Rofal Family

The Rofal Family is a mainly criminal family started by Damian Rofal and his wife (name currently unknown), because Damian wanted to lay low for a while. Currently it seems to have grown only to third generation, with none of Damian’s grandchildren having any children of their own yet. At the start of the story they were living primarily in Atreya and Dante. All descendants of Damian share his dark hair and thick, arched eyebrows.

## Members

There seems to be more members than just ones listed above, but they haven’t been named or had any individual screen time in the story yet.

## Occupations

At the start of the story most Rofals were criminals of one sort of another, such as Joseph Rofal (and later Geoffrey Rofal) leading Rofal Syndicate, Elwood Rofal being an illegal arms dealer and Jonah Rofal being a loan shark. However, some of them pursued other occupations, such as being a housewife or a Vanguard member.

## History

After starting the family, Damian was presumably the main reason for his descendants’ criminal tendencies, but seems to have just let them do whatever they wanted after a certain point, eventually retiring into a community home and barely seeing any of them. However, after Geoffrey died, Damian decided to gather all of them together with the purpose of building a fourth servant empire.

Damian kidnapped all of them, had them declared dead, liquidated around forty percent of family assets and brought them all to a mansion-sized cabin in Omarest Mountain Range of Dante, surrounded by an unusual high-level soul net which worked not only on reapers but also on people, preventing everyone from leaving. Due to Dennex being with Dunstan Rofal during the kidnapping, Francisco Elroy had also been dragged along and declared a honorary member of the family, because of Dunstan presenting him as his best friend Cisco Ellis, who didn’t have a family of his own.

All the family members were informed of the existence of servants, reapers, as well as the Servant Emperors and their different factions. They also were informed of recruitment plans and aberration harvesting to reach the strength necessary for Damian’s goal. Finally, Damian gave every family member a number of gifts - snow globes, pistols, coloring books, matching jackets and aberration rings made from Geoffrey.

After that Damian started training his family in various subjects, including shooting pistols, making fires, combat and using aberration shadows. The latter subjects, combined with “bonding exercise” of cabin being without power for ten days straight, started to make Rofals more accepting of their situation and genuinely bond with one another. However, Dunstan (and by association Cisco) were excluded from that dynamic due to hate from Dunstan’s side and fear from other Rofals.

When second great Eloan war had begun, Damian turned power back on and gifted his family members various electronics, warning them against abusing the privilege of reconnecting with the world. Along with that, he informed them of the war and announced that they soon will have their first true family outing. That outing turned to be bringing them to front lines of the continental war, specifically in Melmoore, though with comparatively minimal fighting required on their part.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 It *was* odd, though. Like a faint pressure in his chest. And around his head. His whole body, even. And as much as he would have preferred not to answer that question, remaining silent seemed somehow untenable, nor could he come up with an appropriate lie in time. “My family is full of criminals. If I didn’t leave, I probably would’ve ended up like them.”

“And your reaper didn’t have a problem with that?”

“I didn’t meet her until I was seventeen. She doesn’t have any ties to my family. I doubt they even know reapers exist.”

“I wouldn’t be too certain of that.”

Dunstan’s gaze flickered again, and he had to concentrate in order to keep his eyes where they needed to be. “What do you mean, sir?”But instead of answering, Cpt. General Miles chose to ask a different question. “Where was your family living when you left?”

And there it was again--that unexplained pressure, pushing him onward, compelling him to speak. “Dante. I think we had some cousins in Atreya, too. Why?” - Excerpt from page 871
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 “Oh, and I also got some coloring books,” said Damian. “I remember how a lot of you guys liked those.”

“When we were six, maybe,” someone said.

Damian glanced over his audience again. “Okay, maybe I got those for me. I’m just saying--feel free to take advantage of them, if you want. I won’t be upset.”

Cisco heard Feromas sighing.

“Ooh! And here’s the best part!” Damian rummaged through the last few bags and pulled out two armfuls of red leather with black stripes. “Matching jackets! Now we can be like a proper gang! Or a team! Yeah! Team Rofal!”

Cisco had to set his other gifts down in order to receive this one. The back had an elaborate and admittedly impressive design on it--silvery wings burning with red-and-black flames, all placed in front of two giant, menacing eyes, which also carried flames in their pupils.

It also had “C. Ellis” emblazoned on the front. It was even the right size.

And as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Cisco actually kind of liked it.

The other Rofals gave various--though not necessarily unreceptive--grumbles as they examined their own jackets.

