Coco Bean sighed, at least mentally, as Althalus set up a fire. She walked over, slowly but steadily, and sat down with her legs crossed and back straight. For minutes, she listened. To what her companions said to each other, to the strange but interesting sounds of chewing and swallowing. Then she broke free of her thoughts, and focused on the conversation at hand. Althalus had begun talking about the Mages in the woods again. She tried to speak first, but her mind wandered, so she waited. After Grey put in his own thoughts, deeming it important to imply Coco herself wasn't in condition to fight for her home, she put both hands on her knees and twitched her leaves. "This forest is my home. My brothers and sisters--They're in there. Who knows what those sick fleshlings are doing to them right now?" Coco asked, then stretched her legs and brought one knee up, upon which she rested her chin. "I've got to make sure they're doing okay. The Tree, the Cave, the other Foreas, all of them. So, I'm staying. I can't return to the College until I make sure they're safe." Coco then turned her head towards Grey, "I'm not wounded. It's just a bruise. I'm a tough tree." She mentioned as her leaves quivered and her chocolate scent strengthened for a moment, artefact blinking a pink light in rapid succession. That means she laughed.

Leith was grateful for the peace and quiet that followed after the diplomat had left, the quiet being a new addition. The fact that the buzzing in his head was gone was amazing. It had been five years years of endless noise, and in an instant, it was gone. As he bandaged his arm and offered to clean up Coco's head wound, he waited for the buzzing to come back as if it were a trick, but it didn't. There was just silence. He enjoyed the silence until Althalus started speaking again. Leith sat up and listened to both Grey and Coco, chuckling when Coco said that she was a tough tree, before he gave his thoughts. "The kid should know more about the people we're after. Questioning him might be a good idea." He paused. "I'm also thinking that if he is fully cooperative, key word being fully, he could possibly give us an edge. It'd be a lot better than having him as dead weight, and he did seem dead set on going after these men before he sicced the town on us."

Caravan Escort

Slowly the guard got to his feet before Ssarak and Meirin flanked him, but when they did he was defenseless. In his daze he did not pick up his sword or shield, but the snarl on his face made it clear that he still had some fight in him. But slowly that snarl turned into a weaken glare as the captain began to sway, coughing violently. Once he had finished hacking his lung he raised a hand out, as though he was asking Ssarak and Meirin to give him a moment. "Yes, yes! We... We don't need to fight. This, I hope, is a misunderstanding... Please, let me explain."

The captain sat down to rest, seeing that he wasn't even in any shape to stand. He look a few deep breaths before he started to explain himself. "My name is Gran Soren. I am a captain of the Tide Tower barony. Recently my men and I have been assigned to protect a toll bridge, much like this one, but... Something, at some point, went amiss... You'd have to believe me when I say that we don't belong here. Not that my men know this, but at some point I was attacked by something, likely vampires given recent news. They must have turned me into a thrall or something. I know this might sound strange, but it was like... Like I could see my body act like some sort of primal animal. You saw it, didn't you? My aggression, the fury, that wasn't me! I... I was enthralled with some sort of magic. For the past few weeks my men and I have been protecting this toll as we were told, but sometimes I simply blank out. The next thing I know we have a large supply that, from what I've been told, we've acquisition from bandits and need to send back to Hysteria. Of course I knew in my heart this was a lie but I had no way to know the truth. The best I could do was try to remember anyone who wasn't with me when I came here. I know there was always one stranger who came by, and I believe he was the one who would continue to enthrall me in order to control me and my men."

The captain then explained to Ssarak and Meirin everything else he knew. He told them about the pale guard, who was the only one who was able to break out of the spell but was than turned by vampires. When (Or if) told about the robed man, Gran becomes furious as he knows that he was the one who continued to manipulate him and his guardsmen with magic. He ensures everyone that he'll deal with the mage, but doesn't know who the mage's affiliation is. His emblem was unfamiliar to Gran through he does mention that he's seen something like it in Hysteria, near the trade guilds. Beyond that he also tells the group of the recent troubles Djarkel has been suffering from, including demons becoming more rampant than usual, cult activities, and oddly enough peace amongst the baronies. However this peace is more like an interlude before a great war, as all the baronies have pout as many men and women they can grab into their armies. War was coming, and with all the chaos that came with it. Gran's tone makes it clear that he has no interest in the war regardless of why it's being fought. The way Gran dismisses the resurgent of demons suggests that he is unaware of the attack at the College. The last thing that Gran tells the caravan escort before they would part ways is for them not to travel at night: As he said before vampires roam this part of Djarkel and if possible it would be best for you to set up a defensive camp as soon as night falls. He also assures the group that he holds them no hard feelings about fighting him and his men, thankfully unaware of Alaira's involvement in the first place. The last thing that the group might have seen before continuing on was Gran helping his last guard back to his feet as he casually snapped the neck of the robed man.

Hours past without much more trouble. Night was falling and there was no inn's or villages near by. Taking the captain's suggestion, as soon as the moon was half-way up the horizon he had stopped the wagon at an abandoned roadside shop. The caravan master recognizes it as a former traveler's rest shop: Back when Djarkel had a much less bandit activity entrepreneurs would set up shops literally in the middle of nowhere like this to peddle supplies and services to caravanners and travelers. But as bandits became more common the isolated shops became easy targets for the outlaws and eventually abandoned. There was nothing within this building worth noting, but at least it would provide shelter from the elements and could be fitted with a padlock. The caravan master wanted one of the college students to stay outside to keep watch and protect the wagon: while he can unhitch the horse from it he didn't want her to run off on her own, otherwise they would be stuck here. He suggest everyone taking shifts.

