Doc made his way across the west, spurring the Church of Apoc to attempt to bring him down even more. Dodging inquisitors and forging deals across the western states, Doc eventually got discovered in Kanata. In the great white north, Doc and his local allies fought one of Apoc’s templar orders. A sniper killed Doc, but his gift from Luck brought him back to life. Knowing he would only be hunted with more vigor, he took the hard road: leaving Emerita’s shores behind to find sanctuary with his allies in Tsarrus and Qin.

With only Lia and Rosa beside him, he spent five years overseas. Even there, he faced the occasional assassin, but his gift was able to save him again and again. While the church tried to remove him, Doc’s family and allies in Emerita solidified their hold on the west of Emerita.

Fiala, Sonya, Sophia, and Ayla were all in Furden raising their children. If not for the dryads, they wouldn’t have been able to hear from Doc at all, but thankfully, Mother’s daughters passed messages for them, giving them some contact over the years.

Finally, the plans Doc had set into motion years prior were ready. Returning to Emerita, Doc’s first real stop was Golden Bay; from there, he’d catch the trains to Furden to see his family. The church knew they were losing the western states, and they were willing to take drastic action. The road Doc walked would take him through fire, ruin, and death, not just for him, but for his closest friends.

With blood and pain looming over the horizon, Doc was sure he knew what was coming, even if he hoped he was wrong. Earth had seen the breaking of the Union between the north and south… and Emerita might very well see something similar if the Church of Apoc kept trying to kill him.