An explosion of heat and flames. Those are the last things Glyn remembers as he opens his eyes. The moon hangs high overhead as he tries to recall the previous events. The attack by Morgan’s forces, the butler tracking them down and cornering them in the forest, the battle, and… Mila. He sits on the edge of a beach of an unknown island, staring at the sea sitting inside of a crater of melted glass burnt from the intense heat when he crashed down moments before.

  “The teleport stone worked. But it overloaded and sent us flying everywhere.” He holds out his King Piece as it floats above his hand. “I can sense everyone is alive, at least. But there’s some interference. Maybe everyone’s unconscious?”

  “Glyn!” Pepper yells, appearing above Glyn in her small fairy form. “You’re awake.”

  “You must be why I’m not a burnt pile of ash right now,” Glyn says jokingly.

  Pepper shakes her head. “No. While we were encased in the fireball landing here, it didn’t hurt. I think Mila was trying her best to protect us.”

  Glyn nods and takes a breath. “We need to get information. Any idea where we are?”

  “None. I only woke up moments ago and tried to get a sense of the island. It appears to be uninhabited.”

  “That’s great, another empty island. How many of these damned things are in this archipelago?”

  “Several from the looks of it.”

  “Anyway. Let’s get a feel for this place and try to get off of it. We can use the King Piece to find the others and…” Glyn stops as he notices a figure in the distance. “Great. It looks like we weren’t the only ones who got sent here.”

  He smirks as a cloaked figure rushes ahead towards the pair. Pepper flies towards the figure, shooting out a blast of energy out at them. The cloaked figure collapses, kneeling down as Glyn approaches them.

  “Stay back. It’s too dangerous.”

  Glyn holds out his hand and holds out a Bishop Piece. “I’d normally like to check things out a bit more. But desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  “What’re you doing?”

  “I’m going to use the Piece to expunge whatever mess Morgan’s people put in this guy.”

  “Are you sure that’ll work?”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  Glyn leans down and shoves the Piece into the cloaked figure’s chest. The man twitches and aches, clawing at his chest as he makes a strange, inhuman chittering noise. He cries out, ripping and tearing at his cloak, kneeling to the ground and coughing out some black sludge. The sludge moves, shaking and screeching as Glyn and Pepper stare at it.

  Glyn nods to Pepper, who holds out her hand and scorches the sludge as it lets out one last cry. The man collapses with the pair looking over him cautiously.

  “Is he alive?” Pepper asks.

  Glyn holds out his hand. “I can feel the connection to the Piece inside of him. It’s there but weak. He’ll take a few days to heal, but we’re not going anywhere, anytime soon, so let’s find some shelter and be ready for anything.”

  Pepper nods. “Right.”

  “I can only hope that everyone else will stay safe until we can reunite.”

  Glyn and Pepper make a small camp in the island's forest, using whatever they can salvage from the island for sustenance. The two take turns watching over the injured man checking on his wounds as Glyn observes the connection of the Piece now resting inside of him. Days pass as Glyn nervously checks on the status of all of his Pieces noticing some recovering, the Pawns on the move, but also seeing the all-important Queen Piece somewhat obscured from his sights.

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  As a storm comes into the night, the pair move their campsite to hide themselves from the rain. They make camp under an enormous pile of trees bundled together, almost like a tent. A small fire pit sits in the middle of the Glyn kindling the flames to keep warm. With Pepper making a dome to protect themselves as Glyn watches over the cloaked the cloaked man.

  “Your levels are getting better. You should at the very least be conscious now.” Glyn says, staring at the man propped up against a large tree log.

  The man shakes. “You’re a strange one. Keeping me alive this long.” He coughs.

  “Good, you can talk. You’re an Insectoid, right? Where is the rest of your hive?”

  “Dead. Either killed by the Queen and her forces or enslaved like myself. Turned into her pawns of conquest.”

  Glyn stares down at the flames. “I see that explains most of her forces. I was curious where her army appeared from.”

