**_During the briefing_** As the others greeted one another and exchanged words with one another, Freiya found herself reaching for her wine-skin once again. She had not made any friends during basic training and the ones who knew her knew to steer clear of her by now. It was not a fact she lamented, however. She'd gotten used to being alone by now and she could readily admit it was her own fault. She was not an approachable person. But she would not change for anyone. Not now, not ever. She cast a glancing look over the recruits, recognizing a few faces from the crowd. Varkasan. Freiya did not know what to think of him. He was the spiritual backbone of the recruits. All laughs and grins, fiercely loyal and by-the-book Paladin. She however refused to simply accept that is all he was. There was no way such a perfect person could exist. Everyone had skeletons in their wardrobes, even if they were minor. Yet... he was a good person. His joviality was not a mask. And she could rely on the man when it came down to it, even if he disliked her. He wasn't rare in that aspect. Dysmoira, or Dys, for short. Freiya quite liked the dwarf woman. She didn't beat around the bush and openly said things the way they are. Freiya could respect that. She was also strong, another thing Freiya could admit to admiring. There was no one else Freiya would rather fight alongside, even if Dys shared Varkasan's opinion of her. Except perhaps... Alicia von Eternus. The rising star of the upcoming Paladins. Freiya did not envy her. The amount of popularity Alicia had amassed during basic training would be plenty enough to make Freiya uncomfortable. But like many others, Freiya did admire the younger woman. She was capable and dependable like Varkasan and even more so on the battlefield than any other recruit, even if she tired quickly. She was the cream of the crop when it came to their batch of recruits. And like Freiya herself, Alicia did not socialize much. Freiya could count the amount of verbal exchanges with Alicia with one hand. The rest did not matter. They were simply beneath her notice, with most of them avoiding her like plague. As Captain Tines finished briefing, Freiya couldn't surpress the smile forming on her face. Sure, they were just bandits. But the idea of finally being sent to battle filled her with excitement. Finally, she would have a purpose. _**During the battle**_ The journey hidden amongst the crates was not one Freiya would openly attest to enjoying, but at least it had passed quickly. She had to force down a chuckle as other recruits complained about the cold, with herself being nice and warm by the contents of her wine-skin. Then the commotion outside had started. There were approximately forty bandits, with four of them already cut down by the captain. Freiya saw Alicia strike out like a serpent, fast and deadly. Varkasan trailed behind her, supporting Alicia. A cold chuckle left Freiya's throat as a wolfish grin spread across her scarred face. Unsheating her claymore, Freiya launched herself into the fray with a defiant roar. Smashing her shoulder into the chest of a bandit who had not reacted fast enough to her approach, Freiya felt a grim satisfaction as she felt the man's ribs crack and bend against the weight of her armour. _One_. Spinning around on her heel, Freiya brought up her claymore down upon the head of one bandit who had seen fit to try and attack her from behind. The club in his hands fell as the man's limbs went limp, her sword embedded deep into the bandit's skull. _Two_. It was strange, though, Freiya thought as she pulled her sword out before neatly sidestepping a spear jabbing at her. These men have no fear in their eyes. No, not just fear. Nothing. Their eyes were devoid of any emotion. Freiya grabbed the spear she dodged, jerking its wielder towards her to land a rough uppercut into his jaw. Flesh and bone submitted against the armoured gauntlet, bruising and cracking. _Three_. A small of ember of fury was lit within her as her mind came to a conclusion. Magic, it had to be. What else could rob even despicable men like these bandits of all emotion and fire? Her face twisted into an angry snarl, Freiya parried the blow from a club before counterattacking with a quick stab of her sword into the assailant's chest. _Four_. She had time to ponder about the strange nature of this whole thing later. For now, she had criminals to deal with.

### Akali dai Remethiel **« _Rumors of Sovereigns _»** She had tasted the emotion of the rumor as it swirled around the small town of Misala, bright yellows and reds, everyone was dubious and excited in near equal measure, but she needn't use her taste to see that. Everyone glanced at newcomers suspiciously, or sat jittering in their seats. She curved to the outskirts of any gathering, hiding behind barrels, or on rooftops. She was as wary as a wild animal, but she had come rushing at those same rumors that had brought the rest. _Sovereigns_. Twenty five of them, and she was sure she had heard that was for _each_ person gathered. She had never seen such a large gathering of people like herself, capable of using the Arcane Magic. Her lips curved into a smile, revealing her almost too-white teeth, and she tucked a long strand of her ebony hair behind an elegantly tapered elvish ear. She was crouching on a roof overlooking the crowd below, eagerly awaiting the mysterious employer. Viva sat atop her right shoulder, munching on an almond that Akali had managed to scavenge from the nearby countryside on their way to Misala. Money wasn't the reason that Akali had come from her life in the wilds, it was purely for the fact that anyone interested in hiring so large a number of mages _must_ be after something wonderful. Akali wanted, nay, **needed** that something wonderful. She would use it for the betterment of the world, and she would rip it from the hands of those who might use it for ugly deeds. She hadn't felt this alive in years, not since her mother had been by her side. -------- **« _Smelling Colors_ »** When the mysterious employer appeared before them, Akali edged to the corner of the roof, nearly hanging off as her body quivered in excitement. Viva had stopped munching on the almond in her paws and seemed to radiate the same excitement as Akali. _'The Weisstraugh Archives?! So much beauty, so much power, we need it! So many other ones to contend with, but we will be able to get what we want in the end... We always do.'_ She scanned the mages below to identify people of interest who might get in her way. Two elves, she realized with a start. One seemed nearly as old as she, but she sensed something from him she didn't know how to be sure of. His personality was intense, like a summer sun scorching down upon you. She smelled _scarlet red_ from Eddy's personality. She felt the urge to seek a body of water when looking at him, but the other elf was nearly the opposite. She was like the forest, quiet yet strong, a symbol of the beauty of nature. _Deep emerald_, that was the color Akali smelled from Darthalia, and Akali would like nothing better than to spend hours in the shade of her. Akali loved creation and Darthalia was fragrant with that scent, too. Then there were others... _humans_. Akali had more interaction in her life time with them than dwarves, but humans seemed the uglier of the two to her. They were not usually pleasant to be around, and conflicted harshly with the beauty of nature. This one smelled of _ashen grey_, a human boy not quite yet a man, just a youngling in Akali's eyes. Ordore was caution itself, distrust... Ugly. Something had wronged him, and he would not learn the beauty of the world for many years, Akali was almost sure of that. Perhaps she could edge him along? She might try. She glanced over to see another human, a more masculine figure this time. Older than most of the others, he smelled of _acid green_, a volatile man who could spout venom from his words. Viktor was somebody that Akali wanted to speak with, he seemed to have a defensive nature about himself... and defenses meant _secrets_. And sometimes secrets meant _beauty_. Her eyes locked onto an odd creature, a female thing dressed in primal armor that reminded her of one of the beasts of the wild, one of the kinds that devoured any poor soul unfortunate enough to step into it's path. Mastrix reeked of _abyss black_, the deepest, darkest, scariest abyss that Akali could imagine. She wouldn't be crossing _that one's_ path, Akali was sure of it. And she finally noticed the last person of note, a human man who smelled of _bright sapphire_, wary but not overly distrusting, and malleable like the clear sky, able to take life one step at a time. She liked the scent of Ru the most from the humans, and it helped that she thought he was particularly beautiful. For a very young adult human, that is. Their employer, however, she couldn't seem to smell anything from. It frustrated her, not being able to tell his emotions or personality, nor his color, from her vantage point. He was just... blank. She hated things with no beauty at all, yet she _needed_ this mysterious cloaked thing so she could go to the Archives. It grated on her nerves, yet he _could_ create, and that was something that Akali delighted in. And then things got ugly, fast. ------ **« _The Ugliness of Battle_ »** Akali nearly fell from her spot on the rooftop in complete horror and shock when the elven man shot the bandit leader in the face, putting an end to his tirade. It was chaos below, especially when the scary female in the primal armor set the town ablaze in her rampage. Akali was forced to leap from the roof where she crouched and onto the ground to avoid the flames licking the rooftop. Viva quickly scampered into the back of Akali's shirt for protection, making frightened chirps. **"You're dead, elf wench!"** Akali barely had time to react when a gruff male voice came from behind her just before the sword landed where she had been. She vaulted backwards with the use of her staff and then twirled it around in front of her, casting _Illusionaire_ on the muscular male bandit. Visions of horror swam before his eyes as he fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain and fear. Akali turned from him, only to duck underneath the axe of another that had come from the shadows. **"We hate sneaky things trying to hurt us!"** Her musical voice startled the bandit, as it sounded as if she were singing as she spoke, even in the midst of combat. She tripped the bandit with her staff, then gave him a sharp blow to the diaphragm that took the wind from him. Akali lightly hopped over his body, shaking his hand off when he tried to weakly grip her booted foot. She scanned over the village-turned-battlefield, and frown tugged at her usually grinning lips. Misala had been beautiful before the fires and blood had tainted that beauty, at least in her opinion. Nature and civilization collaborating... that was something splendid to behold, now ruined and in burning ashes. The scent of _blood red_ ran through the town. Anger. Death. Ugliness. She spotted a gathering of bandits and mages fighting each other, and she became angrier the more they hurt each other. Blood splattered against the dilapidated buildings and across the ground, ruining nature. Akali raised her staff to the sky and incanted, **"Starlight, Starbright, befuddle their fight!"** A shower of brilliant arcane stars rained down on the gathering of perhaps a dozen people, and spectral rabbits and ferrets popped into existence as the stars hit objects or people. These critters ran at bandits and mages alike, exploding on impact. The wounds of a bandit stitched themselves back together from where his skin had been seared away by fire when a rabbit touched him, while a mage was knocked back in the unexpected blast of a ferret. If anything, her spell only caused more chaos, though Akali was pleased by the effects. She couldn't stand to see the overwhelming victory of the mages, as they seemed to misunderstand the responsibilities that their power gave them. **"With great power, we must use it for good, and never for evil..."** Akali murmured the words her mother had said to her long ago. This utter domination was anything but good, even if the bandits had picked this fight. Stirred by her previous spell, two more bandits came from the woodwork, one with a sword, the other with a long spear. **"We are not interested in this fight anymore, silly ones! Stop coming for us!"** Akali scowled at the pair and parried a stab of the bandit's spear with her staff, and barely side-stepped the sword user's downward arcing swing. She had a bruise blooming where the dull sword had scraped her shoulder. She pressed a hand against it in disbelief, and she seemed to radiate danger from her entire being. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted into a snarl. **"We do not like being made ugly! WE DO NOT LIKE IT AT ALL!"** From all around her, the world seemed to become fantastical, more alien than natural. The bandits stopped charging at her as they felt _things_ skittering all over their bodies, and the maniacal laughter of fairies in their ears. Akali slid her staff into it's loop on the back of her strange garb while her _Beautify_ worked it's magic. A fairy landed on her shoulder, taking away the dark purple tinge of her bruise, but leaving most of the pain. She swiftly jumped over bodies and skirted around the remainder of the battles as she made her way to the _Raenor's War Table_ that their employer was still standing near, seemingly protected from all harm by some invisible force. When she arrived, she flipped onto it, crouching there like a wild tiger before it's pounce. **"We do not like being made into pawns, but we will put it up with it for chance to see the _Archives_, robed man."** Her musical voice chimed, high pitched and cheerful sounding, contrasting the words. **"But we think that perhaps this bandit attack was not purely coincidental. Somebody wanted this to happen, and we are not happy to see such ugliness... but again, for the _Archives_, it is worth this. So tell us, robed man, have we passed your test?"** During her speech, her eyes constantly flicked down to the map laid on the table just next to her, and her fingers twitched with the desire to pick it up and study it. She wanted that map for her own, to see the world as it was when magic was prominent... it would help her make this world much more beautiful.

