"And then it had threw the mud water onto me!!! My entire fur and clothes were all nasty now!!! Luckily, I dodged and ended up landing a swift strike to its head and BAM!! I won. Although did i really win if I smelt like dirty water the entire day?!"

  "..." *chuckle* "You are an enigma I'll give you that."

  On the trail, Lyra and Kak-Yak conversed about various topics. Along said trail Kak-Yak began jumping up and down, clapping both paws together for no reason whatsoever, bouncing up and down at fast speeds.

  "What are you doing?" Lyra said lowly, staring at him all confused like.

  "Jumping!!! Ok ok, so have I talked about the time I beat one of my friends back home in a gator wrestling competition?"

  "Excuse me, a what competition?" Her mouth was agape for a split second, showcasing her sharp fangs as she stared in disbelief. "Seriously, what is it with you and gators?"

  "I like them!! Ok ok, so during this party right-" A loud yelp sounds from Kak-Yak as he's struck in the head by a ball, making him stumble backwards. "Ow ow ow ow, HEY! Who threw that?! That hurt!"

  Two individuals quickly rushed over to the pair of hero's. "Oh my gosh I'm so so so so sorry!!! We didn't see you two!!"

  "Yeah yeah, honest!!!"

  Rubbing his head, Kak-Yak waves a paw, smiling. "Eh, water under the bridge as they say!!! No biggie. Although, um, you two should be more mindful of your surroundings!!! Could end up seriously injuring someone!!"

  The two boys nod respectfully. "We will be more mindful sir! Don't worry." He looks to his friend. "Hey dude, why are you staring at him like that?"

  His friend beside him stares up at Kak-Yak, all wide eyed like. "Oh man!!! Are you a Suxarine?!?! WOOOOW!!! I've never seen one in person before!!"

  Unsure of how to respond, he just smiles. "Oh...yeah...forgot Suxarine are kinda rare outside of our homeland...anywayyyyyyyy." He poses epically (wow much epic.)

  "WOOOOOOOAH!!!"

  "That's so cool!!! Are you a hero sir?!"

  Chuckling, he nods quickly. "Hero you say?" He cackles to himself, rubbing his paws together.

  "..." *sigh* "I see an inn within the village ahead...I'll be there." Lyra leaves quickly, getting a giggle out of Kak-Yak.

  "Ok!!! See you there Lyra!!"

  Along her short walk towards the nearby village, Lyra takes note of a gathering of sorts near the inn, multiple villagers conversing with some guardsman. She decides to ignore the odd gathering, walking into the inn to rest.

  Upon entering, Lyra breaths deeply as she takes in the fresh scent of a well kept, maintained business. The smell of berries and other pleasant smells fills her snout, putting a sense of ease to her.

  She walks up to the counter, an elven man behind said counter as he cleans a mug. Noticing her, he speaks deeply yet friendly like. "Hello. Welcome to my inn. It's nothing much, but it's a safe place for travelers all over." He sets down a mug he was cleaning, putting both hands onto the counter as his mandibles move to speak. "What can I do for you?"

  She looks upwards, a menu of sorts present above the elf. Not really caring at the moment, she quickly chooses. "Just get me the chicken salad with dressing. Make the beverage the banana blend listed."

  "Noted."

  The elf heads into the back room. Silence envelops the inn as Lyra is left the only one in the main room of the building. She lays her head down onto the counter, resting herself onto her own arms as her thoughts race. Heart steady, thoughts lingering, a confused expression becomes present on her face as an almost familiar scent washes over her. The scent of home.

  The wolfian closes her eyes for a bit. Within her mind, a warm fire lit up the darkness, shrouding her in a warm embrace as her body and mind calms itself. A small smile is present on her muzzle, her tail slowly beginning to wag as happy thoughts filled her soul. Within the fiery peace, gentle and loving hums sound throughout her headspace. And from her own voice as well. The fiery background dances as it shows flickers of her past. Happy memory's soon flood her mind.

  Singing along a shoreline, a young Lyra studied the waves as she gently sung to herself. She made sure to sing quietly, as she didn't want anyone within the village to overhear her. She liked her singing voice to be kept secret.

