Althalus

He hadn’t expected Mar to give up her original policy of ‘we may share the same room, but we won’t share anything resembling the same bed’ ever. Except for that one drunken escapade, and the few times Lyn would bring out emotions resembling warmth from her, he expected to be like the ocean smashing against cliffs. Chipping away miniscule amounts of her emotional armor every time he crashed up against it, but doing no noticeable damage even if he had a hundred years to work on her. Which he didn’t. He’d be lucky for ten more. Regardless, he hadn’t factored Lyn into the equation. She seemed to do what would have taken him more lifetimes than a human could live in. Just another reason for him to love his daughter all the more.

When he felt something creeping along his body, with sharp points dragging gently across his skin, he was only a second behind Mar in waking up and sitting up to see what the problem was, his hand reaching for a dagger nearby. You don’t live in the Port Slaughter slums without having a weapon practically in your hand while you sleep, and being a very light sleeper. As soon as it appeared that no one was going to try to kill them in their sleep, Althalus took a very different reaction than Mar to the dozens of tiny little spikes digging into his skin. “Son of a-“ At this point, Althalus began to incorporate all his creative ability and all the curses he had learned in Port Slaughter. And the denizens of his home had turned cursing into an art. There were weekly cursing competitions when he was a boy, and they were bad enough to make a mercenary blush. He never repeated himself once, and at one time used a cow, a chicken, and a horse, all in the same curse. This continued for a minute, “-damn!” He finished. Then he looked at Mar holding three month old Lyn and shrugged a bit sheepishly. “Okay. I may have overreacted. But it’s not every day that you wake up to find rose thorns stabbing you in all the wrong places.”

He smiled at Lyn’s tired form. “Well. I guess that we’ve found out your blood, haven’t we? It should be noted that I don’t actually have anyone who was a plant manipulator in my, so I have no clue as to why she can make a rose bush grow and stab us while we sleep.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lyn’s stuffed animal pick itself up and waddle closer towards her. He repressed a shiver, shooting a nasty look at the thing. It unnerved him, what Uicle had done to that toy. He was sure the thing had been about to stab him when he had walked up behind Lyn before it had gotten a good look at him. And when he had asked the Necromancy teacher about it, he had only gotten cryptic answers at best from the man…suit of armor…whatever. He trusted the thing only as far as protecting Lyn was concerned. It not stabbing him was an entirely different matter.

“So. Shall I go get Alaira, or should we make her wait a bit? You know she’s going to be out there. Lyn is like a magnet.”

Mar

Mar had curled into a sitting position, Lyn lying comfortably in her lap of coils as she wiped a crusted streak of dirt from child’s rounded cheek. It was easy in the past to ignore the worrisome sensation deep in her chest or the fact guilt seemed to churn it more, now was another matter. It wasn’t easy. Barely possible even since the two months following Lyn’s birth, the time when she became aware of the changes in herself. Some habits remained untouched. Several, however, had become jaded. In idle moments Mar found herself frightened the other students might’ve noticed the changes in her, the very ones that made her less Naga and more human. She knew Athalus did, but she never asked him about it. It was as if she voiced the fact then it made it much more real and certain.

It meant she was changing.

Mar’s body went ridged for a second when the thought crossed her mind before she shook it away. Impossible. Naga never changed and nor would she, that much she wanted to be sure of. Despite the little nagging voice in the back of her head. She hide her silent anxiety under her mask for now, mostly not wanting to upset Lyn who seemed to sense more then she should and had shifted slightly.

“Shhh…” Mar tried to comfort her child. Lyn had shifted downwards causing Mar to pulled her upward, sure her daughter’s head rested comfortably where her collar bone was. The weight a comforting distract to her own chaotic thoughts.

In the background, her ears filled with the loud shouts and continued curses she understood little of as they died down. Why did he do that? Mar felt her annoyance surface. She knew talking to the plants would do little good in stopping. If it was doing anything at all, he was more likely aiding their growth instead of getting them off him. Even the blade in his hand would’ve been more use then his breath used uttering those words. Mar sighed at the foolishness of males.

When Althalus mentioned he might’ve overacted, Mar spared him a raised eyebrow that made it clear she agreed with his obvious statement. She shifted her eyes to check on Lyn’s condition once more. Her daughter was still sluggish and her coloring seemed paler, though part of it could’ve been the lead lump settled in her core at seeing Lyn looking unwell. Without thinking much on it, Mar held a hand against the forehead then the cheeks in a gesture Sam showed to check the skin’s temperature. She felt slightly warm.

Athalus’s mention of no one in his family having Lyn’s mageblood caught her attention. Her whipped back to his direction, her body twisted slightly to face him and spoke.

“I’m the first and only in my race.” Mar didn’t think it was needed to mention the fact she wasn’t exactly a herbamancer herself, but the fact Lyn didn’t inherit it from either of them did bother her inwardly a little. Her mask firmly settled over her face had easily hidden that matter but her eyes seemed not to listen, their attention wandered into thoughts filled in frustration at mystery. How much more could she take? A question Mar wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to as even now, neither parent knew how old Lyn would be before her lifespan ended and the idea she might outlive her child attacked her repeated without a defense.

Her child’s future shouldn’t be like it, her own wasn’t and that matter made it more irritating.

“I don’t like not knowing where it came from…” Mar’s words trailed off when her eyes spotted Lyn’s toy moving.

It managed to make it to Lyn’s leg, its little paw stuck outwards untouched. That was enough to catch her daughter’s attention. Wasting little time, Lyn pulled her head away and bend to snatch it up into her arm then resumed her earlier posture. Mar had willed herself not to react, having seen the toy’s behavior before, and instead merely eyed its every move.

