Ssarak graciously accepted the mug from Darius, though he was not quite enthused enough about their "success" that day to believe they deserved a celebration. But a drink to numb his worries for the moment? He could accept that. Lyn was still with him, though she and her toy now had their own chair instead of sitting in his lap. He had not yet had an opportunity to get out of his armor, but he supposed it would be safer to remain armored anyway, even in a settlement.

After taking a drink of the mead, Ssarak gave a slight chuckle. "I do not think I am quite ready for a celebration yet. I prefer to hold that off until the task is complete. Once we are back at the college, alive and unharmed, then I can be happy. Still, I do not mind a drink, as long as I do not overdo it. Although, as you might imagine, it does take quite a lot for me to become intoxicated, at least with drinks from Human lands."

Looking up from his drink to pay closer attention to Darius, some questions formed in his mind, now that he had the opportunity to ask them. He knew a fair amount about Meirin and Alaira, but Darius was still mostly a mystery to him. Honestly, he did not seem like an individual that he wanted to get to know, but for the sake of their mission, he would rather know the people with which he was stepping into danger. "Anyway, since we finally have a free moment, I have a question for you. A few, actually. I know Meirin and Alaira fairly well, who they are, their capabilities, and so on, but we are still mostly strangers. I know you are a swordsman, and by the way you fight, a trained one, but nothing beyond that. Perhaps we could learn a bit more about one another?" He suggested.

Althalus

There's a reason Althalus doesn't like killing mages. The fact that they were being attacked by an undead horde was a very good example of this reason. Mages never go down clean. They always do something to cause a bloody mess that takes hours to get out of. But it was too late to change anything now. Thanks primarily to Grey, Althalus helping out when wasn't dealing with those undead that attacked the guard, the door was busted open. That was one problem solved, the guide already dragging poor Coco into the house as fast as possible. Mar was in trouble. Well, not in trouble right now, but anyone with half a brain could see that eventually the undead would get past her and surround her. And that wasn't even considering the fact that she might freeze up again. "I hate working in groups." Althalus muttered, glancing between the open door and Mar. He knew the smart thing to do would be to run up the stairs and shoot the little bastard. That would kill all the undead and just generally solve their problem. But by then Mar could be overwhelmed and killed while everyone was retreating and he wasn't about to fail her like that again. Not for a third time. Grey solved the problem for him, by running in and shouting about how he was going to kill the kid. So what if he was glowing the same purple as the guy trying to kill them and his brother all those years ago? Right now, Althalus was just thankful for the help. "Fine by me." Althalus said, drawing two daggers. A few short steps took him to where Mar and Leith were. "Leith, make a run for it. Mar and I will hold them off as long as we can." The only thing he had going for him over Leith was that he knew Mar's body language like the back of his hand. But when fighting with a Naga, that was the single most important thing you could have.

Inside the House

The area you first walk into was relatively okay. It had once been a family sitting room, as evidenced by the remains of a dining table and a fireplace. A few bloodstains on the floor and walls, leading to the stairs. There was plenty of large chunks of more broken furniture and who knew what else that someone could use to at least slow the undead down long enough for Grey to kill the Necromancer. There was just a trace of the smell of cooked and rotting meat in the air. Not that anyone fighting for their lives against the undead horde would notice.

When Grey reached the top of the stairs, things went from okay to hellish. The stairway opened up into a hall, and the reek of rotting meat almost overpowered the smell of cooked flesh. There was the remains of three bodies, all severed and mutilated and burned,in varying stages of decay. Gore was scattered up and down the hallway, like a madman had played in it and used it to create simple pictures. Of the three rooms in the hall, only one door was closed. A purple light could be seen streaming from under the crack and unintelligible screaming could be heard from behind it. Obviously, that's where the kid was hiding.

Cynn Ellime
"Oh..." Cynn said, defeated. She'd hoped this person had been here at least a month; then they might have been able to told her what she had missed. But Pitch was just a new student who probably couldn't even tell her where the nearest restroom was if she asked. Funny, she thought, I thought that the college wasn't accepting new students right now.

She would have shrugged it off, but then the man spat out a, "What the hell're you doing," making the young elf jolt. As her white hair flopped back onto her shoulders, she wondered what had provoked him to be so sharp with his tone. She noticed now that she had been touching her scar again, and she jerked her hand away, moving it under the table and under her leg, hoping it would prevent anymore touching. Had that really been that distracting though; so distracting that it warranted that harsh response from Pitch? Cynn began to feel uneasy sitting across from him.

Mar & Althalus: Fallen and Rtron

Mar's head jerked, briefly, to spot Grey's body shove through the door. In a few moments his bulk was gone, rushing inside with a shout about killing the child and made her stomach tense slightly. Her jawline tightened to shove the strange emotion away. It still confused her to why she felt pity, sorrow and more toward the boy yet her maternal instincts seemed to answer. She had been a mother for only a few months. Those emotions faded in a span of sixty years with Naga and she hadn't had chance to experience them before. That made it much harder not to feel the potent cocktail stirring in her soul.

She held back her tail when she spotted the motion start in Leith, her eyes forced not to look at him while eyeing the rest of the shambling corpses. Her tail sweep wasn't wide enough to get them all. Several, the girl included, had already rose again from the pale human's attack. Forunately the young child was at the back of the pack.

Sadly Mar couldn't be sure for how long. Or if she could face the child so soon, her torso still held the red line where she had been stuck in her distraction the first time. Already the moment the door's crash was heard, Leith started his way toward the door and shouted for her to follow. However it didn't stop the rising dead from pursuing them. In the time it would've taken them to retreat, they would be on the students, readily tearing them to pieces. Her mind tried to consider the best course of action until Althalus's voice called out.

"Leith, make a run for it. Mar and I will hold them off as long as we can."

It only had taken two steps and he was beside her, a part of her twitched to lash at him. As emotionally hurt Mar was, she wasn't stupid and crushes the impulse on the spot. Still she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her scyth's grip was tighten, once more pulled back to swipe forward. An undead, a woman, with an axe in hand was sliced across the chest with enough force she was sent backwards into three others. Like linned up objects, they tumbled to the ground but instead of staying down, they continued to rise.

Her eyes merely stared ahead, her tone venomously while she replied to Althalus's comment."Retreat with the albino, male. I don't need your help."


"You don't need my help. Right.You just froze up when that little girl was charging you because you wanted to give them a fair chance! It all makes sense now! I'll just skip myself over to the safety of the house, since you obviously have it under control and aren't going to be overrun and killed without someone to watch your back!" Acidic sarcasm dripped from every word as he threw a knife at one of the leaders in the group charging them. A rather large man, missing about half his face alll the way down to bone, who looked like he could use the pitchfork in his hands to lethal effect. The blade hit his knee, causing him to start falling. Before he could hit the ground, however, Mar's tail lashed out and hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards, knocking over those behind him. "See? We work so well together that leaving you alone would just be a waste of good delaying tactics." Althalus commented, ducking as Mar's scythe arced over his head to cut down another undead villager. As he straightened back up, another blade was in his hand, replacing the one thrown.