  "Ah, there you are Lyra."

  Upon hearing the voice she quickly went silent, turning to said voice. "...Hi..." Lyra quickly turned away, fidgeting with her paws.

  The woman sat beside Lyra, smiling gently. "Your parents are looking for you ya know? It's dinner time, suns going down and we're all about to have our singing competition! And having heard your beautiful singing voice, you could probably beat some of the others haha."

  "..." She turned to the woman. "...I...I have a good...good singing voice?" She says in a shaky, uncertain tone.

  *fast nod* "Of course! Why, I'm sure you'd even be able to sing dragons to sleep!" *turns to the waves* "Oh! I'd forgot to mention, I whipped up some of my famous butterscotch pie you like!"

  She quickly turns to her, tail wagging and expression surprised. "Really?!?!"

  *giggle* "Of course, made sure to give your parents and everyone in the village some as well!"

  Lyra sprung upwards, paws quickly tapping against the sand. "I want some please!"

  Giggling, the human woman stood up. "Of course Lyra! Come on, I'll bring you back home safely."

  Reconnected within cherished memory, her soul recounts another moment of her time spent on the planet, soul and mind thinking of the time little Lyra first became amazed by the thought of magic. A core memory that will forever be remembered by the Wolfian.

  Within a grassy, beautiful field overlooking the sea, Lyra watched in awe as a traveler from lands far away demonstrated to her the awe of sorcery, Lyra's mother and father watching closely beside her.

  "Mama, Papa, look!! The pretty colors are forming from thin air!!!"

  Her parents watched closely as their daughter stood mesmerized by the showing of magic, something their daughter never has seen before. Sure she's heard of magic, but never have actually seen it. The father, a rather stoic and serious fellow stood on guard, ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of danger from this stranger.

  "I never trusted mages...sorcerers...whatever they are called." He growls lowly, turning to his wife. "Are you sure Lyra should be learning of magic? I don't want our only daughter to become some mage. She should be like us! Warriors!"

  "..." She turns to him, gently kissing his cheek. "It's fine. Besides, we can't govern over what she wants to do in life. We're only here to support her, not force her into a decision when the time comes."

  "..." He sighs, gently wrapping an arm around his wife's waste to pull her close, her response being a gentle nuzzle into his chest. "She's our only daughter...only child...I...I just want her to be something great when she grows up."

  "She will, honey. Relax. You worry to much."

  The two share a short, tender kiss before returning their gazes toward their daughter, smiling at her enthusiasm and overall joy of the magical arts this stranger demonstrates.

  The memory turning grey, thoughts moving and surroundings contorting, Lyra's mind goes to one more memory of her past. Surroundings forming into the last memory, a more grown yet not quite adult Lyra was practicing magic within the comfort of her own room.

  *door creak*

  "Lyra, dinners ready-" Stepping inside, he stared in both awe and unease at his daughters display. "Lyra. Again?"

  She turns to him, expression joyful and bright. "See papa?! I can make light with the flick of my paw!!! I don't ever need torches to light up the darkness! I can even turn my room into a starry night if I so choose!!"

  "Ah...I see." *crosses arms* "So. Is this what you really like? Magic? Well this and books that is."

  "Yes father! Hahaha!" She all of a sudden runs to hug him, nuzzling into him as he holds her close. "I'll come out for dinner soon pa. I just wanna practice a bit more if that's ok?"

  He nods plainly, small smile present on his muzzle. "Yeah, it's fine, just don't burn the house down or anything."

  "I won't!! Not like I can anyway, I don't know destruction spells like that! So no blowing up the house today haha." She lets go, backing up a little. "I'm going to get back to practice, I'll for sure come to the table to eat after this."

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  He simply nods, the lit up room showing off his battle hardened, scarred face. "Well, we'll be waiting for you. Can't properly start dinner without you now can we?"

  Lyra laughs, turning around to practice some more safe spells. "I get it father, now shoo! Hehehe."

  With a chuckle, he leaves her to it, gently closing the door behind him. The memory quickly dissipates with mind, a void of darkness quickly seeping into Lyra's mind. Eventually something calls her back to the present world, yanking her from her memories.

