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"I share your concerns, but we have no other options, unless you would like to wait for the cloaked man to return with an even bigger dragon. I cannot imagine he would attack us directly, though, since he is a well-known figure in Aeolida. It would be bad business to attack your customers. I do not like to be late to an appoint, so shall we?" Falco held the door open for his companions.

The streets of Aeolida were full of life. Many different races traveled the cobblestone streets. As they traveled, the group passed through an open air market with products from all over the Material Plane.

Falco was troubled, although he did not outwardly show it. He had already dragged these people into a situation even he himself did not fully understand, putting them all in danger. I suppose they were already in danger already considering the cloaked man already possessed an Orb before I came along. "So what brings you all to Aeolida? It would be best to keep as few secrets from each other as possible if we are to travel together."

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The Undiscovered World OOC:http://roleplayerguild.com/f14/the-u...orld-ooc-4575/
The Undiscovered World IC:http://roleplayerguild.com/f9/the-un...ed-world-4608/

Motivational Tips: Don't believe in yourself. Believe in me, who believes in you!

Athradien was the last one to exit the Inn, pulling the hood of his cloak of his head, almost looking like a monks in some ways. Bane followed just immediately after he had left, stepping at his heels. As Athradien stepped, a quiver tapped the side of his left thigh, the sound it made being the only one coming from his person. The quiver was filled with arrows of an unidentifiable wood. His bow was held in his right hand, showing he was a lefty.

Bane's claws clicked on the ground as he walked, never having grown past what they were then or dulled while stepping on concrete. The were to par with the hardness of a diamond and sharp as a razor at their tips. He was an odd animal, maybe even the only one to have made it to this world. He actually enjoyed the occasional glances people gave him, both in fear and awe. Attention was something he enjoyed, taking in every ounce as if it was a precious metal of some sort.

Athradien raised his head as Falco spoke, staring at him for a second before he looked at the others, thinking for only a second.

'Secrets...'

Athradien thought to himself, Bane picking up on the words too. Bane looked at his friend, then looked back ahead to where they were being led. 'Should we tell them about our world...?' Bane asked, looking back at Athradien, though this time he stared at him for a longer period of time. Athradien faintly contemplated the subject, then shook his head, 'Not right now my friend...' his thoughts made his world seem like a parasite on others, like it was something no one would want to hear about. Though this was really not the case. Athradien wasn't intent on Falco learning, or the rest of the group for that matter, about his true intentions on going with them... Though if asked he would most likely answer, he never lied, even when he was drunk off his ass.

Bane looked away from Athradien 'Alright...' he responded through his thoughts, glancing at Keladry and Eango for a good 5 or 8 seconds. Athradien noticed this and looked at them too, now noticing what Bane had been teasing him about at the bar only the day before. To Athradien, she wasn't that bad to look at, at all, and he actually found his eyes wandering and he mentally slapped himself.

Bane had been watching him the whole time and when he looked back, he caught the cats sapphire eyes which stared at him, Athradien watching Banes best attempt to smile. 'I saw that...' his voice was both amused and suggesting, this making Athradien turn a faint shade of red under his hood. 'Congratulations...' Athradien retorted back with a sarcastic voice, breaking eye contact and looking ahead. Bane stared at him for a few more seconds, then looked back at the two for a quick two seconds, then back at the road ahead of them.

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The two Ahalad-Kaaslane followed after Falco and matched his pace, though they walked slightly behind and to his left. Eango, of course, made a point to walk on his partner's left to put himself between her and the man who reeked of magic despite what Keladry had said the day before about not judging people solely on such a thing. He was far less inclined to trust in people that gave off the same stench as the wizards of Patvermese, wizards who had killed thousands of Kudo Riikians and, he was sure, continued to do so even as the party walked leisurely though a bustling marketplace.

