awakes to find Lily has been taken.
Grievous Findings - Toric pursures the attackers and finds the remains of the other children before engaging in a fierce battle with Crogs and Gutkin.
The Red Lady - Toric encounters the Red Lady.
A Wanted Man - Toric enters an inn and engages in a brawl with Earl's men looking for him.
Moon's Landing - Toric acquires Kara's Shield.

[center][b][u]The Red Lady[/b][/u][/center]

Toric looked around frantically, attempting to find whatever was causing such sorcery. His eyes landed on a figure to his right. She seemed to have come from nowhere, draped in bright, crimson robes. Her eyes were hidden, but the tip of her nose and faint outline of her cunning grin teased what Toric thought a beautiful face. She was just as tall as Toric, but she an elegant and lithe build about her.

"Who are you?" Toric demanded. He gripped the hilt of his blade with one hand while his other was prepared to raise his shield if need be. Once before he would not have been able to bring a blade to the flesh of a woman, but his mind was not in its right place at the time.

"Not an enemy, Toric Valgard," replied the woman. "Stay your blade. Be at ease, and hear the words I speak." The woman's voice was smooth and soft, elegant and calm. It was the vocal representation of something euphoric. Something supernatural filled the air, putting Toric's mind a little more at ease. His weapons lowered to his side, realizing this woman meant him no harm.

"Well. Get on with it," he urged her.

"I know who you seek. But you're far to late. By now, Lily has been handed off at her destination-"

"You know where my daughter is?" Toric interrupted, eager to learn the location of his only daughter.

"I know many things Toric. I know that the one who holds your daughter has already made it to his destination."

"Well then tell me how to get to him," Toric abruptly replied. "Tell me!"

The woman just stood there silently, as if frozen in place. She finally spoke after a few moments. "You can't defeat him. Not you. There is but two I know of who could hope to defeat him. One would never dare turn on him, while the other... rests beneath Under Deep."

Toric clenched his hands, squeezing both shield and sword. "Damn it, woman, stop playing these mind games. Tell me where-" All of a sudden Toric became blinded. A bright light illuminated his vision. He tried to blink, to speak, to cover his eyes, but he could not move. Then the light vanished and there was nothing but darkness. A sharp, eerie, piercing noise entered his ears and there before him he could see a ruined keep. His view shifted towards one of the towering spires, almost as if he was having an out-of-body experience. Inside he could hear the sobbing of a child. As his view continued to shift he could make out the dark hair of none other than his daughter: Lily. Blood covered the floor, and she sat there, trembling in fear, lost and confused. [i]No![/i] All Toric could do was yell inside his head. He tried to scream, tried to fight, but nothing happened! And then there was darkness.

He felt the chilling air of Asgeir. He could smell the bodies of the fallen. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was trembling, afraid, on his knees. "No," he said quietly. In front of him stood the Red Lady, simply observing him with clasped hands.. He mustered up the strength to call out to her. "Where is she? Why is this happening?"

The woman seemed unmoved by Toric's fierce questions. She lowered her head as if contemplating before turning around. "Seek out Moon's Landing. That is where you will find me. That is where you will know the truth. Within a moment the Red Lady vanished, as if she had never even been there.