**Before Fight** Steven listened to the briefing, but there wasn’t much to know about the mission. Bandits are attacking outposts, kill bandits. But while the instructions were straightforward, Steven had a dilemma. A moral dilemma. Was he ready to kill another person? Sitting in the fake caravan, Steven had nothing to do but think. And all Steven had to think about was the task ahead and how prepared he was for it. Could he kill another person? Steven had been trained for the past few months in several deadly ways. He was given weapons, designed to kill. It was certain that he _could_ kill another person, so the question wasn’t whether he could, but rather, whether he should. Steven glanced at his childhood friend, Drakul, sitting close to his on hiding spot. Drakul had changed during the initiation, that much was certain. He was almost a different person, which was… different. All of his cockiness and arrogance had gone away, along with his pride. These were all the defining characteristics of Drakul, however, and Steven missed the old Drakul a little. Because for all his arrogance, Drakul was the kind of guy who demanded attention. He brought life when days were dry and light in dull days. Steven looked up into space and smiled at the thought, reminiscing about his childhood. It was ironic, really. Steven couldn’t really say that he liked Drakul before the initiation, but he found himself remembering those days with a particular fondness. Those were days he would never get back. Steven’s smile faded as he thought about things he would never get back. He had never killed another person and he was loathe to do so, because he didn’t know what consequences it would bring. Would he be different to who he was now? Steven looked towards the other paladins among his group. Were they ready to take a life? Did they have the guts to face death for the first time? There were a few trainees who were shaking, and Steven couldn’t blame them. This was their first mission after all. There were also a few, like Drakul, who were perfectly still, and calm. Steven admired them in a sense, being able to seem as if they were unabashed by the possibility of death. But it brought up the question again: Were they ready to kill? He knew that baseless confidence could lead to downfalls. This was evident many times during his childhood where Drakul would believe nothing would go wrong, only to receive a blow to his pride when it did indeed go wrong. Even if they told themselves that they weren’t afraid of death, if they are faced with a situation that was more than they expected, it might break their minds. And Steven didn’t want that. Suddenly, the carriage stopped, as if to stop Steven from thinking about it any longer. Everyone in the caravan tensed in preparation, Steven included. An incomprehensible whirl of thoughts passed through Steven’s mind and passed without a trace, as the tell-tale sound of a sword being stuck through the gut of a bandit signalled the beginning of the attack. **FIGHT** Steven was swept out in a torrent of trainees, rushing out of the caravan to get their blades into bandit bodies as fast as possible. Steven struggled out of the crowd and looked around him. There were small clashes around the place, but it was too chaotic for him to see anything. Steven climbed onto the roof of the caravan and drew his bow, surveying his surroundings. The ring of fighting was some distance away from the caravan, meaning their ambush was effective, but there were already an alarming amount of bandits and the trainees were in the midst of fighting them. A quick check of their weapons gave Steven the information he needed. Basic clubs, swords, axes, crude shields. No bows, no armour. Most were engaged in hand to hand combat with trainees, but there were quite a few preoccupied with a group of only 2 trainees. 2 trainees that he remembered were impressive, but he forgot their names. One was like a whirling ball of death and the other seemed to have more of a supportive role, but was impressive nonetheless. Besides the condition of their equipment and the state of the fight, the bandits seemed to have no strategy and just charged the trainees who cut them down to size efficiently. Everything was in Steven’s favour, as there were no bandits so much as looking at him. He had the high ground and they had no armour. It would be easy to bypass their shields and he was in no danger of getting hit. Steven knocked an arrow onto the bowstring and drew it back. Still Steven hesitated in firing, because he still wasn’t sure he wanted to kill. What had these bandits done to Steven? Nothing. He tried to remind himself that they had made many a person’s life misery and that they were truly bad people, but as his aim wandered, trying to find a target, he couldn’t help but remember the time when his new ‘family’ had caught a pickpocket. One day, when walking along the market, his new ‘Father’ snatched the hand of someone who had his wallet in their hand, fresh out of his pocket. Steven was shocked to find out that it was someone he knew from his time at the ghetto, and he was faced with the dilemma with letting him go and putting him in jail. There were reasons, of course. He knew the child, and he also knew that he stole to survive, and while Steven was fine with that before, he knew it was a bad thing. But on the other hand, he knew that money was needed to survive, and people from the ghettos had a hard time earning money normally. Ultimately, Steven chose to let him go, because that particular child had saved him from a situation once. He had no reason to save the bandits around him. And yet he hesitated. He wandered aimlessly, hoping to draw out the fight without having to shoot a single arrow. Steven slackened the string and looked around. He spotted the girl he’d described as a whirling ball of death, wreaking havoc on the bandit’s numbers. He felt like he should remember her name, but he never paid much attention to people. He envied her strength, she seemed to have no problem cutting down the bandits. The girl and the heavily armoured knight were a good combination. Looking around, he saw more remarkable people. There was a dwarf woman, who he didn’t know the name of, who was doing quite well, chopping up bandits with her axe. And there was another person, a human. Most memorable for the scars on her face, temper and her ability to hold her own in a drinking contest with dwarves. She was doing well, annihilating with a claymore. Steven’s eyes drifted to Drakul, who was doing quite well. He led a small group of trainees against a small group of bandits who were fighting near the caravan. Drakul had good leadership skills, but he was overextended. Steven didn’t like the look of the situation. Sure enough, an axe wielding bandit came charging towards his exposed back. Drakul was busy fighting against a sword wielding bandit. Time seemed to slow down as Steven raised and drew back his bow, arrow still knocked on the string. With no time to debate over whether or not to kill, he loosed the arrow. Seemingly in slow motion, the arrow raced through the air, hissing towards its target: The back of the bandit’s head. The bandit slowly lifted his arm as the arrow sped towards him, ready to strike at Drakul’s unprotected back. The arrow pierced the bandit’s skull and went through the bandit’s eye. An instant kill that seemed to last forever. Steven lowered his bow slowly, debating over whether or not it was the right choice. His friend was in danger, so it was correct, right? But he had just killed someone. Steven looked at his open hand. No amount of training could have prepared him for it. A life that might have once been similar to his own, all the joys and sadness, gone with a single arrow. _Did humans always die so easily?_ Steven thought. It felt sad to Steven. He wondered about the bandit’s family and what he liked or disliked. In another life, he might have gotten along with the person, and in this one, he was dead. Steven clenched his fist. It didn’t matter whether or not it was right or wrong. This was what they did. This was what the Luminous knights did. Steven picked a few more arrows out of his quiver and shot a few more bandits. In his heart, he knew it would be like this. Taking a life was easy, yet exacted a heavy toll. With the gritty realism of mortality in his heart, Steven began to rain death on the bandits, morality overwritten by duty.