"Shall we start edging backwards now?"

Althalus suggested, smashing his foot down on the fingers of the top half of the villager that was cut in half. Couldn't have him cutting them from the ground, could they? He couldn't bite them either, given that his jaw was missing.

Mar's hands jerked her scyth down as it slammed into the undead's head nearest her, flicking it away with a jerk of her weapon. She didn't comment to the human's jab at her lacking tactics. It was impossible to argue with straight forward facts and ones she had difficulty in trying to find an upper hand in. Namely that didn't waste her breath with explanation. "You only know my body language cause you've provoked me enough with your arrogance and ignorance. Though I question my wisdom in agreeing to your role in my daughter's life now."

Her scyth swipped again sending another wave of stagnant blood to spill over onto the ground. A soft thunk by her tail had pinned an arm which had been drawing nearer just a few inches from reaching her. She immediately jerked backwards when Althalus lounged forward and slashed an undead's throat at her side. Mar merely huffed quietly in her anger and twitched, her tail shifting back with each lash until they were only a few feet from the door.

"Keep wasting your knives by throwing them then you'll help no one." Mar spat when her tail threw up the pinned hand into her coils. Slowly on hand released its grip on the weapon to jerk his dagger from the rotten flesh, the tail tightened and began to crush the hand's bones slowly to hinder anymore movement. It was hard for something to move without any interior structure after all. Her hand tossed the dagger at Althalus's feet shortly after.

"Yes, that's it! Not the fact that we've been living together for about several months now, no. Just the arrogance and ignorance part." Althalus responded, still practically choking on the sarcasm, as he blocked the undead's(whose throat he had just slashed) knife with another knife his own. A quick shove forward and twist with the knife in the villagers throat ensured that the rotting head came right off. Althalus shoved the now flailing body into the group in front of them, kicking the head after. He followed Mar backwards not even flinching as her scythe whipped by him, close enough to rustle his hair, to tear through another undead that had gotten too close. "As for the wisdom, what can I say? I'm handsome, loyal, I have a sense of humor, and I'm useful in a fight. Your wisdom had no chance." He winked at her.

He shrugged when she spat at him for the knives, sheathing the recently drawn blade. "I know how many I have left. I'm not going to be leaving myself defenseless." He replied, ducking quickly to pick up his knife while Mar's tail whipped overhead to crash into the skull of another undead. "Thankfully they're rotting apart. Otherwise we'd have been killed by now." Althalus commented, jumping up the brief moment Mar needed to sweep the legs out of the pitchfork villager again. As he landed, Althalus grabbed the fallen pitchfork and stabbed it into the villager, pinning him there. "Okay, you go into the house first, and then I'll follow."

Mar's head twisted around and noted one slight problem: The door was made for humans, not Naga. If she went in, there was no way she could whip around her tail and defend Althalus. In addition to that fact, she knew he was going to stand around and fight with her over who retreated first. There was only one option.

Her body purposely twisted in a motion that could've resulted in two things. Either her lashing out with her tail again, or jerking Althalus through the door. He was closer as he had to keep out of her sweeping tail's path which made it rather easy. Her right hand jerked around his collar and with her other hand, she jerked up his trousers then tossed him through the door. She knew he would be back on his feet in moments, which didn't give her much time to get inside. As predicted, he was already trying to get back out while she was about to slither in. Instinctively Mar pulled up the but of the handle then whacked Althalus into the ribs sending him back enough for her to jerk her tail for one final whip then head in quickly, her torso slammed the door shut shortly after.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She turned on him, her body rose completely to her nine foot height unaware Althalus had been knocked on his ass. Her eyes flared in complete fury at his stupidity.

Meirin turned her head to see Darius leave them. Fine with her. Let them have a little girl talk. Meirin wondered if she should lower her guard, and than wondered why she was being so defensive. Perhaps it was, just as Alaira said, because she thought Alaira was just a brute. Empirical evidence from before certainly would validate Meirin's thinking. But letting out a sigh, she decided that Alaira didn't need someone pointing out her flaws right now. Meirin did mention she wanted to know more about her, so she was going to have to put her words into action. She walked closer to Alaira with her guard somewhat lowered; Meirin was still expecting to get hit, but for Alaira's sake, Meirin would be willing to take a bit of a beating. "I'll admit you're far from perfect. But Lyn like you. Her parents like you. I'm almost certain that most of the teachers like you. And while I am angry, I like you too Alaira. You're heroic, and no matter what other people say, that's a good thing. You have a good heart, which worth something in these dark times. Sure you're hardheaded, but it's like you said, if it was up to me or Ssarak we could over think things, lose precious time trying to figure out what to do rather than do what we need to do. You get things done." Meirin soon approached Alaira within arms reach. Despite her previous words, Meirin put on a friendly smile. She also handed Alaira a handkerchief; as red as Meirin's hair.

"You're better that you think you are Alaira. When you put your mind to something you go all out and don't half-ass things. There's nothing that scares you off, and you don't hesitate or let what-if's or should-have's bother you. I like that about you Alaira, and the only reason I never really talked to you before was because sometimes I don't know if I can keep up with you! But that's my fault for letting my insecurities get the better of me." Meirin took a moment to think about what to say next. She wanted to say something that would help cheer Alaira up, maybe get her to calm down and get them off this roof. She thought about something that her masters back the monastery might say.

"In the grim darkness of the far future there is more than war. There are real people there too. One of my masters told me that. Never really understood it at first, and even now I have to think about it. But given the context, I suppose it could be taken tragically. At least when things are completely dark, things getting worse don't really matter. But when there are real people on the line, well. it just gets that much harder, doesn't it? But than I also got to thinking.... People aren't so bad. They're strong. They're people who do the right thing, perhaps not at first, but they do the right thing in the end. Now I think of that message a bit more encouraging. If people were as bad as they think they were, we wouldn't be around for long, you know?"

Sitting down next to Alaira Meirin patted the spot next to her. She wanted Alaira to sit with her. "So, what do you think about it?"

Darius leaned back in his chair as he listened to Ssarak, drinking from his mug as he did so. When he was asked about himself he smiled. There were two types soldiers in his opinion. Those that didn't care to know about their comrades, and the ones who did, and it seemed like Ssarak was the latter. Most of the time, Darius couldn't care less about the people he was working with. Sure, he'd help them if they needed it on the battlefield. He just didn't want to know every detail of their life.

"We can do that." Darius spread his arms out. "Ask your questions and I will answer them, or not. It depends." He leaned forward. "Question for question, then? Since you brought it up, you can ask first."

---

Leith Calder

Leith glanced between the undead and the house as he got ready for Mar's answer. He didn't get one, however, because Althalus answered it for her by running up to them and offering to take his place. The shrieking didn't catch Leith off guard this time, so the only indication that it happened was a small wince. He nodded and hurried towards the house.