Its walk had reminded her of the time she first seen it. It was just a week after Lyn was born when the toy went missing sometime in the morning (Mar suspected this was when Uicle had snatched it), her sleep interrupted by her daughter’s wails. At first, after Althalus took a walk in hopes to sooth Lyn back to sleep, she tore up the nest in a desperate search for the animal only fail in finding it. After a few hours of searching others-including to her surprise Alaira- had aided her in looking for the toy. Yet all their efforts were in vain. It stayed gone until evening when Lyn was put to bed. Mar spotted the stuff animal sitting there in the baby’s crib corner as if it had been waiting for them all this time, a fact she knew otherwise was false.

At first Mar was mostly glad to gain some rest and just shrugged the odd occurrence away, though Athalus was slightly more wary. It seemed, for once, the male was right to be paranoid. A few days later, early in the morning, Mar awake to Lyn moving across the bed end, hitting the mattress, and then giggling before she crawled to the other side. She did it three more times until Mar’s curiosity had gained enough strength, she sat up. All color had drained from Mar’s face when she spotted the cause of Lyn’s giggling. Each time her child had reached a side, she slapped down her tiny hands which beckoned the very toy to her side. With a squeal of delight, Lyn would travel to the other side and repeat receiving the same action all over. Needless to say, Alaira would’ve approved of her first response. Her tail sent the toy flying from the bed into the nearest wall where it crumbled for a moment. Her hand snatched up Lyn, shocked and shortly crying in outright tears, to pass over to Althalus so she could deal with the ‘threat’.

It wasn’t until Uicle had explained later it wouldn’t harm Lyn did she not bash it to pieces. That didn’t stop her from locking it up in a box and burying it, though she was forced to suffer though Lyn’s never ending crying. In the morning it ceased when Mar found the toy, escaped from its prison and left behind a nice new hole in the College grounds, made its way back to her daughter’s side. Of course Lyn was tightly hugging the toy. A time or two Mar had considered requesting Alaira to ‘accidently’ fry it but they both knew how much Lyn adored her stuff animal.

So the toy was spared….for now.

At mention of Alaira, Lyn’s head perked up. Without warning, Mar quickly noticed her squirm and wiggle as she tried to move off the bed. It wasn’t hard to see where her daughter wanted to go but Mar feared Lyn was still too wobbly to stand up, a matter which added more twisted emotions on top of what she had. Immediately Mar shook her head at Althalus’s suggestion to make Alaira wait. Slowly, fighting to keep a grip, she passed Lyn onto her father.

“Alaira might be willing to wait, but I doubt Lyn will. I’ll be out shortly and meet you in the dining hall, after I remove the vines.” Mar stated simply, then added while she picked up the dagger and handed it to Althalus. “Don’t forget her dagger. She’ll likely want Alaira and you to teach her a bit more which means she’ll be ready to hunt soon.”

Mar tried to hide the way the thought stressed her and partly, she thought she succeeded. Mostly. It seemed her daughter knew better. Lyn, hesitantly, removed herself from her mother. The toy was squeezed harder to show her dislike at being passed but she just laid her head against her father’s, her body heavy with weakness. It didn’t help her middle had begun to protest in slight growls.

“Besides she’s hungry and needs to be fed. Make sure she eats some meat, it lasts longer in her system.” Mar hadn’t noticed her mother instinct had kicked, her Naga nature slightly peeled away as she continued onto another subject. “Also, keep an eye on her. I caught her trying to climb one of Uicle’s Golems the other day and nearly fell twice. That means she’ll likely try to climb Tyrael when she sees him if given the chance.”

Althalus

He shrugged again at Mar’s raised eyebrow. He hadn’t expected anything less. However, she surprised him when she snapped her head backwards to look at him, clearly troubled by the idea that Lyn’s blood wasn’t from either of them. He, personally, was untroubled by the fact. Lyn was already unusual in a variety of ways. What was one more? Still, as Mar voiced her dislike, Althalus turned his palms up and gave a small shrug in a ‘what can you do?’ gesture. “As long as she doesn’t start shooting lightning bolts, spitting fire, or raising the dead, I assume that she’ll remain relatively normal in her magical abilities. Then again, I can’t say I would be overly surprised if she showed talents for another mage blood as well. Seeing as she’s two months old and looks like she’s six years old, I can safely say I can’t be surprised by her anymore.”

A small chuckle escaped him as Lyn displayed her eagerness at seeing ‘Aunt Alaira’. For someone with all the destructive tendencies of a lightning storm, Alaira absolutely adored Lyn. Briefly, his face clouded as he remembered the lengths she was willing to go for his child. He took Lyn, suspiciously watching her toy, and smiled as Mar went off into a small list of all the things he needed to do for Lyn. Despite her best efforts, he noticed, she was slowly changing. He also noticed her distress at this fact, but mentioned neither. If she ever wanted to bring the subject up, he would be waiting. But trying to bring it up for her would be…painful, to say the least. “Meet you in the Dining Hall, make sure she eats meat, teach her more about the art of sneaking,” privately, Althalus decided to keep her from going on an actual hunt for a while yet, ”and make sure she doesn’t climb on the angry half-demon Demonomancer teacher or anything else that might strike her fancy. Got it.”

Before he left, he impulsively leant down and kissed Mar on the cheek, winking at her as he turned to leave. “Alright you maniacal gardener, let’s go visit your favorite Aunt.”

Althalus very nearly tripped and fell over the crossbow box standing right outside his door. Luckily for all parties involved, he managed to catch himself. “Who just leaves a-Oh! My crossbow!” He gave the now wriggling and eagerly reaching towards her Aunt (toy still tightly grasped), Lyn to Alaira. “Here. Take her before she leaps out of my arms and tries to tackle you. Also, she’s a herbamancer with a tendency to fill her parents’ bed with thorn bushes. Curved thorn bushes.” Picking up the box, he set it out of the way so Mar didn’t run into it, and watched Alaira with Lyn. Quietly he said, “Thank you for saving them.”