#### Mages Finally, the bandits were dealt with. Some injuries, some minor wounds, but everyone was mostly alive and well. **"Well, I'd like to think we made this world just a little better now. Well done. I have no doubt you will be able to face anything en route to Weisstraugh and anything that remains in the fortress itself. Before this rude interruption, I forgot to mention to expect traps and countermeasures against intruders. What kind, I do not know. But I believe that by working together you can overcome anything. So then..."** The Cloaked Man started pulling out gold coins out of his coin pouch and placing them in stacks of five on the table. **"If you take this job, simply take the gold. I cannot stop you from simply running away with it, but would you want to? After all, the reward for this job is more than just gold. Far more. Also, you may need to elect a leader between yourselves. Someone to carry the scroll and the gem, and generally call the shots. Generally, disorganized groups fall apart pretty quickly. But that I will leave up to you."** The Employer suddenly stopped his speech, remaining totally quiet. Someone was coming, again. More bandits? No. This time was different. whoever they were, they were organized, and still out of sight. With a loud crash, one the village entrances fell apart, leaving only one. From which heavily armored soldiers appeared, with the obvious Luminous Knights insignia. **"Looks like our info was correct. And they took a major headache for us. Alright, listen up! Surrender peacefully and you will get a fair trial, seeing as you helped cleaning up the place. Resist, and we will stick with our original orders to eliminate you."** Their captain's demands were clear. Bandits were one thing, but paladins... They were trained, they worked as a team, and they had Luminosity. The group wasn't so sure about the outcome of this battle. But... **"You showed your skills before. Now allow me. That, and this is PERSONAL!"** The Cloaked Man was visibly angry with the paladins. His hatred could be easily felt. **"Don't take another step or we will atta..."** the captain's words were interrupted by the mage appearing behind him and releasing an azure blast of energy. The blast crystallized the poor man. Within moments, only a statue of azure crystal was left of the captain and the paladins nearby him. Teleporting out of their counterattack, the mage released a torrent of crystal shards at the remaining paladins. It was rather pointless, as the sheer power of his spells easily punched through their Luminosity defenses. The few survivors that remained started to retreat. **"Shatter!"** With violent force, the crystallized remains of the paladins shattered, with millions of shards flying in every direction. With the Cloaked Man's command, the shards changed direction towards the fleeing paladins. The "fight" took no longer than a minute. And all that remained was four crystal statues just outside the village walls, the look of terror forever stuck in their faces. **"Bastards... Also a word of advice: don't touch the crystals. The stuff spreads on contact with flesh. Now then, no more interrupt..."** he was once again interrupted, but with someone popping out of his shadow. Literally. The man was young, with a blue robe and short red hair. Without a doubt, he was also a mage. **"Sorry Boss. It seems I may have underestimated their skills and their numbers."** the boy apologetically told his boss. **"Unfortunate, but it was a possible outcome. Seeing as she sent you here, is Mimel cleaning up?"** **"Uhh, the big guy arrived way earlier than we expected. She is fighting him. But not worry, right? It's Mimel, she can't lose. Right, Boss?"** the redhead boy said nervously. **"You made a mistake underestimating their recruits. Do not ever underestimate their superiors."** the cloaked man said firmly. Turning around, the boy finally noticed the group staring at them. **"Oh. OH! Hello there. There's quite a lot of you. I guess I should thank you for taking this job. It means a lot for us, and we're already spread thi..."** _SLAP_. **"Seth, just stop talking. Please."** his boss shut him up quickly. **"Now then, those who are interested take the advance payment. One of you will also have to carry the map, the scroll and the gem. It will take you roughly a week to get there. I will await your success eagerly..."** And so, the group took upon this quest. Leaving the village and passing the sad crystal statues, they could see that someone else appeared near the two. From the distance, it was hard to make out, like shadows were concealing it's form. And it's presence could be felt too. And unlike the Crystal Mage's, it felt sinister and terrifying, giving slight shivers to some members of the group. -------- #### Luminous Knights Something was very wrong. The battle was successful - nearly no injuries. But, the bandits never fight to the last. Nor are they this suicidal. **"What the?!"** their captain shouted, inspecting one of their corpses. Kneeling over a corpse, he was inspecting the back of the stiff's neck. **"There is some kind of brand on the back of his neck. Recruits, check the other bodies."** the captain ordered. A sharp yelp could be heard from the captain and the two more people who where leaning over the corpses, some kind of brand being burned into their napes. The sudden shock made the over move - they could feel something trying to pierce their skin, be in on an arm, a leg or torso, and taking over control. Alicia quickly shot her Swords of Light skywards and shattered them, destroying the illusion. Up in the sky, some kind of multi-armed wraith was present, from each arm a tether extended to a brand. Dead bandits including. Quickly cutting of their tethers with Luminosity, the paladins realized one horrifying fact. The brand, when applied on the nape, is instant. The three unfortunate comrades were now under enemy's control. But the remaining paladins were ready to destroy the wraith, and end it's control. **"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you."** their captain, and the two others started speaking in unison. **"That tether there isn't just to look cool. If you strike my avatar down, the tether will act like a fuse, leading all the way to their skulls. Unless you think they can survive their brain being roasted from the inside, you should not use your precious Luminosity.** He was right, the paladins were taught not to use luminosity to break mind or body affecting magic. As Luminosity burns magic indiscriminately, doesn't matter if it's within the body. **"Now then. Your captain informs me that an Overlord named Levran is coming here. Good, that's simply perfect. Now then, be good little paladins and don't move. I need to prepare a proper greeting for your superiors!"** With that, the controlled paladins started moving. The bandits suddenly stood up as well, their wounds closing rapidly, limbs regrowing. **"Worry not. I just need to brand your nape. Afterwards, I can put you back together, just like new!"** their opponent taunted them via the voice of their teammates. **"Defensive fighters, try to pin down our comrades without harming them. Others must destroy the brands on the bandits. I will look for the one controlling the avatar. He must be somewhere in the line of sight of this place. Go!"** Alicia commanded them. ... Finally revealed, as the final act of defiance, the mage made the three controlled paladins ignite their own brands. Instantly losing control, the terror in their screams and faces as their skull was cooked from the inside shook everyone. But the mage himself was exhausted. Wearing a blue robe, with short red hair, he was nothing more than a boy. **"You killed Mara you bastard!"** on of their teammates shouted, rushing towards the now exhausted mage. Just as he was about to reach and cut down the boy, something emerged from his shadow, with long glowing dark blue claws. Within an instant, he was mangled brutally, his plate armor looking like paper before this attack. The new attacker was hard to make out. Cloaked in shadow, it looked like a little girl. With massive magical claws. Her eyes were pure white. No pupils at all. **"Thanks Mimel. You saved my hide, again."** the boy thanked the creepy girl. Every paladin could feel it. Some sort of sinister presence radiating from the girl. The one that chills you to the bone. A galloping horse could be heard in the distance, rapidly approaching. **"Crap, it's the Overlord. It's too early!"** the redhead panicked. **"Go!"** the girl quietly said, and the mage seemingly fell into his shadow. Now it was only the girl. A girl that was visibly far more powerful than what they just faced. She looked no more than 10. THUMP. A white, glowing spear hit the spot where the shadowy girl was standing, kicking up dirt up in the air. The shadowy traces burned off by Luminosity, the girl was found standing in another shadow nearby, like she was always there. A magnificent horse sped past the paladins, with a big, burly man running towards Mimel, another glowing spear in hand. Bald, muscular and with armor of impressive size and thickness, he was, without a doubt, Overlord Levran. Miss. Yet another shadowy illusion. They all took a look around. Now there were multiple Mimels, and they all suddenly vanished. Out of the paladin's shadows, multiple clones of Mimel attacked. Luckily, the paladins were expecting that and started defending themselves from their own shadows. Positioning themselves away from any other shadows but their own, they were fending of the attacker. Finally, after a good minute of dread and dispersing the shadow clones, they ceased. Instead, Mimel began to focus on the Overlord. The real Mimel was there. Their speed was insane, recruits barely able to perceive the movements of the fierce combatants. No regular human could ever move and react so fast. Jumping from shadow to shadow, the girl assaulted him from all angles, yet unable to get a hit in. Levran spears, however, just kept coming and coming. He was creating them - spears of Luminosity made solid. The recruits have heard about some crazy abilities the Overlords come up with, but never saw one in action. It looked like a stalemate, until out of a shadow a massive black cat appeared, cloaked in shadow just like Mimel. Even employing the same abilities as Mimel. The two started coordinating their attacks against the Luminite, and it seemed as if he could no longer keep up. **"Enough of this!"** he screamed, a bright flash of Luminosity repelling the attackers. Levran raised his right hand, with palm facing the sky. Just above his hand, a bright white circle appeared, with a symbol inside. **"Grand Flare!"** he uttered the incantation, and from the symbol a massive orb of light appeared, nearly blinding anyone trying to look directly at it. Waves of Luminosity energy started pulsing from it to all directions, forcing Mimel and her familiar to retreat. Even from a great distance, the recruits could feel the intense heat of this Grand Flare. The bright light even banished all nearby shadows, making them save, for now. ---------- #### Alicia von Eternus The strange brands on their necks were worth investigating. Before even having the time to reach a body to inspect, she heard a sort of muffled scream from the captain. Turning around, the very same brand was being burned into his neck. The sudden turning around made the attacker miss, and it hit her left shoulder instead. A searing pain could be felt, as she slowly felt the influence spreading and taking control. Above, the attack come from above. Conjuring up 4 Swords of Light, Alicia shot them skywards and activated Piercing Light. A wraith-like ghostly creature was revealed, multiple arms holding the tethers connecting to the brands, and controlling them. Quickly conjuring another sword to cut free, the tether acted as a fuse and the Luminosity flame went towards the brand on her shoulder, scorching it slightly. Thankfully, it did not get to penetrate deep, otherwise she would have lost an arm, or worse. Like those who received a direct hit... Their opponent was right. They could destroy the avatar and release the mage's control over her teammates, but it would kill them. And their enemy was ready to attack, knowing that the paladins are left with no options. Battlefield command, leadership, Alicia was taught that as well. She remember the words told to her, that sometimes the best decision is not always the most popular one. That getting emotional will just get more men killed. By trying to save a few you may kill many. But she wasn't about to give up on their lives. However morally right or wrong her childhood was, she was prepared for moments like these. Moments where her existential problems were meaningless. The "avatar" was just a conjuration, a decoy. The mage behind this was hiding nearby, in the line of sight of this place. There was little time to debate strategy, or to even come up under plan, especially under such stress. But Alicia was prepared for this. With their commander incapacitated, it was up to her to give out orders, consequences be damned. The orders were given, and Alicia's task was to find the mage. He had to have a line of sight to this area, which means he's in an elevated position. Only such places nearby were trees. Judging by his preferred angle of attack, Alicia was trying to determine just which tree he was in. The location of the avatar, how high up in the air it is, and how it's facing them. Eventually, all of those clues lead Alicia to a tree that showed signs of climbing. Conjuring up another set of Sword of Light, she fired towards the tree on the far side of the road. The tree shook, a sort of falling, tumbling noise could be heard as a relatively young boy fell down from it, people controlled by him stopping dead in their tracks. **"Damn you!"** he said while standing up, forcing the branded paladins ignite their own brand, killing them. Visibly exhausted and out of mana, the avatar disappeared shortly. Enraged by the death of his friend, a paladin rushed towards the mage, only to be cut down by... something. The shadowy figure looked like a creepy little girl. Her very presence here was unnerving. With a sound of galloping horse rapidly approaching, Alicia took a sight of relief. Reinforcements, they had to be. Sending the mage away, this... Mimel was left standing before them, only to be attacked by Levron. She was not content just with fighting an Overlords, she attacked everyone at once. Cutting down the clones appearing out of nearby shadows, including her own, Alicia commanded the team to spread out so each and every one of them has to worry about several shadows. Eventually, the onslaught ended, as Mimel decided to focus her efforts on Levron. The real one was dramatically faster than the clones, and so was Levron. The intense battle ended with him unleashing his Grand Flare and driving her off. For now, they were safe. But sure as hell none of them will be able to sleep tonight. --------- #### Eddy One rude interruption after another, this time it was paladins of all things. Eddy was not eager to fight them. He knew it was never worth the risk. But this guy, this mysterious employer, he demolished them. It didn't even take a minute. With some sort of freaky crystal magic, the paladins were wiped out before they even understood what hit them. Nor did their Luminosity defenses help them. And then this Seth appeared. He failed something? Who's this "invincible" Mimel? What is she cleaning up? Eddy did not even want to know. It's better that way. Most likely, it had something to do with Luminous Knights, and that ancient repository of knowledge they are supposed to find? It was clear as day they weren't looking for it to learn how to pull rabbits out of big hats. Picking up his stack of 5 sovereigns, Eddy picked up all the items on the table and approached Darthalia. **"Hey, do you mind carrying these, seeing as you are experienced dealing with fragile objects. You're Darthalia, right?"** he asked her while intently analyzing the map. **"I know this road up to here, after that, I'm clueless. Do you have any knowledge of this area? It looks like there could be some kind of road straight to Weisstraugh."** he asked her as they were walking away. She seemed to be the one to live remotely, the types who live in a small hut in the middle of nowhere. If anyone knew those parts, it was her. Especially the parts they should avoid, like Scars. It was going to be a long week. Passing by the crystal remains of the poor sobs, some other presence appeared in the village, a sinister, terrifying one. Shrugging it off as pointless paranoia, Eddy continued onwards with his new "pals", discussing their route with Darthalia and a few others. It is going to be an interesting week.

