His skin felt cold, always. Like ice water was running over him, drenching his insides and washing all heat from him. But in this rotunda, Vami could feel it. Like sitting near a blazing hearth, the magic near him was a powerful flame. This sensation came to him, and another, like maybe there was another room beneath this one, but without a clear entrance. He closed his eyes and listened as he checked the floor, searching for a hollow sound.

 Something stopped him, however. “Hello, Vami. I'm Remoro, the man you saved is my brother. I can't thank you enough, we had all but given up before you used your magic.” Vami opened his eyes to see a male pyromancer. He suddenly felt a twinge of something, perhaps embarrassment.

 “Yes, you see I'm skilled at interacting with dark magic. The one who taught me about the nature of magic, Troyvas, was an artist when it came to shaping darkness.” The Elder Troyvas had spoken with Vami, before he had set out for this place. He warned him that many of the mages here would be scarred with grudges and hatred. This had proven to be true, but Vami felt as though he was already making a positive impact.

 “Many regard dark magic as an ancient evil, since to study it is to commit to destruction. But today I suppose we all witnessed something else. You've done well by us. What were you doing there, with the floor?” Remoro glanced between Vami and his staff curiously.

 “Oh, I... Well I guess I heard something... You know, like a secret passage?” Vamis voice cracked somewhat. It sounded pretty weird, but this was a fort existing for mages. Maybe he shouldn't be so ashamed, after all, there probably are about a dozen concealed doors in the place.

 “Well, that's curious!” Remoro knelt and rapped on the floor with his knuckles. Every tile sounded like it was set into solid earth. “It doesn't seem like there's anything here. Maybe a cellar? There could be stairs down, somewhere else. Otherwise... Cracking open this floor would take a heavy impact, I'm sure. Maybe we can sneak in and excavate it later tonight!”

 “I'm not sure. It was just a suspicion, maybe there's nothing under there after all.” Vami spoke dismissively, in order to discourage Remoro's plan. “I think we should talk to other mages, and figure out how we'll operate this fortress once it's restored. I wouldn't want the Terror to be the only governing voice, would you?”

“Hell no. That man doesn't value the life of anyone here. If he thinks we're his pawns to order at will, hes got something else coming.” Remoro was furious. Vami was pleased he had focused his friend on something other than the hidden cavern. After all, the fate of the mages here WAS important. He could sense the fire magic within the pyromancer, blazing heartily. Vami was glad he had helped these four, and now had the idea that he should keep them out of trouble. Vengeful, fire-wielding mages would surely ruin someones day if they got out of hand.

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 The pyromancers roamed as a crew, with Vami in tow. They greeted acquaintances as they passed through the courtyard. The fort was rapidly becoming less ancient and overgrown. Before the vines had choked the stones, all the way to the roofs. Now the foliage had become a tame garden about the central courtyard, with young trees and flowerbeds looking very organized. The stones were looking polished rather than crumbled and sun-faded, and the gargoyles posted guard had had their missing features restored. The mages were also constructing small new shelters in the space, pavilions of sort.
 
 The names of the four pyrmomagi were Iwan, Remoro, Ariel and Femto. Remoro was the brother of Femto, the pyromancer that was wounded by the Terror. They had walked the halls and peered into the rooms of the place, exchanging words with the other mages. Most of the people they talked to seemed distrustful of the many mages they did not know, but the pyromancers seemed to be able to get them to relax and attune to the situation. Vami became introduced with many people, and their differing energies fascinated him. He was swimming like a fish in water, as this fortress became suffused with magic. Remoro was sure to tout Vami as a hero to everyone they passed, telling how he had come to the aid of his brother when no-one else did. It earned Vami a quite few gifts, kind of like an early birthday. His arms ended up loaded, mostly with bottles of exotic liquor.

 As they rounded a corner in the fort, near to the back exit, the group of five nearly collided with a tall, brown-haired girl wearing a chain shirt. Then, they all noticed what was on the girls arm. She was wearing a flame, just like Femto had been earlier when he threatened the Terror. There was something off about it though, almost like it wasn't moving the way fire usually does. Femto walked closer to girl and laughed as he waved his hand near her flame. “That's a clever imitation. I suppose mimicry is the highest form of flattery?” he turned back to grin widely at Vami and the others. Vami was as amused as Femto and his crew, but also curious as to why the girl had been copying the fire magic.