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Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Balthazar
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Duplo
"I'm sorry we haven't properly met," the girl curtsied, flaring the hem of her tattered skirt, "I'm Kirin Cobb, from Eira, and you're Duplo right? That's such a pretty name, I've never heard it before"

"Yes, my name is Duplo" She was annoyed, really annoyed. First the boy, now the girl. Why me, stop talking to me. Then she realised, she was supposed to look after these kids a baby sitter she spat. "It was the first sound I remember so I claimed it as my own." She turned to face the girl, momentarily forgetting about Ada, focusing on the mission at hand. "And yours, how did you get your name?"
Ada
I've never asked anything of you, you know. Really with an attitude like that it's no wonder your only friend is a rabbit."

Ada who was slightly tense before suddenly gritted her teeth and struggled not to strangle the boy. "I guess I was wrong Aegar. Forgive me, an old gypsy such as myself has seen to many tricksters to trust one more. Come, it's been a long time since I've heard some news of the outside world." She let some poison leak into her words. "But do not take long, I am weary, I have children to take care of and it grows late" Duplo was talking to the children, which made Ada worry. She could be saying numerous things, most of which were causes for her to supervise. But Ada still trusted Duplo to keep her calm.

She indicated for Aegar and Fimion to follow her as she sat down on a log by the fire. She figured Fimion would be a good way to ensure Aegar behaved himself when talking to her. She was aware of Fimion's attention but simply did not know how to replicate it, she had forgotten all about him. She gave him a small smile an turned her attention to Aegar again.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Balthazar
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Jabari
In the corner of the street, two pairs of gleaming eyes glinted out the darkness. Cloaked in shadow a dark man mounted utop a large, shaggy hound watched chaos unfold in the streets before him. Citizens ran back and forth, screaming and setting things on fire. Several adrenaline-fuelled defenders of their masters honour were throwing punches and slamming each other into the city streets. The man paid no mind to them just as they paid no heed to him. However he was watching an ugly street cat that sat on the wall above him. The cat had arrived shortly after the fights broke out and sat watching. The fact the animal was not fleeing from the noise and smell of smoke was what drew his attention and the strange feel about the cat and the hair on the back of his neck that pricked kept his focus on the feline.

The cat's eyes moved over his corner of shadow and the man stiffened and held his breath. His mount wined and pawed the ground, eager to get away from the flames and he kicked it to shut up. The cats eyes moved rather to a large group of people a short distance away from the man that were attempting to force open a large pair of ornate oak doors and the man breathed a sigh of relaxation. Then something shocked the man, a strange green figure removed itself from the cat and floated down to a soldier, possessing him instantly. Filled with wrath the soldiers started hacking at anyone he could reach. The man did not move despite the full blown riot happening around him. No matter how violent and close the fights were, no body noticed the strange man on his strange dog.

The spirit left the man and floated up to the wall again, turning to look at the mob below it it appeared to be in the shape of a goat. Then it disappeared over the rooftops. Kicking the hound on the man galloped after the green cloud. The big creature trotted on with long jarring strides, almost in a canter, almost in a trot. The man on the other hand seemed to be quite adapted to this and bounced unmoving with the creature. His eyes never leaving the green thing. The green cloud was soon replaced by the same grey cat from earlier.

The man kept pace, following the cat on the ground for a short while then he ran into a dead end and lost sight of the creature. He kicked hard to get his mount to catch up, but it was too late, he had lost the cat. Cursing the city, the man turned back to the main road. All the shops were closed up and the inns had their doors barred, he reverted to looting a corpse or five to gain enough supplies for his trip to Tariq. Hopefully he could find a messenger fast enough, to reach the Jairo mountains in time. Or he could find a mage...

As the light of dawn began to turn the sky a light pink the man mounted his Lupus and made his way out of Jabari. The wolf ran fast, panting hard. Concealed in his dirty red-brown cloak, the pair disappeared into the dawn.

Far East of the Jairo mountains, many decades ago
Thunder grumbled like a the stomach of a hungry dog overhead, and in the distance lightening spat. The storm covered her in drool, devouring the light of the sun and swallowing the land, engulfing it in darkness. Each movement of the storm-creature tossed her hair up and swirled her clothes around her figure. The figure of a middle-aged woman with leathery skin and blonde hair. She stood on a cliff face staring off into the distance.

The lush green landscape was ruined by the ugly grey clouds that extended far into the horizon. While still watching the landscape before her, the woman's eyes flashed silver for a brief moment and she stood up straighter, pushing her shoulders back and tilting her head slightly forward. Shortly after the clouds above her opened in a circle perhaps 10 meters radius and a bolt of lightening flashed through the dead centre and hit the ground at the foot of the mouth. This bolt was thicker than all of the others and stayed for longer. As the clouds rolled forward filling the gap the light faded from the woman's eyes and revealed a figure at the spot where the lightening struck the earth. The figure stood facing the mountain quietly for some time then lifted something, a staff of some kind? She could not tell at the distance. Three bolts of lightening left the storm above and struck this sword, holding the connection for some time then the figure turned and sent the lightening straight into the belly of the mountain before them.

The light faded and for a while the tempest raged on uninterrupted. Then the mountain began to shake. Boulders and rocks fell to it's foot and mudslides sprinted down the mountain side revealing bare rock. It paused for a bit, then the mountain shook again, more violently than before. Dirt raced to the foot of mountain and Boulders fell, crashing into one another and splitting when they hit the ground. When all the rock was revealed the shaking ceased and the figure moved back. The blonde woman - now soaked to the bone - stayed in place. Suddenly a long limb of rock crashed out the side of the mountain, like an egg hatching the shell of the mountain fell away falling to the Earth with tremendous earth-shattering force (literally.)

The rock creature placed two legs on the Earth and stood up, at first slouched forward, it rolled it's shoulders and stretched it's arms to it's side. Loosened up it leant back, looking to the heavens it opened it's mouth and roared. The woman dropped to her knees, far out of ear-shot the roar pierced her ears shaking her body and causing earthquakes all around her. Screaming in pain the woman clutched at her ears beginning to claw at her ears. The earth before the titan split and a great fissure was revealed, trees and rivers fell in. All the glass in villages within a hundred legue's radius, shattered. And a tremble rippled out, passing Eira and fading just before Tariq, causing Birds to leave their nests and wild deer to scatter.

The woman drew away her hands, her hands were covered in blood. No longer able to take it she cast a spell and flew herself out of there, as she spend past the lightening god she caught a brief glimpse of them - tall and well featured with a harsh face and grey hair that fell in his face in the tempest.

Back in the Jairo mountains the woman crashed into the mountain face like a falling space-rock. Her body slammed into the mountain-face with a force that knocked large chunks out of the side of the mountain and left a scar visible for league's around. The body rolled down the mountain slamming into everything and breaking pretty much everything. Eventually she hit level ground with a sickening crunch and rolled for a bit - onto her back. Barely holding onto life the woman opened her eyes on what was left of her face and looked at the sky, a few scattered clouds moved to the East - towards that legendary battle in the East. East, east, east, east, eeeast, eeeeassst the word spiralled around her head and was her last thought as the body wheezed it's last breath and lay still, lifeless and dirty on the sound of the mountain. Surrounded and covered by dirt nobody heard her lunatic laughs that echoed in the mountains and in the minds of the mountain spirits for many years to come.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Raxacoricofallapatorius
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Kirin

The first sound she heard? How intriguing, Kirin thought. She tapped her lower lip thoughtfully. "My parents named me after the flowers that bloom in the box on our window each autumn, since Kiri flowers only blossom after the first frost, and I was born after the first frost." Duplo didn't seem like she liked either of them very much, but perhaps that was just the way she was. Some people, Kirin had learned, just always seemed put-off about something or other. Still she gave her best effort to be friendly. Looking over at Fritz she felt like she should try to include him too, since he was obviously more out of place than she. Being so distressed earlier she hadn't noticed really, but now standing beside him she could see he was definitely foreign. The way he talked was like an educated person, but his accent was funny, and his clothes were even funnier. Not to mention his spectacles. She'd never known a boy to wear spectacles anymore, only old men who couldn't see without them. An amusing thought crossed her mind: what if he was old and only looked young? But no, he was definitely the age he looked, she could tell, as opposed to Aergar who looked young but was certainly old. There was just something different about masked age.

"What about your name Fritz, where did you get it? I've never heard it before either, it's so funny!" She laughed a little, a bright tinkling sound that wasn't quite human, but of course, she was a fae.
Aergar

"Ah," Aergar rocked back on his heels, "The outside world you say?" There was a twinkle of amusement in his eye, "What would I know of such things? The forests are my home and I am content to stay within them. But I hear rumors once in a while. Travelers talk too loudly, thinking no one is around to hear. How careless, even trees have ears, figuratively speaking." He chuckled as if he'd made some clever joke, white teeth flashing in the firelight. He followed her to the felled tree trunk, passing off his empty flagon as he went, and while she sat quite regularly he perched on his toes in a squatting position at one end, resting his hands on his knees, methodically tapping his long fingernails on them in time to the music.

"Interesting choice of companions." He nodded toward the children who were obviously annoying her rabbit friend. He giggled childishly, eyeing Fritz. "Especially that one. Did you know he thinks he's an alchemist? Not especially smart-looking but he's got a sharp wit, though I forgot about him till I saw him here with you. That reminds me, did you know Hiol, that perverted little satyr in the southern glade? He's dead. Wanna know who killed him?" He was getting excited, as if this were a juicy piece of gossip. Well, it was to him. He didn't wait for Ada to ask though. Instead, he bent close and cupped his hand to her ear and whispered, "Phrenesis."