_One whole week with this group of people could be very dangerous. But seeing them all in action. I could trust these mages to uphold there deal. But I have a plan, a way to get out of this group._ Walking up to the table, some faces seemed shocked to have not seen Ordore before, well, his face before. No one could see his face yet. The five gold was calling for Ordore and Ordore was accepting. Grabbing the five gold sent a feeling that Ordore never felt before, a drive for more. He turned towards the Elven archer who was having a conversation with another Elven mage. They both looked at him and Ordore knew he seemed rude. He pulled off his hood, revealing his dull purple hair and lifeless purple eyes, then he removed the cloth covering his mouth and nose. Ordore ever so slightly turned his attention to the female elf. A hint of bright purple was starting to seep through his hair. _Wow, she looks pretty. She seems so curious about life. Why is she caught up in such a place with these dangerous mages. This is completely illogical thinking. Back to you're idea Ordore..._ The bright spark that was in his hair slowly went back to it's original dull color. **"Can I please see the map?"** Ordore asked holding out his hand. The mage gave it to him slowly, clearly not trusting him. Ordore looked for no less then 5 seconds. **"Photographic memory"**Ordore said answering the question that was in the air. **"I'm silent and quick, master of the traps and master strategist. For this... "mission" to succeed without casualties I suggest Two to Three members, including myself that are fast and stealthy, come with me and we scout out the route ahead. Any dangers, traps, ambushes or paths that we need to stay clear of, I leave a message or send a person back to warn the big group to prepare or avoid. I'll be this groups leader."** Ordore announced loud enough for everyone to hear. He looked upon the group and asked, **"Anyone up for this scouting group?"** Looking back at the elven Mage with the map, if the "Team Leader" agrees with my decision." Ordore added, raising an eyebrow.