After that, Damian sat everyone down to explain a few things. Namely, he told them about the existence of reapers and servants. He informed them of the existence of the Vanguard and Abolish, as well as Sai-hee.

Cisco knew all of this already, of course, as did Dunstan, but most of the audience looked like they didn’t believe him at all. Until he ripped off his own hand and grew it back right in front of them. Dunstan even spoke up at one point to say that Damian was, in fact, not just being his usual crazy self.

Once the pieces finally started to fall into place for everyone, perhaps realizing previous mysteries in their own lives were suddenly being solved, they began asking questions, chief among them coming from the eldest woman of the group, Damian’s wife, a woman that Cisco had yet to get an actual name for, as everyone had just been calling her “Mother” or “Grandma.”

“Why in the world have you waited so long to tell us all of this?!” she said, sounding equal parts furious and confused.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Damian. “I didn’t want you guys spreading all this information around and causing a stir. The whole reason I wanted to start this family was to lay low for a while, not draw attention. And let me tell you, it would’ve been very bad if either the King of the Fairies or the King of the Demons found out about us!” - Excerpt from page 1474
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 “So I hear you’re all a bunch of a criminals,” said Cisco.

Dunstan just about drowned in the glass of water he was drinking from.

Cisco didn’t avert his gaze from the other Rofals, though. He wanted to see their faces, their reactions.

Lucia laughed. Jonah glared. Elwood scowled.

“Is that what Dunce over there told you?” said Elwood. He was a tall man with a gravely voice and a strong, clean shaven jawline. He was wearing silky red-and-gold pajamas, but that didn’t inform Cisco of much, because everyone else was doing the same. There wasn’t a whole lot of motivation to get properly dressed when everyone knew they weren’t going anywhere. Not to mention, there wasn’t much variety of clothing available here, either.

“You shouldn’t put too much credence in what that loser says,” said Jonah. Compared to Elwood, this guy looked pretty small, though he was probably around average weight and height.

And they all had the same dark hair and thick, arched eyebrows.

“Okay,” said Cisco flatly. “So tell me what the truth is, then.”

And perhaps they hadn’t expected him to say that, because both men paused.

“Elwood here is an illegal arms dealer,” said Dunstan, having found his composure again. “And Jonah--well, he’s just a loan shark, but he gets his jollies from smacking kids around, probably to vent his frustration over how pathetic he is.” - Excerpt from page 1471
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 “Fine,” said Colt. “Then maybe you can tell me more about your family. I’ve only ever met you and Geoffrey.”

“Ah.” Rofal took a swig of his alcohol. “My father and mother retired successfully some ten years ago now. Great man, my father. These days, some people question his lucidity--namely, my mother--but sometimes, I can still see that brilliance of his. That *ambition*. One moment, he’ll be talking about his great grandfather or his dead sister like they’re in the room; and then the next, he’ll be whispering to me about some secret store room he had built thirty years ago.”

“I met him once,” said Swank. “He offered to cut my hair for me. And replace it with possum fur. I’m still not sure if he was joking.”

Rofal laughed. “Apart from that, I have a few siblings. I inherited the business because my older sister, bless her, hates everything about it.”

Colt snorted. “One of you isn’t a criminal?”

“Oh, she has the mind for it. We all know she does. But she fell in love with an electrician and decided to become a housewife, if you can believe that. Still not sure I do.” - Excerpt from page 90
5. ↑ ‘*Well now*,’ said Feromas, ‘*do you intend on avenging our grandson?*’

Damian scratched his jowly cheek and shrugged. “Eh. I’d rather not. Unless you feel strongly about it.”

‘*Doesn’t matter to me. But without Geoffrey, there is not much reason to stay in Brighton--or in Atreya, for that matter.*’

“Perhaps it’s a good time to leave the country,” he said.

‘*Abolish has started moving here, too. It’d be annoying if they found us. And at that point, we’d have to leave anyway, as well as cover our tracks.*’

“Ho-hum...”

‘*What are you thinking?*’

“This whole family business thing hasn’t really worked out for us, has it?”

‘*That’s because you have trouble sticking to plans. You let your family run wild and do whatever they want. You could have fostered greatness in them, but now they are just normal people whom you barely ever see.*’

“You’re right. Of course, you’re right. And I got a bit too comfortable in that community home, didn’t I?”

‘*Ugh, don’t remind me. I almost released your soul because of that fucking place.*’

“I’m gonna miss that pudding. And the board games. Oh, and that Nurse Beatrix.” He thought a moment. “Hey, you wanna go back there?”

