It was no one's fault that her brother died, she knew that. As much as she felt like blaming herself the logical part of her mind knew that there was nothing more she could have done. In a way, knowing that her efforts were ultimately futile was a worse feeling than if she had been in error somehow. She simply had to accept the fact now. Emilia realized she had been standing behind Aldred with her hands at his back doing nothing while she was lost on her thoughts. When Aldred finally spoke up she made up her mind. "Giants killed my brother. I want to know why they were here in the first place. If you promise me I'll get answers following you on this journey then I, Emilia Alders, will be with you until we're both old and grey." Emilia removed her hands from Aldred's back. He was clearly very proud of himself, rightly so being a Vanguard, and she believed him to be honest so if he gave her his word than she would devote her skills to him and his Crimson Company. She walked in front of him reaching for a handshake. Warriors like Aldred had honor, so if he agreed to make her this promise she knew he would keep it. "Will you give me your word, Sir Aldred?"

He let out a muffled grunt and then looked up at Bregil smiling through the pain. “Then again, maybe not.”

Bregil chuckled, “ Yeah maybe not. Let me take a look.”
Bregil knelt down next to him and put her hands on his leg. She could feel the swelling under her finger tips. She was glad he didn't wait,it was more than just a twist. Even a small fracture left untreated could turn into something worse. Bregil heard some rustling behind her and looked to see Faervel rolling around in the snow trying to get the blood off his fur.

“Try all you want, you are still getting a bath.” She said to Faervel and then turned her attention back to the man.

“Small fracture is my guess, Don't fret I'll have you pristine in no time.” Bregil closed her eyes and concentrated on mending the bone. In a moment the bone was like it was never fractured.

“See was that so bad? You don't have to tough it out. That's the best thing about having a Restoration Mage in your company, you don't have to deal with the pain.”

Bregil smiled at him as she stood and offered a hand to help him up.

“You never told us your name.”

She laughed lightly at his humor and turned to him playfully, "I believe a pirate conversing with a elf is far more of a fairy tale." She stopped abruptly, that usually wasn't something a human wanted to joke about. Let a lone a human being a pirate probably wants nothing to do with her nature, and if she planned to make this team thing work she is going to have to watch herself from now on. "Sorry, I'm not very good at holding my tongue. Count on me to be foolish." She tried to joke back, hoping she hadn't already ruined the friendship she was trying to build.

She looked back down at her drink and took a small swig and then trembled away the horrible taste. "I think I'll stick to that buttered rum." She looked up at the bartender and hadn't realized the look on his face until then, he looked defeated and upset yet still dedicated to his work. He mus have worked there for years, and to see such a home destroyed must be hard on him. She wanted to tell him he could stop, but the look on his face seemed that he this was more of a distraction for him. She pulled one of the remaining stools up and sat breathed heavily. "So, I'm guessing those things are the reason we are here."

Caspian closed his eyes and looked at the know destroyed ceiling of the Tavern. Thinking about his lost ship, his disloyal crew, and what to make of this elf called Nyx. Caspian had nothing against elves, most of his original crew was mostly compiled of species of different lands, his first mate was an elf.
Caspian looked back that Nyx as she laughed and replied,

"I believe a pirate conversing with a elf is far more of a fairy tale." She said to him.

Caspian did not reply, he really did not get what she meant by that, he loved conversing with the elf, it brought him a new perspective on life, he would rather talk with an elf or a dwarf than a human. But silence ensued after her reply. Then she once again spoke.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at holding my tongue. Count on me to be foolish." She replied solemnly.

"Aye, Nyx, you need not be embarrassed of your race, I care not of your nationality, that's just life." Caspian replied, reassuring her standing up and reaching for another bottle of gin.

"Yes I give you my word, I was intending to search for why they came to this innocent town in the first place, but now we must. But that will take place tommorow, it is far too dark and cold now for us to be wandering around in the mountains where I presume they came from." Aldred said as he rose from his seat and looked at Emilia. He grased her hand in a firm hand shake then released it as he moved to speak with the group as a whole.