Meirin just smiled politely as Grey spoke his thoughts about the college. He had a fair point, though she didn't really have much to say to approve or counter them. She did quip about the guards however. "The guards are losing moral? I didn't think the new guards would even be unnerved if they were gutted like fish." The new guards crept Meirin out. At least before with the demons, the golems, and the other guards you could have a conversation with them like she was having with Grey. Just being around the new guards at the college made Meirin want to leave as fast as possible. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were poised to kill her.

She moved on from that subject however when Grey asked her about her magic. "My magic isn't like some of the others. It's hard to explain but... It's more like I dance. You've seen it before, haven't you?" Meirin did a quick windblast spell, the same one she used the first time she and Grey had gone after Zaad. This time however, Meirin was so used to doing it that she did it much faster and without expanding so much energy. "It's certainly something I'm familiar with, but at the same time it's all so new. My martial arts is much different from my magic, and sometimes I have a hard time using both of them. My martial arts is very direct; not many flashy moves, only what's most effective and efficient. My magic, weaving, on the other hand has me moving by body in these wide motions that need to be carefully choreographed, but also rather impractical. If someone or something disrupts my movements, I lose the spell. It's very taxing on my body, oddly enough."

Alaira Taenn

Alaira rested there, thinking of the previous couple of months as she waited. It was odd, all this... Before this place she'd just drift from place to place, looking for a fight and somewhere cheap to stay for the night. She'd never considered having anything to fight for... It was nice. She watched Athalus step out, nearly tripping over some kind of box. She had to suppress a giggle there. For someone so sneaky he needed to watch where he was going.

She smiled as she saw Lyn. It was a warm smile, one she only gave when the girl was around. She giggled for real this time, reaching for the girl. "Hey, Mini-Mar... Did'ya miss me?" She said, hugging the girl tight. She listened as Athalus spoke, before giggling again. "You did? Aww, that's great! You don't have daddy's wussy magic..." Oh, how she loved messing with him. She saw him sat down, and heard him when he spoke... "I do what I can..."

Lyn

She leaned against her father’s collarbone. His breathing a good comfort to her as she held the toy closer, her hand reached for the dagger her mother held out. Clasping the handle, Lyn gave it a little ring to let the bells fill the air with its merry sound and settled back against her father’s warmth. Most students, despite her being born two months ago, thought she was too big to be held anymore. In truth, Lyn enjoyed the height and eliminate the need to take extra steps just to keep up with the adults. Nothing tired her legs out more than picking up her pace.

Her cheeks became cute dimples when she smiled at her father’s gesture of affection. He leaned in quick and planted a kiss on her stunned mother’s face, the Naga didn’t react beyond a flinch. Her face turned into a deep frown, never showing an expression until her father had turned away after his wink. Lyn’s eyes peered behind him, his mirthful voice chided her mageblood, to see her mother’s face soften slowly. There was a small warmth which had edged into Mar’s features and made Lyn hug her father tighter, a thanks for drawing out her mother’s more emotional side. It was a rarity but a pretty one to her.

However the emotion vanished when Lyn felt her father’s body jerk forward.

Several things happened when her father tripped over the crossbow. First, her mother’s expression dropped and her tail flickered out only to stop abruptly in mid-movement when he caught his footing again. The second was her arm tightly squeezing the toy which seemed to rustle uncomfortable at her father’s clumsiness, her eyes scrunched tightly and fear pulsed through her in expecting the fall. Finally, her father’s outrage before he realized the true culprit was [i[his[/i] weapon.

“Well, it appears you found your answer,” came her mother’s reply in a firm tone. It sounded like it held a trace of sarcastic, proof her father’s habits had started to infect her mother, causing Lyn to snicker softly against her father’s neck and smile more.

In moments they were outside where the sunlight blinded her, her face buried deeper as she whimpered in protest. It was so much brighter out here than in the den that it took a bit for her eyes to adjust. Despite that, she still flickered out her snake like tongue and caught Alaira’s scent. While still in the crib, Lyn had discovered everyone had a unique scent and some aspect of that scent faintly told her their mageblood.She had only been able to determine a few to date yet she always knew Alaira’s without a mistake. Mainly because it was mixed with hot steel and sweat since her Aunt was usually in combat sparing.

When that hit her tongue, Lyn was ignoring the pain in her eyes and reaching for Alaira’s direction. She was still too drained to walk upright as she had used her blood for the first time. The only reason she was active and not weak was because she had been too excited to lay down, the adrenaline was her only source of energy and even that was up and down. It wouldn’t be long until she needed take a nap. She smiled at listening to Alaria’s giggle and feeling the strong arms wrapped about he when she went from her father to her aunt. It pretty much the safest place to be really, at least in Lyn’s opinion. As Alaira called her by her nick name and asked a question, Lyn nodded quickly in reply. Yes, yes she did why won’t she? The squeezing hug which followed had made her giggle and squeak in delight as she returned it. Slowly, her head rested on her aunt’s shoulder while she enjoyed the conversation between the two. Her toy was still held in her elbow where it tightly latch on for dear life.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

The wind gliding across his scales, that burning sensation of the muscles in his back straining to keep him aloft, it all made Ssarak feel that much more alive. After the training session with Alaira, he found little else to do but more training, at least for the moment. It wouldn't be long before he had something much more important to do than the standard training, but that was all the more reason to not waste a moment. For this exercise, he carried as much weight as he could possibly hold while still being able to fly, then maintained it for as long as possible. Doing so strengthened his flight muscles to allow him to both carry more weight, and to be faster in the air when he was flying light. Of course, such an excercise carried with it more danger than most others, and he had earned a fair amount of bruises and scars from making mistakes with it in the past, but he at least tried to maintain a safe altitude.