‘*No, goddammit! I’ll kill you!*’

“Fine...” He stretched his neck. “I guess I’ll go gather the kids up, then.”

‘*Really? They are not going to just abandon their lives and leave with you.*’

“Who said I’d give them a choice?” - Excerpt from page 297
6. ↑ ”Well, anyway,” said Dunstan, “isn’t it about time you explained why the hell you’ve gone so far out of your way to gather us all together like this?”

“It’s a team building exercise!” said Damian. “I thought that would be obvious by now, given the jackets!”

Dunstan eyed his own again. “Yeah, but *to what end*? Why do you want us to be a team so badly? Hell, I still don’t know how you were even able to find me the way you did.”

“Heh, I have my ways,” said Damian.

‘*And by “ways,” he means “associates who can handle all the hard stuff for him,”*’ said Feromas.

“Hey, don’t give away my ways!”

Feromas ignored him. ‘*Dunstan, the goal here is simple. We’re building a fourth servant empire.*’ - Excerpt from page 1475
7. ↑ “Some of us do have lives of our own, you know,” said Lucia.

“Oh, yeah, about that.” Damian gave her a toothy smile. “You actually don’t, anymore.”

Everyone just looked at him.

Lucia was the one to ask, “What does that mean?”

“I’ve had you all declared dead!”

Cisco heard a few groans.

“Plane crash is the official story,” said Damian. “So don’t worry. Your friends and associates won’t miss you. Well, okay, poor choice of words. They won’t be wondering where you are, is what I meant.”

“What about the family business?!”

“It’s alright,” said Damian. “I liquidated all of your assets. Almost all, anyway. A good forty percent or so.” Excerpt from page 1477
8. ↑ Francisco Elroy had to admit, the view from his room was stunning. The Omarest Mountain Range of Dante was known for its skiing even as far away as Sair, and now he could see why. The snow outside his window was unlike anything he’d seen in Aguarey.

Under different circumstances, he might have been able to enjoy visiting this luxurious, mansion-sized cabin in the middle of nowhere.

The question of why the hell he was here in the first place had still not been answered to his satisfaction. He understood that the crazy old guy named Damian Rofal was responsible, but beyond that, not much was clear.

The last thing he remembered before waking up here was fighting a group of Vanguardian jackasses in his school. And now he’d come to find that one of those very jackasses was here with him, not much more aware of what was going on than he was, apparently.

His reaper, Dennex, had advised him not to ask too many questions, however, and Cisco could see the wisdom in that, especially after what Dunstan Rofal, the Vanguardian jackass in question, had told him.

“My family is a bunch of criminals,” he’d said. “I suggest you not trust any of them. And my grandfather in particular is... well, he’s a lot more *dangerous* than I ever realized, it would seem.”

They’d been here for a couple weeks now, so naturally, Cisco had been trying to find a means of escape--with Dunstan’s help, surprisingly. But this place was much more of a prison than it looked. The building’s three floors may have had an open-air layout to them, and the furniture may have been as ritzy as Cisco had ever seen, and the food may have even been pretty damn good, but there was some sort of high-level soul net preventing not just the reapers from leaving, but people, too.

From what Cisco had thus far gathered, it had something to do with the tall, rocky spires that stood all around the structure. They looked normal enough at a glance and as of now, were half-buried in snow, but when he’d touched them a few days ago, he could feel them *humming* in a way that was most certainly unnatural. - Excerpt from page 1469
9. ↑ Reza came to a sudden stop, and Dunstan phased through her and nearly fell over. He looked around for more threats but didn’t see any. ‘*What’s wrong?*’ he asked.

Dennex flew through the wall of fire. Chunks of him were missing.

‘*You got free*,’ observed Reza.

‘*Hello there*,’ he said, quite calmly. ‘*Would you mind terribly if I tagged along?*’

‘*Don’t wanna try flyin’ through this mess on your own, eh?*’

‘*No, I do not. I am guessing that those are Abolish soldiers that I sense above us.*’

‘*And below us? Do you know what that is?*’

‘*No, I don’t. I thought it was a soul net at first, but it’s not, is it?*’

‘*No. It’s moving, whatever it is. Like it’s alive.*’

Dunstan wanted to speak aloud, but the crack and roar of burning wood was too loud, and there was almost as much smoke as there was breathable oxygen, anyway. ‘*We’re wasting time*,’ he told Reza.