Sitting back he giggled again delightedly. "Tore out that poor bastard's heart. And he's after you again of course. I am ever so curious to know why he's so obsessed. I never thought you to be terribly interesting…" He let one leg hang over the curved side of their current seat. Tilting his head, he gave her a sidelong look, amber eyes half-lidded and lips curled slightly into a lazy smile. His demeanor changed suddenly from one of jittery excitement to a calmer, smoother temperament. "But…" He bit his lower lip enticingly, those glittering eyes giving her a quick once-over, "You do have some extraordinary characteristics, and I'd be willing to bet hidden talents too." Resting chin on palm, he gave her a small, innocent smile. "In fact, I would say it is your mysterious nature that is so incredibly alluring. Or does that old ghost know something about you that I don't, hmm?"
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Lord Pie
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Fritz

It became clearer that Duplo wasn’t in the mood to share, though perhaps that was just her way. He wasn’t used to people being so short, but then again he was only used to the rigid politeness that came with private schooling. He recognised the tone she was using, in fact it reminded him a little of one of his teachers, Mrs Fiander – the chemistry teacher he had constantly badgered with questions and attention, or at least the tone she had used when he first met her. It had taken him quite a few terms but the pair of them were now much closer, in fact Fritz was pretty sure he was the only student she really liked. Perhaps like in that situation if he just kept trying Duplo would start to warm to him, but then again maybe not – only time would tell, but she seemed so terribly interesting that he couldn’t help himself. He turned his attention to Kirin as she told them about her name and how her parents had named her after some flowers that blossom after the first frosts, and his thoughts turned to what a Kiri flower must look like, imagining that they must be exceptionally beautiful to be the inspiration to name a daughter after. He then suddenly noticed that Kirin was watching him, or rather examining him briefly, which caused him to blush a small amount before he turned his face away hoping that she hadn’t seen.

"What about your name Fritz, where did you get it? I've never heard it before either, it's so funny!"

“Funny?” Fritz repeated as Kirin laughed, an almost enchanting sound to his ears which caused a large grin to spread over his face.

“Well my parents told me that my name belonged to my uncle before it belonged to me and also to my grandfather before him – I’m actually Fritz the third I guess. It’s a German name like they were, though they were both killed in the War apparently. Traitors to Germany and heroes to Brittan, they worked in military intelligence” he explained to her, his thoughts turning back to the times he had spent with his own father listening to stories about the Carlisle family. Suddenly he realised that they would have no idea what he was talking about and chuckled before rubbing his neck nervously.

“Oh, eh, Germany is a country where I come from. There was a big world war, the biggest war there has ever been and lots of people died. Germany wasn’t very popular afterwards and they lost, but my father said that we always need to be proud of our heritage, especially after what had happened.”

His smile faltered slightly as he thought of his parents, wondering for the first time if he would be able to return home or not. The thought of being here forever had not occurred to him before, though he supposed it was entirely possible.

“I.. uh…” mumbled Fritz suddenly uncertain about everything that was happening to him, he glanced at Kirin and Duplo before turning and watching Ada and Aergar for a few moments. He realised that he was still lost, no matter how spectacular or exciting things may be.

“I wonder if I’ll get to go home…” he said out loud before looking again at Kirin. She too was trying to get home, but the only difference was that her home was actually in Emanseria. Dumfounded by the line of thoughts he was having Fritz suddenly turned and made his way to the edge of the camp before he sat amongst a patch of particularly thick grass and sighed. Lying on his back he gazed up towards the inky sky, suddenly aware that there seemed to be a great deal more stars than he had ever seen before, and at that moment a shooting star flashed across the sky. Searching for any familiar constellations it quickly dawned on him that there were none he recognised, and he started to consider the real implications of being stuck here for the rest of his life.

Fimion

He watched with curiosity as Wildflower and Aergar conversed with each other, a smirk forming on his lips as he watched her grit her teeth slightly at the imp’s goading. He watched her face intently and took in every expression and movement, trying subtly to not stare too much, but knowing that he couldn’t quite help it. As she gestured for the pair of them to follow her to the fire he did so happily, taking a seat on the old trunk next to her. She shot him a smile, an interesting smile that seemed to say that she was happy, but it also seemed to say that she maybe wasn’t quite sure how to act towards him. He hoped that they would be able to talk alone tonight, he wasn’t quite sure what he would say or what he wanted, but that was part of it, he figured. As she turned her attention back to Aergar he suddenly remembered the small pipe clutched in his hand, and so pulled out a small leaf-wrapped bundle of pleasant smelling dried and shredded plant matter as he listened to their conversation with mild interest and occasionally glanced around the camp. The herbs were a mix that he had traded with an elf from Jabari a few moons back – he had called it Caraleaf and Ginsar, whatever it was it was soothing and seemed to help him focus as well as smelling and tasting a great deal better than most smoking herbs.

As the imp spoke of her ‘interesting’ choice of companions, he couldn’t help but agree somewhat, especially after he learnt that the strange young boy considered himself an alchemist. Pondering what was happening with them as the boy in question walked towards the edge of the clearing alone he pushed some of the dried herbs into the pipe before lighting it with a smouldering stick from the fire, the light and almost fragrant smell spreading quickly as he inhaled. Blowing a few casual smoke rings he turned his attention back to Aergar as he suddenly mentioned Hiol being killed, the sudden change in tone of the conversation almost causing him to cough as his expression turned from one of a carefree demeanour to a more serious one. The little imp was so excited as he whispered something to Wildflower, before giggling to himself and going on to explain whoever this person was had torn out Hiol’s heart, and that this person was obsessed and coming after her. Suddenly Fimion was paying extremely close attention, the pipe again forgotten as he ran a hand through his tangled hair.

"In fact, I would say it is your mysterious nature that is so incredibly alluring. Or does that old ghost know something about you that I don't, hmm?"

“Hiol?” asked Fimion somewhat surprised that the satyr had met his end, and apparently in such a violent way. “Who would want to tear his heart out and for what purpose?” he wondered aloud before narrowing his eyes slightly at Aergar. “You know you seem to think it’s incredibly entertaining, makes me wonder if you’re not more involved hmm? After all we all know its your forest after all”. Fimion chuckled disregarding what he had said, oblivious to the fact that he may have actually been somewhat right.

“He didn’t squeeze your berries too hard did he?” he asked raising his eyebrows.
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Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Balthazar
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Ada let Aegar's words linger, thinking of appropriate responses for each. Then to her surprise Fimion spoke"He didn't squeeze your berries too hard did he?"
Ada collapsed into laughter, crumbling forward so her head was on her knees. Her curly hair fell forward and bushed against her legs. She kept laughing until her cheeks hurt, her belly burned and her bladder.. well, you can imagine. Regaining composure she sat upright. Aegar and Fimion looked at her, surprised at her sudden and unexpected outburst.

"Yes Aegar, old Phrenny and I go a long way back, longer than I'd care to mention. We're something of, opposites. Like Fire and Water. No, I take that back, brother and sister. Yes, that's a more fitting comparison.

"And what is this that I hear, your forest. I'm sure the elves have something to say about that. An imp, taking over their land. I'm not so sure about that. And before you proclaim yourself the master, you know you are no master just as I am no master of Duplo. She chooses to remain with me just as much as this forest chooses to host you. The sky and the Nairi forest answers only to the gods and itself. But I imagine you know that already."

Ada was careful in her choice of words, she made sure to extend a hand of friendship towards Aegar, but not let him in on her plans. The imp usually kept to himself and had helped Ada once or twice ages back. Every other time he has been a cause of mischief, like a small dog let off the lead she'd had to intervene and toss him back in place.

She noted the death of Hiol and moved on quickly. He was never awfully important in her mind. Occasionally she heard a rumor or two about him when things were quiet. But that was only ever in his homestead.
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Duplo
“I wonder if I’ll get to go home…” The boy was rattling on, talking about some place that didn't make sense. A war, in some country she's never heard of. Duplo continued to brush Willow, nearly done with scarping off all the dirt on his big white legs. She thought to herself while grooming, making mild chit-chat with the fae girl. "Kirin, earlier you said we should return you to your father, what's your social status? I don't want to rob you, I just want to get you home as soon as possible."

Germany, Germany. Perhaps Ada will have a map on it, doubt it though. I've dealt with all her maps already. Maybe she has a reference in one of her books. Maybe it's to the south, but that doesn't make sense. All our refugees are from the north. He's probably just delusional, confused after all the recent happenings.

Satisfied that Willow was as clean as he was going to get she picked fur from the brushes and tossed them into a basket in the wagon, then she climbed in and looked around, bent over so as to not bump her head, she scanned the shelves for a map scroll, an atlas book or anything. Surprisingly none of the maps were anywhere. She stuck her head out the door and yelled "ADA! Where is your map!" Ada paused mid-sentence to shrug her shoulders back at her. This time Duplo began to shift things around, looking for the scroll.

Much later the wagon was in a mess and there were no scrolls with any kind of map in sight. Disappointed she quickly packed things into place again, nothing irritated Ada as much as her wagon being untidy.

Ada having finished her conversation, was settling in to sleep. Duplo took her shoulder and shook her awake "Ada! The maps are no longer with us" "What?" she asked, her breath stank and her words were slightly slurred. Kirin and Fritz slept alongside her, dreaming peaceful dreams. "The maps, they're not here." Duplo repeated. Ada put her hand on her forehead, trying to connect the fact with any memories she might have. "Ah no! I left them at the inn!" She cursed.

Great.

"Goodnight Ada" Duplo skulked off to take guard of the camp. Angry at Ada for her foolishness. By now the scrolls would have sold off to some merchant and would never be tracked down again. The sun would be rising soon. Standing outside the meadow Duplo stood chanting to herself, calling on her magic. She tapped into the energy of the forest and watched everything and anything. The little ants below ground, the deer sleeping nearby and a group of owl chicks in their nest anxiously waiting their mother's return
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Kirin

She watched Fritz go, uncertain as to whether or not she should go with him, but thought that maybe he needed a moment by himself. He really did seem very overwhelmed by everything. She stood awkwardly beside Duplo, who resumed brushing the horse with an inordinate amount of focus. She stared after the boy, but a sudden question from Duplo tore her back to reality. "What? Oh…" she paused, since the inquiry seemed oddly phrased. Then again, she wouldn't have taken the rabbit-woman to be the most socially adapted person. "Like I told Ada before, my father is a wealthy merchant in Eira. That's where I grew up. My cousin…" she trailed off, remembering the tragedy that was all too freshly remembered. "My cousin," she continued, her voice having become quiet, "came to live with us after his parents died. I was little, and we grew up together. He was like my brother."

She turned suddenly, feeling tears welling up in her eyes as the reality of her predicament suddenly sank in. She had been scared earlier, but now that she was safe and could afford the leisure of despair, it overtook her like the shadows of the tents and the trees. She ran off, away from Duplo and the others. She found a secluded place behind an empty tent and let her legs collapse beneath her, sobbing uncontrollably for a good long while until she'd run out of tears.