  Body moving on its own, Lyra throws something, or someone onto the floor below, looming over them as she holds their hands tightly, growling loud. Snapping back to reality, she quickly releases her firm grip upon seeing the derpy expression on Kak-Yak's face.

  "Wow! What a way to wake up!! All I did was tap your shoulder hehehe."

  "..." She quickly gets off of him, helping him up. "...Sorry."

  "All good!!! Have to say, you are REALLY beautiful up close Lyra!!" He says with a cheeky grin, rubbing his head.

  Lyra ignores the compliment from Kak-Yak as she looks back to her seat, seeing her prepared dish sitting there patiently to be eaten. She goes to sit back down as she overhears loud yells and chants. Confused look on her face, she quickly turns to the source.

  "MONSTERS OF THE NIGHT SHALL NEVER PREVAIL, WE DWARVES OF THE MOUNTAINS SHALL ALWAYS ENDURE, ITS TIME TO RAISE YOUR MUG AND JOIN US HERE!!! SING, DANCE, TOAST!!! DRINK DRINK DRINK DRINK TILL YOU ALL SEE STARS!!!"

  Lyra stares in annoyance. Since when did dwarves enter she thinks to herself, the once peaceful and quiet atmosphere completely changed to a chaotic one. Sitting beside her, Kak-Yak speaks up.

  "They entered recently. There louder then me at times hahaha!!"

  "I can tell." She gives out an annoyed growl, turning around to eat her prepared dish.

  "Oh!!! I forgot to mention!!! The village locals told me about something. Apparently the big abandoned location nearby is actually an ancient dungeon! I was told that some monsters dwelled inside! The dwarves are actually gonna go investigate it now!!! And I'm tagging along!!!"

  "Wow. How interesting."

  He takes note of her uninterested demeanor. "I'm serious!"

  "If you're serious then help the dwarves with the monsters inside this dungeon you talk of. I have business at the Mages Guild, can't afford to investigate anything that'll take up time."

  "...Isn't sitting here talking wasting time?"

  *low growl, snout twitching* "Shut. Up."

  He takes note of her annoyed expression and overall mood at the moment. Smirking, he leans closer. "Awwww is it the nappy nappy awake grumps? Understandable!! Soooooooo, how about I do this to brighten the mood!!!"

  He sprints from his seat, proceeding to goofily dance and sing a stupid jig. This even gets the attention of the dwarves, the group pouring one and raising a glass for the goofy Suxarine.

  "..." A small chuckle comes from Lyra. "You are so childish."

  "And!? Hahahaha, watch this!"

  She watches him do a sick epic backflip! Wow, such epic! This emits another chuckle from the Wolfian. "You truly are the opposite of the other Suxarine I've read of." Quick sigh. "Look, you've made me...more interested, in tagging along with you and those dwarves. Besides, the guild surly can wait for a bit and handle itself. Just let me finish up here."

  "Hehehe, got it!!!"

  Small time passes, the entire being engulfed in dwarves chants and cheering as a dwarves party filled the atmosphere. The elf in charge of the Inn despite his annoyance helps satisfy the dwarves, giving them ample supply of booze and whatnot. Despite this the elf knows At the end of the day he'll be swimming in coin. So win win he thinks to himself.

  Some time later, Lyra and Kak-Yak gather with the dwarves in the outskirts of the village, standing right next to an ominous, abandoned ruin.

  "I always wondered." He quickly turns to Lyra. "How were these things ever built? Formed?! I mean who built all of these ruins if they were just gonna up and abandon them?"

  "There's not a concrete explanation. All I know is that some were built by intelligent monsters, and others built by Suxarine."

  "Woah!!! Wait, really?"

  "Hold on, let me show you."

  She digs into her satchel, taking out a well kept book going over the history of the lands. She turns to one of the pages going over the many ruins found throughout the lands. "See? It says here that the inner workings of some of the ruins uses Suxarine technology, something everyone else can't even begin to comprehend." She turns the page. The new one describes and even shows some drawings of the creations of the more "technical" ruins, this being the ones that use Suxarine technology. "Notice the differences between these two pages?"