Kel, sensing his uneasiness at the situation that they had found themselves in, bumped the big cat with her hip in a friendly gesture. ~It'll be fine, you know,~ She comforted, her voice was soft but firm in his mind as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. They had already discussed the subject at length the night before and she seemed a bit put off that he was still reserved about it.

The two were opposites in their manner of thinking about others. Eango tended to generalize and based his attitude with others on the what people similar to them had done or how they had treated him in the past. That is to say he would be someone who, if bitten by a dog, would assume that all dogs were aggressive and would try to bite him if approached. Kel, on the other hand, needed to nitpick someone until she figured out exactly what they were about. She based her opinions on her own observations and interactions with a person, disregarding what others might say to sway it in their favor. So she would go up to all the dogs in the city and try to pet them until she knew the personality of every single one, and then decide which ones she would approach again. That particular trait was one of the biggest reasons that she had been chosen to travel into the Nexus, other than perhaps her service record. Most other Kudo Riikians shared Eango's thinking, or at least when it was about magic. And since magic on her world was considered something evil and many of the beings in Aeolida had some sort of magic it would not be wise to make a generalist the ambassador.

The mountain lion gave a mental sigh. ~If you say so, Ahalad-Kaaslane,~ he resigned, though his sour mood didn't seem to diminish in the least. She'd have to work on making him feel better when they weren't doing anything pressing, perhaps even after this meeting if it lead to nothing.

When Falco suggested that they all get to know one another Kel decided to go first, since nobody else seemed particularly inclined to. "Well Eango and I are here as ambassadors of Kudo Riik," she explained casually, referring to both the country in which she hailed from and, to everyone who didn't live there, the name of the world aswell, "though admittidly we don't do much official business. We'd be considered on the guardian side of the spectrum... more military than political."

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Deathdrinker was missing from the group as they journeyed outside. Truth be told, he was still at the inn, sleeping in for the first time in many years.

As the group journeyed, he suddenly appeared walking swiftly behind them, and stood beside Falco before any noticed his presence.

"That was rude, wouldn't ye say? Just take off without lettin' a man know you were going! The innkeeper told me you were headin' to some hotel, to meet Fruendithas? Some royal? Maybe we can shed some light on this orb nonsence. How's your arm, by the way?" He queried.

He was fascinated by the events that had occured, and was happy to join Falco on his investigation. He planned to kill that mysterious man, as nobody targeted Deathdrinker and lived. Almost as an afterthought, he nodded towards Keladry. "Didn't see you there. Mornin'."

“Why do I even bother,” Falco sighed quietly to himself after being answered by only one person. That was quite understandable, since Falco himself had hinted that some secrets should be kept. Besides, he was sure they would open up to him over time, assuming their journey took any significant period of it. There was always the chance they could find the cloaked man, kill him, hide the Orbs, and be done with it. If only things were really that simple... “My arm is no longer bleeding, but there seems to be more broken bones then I first suspected. It will have to favor it for the time being. Also, your honesty is refreshing, Keladry. I have met many people who carry a weapon, yet very few who are willing to admit they are a warrior. Whether to defend oneself or to kill, carrying a weapon with you makes you a warrior.”

The open air markets of Middle City soon disappeared behind the group as they entered deeper into the heart of Aeolida, while towering buildings began to rise up around them. The glass windows cast a reflection of light across much of Inner City, broken only by the occasional passing airship’s shadow. Fewer people walked the streets here, and the few that did were likely new arrivals gawking at the buildings. The group approached a particularly tall and uniquely designed building supported by columns with elaborate carvings. “I believe this is it, the Infinite Scope Resort.”

The inside of the building had marble floors with the occasional decorative carpet of large proportions. A receptionist of mixed human and elven decent greeted them. After a short explanation, she showed the group to the stairs. Climbing flight after flight of stairs, the group reached a large banquet hall shaped as a circle at the highest room. There were no walls, only glass windows offering a complete 360 degree view of Aeolida. It was breathtaking seeing all of the glory of Aeolida in all directions. If anyone was scared of heights, however, this view would be very terrifying.

