| | | | “You are the Scout of Honor, Mindy Ironcaller.”
I will never forget those words for all of eternity. Those words changed the course of my enrollment, my adventure, and, most of all, my life. Those words were by far the powerful words ever spoken. Let me tell you how this all came to be...
My name is Mindy Ironcaller. I am a seasoned life wizard. One day, I was minding my own business in the Science Center of Celestia, on the brink of advancing to level 60. One second, I was standing next to Engineer Montgomery, waiting to be granted that final bit of experience, the next, I was being pulled into the air by a cloaked figure that looked surprisingly like a Shadow-Web Wraith. I couldn’t help it. I shrieked. But that only seemed to make things worse as a cloud of sunbirds flew out of an opening and lifted me higher into the Arboretum. I was pulled up to a hatch at the top of the dome. A fin came out along with a spurt of water that hit Praxus, short-circuiting him.
At least the Science Center won’t be destroyed, I thought, trying to think positive, remembering his plot for destruction. On the other hand, I was now being passed off to a group of Pisceans that did not look friendly. One draped in robes, who I guessed was their leader, now spoke.
“Very well, Piranus,” he complimented. “Well, you should better be getting on now. I must introduce myself to this wizard. Now,” he added, turning to me, “I am Gilleth One-Fin, leader of the good Pisceans in this area. Those who are evil have betrayed me in favor of Morganthe.”
“Th-That’s terrible,” I stammered, refusing to believe a Piscean would not attack. I whistled for Duke Vaden, my Wendingo pet, for good luck. With him at my side, I felt better. “Who was that fish that dropped me off here?”
“Oh, you mean Piranus? He is my favorite ambassador. But,” he waved his fin at me disapprovingly, “we should get down to business now. Go in that cave, for we need privacy.”
Now I really felt nervous. For was it not in caves that various creatures had betrayed me? Yet I obediently followed him in. Then came those six fateful words.
“You are the Scout of Honor,” Gilleth said casually, sharpening his spear.
I nearly fell over on the spot. I had heard legends of the Scout of Honor, the key component to the Band of the Brave. And the Band of the Brave...
A knock on the cave door. “Come back later,” Gilleth called. “We’re busy!” He followed up with three taps of his spear on the floor. Whoever had been trying to get in appeared to be gone. Gilleth peeked out, just in cave, but “No one is there,” he huffed. “Now, back to the point. Yes, you are in the Band of the Brave.”
“You mean... the group that is supposed to restore order to Celestia and Electronica...”
Gilleth did a backflip and went up to me. “Do not speak of Morganthe’s factory so casually.” I thought that was rather ironic since HE had, after all, been the one to CASUALLY mention the Band. So I decided to tease him one more time.
“You mean Electronica?”
“Yes, yes, whatever you want, just stop saying the name!”
“Fine. Now, doesn't the Band have some special quest?”
“Of course!” Gilleth looked at me strangely. “You must rebuild the rest of the Band. The people of it are scattered everywhere. They just don’t realize it.”
A sudden thought struck me. “Hey,” I remembered the timing of Gilleth’s taking me away. “The Band’s personnel must be at least level 60, right?”
“Yes. And you make the perfect Scout because you are life, and if you are attacked, you can easily heal yourself, more so than the Watcher.”
At last! I finally knew a role in the Band besides Scout. “So, who is this Watcher?” I inquired.
“Ah, a worthy question! Her name is-”
I held my breath, knowing that I would be charged with the responsibility of finding the Watcher.
At that moment, the door blew in.
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