The next morning was calm and strangely warm for November. Grace sighed as she looked out the window and watched the kids playing in the snow. It was too nice to be inside. She recalled the old days when she was still a young adventurer. She could still vividly remember marching through the wilderness and visiting fascinating cities with her party in search of adventure. Now those days were gone. Grace was still daydreaming at her desk, paperwork untouched when Xylina entered.
"Mail just arrived." said Xylina who carried a small bundle of envelopes and a newspaper under one arm while cradling the baby James with the other.
"What? Oh... It finally came." said Grace, who took the newspaper from the lynx. "I swear that mail is arriving slower each day." Xylina placed James on the middle of the rug and began to sort though the rest of the mail. "Oh dear Gods..." said Grace aloud as she read the headline.
It had been exactly one month since the cities in their province were destroyed and the front page hosted an entire retelling of the event.
Exactly one month ago Brightstone, Frosthaven and Port Reistan were ruthlessly destroyed by angels and the creatures they led. We can count ourselves lucky that the whole nation of Takona wasn't lost. If it hadn't been for the brave beings that warned of the coming slaughter, we very well my have become slaves of the angels and their minions. With little time to prepare, many heroes fought for our freedom, defending us with their very lives. Explosions rocked the countryside for one of the shortest, yet bloodiest battles our nation has ever seen. We recognize our heroes today on this one month anniversary.
"Of course the dangers are not yet over." warns General Tuk in our latest interview. "Many brave soldiers and adventurers from afar continue to hunt down the remaining creatures who threaten our very existence. Many a creature has been arrested, but at the cost of more lives. With our able forces starting to dwindle, a call now goes out to the people to defend our nation. If anyone is willing to aid in our nations defense... (continued on Pg.4)
"I see they excluded the part where the military set off all the bombs before the cities could be evacuated." said Grace in disgust as she turned the pages to finish the article. "They make it seem like every creature is out to kill us."
"Well, you already know how I feel about that statement." Xylina said irritably as she tore open an envelope. Only Grace and a few other select people knew that Xylina was a were. It had been hard for her to keep her true identity hidden on certain occasions, but she generally did very well at pretending she was a being. Xylina pulled out the letter and began to read as Grace continued her article. James entertained himself by trying to grab his tail
Finishing the article, Grace read about the promise of great fortune to those who assisted in the capture (or killing) of the renegade creatures. "Oh that's just wonderful..." said Grace sarcastically. She looked up from the newspaper and saw the lynx frozen in terror. "Don't tell me the utility bill went up again..."
"N-no..." Xylina stuttered. "It's from Mr. O'Riley... He's canceling his donations to the orphanage..."
The call for adventurers and promise of money seemed to echo out from the open newspaper. The polar bear slumped in her chair. "Gods, give me strength..."