Once inside, Leith scanned the room for anything that could be used to barricade the door, grabbing any he found and dragging them to next to the door. Looking outside, he saw that Mar and Althalus were slowly fighting their way to the house. Once they were both inside, he winced at the way Althalus entered, he pushed a sturdy-looking bookshelf followed by a stack of assorted furniture in front of the door. He turned around and saw Mar raised up and looking down at Althalus.

"Hey!" Leith shouted at them. "Not the time. We should probably go help Grey. He's up against what seems to be a master-level Necromancer. I'm still not sure how that's possible, he's just a kid..." He frowned as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other "Is it absolutely necessary for the kid to die to stop them?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the door. "Wouldn't being unconscious do the trick?"

Ssarak Dyreackthanose and Darius

---

Ssarak nodded, taking another drink. "Very well, let us begin simply. Where are you from, and where did you learn to fight? I recall seeing your swordsmanship during the attack a few months ago. Granted, it was not quite possible to observe the particulars of your style, given the circumstance, but you certainly held your own."
"I am from Yarosmere. To be more specific, Portti. I owe my skills to the army. I had joined when I was old enough to do so, and worked my way up in the ranks. I was assigned to guard the representatives of Yarosmere, but in was overcome with, what was it called..." He trailed of as he tried to remeber the term, snapping his fingers when he did. "Blood Sickness! I passed out, and when I woke up. The representatives were gone, along with everything they brought with them." Darius clenched his hand into a fist. There were a few small snaps in the air around him before he shook his head and looked at Ssarak. "I will ask you the same question."

It made sense that Darius had been in a military. It was a common source of combat knowledge, though there were other ways of attaining it. In all honesty, Ssarak still did not know what blood Darius actually had. It would be good for his next question, but first, he needed to answer Darius'. "Well, I was hatched in the Scorched Lands, so I am not uncommon in that respect. I was of clan Dyre, the son of one of its warriors. As such, I was raised to be one of its warriors as well, from before my first memories. In that, I was successful, and served them in war against our rival clan for many years before I left. I was a part of many battles with clan Xhoth, and the Scorched Lands themselves can be a foe of their own, so I do not lack experience. My role within our forces placed me on the front lines, hence my preference for heavy armor. I prefer large weapons, though as I am sure you know, warfare requires diverse training. I can also use polearms, blades, shields, and so on. What is it that you are skilled in? As you know, I am a psychomancer, but I do not know your blood."

Darius could not remember the name for his blood, so he decided to just explain it. "I can use the air to my advantage, but I can only control one part of it. I can make myself stronger than I usually am. The other parts I can control by using my anger to do it. I never found out about it until after I over-exerted myself during the attack." He leaned back in his chair as he tried to think of one more question. A question from earlier in the day popped into his head. He nodded towards the subject of the question. "Who is the child?"

"Her name is Lyn." Ssarak said, with a quick pause for another drink. "I do not know if you have met her, but do you know of Mar? She is a Naga, and Lyn is her child. Her's and Althalus', a Human man. As for why she is here..." He began, glancing at Lyn as he debated on how much he needed to reveal in order to avoid upsetting Lyn. "I cannot say I entirely know why. She is quite good at hiding, however, so I hope that is an advantage that will play in her favor on the road ahead. I do not like that we have to bring her into danger, but I fear we have little choice in the matter. I do not believe we can safely return her at this point."

With his answer out of the way, Ssarak moved on to his next question. "So, during your time with the army, or afterwards, how many battles have you been in?"
Darius was surprised to hear that Lyn was the child of a Naga and a human. He would not have thought that possible, but the child was proof. He thought about Ssarak's question. There had been a lot, and he had the scars to prove it. But he did not know the count. "Twelve years worth. I do not have a count of them, but they were many. Quite a few were against small groups of Naga that caused trouble." He shuddered at the memories, then looked up at Ssarak. "If you ever get into a fight with a Naga..." He tapped the side of his head. "It won't come back after that."

"I will be sure to keep it in mind, though Naga are not terribly common here. Still, I will be cautious of wounding strikes if the need arises. I suppose that is a good policy for any being with which you are unfamiliar." Ssarak commented. He had only asked a few questions, but he had worked out all of the useful information he had been seeking. Darius was a novice Aeromancer with significant military training. Ssarak still had the impression from previous meetings that he was an unsavory individual, so perhaps, he reasoned, his next course of action should be to determine how accurate that impression was. "I just have one more question..." He began as he finished off his mug. "Would you like another drink?"

Grey Onyx

As Grey thundered up the stairs, he was beginning to have doubts about his plan. Surely there was a better way? Demons could be awfully convincing, and perhaps the kid just... snapped. However, once he neared the top of the stairs, there was this stench of... death and insanity that washed over him, and when he reached the top, it was like he entered some kind of hell. Rotting corpse, charred corpses, blood, entrails, the whole nine yards. And he'd seen death but... the sheer savagery of this was... Sickening. No, there was no saving this kid. He blinked back memories of that village, the massacre that would have been prevented if he had just slain that vampire... NO. No mercy! He was LONG past mercy! He didn't enjoy it, but the only way for him to save the students and gods only know who else, was to destroy this monster.

He looked down the hall, and saw a door. Under the door, eerie lights could be seen, and through it, nightmarish chanting or screaming could be heard. He ran up to it, deciding a shoulder charge would leave him vulnerable, and Delivered a solid, rune-enhanced kick to the wooden door with all his might...

Pitch Black

As soon as the woman twitched when he spoke, he raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer. Seeing as she did not provide one, he let out a sigh. Never mind that. He noticed that she seemed to be a bit on-edge. Me, he though. He really didn't mind it, he was used to that. Nobody liked a madman. Well, he was a madman to them, to him he was a pretty cool guy. Kind of...

Then his eyes wandered to her scars again. He was really curious to know how she got them. He'd given people scars before, but as many as this.

"How'd you get those?" he said, pointing to one of them.

Satori

Satori paid little mind to Arkaeis as she led him through the winding College halls. She contemplated about asking the Headmaster about creating more convenient means of travel between the college; it was in fact so massive, Satori had already begun to create names of the various walkways and paths outside of the college akin to street signs. She occasionally also picked up cursory thoughts around the college, most of it of course coming form Arkaeis. After some fairly minor probing, she had a general gist of who he was, and a little more about his people; they came from the west and are currently settled on the Midnight Isles and have a peculiar mind set. They knew how to manipulate their own minds well enough to leave some Psychomancer's astray, but in the same way an angler fish would use it's glowing horn; merely a distraction from the greater threat. Satori did speculate that this man would likely be able to grasp the fundamentals of Wards well if he asks, and as of late, many people were asking for her warding classes. All of them wanted the classes specifically so she would not enter their minds. It amused her because they would fail, if simply because she would build them up in such a way that she could tear them down without resorting to her higher level magics, but that was mostly for her own amusement. One day, they would be able to stand up against her mental assault. For a while.

