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Champions! Heroes! I am here! And I shall continue the telling of my tail. The tail of the experience that not only defined the person I am today, but also shaped the whole of Doggainia. Much has been lost already in this tail. My carefree days, my sight, my youthful love Alexis, my family, and at last my brother's spirit. Dark times have fallen upon the land of Doggainia. Where once there was the hope of my claiming my birthright as the Giver and restoring peace with the destruction of the Silver Lady, there is now a sense of foreboding as the hand of Fate has snatched my birthright from me. The future, unknown to all, hangs in the balance of what transpires in Fannox. Fannox, perhaps the most unlikely place in of Doggainia from whence a saving act could come, controls the fate of my land, and it is at the port of Fannox that resume my tail. My band and I were waiting at the docks of Fannox when Butch brought the Poodle ship into port. How I longed to here the hearty voice of Butch and the wise voice of Scottie. Ages seemed to pass between the time since I had sent Flash aboard to hurry our friends along till at last I heard Butch's warm greeting and felt him clasp my arm. He related to me the adventure of his voyage as we, now all reunited, made our way into the City of Fannox. Whoric's guards (who still accompanied us) made a tight circle around us with their weapons facing out. It was from fear for our lives that they did this, but rather from fear of our loads being unknowingly lightened. Fannox is the city of thieves, robbers, pickpockets, rogues and scoundrels of shapes and sizes. Never would one find such a gathering of shifty characters together in broad daylight. Even the palace guards of Fannox are known to force nobles to pay upwards of ten thousand marks just to gain access to the palace. Our band, however, was let in to the palace without a moments hesitation. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, in there right minds would overtly molest ten Wolfhound soldiers or those whom they accompanied. Within minutes of entering the palace, a page escorted us into the presence of Fox Breed Leader Carla the Fair. Though her city and palace has been overrun by unsavory people, Carla herself is perhaps the most just and fair person I have ever met. In my youth, I recall that whenever she visited my parents, her advise was always given the highest regard, even more so than that of Scottie's and the other mages of Yapap. Her decisions on matters of any kind were almost always correct and just. As a general rule, no Breed Leader ever bows before another, but I know of no Breed Leader who has ever stood in Carla's presence until she bade him to stand. Such is her legend and fame in Doggainia. As I knelt before her, I could feel her gaze upon me, digging into the very depths of my soul. When she bade me, Butch and Scottie to stand, I stayed bent over and I heard not a rustle behind me, indicating that neither Butch or Scottie had moved either. I could almost see her famous smile playing upon her lips. Then she spoke again with an almost unauditable trace of amusement and agreement in her voice, "I see that you still accept that peasant Flash to be your equal. Very well then, the four of you may rise together." Slowly the four us rose from the floor. Carla must have waved us forward, as she then said, "I am sorry good Ace. I momentarily forgot of your loss of sight, perhaps because it is only temporary. Come forward with your friends." My heart almost stopped beating. Temporary. She had said my blindness to be only temporary. But how could it be restored to me? Were not the only two forces of Doggainia powerful enough to dispatch the curse from my body long dead? Yet, though I knew in my mind that my sight could not be restored, my heart felt alive with the promise of my sight being restored to me. For not only is Carla the fairest of the land, she is also the most accurate oracle of my time. In fact, there is no one in recorded history who has ever possessed this gift of prophecy to a greater extent than she. Once step ahead of me as always, Clara answered my question before I had even fully finished thinking of it, "Yes, heard me correctly Ace. Your sight shall be restored in good time. At least, it will be if you survive the voyage to Kerano and return. I, Breed Leader of the Foxes, Oracle of Doggainia hereby charge you with the task of retrieving for me the one thing I have most wanted. You shall bring to me, the Chalice of Power. If you return alive, then your sight shall be restored." First a wave of joy flowed through my body, then a wave of dread. The Chalice of Power, but that would mean... Scottie realized the implications faster than I did and voiced them quite loudly, "THE CHALICE OF POWER?!?! Perhaps as you say, his sight will be restored upon the completion of this task, but all of Doggainia will still be in the danger of being lost to the Silver Lady. Even with his sight returned, Ace could never become the Giver. It is written in the ancient texts that he who delivers the Chalice of Power to a Breed Leader will forever be spurned by magic. No magic would be able harm him, and thus the curse would vanish, but the Mantle of the Giver would reject him as well." Carla, though kind and often soft-spoken never did take well to being hollared at, "Dare you raise your voice to me, insolent mage! Dare you further to doubt me! I say that if Ace is to return, his sight will be restored. I know not if this quest will doom our fair land, but this much I do know. If Ace fails or does not accept my charge, all of Doggainia will be forced to submit to the Silver Lady. And that I cannot allow. Ace Dogg Breed Leader of the Retrievers and Labs, do you accept this charge?" Even before she had finished, I knew what my answer was, what my answer must be. I accepted the charge with both hands outstretched. And with that acceptance, the Fate of Doggainia rested solely upon my shoulders. And it is here that I will leave you now. For what happens next requires a far longer explanation than I voice left in me. Good day fair heroes. Ace Dogg of Doggainia |