  Eyes wide, he looks at the differences between the more worn down ruins and the advanced ones. "Wait, so if my people built the fancy ones...then who or what built the others?"

  She shrugs, closing the book. "No idea. Nobody knows, which gets some historians on edge."

  Hands on hips, Kak-Yak ponders this newfound info. "Man. I'm learning more and more about my own people the more I journey. It's pretty cool!!! You know, I'm curious now! Did you ever grow up in your own homeland Lyra? Obviously i didn't hehehehe."

  She quickly gives a dismissive head shake, looking at the dwarves getting ready to fearlessly enter the ruin. "...No...no I never grew up where my own kind dwelled." *sigh* "Doesn't matter. C'mon, they're getting ready to enter."

  The two hero's follow the fearless Dwarves through the ruins of an ancient dungeon. Some Dwarves guard the entrance as the party delves deep into the ancient ruins. Dust upon dust feels both Lyra's and Kak-Yaks noses.

  *light coughs* "Man it's so dusty!!!"

  "Tell me about it." She growls lowly, trying to cover her nose. "I hate these types of places. Almost a guaranteed chance of catching some type of illness or something."

  "Awwww cheer up! That only adds to the creepy, dreary atmosphere!" He gives her a light nudge. "Besides, no illness can stop us hero's!"

  Side eyeing him, she gives a small smile before going back to her original, stoic and quiet expression.

  Deeper within the walls become even more cracked and ruined. The cobwebs and endless halls upon halls adds to the already dark and creepy atmosphere. Turning a corner, one of the dwarves lets out a battle cry before charging into the darkness. Clearly about to attack something. The others dwarves follow suit.

  "We've giant spiders lads, HAVE AT THE BUGGERS!!!"

  All at once, a small group of giant deadly spiders emerges! Our two hero's ready themselves for a fight!!

  "LOOK ALIVE LADS!! HUSK BE HERE!!!"

  A little late to turn around, one of the dwarves is struck by a husk of a wolf, contorted to stand upright in a nasty way. Being a dwarf, he tanks the hit on his stone like head, letting out a battle cry as him and the others engage both spider and husk.

  "Woah, what are those things?! They look so...so creepy!" Ears perking up, Kak-Yak flips backwards, quickly drawing forth his sword. He sees before him another husk, this one resembling a farmhand, albeit more creepy. Well, in this case creepy is an understatement as half its jaw hangs off.

  With zero fear in his heart, Kak-Yak charges forth, using previously learned techniques to style on his foe. Raising his weapon high, he drives down the blade towards the husk skull, delivering a powerful blow that sends it flying across the room into a giant spider. Enraged, the spider turns its attention towards its new foe, entangling the husk in multiple webbing.

  *BOOM*

  Shook by the loud sound, Kak-Yak turns to find Lyra launching countless combat spells towards a small swarm of husk. At this moment is when he looks to himself, seeing a golden aura surrounding him and the dwarves. Surly a protective spell from Lyra.

  Ears quickly perking up, our hero ducks quickly, a large axe swinging overhead, narrowly avoiding his neck. He flips backwards, waving a paw with a smirk present on his face.

  Devoid of any thought, the new enemy rushes forward towards Kak-Yak. Well, that's until a dwarf tackles it, brutally dealing with the monster.

  "Hey! Thanks!!"

  *CRASH*

  Dust and debris covers the entire area, countless spiders crawling from within the newly formed holes and openings. At this point it has become an all out battle. The countless halls fill with Giant spider after spider as they swarm, Husk also stepping from our darkened rooms of the shadowy halls.

  Seeing the swarm barreling towards them, Lyra cast a quick defensive spell before jumping to the center of the room. In a bluish light, she cast forth a spell which invigorates all allies, giving forth new strength and energy.

  "Pah, we didn't need your help lass!! But whatever!!! Alright lads, TEAR THE BUGGERS UP!!!"

  Rolling her eyes, the Wolfian teleport's to one of the halls, calling forth a magical barrier which stops the swarming spiders from invading. Ears perking up, she ducks her head, an arrowhead shooting overhead and hitting the nearby walls surface. She flips backwards, calling forth a magical blade in her left palm as her other crackles with electrical, magical energy.