Ru looked up as an elf leapt from somewhere to land on the great stone table above him. She was one he hadn't seen before YME's arrival. Apparently several mages had decided to hide themselves until they knew it was safe. The bandits, and then burning had made that decision rather irrelevant. Her voice was wonderful, high and musical, as she accused YME of bringing the bandits upon them. Ru had wondered how the bandits had managed to appear from nowhere with such good visibility around the town, but hadn't had time to consider it much in the heat of battle. Now, looking at it again, things would make a great deal more sense if YME had been involved somehow. His mind was not eased with how YME ignored this and *congratulated them* for the slaughter. Ru remembered dealings with less than reputable employers who, after doing whatever task they had requested, offered a blade to the gut rather than their promised silver. YME didn't seem like that kind of person, however Ru didn't trust him. He was mired in some plot, and a part of Ru was worried that this would end with the world in flames. Both his thoughts and YME's words were interrupted once more. This time however was much, much worse. *Paladins...* Ru thought, staring at the knights in shining armor. Eyes wide and face lacking slightly in color, he blurred himself and hid behind what remained of one of the houses, leaving a calm illusion in his place. He'd known it was too good to be true. Of *course* the Paladins had followed the rumor, just as all the mages had. *Perhaps YME had been responsible for that too? Another stupid test?* Ru thought, looking back at YME. Hatred seemed to emanate from every part of his being as he stood, cloaked before them. His reply to the Paladin's demand of surrender, and then his ruthless slaughter of the knights sent chilled Ru. He had killed the men while they were routing. Paladins they may have been, but they were still human. Ru returned to the table, scooping up one of the piles of coins. He'd gone this far, may as well see it through. YME was interrupted once more, as a red-haired boy jumped out of his shadow. The two had a brief discussion, and Ru's fears this quest might bring on the end of the world suddenly seemed a lot less ridiculous. The group was ushered out of the town after collecting their down payment. A dark presence seemed to weigh down on them, and looking back, it seemed as if a shadow were standing next to YME and Seth. The one they'd referred to as Mimel earlier, perhaps? Regardless, Ru was happy to be walking away from the dead town. Small discussions were popping up amongst the mages, however Ru stayed quiet, thinking about what had happened. He wasn't one for battles, preferring rather to go unnoticed. All the killing left him feeling uneasy. Eventually one of the group, the same one he'd saved from nearly being stabbed during the fighting, announced a plan to scout ahead. *Probably not a bad idea.* Ru thought to himself, stepping forward. **"I'll join you, though I'm more used to sneaking around streets and buildings than woods and grasslands. The principles should largely be the same I imagine."** Ru doubted they'd run into many traps along the way, however there were other things to be afraid of out in the wilds. Running into a scar could prove quite fatal, especially if the entire group wandered into it unawares. Besides, the young man reminded Ru somewhat of himself, of what he may have become had he taken a different path so many years earlier. **"Call me Ru."**

Darthalia had used her crossbow to pick off a few bandits, but stayed hidden most of the fight. She was rubbish with large groups in combat, so thought it best to not get in the way of the trigger happy elf that leaped from the trees and the crazed armored pyro. It was quite quick and the fight was over. She was relieved and walked out to retrieve her arrows, she couldn't afford more and wasn't in the mood to make any. She listened to the man as she walked around and tugged the arrows out of the still warm corpses. Most would fine this rude but she really had no clue. She payed more attention when she heard the Paladin's and whimpered softly, before the cloaked man swiftly dealt with them. After that he talked a little more before they all grabbed their gold. She did and quickly stuffed it into her little leather bag before being approached by the other elf she saw. He asked her to hold onto the items and she nodded, placing them into her bag and glanced to the map "Well....I umm really only know about the Black Forest...but it doesn't seem to be on here, but I think we can go though there and get to the Elven forest without running into too many bandits, there we can take the road to the fortress, or we could take the main road, its marked here, and is a direct route, but I think we have more chance of being ambushed on the main roads. The bandits don't go very deep into the Black Forest, and they get lost in the Elven Forest, of course there is the chance of getting lost in the black forest ourselves, but with me its minimum chance...of course t-the group can decide..." She rambled on a bit then trailed off as she looked to the crystal statues and wanted to touch them bad, or at least chip some off and collect it, what an amazing paralyzing potion they would make. She thought better of it, but made a note to come back here some time after the 'quest'. She then turned as a cloaked mage asked to see the map, he glanced for a second then looked away, she found that odd but he told them he had a....a something memory, guess it was helpful, he suggested something and she looked to him "If we take the direct route, we won't need scouts, we will see the danger as it slits our throats, if we take the sheltered forest route, scouting won't be very useful, by the time you turn around and try to shout there is danger, your internal organs will be external organs" She stared blankly, noticing his hair slowly changing colour, how odd she thought, she would have to question that later, it was quite peculiar, but maybe it had properties, good for a skin changing potion maybe, like invisibility. She had trailed off into potions and her eyes drifted off him slowly as to not stare.

The man had managed to avoid the remaining bandits until the last of them were felled by the other mages. He wasn't going to get paid to kill bandits, so he wasn't going to bother fighting more than he had to. The moment the last one fell to the ground, he was seated once more around the stone table, at the same seat, glaring at the map intently. His ears perked and his head raised when he heard the knights entering, only for them to be swiftly obliterated. Now, he was impressed. Would be a neat little trick to pull himself, if he could do pull it off. Then he was off, palm resting the pommel of his sword, walking with but apart from the other mages. He preferred to keep to himself, and none of the others had addressed him, so he would keep to himself. The dark presence that loomed behind them was unnerving, to say the least, but he refused to look back at it. Whatever it was, it would only be bad for him if he looked at it. That was what history told him, at least. It seemed that he was looking as nondescript as he wanted to, for he was being largely ignored by the group. He offered nothing, but made sure to listen in on the plans. To go down the main road and face bandits, or to go through the Black Forest and Elven Forest, both of which had fairly bad reputations among history books and folk legend. He mumbled something into his beard, then shrugged his shoulders to reposition his bag. Finally, he turned his head towards the group, the female elf in particular, who had attempted to shoot down the scouting party idea, and simply said, "That would only be true if they were fools. If they are skilled enough, they can scout far enough ahead and return without being noticed." He didn't mention that that was all speculation made from a lifetime of reading old war books and fiction, but it did seem like sound advice. "So long as they are swift and don't take all the supplies, sending a scouting party before the main group would be one of the smartest things we could do." With his two cents put into the conversation, he turned his attention back to the road and his mind to the future and the great library that waited for him. If it compared anything to his imagination, then it would be impossible for him to learn nearly as much as he wished in his lifetime. He'd need to set up shop there, live there for several years, decades even. The only worry would be food and clothing. But, surely, he could learn a long range teleportation spell to get back to the city to get those things. He raised a hand to scratch his head through the short hairs on his head, then began to stroke his beard as he became lost in thoughts of how to procure the majority of the library.

####Eddy This Ordore fellow. He was wierd. He seemed to remember the map by just looking at it. He also seemed competent. Eddy was a little bit shocked named the group leader all of the sudden, but joining this scouting group would be wise. He's a tracker, he knows the wilds, and knows most of it's beasts. Hopefully, they will not run into any scar monsters or abominations. **"Sure, why not. I'll just let the others know we will be leading the way."** A woman joined them, in a typical Undercity assassin/enforcer attire. Two small yet sharp in their sheathes, and a stance that screamed experience. She has been around, and is always ready to strike first. Eddy knew her types. That, and she easily dispatched the bandits in the battle prior. **"I'm Misala. Mind if I join your little scouting group? Even if I'm not a hunter, I know a thing or two about the wilds. I will be able to help you."** **"I don't. Dunno about Ordore. I'm just wondering something. People in your... occupation usually don't have problems finding a job. Why this?"** **"Not nearly as well paid as this. Also, not nearly as exciting. Stalking some idiot, waiting several days for him to make a wrong move or something, it is kinda boring. Also, quite a bit more dangerous."** **"Uhh, OK. Sure."** There was something off about her, but Eddy could not put a finger on it. Good assassins are high in demand, and he never heard of anyone named Misala. She wasn't new, she was good, REALLY good. Her skills were certainly not self-taught. She had powerful employers, that was certain. However, who is she working for, it was not clear. Either way, her joining the group will be better. Eddy and Ordore could keep an eye on her. And watch each other's backs.