‘*Right*,’ she said publicly. ‘*Well, come on then.*’

They proceeded on together, keeping within the relative safety of the fire, letting it make way for them. Dunstan kept hearing explosions go off in the sky above them. As trees fell over and opened up his line of sight, he began seeing people and low-flying aircraft there. It gave him little more than a glimpse of what was happening, but if Dennex didn’t want to brave that airspace, then it must have been pretty bad up there, he figured.

And then the ground heaved up in front of him, very nearly knocking him off his feet.

Dunstan caught himself on one knee, and when he looked up, he saw multiple pillars shooting out of the ground. Each was as broad as a school bus, and when they stopped moving, Dunstan realized that they had *heads*.

Gigantic worms, they appeared to be. Their hulking bodies bristled with visible electricity, and their beady eyes looked straight at him and Reza.

Noticeably, however, they were not attacking. They just remained there, motionless and staring.

Then a voice rang out. “Aha! I knew you would survive! Good job, Dunstan!”

Dunstan squinted as he noticed a figure standing atop the centermost worm. He couldn’t place the voice, but it sounded familiar. He found a full breath of air and called out, “Who are you?!”

“Why, it’s me! It’s your grandpa!” The figure waved a hand, and the worm beneath him knelt down low enough for Dunstan to get a good look.

And Dunstan could hardly believe his eyes. He hadn’t seen that wrinkled face since he was a child, but it hadn’t changed a bit. As little sense as it made to him, there was no doubt about it. This was certainly Damian Rofal before him. His grandfather.

Damian laughed. “Feromas thought my plan would get you killed for sure, but ha! Shows what he knows!”

Dunstan finally found the words. “Grandpa, why are you here?!”

“For you, obviously! I’ve come to get you, my boy! Everyone else was easy to find, but it took months to track you down. You shouldn’t run away from home, you know. Not that I’m complaining. How often do you get to blow up a field marshal’s plane, eh?”

“That was YOUR doing?!”

“Well, yes and no. Abolish might’ve been under the impression that certain precious artifacts were onboard. But anyway! The important thing is that we’re together now! Oh, and is this your reaper? Ah, no, but there are two with you. Which one do you belong to? Regardless, it is lovely to meet them both! I hope they’re nice!”

Dunstan had so many questions that he just reached for the first one he could hold onto. “What the hell are these giant worms?!”

“Oh, don’t worry about them! They’re my buddies! Don’t pet them, though. I know they look nice and squishy, but they’ll zap you.”

‘*Mind hurrying this along?*’ said Feromas. ‘*We’re still in danger, you know.*’

“Ah, right. Let’s get out of here, shall we? I’d rather not have to fight that Gargoyle you were with!” - Excerpt from pages 1005 and 1006
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 “Yeah, but how often do you get a chance to flip a table with a game board on it?!” said Damian. “It’s a rare and precious opportunity that should be taken advantage of!” He threw Cisco a less-than-apologetic look. “You weren’t still playing that were you, Mr. Ellis?”

“I guess not,” said Cisco dryly. ‘Ellis’ had been Dennex’s concoction, apparently considering it best not to chance anyone here recognizing the name ‘Elroy.’

“I got you a present, too,” said Damian. “I figured Dunstan’s best friend could be an honorary member of our family, especially since you don’t have one of your own.”

‘*Agh, try to have a little more tact*,’ said Feromas. He turned his skeletal wolf’s head toward Cisco. ‘*Sorry about him.*’

“It’s fine,” said Cisco.

That, too, had been Dennex’s doing, the logic being that they didn’t want this Damian fellow to go check up on the non-existent Ellis family in an attempt to corroborate their story.

By the time Damian started pulling presents out, the Rofals had all gathered in the main room, even Dunstan and Rezamaar.

“Now, first, we of course have our snow globes,” said Damian. He held out one in each hand, shaking them both to make the white flakes in the water begin floating. “When I saw these, I obviously had to buy all of them, so don’t be shy now! I have enough for everyone! Go on, everybody take one!”

Despite saying that, Cisco somehow ended up with three globes in his hands. One was of a snowman and a candlestick-man punching each other. Another was of a dragon burning down a snowy village. And the third was of a lion roaring on a snow-capped mountain.

Cisco had no idea where he was supposed to put these.

Then Damian started pulling out firearms. He handed them out like they were candy.

“I was only able to get pistols, but that should be fine for now,” said Damian. “They’re not loaded, of course, but I’ll show you all how to use them later.”

“I think most of us here already know how, Father,” said a middle-aged woman, who Cisco recalled as being Dunstan’s mother, Cecilia.