When he finally landed back in the courtyard, he shed the weights he was carrying and laid down on his back, looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes and allowed a slight grin to come across his face as his body rested. To a perceptive eye, one might notice that Ssarak had changed somewhat subtly. For the majority of his adult life, to describe him as a serious individual would be accurate, and indeed, would still be accurate. The values his clan imparted upon him as a warrior did not involve anything that would consitute an "exciting" social life. He had friends, brothers and sisters in arms that he could talk to and joke with, but he never took levity too far. He was not a man of extremes, in most cases. Instead, he was a researved individual who approached everything in moderation.

At present, most of those descriptions would still hold true. He could tell a joke, but he would not start doing stand-up, he could enjoy music, but he wasn't likely to start dancing. There was a part of him, though, that was becoming more open around people that he was close to, or while alone. His current posture of laying lazily on the ground looking at the clouds certainly did not match the formal attitude he was known for. At the moment, there were plenty of things he needed to do, plenty of things he should do, but what he wanted to do was go find one of his friends, perhaps have a drink, lunch, or just a conversation, and relax his mind.

Lucilia Riovas

After giving Khan his medicine and her report Lucilia returned to her office. By the time she got there, she had another pile of work that needed to be handle, though three things stood out. Two of them were missives from Eania and Djarkel, notable because they were in a very elaborate envelope reserved only for vital deliveries. The third thing that she took notice was Rurik, who was sitting in front of her desk while also heavily bandaged. "By the gods... What happened?" Rurik told Lucilia his tale of what had happened on his way to the college. He told her of the roc attack and the lost of his inventory. Rurik was a close friend and an important business contact for the college, and assisting him would not only be beneficial, but it was also just the humane thing to do for a friend. Giving him her condolences, Lucilia had to take a look at the two missives. Reading over them she was displeased knowing just how much people relied on the college, and yet they still give them issues when they try to call upon their favors. Eania needed the college to investigate some sort of mage rebellion ravaging the country side, though Lucilia felt that the letter was overstating the actual issue. Nonetheless she was aware of something going on between their borders and Lucilia knew she needed this to be investigated. From Djarkel they reported a sharp increase in demonic attacks directed towards their caravans in recent days. Lucilia had wondered what had become of one of her Scarlet Traveler's and worried that they too may have fell victim to Kudd's awakening.

But Lucilia was in a tight spot. Normally matters like these would only need perhaps one master wizard and a few guards to handle, however due to recent activities the college could not spar their best for these sort of missions. Most had their hand full trying to maintain a sense of peace within the college whilst also training their respective students in their magic as fast as they can. Not to mention that Lucilia could not spare any of her guards to go on these missions due to their... Unique contract. She had a few hired mercenaries she could send, but they won't be enough. Lucilia feared that she would have to send a letter back to Eania and Djarkel about their inability to help when she spotted another letter.

This letter contained names of a few of the college's students and people of interests. Those who have proven to be above and beyond what is expected of them at the college, namely during their actions when the demons attacked last winter. They showed advance magical prowess as well as the ability to react to danger in an efficent and reliable matter. Though Lucilia dislikes the thought of sending students on missions, right now she had very little options otherwise. They were no mere students, she knows this much, but she still worried for their safety. But she did what she had to do. Calling a few guards, she had them go out and find certain people to meet her in her office.







After giving each of the groups a paper summary of their mission Lucilia remained composed until they left. Than she slouched in her chair and reached for a Marrow Draught,. Recent days have made her feel lethargic, and she also felt that she was slowly losing contact with others day by day. She disliked the idea of sending them away like this, but she had to do it. The college, for all it's might, needs people like Rurik and must have good connections with Eania and Djarkel. The college may be the only one willing to fight against Kudd, but they aren't ready to face him right now. They need to build up their relations with the other nations and get them prepared. There was no stopping Kudd now, but they can still fight back. They can't prevent the war, but they can still win it.

Annabeth Gulch

Sometime later Annabeth was called into Lucilia's office. She, along with a few others Annabeth recognized, were given a mission on behalf of the college. Annabeth was rather uncertain why she had been called, but if she had to guess, it was because Annabeth had done something to prove herself to the college staff. Perhaps Satori had put a good word in for her? Fighting a roc though... Not really something Annabeth has prepared herself for. Still she wasn't fighting the beast alone, and she trusted that the others were skilled enough to make up for her own weaknesses. Returning to her room Annabeth geared up, putting on her leather armor and taking her weapons.S he did not think that she would need her buckler against a beast like the roc, so instead she took her axe, her longsword, and her bow. It had been sometime since she had used it but once she had her hand on it she was easily able to go though the motions. There was still time before the group had to leave, but Annabeth chose to head to the stables early just to see what their wagon would look like.

Tyrael Marchosias

Tyrael had been busy the entire morning, moving from one job to the next. If he wasn't making equipment for the new guards he was furnishing the ramparts on the college, or trying to get a handle on the golems Uicle loaned him. Unlike the armored entity Tyrael lacked the mental bond that uicle had with them, making Tyrael rely on word commands to get them to do anything. He had to resist the urge to threaten and yell at them like he would with his demons, and it didn't help that he was groing a bit more frustrated as the time went by. Worse still was when one guardsman sent by Lucilia told him that he had to prepare carriages and wagons for some missions, missions that he was never told about. Not that he had time to partake in them, but he did not like to be left out of the loop like this. More so since Lucilia needed a ballista ready for one of the wagons. While they had ballistas, they were mounted on the college walls; it's not like he has one tucked away in storage for this moment. So he ordered some golems to fetch him a balista while he got the wagons and carriages ready.