Halfway to arriving to Lucilia's office Arkaeis inquired about Satori's job. He question was legitimate enough, but if his particularly veiled mind and and Satori's own infamy was taken into account, Satori would guess that this Arkaeis wanted to know more about her ability. She debated if she wanted to bother with subtly or simply announce her main occupation. On one hand, she is quite aware of how exasperated people can be at playing mind games and the threat of constantly being manipulated. It certainly has not won her any favors amongst the student population. On the other hand, it would be foolish for her to reveal her hand so soon, even if it will inevitably occur.

"Many of the staff here have various jobs for the college. It is not that we are undermanned, but simply because our talents and abilities makes us more qualified for certain jobs than others. I attend to the animals and livestock of the college, to ensure their health and preparation for whatever purpose they're needed for. Occasionally I also offer my services as an investigator for private matters. I make lectures on the magic of Illusions, Scrying, and Mental Fortitude for those who would care to listen, and occasionally I also provide guidance for my students." Satori guided Arkaeis through a large hallway that appeared to be under repairs. While structurally secure (Unless you were Uicle), it was apparent that these halls were scarred from a great battle with greater demons. The faint stench of their corpses still linger in the air, tainting the otherwise mundane stone walls and cobble.

"But do not trouble yourself Arkaeis, I can always make time to attend to small matters. I was actually on break when I came across you at the gates. We seem to be getting more new students today, many of whom are largely uninvited. Understandably many of our guardsmen are cautious of letting in newcomers after events in the past, however we will not turn away others under the influence of paranoia and from the fear of deceit." Soon enough Satori stopped in front of Lucilia's door. The heavy sounds of shuffling and moving boxes implied that Lucilia was in the process of filing papers or searching for a document. Her door was locked, so Satori could guess that it was rather important. She used her magic to alert Lucilia of her presence before giving one final statement to Arkaeis. "You'd find that the college tends to be full of unexplored details, big and small, and often deals with things beyond it's scope of ability. But it still stands regardless of what's to come, much like those who attend it. And I would hope that you would stay with us to see the benefits of the college yourself. This is the office of Lucilia Riovas, the college secretary. It sounds as though she's busy at the moment, but-"

And just as Satori was going to finish her sentence, the door opened. Lucilia's office looked rather well organized despite the previous shuffling, though she wasn't at her desk but still fingering through the shelf for a portfolio. Satori merely shrugged and smiled at Arkaeis. "Enjoy your time at the college, Arkaeis. And enjoy the little things." And with that, Satori left Arkaeis with Lucilia.

Lucilia Riovas

Soon after Satori left Lucilia was pushing a thick book into one of her many shelves and went to her desk with another student portfolio, fresh and ready to ink. Lucilia took a seat at her chair while she waited for Arkaeis to enter, motioning towards one of the two chairs that sat in front of her. The butt indention of one of the chairs made it heavily implied that someone had recently been sitting there. If not the indention, the warmth might have tipped Arkaeis off.

"You may come in! I apologize for not addressing you earlier. The sudden influx of students has me running after the applications all over again. Normally we hold summits to ensure that the college is prepared to take in the new student body, mostly so we can keep our larders adjusted and could keep our papers together. But enough of that! Welcome to the Twilight College, I am Lucilia Riovas, Herbmancy Teacher as well as Master Alchemist and Archivist of College Affairs. I take it that you are one of our newest additions to the college, Arkaeis, correct?"

Althalus

He expected her to do something like that. That's why he had jumped so far out of the way of her tail, closer to the door.Althalus had expected her to wrap her tail around him and throw him in, or something like that. What he didn't expect, was for her to grab him and throw him in. Leaving her defenseless. In a heartbeat, he was back on his feet, only to be knocked down again by her scythe hilt into his ribs. The wind was knocked out of him, thus preventing him from immediately replying to Mar's hiss, or helping Leith blockade the door. Their guide, on the other hand, left Coco in a reasonably safe corner and helped, carefully ignoring the argument he could see coming. When Althalus regained his breath, he decided to answer Leith's question first. Tightly controlled anger colored his words as he picked himself up, briefly glancing around before turning his gaze on Leith. "If it was any other mageblood than Obligatio, I'd say yes. A flood would stop flooding if the mage causing it was knocked out. Same thing if a mage caused an earthquake, or an inferno. But not Necromancers.. They give life to things and then orders. And those things only stop being alive when the Necromancer decides they can, or the Necromancer is dead. So yes, the only way to stop this is to kill him. Unless," He added sarcastically, "he can be convinced to kindly stop trying to have all his 'subjects' kill us. Somehow I think it'll be easier just to kill the little bastard. And the only way Grey won't be able to handle him is if there's a small army of weapons or corpses in there with him. Because once Grey finds him, all he has to do is kill him. Speaking of that, where's my crossbow?"

The casual way Althalus spoke about the killing of a child clearly made their guide uncomfortable,as he wordlessly handed the assassin his crossbow. "And as for you." Althalus whirled on Mar, taking a few short steps towards her. If she had been his height, they would have been nose to nose. As it was, he had to crane his head up to look at her. "If you ever do something that stupid to me again I will kill you, have Uicle resurrect you, and then kill you again! You could have died!" A small part of him, that wasn't focusing on the stupidity of his child's mother, noticed that the both of them were covered in gore and the Gods only knew what else, from their brief stand against the horde. The horde that was currently pounding against Leith and the guide's barricade. With no care for their own health, judging from the sounds of tearing and snapping outside.

The 'King'

If the Necromancer noticed the door being kicked open he didn't make any sign. He was too busy shaking his head violently back and forth, his arms randomly throwing out in vague warding gestures. The purple light seemed to be coming from his very veins, outlined underneath his skin and pulsing in time with his heartbeat. In the brief moment he paused, his eyes could be clearly seen as bright purple lights. His screaming was still largely unintelligible, but some statements could be made out. "No father, I am the man of this household now! Don't you dare speak to me like that mother! Shut up Becky, this was for the greater good! THEY PROMISED ME YOUR DEATHS WOULD NOT BE IN VAIN! THEY LIED! LIED, LIED, LIED! But I'll find them! And I'll make them pay! ALL OF THEM. They will all pay in blood!" Unbeknownst to the child, his silver ring flew off his finger when he violently gestured with his hand. As luck would have it, it found a crack in the floorboards, straight down to the living room where Leith was standing. If anyone noticed the quick silver blur, they would have noticed that it changed course in the air. Rather than falling to the ground next to Coco, it landed neatly in Leith's pocket.

The Necromancer finally opened his eyes and noticed Grey. "You again! Where are your friends? Torn apart by my servants?" He giggled madly. "Such a shame. You barely start your invasion and already most of your force is decimated. Just like that Yarosmerian invasion force! They claimed to be ambassadors, but I saw through their sneaky trick! They ran into the forest to their lying friends, but I took three of their number as payment! And I'll take you too! And make you walk into the forest to send a message to the liars! War is coming." He giggled again. "But I'm a fair King." He opened his arms wide, as if receiving a hug. "I'll let you have the first blow. Do your worst, for as soon as you fail, I shall do mine." He smiled as widely as possible, showing that all his teeth were stained red.