Taking a few logs from the wagon the caravan master makes a fire at the store's hearth. He would make dinner for everyone, though all it was is a very bland tasting gruel. He distances himself from Alaira and seems to ignore her as much as he can. Weather wise there were a few clouds in the night sky and a crescent moon. It was approximately 9-10 at night. Before heading to bed the caravan told everyone that they will be leaving before sunrise.

Lucilia Riovas

Lucilia shook her head in mild disappointment. "As if willful ignorance is a better alternative, Headmaster. I'm almost offended that you would think that we, some of the most brilliant minds in the world, would not be able to understand your plight... Or maybe you simply don't trust us." Lucilia's voice became somber at that thought. She had no doubts that she has done some questionable things in the past as well, and that she has made plans for everyone betraying her or the college, even Khan himself. And yet she still trusts them enough to let them know any issues or flaws she's dealing with in the hopes that together they could find a solution. It really did make Lucilia wonder what was so wrong with Khan that he would hide it from the others. And more importantly how serious it was that no one has figured it out yet.

Before she continued Lucilia took a pocket watch out from one of her pockets. Unlike the rest of today's new applicants, she actually did have a new student scheduled to come in today. He should be in at around this time, and soon there was a knock on the door. Rubbing her tired eyes Lucilia went to her desk to prepare the papers.

"I have another new applicant to handle, Headmaster. As your personal physician I am telling you that you need to rest. No more experiments, no magic, just relax and don't hurt yourself. Retire to your room and I'll be sure to bring you whatever documents that warrant your attention. With so much going on just this past few hour I'm sure I can find something for you to work on." Taking one last breath to compose herself Lucilia unlocked her door. With a wave of her hand the door opened, revealing one of the college guardsmen and a stout dwarf with a strange arm. "Greetings, Gadd Skorne! Welcome to the Twilight College. I am Lucilia Riovas, Professor of Herbmancy and general secretary of the college. I hope that your travels here were peaceful. If you can come take a seat I'll show you everything you need to know and fill out for the college."

Annabeth Gulch

It was late by the time Annabeth and her team had returned from the forest. They had collected quite a bit of supplies to use for fletching, which hopefully Aramir and Auriel will be able to make use of. Annabeth also continued to carry Arcadius around her neck, largely ignoring his chatter but occasionally listening on the off chance that he might say something important or insightful. When they arrived back at the camp Eural seemed to have lost his patience with the group. While Annabeth was initially embarrassed for taking so much time, she did speak out in their defense. "Sorry for taking so long, but we're not going to simply throw ourselves at at the roc and hope for the best. We need these materials to have a fighting chance against the roc. From what you tell us, killing it would be... Impossible with our current equipment. But hopefully we can cobble something together that would at least allow us to put that damn bird out of commission long enough to grab the wagons and get out."

As Annabeth was putting the items into the back of the wagon the horse bite her sleeve. She initially was startled, but seeing it lick it's mouth hungrily Annabeth just smiled. If she was a better Psychomancer she would have tried to communicate with it, though she should save her mage blood for the roc. "Wait here, I'll get you a snack." As Annabeth put the supplies into the back of the wagon she suck the horse a carrot from her lunch. It was hard and dry, but really the only thing she had to give it. She rubbed the horse's mane and cooed it softly. "We're going to need your help soon. Be strong and I promise that we'll all come home safe and sound." Giving the horse a reassuring smile Annabeth went to the back of the wagon and started to weave the vine and plant fibers into a rope. That much she can do. She still needed Aramir and Auriel to make the arrows however. And with Eural so eager to ride towards their doom they needed to come back soon.

Uicle glared, or at least, he felt like he did, at Khan as Rathel saved the elf from the vines. "This, you see, is why you tell more than just yourself about the attack plants in your office." He spoke to Khan, watching careful as they obviously irritated elf had the parasites removed from her. Before Uicle could lay into Khan about everything that had just happened, Lucilia was adding him in standing and taking him away with a final comment. "Oh, we're going to discuss more than what just happened. Khan has a lot to tell us about, don't you Khan?" This was said with a false cheerfulness, before he turned to the Elf. "Now that you're not in danger of being eaten alive by plant parasites from the inside out, lets take you to the infirmary before anything else happens. You can come with us too Orc, just so you can be a bit more prepared before whatever Tyrael has planned for you two." Uicle gestured for the two of them to follow and walked away, before speaking again. "My name is Uicle, as you've doubtlessly guessed by now. Two questions, before I answer any of yours. One, what would your names be and two, what are you at the College to study?"

The pain that searred through Myrn was undescribable, and she was suppose to be the woman to make tales about these sorts of things. About half way through her body simply went numb, possibly a defense mechanism, and by the time she came to the pale woman from before was applying some sort of ointment to her wounds. Myrn heard her say words but she couldn't catch any of them. Than suddenly the pale women just stood up and walked back to the Head Master. "This has been a hellish day..."

Despite all the pain and suffering she went through just recently, today was not only eventful but rather productive. She found her rescurer from before, got to meet the headmaster and some colorful characters, and she got to put her blade to work. Life wasn't fun without it's dangers, though she liked to be a bit more prepared for trouble than to let it blindside her. Soon enough Myrn was coherant enough to hear the hollow suit of armor Uicle ask her what he name and what she was here to study. This might cause a bit of complications. "Ah... Well the thing is, I don't have magic. Of that I'm certain. Oh, but first, names. I am Myrn Vaan'Atisha. Now, despite not having magic, I do wish to stay here. I owe it to him to be by his side." Myrn motioned towards Krogal.