"You all have the rest of the night to yourselves, tomorrow we shall begin our journey, the first step being to find the source of the giants and prevent future attacks if they may happen." He said, his voice booming in the damaged building. The former vanguard then sat back down in his seat, glancing at Emilia once more.

"Do you mind if we all sleep in your inn tonight? I can pay for the rooms if you wish." He said to her from his seated position.

"Im fine, I still got my room, if its still there... I paid for an extra night just in case of anything so dont worry about me, look after the others" He said to Aldred smiling slightly to him as he passed him and climbing up the stairs... carefully. As he wasnt too sure if the building was stable especially the third floor, so he treaded carefully if he fell through the ceiling, which was something he didnt want to do. Once he got to his room he unlocked it and entered closing it quietly behind him as he sat on his bed and began to trail off. Thinking of where they were going to travel tomorrow, as this felt like it was going to be a fast paced journey.

“Small fracture is my guess, Don't fret I'll have you pristine in no time.”

She placed her hands gently onto his leg and closed her eyes. Instantly, Lander felt a rush of warmth surging through his leg. He'd felt restorative magic before, but hers was different. He felt peace, as if everything was right with the world, if only for the moment. Then, the pain was gone.

“See was that so bad? You don't have to tough it out. That's the best thing about having a Restoration Mage in your company, you don't have to deal with the pain.”

He flexed his leg and smiled.

“Thank you,” he said. “You certainly have a gift and I believe I'll sleep a little better tonight knowing you're in our company.” Lander knew he would get to know the others in the company, but he was relieved that at least one of them was such a pure spirit. He stood up and walked with her into the tavern.

Then Lander realized he hadn't even told her or the others his name. He was too busy being suspicious and angry that it had completely slipped his mind. As if reading his thoughts, Bregil broke the silence.

”You never told us your name.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, slightly embarrassed. After all, he had just fought side-by-side with this woman and she didn't even know his name. “My name is Lander Mallory, at your service.” He bowed to her in a lighthearted manner.

Lander heard Aldred announce that they would be departing in the morning and would find out what drove the giants so far south. Under normal circumstances, he would prefer to go alone, but without knowing what was going on up there, he was thankful that they would have such numbers and such skill. Whoever chose this group, Lander thought they knew what they were doing. He was still uneasy about them knowing his true identity, but there was nothing he could do about that tonight.

Lander nodded to Bregil. “Until the morning,” he said before turning his attention to the rest of the group. “Good night everyone.”

He found the second floor was intact for the most part and his room was basic with a small bed, a table and a bowl with fresh water in it. Lander dropped his satchel next to the bed and sat down. Out the window he could almost see the mountains far off in the distance. He wondered what they would find there, but sheer exhaustion brought him a quick and welcomed sleep.

After enjoying a total of 6 full bottles of Gin, he was finally feeling sleepy. He noticed the others start to go to sleep also, probably using the rooms up stairs. But Caspian was to tired to go up and sleep on a bed. Caspian had enjoyed the day so far, he was freed, he was given free gin, he fought giants, and was able to converse with a woman, for the first time in months.

Caspian took his hat off his head, revealing his long hair them at reached to the bottom of his neck. Placing his hat next to him, he placed his head down on the bar and fell asleep snoring, with an empty bottle of Gin in his right hang.

Soon everyone had gone off for the night, Aldred himself into one of the inn's rooms for rent where he managed to fall asleep after tossing and turning in his bed for what seemed like hours. Then the sun rose in the wintery town, basking the snowed ground in the shining rays. The corpses of the dead beasts which assaulted the town before still remain, frozen from sitting overnight in the brutal conditions.

Everyone in the group eventually woke up, meeting once again in the tavern which was under repairs currently as several men had came from the surrounding area, more were outside looking over the giant's bodies, none of them believing their eyes. A battalion of well trained guards also was now in the settlement after the citizens of town implored the Dominion to send some spare guards, which they did, the guards themselves not too happy being stuck in the freezing cold.