Alaira Taenn

Alaira sighed, noting how... defensive Meirin seemed. Granted it had lessened, but it wasn't like she was gonna hit her... She listened to her words, silent. She... she did have Lyn, and Athalus. Mar, she wasn't so sure about... And the teachers... she hated most of them, and they HAD to hate her back. In particular, she despised that... that monster, Tyrael. And coming from her, that was something. She sighed, calmed slightly by the woman's words, only she didn't accept the Handkerchief, she didn't really use those things.

She listened further, not really believing what the woman said. She was just... just trying to use her, she rationed. It was all just flattery, mending a broken tool so it would obey... She listened to her last little speech, actually scoffing at the 'people aren't so bad line... Still, she let her finish. "And what about the bad ones, huh? Most people ain't so good either, happy to just let shit happen so long as it doesn't mess with them..." She said, spiteful. "All I can do is smash the bad ones wherever I find 'em, and look how that's gone... There's a lot of evil in this here world, and there's no escaping it, just delaying when you give in..."

Roc Mission Collab

His horse reared and bucked, the hooves nearly stomped his head twice, while Eural struggled with the mare. Her eyes rolled, her muzzle filled with saliva in her frenzied desire to escape that he was sure she would tear his arms right off alongside the reins. The damn beast was not gentle about her protest. He cursed under his breath until finally he managed to settle her down and coax the horse into a gentler mood, her nostrils flared the fear most the others felt. Immediately he heard the reins holding the draft horse in place snap followed by the smallest bolting back to the College and Samson dart into the forest, Annabeth and Aramir on his tail.

“Damn it,” he blurted without consideration then eyed the source of the animal’s uneasiness. Several yards away was the Roc. Damn thing was huge, her attention distracted by the poor soul who hadn’t been warned about the danger and now was her latest meal.

He felt the horse tremble a bit, his body tensed to see her about to rip out of his grasp. “No, sshhhhh, easy gal.”

It hadn’t been very long when Samson came busting back into camp, his hooves nearly ready to trample the small snow elf who seemed rather fixed on being chased rather than simply duck. Inwardly Eural groaned at the scene while he listened to the impressive cursing and shouts, the lungs on that elf, until finally she had the sense to dart to the side allowing the horse to race past. Liam had managed during the time to jump onto the wagon and attempt to mount the animal by leaping on the stallion’s back. In slow motion the fox slammed down onto the back, making both him and Eural (to a lighter degree) flinch in pain. Samson bucked, worsening the tenderness, yet slowly settled thanks to the combination of Liam’s grab of his mane and tiring. When the horse came to a stop, Liam had dismounted, cradling his loin and huffing in pain. Not that Eural could blame the fox. He knew the pain and even found it amusing that it wasn’t his stupidity this time, his lips twisted into an amused grin at the sight. Though he did feel a slight empathy, he didn’t voice it.

Eural didn’t have long to pity Liam when his ears caught the sound of creaking and stressed wood that catered toward them. His eyes spotted the wagon veering out of control at Aramir. For a sickening thought, he thought it would crush the young student until a blur seemed to flash from his vision’s corner: Annabeth. She was the last person he expected to react in a smart way if he was honest, his thoughts figured she was more a farmer like girl who happened to strap on a sword and pretending to know something about combat. His eyes watched while her body shot out from where Samson had come from and right at the wagon. At first, he believed she was going to get herself killed.

Her body shoved into the side causing its axel to snap, proof of its old age, which grinded the cart to a halt. Its back half dug into the ground draining its speed until it came to a halt. Eural was colored impressed though he half expected it to have hurt. Her body paused long enough to take a breather as her face looked rather soured by the chaos and ill organization by the others. She trotted up to Samson, thanking Liam, still nursing his groin, and then lead the large animal to the wagon again. The beast seemed to take to her fairly easily allowing her to place him while Eural caught her words.

“The roc is on the move. I think it's time to pick a plan of action before another disaster strikes."

Eural had realized he was staring, his head shook a bit to erase the daze, while he broke the spell. It didn’t stop him from looking at her, his body pulled closer while she loaded the weapon, her position now up on the wagon. “Yeah, that’s your department, not mine. I’m only the guide and Roc expert though I have to say that was mighty impressive. Wasn’t it miss L?”

He was referring to Auriel since he hadn't gotten her name and decided to use the L on her bow for reference.

Annabeth looked at Eural and the others. She wanted to berate them for their uselessness, but the more she thought about it, she couldn't really fault them. They were all unprepared for what had happened, and the best they could have done was likely what just transpired. They had Samson now, and aside from Liam's masculinity, most of them were unhurt. At least, so long as the roc doesn't show too much interest in them. If they did... Annabeth was going to have to make this shot count.

"Then we need to keep moving. We're exposed out here, and the roc will make easy pickings out of us if we don't have a plan of action against it. Everyone, gather your belongings! Sir Eural, see if you can harness your mare with Samson. We'll need to move quickly if we want to outrun that Roc. Colette, check that wagon if you can. It belonged to a merchant I think, and it might still have some supplies we can make use of. Auriel, help Liam onto the wagon. Let's go!"

Colette nodded and went towards it being very cautious about it and looked inside it blinking "Hey I see a skull in here..." She said with a shudder. Some unwanted memories were coming into mind as she saw it before she shook her head and put the memories behind her again. She took it out looking at the skull with curiosity, her black hair framing her face like it usually did.

Looking over at Colette Annabeth narrowed her eyes at the skull in her hand. She had remembered seeing that skeleton from before. "No way.... Colette, bring that over here would you please?"

"Don't start with that Sir crap...It makes it me sound as old as my father," Eural uttered as he tugged the mare's reins. She snorted for a moment, her hunches tensed and appeared ready to struggle until her nose caught Samson's scent then she seemed eager to be next to the male stallion. Eural almost rolled his eyes but stopped himself, relieved he didn't have to struggle with her anymore then needed. His hands moved quickly. The belt loosen his saddle, not needed for the hitch and harness from the wagon, then tossed it with the rest of his stuff careless within a pile. He patted the mare's flanks gently when he finished and mildly chuckled when he spotted the male horse, Samson, reaching his nose toward Eural's horse.

"Damn charmer." He muttered, his eyes twisted about when he heard Annabeth motion for the skull found within the wagon. Damn mages, why did they seem to obsessed with a skull?

Still, his curiosity grew causing him to draw closer to the girls with his thumbs hooked within his belt. "Something like that don't belong in a merchant wagon...unless he's a killer. Though if he was, then it doesn't matter now."

"Do you mind?" Was the first thing that happened when the skull was picked up, more importantly the actual jaw bones moved and the sound seemed to resonate from the skull itself. Though to be honest he was more interested in his flight, and the subsequent reunion between himself and gravity which through a serious of unfortunate events ended up with him in what was left of a wagon. Only to be picked up and then man handled.

