“Help him find the sword she says” Valence grumbles as he walks around the barren cliffs, trying to find Aaron.  “She couldn’t’ve said ‘spend a quiet afternoon taking a break’.  She HAD to send me on a death mission.”

Valence has been out for days, wandering around, looking for Aaron and trying to help guide him to the Dark Sword.  But being a puppet master isn’t as easy as Remra makes it look.  He has to get Aaron to do what he wants, but without him realizing he’s being controlled.

Not only that, but Aaron had an annoying habit of disappearing just as Valence found him.  “Next time I see him, I’m gonna sow a tracker in his shirt” Valence gripes as some rocks come loose under his foot and he steps away from the edge.  “dang it, i need more vacation days.”  He continues his steady work.

‘It’s just until you can get back to the castle‘ Valence reminds himself, ‘Then I can find Prisma and we can escape all this.  Nothing good has come of that shadow king.‘  Finally, Valence sees the long walk-ways and cave-like entrances that lead to the hidden city of the Monarchs.

‘Hang on, my people, salvation is coming.‘

(Okay, so it’s not much, but Valence had to start following Aaron from somewhere.  Come back for more!)