---

"They weren't kidding!" One of the repairmen yelled to another as the man stood on the roof, placing a wood beam down.

"Yeah, did you see those big bastards? Those are the stuff of fairy tales." The other replied, hammering a nail into a piece of wood.

"How can you not see them?"

The conversation carried on as the people below, inside the inn milled around, Aldred sitting at a table, a empty plate in front of the armored man who looked over the rest of the group around the room as they prepared to leave the town and head into the harsh mountains to find the source of the giants.

"Maybe the attack is connected to something," He said to no one in particular, his mind going over the possiblities. It couldn't be just a coincidence, but he really did not know at all. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Get ready to move out in ten, the mountains are a brutal place to travel through, I've been through them before, during the war, it's imperative to know what we're doing." He said to the group as he sat in his seat, waiting.

Bregil bowed her head slightly to Lander and wished him a goodnight as well. She smiled as she watched him go. Lander was very unusual there was something about him that made him different than anyone Bregil had ever encountered. It was very a refreshing difference, different meant unknown. Bregil always held a fondness for the unknown. It's why she agreed to join the company in the first place.

“He's a nice character,” Bregil said to Faervel who just looked up at her in response. Bregil hummed and ruffled Faervel's fur.

“Let's see if we can sneak you up stairs and get some rest,” she craned her neck looking for the bartender from earlier. She couldn't find him but she did notice the barmaid's eyes were bloodshot. There was a woman Bregil didn't recognize talking to Aldred. Her eyes were bloodshot as well and her nose was red, she also held some resemblance to the bartender.

Bregil realized he must not have made it, she hung her head. Rude or not he didn't deserve to lose his life. Bregil looked over at Faervel. With the knowledge she had now she couldn't in good conscience sneak Faervel up to a room. She didn't feel it was right to ask, it's best that she'd just make her own way.

Bregil looked at Faervel and sighed. “Sorry my friend but I think we are going to be outdoors for tonight.”
Faervel groaned in protest.

“Come on we've slept worse, besides I can make a decent shelter out of the rubble and I'll make a fire it'll be cozy,” Bregil said as she headed outside to do just that. Faervel trudged reluctantly behind her.

When she finished with her shelter her and Faervel snuggled inside by a smoldering fire, Bregil was munching on a dried apricot and Faervel was gnawing on his bone from earlier. Bregil felt a little guilty for not socializing before heading to bed, she was just exhausted. Besides they had their whole journey to talk.

Bregil hummed in contentment and laid back on Farvel's side. “See this isn't so bad, huh?”
Faervel licked her cheek and Bregil laughed as she snuggled down in her cloak and drifted to sleep.

Caspian awoke to the sound of men yelling and the sun his eyes. He shoot up from his seat, looking around suspiciously before realizing he was at the Tavern. The men seemed to be repairing the damaged tavern, Caspian really did not car though, he was hungry, and thirsty. Caspian stood up from his set, stretched, and grabbed a small bottle of Caramel Brandy, perfect for the early morning. Caspian waited for the group to start conversation and what not, he would enjoy he drink.

Emilia let everyone have their rooms for free that night. They had paid enough by stopping the giants. She would however, charge for the drinks that the pirate had helped himself to. One bottle she might have overlooked but that man drank himself to sleep and went right back to drinking after he had woken up. Men had arrived to make repairs and guards had been posted to deal with any further disturbances. She was assured that the Spotless Rock Inn would be spotless again in a week. As she was to be travelling with the Crimson Company, Emilia decided to leave Ansa in charge of the Spotless Rock Inn and named her the manager so that she could hire help as she saw fit. She was confident that Ansa could run the Inn.

Emilia had slept in Jon's old room that night. It was both comforting and depressing to be using his room. Her memories of him were all she had left now. She was determined to find out why the Giants had come down the mountains. She would follow Aldred and his company, at least until she had the answers she was looking for. As the sun rose the work men busied themselves installing beams and hammering nails. Many of the men were heading to work the mines, women were getting chores done, and children were off to the schoolhouse. With such a small town, she had gotten to know all of them when she was apprenticed to Thadius the Healer and all of them knew her. If not for the Crimson Company many of these people would not have seen the sun rise. They were truly a formidable force, even if they were only a handful of men and women.