This was not what he had been expected on the day he finally left the confines off his coffin though to be perfectly honest he had never actually expected that day to ever come. "Now if you wouldn't mind can you get your grubby fingers off me..." Then he came to the realization. "No, no don't. Would you kindly return me to my body? I'm not quite sure where I left it but I don't know if you noticed but I'm not quite as attached to it as I used to be."

Annabeth looked at the talking skull. Was this something akin to Uicle's golems, or the work of necromancy? Whatever this skull was however, it may be important. "We'll do our best to return you to your body, but last I seen, that roc scattered your parts. None of us are safe so long as that beast lives. But once it's dealt with, I'm sure we can put you back in your place. For now get comfortable."

Annabeth tied a rope around the skull's head and kept it attached to her belt. Everyone were more or less ready to go, and not a moment too soon. "Eural, get the horses into the forest please. It's obvious that we can't take on that roc head on, and we don't have the equipment to face it in an ambush. Still, if we can clip it's wings we can take back Rurik's caravan without having to worry about it flying down at us."

"Alright," He said then turned toward the horse, leaving the rest of the group to their own device. His head darted to Auriel and gave a smirk, his voice rang loud and clear for her to hear him. Eural had noted she was rather quiet which struck him as odd. "Auriel, come over and help me with the horses will ya?"

"This is, completely undignified." He swung back and forth slightly on the rope, which was not only undignified but uncomfortable. He looked at the others in the group, then remembered he had no muscles or facial tissue that could effectively be catelouged as a sad look to try and garner sympathy in order to be treated with some level of dignity. Then he noticed something over head, as the shadow played on his face. "Wait! Whats that!?"

He looked up as a small bird flew over head, singing to its compatriots. "Quick! Someone shoot it! Are you just going to let it insult us like that?"

Minutes had passed since the last time Liam had breathed normally. And now, after the dizzy haze that was the ballpain whining he made, he could make out a few things. For once, he noticed the woman who pushed aside the cart. She was... Stunning, so to say. So Liam stood up, winced a little and straightened himself. There wasn't a moment to lose, he thought to himself, before he walked towards Annabeth. A small limp ever so noticeable in his gait.

"Hey, h- Wait, is that a freaking skull?" He asked, laughing a short laugh, "And it speaks?"

Aramir's day was only getting worse. First she was chased by a horse. Then the Roc was only suddenly close enough to fly over and kill them all, and then she was nearly killed by a wagon (after being saved, she breathlessly thanked Annabeth, still trying to regain her breathing). Now, to top it all off, there was a talking skull who could apparently understand birds. Frankly, she was more than happy to let Annabeth take the leadership position and just follow orders. It made life as simple as it could get when one was trying to fight a giant bird of death. Collecting what arrows she could and picking up her bow, Aramir walked past the trio, heading towards the forest, pausing briefly to make a comment. "It seems no different than the many golems in the College. Only he can understand birds, and was for some reason in a wagon. Also can we get out of the sight of the very angry, very large, bird before it gets curious?" She smiled nervously, holding up her bow. "I can shoot at it, but that might just make things worse for us."

With the group more or less situated, Annabeth looked over towards Eural. He and Auriel were getting the horses, but taking a bit of time with it. Annabeth didn't want to rush them, but they didn't have the luxury of time. She left her post at the balista and helped Eural move his horse in with Samson, strapped the harness on, and got back onto the wagon. "Alright everyone, we're heading into the forest. Sure as hell safer than out in the open, at least when dealing with the roc. However the forest isn't without it's dangers either. But I'm sure I don't need to explain that to all of you, so let's hurry."

Once everyone got on the wagon moved towards the forest. There was no sign of the roc near by, thankfully, and they entered the forest without much problems. They did have to go in rather deeply to find a good clearing for them that had a thick canopy above them but also a flat enough area to serve as a decent camp spot.

Here the roc won't be able to get a clear line of sight on them, but unless someone sat in the trees neither would the college students. Annabeth looked around the forest and made notes that this place seemed largely untouched by the forest creatures. She wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Regardless Annabeth once again took command.

"Alright, let's set up camp here. We'll need to figure out a way to get that roc down from the skies if we want to have any chance of recovering the wagon without it getting in our way. I was thinking perhaps if we could gather enough fibers to make a long, sturdy rope, and get us some more balista bolts, we could make it into a sort of bolas or something we could fire from the balista and clip it's wings that way. Of course we'll only have one shot and I seem to be the only one who knows how to operate this thing. So at some point, someone is going to need to attract the roc close enough for me to fire at it. But before we do that, let's gather the materials. Liam, come with me and we'll try to fine whatever sort of plants and vines we could use to make into a strong rope at least fifty feet in length. Aramir and Auriel, could you two see if you could make some more bolts for the balista? Not only something we could attach the rope to, but also just in case we need to shot the damn thing down the old fashion way. Eural and Colette, stay here at the camp."

Mar

Mar held her glare on the breathless Althalus, his form crippled and curled into a ball on the floor. It drew no sympathy from her as she viewed the man’s state. She believed he deserved it for trying to come back out and being a total idiot, his bravo met with the blunt end of her weapon. Her eyes were still filled with wrath and hurt, unwavering while she towered over the assassin. Meanwhile Leith and the guide began to pile on furniture, broken things, and anything that could be used to barricade the doors and windows where the undead could get in. If she wasn’t so pissed, Mar had considered it wiser to help but at this state, she was sure she would likely cause more damage than aid.

"Hey! Not the time. We should probably go help Grey. He's up against what seems to be a master-level Necromancer. I'm still not sure how that's possible, he's just a kid..."

It wasn’t until Leith had shouted her head had shifted sideways, holding his gaze for several moments. The albino’s words continued, his face frowned and stated something that seemed rather clear to all of them. Even with her low knowledge of other mageblood types, there was something off. If her recollection was correct, then the child, after summoning continuous magic, should’ve been dead by now.
Even when Mar lowered her aggressive stance, Leith continued with his words and reflected something she had mentally asked before.

"Is it absolutely necessary for the kid to die to stop them?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the door signally they should join Grey likely. "Wouldn't being unconscious do the trick?"

While her figured lowered, her grip on her weapon didn’t loosen or seemed to have erase the boiling frustration at the whole situation. Her eyes settled on Leith longer than normal, seemingly to seek some slight hidden secret, before she released the lock and turned back to Althalus. The assassin on the other hand, had his own wrath and bitterness coiling within him. He had finally managed to pick himself upright and paused a moment, his eyes glanced around for something, then answered through gritted teeth.