Some time later, Kirin dried her eyes on the corner of her tattered sleeve. She shivered, the night was chilly and her cloak had long since been lost. She stood up stiffly and started to make her way back, but then spotted Fritz out of the corner of her eye. He was lying in the grass just beyond the light, staring up at the night sky. He must be cold too, his funny clothes didn't look particularly warm. Wiping her eyes one last time she went to him and urged him to get up. "Come on Fritz, Ada's probably wondering where we are. It's late, and cold. Let's go back to the wagon." She grasped his wrist and helped him up, then turned and strode quickly toward the wagon so he wouldn't see her tear-streaked face.

Crawling inside the cozy enclosure, she found a woolen blanket and burrowed into it. Squeezing her eyes shut and praying sleep would come quickly.
Aergar

"Of course it's my forest!" Aergar huffed indignantly as the other two broke down in laughter, "So of course I'm involved, it's my job to be wouldn't you agree?" He waved away Ada's little monologue. "It is my forest," he sniffed haughtily, "You should be grateful for how wonderfully beautiful the trees are this year. The elves are barely flower gardeners compared to me. They'll tell you as much, go on and ask them yourself! I'm fortunate that at least they know how to show respect where it's due… In fact just last week--"

"ADA! Where is your map!"

"How rude," Aergar frowned. He didn't like being interrupted and it was happening an awful lot lately. He remembered this was one of the reasons he stayed hidden away in the forest. He gave Ada an endearing look. "Getting a little forgetful in your old age?" He giggled again and sprang from the tree trunk. "Why don't you find out what Phrensis wants for me? I can't have him going around killing whatever poor creature happens to cross his path. Thank youuuuuuu…" his singsong voice trailed off as he skipped away.

A short time later he came across Duplo making her way very determinedly out of the camp. And by "came across" he was actually sneaking around with the red-haired gypsy girl and happened to spot her. He suddenly put his hand over the girl's mouth and pulled her into the shadow of the nearest tent. "Shhh." His amber eyes pierced the darkness and followed Duplo until she was out of sight. How curious. He released his hold on the girl and she stifled a laugh, misreading his actions entirely. The imp made a quick check and, finding the tent to be uninhabited, pulled her inside, motioning for her to remain quiet. She threw herself onto the stuffed sleeping mat and blankets and gave Aergar a sultry come-hither look. He knelt and placed a hand on each shoulder, pressing her back into the cushion with a mischievous glint in his eye. He hovered for a moment, then bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers. Wrapping her arms about his neck she pulled him closer.

Aergar took a deep breath and exhaled slowly between her parted lips. A wispy blue-green aura seeped from him down her throat, and as soon as the last bit of it left him he fell unconscious on top of her. The red-haired gypsy rolled him off and sat up, licking her lips. "Don't go anywhere," she whispered to Aergar's body, grinning. Ah, such a weak willed being, Aergar thought to himself as the girl stood and exited the tent and headed the same direction Duplo had gone. He found her on the farthest end of the meadow, in a trance. Performing some kind of magic. So much more to the rabbit girl than meets the eye. He had no doubt Ada had taught her. Inhabiting the body of the gypsy girl made him inconspicuous. For while most of the camp's inhabitants were asleep there were a few still up and about, the ones unlucky enough not to pair off, most likely very drunk who would pass out as soon as the sun rose, and would then have to be carried away by their fellows.

He stuck around to see what would happen, keeping a good distance and pretending to be busy collecting the long dewy grass for the horses. Once his curiosity was sated, he slipped away on silent feet, returning to the tent where he'd left his body, and slipped back in the same way he had left it. The short possession episode had taken a toll on the fragile girl for no sooner had he given her up did she slip into a deep sleep. He draped a downy quilt over her and slipped outside just as the sun was clearing the horizon, seemingly no worse off for not getting any amount of sleep. Though he was hungry and decided to see if he could beg breakfast off one of the cooks.
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Fritz

He wasn’t sure quite how long he stared up into the sky, his mind occupied thinking about his predicament and what he was to do. He didn’t know why but as he gazed up into the clear night sky and searched for any familiar constellation he felt very small and obsolete. There was nothing he recognised, the sky-scape being completely different and alien that that of earth – leaving him with the assumption he could even be on a whole different planet. He knew that even if there was no quick route home the more he leant about this place and its ways the more chance he would have, even if he had to devote a large portion of his life to learning and studying then there was a chance he could unravel the secrets of how he got here.

Breaking his mind away from its deep thoughts he was suddenly reminded that it was very late and he was getting very cold.

"Come on Fritz, Ada's probably wondering where we are. It's late, and cold. Let's go back to the wagon."

Kirin sounded like she might be upset, but she didn’t seem to want to talk about it, though Fritz could guess why. He hadn’t lost anyone as close as she had, and not in such a personal and tragic way. Allowing her to help him up and guide them to the wagon he said nothing, but tried to give her a comforting smile. They were both tired and sleep came quickly once he had laid down in the warm wagon, his mind briefly wondering if it was always as warm in here as he fell into an easy dream-filled slumber.

Phrenesis

The young woman strode happily down the practically deserted streets of Jabari, signs of last night’s chaos clear on every street. Shops had been attacked and looted, there was the occasional body littering the street and smoke still rose in plumes as crows circled above the city and began to enjoy the ‘bounty’ that had been left for them.

‘Oh how Sparrot would love to be here’ she thought idly to herself, her mind turning to her long-time companion as she wondered what he would be up to at this moment. The cat from the night before followed behind her, the mangy creature’s fur looked considerably better after her time fixing its body, and somehow it was if the creature knew it. It had remained beside her bed after Phrenesis had returned to the mundane girl’s body, and so in return she had turned out the Lady Desjardins pantries and let it feast on the fish she had discovered, after all it was only going to waste otherwise. She had sat watching the cat as it ate, and as she fed herself, taking Aergar’s words about caring for her body to heart. The cat had watched her as it ate as well, and Phrenesis had wondered what it might be thinking – after all it was only Sparrot that was able to speak his mind.

As she reached the top of market street she paused at the sight that unfolded before her. In the market square there were several tent-like structures with what looked like priests of some kind tending to hurt people, and what was worse was there was both elf and fae amongst the occupants. Shaking her head and clicking her tongue in annoyance at the fact some people couldn’t seem to help working together and assisting others around them she looked around for an opportunity to once more create chaos. Spotting a wagon only a few meters away from her and the steep incline that ran from where she was stood down into the market she grinned fiendishly as it became clear what she was going to do. Spending a few minutes gathering bits of debris and whatever heavy she could she loaded them quickly into the wagon before turning it with a grunt and positioning it so it would rush down the hill and collide with the nearest tent.

Her feline companion let out a single meow as if to question what she was doing, and glancing around to make sure she would not be seen she turned back to the cat and with a wink she pushed the heavy cart and sent it hurtling down the road and towards the market square. Turning she practically skipped away with a light giggle, confident that the damage had been done she headed towards the road out of the city. It was time to return to the Nairi forest.
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Sparrot

“There is that raven again” said Dimur as he pointed towards the bird.

One of the others in the group laughed at his apprentice’s words as he shook his head before he replied “How do you know it’s the same one?” his tone filled with humour as he indulged the youngster’s fantasy.

Dimur narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. “I don’t know, it just is I guess” he said, causing the other man to grin more widely as he continued “but I’m telling you it’s followed us since we entered these mountains.”

Rolling his eyes the elder chuckled as he turned back to his work and responded “Fine, well you keep an eye on the bird and let me know if it tries anything. Filari here is an expert with a sling so she’ll deal with it if we need to” the old elf gestured to the woman with them, who ignored them as she continued her own work.

Dimur frowned, it was clear to him that his teacher was only humouring him and wasn’t taking what he was saying seriously. Muttering to himself the young elf went back to his own work deciphering the various ruins that littered the debris around them.

Several hours passed before suddenly there was an outburst from Filari which startled everyone, the Raven included.

“Tobis! Tobis!” she cried excitedly “I think I’ve finally found something, come and see!”

The small group rushed into activity as they gathered closer to the worn and chipped bits of rock that the woman had been working from.

“Look, see here” she began as her fingers slowly traced the faded ruins around the edge of the piece reading aloud as she did “welcome to Sinadrai, bow before the true masters and as… that’s where the inscription stops, but the name Sinadrai is right there!”

The elder elf’s eyes widened and he smiled and gently nodded “Yes so it is, this just confirms it then. As I’ve always suspected there was once a powerful group of elves that lived in these mountains, and this is all the proof I need.”

“I don’t understand” interrupted Dimur “I thought we already knew about the name of their temple?”

The old elf shook his head before he corrected him “Yes, we did, but now this coupled with my findings elsewhere actually proves that its physical existence was around here somewhere. After all it’s the physical ruins we need to find, and this narrows down the search considerably.”

“What about the gemstone of Ulrick?” asked Dimur as his brow furred further in confusion “I thought that’s why we were here?”

The old elf shushed him before he glanced over to where the Raven was still perched watching them. “And how do you know about that hmm?” he asked raising his bushy white eyebrows.

Dimur suddenly blushed before he admitted that he had heard Filari and the grandmaster discussing it before they left. Tobis shot the female elf an irritated look before he turned his face back to his apprentice and barked “Do not speak of such things, least of all with your eavesdropping raven just there.”

Tobis once more looked at the bird, this time taking the idea that it may have been following them more seriously. If his apprentice had learnt of their search for the Stone of Ulrick then there was no telling who else had.

“Everyone stop” commanded Tobis as he glanced at the small team around him “We have the proof I needed that Sinadrai was located here in these mountains. Take whatever stones you can carry, we are heading back at first light tomorrow.” There was a confused muttering from the group, and the female elf gasped out loud.

“You cannot be serious Tobis!” she practically shouted “you know how long it took us to get this expedition authorised, and now you are willing to stop and head home because this whelp overheard that we are searching for the Stone?”

His face reddening the old elf gritted his teeth as he seethed “I am in charge here, and yes, that is seriously what I am saying. Maybe when you are in charge of an expedition you will allow your underlings to argue and disrespect your decisions, but I assure you I will not.”

An uneasy silence fell across the group, most of the team clearly as dismayed as Filari was that they were stopping when so close to their real goal. As the group set up their tents the uneasy atmosphere continued and tensions were running high. Several hours later when most of them were asleep three figures gathered in the darkness some way away from the tents and whispered in hushed tones.