The orc could only sit and watch, feeling useless as others came and went. He was powerless to help his elvish friend. As the demon pulled the worms out of the girls body he resisted the urge to hug it knowing full well the stories the orcs told about them. "They'll drag you into their plane and twist you into something different." The elders used to tell him, they apparently really like young orcs for a reason often telling them they would come after him if he misbehaved in anyway. The pale lady, came and went giving her bit of advice before moving on.

Another entered and offered to take them away and Korgal followed, sticking close to the elf. He had saved her once he wasn't going to lose her and he felt as if it was his fault, if she didn't follow him to this place she wouldn't of been hurt. He came here to escape having to hurt people, to learn to harness whatever it was that was living inside him so he didn't have to see anybody in pain anymore. But he failed, and he was barely listening when the man in armor introduced himself as Uicle. "I am Korgal Vorinclex of the Frostfall clan." He then proceeded to hug the giant suit of armor.

Uicle glanced over at Myrn. "Interesting. Typically if a nonmage comes to the College they want a job, they want us to do something for them, or their stopping because they need a safe place to rest. I'm going to assume he saved your life or saved you from a terrible fate, and leave it at that. But while you're here, I doubt you're going to just follow mr...."Uicle trailed off as the Orc stepped forward. He stopped and did a double check at his name. "Vorincl-" He was silenced as soon as the orc enveloped him in a hug, careful to keep his staff away from the Orc. Well. This wasn't what he expected at all. Least of all from an Orc. "Erm. Does he do this often?" He asked the elf, muffled by the hug still. "Korgal. I'm going to guess you like hugs. But if you hug me any longer something ba-" Crack. "Gods dammit." Something, likely something vital, in Uicle's armor had broken. What exactly had broken remained would be seen as soon as the orc let go of Uicle.

Myrn couldn't help just laugh at how affectionate Krogal was. It was a delightful change of pace from the usual orcs she meant. The were, at best, aloof and arrogant, or barbaric monsters. It was a racists preception, sure, but her experience with most orcs were not kind. Good to know that Krogal was an exception.

The three people walked towards the Infirmary. Uicle made a comment, or at least was about to, about how Myrn couldn't possibly just follow Krogal around. "On the contrary! Since I do not have any magic, I think this would give me plenty of time to be of service for Krogal. As I've said before, I owe it to him for saving my life. I find it only appropiate that I serve for the rest of his until he no longer wants my company. Of course I don't intend to simply live off Krogal's earnings. If possible I could apply for some work here to pay any fees or services I make use of."

Myrn was quiet for a moment as she tried to remember something one of the figures from before said. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know who the demon or the pale woman was. "I beleive the demon said something about a task for me and Krogal? I'm... Not entirely certain what he would possibly want with us. But who was he anyways? And the pale woman? I need to thank her for the medicine she applied. Oh, and of course the demon who removed the vines from my body. Painful as it was I'm thankful that he cured me of them."

Uicle waited a moment to see if Korgal would let him go. When he was not released, he sighed, and then spoke too Myrn. "While this is true, you would be of very little use to him in his magic classes, I'm afraid. Also, we don't really pay College students here, or take money from them. The College is self-sufficient, and anything the students need they merely ask for. In return of course, we use them to help keep diplomatic relations up. Missions and all that. I assume you know how to use that blade of yours, so I'm sure we can make use of you some how. The demon who wanted to slice you up was Tyrael. That's about as friendly as he gets, you should know. The pale woman was the vampire Lucilia. Nice girl, if you can stand being around a manipulative person. The demon was Khan's, his name Rathel, I believe. The nicest out of all of us in the College. Fair warning, the mission Tyrael is sending you will probably be a retrieval one and involve danger. Keep your blade ready." There was another crack and Uicle cursed under his breath. Something about Aarem.

"Korgal, for the love of all the Gods let me go."

Myrn visibly tensed when Uicle mentioned that Lucilia was a vampire. Her hand twitched as she wanted to grab her sword but she knew this was a foolish thing to do. She almost didn't want to beleive it, but now it was starting to make sense. Lucilia was only being nice to her so she could suck Myrn's blood later. Uicle himself said that she was manipulative. Lucilia was someone that Myrn had to be careful around. And more importantly, keep Krogal away from. She didn't know Krogal very well but he seemed like the type of person who'd fall for the vampire's charms.

"I see. Well, thank you for that information Uicle."

Seeing Uicle in distress with Krogal Myrn decided to help him out a bit. She leaned against the wall and was slouched, putting her hand over one of the areas where she was wounded before. "Krogal... Could you help me stand? I'm still a bit weak from before."

Korgal let the giant armored man go as soon as the elf needed him. He was there helping her, but instead of just being something to lean on he picked the elf up and carried her in his arms. Fitting considering the fact that no long ago he had held her in this same way from a pack of night-walkers. He shivered at the fact that the nice pale lady was one of those things they only caused trouble in the frozen nights. But then he had only heard stories of them attacking orcs and hadn't actually seen them do it. The more he thought on this the more he realized most of his knowledge came from stories pased onto him by the elders and shamans of his tribe, he knew nothing of this big wide world much less anything about it.