"If it was any other mageblood than Obligatio, I'd say yes. A flood would stop flooding if the mage causing it was knocked out. Same thing if a mage caused an earthquake, or an inferno. But not Necromancers.. They give life to things and then orders. And those things only stop being alive when the Necromancer decides they can, or the Necromancer is dead. So yes, the only way to stop this is to kill him. Unless," Althalus added sarcastically and clearly cynical to the idea, "he can be convinced to kindly stop trying to have all his 'subjects' kill us. Somehow I think it'll be easier just to kill the little bastard. And the only way Grey won't be able to handle him is if there's a small army of weapons or corpses in there with him. Because once Grey finds him, all he has to do is kill him. Speaking of that, where's my crossbow?"

Mar tensed at the mention of the crossbow, her tail wrapped underneath her, with her eyes glaring at his causal tone. Shortly the guide had found and when it was passed to Althalus, the man whirled to face her. Her spine straighten to meet his head on reaction to her earlier tactics.

"And as for you." His dark eyes filled with fired while he spoke, his feet bring him a few steps closer, as his head tilted upward to look at her dead in her own hard glare, unflinching. A few embers of arouse, impress he hadn’t a complete cowed personality, settled in her before it was quickly crushed under her fury when he finished. "If you ever do something that stupid to me again I will kill you, have Uicle resurrect you, and then kill you again! You could have died!"

Her mouth naturally opened in a hiss, exposing her milky white fangs and body tilted higher up back to the full rearing height. In the background, the undead horde tried to claw their way in. Sounds of their hands, fingers, arms and whatever limbs were available ripped into the house’s outside. Their natural need for self-preservation was utterly gone, making Mar uncomfortable.

When Althalus turned away, Mar wasn’t about to leave it alone. Her voice raised another level as she slithered toward him, her tail at the ready for a defending sweep at his legs if needed. Her tone was steady, almost dangerously so, but held clear emotion in the chosen words which spilled from her. “There has to be another way… besides killing a child. If that were Lyn up there, Althalus, our daughter, would you still consider just sending an arrow through her chest? Answer me, could you easily stick a knife through her forehead if she was in that state? I want to hear you answer!”

Althalus

Despite his turned back on Mar, Althalus wasn't completely trusting her. Not in the state she was in. He was ready to move if he heard anything that even vaguely sounded like a tail or a scythe coming at him. At her question, he paused mid-step, beginning to load the crossbow. For a moment he didn't respond, clearly struggling with the answer. Finally he slowly turned around, facing her. Rather than anger there was a sadness, past failures coming back to haunt him. He spoke softly, still loading the crossbow. "Wrong question. If that remnant of a child up there , that creature festering in madness, was Lyn I wouldn't view it as a murder. I wouldn't view it as a killing to save myself or everyone else. I'd view it as a mercy killing. Because that," He gestured upwards with his crossbow, "would not be Lyn. That would be a Naga who had just been shot through the heart. Nothing more than a shell for death and madness. Could I do it easily? No. Would I try every other possible reasonable avenue first? Yes. But those are the wrong questions. The real question is could I live with myself afterwards?"

Althalus paused, crossbow finally loaded and ready to fire again. "No. I would go to Djarkel and Eania rulers, and see which paid more for killing the opposing ruler. Then-"

"Let yourself be killed..." Mar finished for him.

Althalus nodded, before shaking his head. "But fine. You get your chance to talk to the little bastard. However, if he does anything that looks vaguely like going insane and trying to kill you, I'm putting a bolt through his chest."

"Your original intention was to kill me, have Uicle bring me back to life, and kill me again, wasn't it?" Mar stated bluntly as her eyes softened, slightly. Inwardly, she was grateful for this chance and small window to try.

Althalus smirked. "That's only if you do something as stupid as not going through the damn door. Though...this is up there." Sighing, he gestured up the stairs. "Well, lets go. I may have agreed to not kill him on sight, but Grey hasn't."

"Right, we're wasting time..." Mar noted while she moved toward the upper levels, a difficult challenge with a tail rather then legs, and with as much speed as she could mustered.

Grey Onyx

Grey saw his target after he had slammed through the door, standing and throwing his arms about as if possessed... and for all he knew he was. He didn't seem to notice his rather explosive entry, instead continuing... whatever he was doing. He stood his ground, shield raised. If he was going to murder an adolescent, he would at least do so honorably, rather than plant an axe in his back. And then, the monster turned to face him, insanity clearly evident in his expressions. As he heard him finish his tirade, he finally was one-hundred percent certain that this one was too far gone to save. His very nature screamed at him to take him alive, but justice demanded him destroyed. However, he had to be sure not to underestimate him... however... "I do not fear you, 'King'... Nor do I play games..." He was certain he had face worse, as a flash of Heus, roaring in challenge flashed before him. "Your crimes are unforgivable, and justice will be served." He said, his voice cold, with an edge like the sharpest of blades. He charged, shield raised, focused and calculating. He feigned an opening on his right, purposefully aiming his charge a little to the left. If the 'king' dodged to his right in an attempt to strike, he would bring the axe into his midsection...

"Hmm.... Sometimes cynicism is the last refuge of the idealist. There are certainly evils in this world Alaira, and they need to be stopped. And many would believe that evil only needs to win once for everyone to lose... However."

Meirin rested her head on her knees and looked at the night sky. There were a lot of stars out tonight. "We may be few, and our enemies many, yet so long as there remains one of us still fighting, one who still rages in the name of justice and truth, then the world shall yet know hope. That's another saying one of my master's taught me. It wouldn't be the first time people were forced under the brutal oppression of evil Alaira, and it won't be the last time someone rises up and stops them. And you're that kind of person Alaira. You would do what's right and keep on fighting, taking on that pain, and creating hope."

"I... I may keep a cool head, but it's like you said before. I'm hesitant, I put too much thought into my actions, start to question myself. I have so much ability, but I have no idea what I'm using it for. And that scares me, because I feel like I'm wasted potential. At least you know what you want and are willing to go all out to get it. You stop bad guys the only way you know how, and for better or worse, you get things done. I could never do that. I'd spend too much time thinking about what I need to do rather than doing it."

---

Alaira looked to the sky as well, taking in her words. The stars were, in a sense, her closest friend. Her mother always told her they were a gift from Leehna, a record of the deeds of men and women long dead. She wondered if her mother was up there somewhere. She looked down again, her voice low. "...And then, when my enemies lie broken at my feet, and when nobody remains to challenge us, what then? What do we do with the wild beast when it's survived its purpose?" She asked, idly clenching her fist.

---

Meirin laughed. It started as a giggle, than a stiffed chuckle, before turning to laughter. "That would imply that our work is ever done Alaira. It's never done. For people like us... It's only over in death. But, to answer your question: You take what peace you get and learn to master that beast within you. Maybe you go find new challenges to face. Find something worth fighting for, something worth living for, and something that you'd be happy to die for." Meirin looked down from the stars and was a bit sullen, despite the smile that was still on her face.

"There's more to life than fighting. But it's one of the greatest thrills you can have in life. So, you go out and find reasons to fight. Ones that, hopefully, makes the world a bit of a better place. Otherwise... You'd never have a shortage of enemies."