“If we find the stone and return it then it won’t matter what Tobis says” urged Filari to the other elves “I mean the old fool genuinely wants to stop and return when we are so close. We all know that if we return without the stone again the grandmaster will never allow another trip to attempt to recover it, even with the proof we have found this time.”

One of the other figures, a male elf responded “I am with you Filari, we should leave tonight and keep searching.” The third figure nodded before adding his own agreement to the trio’s conversation.

“It is decided then” said Filari “gather your things and the supplies we need.”

A few meters away perched on a jagged rock Sparrot watched and listened carefully.
The sun rose in the mountains and the camp was once more a flurry of activity as the elves awakened and began to pack up their tents and belongings. As Tobis awoke and exited his tent another elf rushed towards him.

“Tobis, I think that Filari, Gilith and Auren are all gone, so are there belongings” he said in a worried tone. A few moments later another outburst confirmed that someone had discovered that the majority of their supplies had also been taken. Shaking his head in disapproval the old elf stalked across the camp to where his apprentice was, his tent still closed – the boy obviously still asleep.

“Dimur! Dimur wake up this instant!” he shouted as he opened the front of the tent.

Suddenly he saw why the boy was not awake, his lifeless body was lying in a pool of blood, his eyes were missing and instead fleshy holes gazed out at him. Resisting the urge to vomit the old elf moved slightly closer before he reached down and picked out a blood soaked black feather and gazed at it in disbelief.
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When the sun rose Duplo woke Ada before she changed form. Just as the sun began to peek it's first rays into the sky Duplo helped Ada carry Kirin into the wagon where she was tucked safely into a sleeping bag and cushioned by many of the wagon's blankets so the jolting would not wake her. As the last blanket was tucked in the first ray of morning came out and struck the forest around them. Duplo turned to face the sun, her porcelain mask reflecting the bright sunlight and she began to glow. It was a mesmerising process, first she grew a light coat of fur, then her limbs shrank. Followed by the face morphing and at last her torso shrank. When finished and the sun god light up the sky in a blaze of gold and a fluffy teddy bear lay slightly leaning to the left in Ada's wagon. Ada sat there wondering what to do, usually she just left toy-Duplo in the back of the wagon, instead she tucked the toy into Kirin's arms. That would annoy Duplo.

That day Duplo dreamt a dream she had for the up tenth time. She sat wrapped in a warm blanket on a patio overlooking a dam surrounded by forest. Before her a bed of coals glowed calmly. Then behind her a screech echoed, and the dream ended.

Ada woke Fritz and helped him shuffle groggily over to the wagon where he settled semi-concious inside the wagon. She retrieved Willow and harnessed him up, he shook out his mane ready for the days work. Fully buckled, Ada checked Willow to make sure all his straps were comfortable. With a sigh she unclipped the breaks of the wagon and closed all the doors. She led Willow out the camp as quietly as possible for a large noisy wagon. On her way out she caught sight of Fimion asleep in his tent, the stubble on his chin made him rather attractive and asleep he looked peaceful. Ada bit her lip against a welling of sudden guilt.

Ada walked alongside Willow towards the road, her mind flicked to Aegar for a while, trying to figure him out. Oh well, move on Ada. You have other things to focus on she reasoned with herself. "Let's just get to Haneul and restock, then off to Eira. No distractions" she smiled lightly to herself and put her hand on Willow's warm neck. What am I to do about Kirin, I hope what she says is true and she does have a relative in Haneul, if not. I can't bring her with me, I'm too dangerous to care for a child like her. But she would prove useful, she could look after Willow. But what if she gets scared or he gets spooked and rns off, no. Rather not.

Back on the main road Ada hopped nimbly into the driver's seat and took out the book she found yesterday from under the seat and began to read to pass the time. In a short while the birds would wake and so would the children, maybe she could make something for breakfast?
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It was mid-afternoon; the sun shone through the forest foliage and clouds hung like ornaments in the sky. A pod of Caelum ceti flew overhead. A couple of youngsters played around the elders, weaving and curling, playing a game of tag. Meanwhile the adults sang songs to each other.

On the land the forest engulfed the soft rhythmic thump-thump-thump hoofbeats of a large horse on the forest floor. The emerald forest and rich brown earth smelt like home. Soft scents of flowers and herbs swirled with the softer furry smell of wildlife like squirrels and deer. Birds chattered and chirruped in the trees and out of the darkness a pair of eyes watched an out of the ordinary bright green wagon bump and bounce past. In the driver's seat sat a gypsy woman with dark curly hair, she chattered on about the story of Ozymandias.

A couple of conversation progressions later and Ada was explaining the works of Magic to Fritz

"You see Fritz the difference between Magic and Alchemy is: you have to be born with magic to perform magic. Philosophers have tried to discover why some are born with magic and other's aren't but there appears to be no pattern. Being born with magic is like being born with a 6th sense, you can detect things the 5 senses can't and you have the ability to change the world around you by use of magic words and if you're powerful enough a mage: by the power of your mind. I once met a mage so powerful he could cast spells in his sleep. Once he caused an inn to flood because in his dream he was fishing. Fritz, come sit here next to me. I don't know what you're doing back there and I don't trust the fact I don't know.
"Thank you, now where was I?"
"Magic and alchemy"
"Ah, yes! No, Yes! No! Oh whatever yes, alchemy. Alchemy is something most people can do, but it's not well-known. Alchemy is magic used by those born with non-magic blood. And what makes it mostly different is the fact that you need energy to cast alchemy. The law of equivalent exchange some have called it. For example: if you were to cast an alchemy spell to pick up a stone and drop it a meter away from you, it would take the same amount of energy to physically pick up the rock and move it. There's a book in the Jairo library of an alchemist who stored energy from himself and others in gems and drew upon that during battle.
"Alchemy also can be cast with runes or spells, runes are more popular than spoken words because rune spells can be reversed or cut short. If you were to cast a rune to make a tree grow and once the tree reached the desired height and you broke a line of the rune, the tree would stop growing. With words, the tree would keep growing until you told it to stop or you gave the specific order of a height to grow to. For example watch this."

Ada looked around until she found a pretty purple and blue sparkly gem in the wagon. PIcking it up she cast the spell "calculi, inveniemus postea , ab hac levitate usque ad quercum sentis , stillabunt in manu mea" "I told this pebble to levitate until we pass that thorn tree on the right" Ada said to Fritz. Obediently the pebble floated into the air and hung above Ada's hand until they passed the tree upon which it dropped into her hand again.
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Laakari

Bromelian was to stay the night. In fact he had already fallen asleep, curled up in the blanket before the hearth like some kind of animal, though Laakari had offered him a bed the pure-blooded elf was not accustomed to such luxuries. He often slept in trees or under bushes, perhaps a pile of leaves. Everything about him was so strange and wild, he was an object of fascination to little Novell, who was crouched nearby watching him with cautious curiosity. Laakari sat silently in his own chair, pondering over the implications of his cousin's arrival. He must have been truly desperate. However, something about his presence didn't add up. He felt as if there were some piece of the puzzle missing, disabling him from seeing the whole picture. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other elf, he was simply baffled by it all. Perhaps he just needed to sleep on it.

The sense of unease failed to leave him though, and sleep fled from him that night. He sat awake until the morning light while Bromelian slept and Novell dozed on the sofa. He watched the fire dwindle down to coals and even until those were extinguished. Wordlessly he rose and departed as the sun was beginning to peek over the crest of the mountain and descended into the basement of the house, unlocking and entering the secret chamber beneath the floor. He closed the door behind himself. "Lumen," he murmured, and several teardrop shaped crystals began to glow, illuminating the small chamber. He went to the shelves and drew out a small circular mirror, its silver edges were inlaid with three opal stones. He placed it face up on the narrow counter, then searched the shelves again for a small vial of silver liquid. Carefully, he uncorked it and tipped the end over the mirror, allowing only a small drop of the concoction to fall. Instead of splatting like a droplet onto the surface of the mirror, it dripped and made tiny ripples of quicksilver roll across the reflective surface.

"Ostende mihi Jabari." Laakari's voice was barely a whisper, yet as the ripples in the mirror stilled, an image appeared on the newly smoothed surface. It was Jabari, an aerial view as if he were a bird flying over it. All the destruction Bromelian had spoken of was confirmed, and so many dead. However, the rioting seemed to have stopped, in fact fae and elf were working together to aid the wounded. Hospital tents had been erected near the town's center. Suddenly the vision changed. From peaceful to chaotic in an instant. It seemed there had been an accident, a wagon had run down the hill and mowed over one of the large tents. He could hear nothing but Laakari imagined the screams of those who had fallen victim to this calamity. Still, it wasn't characteristic of wagons to attack innocent people. "Quaerere." The vision followed the path up a nearby hill where he spotted a figure skipping a little too happily away from the scene. He could not see the face, but judging by the clothes and shape it was a woman. At her heels was a shiny black cat, which paused a moment and seemed to stare directly at Laakari through the lens of the mirror. A shiver ran down the elf's spine. He would never get used to cats' ability to see scryers. "Desino." The image of the city vanished and the only image upon the mirror now was that of his own face. He put it back in its place once more.

Something foul was afoot, he was certain of it now. He couldn't get the glare of the cat out of his head.
Kirin

The gentle sunlight filtering into the wagon woke Kirin from a fitful sleep. She rubbed her eyes groggily, suddenly aware of something soft and fuzzy under her arm. She was a little startled at first, but upon realizing it was only a stuffed toy and not a live animal she calmed a little. It lay nestled in the crook of her elbow, a patched up plush animal with a doll's face. She frowned, because it was rather ugly and she wondered who would ever make such disturbing toys for children. And yet, it seemed to generate its own warmth, and the fur was very soft. She hugged it close to her chest and climbed up toward the driver's seat of the wagon, peering out to see where they were. She caught word they were on their way to Hanuel, and then Eira. At least if Ada didn't take her home she would take her to Hanuel, at least she knew people there.

"Thank you again, for rescuing me," she said to the gypsy woman, and she really meant it. Ada had done so much for her.

"'No distractions'? I say, that sounds like a booooore," Aergar Wald sang from his perch atop the wagon's frame. There was no telling how long he'd been there, for his presence seemed not to add any weight to the wagon, as if he weighed nothing at all. Besides, no one ever bothered to look up even when they've checked all sides. He hung himself upside-down from there, his head dangling between Ada and Fritz's respective noggins. A few elderberries fell out of his hair and bounced off the driver's seat. He offered no excuse for himself, nor any reason for sticking around. It was his forest after all, and so long as they were in it he could very well do whatever he liked. At the moment he was happy to annoy their little party. The frightening facade had completely vanished and he now acted very childish, in spite of his apparently full-grown state.