He must of not been paying attention, seeing as he narrowly avoided slamming into a small and frail human. "Sorry." He muttered, both to the student and to Myrn, he looked down at the elf and smiled a warm smile that seemed out of place for an orc. "I accecpt your life debt and our honor is now shared." Korgal said, and went quiet.

As soon as the Orc let Uicle go, his arm not holding the staff fell off. "Well. All things considered, it could have been wor-" Then his upper chest crumpled inwards, and one of his legs gave out. He hit the ground with a loud clang and several curses. "Very funny." He grumbled as he fixed his leg. He didn't even bother with his chest, picking himself up off the ground.

With Myrn riding in Krogal's arms and Uicle pulling himself together the trio went to the infirmary. It didn't seem very busy at the moment and once inside Myrn let herself down from Krogal. "Oh wow! This place looks much more... Cleaner than I had thought." Myrn was somewhat expecting a sort of nightmarish dungeon where chimeras were being made, or shady drugs were being pumped into people's bodies, while the whole "heal the infirm" part of the infirmary was just a fortunate side effect of their experiments. Though Myrn didn't rule out the possibility of laboratories. "So who do we see now?" Myrn was actually feeling rather chipper, previous injuries aside. She would have simply skipped over this whole infirmary trip if she didn't have a sliver of doubt that a vine was still stuck in her body. As brutal as it's removal, there was always a chance for things to take a turn for the worse.

"Well what did you expect? A dark cesspit?" Uicle chided, limping into the medbay as best he was able. If I ever get my hands on whatever gave Aarem his creativity I'm going to slap them. Terrible. Just lots of rocks. Shaking himself from his own thoughts, he continued talking to the two new students. "Right, Sam would have all of our hides if we even tried to make it look like that. Have you ever seen a giant angry Esyire cowed by an old man? I have. It's funny and terrifying all at the same time. Regardless, look for the old man who runs everything in the medical bay. Or just wander around till one of the aids comes and asks you what you need. Try not to mention the demonic plants to anyone but Sam, please. We don't need any more panic in the College. Anything else before I leave you?"

Looking around the infirmary Myrn turned back to Uicle and bowed her head. "No, I think I can handle things from here. Thank you for guiding Krogal and I, Master Uicle. I hope that your... Misfortunes come to an end." Myrn had notice the copious amount of torment Uicle seemed to find himself going through. The very foundations of the school seem to give way just to hurt him and Myrn hoped that nothing as bad would happen to others. Myrn than went off to find Sam or one of his assistance. The faster they got this over with, the sooner she could help Krogal with whatever it was he needed to do now.

After getting a check up with Sam, Myrn was told that aside from her flesh wounds she seemed to have no other physical problems. Of course she was encouraged to always come to the Infirmary if she feels unwell, which Myrn promised to do. When asked about how she got her injuries she spun a masterly crafted tale about her travels to the college and her run in with some barbarians from the orc lands. There was some truth in what she was saying: She had been attacked by thorn-vine wielding orcs before, but that was a long time ago. However the injuries she sustained in Khan's office were similar to these, and promising to keep that mishap a secret Myrn referred to this tale. Once Sam accepted her story and let her leave Myrn turned to Krogal. [color=ff79a]"We should go see what that teacher wanted. It'll be best for us to get on their good side, but we should also make sure this task isn't too difficult for us. I don't know what that teacher could possibly want us to do, but hopefully it won't be as dangerous as Uicle says it is. Now than, shall we go Krogal?"[/color]

Mar had stirred during the conversation taking place. Her arms pushed herself upright while her mind whirled with enough emotions to set her body in pain, even her bones. It felt like her heart had went dead inside her chest, a fact that was impossible, while let the dizziness fade. She raised her fingers to touch her temple. Was that a dream...?

It was then did she note her torso and head been salved and bandaged again, her eyes looking downward to brush over the workmanship. Only one person could've been that sloppy. Althalus.

Her nose caught the scents of food and flame meeting, the meat roasting with vegetables and roots blending their tastes. It reminded her how Lyn enjoyed her meals well cooked rather then raw, despite Mar's insistence she ate at least some raw meat. Her mother instinct cringed inside. It hurt to know she missed her child and naturally it tugged to return to the College.

The others had gathered closely to the fire though Mar hung furthest back, her ears listening but her voice silent.

Althalus was the first to speak, “So, we all know that the mages we're hunting are in the woods. And we all know we can't just go back to the College and say 'well, we captured one mage, and insulted a diplomat, but decided that going after the others in the woods would be too much of a problem.'. Not only would that ruin the College's relationship with whoever we're doing this for, the College would just send another group of mages. One they feel could properly deal with the situation. So. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Grey sat nearby, his hand running a sharping stone along the axe's blade before he finally set it aside to speak. He sighed then begin,“We don't know how powerful they are, or how many there are, or even if they have minions or bodyguards, or the like. We don't have the element of surprise, I'm far from stealthy, we probably don't have the numbers, some of us are not exactly made of iron, and Coco and Mar are wounded. The smart course of action would be to return home, and yet..." His eyes shifted upward though his words continued. "I can't stomach the thought of those marauders free to wreak havoc any longer than they already have... If we must fight, we need to prepare accordingly. Learn to work as a team."

When Grey finished, his eyes looked each of them as if seeking their thoughts.

Coco on the other hand, had been sitting cross legged and straighten back to the conversation. She seemed to almost start and then fell back from it, waiting until Grey had finished before she started. Her posture shifted when she placed both hands on her knees causing her leaves to bristle. Her anger and questions made it easy to see where she stood in this. "This forest is my home. My brothers and sisters--They're in there. Who knows what those sick fleshlings are doing to them right now?"