### Before: Nero had buried his parents bones the day before, now he supposed was the day for him to start off. He walked out of his house and looked around the familiar falling apart walls, then smiled waving goodbye as he walked down the path that ran from his house . After a certain way he would have lost the way had he not memorized the map, because that was as far as he had ever gone and cleared out before. He knew that he had been clearing an old path, had cobblestone under the brush and it was easier to penetrate then anywhere else. When he reached that spot he breathed in and activated the Shadow stance, allowing him to pass far easir through the brush as he cut it with his ferocity. ### Misala: When he was done he reached an abandoned town and, exhausted from the use of mana, he fell asleep in one of the dilapidated shacks that made it up. When he woke up he found himself among a bunch of people and, struck speechless, he observed them for a while. Then after a long time of this a loud thunderclap startled him, and the robed man appeared. He stepped forword and sat at the table with everyone else, and apon seeing the map he realized where they were going. ### Bandits: Before he could contemplate the fact that this group was going to one of the places that was so praised in his grandfather's wrightings, a band of bandits attacked. He understood the words they spoke because of his readings of the multitude of action adventure novels in his collection. Along with everyone else he drew his blade to fight, and in the frey he moved into the gods stance. First he drew the God Sigel in the air, seemingly oblivious to the battle, then he struck the ground with his sword. When he drew the blade from the ground his eyes glowed white and he moved into battle. He fought with a precision of inhuman proportion, bearly noticing the hellfire that burned around him. He struck down several enemies, and the battle was over. ### Paladins: When the other group of aggressors came Nero was ready to again draw his blade, but he smiled slightly when he found it unnecessary. He took one of the pouches of gold, it seemed to be a ritual for those who wished to go with the man. Unsure what to do with the money he put it in his pouch with his books and journal, and promptly forgot about it. He knew of currency, but it seemed unnecessary to him. After all, food appears on the table when your hungry. He had a bit of gold he had found in his routing around the manor, in case he needed it. one hundred small golden things neatly separated into pouches of ten. All marked with a date that was far older then any on the ones he had just gotten. ### After: Nero was unsure what he should do so he moved up to speak with the head party. In the center was the one who had been made leader, so he decided to great him the way a soldier did in his books. Bowing low he grinned slightly then stoped straight, moving his blade into his hand. "Sir, I am Nero of the manor and I am a part of your merry band. I have a working knowledge of the country, and my spellsword skills are top notch. What would you have me do?"

_Crap, Eddy, Misala, Nero, Ru and me. That's five people. 2-3 more people than I planned. Never mind. I think I could get this to work. Misala. She seems to be working for some very important people. Why is she here. I'll need to speak with Eddy about this._ **"Well then Eddy, you should tell the rest of the people whats going on. We'll take the absolute bear minimum. There's a tavern a day's travel from here. That could be our checkpoint. Plenty of beds and food if you pay."** Mentioning the word pay, some of the other group heard it and mumbled. **"Eddy, I don't know about the big group. But we're gonna have to do regular check ins. The scouting group will be named _The Jackals_. And I need to speak privately with you before we leave.** Leaving Eddy to address the group Ordore finally stopped to see the destruction that was done. Crystallized Statues, burnt village... Ordore looks at the other gate that had people shot through with spears from his very trap. Ordore pulled out of his inner pockets of his cloak a necklace. This necklace had the crest of the paladins. Speaking ever so softly to himself, "Luke, I hope you made it. Because after this mission-" several tears ran down his face now. The sound of someone walking behind him made him freak out. He couldn't afford to show weakness now he was a leader. So he put on his hood and cloth and turned to face n one. His mind is now playing tricks.

### Akali dai Remethiel ----- Her hands were balled into fists as she swayed along behind the group. One hand held the pouch of Sovereigns that was her forward payment, while the nails on her other hand nearly pierced her skin as she glowered and bit her lip. She may not like Luminous Knights, they did bad things to magic, she didn't like seeing **that** happen. The brutality of a mage gone on a rampage, on a selfish, self-serving rampage, sickened Akali. Not all of those paladins had to die - though she regrettably acknowledged that they brought their fate upon themselves by challenging their mysterious employer and an entire village full of mages in the first place. _'And we did not get the map!'_ Akali was particularly angry about it being swept away from her and handed to the elf, Darthalia. Akali kept glancing at the aforementioned, who seemed perplexed by her sudden appointment as keeper of the relics. _The relics that Akali wanted!_ A low growl came from her throat, but she stamped it out pretty quickly and replaced it with a wide smile. _'That elf is pretty, we like pretty things, they suit us. We will just follow her and ask to look at the map whenever these other ones go to do their scouting.'_ Akali's eyes dilated as her stare seemed to bore into the back of Darthalia's head. _'We do not need to be ugly about this, no we don't. We will just be nice... nice and calm. There is beauty in patience, yes there is!'_ Akali's internal monolouge helped her calm down, and she unballed her fists from her sides and slid the pouch of money into her clothes. _**Patience.**_ That was all Akali needed to have to get what she wanted. Viva crawled out from her hiding space in Akali's clothes and the elf handed the creature another acorn to replace it's lost one. The flying squirrel munched on it happily, making cheerful noises as she sat on Akali's shoulder. **"Yes Viva, we have time do we not? You are _so_ pretty, yes you are!"** ------- ### Dysmoira Bazgard (interaction with the other recruits near the end) ------ _'What the hell is this?'_ Dys stared down at the body of the bandit she had been forced to strangle with her bare hands, the one she was hoping to preserve for the captain to inspect. That was, before everything turned into hell on earth and they were assaulted but not one, but _two_ mages. The battle was a blur, between her having to wrestle with the bandit who she had knocked out that had awoken still slung over her shoulder, to the once-dead bandits laying near her feet who had miraculously resurrected. She hadn't been able to help with their allies who had been tethered, as she was literally swarmed by zombies, and then by the clones of the horrifying child-mage, Mimel. The battle between that _thing_ and the Overlord was inhuman and hard to watch. She had never witnessed the like of it in her life. These horrific events had reinforced the fact that she **hated** magic and those who used it. Dys was disgruntled, pissed off, and in a generally sour mood. Meaningless death, so much of it, and these bandits had only been tools for the real evil of the world. **"Mages."** Dys growled through clenched teeth. She slammed her axe into the ground and looked up at the sky. She should have been ready for this, but she _wasn't_. She felt shamed by not realizing how shell-shocking true battle could be. _'Glory?'_ She kicked the dirt with her boot. **"There is no glory in this. I was a fool!"** She wrenched her axe from the ground and stomped over to where the rest of the recruits were gathering around the Overlord, and ended up standing next to Varkasan and the other recruits, Freiya, Steven (who she believed to be much too young to be out here, but he _was_ skilled with the bow), and Alicia. **"I'm pretty pissed."** Dys said simply, knowing that they would understand that she meant about the mages. She longed to drink some ale and sit in a tavern, not worrying about battles and death. But she was intent on doing this. **"We were too weak. We'll have to learn how to combat these _things_ more skillfully in the future."**

Darthalia didn't care to much about the scouting, she had advised against it but maybe it would be useful. She decided to stay quiet and just follow along. She walked a bit behind the group, unfolding the map in front of her and scanning over it as she walked. She heard some soft muttering behind her so she turned her head subtly and looked from the corner of her eye. Some odd elf girl was staring into the back of her head. The second person to do that, she thought as she turned to look at the map again, was it some sort of greeting, or was it a threat, she did not understand it at all so she chose to ignore it and continue wondering forward. Her cloak hung from her shoulders, the hood had fallen down during the battle, her odd bleach blonde hair revealed along with her long pierced ears, there were all sorts of organic things strewn through her hair, long bits of bark with hair wrapped around them and a few flowers tied there, some strands of hair were red and alot more of them were red at the back where her hair was short. She continued walking before speaking up "Umm while you are scouting, do you mind keeping your eyes out for some blue lilies, they would be most useful for maybe a night vision potion, might be helpful...." She trailed off, seeing if they were even listening to her soft monotone voice.

Freiya's mind was in turmoil. The sweet exhilaration of battle lingered still. Awe and admiration in Overlord Levran and his battle with the mage child. But atop it all was rage, vast and impotent. Their battle with the bandits had been for nothing. They had been just thralls, playdolls of a _mage_. And the perpetrator in question had fled and not even due to their efforts. Freiya herself had been close behind the one enraged Paladin who had been torn to shreds. It was only by a stroke of luck she had been slower, speed hindered just enough by her heavy armor to not have been the first to reach their target. The difference in power between herself and a damn child of all things, it made her sick all the way down to her gut. Had it not been for the timely arrival of Overlord Levran, all of them could be just bits and pieces of torn flesh across the battlefield or worse, mindless husks to be controlled by the mage. The thought alone sent cold shivers of disgust up her spine, though she suppressed expressing it. Uncorking her wine-skin just as Dys arrived, not unlike herself furious over the previous events. Listening to the dwarf, Freiya took a long gulp from the wine-skin. **"I agree with Dysmoira. Had it not been for Levran, we might as well all be dead or mindless marionettes. But he is an icon to look up to. A waypoint to reach and surpass. For all of us."** The blonde woman said gruffly, handing the wine-skin to the dwarven woman. The very little Freiya knew of Dys was that the dwarf liked her drink just as well she herself did. And after the events of today, Freiya was feeling sympathetic enough to consider sharing.