Emilia made a point to visit her brother's body early that morning. Anyone not from Esterfell might find it odd that there was no cemetery but that was because bodies were cremated and the ashes preserved. Thadius, the local Healer, had given her a fresh batch of general medical supplies as well as eleven vials of a potion known as Frigore Resistentia, a blood thickener that would help them stave off the cold mountain air. Emilia decided to give them each a vial now since they would be leaving soon. She spoke to the entire group. "For everyone who doesn't know, my name is Emilia Alders. I'm a Healer by trade and I'll be joining the Crimson Company. I have a potion that should help us stand the cold a bit better. There's one for each of you, best to take it now so it will take effect by the time we start getting up the mountains." Emilia laid them out for everyone to collect before they headed out.

As much as Nyx appreciated the free rooms, after a night like this the only place she wanted to be was close to Balto. Over the years they had spent many winter nights alone with no shelter, but being able to keep him in a stable was a luxury. She said her good nights to Caspian before making her way out and finding her shakened horse who was just as happy to see her. She spent some time grooming his long fur around his hooves as well as his long hair around his neck before making a small pallet against him and falling asleep.

Once she woke, she stretched and quickly began to pack her things back up while saddling Balto as well as covering him in layers of blankets while leaving one for herself to wrap up in during today's journey. She fed him a few more boysenberries and nuzzled his nose sweetly before grooming herself. She pulled her hair from her bun and brushed out the long silver locks that met to her waist. She twisted up both sides of her hair, and then braided it all to one side so the long silver braid laid against her shoulder and down her side. The put on her warmest pairs of socks, and then her fluffy high boots under her dress but left the rest of her coverings with Balto.

She blew warm air in to her hands and she hurried in to the building that the men were discussing about as they began to clean and repair the side of the inn. She was happy that the inn would be fixed. She tried to stay out of their way and made her way to the table their commander was sitting and pulled up a chair next to him naturally. Her eyes were still filled with sleep which she rubbed and yawned quietly. She turned and gave a lazy smile and bowed with her head to Aldred before cupping her chin in her hands while the Inn owner walked in as well.

Nyx reached and grabbed on of the vials as she laid them out and made sure to mutter a thank you as the rest soon began to take one as well. She saw Caspian sitting at the bar, already on his drinking in the morning. She had already become comfortable in her spot but felt that it would be rude to not say good morning, but she was going to make an effort to meet everyone. She walked up to Emilia and curtsied politely. "Hello Emilia, my name is Nyx. I'm.. " She hesitated, not really knowing what would make more sense in her position. "I'm a mage, I believe." It was funny to hear someone be uncertain but could you really call yourself something that you have no idea how to control. She smiled anyways.

Sipley rolled over; her eyes were open but her mind distant. All she could think of was her stupid father. If he saw her now, he would be so disappointed. Twenty-five years old and she was still single, she walked around in trousers and didn’t know a lick about knitting. It felt oddly satisfying not being underneath her father’s thumb. Grinning, her anger from the previous night was virtually gone.

She trampled down the stairs with as much buoyancy as a hot-headed assassin could muster and shook a coin purse of golden coins with relish. Seeing Aldred, she smirked and collapsed next to him after giving him a mock-bow.

“Ten minutes? That’s a long time, I don’t know what I’m going to do while I wait.” She sighed, crossing her arms.

When a vial was given to her, Sipley waited for everyone else to down it before wafting it. A familiar smell, but not too familiar, entered her nose and she knew it wasn’t a poison. Throwing her head back, she swallowed it all.