  “Yes, I watched her take down our true Queen take her place, and assimilated my people. I was one of the few considered important or powerful enough to meet the requirements of a war slave. A tool to fight her battles and forced to follow her orders.”

  “Well, you’re done with that.”

  “Yes. Thanks to the Piece you forced into me I know following your orders thanks to the Piece you inserted into me.”

  Glyn nods “That’s true. You have to listen to me for now. Unless I decide to remove the Piece and set you free.”

  “What!?”

  “I would like a guide to find Morgan’s hideout and headquarters. I’m looking for a way to kill her and end this madness once and for all.”

  The two stare at each other as the man removes his hood, revealing his insectoid face. “I can sense your heart. Your thoughts are racing and your position in this battle is bad.”

  “Yes. But I have people relying on me, so I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”

  “I can remember what it was like under Morgan’s control. It was a total nightmare of having my body controlled by some outside force. Now I’m free of that force and I swear I’ll never fight as someone else’s slave ever again.”

  Glyn nods. “Good.”

  “Good?”

  “If you’re unwilling, then I’ll take the Piece back and you can go on your way. Better go into a dangerous battle willingly rather than force someone to do it.” Glyn leans back. “We’ll have to fight our way to Morgan to have any chance to take her out. And right now, it’s just me and Pepper. In any scenario, it’d be good to bet against us.”

  “Then why do it?”

  “Because someone has to.”

  “Not to be king?”

  “I couldn't care less about that. Someone like her doesn’t need to be on the throne, yes. But I don’t want to be on it either. I’d rather just make sure the worst person doesn’t end up on it. And she’s the worst.”

  The man laughs. “You’re a strange one.”

  “Yup.”

  “Trying not to convince me?”

  “You seem to be adamant about not fighting. I can’t imagine what you went through, so I won’t force you into fighting or try to convince you. So, let’s get off this island and go our separate ways.”

  The man pauses. “Hold for a moment.”

  “What?”

  “My name is Anluan.”

  “Okay, Anluan.”

  Anluan pauses. “Um…”

  “What?”

  He laughs for a moment. “Sorry, I’m not used to outsiders. For my people, we only announce our names to those who we’re willing to trust.”

  “Oh? The other Insectoids I know don’t hold to that.”

  “It’s an old tradition. I imagine the splinter hives dropped it after getting new queens.”

  Glyn nods. “Does that mean….”

  “I’ll fight alongside you for now. Morgan has to be removed before she can cause more harm. So, what is your plan?”

  “We need some way to alert the Shadows about her and get evidence to prove that she’s being backed by Demons. If we can prove her as a heretic, the full force of the army will come down on her.”

  “I see. But there is something else about this.”

  “I need to save my partner. She’s my Queen Piece, and Morgan’s butler was after her, thanks to her strong magical abilities. I have to get her back, no matter what.”

  Anluan stares at Glyn and then nods. “Alright. I’ll help you with your goal. I can lead you to Morgan’s base and we can infiltrate it. If the butler was obsessed with her, then he likely captured her.”

  “You can take us there?” Pepper asks, descending from above.

  Anluan nods. “Yes. I can remember the way there. It should be a day or two away from here if what I sense is right.”

  “Sense?” Pepper asks.

  Glyn nods. “I get it. The Insectoids have a special way of sensing things and can trace a certain smell for miles.”

  “That’s right. Morgan’s island was originally our home, so we can always find our way home.”

  Glyn nods. “Then we’ll need a boat.”

  “Not necessarily. I can travel between the islands with my magic. I can lift us and we can glide between the smaller islands to Morgan’s base.”

  Glyn nods. “That might be better, too. I imagine they have some way of detecting boats or rafts approaching their island.”

  “Alright then. Let’s make our move at sunrise,” Pepper says.

  Glyn nods and holds out his hand. “Anluan, we’re counting on you.”

  Anluan nods. “Let’s ensure Morgan’s downfall.”

  “Naturally!” Glyn yells.