The plant like being then stretched her legs, bring up one knee to rest her chin upon. Her scent was clearly worried as far as Mar's tongue could tell. "I've got to make sure they're doing okay. The Tree, the Cave, the other Foreas, all of them. So, I'm staying. I can't return to the College until I make sure they're safe."

Coco turned her head towards Grey to protest her health, "I'm not wounded. It's just a bruise. I'm a tough tree." For a moment, her leaves quivered and her chocolate scent strengthened while her artefact blinking a pink light in rapid succession. Mar assumed it was a positive sign.

Finally Leith stood upright, when both Grey and Coco concluded, with a chuckle. "The kid should know more about the people we're after. Questioning him might be a good idea." He paused, considering his next words. "I'm also thinking that if he is fully cooperative, key word being fully, he could possibly give us an edge. It'd be a lot better than having him as dead weight, and he did seem dead set on going after these men before he sicced the town on us."

”It is more likely to fail as before Grey attempted to kill the boy, I attempted to gain some information. None of it was much use. Also, I doubt he'll be anymore cooperative then before. There's something else you've over looked. When he wakes, what's to stop him from spelling our weapons and slaughtering us with them? This time if we revive him and he tries to kill us, I have only option: to kill him. Can you live with the consequence?” Mar asked quietly, not sure if she could stop the slaughter again unless she killed him. A matter that would've been best to have dealt out originally then later. Her eyes settled on Leith as he was the one who suggested though she would likely be the executioner, her eyes fixed on him harshly and would seem to judge his next answer...much like the Goddess she unknowingly resembled.



Khan was too exhausted to fight when he heard Lucilia mumble something, his body lowered to a chair within her office and his knee no longer screaming in pain. His teeth had stopped short of grinding into the root when he felt the weight removed. Allowing himself to rest, Khan rested his free hand on his other knee leaving the other to stretch out and the pain to dull. His head turned to see Lucilia walk to her cabinet and open the doors, her reddish eyes scanning the interior before selecting some coffee beans then mixing them together into a key blend. Brewing and straining the dark liquid, the steam floated on the top while she prepared both mugs. Finally topping her own off with a red liquid that distinctively looked like Marrow Draught, she then passed him his own.

Nodding, he gently took the still warm cup and took a sip. The flavor was slightly bitter, like almonds, lingering on his tongue long after the liquid disappeared down his throat. It cleared most the dryness yet heated his gullet considerately causing him to resist the urge to cough. It lacked sweetness and the subtleness of his tea, though in his opinion it wasn’t half bad for a change of pace. Feeling guilty about his earlier display of weakness, Khan managed another sip before Lucilia’s harsh tongue caught his attention. The headmaster flinched visibly. His remorse filling his figure and feeling more like a small child for being told what he already knew. For a moment it had lingered while she scolded him. Reminded him of his position and in addition, again how important it was.

“I suppose you’ve already talked to Uicle, haven’t you?” Khan asked, his eyebrow raised while he left it linger for a moment. With resistance, he sighed softly. “Lucilia, this matter is far more complicated than any of you can understand. As for my intentions, the vines are a safety measure. One to protect against anything Kudd might throw at us in the future. Demon or otherwise. After the poisoning, I get the feeling he’s only begun…”

Lucilia Riovas
Khan listened to her further ridicule and chide him, his hand held the mug tightly throughout the one sided conversation. He knew she was putting words into his mouth and accepted it. It was a matter he had brought on himself after all, deserving her bitterness and anger, while rarely taking a sip. It wasn't that he didn't trust but merely it was safer for all them. Kudd was dangerous. No one could deny this fact, one he knew better than them since he had encounter the God twice already. One too many times for his own liking and deep down he regretted having gained the bastard's obsession. Time would soon tell the results of his foolish youth. He hoped those he called allies and friends could survive it, his heart tighten within his chest.

It made him realize how little he had truly told them. Most the teachers at the College believed he used demonomancy the normal way, a matter he hadn't corrected and preferred it remain that way. His thoughts were torn from his coffee when Lucilia glanced at her watch. It seemed like clockwork when there was a knock at the door causing Lucilia to rub her tired eyes, her figure traveled to the desk and gather some papers. They ruffled during her next words.

"I have another new applicant to handle, Headmaster. As your personal physician I am telling you that you need to rest. No more experiments, no magic, just relax and don't hurt yourself. Retire to your room and I'll be sure to bring you whatever documents that warrant your attention. With so much going on just this past few hour I'm sure I can find something for you to work on." Breathing once, she straightened herself up and turned to the door. Her fingers flipped the lock and waved off the gaurdsmen, her attention focused on the new arrival. Khan's eyes studied, slightly curious, over the dwarf noting the strange arm before he rose upright. Careful not to interrupt her, he set down the mostly drank mug, then waited until the pair had edged into the room.

“It's not that I don't trust you, Lucilia... I just value your lives over hurt feelings and betrayal. Your distrust and hate I can live with, but your death is another matter.” Khan said surprisingly seriously when he picked up his cane and twisted about to exit, leaving the pair to their current task. What he would do next even he wasn't sure so in the end, he let his feet lead him to the only person he felt could make sense of this mess: Ovak.