In the room were several servers passing setting the places at a large wooden table. A single man sat at the table, an armed guard at either side. He appeared to be a human older in his years, possibly in his fifties. Sleek, black fair was greased back on his head, revealing the pale demeanor of his face and cold stare of his green eyes. His clothes were extravagant, made of silks and other fine materials and studded with a variety of jewels and trinkets. Resting against his chair was an elongated scepter as long as a quarterstaff, and at the top was a diamond as large as a human’s eyeball. Taking a sip of wine, he cleared his throat and stood from his seat to address them. “Ladies, gentlemen, please, come in and take a seat! Did you walk all of the way hear? You must be tired! Eat, drink, please!”

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The Undiscovered World OOC:http://roleplayerguild.com/f14/the-u...orld-ooc-4575/
The Undiscovered World IC:http://roleplayerguild.com/f9/the-un...ed-world-4608/

Motivational Tips: Don't believe in yourself. Believe in me, who believes in you!

As they approached the room which Fruendithas resided in, seeming to be a little too courteous to the new comers... a full spread in a moments notice seemed a little far fetched even for royalty, he knew this first hand. His hands seemed limp at his sides though they were poised to reach for his blade just in case something happened they didn't expect. He showed absolutely no signs of being tensed and on edge... though he was faintly getting that way.

At the offering of food, drink, and seats, Bane jumped at the chance to latch his jaws on some of the meats which littered the table... though Athradiens thoughts flowed into his own and signaled him to understand the food may have been tampered with. Bane sat on his haunches next to Athradien who had taken a place against the wall to where he could see any and every aspect of the room. It did seem quite rude and he made an attempt to do away with that, "Thank you for your generous offer... yet we've ate this morning and have been sitting down for quite a while now..." by we, he was referring to Bane and himself.

Athradien propped his right foot on the wall while his left was still out and bracing himself, crossing his arms in the process. His posture was relaxed, though a faint trail of adrenaline was looming in his veins if needed it show up. His heart rate was a little higher than normal, as was Banes, though not for the same reason. Their eyes were focused on two completely different things.

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Yoshe had simply been to high above the rest of the party’s heads to answer Falco’s question conveniently. Besides that, she wasn’t feeling over talkative, anyway. She was still festering over having been left behind on this world while her companions all returned home. She did pay close attention to what she could hear of the other conversations going on. Though she made it a habit to always grant the benefit of the doubt to every sentient creature, she still didn’t trust these new people–especially as they were thrown together into an impromptu and hodge-podge group that consisted of people who as yet had very little experience with being out of their own world.

When they entered the hotel that Falco indicated, Yoshe stiffened on the sight of an Elven-Human hybrid. It certainly wasn’t the first time she’d seen such a person, but she still couldn’t quite figure out how anyone could want to breed with a creature not of their own race. Especially with a human! When they’d been given instructions and proceeded, Yoshe muttered the word "okershuo" under her breath. Her tone left no doubt that she was saying something rather rude, but she offered no explanation as the party started up the stairwell.

The stairs were, of course, no problem for Yoshe. She even took the liberty of going ahead a little and making sure there were no surprises for the group. Consequently, she was the first to reach the room with the grand view, but she waited for Falco to enter first–a sign that she recognized his leadership of the party, as he was the one that organized it in the first place.

When she did enter the room, she was a little surprised that she was surprised by the view. Being one who could fly to this height if she wished, not in all her trips to Aeolida had she done so for fear of being struck by one of the aerial vehicles. It gave her more sympathy towards those creatures that were land-bound for their inability to really grasp the size of a geographic thing like a city or a canyon; she’d never realized how truly large the city was. It was nearly the size of her home forest, which covered a good portion of a whole continent. It made her consider that maybe her world itself was smaller than this one.

