"For a few moments the lights and music were replaced by darkness and silence. Then followed the sounds of battle: ripping flesh, tearing cloth, screaming, grunting, the awful crunch of metal upon bone. I could not move, frozen with fear upon the ground. "After what seemed like an eternity, the noise stopped. The wasteland fell silent and dark once more. I looked up, startled by the sight of two small, ageless eyes looking down on me from a few feet away. It was the Shink who had stopped to look in my direction before the battle began. ""I am Bailin," she said. "We are the Shinkae. One of my sisters has been injured. We know you have good in your heart; we know you can help us." "And with that, she lifted me to my feet and led me to the scene of the battle. My mind swam with questions. Who and what were these Shinkae? Were they good or evil? Why had they brought orcs here, and what had happened to them? "Was I safe, or was I in grave danger?" Credits: Universal Wings 2 by Thorneworks (DAZ) Hair by Koz