Collin looked over at Jace with a small smile, “I assume the lovely lady is your wife.

Jace grinned, “You would assume right.”

Collin chuckled, “You always did know how to pick them, so how insane is this one?”

Jace frowned, “She’s actually pretty normal as far as insanity goes.”

Collin looked at him with disbelief, then he turned to Sarai. “Soooo madam, murder any people lately? Perhaps stab someone for taking your favourite cinnamon bun?”

Sarai looked at the man in confusion, then blinked. “I did actually kill a man no more than a week ago.”

Collin burst out in laughter and looked at Jace. Jace rolled his eyes, “They tried to kidnap her daughter and tried to kill her. She’d have been insane if she didn’t try to fight back.”

Collin’s laugh died out and his face became grim, “They dead yet?”

Jace nodded, “Naturally, the people behind the scenes are most likely the same ones that tried to ignite the flames of war. I will get to them eventually.”

Collin patted him on the shoulder, “You mean WE will get them eventually.”

Jace chuckled, “About that, who else made it?”

Collin nodded, “I came over here with half of the guys, “We lost Jason, Kyle and Jesse before we even made sense of the place. We lost Juan in the revolution, fucker took an entire castle with him though.”

Jace chuckled, with a sad smile on his face he said. “That does sound like him, never was satisfied with a ‘minor’ ending.”

Collin nodded and they both stood there in silence for a few seconds, “I lost Mick in one of the wars that followed. The ones still with us and alive are, Ichmaël, Nina and Tina, John the old fucker is still alive of course, Brandon is a general in my army to this day.”

Jace nodded, “So we lost about half, the rest of the company survived the bombardment. Other than you guys who got sent here they made it back then.”

Collin scratched at his beard, “We were lucky as it was, the group of us was stuck in a building and surrounded by them damn terrorists. If we hadn’t been sent over here we wouldn’t have survived.”

Jace tapped his chin, “About that, rumor has you’ve been here for over a hundred years already. How the hell does that even work, you barely look any older.”

Collin blinked, “When did you get here then, I assumed you got here when we did.”

Jace shook his head, “Barely been here for two years. I was out to get some food when all of the sudden, plop, in the middle of a forest.”

Collin frowned, then grinned. “I bet your wonky ass didn’t even panic. I can see it in my mind already, you get sent into the middle of nowhere unarmed and your only reaction was ‘huh’.”

Jace laughed, “Well you’re not far off, I was thinking the trees were off somehow.”

Collin shook his head, “I did always tell you to go see a therapist. Seriously, something is off with you. Even if you were the best damned second in command I ever had.”

Someone started coughing loudly behind them, Collin ignored his attendant and drew closer to Jace. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to came back to working with me, I can make you a noble and give you a big house and stuff.”

Jace grinned, “I already have a home and I like the people here, the queen is a good one. The people are happy, wars are rare. I have a family, my wife and kid. I even have a sister now and a grandmother.”

“A grandmother? How’d that happen, you save her from a fire or something.”

Jace laughed, then patted Collin on the shoulder. “Don’t fuck with grans Collin. She can tear your head off with one hand while eating a sandwich with the other. She’d tell you how you’re fighting wrong while doing it as well.”

Collin shook his head, “I’m still one of the strongest warriors on the continent Jace. Can’t take the warrior out of the man, no matter where you put him.”

Jace laughed, “I’m aware, I’m saying you STILL can’t take the woman.”

Collin furrowed his brows and stared at him in disbelief. “You’re just messing with me.”

Jace shook his head while quietly chuckling, “I’ll introduce you to her someday, come lets eat some dinner. You traveled quite a distance, and I bet you are as hungry as ever.”

Jace led him towards the table, the rest of the people who had been standing in the hall followed them. Dinner was spent pleasantly, Miya and Sarai got along splendidly. Aziva bounced around between them and asked incessant question the entire dinner.

The butler, Sarai and Aziva almost had a heart attack when they found out that Collin was the emperor. The butler had been ready to fight the moment he heard it. It took the two a while to calm them down and explain that the war between their countries was off and the only thing they were focusing on at the moment was the Dravu.

Despite the levity of the evening a pressure settled on Jace’s chest. He kept his feelings to himself and spent as much time with his family as he could. He knew that tomorrow they would assault the dravu position. People would die, a lot of them. He might even die himself, it had been a long time since Jace genuinely felt he might die tomorrow. He would have to keep the motto in mind, arrogance is the mother of all fuck ups. He’d probably be on the frontlines again tomorrow.

At the end of the night after he had put Aziva to sleep he picked up Sarai and gently laid her on their bed before he crawled in with her. She cuddle up close to him and put and arm over his chest, she looked at him with her amber eyes. Jace pulled her close and stared up at the ceiling. Sarai spoke up softly, “Worried about tomorrow?”

Jace nodded, “It’s going to be dangerous and a lot of people are going to die. I’m a knight so I will be in the thick of it. I talked with Jisa and should I die, she will take you into the family and you and Aziva will be taken care of.”

Sarai grabbed him by his chin and stared into his eyes, “Don’t talk like that, you are not going to die tomorrow.”

Jace smiled and kissed her, “I don’t plan on it, but it would be stupid of me not to make arrangements in case it does happen. You two are the most important thing in the world to me. In ALL worlds for that matter.”

Sarai smiled then frowned and looked up at Jace in hesitation. “Can you just… Not go with the assault tomorrow?”

Jace froze and looked down at her. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t stay here while other people risk their lives to protect the city. It’s just… It’s not who I am Sarai.”