"Oh..." Mel replied to Lucio as she slowly removed her hands and tucked them behind her back, keeping them from Lucio's sight. "You're right. I'm sorry." She said sternly and with just a hint of heat behind her sudden seriousness. She turned and was about to leave before his formal introduction turned her right back around. Her mood lightened a bit and her smile gleamed again. "Lucio..." She said his name under her breath, rehearsing the sound it made. "My father always called me Melerindalowen." She replied with earnest. "But... you can probably call me.. Mel? Yea just call me Mel!" Her real name seemed like a mouth full and so far the only two people she had met had shorter, cleaner names. There was always Melerin or something but for some reason when Mel came up with her abbreviated name on the spot, she thought the shorter, the better.

Mel would have likely continued the conversation if not for something popping in her head. "Eargen!" She hollered, probably confusing Lucio greatly. "Eargen!" She said it again and glanced around the tavern, not hearing anything. Not waiting for Lucio to inquire or anything she took off in a haste. In mid stride she shifted into the form of a wolf and began smelling the air and ground vigorously. The she-wolf howled and darted up and over the collapsed giant, still partially lying inside a collapsed tavern. She vanished from at least Lucio's view.

---

Mel woke up coiled in her large bearskin cloak. The brisk chilling air failed to stir Mel from her sleep but the shouts and hammers of nearby activity did. She was resting just outside town in view of the backside of the tavern. Eargen was a no show last night. He fled from the center of town from what Mel could tell, apparently in the direction of where the giants came. His tracks and his scent sort of dissipated because the scent of the giants were so pungent. Why would he run towards the incoming giants? Did he summon them? Did he try to fight them? Regardless there was no body and Mel hoped Eargen wasn't eaten. He was a sweet dwarf and the only other friend she had in this world, aside from Lucio.

Rising from her cloak, she picked it up and gave the exterior a pat down or two, wiping away the accumulated down. Then she hauled it around her shoulders and brought the two ends around and tied together using a bit of leather on the inside to do so. Her moccasins fell from their hiding place and plopped right next to her feet. She slipped her feet in and then picked up her metal staff. She entered the inn just in time to witness vials of something being passed around. She shook her head when offered one and stepped back, away from the group. Wasn't so much as distancing herself, as it was to study the builders repairing the wall. The concept of architecture and construction was something new.

Bregil awoke to Faervel's nose nudging her face, she shook her head and got up. Bregil rubbed her eyes and stretched. She had to say for a makeshift shelter it wasn't too bad. Bregil gave Faervel a pat and made her way out of the shelter. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the light but when they did she saw men repairing the inn. Bregil smiled to herself as she made her way into the tavern stopping only briefly to tell Faervel to stay outside. He didn't put up a fight because he was hungry anyway and went off to find breakfast.

Bregil just caught the woman from last night introducing herself "For everyone who doesn't know, my name is Emilia Alders. I'm a Healer by trade and I'll be joining the Crimson Company. I have a potion that should help us stand the cold a bit better. There's one for each of you, best to take it now so it will take effect by the time we start getting up the mountains."

Bregil smiled at her as she grabbed a potion and sat next to the assassin. She recognized the potion as something her grandmother would make for travelers. Frigore Resistentia.She was very grateful that Emilia gave everyone the potion for it will come in handy. Bregil took a small swig of the potion leaving some for later. She saw the assassin doing the same only after she did. Bregil noticed she was a tense sort.

“You know I carry some herbs that are great for the nerves, it brews into a delicious tea if you want some?” she told the assassin.

Bregil then saw Nyx introduced herself to Emilia and figured she should as well.
“And my name is Bregil the wolf outside is my friend Faervel. I am a Healer as well, thank you for the Frigore Resistentia. It is very kind of you.”

Aldred grasped the potion, staring at it for a moment. He never liked taking strange handouts such as this, but Emilia was a healer so she knew what she was doing and if it would help deal with the unbearable cold of the mountains then he saw no reason not to take it, so he did, taking a long gulp before placing the rest of it in one of the pockets on his belt. Then he smiled back at Nyx before Sipley approached him with a sarcastic bow.

"It's good to see you back to your cheery self," He said to Sipley, returning the smirk. "Seems like we're ready to go into the freezing cold mountains after all." He added before rising out of his seat and turning towards the whole group.