Grouped outside of a burnt out old village, past a set of terrified blue crystal statues, stood an odd group of men and women, humans and even a few elves. There were some in groups, while some stood off on their own, either in conversation or contemplation of recent events. Ru stood amongst one of those groups, those who had gathered to scout ahead of the rest. *The elf ranger Eddy, mysterious assassin Misala whose name is coincidentally the same as the town we just destroyed, Ordore our cloaked leader, and of course myself. That makes 4.* Ru thought to himself, surveying those gathered. Another had shown, Nero, Spellsword of the Manor, though Ru had never heard of such a title. *Knowledge of the area would be nice though, and he seems ready and willing to join, so make that 5.* The scouting group had grown a bit larger than Ordore had intended, but there was still a sizeable contingent of mages in the main group. The keeper of the tavern Ordore had mentioned earlier would either be ecstatic or terrified to have so many under his roof. Likely depending on how much ale and food he had ready access too. Looking back towards the group, he noticed a green clad elf - Darthalia, he thought her name was - heading towards them. The challenging elf from the end of the battle, Akali, was standing a short distance behind, staring intensely at Darthalia, looking briefly like a pouting child before calming and feeding a squirrel. *A bit of an odd one.* He thought, then smiled. *Of course, we're a group of rather odd ones.* Maybe being mage born tended to make people a bit less sane. Regardless, Darthalia had approached them, timidly asking if they could gather blue lilies whilst scouting to grant some night vision. **"Gather blue lillies, consume for night vision. Gotit."** Ru responded cheerfully, spinning slightly to face her. **"You have the map."** He observed after a brief moment, then turned once more to head to find Ordore. If Darthalia had the map and magic stones and paper, she likely would be leading the main party, especially if their pseudo-leader Eddy was joining the scouting party. So Ordore would need to show her where the tavern was. Ru sensed a somewhat somber mood emanating from Ordore as he approached, and toned down his usual exuberance. Facing the ruined village, it wasn't hard. Ru muttered a short prayer for those who had fallen, hoping the guard Albec wouldn't be counted among that bloody number. Finally, he approached Ordore. **"The plan is to send the main group towards this tavern of yours, while we scout ahead? If so, you'll need to show Darthalia here where she will be leading them. In fact, it would probably be best if the scouting party knew where it was, in case we become separated. Regardless, we should be likely be heading out before it starts getting dark."**

Pulling himself together Ordore realized how damaged this village was. _So many bandits lay amongst the flames of the village. Some still holding to their life try to crawl away. Wounded and even missing parts yet they still hold on to their life for what. Hope or even... love._ Ordore thought looking at Darthalia. A man who introduced himself as "Ru" walked up to Ordore, who didn't seem to mine the hood and cloth covering everything but his eyes. **"Regardless, we should be likely be heading out before it starts getting dark."** Ru said. He was a smart character and not someone who would follow orders blatantly without a good reason. **Ready The Jackals for me while I speak with Darthalia.** Ordore walked up to Darthalia looking at the big group of mages. He noticed what could only be described as the "devil" in armor. Ordore finally stopped walking to face Darthalia. **"It seems like you have the map and crystal things. So you are of high priority to protect. You also have to lead the main party to the tavern that I spoke of. I'll show you on the map."** Darthalia seemed confused at this cloaked figure and Ordore realized he seemed rude with the clothes. Almost rutine and pattern like his hood and cloth were off. Letting his hair out once more, which was starting to brighten up but ever so feintly. Darthalia gave out an "ohhhh" like she didn't even know it was him. Ordore showed Darthalia the place and time to get there. **Any questions?**

#### Mages The journey has begun. But first, the mages had prepare. There was quite a bit of them, and the journey would take about a week. Food, supplies, tools - as much as they can carry. The rest they have to find in the wilds. Thankfully, most of them were not strangers in surviving the wilds. Along their map they already planned a route. Their first big landmark on the map was Kaosbund, a great capital of an ancient kingdom of Eternus, or whatever was left of it. The Eternus name, it was familiar somehow. Most likely descendants of that kingdom still live to this day, likely oblivious of their bloodline.

Staring at the map as she followed behind then glancing up as they mentioned the lilies, as her eyes drifted back to the map she heard one of the group say something. Something to do with the map but she just nodded anyway. Not really paying attention until a hooded mage walked up to her and started talking to her, she tilted her head, wondering who they were. He removed his hood and it was the mage who suggested the scouting, she let out a soft "ohh" before nodding, she was still fixated with his hair. She thought when they met up at the tavern she would ask. She listened carefully as he pointed out where the tavern was and what time they need to be there. Darthalia put a finger to her mouth and bit it softly, drawing blood and marking a dot where the tavern is. This may of seemed odd to some but it was a normal occurrence for the elf. Ink was rarely sold in the undercity and if it was it was expensive. So she would usually use a mix of animal blood and sap, or even sometimes her own blood. After marking the map she glanced to the mage, he was called Ordore, or was it Ordoe.....no it was Ordore, she was sure. She spoke as she started walking again "Try not to die".