Not knowing what they were being used for, the carriage was chosen for long-travels and for hard roads, but was not very comfortable for it's riders. It would have been better suited for cargo, but Tyrael assumes that they would be assaulted on the way to their desitnation, and the carriage he chose would ensure that they are well protected. The wagon he chose also fit a similar description. Since he had to mount the ballista onto it he guessed correctly that they were going to deal with some big monster that has migrated into the area. He would have liked to hunt the beast himself, but his work at the college prevents him from indulging in such activities. Both were being drawn by oxen instead of horses. Slow, but both would be on the move for the entire trip, preventing the need to have to stop and letting the animals rest. Once he got the rides set up Tyrael was called for another task, leaving the vehicles near the stable to await their party.

Althalus

Althalus snorted. “Oh yes. Sissy magic. Keep your favorite spear close. If you don’t, it might end up a pile of rust dust. Accidents happen all the time in a mage college. Also, encourage her to make thorn bushes in your bed next time. Think about it! It’ll build character and quick reaction skills! If you can wake up and repel a thorn bush attack, you can wake up and repel an assassination attempt!” Under his breath he muttered, “I hope she didn’t pick up any of those curses…” Having her repeating any of what he had said would get him no end of grief from multiple people. Not Mar or Alaira, he hoped. But more than he wanted to deal with. Before Alaira could make her retort, a guard summoned both Althalus and Mar to Lucilia. An occurrence that filled him with suspicion. Why would she need the both of them? He walked over to Lyn and kissed her on the top of her head. “I’ll be right back.” With that, he turned on his heel and headed with Mar towards Lucilia’s office.

A few moments after being told of his mission…

“Oh good. Then at least one of us is not going.” Althalus said with false cheerfulness. The idea that they both were supposed to go and leave Lyn alone was...ridiculous. Who would look after Lyn? The Golems? Tyrael? Right. And he would be long dead when he allowed that to happen. He would prefer that Mar stay and he go, but he knew by now to not push that line of thought any farther than his head. It tended to end badly. With that he turned and left the room, leaving no time for argument. He didn’t get far before Uicle waylaid him. Or rather, the loud crash and cursing drew him to Uicle. The Necromancer seemed fine, even with his arm severed at the elbow. Althalus didn’t ask what happened. The golem picking up its weapon explained enough. “You’re going Althalus. So is Mar.” He glared at the teacher, who was idly reattaching his arm. “And why is that? Because you asked nicely?” Althalus asked, acidic sarcasm dripping from his words. “No, because Mar is going, and if she causes another incident like she did her first few weeks here, the College won’t be able to protect her or excuse her. She’ll be subject to Eanian laws, and I suspect they will not be kind. You’ll have to go to make sure she doesn’t get herself executed.”

Althalus stared at him for a moment. “You bastard.” Uicle chuckled. “I happen to know exactly who my father was. A rather respectable merchant in his time. Now go get ready. They might leave without you and then you’ll have to run to catch up.” Althalus left, muttering unkind things. He was soon waiting at the west gate, his armor and knives all back in their familiar places. He even had his cross bow and quarrels for it. The only thing that was missing was his mask, still safely nestled in his, Lyn’s, and Mar’s room. This wasn’t a job. No need to bring unnecessary attention to himself.

Aramir

Aramir was ridiculously relieved that she got a mission she was familiar with on some level. Try to outsmart the prey, even if they weren’t actually hunting the Roc. Sure, she had very little of an idea how to hunt something like the Roc in a plateau, and no idea how to operate a ballista, but this was familiar ground. She just hoped that the rest of her allies were going to be wise about this. Auriel she knew would have to be watched. The elf was rash, to say the least. The rest she hadn’t really interacted with during her time here, classes and chance keeping them separate. She knew their names, but other than that she knew nothing. Not for the first time, it occurred to her that this entire venture could go very badly if someone made one wrong move. Regardless, she grabbed her bow, a quiver full of arrows, and her daggers (she doubted that they would be useful in any, way, shape, or form, but you never knew what might come in handy. Especially during a hunt.) With one last check to make sure her hair was in a secure braid that would be out of her way, she headed to where the wagon with the ballista would be waiting, only to find Annabeth already there.

She smiled and waved, giving a cheerful, “Hello!” Before turning her attention to their wagon. It certainly looked durable, with a sacrifice for comfort. Aramir shrugged. Discomfort was better than being torn apart by a Roc. “So, do you have any idea how to fire the ballista? Because I doubt I could reach it, much less aim it properly, even if I did know how to use it.” She asked Annabeth, looking up at the human.

Grey Onyx

Grey noticeably soured at the mention of the new guards. "Those things aren't human, they can't be... Some of us are still around you know, the organized ones left but there's about a couple dozen freelancers like myself still here." He explained, though it was clear he didn't want to talk about the subject right now. He listened to Meirin speak of her training. Interesting magic, weaving. It was so different from the other types... "You guys never cease to amaze me. I mean, you all stuck around, and you aren't even bound by contract! Not that I'd ever consider abandoning any of you." He said, pride obvious in his voice. These little chats always reminded him that the people here were worth protecting, that he'd made a good choice in applying here.

Soon however, one of those false guards had come for the two of them, apparently they were to report to lucilia...

Later...

It was... a lot to take in. Evidently, Lucilia was sending the students out to take care of what was likely a group of renegade mages, and he was attached to keep them safe. Part of him was somewhat satisfied, he was far better as a personal bodyguard than a patrol guard. But, he had several misgivings about the company... there was Leith, who was actually quite friendly, but had that relic of demonic origin attached to his arm. He didn't trust it. There was Athalus, the one who ordered the crossbow. it might just be paranoia, but the guy seemed like the sort of man who was always up to no good. Mar... Mar needed no explanation. She was abrasive and had these alien values he simply didn't understand. And Coco... At first, Coco creeped him out, but at this point he found the girl adorable.