Lyn had fallen asleep during the trip, her figure still wrapped and cradled in Alaira's arms. She had been spared the sight of the Guardsman snapping the pychomancer's name thanks to her hiding spot as well Alaira, else her mind would've been scarred by the cruelty in her current state. The bear sat in one corner nearby while its beady eyes stared forward during the trip. When they camped, her body stirred slowly and felt slightly achy while her arms pushed upward to an upright position. Her golden eyes peered over the wagon side as she felt her bear grip her hand, causing her to look down and snatch it up into her arm.

Once out, she stretched to work out the kinks in her muscles. It had been rather painful sitting all day in a bumpy, continually moving wagon she offered to help which kept her from exploring the area around the store. During dinner, she struggled to fully eat the gruel and tried to hide her wrinkling expression, she noted the thick tension in the small room. It wasn't hard since the caravan master had distanced himself from her Aunt or the others seemed rather upset, though the reason was a mystery to her. Night came when the caravan man told them when they would be leaving, his figure heading off for the night and vanishing to his sleeping area. The bad part, Lyn wasn't tired. Her mind thanks to the events of the day had seemed to make her more active than her body was use to. It was clear in her slight restlessness.

Liam and Annabeth

Liam put his hands over his face, rubbed his eyes and at the same time stretched and arched his back. He stretched his lips wide and let out a small gasp of pleasure when he returned to his normal posture, and smiled.

"Yeah," he whispered to himself, "let's go help that cutie make the rope."

A moment later and he was on the wagon's door, peeking inside. Annabeth was inside, already messing around with the plant fibre for the rope. So he opened the door, waved at her with a smile, grabbed a bunch of plant fibre and began working himself.

Looking up from her work Annabeth nodded at Liam, giving him a reassuring smile. "Hey Liam, thanks for the assist. Looks like the other two already made some arrows, so we just need to make this rope and we'll be ready. Here, it has to be like this." Annabeth showed Liam the rope she was making and then picked up some new vines to show him how it was done from the beginning. "Once we get this rope finished I'll talk about what the plan is going to be when we face down the Roc. You think you'll be ready for it?"

"Sure will, Annabeth," he said with a shrug and a confident glance, "you can count on me." And then he went back to his rope, undid what he had done and redid it just like Annabeth taught him.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose and Meirin Kurenai

---

After a few hours travel beyond the bridge, the group settled down for the night and, instead of camping out in the elements, they even managed to find an old abandoned building to act as shelter. Normally, that would make for a fairly comfortable night, but the attitude of the group was nowhere close to comfortable. Apart from the caravan master giving his instructions, most of the team was uneasily silent. There was a great deal of tension in the air, mostly directed at Alaira, and while Ssarak shared that sentiment as well, he also had other thoughts on his mind. While eating dinner, most of his time was spent mentally looping through the same worries. This was his first real mission for the college, and it just happened to be something he had done many times back in his homeland. When he first accepted the escort, he assumed that fact would make him more comfortable out in the field, but now it was just serving to remind him of the danger they were in. He had lost friends and acquaintances during escort missions in his homeland, something that could easily happen again.
Like most of the others, Ssarak was obviously worried about working with Alaira. She had proved in case after case that she was a danger to her allies and, right now, was the most likely cause of the failure of the mission. However, there was also something else on his mind which, strangely enough, seemed to take more of his attention. At the river, he had noticed Meirin was injured, and even though it was a minor, simple wound, he could not stop his own worry. Even now, it was nagging at his mind. Blood loss was not the only way one could die from a wound; infection was perhaps the deadliest killer on any battlefield. Rationally, he knew that she had taken care of her injury and was almost certainly going to be fine, but the very fact that he was worrying about it hours after the event, when he did not even give his own wounds such concern, gave him...confusing thoughts. Just after the caravan master retired for the night, Meirin was standing watch outside and, for whatever reason, Ssarak felt the urge to check on her. He did not know what he hoped to accomplish, but nevertheless, he stood up from his bedroll and stepped outside.

After a brief look around, Ssarak found Meirin near the caravan's horse, though he was not quite sure why he did not look there to begin with. It was, after all, the entire reason any of them needed to stand guard. It was when he was walking up to her that he suddenly realized he had no idea what he even wanted to say. "I...hello. Is everything alright out here?" He asked.
Meirin turned to face the familiar voice. She had heard someone coming out and figured it might have been Ssarak. Of course it could have been anyone, but somehow Meirin was expecting him. It was hard not to, as of late.

Despite everything that has happened so far Meirin had just realized that this was her first mission with Ssarak, not including the demon incident. They worked fairly well together but something else was nagging Meirin's thoughts. As strange as it was, Meirin felt that she needed to protect Ssarak. The odd thing came from the fact that, in combat, Ssarak is more than capable of holding his own. He was likely a better fighter than Meirin, at least when it came to warfare. She was no stranger to violence but the worse she ever fought was soldiers who turned to banditry. And yet she sensed a certain weakness in Ssarak that she felt that she needed to protect. She couldn't place what exactly she wanted to guard however.

Meirin's thoughts returned to her when Ssarak asked his question. It had barely been an hour and he was already concerned. Though it's hard not to considering what the captain had told them a while ago. "Everything is fine. The horses are still restless but give them another hour and I'm sure even they'll be asleep. What about you? Your shift isn't until much later Ssarak. Do you need to use the bathroom?" Mostly a joke to lighten the otherwise dark mood that loomed over everyone, though if Ssarak really did need to relieve himself Meirin already took the time to dig them a hole on the other side of the cabin.