“Oh, of course you do, sweetheart, but it never hurts to brush up on the basics. Wouldn’t want any of you accidentally hurting yourselves. You, especially, Cecilia. I bet you haven’t fired one of these since you were little.”

“You might be surprised,” said Cecilia darkly. “I wanted to be ready, in case you ever visited me again.”

Damian gave her an unconcerned look. “And how well did that work out for you?” he said, wide-eyed and smiling.

She just scowled.

“If you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll tell you how you can *actually* kill me, one day!”

‘*Don’t do that*,’ said Feromas. ‘*Oh god, please don’t do that.*’

Cecilia smacked her lips as she inspected her new pistol.

Cisco was surprised to receive a firearm, too. He checked to see if it really wasn’t loaded, and indeed, the detachable magazine was empty. - Excerpt from page 1473
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 ‘*That’s a lovely sentiment*,’ said Rezamaar, ‘*but we don’t really have quality, either. Aside from yourself, our strongest fighter is my sweet baby Dunstan here. And he still needs time to grow.*’

‘*Don’t worry*,’ said Feromas. ‘*We’ve got recruitment plans in the works. And we’re also going to do a bit of aberration harvesting. Which reminds me. Damian, why don’t you give everyone their final gift?*’

“Right!” said Damian, rummaging through his pockets. He retrieved a fistful of pearly white rings--identical to one he was already wearing, Cisco noticed. “Now, these are only rings, so they’re not as strong as they might otherwise be, but they’ll help keep you safe. And choose your finger wisely, because once you put it on, it’s not coming off unless the finger comes with it. Everybody take one. Come on. Don’t be shy now. I made sure there were enough for all of you.”

When Cisco received his, he examined it more closely. It had a polished sheen to it on the outside rim, but the inside was much plainer. *‘Is that... bone?’* thought Cisco.

*‘I believe so,’* said Dennex privately. *‘This ring is the remains of an aberration. I can sense its sinister power.’*

Cisco watched as everyone else was putting theirs on. ‘*Should I really wear this?*’

‘*I don’t think you have much choice, right now.*’

‘*Ugh...*’ Cisco frowned as he stared at it. He’d wanted to become an aberration hunter, but was this the end result of that? Or was it just some twisted approximation? Would the Vanguard have made him wear this thing, too?

Maybe so. The Vanguard had certainly demonstrated that it wasn’t nearly so noble as he’d hoped it was.

‘*You can cut your finger off later, if you really hate it that much*,’ said Dennex.

Cisco took a slow breath and put it on, choosing his middle finger on his right hand. It felt like any other ring would, at first. Then a sharp pain bit into his finger, and he could feel it go all the way to his bone, like it was attaching itself to him.

But there was no blood. And it didn’t look like his skin had actually been broken. It just *felt* like he’d been cut into. But that, too, was fleeting. After a few more moments of agony, the pain was entirely gone.

The others were already manifesting shadows around themselves. A deep and dark red, each one was, which suggested to Cisco that all of these bone rings had come from the same aberration. Though, perhaps not. Surely, there were repeated colors among aberrations. Perhaps they’d all just come from the same *type* of aberration, assuming there were such classifications. - Excerpt from page 1476
12. ↑ And abruptly, a broad grin split the reaper’s face. *‘Now that is more like it.’* He eyed Samuel Goffe’s body. *‘Don’t forget to scrap Geoffrey for parts, too.’*

“Right.” Damian turned to the coroner. “I need a body bag for this one.”

The man blinked at him. “E-excuse me?”

“I’m taking--what was it, Mr. Goffe? I’m taking him with me.” - Excerpt from page 297
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Maybe that was absurd, though. Damian Rofal still kept bringing them plenty of food, and made sure that everyone knew how to build a fire. It had a been a few years since Cisco had received instruction on that matter, and he thought it best to play along as if he didn't know anything.

The old man was a surprisingly patient teacher. Cisco watched him work with each and every one of the other Rofals, even Dunstan, who clearly did not wish to be here even more passionately than Cisco did.

The old man was a surprisingly patient teacher. Cisco watched him work with each and every one of the other Rofals, even Dunstan, who clearly did not wish to be here even more passionately than Cisco did.

But it was precisely because of the biting cold that Dunstan couldn't just ignore the rest of his family as he had tried to do in the early portion of their stay here. Everyone had to huddle together for warmth, especially at night.

Ridiculously enough, however, the old man's plan actually seemed to be working. As far as Cisco could tell, the Rofals were getting along a lot better than they were at the beginning. Where before they had been dismissive or insulting of one another, now they were talking more and even laughing.