---

Alaira trembled, her face in hands. It wasn't that simple. "F-fighting's all I've got... and it's different for me... The feeling of ending them, tearing them to pieces, the crunch of bones, the feeling of warm blood... that's my strength. This bloodlust is all that keeps me going, and is the only reason I've survived this long. My master told me he'd never seen anyone as vicious as me... What happens if I just... snap? What do I do then? How do I protect Ly- everyone from... Me?" She was going to say something else, but she caught herself...

---

"You strengthen and hone your ability Alaira. Right now, you're like raw iron. Strong, enduring but blunt and unrefined. So much can be done with you, but all you need is someone to help shape you. Rage... And fury, these aren't evil things. It's what empowers the best of us. Right now, it seems that your worst opponent isn't a person, but yourself. You're not evil Alaira, at worse you're stupid. And even than, you're clever enough to survive. And you're certainly strong enough to defeat whatever darkness is eating away at you from the inside. And if you don't think so... Than you think about Lyn, and wonder if you want to let your dark side hurt her. Or you come to me, and let me remind you about all the good that you've done, despite your faults. You don't need to fight alone Alaira. There are plenty of people who'd be more than willing to fight alongside you. I certainly would."

---

She nodded, stretching a bit as she stood up, loosening her arm. "...You talk too much. We should have had you bore those bandits to death." She said, smirking as she looked over her shoulder. "C'mon, we should head back..."

---

Pouting playfully Meirin stood up with Alaira. "And you need to talk to us more. But yeah, let's head on in. Oh! One more thing." Meirin reached around her neck and took off the amulet that she had brought a while back. "Lyn had an eye for this. I brought it myself and hoped that maybe I could use it to convince her to stay safe. However... I think the safest place for her to be is with you. So hold onto this, and when we make it back to the college, I may even let you keep it. The merchants I brought it from says it protects from demonic influence, but I have my doubts." Meirin handed the amulet to the half-elf. Alaira didn't seem the type to wear jewelry, but if nothing else she could at least hold onto it as a gift.

---

Alaira caught the amulet, looking it over... She scoffed. "There ain't no better protection from demons then a good blade... or not fighting demons." She said. She slid it into a belt pouch, shrugging. "Eh, looks pretty though." She hopped down, a bit of Aeromancy cushioning the fall. She stood there, waiting for the monkling to get down.

---

Meirin followed after Alaira, simply hopping off the roof. She slowed her fall by pressing her weight against the wall, sliding down. Wordlessly Meirin motioned towards the inn and walked away.

Caravan Mission

Once the events of the night before had settled, the rest of the party turned into their beds at the inn and rested uneventfully. Eventually the caravan master, who still reeked of booze, came by to each room and woke them. It was roughly an our before dawn, and the caravan master gave them that hour to freshen up. Even the inn keeper was not yet awake, so anything that the group wanted to eat they would have to take from the rations given to them by the college. The caravan master himself had nothing and went to get his wagon, and notible he seemed to have been shifting much of the inventory to accompdate the space of a small child. Even took out a cushion.

Once the group had finished their morning rituals the group was off. Lyn would be sitting in the wagon itself, underneath the tarp that protected the goods from the weather. There wasn't much of a view aside from forwards and backwards, but at least the caravan master made very little fuss about it. His only spoken comment about Lyn's presence was telling her where she is suppose to be sitting at. The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. Djarkel looked somewhat mystical when the morning sun shined the dew off it's gray grass, but once noon hit Djarkel's ever bleak skies returned to give the land it's trademark dreary and depressing mood. Along the way the group would pass various bridges and toll gates which the caravan master handled by showing his trade papers and the usual access fee.

A few hours after noon but not quite the afternoon yet, the group stopped by another bridge. It was staffed by a few toll takers dressed in leather armor with an assortment of weapons; crude equipment fitting for the stingy nature of the barons in these lands. The caravan master spoke to the toll taker at the bridge in a profesisonal fashion, but while they spoke there was something odd about these guardsmen. Namely, while the barons are cheap, they would at least take the time to give their men a sense of uniform organization and put emblems on their weapons or armor. These guardsmen were ragged and fadded; cheap as they are, no self-respecting baron would every allow their guardsmen to have such sloppy attire.

The caravvan master continued to talk to the toll taker for a short while, negotiating prices. IN a few minutes they would be allowed to cross the bridge over the shallow lake. Unlike the bridge from before, this one was made of solid stone and large enough for three wagons to cross side-by-side. There asn't much noise aside from the sound of the caravan master talking and the soft sound from the stream. There was also a pungent stench like rotting flesh and open waste coming from near the bridge. Some of the guardsmen looked a bit pale with blood-shot eyes.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Being awoken early in the morning before a long day of traveling, for a moment, brought Ssarak back to his days of service as a warrior. It was a rarity for Ssarak to flashback to that part of his past without feeling some kind of emotional pain, but this time, it was a bit more nostalgic. Long marches were, of course, not particularly pleasant experiences, but he recalled fondly how his brothers and sisters in arms would try to make it bearable. He remembered the jokes, the arguments, the competitions, the pranks, and the general camaraderie they all shared. If there was anything he actually wanted to reclaim from his sordid past, that would be it. He chuckled to himself as they set out from the inn, wondering if Meirin was the type to enjoy a harmless prank. Or if she perhaps would want to go in together to play one on Alaira? That would be a risky venture.

Along the road, there were times where the scenery was interesting enough to capture their attention, but for most of the way, Ssarak passed the time with conversation with the others, being sure to keep his eyes and mind open to danger. As well, he held a mental conversation with Lyn on whatever topics could entertain her, since her spot in the caravan hardly had the best view. He was well-aware of how much small children hated to be idle, so for the convenience of the others, especially the caravan master, he was sure to keep her occupied.

Toll bridges were a custom which Ssarak was completely unfamiliar with. Obviously, it was not something he had ever been forced to deal with. It seemed like it would be expensive to pay a toll every time one wanted to cross a river, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Bridges were necessary for trade, and they carried with them a cost to build and maintain. He trusted that the caravan master knew what he was doing, so Ssarak simply focused on his own task of watching out for danger, and looking intimidating. The first few bridges gave them no issue, but as they came to one in particular, Ssarak was suddenly much more on edge. The guards were noticeably more poorly equipped than the previous ones, and they themselves did not look too healthy. That, combined with the foul odor in the air, lended a strange feeling to the entire encounter.

As before, Ssarak trusted the caravan master to carry out the negotiating, but he was much more active in seeking out the potential danger. He did not want to start a fight if it turned out that his fears were mistaken, but he wanted to be ready. Telepathically, he instructed Lyn to stay hidden as he looked out with a sharp eye for anything out of the ordinary, and opened his mind to search for any thoughts that might clue him in to danger. He recognized that he was in a foreign land and might be ignorant of some kind of social norm, but as Meirin was a native of Djarkel, he reasoned that she might be able to confirm or eliminate his fears. "Meirin, these guards...do you find they are acting strangely? This situation does not sit well with me." He asked telepathically, listening to her mind for a response.