He walked out to the gate, seeing Athalus was already there, which was good, he'd gotten there early. He waved, but tripped on a loose stone as one of his belt pouches fell to the ground, coming open and scattering papers everywhere. "Gods... Can you help me gather these?" he said, as he rosed, rubbing at his arm as he set about picking them up. They were wanted posters of various criminals he'd collected. While he was no bounty hunter, he liked to familiarize himself with prominent ne'er do wells, so that he'd know what people to look out for on the job. Most of them came from Djarkel, and more than half of them came from a nasty little place by the name of port slaughter, most of which were worthless as they were renditions of disguises most of the gods-damn time.

Colette

She was surprised and shocked when Lucilia called her and some other people and was even more shocked when she received news that she was going on a mission. She pondered it as she went back to her room getting anything she needed for the trip when she froze. "Oh god what happens if I dont have access to blood" she thought not knowing as a full vampire she now had control over her blood lust. She took deep breaths and forced herself to relax "I will have to try controlling it during the mission. She made sure her things were prepared grabbing her cage of bats that were begging for her attention by their usual screeches. She slowly left looking back at her beloved room before leaving completely.

She meet with the others and quickly got nervous at seeing unfamiliar faces ahead of her. The fear that they would look at her with disgust and hatred like others have in her past quickly filled her mind but she forced herself to stay there so they could head out for the mission

Coco Bean

... Her leaves rustled the moment she recognized the words. Forest of Symphony. That was her home. And rogue mages were in there, doing Xiah-knows-what. When the briefing was done and her decision was made, she looked like a cactus. A rather... Soft and brightly colored cactus, that was for sure, but her leaves surely stood on end, sharper than they had ever been in her life before. With maybe the exception of the demon attack... And the time the Syphis hunted her... And that time she accidentally touched something she wasn't supposed to touch on a fleshling.

She didn't have much in the way of material possessions, and the only one of such things she truly cared about, was the spear that Alaira had given to her, months ago. She grabbed it as soon as she had reached her spot in the gardens. It had been leaning against the wall of the overgrown cottage, with a small box of clothing next to it. She dug through the wooden box and pulled out a pair of leather pauldrons. She tied the pauldrons to her shoulders, carefully placing them over her delicate and fully blossomed shoulder pads, with laces that went down her chest and all the way around her ribcage. When both pauldrons were secure, she grabbed the spear and straightened her back. She rolled her shoulders a bit, then turned around and leaned against the wall.

Her leaves pressed themselves against her head and neck, left hand fingers brushing against the smooth surface of her communication rune.

Then she walked.

Minutes, accompanied by the silence of the gardens and then the stares she felt from other students, passed. She found herself nearing the West Gate, as instructed, where she was able to pick up several familiar scents. Grey was the first one. She hadn't talked to him enough, and she was always curious about fleshlings. Plus, it seemed like a good time to socialize and take her mind away from the Forest, Foreas and the Great Tree.

"Oh! Grey, right?" Coco said, in her uniquely chipper way, even though the rune wasn't able to change its voice's tone, her body language was another thing. "And..." she flicked a finger at the pointy metal end of the spear, "you're collecting papers? What are they about? You're a Guard, right? I know you were there in the briefing. So why is a Guard coming with us?"

She knelt down near Grey and put her hand on one of the papers, then grabbed the page and passed it to Grey, hand soon free to wave Althalus a greeting. As silent as the man was, Coco had learned to recognize his scent.

"Actually, that's a silly question," She muttered, then perked up, facing Grey, "have you ever visited the Forest of Symphony?" And there she went again, mind back to home and its troubles.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak pulled tight the straps on his armor, being sure each plate was well-secured to his body. There had been no question that he was accept the escort mission, regardless of the danger, so he went straight to preparing himself. It had been recently repaired, so it was in good condition. Before grabbing his weapon, he looked up at his axe in its now-permanent resting place mounted on his wall. The weapon he had carried for so long was broken in two in the middle of the haft. While it was true that he could have potentially repaired it, he had resolved that it was time for a new weapon. Besides, he did not place too much importance on an object's sentimental value. Even if it had belonged to his father, it was just an axe that carried no more importance than what he wanted to ascribe to it.

His new weapon was two handed as well, with a head that had a hammer on one side, an axe on the other, and a spike in the middle. As a result, he could use it for cutting and bludgeoning. The spike was not something he would use quite as often, as it would be unwieldy as a spear, but it had its uses. He secured it into place on his back, then stored his helmet in his backpack along with some of his other supplies. He planned to wear it while on the road, but there was no reason to have it on while inside the college...or at least he hoped there would not be. He had everything he would need for the mission, so he made his way downstairs and into the courtyard, where he, Meirin, Alaira, and Darius were meant to meet the caravan driver .As it seemed he or she had not yet arrived, Ssarak took a seat on a nearby bench to rest before they set out.

Leith raised his eyebrows when Lucilia mentioned the Forest of Symphony. It had been close to where he had lived five years prior to coming to the college. Maybe he could go pay his respects while he was there. When the group was dismissed, Leith nodded and waited for Althalus to leave before he left.

Once in his room, Leith grabbed the sword that he picked during the demon attack. It now had a sccabard to rest in. He also picked up the pair of runes that he had commissioned from Val. He looked around his side of the room to see if he missed anything. I think that's everything. I should get- he paused as he glanced at the trinket sized Saphira Sword. That could come in handy. Without another thought, Leith took Saphira Sword, put it in his pack, and left for the west gate.

He arrived at the west gate to a scene that looked unusually familiar. Grey had dropped several papers onto the ground and was picking them up. Coco was there, helping Grey pick up the papers. A small gust of wind blew a couple of the papers towards Leith, so he bent down and picked them up. He looked at them and saw that they were wanted posters. He smiled as he looked at the illustrations. They were well made, but they didn't help much with identifying who it was since they were illustrations of disguises. He shuffled through them and frowned when he saw one of them.