All of this took place in her head before the man at the table had stood to greet the party, and when he did stand, Yoshe turned her full attention to what was happening. She noticed immediately that one of the party members, the one with the strange-looking beast, Athradien, was particularly on edge. Paranoid, she thought. Yet even as she thought the word, she made sure that she was also alert lest there be a real reason for paranoia.

"Ladies, gentlemen, please, come in and take a seat! Did you walk all of the way hear? You must be tired! Eat, drink, please!" the man said rather warmly.

Athradien spoke before Yoshe, but in her turn she answered, "I not walk. Yaksa, I am–I fly." She smiled with warmth to match the man’s manner, then fluttered over to him and offered her hand to shake, once again imitating the strangest greeting custom she’d yet seen. Wary of the armed guards, she did not approach quickly and extended her hand early to impress that she was not making a hostile move. It was Yoshe’s sincere hope that all the paranoia that the other party members had expressed was ill-founded and unnecessary.

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何をしてんだよ、俺は！

Fruendithas smiled graciously as he took Yoshe's hand. "My word, a Fey! A pleasure to meet you! And what are these curiosities? A lion and some other beast? I keep a few tigers of my own in Nibano, but I'd never have the heart to allow the beasts to walk at my side. So go ahead, sit or stand, eat, drink, or not, whatever you prefer."

Falco took a seat and carefully let his arm on the table to rest. "You are very kind to see us on such short notice, Lord Serpenthelm. We all were very eager to speak to you. We should get down to business."

"Yes, it was your eagerness that convinced me to see you all tonight. That, and it is painfully obvious you have no intention of buying any property from me. So we should indeed talk business, Mr. Leahcim," Fruendithas said between a sip of wine.

Falco winced slightly at his comment. Falco did not feel he had been that obvious. "Very well then, I will be blunt. We were attacked at the Dragonfly Inn yesterday by a cloaked assailant. He muttered your name just before disappearing."

Fruendithas raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? That's very disturbing. I can imagine you would like some answers? I would as well! But I'll start: His name is Count Zhillcrad. Now your turn: what would he want with you simpletons?"

Falco gritted his teeth. They knew the name of the cloaked man now. "We are uncertain, this is why we have approached you," was Falco's response.

Fruendithas sighed and leaned back in his chair. He took the scepter at his side and began to twirl it in his right hand as if bored. "No reason to play coy, Mr. Leahcim. There is only one reason he would be after your little crew here, and that's because you possess something he wants. I'm going to throw a wild guess out there...One, or perhaps more, of you is in possession of an Orb of Dragonkind?" He paused for a second to look over the crowd. "Ah, judging by your expressions I'm not far off, am I? Well, this is just great! You two, you may leave. Come on, off with you!" The two guards at his side look at Fruendithas strangely for a moment, then marched down the stairs and out of the room.

Fruendithas cleared his throat and began again. "Where was I? Oh yes! You know, possessing such an item on my world is a serious crime. It is a good thing for you we are in Aeolida. Ah, but I have been the only one speaking, haven't I? You will have to excuse my rudeness. There is more that I can explain, if you have any questions."

The longer the group was in the room with this man, the stronger his magical aura grew. Those accustomed to sensing magic or with some method of detecting it could tell Fruendithas was powerful.

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The Undiscovered World OOC:http://roleplayerguild.com/f14/the-u...orld-ooc-4575/
The Undiscovered World IC:http://roleplayerguild.com/f9/the-un...ed-world-4608/

Motivational Tips: Don't believe in yourself. Believe in me, who believes in you!

Keladry smiled at the compliment that Falco had given about her honesty as they walked through the busy streets of Aeolida, though she didn't reply to it directly. Her life had never really been one that needed to be shrouded in mystery, as it was very plain in a matter of speaking. Not that what she did was necessarily boring, her life was actually quite exciting and her adventures were abundant, but it all just revolved around the fact that she was doing her duty as an Ahalad-Kaaslane. She didn't know what the others in her party had gone though that made them not want to share information about themselves, but she was sure that it wasn't just to be snobbish. They all probably had very good reasons as to why they stayed silent and she wouldn't begrudge a single one for it.