"No, I...do not know, honestly." Ssarak began as he leaned against the wall near Meirin. "I suppose I am just feeling tense, worried. No one inside is in a mood to speak, and I do not like being left alone with my thoughts at the moment. I feel I will worry myself into an early grave if I do."

Ssarak was not sure what else he could say about his reason for stepping outside, especially since he was not even certain what it was. Thinking about it, passing the time seemed like just as good of a reason as any, but there were still those nagging worries at the back of his mind; those unreasonably paranoid fears about Meirin's safety that he was trying not to dwell upon. He worried that it would seem strange if he showed such concern, but eventually, he brought himself to ask regardless. "So...are you sure you were able to clean your wound properly? Infection can be terribly dangerous." He asked.

Meirin couldn't help buy smile at Ssarak's concern. It was rather endearing that he would care so much, but surely even he saw her clean out her cut. Meirin was certain because when she saw Ssarak looking at her she even made a point to apply some ointment to help mend the skin and block out infection. "Yes, I'm quite certain. I even used my poultice to make sure the cut heals and no infection settles in. You can see for yourself!" Meirin turned her shoulder for Ssarak to see in the dim moon light, and sure enough where she had been cut by the captain's blade was now nothing more than a thin red line.

And yet from the sound of Ssarak's voice and the look in his eyes, Meirin's cut was the least of his worries. Meirin understood that he was concerned about their safety. Even if Meirin doesn't know Darius very well and doesn't have the best impression of Alaira, it was normal to be concerned about their livelihood. But Meirin couldn't shake there there was something else that Ssarak was concerned about. And she suspects that it had to do something with Meirin herself. Ssarak.

Meirin pushed herself off the wagon and walked closer to Ssarak. She was trying to look friendly, but the concern on her face was as clear as day. "Remember when I told you that, if you ever want my help, or even just want to talk, you can always come to me?" Meirin opened her mouth to say more, but no words came out. She felt that she had said all she needed to. Now Ssarak needed to anwser her question.

Ssarak was silent for a few, long moments, his head lowered and looking slightly away from her. She had picked up on his fears, though he had to admit, he had not been hiding them very well. However, he was still not even certain in his own intentions. He came outside because he felt compelled to check on her, but his reason for that confused him more than he would like. Worrying about friends was normal, but it seemed like any time he had a reason to worry, she was the first person he thought about. It was like a part of him had dedicated itself to making sure she was safe, which only served to confuse him further. Similar thoughts about her had crossed his mind before, but now that they were facing danger regularly, they were stronger than ever.

By this point, Ssarak had been staring awkwardly for long enough that he had to force himself to speak up after letting out a deep sigh. "My worries are justified, are they not? We know we are heading into danger. Anything can happen and...I worry about losing friends." He finally said, though his quick answer did not explain why so much of his attention was focused solely on Meirin. Even Lyn did not seem to recieve quite the same kind of concern from him.

Meirin shook her head. Ssarak was trying to avoid the subject, so she'll have to press on. "That's understandable Ssarak. I... I know how you feel about losing those who are close to you. And is that why you came out here?" Meirin's heart began to flutter. While she isn't exactly reserved, she typically does her best to be humble and not think too highly of herself. But part of her wanted to think that she was important to someone, to Ssarak. She had always felt this attraction to him. Admiration for his skills, empathy for his past, and respect for who he is. Something about Ssarak drew Meirin to him, but she always held these feelings in check. These feelings could cause pain and hurt her and Ssarak, and that was the last thing she wanted to do to someone so close to her. And most of all, she couldn't bare to imagine would what happen if it turns out that these feelings were one sided.

The fact that Ssarak was here opened Meirin's mind to the idea that perhaps he could return her feelings. She couldn't hesitate now. "Out of everyone here, I care about you the most Ssarak. I will gladly give my life to save everyone here if they're in danger, but I would be happier to live for you."

Ssarak had not expected Meirin's response, and it quite obviously caught him off guard. Her tone, the way she was speaking, it all seemed like...there was something she wanted to say. Before he realized it, his heart was starting to beat faster as he thought about what she could mean by 'happier to live for him.' They had been close for the past few months, that much was undeniable. He thought of her more fondly than any friend he had ever had, but he would be lying to himself if he did not admit there was more to it. The thoughts of how he might want to become...closer than friends had certainly crossed his mind over the last few months, but he had always found way to push them aside. Now, however, with the way she was speaking...he did not want to ignore them. Even if he had been consciously rejecting the idea, he could not hide from his own emotions.

"I...do not think I could agree more. You are a friend closer than any I have had, but...it is more than that, is it not? The thoughts I have had, the...paranoia about your safety..." He said, giving a slight, if nervous chuckle. [color=f7941d]"Do you feel..." He began, though he could not find the words to continue.

There were only a few words that Meirin could say in responds to Ssarak. Just a few words that could clear up this entire conversation. They were simple words, and yet they carry so much weight. Meirin stepped forward to Ssarak and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She squeezed him tightly, to show Ssarak the strength of her conviction.
"I love you."

Ssarak was speechless, though there was perhaps no way he could adequately respond. At first, he was motionless as well, but after she wrapper her arms around him, he did the same. He stopped himself from squeezing her too tightly, given his strength, but he easily showed through action he felt the same. Even with the cold steel of his armor separating them, he felt closer to her at that moment than he had ever been to another.

"And...I love you." He responded with complete honesty, something he had not thought he would ever be able to do again. "You are...sure about this? With you Human and me being Esyire...do you think this can work? Do you think people..." He began, but stopped himself when his nerves gave way to a sudden wave of conviction. "Actually, no, to the Pit with what others think. All that matters is you and me."