The drawing was of a mask that he had seen before. He shot a glance at Grey and saw that he was still picking up papers and not looking his way. He pocketed the familiar wanted poster before handing the other posters to Grey. "This has been the second time I've picked dropped papers off the ground today. I wonder if it'll happen again."

Althalus

As the guardsman arrived, Althalus was feeling better about the venture. People tended to immediately go for the biggest, most armored, toughest looking opponent. Grey fit at least one requirement. Which meant that more people would be going for him, and that would allow the assassin to get a free shot at someone’s back. And it was always better to kill a mage from behind, where they couldn’t see you, than the front, where they tended to throw most of their nasty little spells. As the man tripped and fell, spilling papers everywhere and asking for help, Althalus shrugged. Why not? It’s not like he had anything better to do. Setting his crossbow down on the wagon bed, he chased down the farthest reaching ones, coming up with a handful. He waved back at Coco before glancing down at the wanted posters. As he returned to Grey, Althalus exclaimed, “Hey! I know these guys! They’re the Arson brothers. Nice bunch of kids. Tend to have a penchant for burning things, which is why they changed their last name to Arson, but they’re nice. Though, you have each of them as different people on five different wanted posters.” Riffling through the remaining papers, he commented on them. “Ah, No-Finger Pete. Surprisingly good with a knife. I know for a fact that Billy here is dead, and has been for several years now, and yet they persist on posting wanted posters for him. He’s probably laughing himself silly in whatever dark pit he was thrown in. Hey, it’s Sally! What a little hellion. Castrated a man with her teeth once. Shame she decided to try and travel to Ghannos. Reverend Parker! Revered servant of Aarem and master torturer. He also makes a very good rat stew.”

Glancing up as he gave the papers back to Grey, Althalus shrugged. “What? I grew up in Port Slaughter. Everyone there is a criminal, it’s just a matter of if you are a legal criminal. The nobles abuse their power and protect and pay the guards, the guards abuse their power and ensure that the peasants pay their taxes and don’t kill the nobles in a violent uprising, and the peasants do the best they can, committing a variety of crimes in the name of survival. Or, in the case of some, just because they find it ridiculously fun.” He caught a glimpse of the last poster and barely kept himself from grinning. It was a drawing of his mask. Well, not exactly his mask. There were a few minor differences, but the essence of it was the same. This is going to be fun. “I’d be careful if you started going for that one.” He said, tapping a finger on the poster. “Even when I was in Port Slaughter he was well known. ‘The Terror of the Port’ they called him. About as solid as smoke, they claimed. They claimed he was as ruthless as the nobles, but with the martial skill of the guards and the subtlety skill of the thieves. Any death that went unexplained was placed at his feet. They claim he left a calling card at the site of each death, a gold coin, caked with blood.” Then Althalus shrugged again. “Then again, they also claimed he was so handsome that the Baroness fell in love with him, that the Baron’s children are actually ‘The Terror of the Port’s children, that he has the stamina of not one, but three gods, and that he was so silver tongued that a guardswoman once gave him her armor, her weaponry, and her maidenhood, all because he asked.” He gave a smirk. “Obviously, the tale has grown with the telling. I doubt that he actually exists.”

Meirin had not expected to be called to Lucilia's office for a mission. It sounded quite similar to jobs she would take back at the monastery, and indeed it was pretty much the same thing she'd do: She'd escort some travelers to the nearest city. Of course this time they were part of a caravan, but it was still the same, if only a bit more dangerous. Especially since Lucilia says that they may face demons along the way, which Meirin was confident that she could handle. She actually had a bit of difficulty chose what weapon in her armory she wanted to take with her. She wanted to take some of her star knives, but she felt that they would be too obvious as weapons if she took them. Instead she took two pairs of Lungchuan tamo as well as what appeared to be a long-handled shovel, but was in fact a Monk's Spade. Perhaps one of the most used weapons back at the monastery and something of a signature weapon. Bandits would know to fear this weapon while travelers would know where she comes from with it. It reminded her of home and how close to it she was going to be. Unfortunately Hysteria didn't go past the mountains, so she wouldn't be able to stop by.

Other things Meirin took was clothing she'd need for traveling as well as some of her medicine. Speaking of medicine, Meirin took more of her pills and noted that she was running low. She'd need to stop by the infirmary to get more. Once she had finished she headed to the Infirmary to pick up more medicine, than to the meeting spot. Ssarak was already there. "Hello Ssarak. I guess you and I are the first ones here, huh?" Meirin was almost shaking with excitement.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak was deep in his own thoughts for a while, but when he heard Meirin's voice, his expression lit up. He smiled, shifted over to one side of the bench he was on, and moved his tail out of the way. This mission would be the first time in quite a while that he left the college, and despite the danger the would be facing, he couldn't help but to look forward to it, especially since Meirin would be joining as well. He couldn't help but to wonder if it was intentional that they were assigned to the same mission.

"Greetings, Meirin. Here, have a seat." He offered as she approached. "I believe this will be the first time that we have traveled outside the college together, will it not? The city we are traveling to, Hysteria, I believe the name is, I cannot say I know much about it. Indeed, I cannot confess to having much...practical knowledge of many places outside the Scorched Lands. Do you happen to know anything about it, or Djarkel in general?" He asked. In the few years he spent as a mercenary after leaving his homeland, he spent some time in cities, but even so, he always found a way to isolate himself. He did not understand their culture, so he just avoided any contact with others outside of his work. It prevented him from making social mistakes, but it also prevented him from learning from them. He reasoned that their customs would be similar to the college, as he was accustomed to, but he was well-aware that regional customs could vary. This was, of course, assuming the caravan made it to the city safely, as a demon attack could certainly interrupt their travel plans.