He calmed down after a bit, and listened to Ada's stories with the rest of them. Kirin thought he was rather odd and probably troublesome, but to her he didn't seem like a truly malicious person. However, she wondered if this was the same imp that her grandfather told her stories of, the one who led travelers astray and caused all sorts of tragedy. But somehow she couldn't picture this jovial sprite being so cruel.

As she began lecturing the boy on alchemy and magic, even demonstrating a simple levitation spell, he burst out laughing. "Ah, what a sorceress! I am trembling at the mistress of the pebbles!" He was about to one-up Ada by casting a spell when their clear afternoon sky was marred by an inky black shape and a shrill whistle. A raven, or what appeared to be a raven by its shape and its beak, fluttered down through the canopy and came to rest on Willow's harness. It eyed those in the wagon, light reflecting off the iridescent blue feathers encircling its neck. After considering each face carefully the bird flapped its wings and fluttered to Ada's knee. Attached to one of its legs was a message. The bird pecked at the straps on its foot, eager to be rid of them.
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"Aegar, I am going to strangle your pretty little neck" Ada responded to Aegar's snarky little comment mocking her magic over pebbles when a raven appeared and hopped onto her knee. Her initial thought was to freeze up and not say anything when sparrot was around, but this bird did not have the same aura as Sparrot. This bird was not as intelligent and looked different. She was no genius of birds but she could tell this bird was not sparrot instantly. "Hello amicus" she cheerfully greeted the bird. Attached to the foot of the bird was a small bit of parchment, she untied the message and offered the bird some water and seeds which it greedily ate straight out the basket. "Nolite facere pulmentum!" Ada commanded. She opened the note behind her shoulder, obstructing it from everyone's view. It read:
Trouble in Jabari is spreading,
fae and elves are no longer
friends. The cause is unknown
but I fear an old enemy. I must
know what you know of the
prophecy. Make haste.
~L.M.

Ada breathed hard out her nose, folded the parchment and stuffed it in her boot. When she looked up she saw Aegar's bushy head peeking over her shoulder. "Oi, keep your nose to yourself" she flicked him on the nose.

Trouble in Jabari, that means... Would Duplo be able to care to Fritz? No, nope let's not go there. Oh dear, wait hang on Fimion! Yes Fimion and Duplo can take care of Fritz, let's get Kirin to her father and get going, we've been too still for too long. With a whistle Ada flicked Willow's reins and the wagon lurched as he suddenly trotted forward with a high step and the tree's passed rather quickly considering the sheer size of the horse pulling the wagon along. Then cursed as she remembered Fimion had not joined them.

A short while passed and a small pod of people dressed in shaggy well worn travel robes hailed them down. "Aegar, keep quiet. Hail travelers! Are you in need of any help!"
Ada peered around the corner of the wagon to talk back to the travelers. A man with a scar on his right cheek and grey hair came to her bench to talk to her. "Hello, I am Benjamin Afflek. My family and I are ok, we just wanted to know if you would be interested in purchasing some of our ware's"
"What do you have?
"What would you like? We have weapons, cheeses, grains for your lovely steed, armour, even poultices for those stray fevers and to make the road a bit more, bearable. I also specialise in entertainments of all sorts"
The mention of hallucinates made Ada doubtful of the trustworthiness of this travelling merchant, but the prospect of a dagger for Fritz was intriguing.
"I'll see your weapons"
Ada nimbly hopped off the wagon and Benjamin brought out his collection, it consisted of four items: a long broadsword, a fae bow, a short sword and a dagger with a blade the length of a hand.
"Fritz, come look here!" Ada held the dagger next to Fritz's hand, it was the exact same length as his hand from nail to wrist. It would make a great weapon of self defense.
"I'll take the dagger! Here Fritz, go swing this around and throw it at a couple of tree's. See if you like it"

Out of the corner of her eye Ada also noticed a small pretty brooch of a butterfly made out of small blue gems
"How much is that?" She asked Benjamin pointing at the brooch
"Since you're getting the dagger I'll sell it at two crowns, with the dagger that will make eleven crowns"
"Eleven crowns! Ada spluttered "I don't have that, I only have nine and I need a bed to sleep along with my group"
"I guess I could bring it down to eight crowns and ten silvers"
"That's nine crowns. I will give you seven crowns and no more. Do you not see I have a young child on board, I need to feed her. You cannot deprive a child of a good meal!" Ada held her hand out to Kirin to show her to Benjamin, and she gave a look to her to say Look innocent!
"Alright, I'll take seven crowns... and that lovely girl."

This left Ada shell-shocked, was this man a slave trader as well? Suddenly she understood.. entertainments. Ada looked around and she noticed that all the travelers with him were children with their hair cut short and things stuffed into their breasts to make them appear older, what on earth was going through this man's sick mind. She quickly thought up a plan.

"If I were to give you the girl how much will you give me? She's strong and charming, she'll be popular."
She watched the man's change, he changed from an alert joker to a relaxed twisted grin. She noticed the beads of sweat forming on his forehead and his heads began to shake. He was obviously excited.
"Bring her out, I might offer two crowns. Maybe more if she's young enough"
Kirin had hidden herself in the wagon. "I'll fetch her" Without turning her back to Benjamin she walked to the wagon and peered inside, she made eye contact with Fritz. His eyes were wide and he looked slightly green "How could you!" he screamed at her, Fimion stood in the back, mounted on his horse. He looked at Ada with understanding eyes, he knew her tricks. Aegar on the other hand was no where to be seen and this worried Ada. She quickly cast a silencing spell and Fritz gawped like a fish out of water.

Kirin was hiding in the back of the wagon, shaking and weeping, clinging tightly onto toy-Duplo. Ada rummaged through a small purple bag she kept inside a small green chest and retrieved seven gold orbs. Kirin screamed at Ada as she got nearer but Ada was too strong and she firmly grabbed Kirin's wrists and whispered in her ear "you'll be okay, trust me." For some reason this made her more upset and Ada had to man handle Kirin to pick her up and drag her kicking and screaming out the wagon.

Hoisting Kirin over her shoulder she let her tumble into a heap before Benjamin. The other children gave Kirin sympathetic looks. Their eyes were deeply sunk and one with black shaggy hair was making an effort to hide their bruises and black eye. Another slightly older one looked pale and tears came to her eyes when she looked at Kirin.
Poor Kirin lay trembling and quietly weeping, her delicate wings now a mess. Ada struggled to keep herself from hurling this mornings's roasted hare all over Benjamin.

Benjamin reached down and wrapped one large, scarred hand around Kirin's tiny wrist and pulled her up. When she tried to pull back he grabbed her jaw and Kirin screamed again. The man ran one large fat finger down Kirin's jaw and along her collarbone, drifting downwards slightly. "You can have the dagger for free" her purred and Ada noticed the bulge in his pants. "Pleasure doing buisness with you Benjamin" Ada held out her hand to shake Benjamin's, reaching back into her belt with the other. Starstruck Benjamin did not take his eyes off Kirin and held out the hand that was not holding Kirin in place. "Yeah" he cleared his throat "pleasure." Ada held firmly onto his hand and did not let go, when Benjamin looked at her for an explanation it was too late and her sword was unsheathed and had sliced straight through his wrist.

Ada grabbed Kirin and pulled her back, now that Benjamin had let go of her. In shock he clumsily tried to reach for his sword but Ada whacked him hard on the leg. Swinging her sword over her head she let the flat end collide with Benjamin's ear and he attempted to cover his head with his one hand-less arm. Swinging her sword again she hit him very hard on the top of the head and Benjamin fell unconscious to floor. Ada did not release her tense battle-stance for a while, surely this man had other's protecting his dirty little secret. Sheathing her sword she turned "Fritz, gather all the children here," and dropped to her knees before Kirin and threw both arms around her.

"Kirin I am sorry. Are you okay? I am so so sorry. I would not let anything happen to you" She pleaded into the young girl's hair.
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Fimion

Fimion awoke suddenly with aquick snort, his eyes flicking fondly around the small tent that he called his home at the moment. A grin covered his face as he yawned and stretched, his mind quickly going back to last night and the time he had spent with Wildflower and her companions, or rather Lady Lovelace as Aergar had referred to her as. He could picture her almost perfectly in his mind, and spent a few moments just remembering her face, hair and her laugh. A short while later he clambered out of the tent, the fresh morning air filling his lungs as he again stretched out. [i] ‘I know’ he thought to himself ‘I shall make my Wildflower some breakfast’. Striding across the clearing he directed a glance towards where her wagon had been parked the last night, suddenly freezing as he saw that it was now missing as his smile faded.

He wasted little time in wandering across the clearing and looking around some more before he realised she was gone, tracks leading away and down the road. He stood for a moment, unsure of what to think before he shrugged and grinned once more to himself – it had taken him this long to find her again (or rather for her to find him), and she wouldn’t be able to escape so easily this time. Jogging back to his tent Fimion quickly began to pack his belongings up, stuffing everything into his saddlebags before he started to pack his tent into a small bundle, whistling the whole time as he did. Once he was finished he made his way towards where the horses were grazing, the centaurs watching him as he approached. With a grin and a wave he shouted his thanks towards them, spotting his own horse Merlyn amongst the others, she looked full and happy, her mane brushed and braided as well. He wasted little time in saddling her up before he mounted and with one last glance towards the camp he spurred her onwards at a light gallop following the tracks left by Wildflower’s wagon.

Fritz

Fritz had slept well, for his first real night in Emanseria that was. He had dreamt of his home, of his parents and of his life before all of this. When he finally did awaken the sun was high in the sky and the rhythmic bouncing back and forth of the wagon served to remind him just where he was – though his mood was much better than the previous night. Kirin was still asleep and not wanting to disturb her Fritz had gone to sit with Ada, watching the scenery pass and asking many questions every time one popped into his head.

When the Caelum ceti flew overhead Fritz had been amazed and fascinated, expressing a huge desire to ride one of them one day, before explaining to Ada that there were no big flying creatures in his world – and even then he wasn’t sure if there’d ever been anything as big as them outside of the oceans. Fritz told her about his world briefly, and that they had no magic or wondrous things – only stories and legends and myths, as well as many machines. When she started to tell him about magic he had been fascinated even more-so and asked many questions about it and its capabilities.

