Deyna opened the door and stepped inside, a small bell ringing as he enetered the shop. The shop was very cluttered, glass cases along the walls showing various antiques, tables overflowing with all kinds of strange looking objects. Despite the shops messiness, there wasn't a spec of dust to be found on anything. The shop was empty, save for Deyna, he walked up to the counter and ringed the bell there.
"Hello?" Deyna called out.
"Be with you in a second" A voice called out from the room in the back. Deyna looked at the shelf behind the counter. It had a long sword on it, which also seemed to have an attachment that he had never seen before on the handle, it looked like a pair of jagged wings and the were coloured red. Before he could think on what benefits they would have had for the weilder there was a loud bang from the back room!
Deyna's paw flew to his dagger, unsheathing it he jumped over the counter, rushing into the back room. As soon as he entered dust and smoke clouded his vision. He moved forward carefully, his dagger ready to strike.
"Would you mind kindly putting that weapon away sir? Could poke my eye out with it" A small voice called out near him. As the dust and smoke cleared, Deyna saw a mouse standing there.
The mouse was dressed a little oddly, his top half was wearing a smart shirt with a tie loosely tied around his neck, whilst his on his legs he was wearing a pair of ripped jeans. On his paws he was wearing a pair of bright red gloves and on his head he was wearing goggles, his left ear had a large chunk missing, his fur a light gold.
Deyna held his dagger warily. "Who are you?" he asked.
The mouse smiled, removing his goggles, revealing his bright blue eyes. "I am Xander Dew, owner of this establishment and collecter of antiquities and inventor. And you are?"
Deyna felt a small wave of excitement. He had found who he was looking for. The otter sheathed his dagger and held out his paw. "My name is Deyna Lorne, I've been looking for you. Ummmmm..what was that bang just now?"
Xander smiled again, taking Deyna's paw and giving it a hearty shake. "Just a little experiment that went wrong, I need to work on it a little more...so, what may I ask can I do for you, seeing as you were looking for me?"
*Honestly, I'm not sure what you can do for me. My mother told me to find you, do you remember Keyla Lorne?"
Xander's eyes went wide. "Keyla! I'd never forget her! Please, come upstairs, we can talk more comfortably there!"
Deyna was suddenly filled with excitement. Xander led him upstairs into a comfortable looking, if slightly cluttered living room. It was small but cosy, a sofa and a chair set next to a small table which was covered in newspapers and documents, a large bookcase was set in one corner, its shelves filled with old looking books covered in a fine layer of dust, sunlight streaming throgh the window it was next to. Shelves were along the walls here and there, each of them covered in strange looking objects, similar to the ones in the shop downstairs. Xander took some files that were on the sofa and smiled.
"My apologies for the mess, I don't have too many visiters these days. Please, have a seat."
Deyna sat down in the cleared space on the sofa, Xander taking the chair.
Deyna's mind was filled with questions, and he chose the first one that seemed important to ask. "How did you know my mother?"
Xander smiled. "Before I can answer I need to ask you something. Did she tell you anything about me?"
Deyna looked a little confused. "Nothing at all, only just to find you if anything were to happen at home."
"Hmmmmmmm, I see" Xander said, stroking his chin thoughtfully "Then it seems I have a lot to explain, I also take it you don't know anything about that dagger your carrying?"
Deyna unsheathed his dagger and layed it down on top of the papers on the table in front of him. "Only that it's a family heirloom thats been passed down through my mothers family for generations."
"Haha my boy, it is much more than that. No, that dagger is a key. Have you ever heard of The Seven Gates?"
Deyna shook his head. 
"Well that doesn't suprise me at all. The Seven Gates are something very few know about."
"Then what are they and what does my dagger have to do with them?" Deyna asked.
"Well it all starts about three hundred and fifty years ago. A wolf by the name of Vargas found a certain relic that had been missing for centuries. Now this relic holds tremendous power, powers which he used to take over the kingdom that we now know as Colva. But that wasn't enough for Vargas. He wanted more, so he started looking for the other six relics."
Deyna nodded. "I think I see where your getting at. Seven relics, seven gates."
Xander smiled. "Yes. The relics are protected by the gates, however in Vargas's time there were no gates, so the relics were not protected as they are today. He managed to find four of the seven. But what you must understand Deyna is that Vargas wasn't very nice. To put it bluntly, he was evil. He killed without mercy any who stood up to him, the invasion of Colva was bloody and brutal. And as he got more of the reilcs hos power grew. He became so powerful that he began to be able to control the elemets like the weather, he could cause earthquakes, his enemies hardly stood a chance. Of course there were those who stood up to him. An organisation called Wings of Freedom."
"Wings of Freedom?" Deyna asked.
"Yes, the Wings sought to free Colva and the other cities of the world that were slowly falling under his rule. They knew that in order to do so, they needed the relics too. They found them, they had three where Vargas had four. They attacked Vargas directly and after a long fight, Vargas was subdued. However, they could not kill him. Vargas had absorbed too much of the relics powers to die. So they devised a plan. They used the relics power. Seven gates were created around the world, each gate containing a relic. However there is one more gate. Number eight is where Vargas is, unable to return to this world as the relics are holding him. And the only way to free him is by opening the gates. Your dagger is the key to them, handed down and protected by your family since then."
Deyna looked at the dagger. "Then my mother..."
Xander nodded at him. "Yes. Your mother was a member of the Wings, your ancestor was the one who helped create the gates. The Wings of Freedom still exist, protecting and watching over the gates, making sure Vargas is unable to return.
Deyna was shocked. The otter had never known about any of this. "She..she never said anything."
Xander stood and put a a paw on Deyna's shoulder. "It was her job to protect the key. If word had gotten out, she would have put you and her family in danger. There have been a few attempts over the years to open the gates, Vargas had some followers after all...but they were never successful as they were unable to find the key. And now, that responsibilty is yours, if your willing to take it?"
Deyna stood and sheathed his dagger, knowing now that it was more. "It was my mothers duty to protect it. I'll do the same." Deyna sighed. "She trusted me with this, she always said to find you."
"No doubt she wanted you to join us. I can say too it is a good thing too. I've been hearing some rumors of late concerning the gates. I would ask for your help in this matter."
Deyna nodded and smiled. "I'll do what I can to help."
"Then follow me young otter. I'll explain on the way what we need you to do.