Steven bandaged his bleeding arm, listening to the conversations of the other trainees. He finally recognised the girl with the twin blades, Alicia Von Eternus. On reflection, he should’ve remembered the name, considering he’d heard of the highly esteemed Eternus family on more than one occasion. The heavily armoured support guy he recognised as Varkasaan, and the dwarf woman he remembered as Dysmoria. They naturally gravitated around Alicia, it seemed, as she was the one who took control after the captain was taken down. The fight… Steven wasn’t sure what to think of the events that had just unfolded. ---------------------------- During the fight, Steven had almost ran out of arrows, and while all had hit their mark and that was considered a good thing, it did little to rid the bad taste in Steven's mouth. Sometime after he began shooting, he noticed that the bandits were almost literally running into the recruits' swords with no regard for their safety. He had soon realised that this wasn't a fight, but he hadn't been sure what it was any more. Was it attrition? A diversion? A test? Steven saw a hand behind it, but he couldn't see who it belonged to. It made him feel sick, and it felt like his actions and the actions of all the trainees were pointless, because there was ultimately no reason for this 'battle' to happen. But the worst part of it was the feeling of pointlessness, a feeling he was very familiar with. Being a commoner adopted into a noble house, he was used to feeling out of loop. He was forced to adopt the noble ways and to shrug off the mantle of poverty, which he did fairly well. But despite his best efforts to conform to his new role in life, most of the people around him seemed to see him as a stain which would never disappear, and Steven tried to change their mind. He tried to prove that he could be like them, he could blend in and be with them. He made progress, too. He matched their mannerisms, their etiquette, their fashion. He devoted most of his young life to fitting in. But despite his best efforts, it was fruitless. They would forever see him as the commoner boy adopted out of the lord's goodwill. What he had done during the battle was ultimately the same. The same as what his foster father described his trips to rural villages to be. A whole lot of effort to end up nowhere. But there were other things he was worried about, things that made him question whether or not he should’ve joined the Luminous knights. It was the mages, the very enemies that the Luminous knights fought against. The very beings that Steven himself had been groomed to fight. Everyone around him had been groomed to fight them, yet Steven wasn’t sure if he wanted to. After the battle ended, there was a clamour, and Steven observed quietly from the roof of the caravan. He saw a flash of a strange tattoo on the necks of the bandits. That the trainees were checking. Steven had carefully taken an arrow from his quiver. He had felt a looming sense of dread, coming closer and closer. Suddenly, a dull pain flared in his arm and Steven reflexively swatted at the sensation, seeing a flash of a dark tendril as he glimpsed it. Instinctively wrapping the arrow in the power of Luminosity, he sliced the tendril and it burned with white fire. The fire traced all the way into the arm and Steven felt a dull burning sensation in his bicep which faded, leaving a lingering pain behind. A magic attack, and Steven looked for the source. The Mage’s exposition gave him all the clues he needed. This wasn’t attrition, a diversion or a test. It was a trap. He searched the surrounding area and caught a slight movement in the trees. He looked harder and saw a bit of robe. Steven drew his arrow back, looking to kill. In the corner of his eyes, he saw recruits being controlled by the magic, someone shouting orders. But Steven hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to kill again. He had another human’s life on the point of his arrow, but he wasn’t entirely sure where that life stood. He’d taken the lives of many bandits, but they were described by most as the scum of the earth. Could he really kill someone he knew nothing about? Steven adjusted his aim for the foot, but the sudden movement brought a twang of pain from his arm and he suddenly released the arrow which struck just below the mage’s leg. Steven grabbed his arm, the pain of the burns truly beginning to take effect, as the mage fell out of the tree to reveal a boy, around Steven’s age. Steven didn’t draw another arrow. Another recruit dashed forward to strike him down, and a girl who was even younger than the boy appeared from the shadows, cutting the unfortunate recruit in half. Despite her appearance, everyone could feel her presence. They could feel that she was many times more powerful than the other mage, despite her being several years younger. She radiated power, and her presence made Steven uneasy. Steven didn’t need to look to know that the trainees were scared. This wasn’t an enemy they could fight. It was like their fight just now, with the mind controlled bandits. If they fought her, it wouldn’t be a battle. It would be slaughter. Steven could only watch numbly as chaos unfolded. A white spear came out of nowhere as an Overlord arrived onto the scene. Clones of the girl formed out of the trainees’ own shadows. Steven rolled to put some distance between his clone and drew one of his daggers as he rose, giving a quick slash imbued with Luminous power which met the shadow clone’s claw. The clone brought its other claw forward and Steven drew his other dagger, blocking the blow and locking into combat with it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the trainees were in battle with the clones, like him. Steven built up his strength and twisted left hard, sweeping the claws away and using the momentum to chain his twist with a back-heeled kick, knocking the clone onto its back. Not wasting the opportunity, Steven dashed forward and severed the shadow clone’s head, the clone disappearing into white flames. Steven drew his bow again and did his best to support the others, sending arrows into the ranks of the shadows. Eventually, the shadow clones dispersed and her real form appeared near Overlord Levran. It was clear, this was between the mage and the Overlord. Overlord Levran and the girl began fighting at a speed which Steven could barely comprehend, and he watched every millisecond of it. The girl was insanely fast, and Levran was around equally as fast. A shadow cat came out of nowhere and started pressuring the Overlord. No doubt it looked like a blur of black and white to the others, Steven watched them fight at a speed almost faster than the human eye could see. Levran bought up his hand and a large ball of light began to form. Tim averted his eyes as a massive wave of light dispelled the shadows. When the light faded, the girl had disappeared and they were safe. Tim lowered his bow and held his arm, still feeling the sting of the burns. The battle was done, the girl was gone. There were several things Steven needed to think about, and he had an arm to tend to. ----------------------------------- Steven finished bandaging his arm. The burns had prevented major bleeding, but the wound still carried some risk if left unattended. It barely stung now, and the scars would likely fade by the next day. There were other scars he was more worried about, however. Mental scars. Not his mental scars, but of the others. The other trainees. 3 paladins had been taken during the initial attack, including the captain. Another was cut in half when the girl appeared and a few more were heavily injured from the fight with the shadow clones, but the trainees had wisely stayed far away from the Overlord’s fight with the shadowy mage. Overall, 3 trainees and a veteran had been killed in what should’ve been a straightforward bandit suppression. Pretty bad, all in all, but not so bad considering that they fought 2 mages without any plans. Neither of their powers could be laughed at, and Steven had expected more casualties. That said, it was likely that they would likely have all died if not for the Overlord. Levran proved to the trainees that night that he was a powerful man. Very powerful, and fast enough to keep up with someone smaller than him wearing no armour while he himself wore pretty much full armour. It was clear to all of the trainees that the man was strong. Steven could see the admiration in his eyes, statements confirming the fact. They admired his strength. Strength which had fought off the hands of evil, grasping at the throats of justice. Strength which they aspired to possess, for strength was the reason that many hopeful people joined the Luminous knights. But Steven his concerns. Certainly, if this night’s experience was anything to go on, he needed to be stronger. Strength wasn’t a bad thing. But there was something he felt like he wasn’t prepared to do. Something he felt would be wrong. It resonated into the core of his being and conflicted with the duties of the Luminous knights. The centre of his regarded the 2 mages of the evening, a young read headed mage and an even younger shadow manipulating mage. They were strong, no doubt about it. The red headed boy, despite his failure, had a formidable technique that would ultimately prove to turn the tide in most conflict. The bandits had practically rose from the dead. The boy displayed the ability to use corpses to make an army. If that wasn’t enough, he could even convert allied soldiers to be his own soldiers. There was potential in that boy. And then there was the girl… Mimel was her name, uttered by the red haired boy. Her abilities were in a whole other dimension, more suited for frontline annihilation than strategy. But she was still several levels above the red headed boy, and it showed. Her speed was inhuman, her strength wasn’t a joke. The ability to spontaneously and simultaneously spawn shadow clones out of the shadows of everyone on the field was power to be feared. She held her own against an Overlord, and pressured him, forcing him to use one of his strongest spells. Steven was bothered by one thing. Something he didn’t expect. There was no doubt that the mages were strong. There was also no doubt that the Overlord was strong. During training, it had been drilled into his head that the Luminous knight’s greatest enemies were the mages, and with the tales they wrought about them, Steven was shocked to find such power in people so _young_. Mimel in particular looked to be around 10 years old, yet she was fighting a man who was likely in his middling years. Granted, she was extremely powerful, even though she seemed young, but Steven just found it so _wrong_, it bothered him to no end. Steven remembered when he was 10. He’d been in the Ritrock household for several years and was adjusting quite well. It was a good year for him, he enjoyed it a lot. Drakul had wanted some distance between them (as he was hitting puberty) and so he read books and kept Esmeralda company for most of that time. Being 10 years old was a time of fun and laughter for him. Being 10 years old was a good time. Steven didn’t associate being 10 years old with the killing potential of a natural disaster. And even if she was older than she looked, which was feasible, what about the red headed boy? He looked to be around the same age as Steven, and his manner of speech would support his theory. Granted, Steven himself was on the frontline as a trainee in the Luminous knights. He’d seen a few trainees a little younger than him before, but most had dropped out. He was likely the youngest member of the group, in fact. But the red headed boy showed a disregard for human life so blatant that Steven practically knew that his life must’ve been steeped in bloodshed. What had made them so different? Why were people so young so… blood thirsty? And it wasn’t limited to the mages. Steven himself was a young warrior, one groomed to battle and draw blood. The Luminous knights had no age restrictions, so hypothetically speaking, anyone could train to become a Luminous knight. He knew that there technically were restrictions, physical restrictions, that couldn’t be bypassed. There was only so much strength you can squeeze from a child when compared to, say, a 16 year old. But assuming they had the ability to get past that, hypothetically, anyone could join the Luminous knights, even if they were 10 years old. And that spoke volumes to Steven about the world he lived in. Children were groomed to fight. To kill. He’d seen it in the mages they had fought just now, he saw it in himself. But for the first time, Steven thought that there was something wrong with the all of it. Steven, weary from the exertion, looked around at his fellow trainees. Many talked about the might of the Overlord, some chatted about the battle they fought. The overall mood was, however, decidedly sombre. More losses than they had expected, achieving less than they expected. Overall disappointment. But he noticed that no one seemed to notice what Steven was thinking. He didn’t hear anyone talking about their age, he didn’t hear anyone questioning why children had to fight. And ultimately, there was no reason. There were people who became killers out of choice and people who became killers out of circumstance. But no matter how hard he tried, Steven couldn’t wrap his head around the concept of children becoming potential mass murderers. Every fibre of his being told him that it couldn’t happen. He couldn’t even imagine the tragedy and apathy required to force a child to commit murder. He just couldn’t replace the smiles and the warmth with blood and cold. For once in his life, Steven felt that there was something wrong with the world, and while it may have just been lingering childish naivety, he was worried that no one else thought the same.

#### Eddy Ordore guy, serious as ever, wanted to speak privately with him. But first, he had to relay the message to the rest of group. And the plan was made clear - The Jackals will lead, and the rest will follow in their footsteps. But first, there was this tavern to get supplies. Eddy didn't really understand the need for such trivial things, after all, nature has everything you could need. But then again, not everyone was as good as Eddy, or had such low standards of living. Getting back to Ordore, he considered the best course of action could be dealt with in the tavern. **"Ok. I'm curious about what you want to talk about, but I would rather talk about it in the tavern."** he said as he carefully and sneakily pointed to Misala. **"I'm sure you understand that."**