“So I couldn’t learn magic? Wait what happens if you run out of energy, does the spell stop? So I could learn alchemy but not magic? How would I find out if I had magic?” were some of the questions he couldn’t help but blurt out during their conversation, though they certainly weren’t the last.

Kirin awoke and soon had joined them, thanking Ada for all of her help – like him she obviously felt better after a sleep, the troubles of the last night forgotten. It soon then became apparent that Aergar Wald was still with them, as he spoke Fritz eyed him suspiciously, remembering their initial encounter and the somewhat troubling light he had seen the Imp in. He seemed all fun and harmless now, but he hadn’t forgotten the very real feeling of fear that had crept into him as he and Sparrot had tormented him.

As Ada demonstrated her spell he gazed at the pebble in awe as it floated, thoroughly impressed, even gasping slightly as they passed the tree and it fell back to her hand.

“Wow. I need to learn magic… or alchemy that is” he said to himself, wondering about all the amazing things he’d then be able to do. Aergar’s mocking of Ada made him grin despite himself and as she threatened to throttle him he simply grinned at the pair and their antics. Suddenly a raven appeared, landing just before Ada before it hopped into her lap. His initial thoughts were that this was that same angry bird as before, but it wasn’t speaking and it wasn’t glaring at him, so perhaps not. Fritz felt his cheek, the small cut was already mostly healed and only the faintest of marks remained as a reminder of his time with the bird. As Ada read the message that had been fastened to the birds leg he couldn’t help but wonder where Sparrot was, after all he had gotten the impression that he and Aergar knew each other and that the bird might not be far, but as soon as he started to think about it he was brought back to the current situation as Ada and Aergar once again started – this time she flicked his nose as the imp tried to peek at her message. She seemed somewhat concerned by whatever it was about, but after a few moments in thought she simply spurred Willow onwards with a renewed pace.

A short while later they approached a group who hailed them down and Ada greeted them with a wave as she slowed to a stop to see what they needed. At the same moment Fritz noticed Fimion from the night before approaching from behind atop a large white horse, the man grinning like crazy as he shot him a wink before his gaze returned to Ada.

"Hello, I am Benjamin Afflek. My family and I are ok, we just wanted to know if you would be interested in purchasing some of our ware's" said the scarred man as he introduced himself. After a quick enquiry it became clear he and his family were some kind of traveling merchants, and Ada was indeed interested in one thing he had.

"Fritz, come look here!" Ada exclaimed. Hopping down from the wagon he made his way over as his eyes searched through his wares before they settled on the dagger she was holding. She held it against his hand with an approving look before she said "I'll take the dagger! Here Fritz, go swing this around and throw it at a couple of tree's. See if you like it"

Grinning like a boy who had been given his first dagger he exclaimed “Wow, thank you very much!” and he turned before rushing off towards the nearest tree as she had suggested, waving the dagger around and stabbing at imaginary foes as she continued to speak with the merchant.

A few moments later he heard the merchant’s voice raised slightly in excitement as he exclaimed "Bring her out, I might offer two crowns. Maybe more if she's young enough." Turning back Fritz stared at the man, he looked visibly… excited for lack of a better word as he was staring at Kirin. Slowly Fritz gazed at the rest of his ‘family’ before he realised they were all miserable looking young girls, his mind recoiling as he realised what was happening as Ada went to bring Kirin to him, their eyes meeting as he suddenly felt very nauseous.

"How could you!" he screamed, suddenly confused and angry about what was happening. Before he could object further he suddenly felt a most odd feeling come over him, and he felt like he couldn’t make a single sound no matter how hard he tried – all he could do was gape at the situation that was unfolding as he watched Ada with horror.

Dragging Kirin before the man it looked as if they had made an agreeable deal, the man far more interested in Kirin as they went to shake to finalise the transaction. Gazing at the dagger he was now holding Fritz wondered wildly what he should do, but found himself unable to do anything other than feel weak and sick as Ada took the man’s hand. Fritz glanced back at Fimion out of desperation, surely he wouldn’t just let this happen would he? But then again he had seemed infatuated with Ada and would likely do whatever she wanted – but nevertheless Fritz shot him a desperate pleading look. Fimion simply continued to grin before with a nod of his head he gestured for Fritz to watch Ada, and so the boy turned his eyes back towards her.

Suddenly with a flurry of movement Ada had pulled her sword free and sliced through the man’s arm, literally taking his hand before in one swift movement she bashed him several times causing him to topple over unconscious in the grass, drool spilling from his mouth.

"Fritz, gather all the children here," she commanded at him, though he needed little prompting as he rushed forwards feeling slightly embarrassed that he hadn’t trusted her in the first instance.

Fimion dismounted his horse and joined with Fritz in trying to calm the group of young girls, most of which were somewhat panicked and confused. The girl with the dark shaggy hair and bruises moved forwards quickly before she lashed out planting several strong kicks into the unconscious merchant before Fimion gently pulled her backwards.

Fritz resolved at that point to trust whatever decisions Ada was making, and to at the very least never question her in front of anyone else again. After they had calmed the group of girls they stood together in a close knit group and watched Ada to see what she would do, some still looking concerned despite Fritz and Fimion’s words of calming reassurance.

Glancing towards the weapon s that still lay with the merchants other wares Fimion spotted the long broadsword before he moved over before pulling out his own chipped and rusted blade. Picking up the broadsword he weighed both weapons in each hand before with a shrug he dropped his old blade and sheathed the much newer one and commented “Seems a fair trade to me” as he moved over to Ada’s side, his boyish grin returning as he said “Freeing slaves is a hobby of yours I see Wildflower” shooting her a sly wink as he did.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Lord Pie
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Sparrot

Sparrot’s beady little black eyes watched intently as the trio of elves had delved deeper in the mountains, he had watched as they had clambered up what had seemed like miles of steep inclination higher and higher up the mountain that was called Mt Skargarth, its peak so high even he could likely not reach its very top. The trails were tretcherous and required the elves conscentration as they scaled higher and higher. He had shared in their celebrations as they had discovered an ancient ruin carved into the side of the mountain, the female elf, Filari, as he had learnt translated the runes around the entrance and spoke aloud the name of the place – the temple of Sinadrai.

He had been careful to follow them silently into the dark ruins, gliding in the darkness always just out of sight as their torches and natural low-light vision helped them navigate its winding depths. Eventually they had come out into a grand carved cavern that had once served as the audience chamber to a group of elven wizards, allegedly the most powerful the land had ever seen – or so one of the group continued to explain to the others throughout the trip. Continuing past the chamber, deeper into what Sparrot assumed was the core of the mountain they moved through numerous grand hallways, the beauty of their past lost but not forgotten. Finally they reached the chamber that his love had said they would, and as he promised there was a plinth at the centre of the room that was illuminated in a shoft shimmering golden light – a necklace of some kind with a large gemstone fitted into it sat atop the plinth.

Sparrot waited in glee for the next moment, his love had explained that this point would show him if they had found the real gemstone of Ulrick or not.

“Is that it?” asked Gilith, his eyes fixated on the stone.

“I think so” replied Filari, her voice filled with anticipation “Imagine the look on Tobis’s face when we walk back into the academy with the stone!”

The third elf, Auren looked a little less certain as he eyed the plinth suspiciously before he added his own words to the conversation “We must take care, for example where is that light coming from? Why has it laid here for so long undisturbed I wonder?”

Filari laughed and walked forwards as she said “Don’t be a fool, we’ve come all this way and here it is now, the fabled gemstone of Ulrick. Imagine the fame and power, and to think of how the king and queen would reward us for returning it to our kingdom!”

With that she reached out to take the gemstone, but as her hand passed through the golden light she recoiled instantly as her screams filled the chamber and the others rushed forwards out of concern. Filari’s screams soon turned to frenzied laughter as she whirled around to face the other two.

“What is it Filari?” asked Gilith, his face filled with concern.

A shrill laugh was his only response as Filari glanced around before looking at her own hands and body in fascination.

“Filari?” she asked before her wild grin spread even more and she laughed again, shrill and almost violent laughter. Auren was backing away slowly as with a trembling voice he said “I don’t think that’s Filari anymore…”

Suddenly the female elf jumped into the air and remained suspended about two meters above the ground hovering in place and she nodded slowly as her eyes bored into Auren’s, a deep madness showing itself for a brief moment before she pointed a single outstretched finger at him. Just as he was about to turn and flee she uttered a single word “Devoratus”. A t that moment Auren shrieked in terror as his very life force was torn from his body and he was almost instantaneously reduced to a dusty crumbling skeleton. Gilith fell to his knees in despair with his mouth agape as Filari, or whatever was in their now turned to face him.

Descending slowly to the ground she walked towards him with an almost alluring stride, a subtle grin on her face and a glint in her eye before she pulled him aggressively into an embrace. He tried to resist and push himself away but her strength and grip were absolute. Pulling him into a kiss she again spoke a word, this time muffled by his own mouth as she forced her tongue erotically into his mouth and the spell took effect. Moments later she held little more than a husk of a skeleton, kissing it gently on the cheek before she released it causing it to shatter into dust as it hit the ground.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips before she turned and raised an arm and said “Come forth sweet little Raven, I have a message for your master.” Sparrot obediently flew from where he had been perched watching the events unfold with savage enjoyment.

Phrenesis

“Simply divine!” exclaimed Phrenesis as she took another bite from the pastry, the gooey centre oozing out. With her mouth half full she asked “How did you make it taste so good?”

The baker gazed up, his eyes filled with hatred as he continued to work kneading dough and other various substances, barley pausing as he mumbled something about his life’s work and possibly something about it going to waste.

“Did you mean the pastry or your daughter?” Phrenesis retorted with a cruel smile, the man keeping his head down as he avoided meeting her gaze.

“Oh you’re no fun anymore…” she moaned before giving him a drawn out exaggerated sigh “but, you have done everything I have asked. So as promised once this is over I will spare not only your daughter, but also yourself – so just relax.”

The baker looked up, a glimmer a hope still in his eye as he watched the thing that had taken control of his daughter take another large bite of the pastry.