"Time to get moving! Get your horses and anything else you are going to take with you because I don't know if we're going to be coming back here once our business is finished in the mountains." Aldred said loudly then started out of the inn as the group followed him out, each one following at their own pace, those that came on horses getting on them, Aldred himself walking on his feet.

The ragtag group made their way out of the town, reaching where the giant's had first been spotted which was right near the start of the mountain range, as they moved closer to the mountains, the temperature seemed to drop even further and the wind picked up. It was a whole different animal in this part of the continent, absolutely brutal if you aren't careful.

"I spoke with some of the townsfolk earlier, they said there's ruins in these mountains, suspicious ones at that. Apparently an ancient Elven fortress from thousands of years ago, its creators dead and gone. They shared my thought that the giants may be coming out of the ruins, possibly a powerful mage summoning the beasts for some reason." Aldred said as a strong wind blew into the group as they started going higher up into the mountains, the snow crunching below their feet.

"Thankfully they're not that far into the mountains, we should be coming up right upon them," Aldred replied right as he looked down to see what looked like an entrance to a set of ancient ruins. "Huh, the fortress must be built into the mountains, that's quite clever."He said, then continued moving down a slope towards the ruins.

As he took a footstep, an arrow whizzed right by him, clanking off the shoulder of his heavy armor. Aldred sprinted to the side, diving behind a large rock as more arrows came, following his trail of footsteps. From where the others were standing, it looked like the arrows were being fired from up above, likely from a ridge or cliff, but no archers could be seen. The time to figure out where they were ended as the arrows started coming towards the group, many coming close to hitting target.

"Get behind something! Keep moving towards the entrance!" Aldred yelled, drawing his blade, still in cover behind a rock.

Caspian finished the last of his Ale and readied himself for travel. Grabbing his cutlasses and his crossbow, he made his way outside into the snowy town. Although Caspian wore a jacket, he would have not felt the cold either way, he had been through far worse that a little cold, plus all the Gin and ale had warmed his body up nicely anyway.

Caspian saw looked back inside the Tavern, seeing that most of the group was still waking up and conversing with on another, he took the initiative and went ahead and took a shower. Asking one of the townsfolk, he was given the permission to use a man's home to shower in. After his bath, he went out to buy some knew clothes, he bought new trousers and shirt, hour dusted and cleaned his jacket, hat and shoes and put them all back on.

After grooming himself for travel, all he really needed was an horse, and he knew were to get one. Not to far from the Tavern was a stable, a large man with a beard was there selling horses for a large price, but with Caspians skills, he was able to get it for a bargain. Caspian headed back to the Tavern, prepared for anything that can there way. He quickly went back inside the Tavern and the last bottle of gin, saving it for a special occasion or so.

Not long after that he and the group were already out of the town and.on there say up the mountains. He heard the iron golem talk about the information he gathered from the townsfolk but he was not interested, he just wanted some action. The group eventually came up to a stop near some ruins that iron golem believed to be there destination. But things went wrong when an arrow whizzed past Iron golem and bounced of of his shoulder plate. Caspian took know time at all in finding cover and using his cross now to try and provide cover fire for the others, shooting blindly and the ruins.

The scantily clad elf girl looked rather disappointed that he hadn't accepted the healing. He hadn't meant to be rude or anything, he was just genuinely concerned about the safety of the others. And now he felt bad for upsetting her. If only he was the type of person who cared a little more about his own safety. But he wasn't, so he'd just have to deal with upsetting the scantily clad elf girl. She was about to leave when he introduced himself. After she said her own name, Lucio stared blankly for a moment as his brain tried to register the long, very Elvish, name just said. "Melerindalowen?" He said slowly and carefully, making sure he pronounced it correctly, though probably still butchered it horribly.

"I think I'll stick with Mel, by the time I called your full name in the heat of battle, one or both of us would be dead." Though the topic serious, he said it with a grin and in a light, joking tone. It was then that she yelled out something he assumed was a name and took off. He looked outside the hole in the tavern and watched her for a moment. After that he shrugged, accepting the new inn keeper's offer of letting them stay the night, though in honor of the fallen bartender, he would probably be paying her in the morning.