As the group approached the Infinite Scope Resort both Kel and Eango, even after being in the city for three years now, couldn't help but to stare in awe a little at the beautiful architecture of the building. It was an enormous structure for sure and it wasn't lost on either the Ahalad-Kaaslane that it was a far superior to anything that had ever been built in Kudo Riik. She saw that the top of the building was made entirely out of glass windows, something that her world had only perfected in making for a few decades now. The technology here never really ceased to amaze Kel.

When they reached the floor in which they were to meet this King Fruendithas it really didn't surprise her that it was they were in the glass room. He was royalty after all, so of course he'd want to have the best of everything. It also didn't surprise her to see the mass of food he had sitting on the long meeting table before him or the overly extravagant clothing. It was all a show, she knew from many experiences with royals, to exhibit his wealth and power. And because she was used to such sights it failed to impress her. All she did was give a polite bow that dipped exactly to where one of her station should to a foreign king, and then sit in one of the offered chairs.

She listened to all Fruendithas said carefully and mentally noted anything important for her and Eango to remember. She also made a point to tell her big cat friend to appear less intelligent than he was; if the king wanted to underestimate them then it would only be to their advantage. She smirked a little at his comment about them all being simpletons. It was a large and dim witted assumption to make and she heard Eango's voice snake into her mind. ~What an ass,~ he remarked as he pretended to nap at her feet, still playing the part of a dumb pet.

~He does seem a little arrogant,~ she agreed with a mental sigh, ~All in all not very kingly either.~ After the man had offered to answer any questions Kel looked at him and smiled. "I've a few things I'd like to ask, if you'd be willing Your Highness," she stated as sincerely as the situation dictated. The court etiquette she had learned from her year of training in Koduteel would certainly earn its keep today. "I'm am, as I'm sure everyone else is, curious as to know exactly who this Count Zhillcrad is. I would be grateful if you'd tell us what you know of the man, as you seem to be acquainted with the name," she paused a moment before continuing with her next question, the one she really wanted to know at the moment. "I'd also like to hear your opinion as to why you think that the Count would utter your name out of all the people here on Aeolida; surely it couldn't be just a coincidence."

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It didn’t take much of the conversation to set Yoshe on edge. The man whose greeting was so warm and proper had suddenly turned harsh and haughty, even insulting, to a small degree. On Yoshe’s world, individuals that could shift mannerisms so suddenly without obvious reason were typically Faeries, the smaller cousins to the Yaksa, and Faeries were trouble. Not surprisingly, in her explorations of this other world, humans and similar creatures who changed their mannerisms so suddenly had also proven to be quite troublesome.

The fact that droves of magical energy were pouring off of the man in ever-stronger magnitudes didn’t help. That only made him both untrustworthy and dangerous.

Sparing any subtlety–since Fruendithas wasn’t–Yoshe allowed her own energies to flow, creating her own ‘aura’. Even as she did so, she deliberately did not form as strong an aura as she was capable; she kept her energy checked so that it would seem more like a natural reaction to exposure than an increase in readiness. Her last move was to take a few ‘polite, space-giving’ steps back (she’d dropped to the ground after shaking Fruendethas’ hand) towards the rest of the party where she couldn’t be isolated as a target.

Keladry was faster to ask her question than was Yoshe. She didn’t mind, however, because they’d evidently had the same question in mind, though Yoshe would have preferred to be more direct. She would have said something much more pointed, to the effect of ‘is he a subordinate of yours who regularly takes your command,’ rather than the generalist question that Keladry asked, but thought better of implicating Fruendithas to his face when everyone was still verbally maneuvering and he clearly thought his position to be one of advantage. Instead, she simply nodded her head to show that she was interested in the answer, also.

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何をしてんだよ、俺は！