"Don't mind if I do!" Meirin took a seat next to Ssarak as he pointed out this would be their first time outside the college together. She wondered what exactly he meant by that, or rather, why he bothered to bring it up. She had a sly smile that poked the imagination, but she otherwise thought nothing of it. Than he asked her about Djarkel, something she had more knowledge about.

"Well... I'm sure that anyone can tell you the basics about Djarkel. It's a land where Dark Magic is commonly practiced, such as Necromancy or Demonmancy. It would make sense for there being an influx of demon activity there. Djarkel itself is ruled by Barons, various lords or ladies who own parts of the land. They use their dark magic to expand their territories, and are often feuding with each other. I think there may be a high Baron or some such, though I'm sure that title is also hotly contested and fought over. At least they only use demons or the undead during their battles instead of sending living people to fight on their behalf. Not to say that you won't find your fair share of warriors and mercenaries in Djarkel. But if a Baron hires any living person for any job, it's likely for assassination, or other specialized talent. Djarkel itself is a depressing place, with very few refuges from it's constant state of war. But if there's only thing about Djarkel that's worth admiring, it's the character of the people there. People there are strong-willed and able to hold their own. While they might not always be united, individually each person has a source of strength that would allow them to over come any obstacles in their path. One anecdote that a native of Djarkel once told me: Nothing is fair, everything is equal". He never really explained to me what the meaning was, but I imagine that what he means is that, while one can do whatever they have to do in order to survive, it not as though you never have a chance, at least. There's always a small chance against all the odds, and that all you need to do is catch it."

Meirin thought about what else she could say. She knew a little bit of Hysteria from her travels there, but she never stayed in town longer than a day or two. Much could have changed since she had last visisted, but she mentioned what stood out to her.

"As for Hysteria itself, it's honestly a rather unassuming city. It's sort of a trade hub into Djarkel, hence why our caravan would be heading there. It has large stone walls surrounding the city, carved from gray stone from the mountains. But the plain stone only serves as an empty canvas for various culture to blend in. Hysteria is known for it's very colorful characters, that is to say, everyone over there is a bit mad. Not that they're angry, just... Strange. It's almost surreal. I haven't met anyone in Hysteria who had any strong feeling against outsiders, though I have seen a lot of freakish people there who I sometimes think might be insane. Oh, but don't think they're dangerous! Hysteria has it's own community of enthusiastic, if also a touch crazy, artisans and craftsmen. Their strange way of thinking gives travelers a good impression of the fairly bizarre mindset of Djarkel, but also serve an example that their dark and almost horrific visage does not make them evil or even all that bad. It's actually a bit charming how quirky and enthusiastic they can be despite how bleak their land and lives are."

Meirin looked down and crossed her fingers together. She certainly said a lot and she was starting to feel a bit self-conscience about it. In truth she didn't know much about Djarkel since she lived in the monastery most of her life, and she'd prefer if she could talk about that instead. Alas, they weren't heading towards the mountains so it wasn't really necessary. Trying to pull her thoughts away from home Meirin had a few questions of her own about the mission. "So... What do you think is causing the demon attacks? I mean, what do you think Lucilia wants us to find? I can't imagine that the demons have any particular reason or agenda to fulfill for attacking the caravans."

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak was unsure of what to think of Djarkel, based on Meirin's description. He had always heard that the region was somewhat strange, but he had never inquired about the details. The aspect he found distasteful above all others was her mention of constant war. He was not keen on returning himself to a place held by war's deathly grip, but he had little choice. He supposed he should not be surprised; war never changed, and he should not expect it to. Still, by her description, he could respect the people's strength, and Hysteria sounded to be an interesting place. Meirin made it seem as if the people were touched by madness, but for artistic pursuits, at least, madness could be a boon. He looked forward to seeing what strange creations the city might hold.

"Hmm, Djarkel sounds like my own homeland. From what I have heard of the land itself, it is...moderately less desolate than the Scorched Lands, if only because it is difficult to become more barren than a volcanic region with lakes of lava instead of water, whose very air will kill those not adapted to survive there. Both places require profound strength from its people to face the challenges the land presents. It creates a certain kind of...resolve of character among its people, much like yourself. Perhaps I will end up feeling right at home? As for the demons...it is always difficult to say what their motivations might be. They live lives fundamentally unlike our own, in a world as distant from Tien as possible. Still, if I had to hazard a guess, I would suppose their purpose is to harm the college. They have already proven themselves our enemies, but they also have proven that they cannot destroy us in a direct assault. So, the next reasonable step would be to try to weaken us for their next attack. Trade is vital to the success of any settlement, so blocking caravans will, over time, weaken the college's ability to survive." Ssarak reasoned. It was entirely possible that the demons had another motive, but even if they did, their actions would weaken the college's position regardless.

Grey Onyx

Grey smiled, the others jumping in to help him out quite readily. He was generally unused to having help, usually insisting he did everything himself. He collected the papers, raising an eyebrow at Athalus' little tirade. "Is that so? you should help me sort through them later then. I have to know them when I see them..." Grey said. Then, Athalus spoke of the last one... He said such ridiculous things about him, with such fondness... Didn't he say he was from... For once in his life, Grey managed to pick up on social undertones. It was just a theory, but... He calmly stared at the man as he took the papers. "Of course he does. He's some chump with delusions of grandeur..." He said simply. He looked back for a moment, before continuing. "I'm not going to apprehend you. I refuse to leave your child fatherless..." He said, throwing his stuff on the cart. "Before we leave, I want to know if I can trust you. I need to know that I can count on you to keep the group safe, just as is expected of myself." He questioned, looking the man in the eye.