She crawled up closer to him and put his head on her shoulder, “I know that… It’s just. Come back please? If you don’t I… I…” She fell of silently and Jace could feel some wetness on his chest, he drew her closer and held her.

“I’ll come back, No matter what it takes. I’ll come back alive.”

She nodded and sniffed, the two of them lay there in silence. Neither able to fall asleep.

The morning came and Jace put on his armour, Sarai pulled herself upright on the bed and quietly helped him with the straps. There was and ominous silence in the air, once he was equipped he leaned down and kissed his wife. He quietly walked out the door, She watched him go with a worried expression, her hands clutching the blanked in a white knuckled grip. She whispered something, a prayer perhaps.

Jace walked over to Aziva and picked her up and hugged her. He knew that she understood what was going on, she wasn’t stupid. Aziva clutched him tightly and refused to let go for a while. He hugged her tightly, Collin and Miya walked out of their rooms. Collin was equipped with splendid silver armour with golden engraving. Miya was wearing a bright yellow scaled leather armour of some sort.

Collin stepped up to him with a tight smile, “I should really get you some better armour, that thing your wearing is standard. Unbefitting of a warrior of our standard. The shield is decent though.”

Miya walked up to Aziva, “We have to go little empress, you will have to let go of your father.”

Aziva clutched on tighter and shook her little head. Jace felt his heart clench at the sight, he put his hand on her head. “I’m a knight Aziva, it is my duty to protect the city from threats. No matter how scary they are. I’m going to need you to take care of your mother till we come back.”

Aziva clutched on even tighter, “You can’t promise you’ll come back! You don’t know for sure!”

Collin suddenly cracked the floor in the mansion as a bloodthirst unlike any Jace had ever felt spread throughout the mansion. “Aziva, on my life as emperor, I swear to you this. As long as I still draw breath, your father will make it back alive.”

Aziva sniffed and stared at him, then looked over to Miya. The woman put a hand on her head, “I swear on my life to do the same, he will make it back Aziva.”

She sniffed once more then looked up at Jace, her eyes red and wet. Jace nodded at her and kissed her on the forehead. “I will come back, no matter what.”

She let go reluctantly as Sarai came out of her room in her wheelchair and picked up Aziva and put her on her lap. “Bring him back to me. Please.” She bowed so deeply with the request she nearly fell out of her wheelchair, nonetheless she somehow made the motion seem dignified. Miya bowed back and Collin simply nodded, the three of them left the mansion and stepped out into the city streets. The air was tense, the citizens knew what was happening. Some of the shop owners who saw Jace and his group leave the mansion equipped for battle bowed deeply. Others who saw them leave did the same, Jace kept his head held high as they made their way through the city.

More and more people stopped to watch them march through the city, other guards, soldiers and adventurers fell in behind them and soon enough they had turned into a procession. Each and every one of them equipped from head to toe and with grim looks on their faces. The normally optimistic people and the jokers kept awfully quiet as they headed to the gates. Each of them felt it, today would be the last day for most of them. But it was their duty, each of them knew it. They were present while others were not, if they did not make a move many would die.

Children stopped to watch them, citizens stopped to watch them. Adventurers, guards and soldiers who were deemed too low a level or who had chosen to not participate watched them. They stepped through the gate under the watchful gazes of the citizenry. Jace saw the tearstained faces and worried looks of mothers, daughters, lovers, brothers and sons.

He shook it off, his heart was clenched tightly enough as it was. This was not his first time heading to war, and he would do his damnedest to make sure it would not be the last. For the first time in his life, he had something more important than himself to live for.

The procession that left the gate joined others that left different gates and they headed out towards the field, a few hundred meters away from the closest tunnel. They set up camp there, the footmen were digging trenches and building a pallisade. This would be were their supplies and the medical team set up. A few of the more capable combat medics and healers would follow them into the tunnel, the braver non-combatants who had volunteered to help would be bringing wagons and carriages into the tunnels so they could carry the wounded back to the camp.

Other of these brave groups of citizens would bring supplies, reserve equipment and potions. The army was not as large as Jace had thought or hoped. The requirement for going into the tunnels was level seventy and above. Anyone of a lower level would be at immense risk. The combined forces of his own kingdom and its allies numbered a little over two hundred thousand. Two hundred thousand against approximately seventeen million, those were horrible odds. Everyone here knew it too.

The treasury had been nearly emptied to buy better armour for the soldiers, the highest levels got the best armour. That was the grim reality, they were worth more than the lower level footsoldiers. Even those got and upgrade in their equipment, the dwarves had brought as much armour as they could carry at the pace they had moved, the elves had brought bows and arrows. The empire had come over by way of flight and could ill-afford to bring extra equipment. Collin had brought the best soldiers he had however, each of them a grim faced veteran.

The dwarves stood with their iron legion, not a piece of skin visible between the lot of them. Each dwarf heavily armed and armoured in full plate. The elves lined up near them, their light moonsilver armour glittering in the light of the dawn sun. The empire stood close, armoured in worn, but well maintained steel half-plate. The sandwalkers stood in their cloth covered mailmesh, wielding their twin scimitars. The alliance of states had brought a company of warriors in brightly coloured livery. The republic had brought a company of warriors that would have fit into any holy-crusade.

Last but not least where the adventurers and soldiers, armed and armoured in a mishmash of equipment. Nearly everyone had spent everything they could afford to upgrade their equipment. Jace looked towards the tunnel, where he lined up with the rest of the frontline, They were going deep into the dark. Perhaps to never walk out again, he put a hand on the hilt of his sword, Carmine curled up behind him.

He would survive this, for he had something to come back to.