  With a deep breather, Lyra in all her beauty expertly began to deal with the husk surrounding her. The air around forms beautiful currents around Lyra, as if calling forth a performance. These currents from into water like liquid, wetting the ground below. Gracefully, she lifts her left arm up high, chanting a quick word before jumping into the air, beautifully spinning around as the husk near twitch in convulsion, being struck blow by blow of seemingly endless slashes, all the while they are brutally struck with electricity over and over again, lighting up the entire dungeon.

  Caught within the chain reaction, the spiders begin to convulse before promptly dropping to the ground. Defeated.

  "Hey!!!" One of the dwarves steps over the countless husk bodies, walking up to Lyra as she dust off her clothes. "You can't just come and steal all of the glory!!! Let us all get some as well!!!"

  Staring down, she simply growls lowly, maintaining harsh eye contact.

  "You giving me the mean look lass??!? Wanna have a one on one fight that it?!?!"

  "No." *annoyed sigh* "We were surrounded. What I did ultimately guaranteed nobody would have gotten hurt."

  "Oh really?!?! And what of the fancy electric magic huh?! Trying to electrocute us?!

  "..." She takes a calm breather. "I had cast a spell which protected you all from any friendly fire. You would have noticed that if you had paid attention earlier in battle."

  "Don't you try and spit back on me yo-"

  *BOOM*

  A large explosion sounds through the dungeon, blasting back the dwarves caught in the explosion. Luckily Lyra's spell was still in action, which helped them negate some of the damage.

  Stepping from out the ruins, a large Husk clad in ancient battle armor made itself known, wielding a large, enchanted great-sword. It burned with hot hot fire, making the temperature skyrocket.

  "LOOK ALIVE LADS, ONE OF THOSE GREATER HUSK!!!"

  Without delay, the Husk twitched before charging, the dwarves charging forward also. To everyone's surprise...well, everyone except for Lyra, the husk manage to fend off some of the dwarves, a single swing of its fiery sword coating the area and sending most of them flying backwards. Due to their thick and hardened, stony skin, the dwarves received very minimal damage.

  "I like that things sword!!! Reminds me of this book I once read. Wait...I'm just now remembering something." Digging into his satchel, Kak-Yak takes out a potion...for whatever reason. "Ok ok let's see. Speed potion?! But I'm already speedy!! Hmmm, wonder how fast it'll make me then."

  He opens the bottle, it's smell making him giggle before he downs the potion. Immediately his body becomes hyper and speedy, his senses and perception heightened to new heights, albeit temporarily.

  "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

  Hyped and excited, Kak-Yak blindly rushed in, jumping and flipping in the air to strike down onto the husk. This stupidly works, his sword slamming down onto the head of the husk as it's thrown to the ground, loud THUD sounding throughout.

  Already hyper and active, our hero suddenly feels a power surge through him, making him even more speedy and unpredictable. Bluish aura surrounds him as he turns around to wave to Lyra.

  "Hehehehe, thanks for the boost!! I know that was your doing Lyra!!"

  "Whatever, just make sure not to get cocky."

  Our hero and his dwarven allies rush in to strike the husk. The combination of attacks dents its armor, but it's not enough, the monster quickly getting up and doing a quick wide slash. The flames from its sword turns into fiery projectiles, orbs forming into the air to blast anyone nearby.

  The orbs blast most of the dwarves back, but not Kak-Yak! He skillfully and expertly dodges blast after blast, going toe to toe with the monster.

  Thinking quickly, Lyra quickly cast forth a fire protection spell, shielding all near her as she rushes in. She quickly dispatched of the orbs in the air, reducing them to nothing thanks to powerful water spells.

  Having the advantage now, Kak-Yak and the dwarves began to get the upper hand, continuing to deal blow after blow to the Husk. It was now inevitable that it would lose this fight.

  Giggling to himself, Kak-Yak quickly sheathed his sword, lifting both paws up as he charged a blast. He waited for the best opportunity, hardening his expression and looking for the best opening possible.