Though he didn't go to bed as soon as he got into the room, he spent a good while repairing his harp since it would more difficult to do it on the road. Only after he was satisfied did he finally turn in for the night.

---

The next morning when Lucio got up, he suddenly regretted not taking Mel's offer to heal him. His chest, ribs, and pretty every other part of his torso ached. Even something as simple as breathing hurt. And moving, well that was even worse. But he'd endure it, he had been through far worse and wasn't going to ask Mel about it after not accepting it the night before. After examining his torso he found that it was covered in blue and purple bruises. He laughed when he realized it matched his boots and his cloak.

He went downstairs and waited for everyone to gather. The girl from yesterday who had been grieving the death of the bartender introduced herself as Emilia and then handed them all some sort of potion. He eyed it warily, not liking the idea of anything that messed with his blood. Though dealing with the cold of a mountain when his thin body had a hard time dealing with normal cold, that didn't sound pleasant either. Most of the others were drinking it, so it didn't seem bad. So in the end he decided to deal with the potion and downed it. Making an unhappy expression at the taste.

When they left the town, Lucio found himself in the rear of the group. He hummed to himself to pass the time, humming some of his favorite tunes and making things up as he went. Everything was relatively peaceful, until the arrows started falling. The bard suddenly wished that he didn't have such a colorful cloak. Right now it was basically a giant target. He danced out of the way of an arrow and slipped behind a rock, a little confused by Aldred's command. How could they stay in cover and keep moving toward the entrance when they didn't even know where the arrows were coming from? He took one his daggers out, from the sheath against his lower back. The blade on the dagger was thicker than the blade on his sword, so it would easier to block arrows with it if needed. It wouldn't do him any good to throw it though, he was a terrible shot.

Most of the others collected their vials easily enough although the Ice Queen, as she had heard Aldred call her, seemed very suspicious of it for some reason. Emilia was used to having stubborn patients and people who were distrustful of medicine and magic. Two of the others decided to introduce themselves, the first was an elf who called herself Nyx. She was rather cute but didn't seem very confident in herself when she said she was a mage, perhaps she was still in the early stages of her studies. The second said her name was Bregil, from the look of her she was probably a half-elf although more interesting than that was that she was also a healer. It was good to know that there would be someone else she could talk to while they traveled that wouldn't be completely lost by the time she got past the first sentence. Bregil looked a bit rugged, as if she had spent a lot of time in the wilderness, and she was clearly an archer as well. Emilia never actually learned to use a weapon as she always relied on her magic to defend herself.

"It's good to meet you Nyx, and you as well Bregil. It's good to have another Healer along for the journey. Maybe later we can compare notes?"

---

Emilia decided to take Hansel, her brother's horse, with her as they probably wouldn't be heading back to Esterfell any time soon. The air up high in the mountains was freezing and the wind didn't make it any better. She was quite well adjusted to the cold already, having lived in Esterfell until her twenties, but the Frigore Resistentia was a smart move none the less. She was sure that the elves and half-elves in the party would be grateful for the potion since they had less to hold the heat in.

Emilia read over her journal as they made their way up, eventually coming up on some ruins. She remembered being told a fairy tale about an ancient Elven king who lived in these ruins and despised naughty children, in the story he would descend from the mountain when you were being bad and punish you. She was smart enough to know that it was only a story made up to scare children into obedience but she couldn't help imagining the phantom of some old Elf king brooding in solitude deep inside the ruins. She put her journal back in her satchel as Aldred commented on the ruins.

Before she could tell what was going on Aldred had jumped behind a rock and arrows were flying past her with alarming accuracy. She threw up a barrier to shield herself, and any others close enough to be behind it, to stop incoming arrows. They were raining down from somewhere she couldn't see and the only thing she could do was make for cover. Hansel was spooked from all the commotion and almost threw Emilia off of him as she wrangled him out of harms way. Her and Hansel were big targets for an archer and whoever were firing the arrows at them were good shots.