Cisco and Dunstan were still the odd ones out, though.

Dunstan's hatred for his family was *not* going to go away anytime soon, Cisco felt. There was something very deep there.

Rezamaar, Dunstan's rather loudmouthed reaper, was more conciliatory in her disposition towards them, but seeing as they were all normal humans who couldn't see or interact with her, that didn't accomplish much. If anything, it just seemed to annoy Dunstan even more.

And since Cisco was Dunstan's "friend," he ended up being lumped in with him.

All in all, it was strange state of affairs, being trapped in this place with little more to do than observe a bunch of purported criminals who were mostly just trying to ignore him--probably because they were afraid of Dunstan now. - Excerpt from page 2572
14. ↑ If it wasn't clear enough to him before, it was certainly clear to him now. Damian was no normal servant. That old man had *real* strength. More than Cisco had ever personally seen. The noticeable field density of the man's soul already made that point obvious, but the occasional sparring sessions that he held with everyone had really nailed that point home.

Damian had been training everyone in the usage of these rings that he'd gifted them. The red shadows that could be summoned out of them were incredibly malleable, and Cisco could see incremental improvement from everyone across the board. They could make the shadows move faster and create more sophisticated shapes. And Damian promised to take them to still further heights.

Perhaps that was another reason why the old man's "bonding" strategy seemed to be working. These Rofals clearly enjoyed what the shadows allowed them to do. And the prospect that they might become yet more powerful? Music to their ears, no doubt. - Excerpt from page 2573
15. ↑ "You have all been making wonderful progress," said Damian. "And as such, I think the time will soon come when we have our first, true family outing!"

A chorus of uncertain mumbles ran through the audience, and Cisco and Dunstan exchanged looks.

They didn't need words. They both understood the implications. Any chance at freedom was a chance to escape the old man's clutches. Ideas were already forming in Cisco's head about how they might be able to accomplish it, and he had no doubt Dunstan was the same.

Unfortunately, ideas of how *impossible* it might be were also forming. Dunstan hadn't tried to conceal his dislike for their current circumstances. Damian had to know that Dunstan would want to escape.

"And in celebration of this magnificent step forward--" The old man raised his left hand somewhat, and the front door of the cabin swung open. "--I've decided that it's time to give you all more presents!"

A line of various electronics came floating into the cabin, all bobbing up and down in air as if in tune with some silent music.

"I know how much you young folk hate being 'off the grid,' as they say," said Damian. "So I figured that it was about time I let you reconnect with the world a little. But only a little! Okay?! Don't abuse this privilege, or Grandpa will have to punish you!" And he smiled wide.

A flat screen television hovered right into Cisco's hands.

One of the younger Rofals, a teenage boy named Ricky, looked ecstatic as a tablet floated toward him. "Wow, Grandpa! Thanks!"

"You're welcome, my boy!"

Ricky's apparent enthusiasm turned to curiosity. "But do we even have an ISP way out here in the mountains?"

Damian blinked at him. "Hmm? An ISP? Wazzat?"

And from there, it became quickly apparent that the old man didn't actually know much about modern electronics.

On the one hand, Cisco was surprised by his ignorance, but on the other, he wasn't at all.

Hmm. Maybe that could prove useful in making their escape, Cisco thought. There was a pretty good chance that Feromas, Damian's reaper, wouldn't know much about electronics, either. It seemed like most reapers weren't terribly knowledgeable about modern technologies.

"In any event," Damian continued, "before I let you all play with your new toys, I should tell you that. Well. There've been some pretty big developments in the world. So try not to freak out too much if and when you turn on the news."

"What are you talking about?" said Dunstan.

Grandpa Rofal's eyes snapped to Dunstan, who was standing right next to him. His smile broadened, and he patted the young man on the head, which Dunstan batted away. "Well, y'see, sonny, the second great Eloan war has begun." - Excerpt from pages 2576 and 2577
16. ↑ Now that Damian had taken him and rest of the Rofals away from that damn cabin in the mountains, things were quite different. He'd brought them out to Melmoore.

To the front lines of the continental war.

It had barely been a week since they'd arrived, and he'd already witnessed more real combat than in the rest of his life combined.

Witnessed, but not exactly participated in. The amount of actual fighting he'd done was still comparatively minimal. Why Damian had bothered to bring them to a war zone if he didn't intend to make them fight, Cisco had no idea. - Excerpt from page 2936