“Of course it may still be some time, but I’m almost done with you” she said casually as he returned to his work. Opening the small pocket-book once more she frowned as she saw that the pages were still blank. Leaning over the book she reached over and grabbed a quill an inkpot from the counter amongst the general clutter before starting to draw in the book. After some considerable time she was happy with her creation she sat back and examined it. It was a scene of a village filled with terrified villagers that were fleeing the destruction of the giant pie-beast monster she had drawn as it reared up behind an expertly drawn Ada and wagon, a perfect drawing of Ada riding behind Willow with her face oblivious and happy. The beasts gaping maw was filled with hundreds of teeth, each razor sharp and gleaming. It was all quiet graphic really. She then wrote a simple question mark beside it before sitting back. Not that she wanted to rush Aergar, after all he had his ways – and he knew how difficult it could be to toy with Ada Lovelace of all people. It was simply impatience that drove her actions as well as an ever burning desire for revenge that rested deep within Phrenesis.

Shrugging she closed the book before yawning and stretching upwards. Suddenly her new feline friend jumped up into her lap, the black cat purring fiercely as it rubbed itself against her in an attempt for attention. “What to name you…” she thought aloud as she scratched at the cat’s ear, stuck for ideas. She looked at the creature, its coat was now a thick midnight black with a subtle sheen, perfect for moving unseen with its new lithe muscles and almost feral appearance. Shrugging again she stood suddenly, the cat springing from her lap at a moment’s notice before she strode over to the doorway, pausing besides a large ledger and examining its contents for a few moments, running her finger down the page as she searched.

Seeing the next delivery to Eira she decided that it would be better to ride on a cargo airship than spend the next however long trudging through the wilderness in an attempt to get closer to Sparrot. He should be done with his task at any moment, and she was ever so curious to know if the old fool Tobis from that ridiculous archaeological guild had gotten any closer to Sinadrai. It was a name that was oh so familiar to her, but it always danced on the edge of her memories. Once before a long time ago when Phrenesis had inhabited some kind of elven lord he had told Sparrot of an artefact of some sorts that was supposedly lost there or so Sparrot had told him. There was nothing Phrenesis could remember from that time, and it had been difficult to get more of an accurate description out of the bird. Despite his many uses, the little one’s habit of speaking always in riddle and rhyme seemed to prevent him from describing anything in great detail. As she walked through the town with the cat at her heels she wondered idly if it would ever be possible to make her feline companion capable of speech. Surely a cat would be able to describe things in vivid detail.

High above the cliff’s of Tariq airships circled and came in to land whilst others took off to whichever destination they were headed. She smiled as she imagined her cakes and pastries being shipped off to various cities, where nobles and merchants as well as any other who could afford such luxuries would be unknowingly ingesting her little secret. He’d be able to control a large portion of the people who mattered throughout Emanseria. Jabari had been her test to see just how easy it would be, and it had shown the exact potential of her plans. She now realised that she would be able to arrange the demise of anyone, influence the lives of millions and impose any decisions across the entire realm. Of course she had promised a Kingdom to Aergar, but that was fine, and now she knew it was definitely possible to keep such a promise. He would make a good king, probably, maybe, hopefully not. Smiling as she imaged what she would be able to do in an entire playground of Emanseria, and of course it made sense to make sure Ada Lovelace was one of those people that was her plaything in this oh so pretty picture.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Raxacoricofallapatorius
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Aergar

As Ada swung the finishing blow to the slave trader's head, few might have noticed the vine that crept across the road and entwined itself about the man's legs like a python traps its prey. He may have blocked that hit had this not distracted him, and as he fell the ground beneath him shifted and several sharp root-ends rose up from the earth. The man's weight was against him and he was impaled. The roots seemed to grow up inside of him and burst from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, engulfing first his head and quickly the rest of his body. The mass of these earthy tendrils sliding one over another looked like some kind of nightmarish snakes' nest. Like a monster of the deep, it crushed the body. Bones snapped, limbs were pulled apart, blood seeped through and was quickly drunk up by the thirsty roots. It all happened within the span of about thirty seconds and before anyone could think to move an inch the body was swallowed up by the ground. The dirt settled, and the road was as it was before but for a bit of disturbed soil roughly the size of a man.

Aergar appeared, standing beside the trader's wagon. Or perhaps he had been there this whole time, but no one had noticed. It was hard to tell with him. As eyes turned toward him he grinned innocently. "Dirty," he gave them all a skeptical look, "What an unfair comparison. A creature like that compared to dirt, which infinitely more useful to the world. But now I suppose there is no difference at all." He shrugged and turned round to loot the wagon. Surprisingly, there were quite a few valuables that blackguard had managed to get his hands on. A lot of it was worthless too, cheap baubles and fake jewels. A pile of rods, staves, and walking sticks was in one corner. Some beautifully carved. One in particular was old and grey, with a long crack running its twisted length, but its pommel was inlaid with a yellow spinel, the gem bore the same deep amber color as the imp's eyes. It attracted his attention so he yanked the old stick out to get a better look.

At his touch the staff seemed to shiver, though he may have just imagined it. However, when he touched the spinel the staff suddenly came to life. Not in a really visible way, but Aergar being attuned to things such as trees and other flora could feel a life force inside this walking stick. Gradually, almost unnoticeably, the aged, ash-colored wood took on a kind of sheen, and the crack that marred it slowly closed leavening smoothly polished wood. "How curious," he muttered to himself, turning it over in his hands, "I think I'll keep you." With the staff in hand he crawled out of the smelly cart, seeming to notice the children for the first time, Fritz among them. Ada was trying unsuccessfully to comfort the poor little fae girl.
Kirin was barely intelligible, still so shocked and traumatized the young girl could do little more than cry. Tears streaked her face and her nose ran terribly. She trembled in Ada's arms, not sure what she should do. Run away? Accept the embrace? She was so confused she couldn't decide at the moment, and did nothing. When she regained some of her sense and looked around she found that her perpetrator had vanished. She heard Aergar's voice but didn't understand his words, though his tone suggested to her that he had something to do with the man named Benjamin's sudden disappearance.

She peeked around Ada's shoulder and saw him climbing out of the trader's wagon with a staff he hadn't had before. He stood in the road then, looking at them all and leaning on his newest possession. He seemed taller, somehow. A ray of sunlight pierced the canopy and fell on his face, reflecting off his golden horns and fair skin. He was so strange, even for a fae.

"You again?" Aergar cocked his head at Fimion, who had joined them. His attention turned to the recently freed slaves, just children, "And then what of these," he swept his hand to encompass the half-a-dozen ragamuffins who were huddled together, eyeing their rescuers with wary eyes. Planting the end of the staff firmly on the ground he used it to vault over to them, and then knelt to look the smallest one in the eye. The little girl was trembling even more than Kirin, but her lips were pursed and she was trying very hard not to cry. He frowned. There was something odd about them but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. They were all bound together at the wrists by one long rope.

"Fritz," he scolded, reaching to untie one of the knots, "You've got that shiny new knife, don't you know how to--" his words were cut short but an exclamation of surprise. Perhaps the first time he had genuinely been caught off-guard in some time. As soon as the tip on his finger touched the rope he felt a surge of energy being drained from him. He gripped the staff tightly to keep from collapsing but this did nothing to lessen the effect. The quivering child in front of him seemed to… change. He thought he was hallucinating, but her eyes were getting bigger and bigger, moving toward the side of her head. No, it was her nose that was growing, pushing out, and sprouting… whiskers? She was shrinking, changing color. No, that was fur spreading across her body, covering her from head to toe, and lastly a bushy tail appeared as she shrank out her her ragged clothes. Perched in front of him was a small brown squirrel, still trembling, and staring wide-eyed up at him before turning and darting off into the forest. But it wasn't just her, the others were also changing, morphing into some other form. It was impossible, but the imp couldn't help but stare in awe and horror. Awe because he had only ever heard a few stories of magicians changing humans into animals, and horror because of the energy that was being sapped from him as it happened.

The next girl, a little ginger child, had become a young fox with silky red fur. Another bore the black and white stripes of a skunk, and the next became a hare. Lastly the tallest girl, the one with the badly bruised face who'd had the courage to attack her cruel master. She fell forward onto her arms, which became slender, delicate legs. Within moments she was a yearling fawn, staring at them with big brown eyes. Unlike the others who had quickly fled and disappeared, she lingered, finally making eye-contact with Ada and bowing her graceful head before turning round and bounding off in the direction her sisters had gone. Everyone was left dumbfounded, especially Aergar who no longer had the strength even to kneel and toppled forward onto he ground. The staff fell from his hand and rolled a few inches away, regaining its original aged appearance, complete with the crack running its length.

Aergar looked to be in pretty poor shape, his fair complexion even paler than usual, and dark circles had formed under his eyes. He looked at least twenty years older, in human terms. Feebly he scratched at the earth with his long nails, tapping into a knotty tree root just below the surface. Slowly, gradually, the color returned to his face, the life to his eyes, and his youthful appearance was restored as the forest lent him the energy he needed to recover. However, a number of trees nearby wilted from the drain, and he whispered an apology under his breath.

Shakily he got to his feet again, stubbed, and picked up the staff again, gingerly, as if it were a venomous snake. As before, it hummed to life and its appearance changed to look new as when he had first touched the gem. He stared at the others, especially Ada, genuine confusion on his face. He took a step forward, stumbled, caught himself. He had the strongest urge to throw the staff away, but another part of him wouldn't let go. He examined it again, searching for an explanation. There were no runes or other inscriptions. It was carved of wood, but he could not identify from which tree it might have come from. The gem seemed to have been the source of its strange qualities, but it looked just like any ordinary cut stone, nothing especially remarkable. It seemed Aergar's entire countenance had changed, he'd grown very solemn. In fact, he was filled with a deep sadness all of a sudden. Old memories were stirring up in his mind and they disturbed him. In fact after just a few moments he could no longer bear it and tossed the staff in Ada's direction. Again, it became a lifeless old stick with a crack, and when she picked it up it remained that way, even when she touched the stone.