  As if his thought was brought to life, one of the dwarves charged into the husk, impaling it onto his horns. Smirking, our hero lunged forward, a powerful blast sending the husk crashing backwards against the wall. A devastating snap is heard as it falls to the floor. Defeated.

  He stands firm, smirking as he looked to the dwarves. "And THAT, is how you do that, hahaha!!" Ears perking up, he quickly turns around to become distraught!!! Why? Well...the cool cool super DUPER cool sword began to melt. "AWWWWWWW, noooooooo!!!"

  "Don't worry lad! There might be some loot deep within!!! Come lads, I see a room where the husk emerged from!!!"

  "LOOT!!! LOOT!!! LOOT!!! LOOT!!!"

  The dwarves chanted in unison as they poured into the dark room. Kak-Yak, still bummed out about the cool sword melting before his eyes begin to pour as he stood up. Walking next to him, Lyra spoke.

  "What you just did isn't even a spell. Well, if it is it's strictly unique to Suxarine. I'm assuming that's something this Aza-Riel fellow helped you train to learn, correct?"

  "Yep! Pretty cool huh?! Like I said before he helped me learn, like, LOTS of things. Not just about my power."

  "Noted." *gestures to the room* "C'mon, let's see what's inside."

  "Ok!!!"

  The two hero's step inside the dark, large room. Lyra quickly cast forth a spell which lights up the room, blue hue coating the decrepit, webbed walls.

  "WE'VE CHEST LADS!!!"

  "LOOT!!!"

  The two watch as the dwarves pretty much take everything within. Turning to the very back of the room, Kak-Yak notices something very intriguing.

  "Woah! Lyra, look at this!" He runs over to the thing that's caught his eye. Eyes widened, he stares in both awe and confusion at what's he sees. Multiple figures all donned in robes and helms surrounding what looks to be...planets?! "This looks sooooooo weird."

  "What are you looking a-" She stops mid sentence, mouth opening a bit in confusion. "...What is this?"

  *shrug* "No idea!!! Looks cool though!"

  Lyra intently eyes the piece before her. Countless thoughts enter her head on what this random discovery could mean. Taking her attention away from the figures, she also notices how detailed the background is, showing stars upon stars. Turning to her right, she notices other pieces of art depicting these same mysterious individuals, although this time there are way more. They all are shown to do various things to help one another, ranging from helping a stranger off the ground after a fall, stopping an argument from escalating, so on and so on. Asides from this, other artworks are also shown, that of the many sapient beings on the planet. It shows them following what the figures do. Helping one another, loving one another, and supporting one another.

  "..." She shakes her head, quickly digging into her satchel to take out a journal. She begins to write some info down, as well as trying her best to draw what she has discovered.

  Sneaking on over, Kak-Yak speaks up. "Woah!!! You can draw Lyra?! I know I can't draw, hehehe."

  She simply nods. "Learned it during my time at the mages guild. Never really was good at first until I kept practicing. I'm still not at all that good either."

  Bouncing up and down, Kak-Yak decides to rest himself, plopping himself onto the ground as he closes his eyes. "Who knew that this large art...thingy...uh, I'm not sure what to call this, but it's cool though!!! Still confused as to what it means though."

  "From what I can see, it seems these robed entity's are depicted to pass down certain values and traits to us. Like love, compassion, core things which makes us sapient creatures. Creatures aware of our own existence...although that may be a stretch."

  "Huh."

  She shakes her head, continuing to write into and draw what she sees. "I could be completely wrong though, after all we both have zero clue what this could mean. I'm only going off of what I see, which may not be what this is even trying to tell...or if it's supposed to tell anything at all."

  "Well one's things for sure, whoever did this had some pretty good art skills!!!"

  Silence fills the room. Well, not really, as the dwarves are still here chanting and toasting to finding loot, having completely forgotten about the two hero's. Thoughts wandering, Kak-Yak thinks back to when he helped that boy not too long ago. He also remembered helping Honeycomb village with their ghost problem, helping that one guy with the trolls...wait...didn't he fight an angel?!!! Countless thoughts flood his already jumbled mind as every thought flys over him.