The second it left his grasp it was as if a great weight had been lifted from Aergar's shoulders. He shrugged again, indicating the knotted rope on the ground surrounded by piles of rags where the little girls had once stood. "That wasn't me," he said, shaking his head. He waved his hand at the staff. "Keep that, I don't want it." It was a lie, for even though he felt lighter now, every fiber of his being wanted to pick it up again, see what else it could do, though it had nearly killed him the first time around. And why shouldn't he? It wasn't reacting to Ada in any way, only him. But he was still so troubled and confused he was loathe to touch it again. Shaking his head he sprinted off the road and leapt into the trees, vanishing once again.
Kirin looked questioningly from Ada, to Fritz, to Fimion, and back to Ada again. "What happened to him, to them?" she wondered, still quite shaken up. She stood away from Ada and picked up the funny doll, Duplo, from the ground where it had fallen. She then ran to Fritz and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly and hugging the doll close to her. So far he was the only one who hadn't done anything to frighten her. Fimion didn't really count, since she didn't really know him. "Fritz," she whimpered, lip trembling, "I'm scared. I want to go home."
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Ada let go of Kirin who was trembling violently and ran off towards Fritz and clung to his hand. Guilt welled up and clogged her throat as she removed the silencing spell from Fritz and he sighed in relief.
Fimion had appeared some point in the commotion and made a remark about freeing slaves. Ada was still to greif-struck at what she had done to comment and so just gave Fimion a small smile, at the time she was too angry to think about it. Now she realised she could have scarred a young girl for life. Turning around she noticed Aegar staring into the eyes of one of the girls who had .. A tail? Hypnotised she watched the girl shrink, so did the others. All of them transformed into many different forest critters, and then scampered off, the last to go was a slender deer who elegantly bowed her head before leaving on needle-thin legs. Aegar on the other hand was not in good shape, he was as pale as death, his body sagged and crumpled, and his limbs were thin. For a second - Ada suspected - she got a glimpse of his true age. He lay weakly in a pile and Ada noticed life returned to him where he made contact with the Earth, while a few trees surrounding them died and slumped over. Then he got up and left, bounding back into the forest. Part of her wanted to go after him and stop him but a voice whispered let him go, he did a good thing. More then we could expect from him.

With a grateful nod, Ada bid Aegar goodbye until the next time they meet again. She looted the wagon and crates lying around to restock her own and made mild chatter with Fimion. Fritz and Kirin watched on from the backround and Ada longed for Aegar's joyfulness. With permission from Fimion, she harnessed up his horse and bound her to the wagon next to Williow who playfully nipped the white mare's ear. Happy to have mature company she loaded everyone into the wagon and gave Kirin a small toy as another peace offering.

During the enocounter Aegar had thrown a walking stick in Ada's direction that glowed in his hand then looked old and broken when on the ground or in anyone else's hand. Dismissing it she tossed into the back of the wagon with another pile of junk and set off. If they were lucky, they'd find shelter before sundown and with another steed to lighten the load they set off at a relaxing canter.
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Clouds had washed in, turning the blue sky various shades of pink, orange and red as the sun set. Ada was still guilty for the encounter that morning and apologised to Kirin often. Fritz had loosed up and chatted with Fimion who bubbled and chattered where Ada did not.
Thanks to the help from Fimion's steed the party made it to Haneul much faster then Ada expected at their previous pace. Still on the outskirts Ada pulled the horse's into the courtyard of an inn and sent Fimion in to check if there was a room or two for four. There was a room with 3 beds, and they were given one stall in the stables as the wagon would take up the other. Which was ok, as Willow seemed to take a liking to Fimion's mare Meryl and with a little bit of negotioation with the stable boy, they managed to fit the two steeds into one large stall next to the blue wagon.

The inn was named "The coach house" and had an open courtyard paved with cobble stones and white walls with large oak pillars supporting the roofs of the various buildings. Inside the inn smelt like wool, ale, sweat and wood oil. Upon opening the door into the dining room, the party was met by a wall of noise and smoke. The clatter of cutlery on plates, rowdy men shouting to each other, the stamp of feet and scraping of chairs accompanied with the smell of smoke wafting from the many pipes and finding no escape in the bordered up hall, stunned Ada and they retreated into the quietest corner they could find, next to a window which Ada immediatly threw open.

The supper was delicious, a hot plate of mashed potatoes, beef, gravy, carrots and peas left them feeling full (especially Ada) after small meals on the road. As the sun set Duplo appeared next to Ada after fighting her way through a party of men intent on groping her. Ada quietly sent Duplo into Haneul to find Kirin's relatives and any other information that would be relavant to the letter from Eira.
The grouped dined in comfort and trudged to their room, eager to sink into a bed.
The beds as promised were broad with soft downy duvets. There was a smll wahing chamber with a deep tub with cold and hot taps and a basin for shaving and face washing. As well as a jar of poultice for bad breath, Ada smelt mint and jasmine among the smells drifting out the jar. She let the others bathe before herself, watching them from her bed where she sat with a thick novel from the wagon. The inn stocked in nightgowns and Fimion laughed at seeing Ada emerge with a long pink coat and a perplexed expression.

Fritz and Kirin were the first to fall asleep, Kirin curled up next to Fritz on the same broad bed. Ada and Fimion took the double bunk, Ada on the bottom and for a reason. She had a long soak in the tub, scrubbing month's worth of grub off her skin and untangling her long black hair. She slept lightly that night and the moment first light rose, Duplo appeared and shook her awake, telling her about everything that had happened in Jabari, and where she thinks Kirin's father might be. Duplo soon transformed into her toy-self and gently Ada placed her on the bed next to sleeping Fritz and Kirin. She shook Fimion and awake and told him "I'm taking Kirin back to her father, you and Fritz amuse yourselfs, if you can, teach him what you know about magic and practise the pebble spell. But do it away from here. There is a quiet river nearby, go fishing there and take the wagon with you. Fritz knows where the alchemy scrolls are. If I'm not back by sun-down, leave. Go back to the clearing where we met yesterday. Wait for word from me there. "

Ada woke Kirin and told her to get dressed, she was going back to her father. Downstarirs in the stables, Willow and Meryl were resting with their heads together, and Ada could feel Willow's displeasure at being seperated from his new girl-friend. Neverthe less he got extited when Ada brought out the saddle instead of the carriage poles and he began to paw at the ground. She fished out the butterfly brooch she got for Kirin and waited in the courtyard, she appeared hestitant and sleepy and closed the door politely behind her. Ada swpt her up infront of her in the saddle and with arms holding Willow's reins on wither side of the young girl they set off towards Haneul.
Just as they left Ada suddenly thought, does Fimion know how to read? she knew Fritz could read his own strange runes, but could Fimion. She gulped, nervous at suddenly leaving them alone with her wagon. Her now oh-so-dangerous wagon.
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Hooves clapped against clay tiles in a large open courtyard. In the center stood a bronze statue of a centuar blowing a horn. Out the horn trailed a stream of water, splashing into the pond below. On the walls glinted intricate, metalic spirals; making the house seem like something out a dream. Two blood hounds barked out a kennel to the left. That was strange: two own kennels when one resided in the city. Ada gently lowered Kirin down then roughly dismounted herself. She told Kirin to wait behind Willow as she banged the large iron door handle against the carved minotaur. The door was a deep cherry oak, the purple wood stood out against the red-orange clay tiles of the court.
The door slided open on oiled hinges and a butler with pointy ears peeked out, "yes" she impatiently snapped. "I am here with information on the where abouts of this man's daughter." Ada stated matter of fact.

The butler disappeared and reapperared with a man dressed in a long silk robe. He had deep bags and his eyes were sunken in. "My name is Sven" he held out his arm in the traditional fae greeting of the nobles: arm out with wrist bared and the back of their fist across the heart. The gesture symbolised friendship and trust. "Ada Lovelace, are you the lord of the manor?" She returned the gesture in kind.
"No, I am the lord's brother. He is out searching for his lost family. I hear you posses information"
"Yes. Yes I do" Ada turned to summon forth Kirin and the man's face light up as she came into view.

Two hours later Ada trotted off with the satisfying clink of coins in her pocket. The man gave her a generous 20 crowns for the safe return of his daughter. He also gave her a bronze ring with a brown gem in the symbol of their clan. This would indicate she is a friend of their clan and would open the doors of Kirin's family to her whenever in need. Sven invited her in and sat her down in the parlour as she retold everything that happened since finding Kirin, conviently leaving out the almost-slave selling of her and anything else not related to Kirin.
Before she left Kirin was ordered to curtsey Ada off, she had been bathed and was dressed in a pretty blue dress with white ribbons. Her wings had been repaired and they glittered in a mesmerising way.

She decided to stop by a local pub to gain some news on the civil protests, since it was mid-morning the pub was empty save a few elders trying to drink away their age. The name of the pub was "The Fallen Tree" and Ada was familiar with the owner, as she was reminded upon entering and sitting down for a chat with the bartender over an ale.
His deep voice and crinkled eyes glittered as he beamed "Ada Lovelace, where have you been all this time you bloody gypsy!" She looked at him, over the brim of her mug, white froth clinging to the top of her lip. Making contact with the man's small blue eyes, eyes the colour of gems, something clicked in her mind and she grinned right back at him "Palantine my old friend! Good to see you!"
"My dear how did you escape those pirates! Last I heard you were on the outskirts of Tariq all shackled up and in the hands of Blackbeard"
"Well Palantine, how did you come to own this lovely joint, one thing led to another and my dear friends came in my hour of need"
She wiped the froth from her lips and pushed the man on, his long chestnut beard bristled as he spoke "what have you recently heard though, that's what I want to know"
"Oh I know why you're here. Oh well, every good thing comes at a price.
There was a fae girl gone missing recently. A group of bandits ambushed their wagon, killing everyone but the girl who has not been found"
"Bandits, why on Earth are their bandits, the fae king abolished all poverty years ago.
"Who knows. I've heard there is some anti-elf protests among the fae"
"I heard about the Jabari protests. I'm not surprised, Jabari had always caused trouble"
"That is has" the pair remembered the attempted assisnation of the fae king almost a century ago when the new prince was in the process of becoming king.

"But I don't involve myself in politics, only causes trouble it does. What I have been hearing of is.. Disturbances in the surrounding farms
"Disturbances, how so?
" Oh gruesome sights. Cows butchered and debowled, homes burnt to the ground, a couple was found decapitates with a knife wound from neck to pelvis"
Ada put down her ale, her stomach knotted and she lost her apitite.
"Has a culprit been found?
"No that's the thing, there are no tracks. Only a few gashes in the earth of a huge creature. The neighbors of the most recent farm say they heard roaring late in the night, and the next mourning found 6 sheep stolen.

Ada returned to the inn, deep in thought
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