Meirin could only smile warmly as Ssarak admitted his feelings for her. Even more so when he said so resolutely that he wouldn't care what others thought about them, despite being human and Esyire. Meirin buried her face into Ssarak's chestplate. She could feel his heart beating through the steel.

"I loved you for a long time Ssarak, and I will continue to for the rest of my life. Now..."
Meirin slipped out from Ssarak's grasp, leaning up to tap him on his nose and snap him out of any fantasies he might be having. "You need to rest! Your shift is next... And I'd like it if you could keep me warm tonight."

Ssarak's eyes had been closed as he hugged her, so he was actually somewhat surprised when she tapped his nose. In any case, he did not exactly want to go to sleep so soon. With this revelation, there was much he wanted to talk with her about: how they had felt about one another over the past few months, how they were going to tell their friends, or even just casual small talk with her. No matter the topic, he just wanted to spend time with her, but as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He did need to rest if he wanted to be ready for the next day. They were, after all, still on a mission.

"I...would like that. In the cold air of Djarkel, I believe I could use the warmth just as much as you." Ssarak said, his expression shifting to a smile. "Tomorrow...well, tomorrow we still have more to do. We need to confront Alaira before we go any further, and we still need to discuss that map with the caravan master. What that guard captain told us was troubling. But, perhaps soon we can have the opportunity to just...take time together. Come and wake me when you are done out here."

As unnatural as it seemed to part from Meirin so soon after revealing their feelings to one another, Ssarak moved to head back inside, albeit reluctantly.

Waving goodbye at Ssarak Meirin's heart and mind were fluttering with emotions. Her confession with Ssarak combined with the worry about the mission mixed together, but she let happier thoughts prevail. She had felt this attraction to Ssarak ever since they first met on the opening day. It was minor back than, just a whim, but over time as she became more familiar with the college she grew to like Ssarak more. Even with his dark past she found a troubled soul who still remained strong, but also someone who wouldn't deny her help. Meirin held many people at the college near and dear to her, but Ssarak was always the one who held a special place in her heart.

When Ssarak went back inside Meirin went back to the wagon. The horses were asleep by now she she softly positioned herself back to where she was guarding. She had to focus on keeping watch, but still allowed herself to think about her new relationship with Ssarak. How would they live now that they confessed to one another? Would it be too much if Meirin offered to let Ssarak move into her room? How would Meirin's friends react to this knowledge? Her teachers? While she didn't care for it if they only had negative things to say, she did want to brag about Ssarak. She couldn't help but feel a surge of pride for both herself and him. And while she had no doubts there will be those who would contest their relationship, she wouldn't let them break what she and Ssarak had with each other. If anything, it'll only strengthen their bonds as they stand side-by-side to face whatever challenge comes their way. It'll certainly be needed for what's to come. Gossip and harsh words are easier to deal with than cut-thoats and demons, which Meirin thinks takes a bit more precedence right now.

[E'nasha Williams]

"Sir! Return!" Just as always, when E'nasha shouted the command, The large Raven she kept as a pet and trusted companion, Sir Ithslala Ra'vin (Sir for short), circled back through the trees to land on E'nasha's shoulder, not bothered at all by the rain that fell quietly around them. "What direction?" She asked the bird, ignoring her other companion's sigh.

"Are you seriously still asking the bird for directions? We might as well go back to Granny." The speaker was El'kan, E'nasha's friend ever since they were children. He was good-looking, if you liked dark brown eyes and blonde hair on a guy you know well enough (and get along with well enough) for him to be your brother. El'kan was not the sharpest knife on the rack, and liked to state the obvious. E'nasha rolled her eyes at him and waited for Sir's answer.

Sir tapped three times on her shoulder and turned to the left. "West. 30 paces." E'nasha said to El'kan. He sighed again, but followed her as she carried Sir through the trees. They walked as quickly as they could, trying not to slip on the thin layer of mud covering the ground. “At least mud is better than ice.” E’nasha muttered to herself under her breath. She could imagine Sir’s response in her head as he took flight to go on ahead of them again. ’Yep, and i’m not sticking around any longer for you to slip and get my feathers all dirty!’ “Stay close!” She called after him, his light croaking caw answering her not too far ahead.

El’kan managed to slip-slide his way to her side, struggling even more than she was to keep from tripping over the tree roots and small plants that had started popping up since the snow started melting. The little patches of green made E’nasha feel a bit less gloomy. It had been an unexpectedly long journey through a very confusing wintery landscape for them so far, so the splashes of color she saw in the towns along the way greatly contrasted the monochromaticity of the landscapes around them, keeping E’nasha in an almost unending cycle of depression.

The statement, ‘they live for the colors’, could be said for every member of their little trio. E’nasha normally seems happier when she’s surrounded by the vibrancy of the colors of the living forest, and Sir likes to play around with paints and such whenever they have free time. El’kan likes to try and teach Sir how to draw pictures of specific people and things, although it usually ends pretty badly.

As they got through the last few trees into a clearing, they saw a large stone wall on the other side of the clearing that stretched on farther than they could see in either direction. Sir returned to E’nasha’s shoulder before she could give the command, and turned his head to the right and giving a short croak. “I suppose we should go left then.” E’nasha said as Sir took off again, circling around them as they walked.

“Hey, E‘nasha?” El’kan said after a few minutes. “Do you think this is it? The college?” She glanced back at him for a moment, not really wanting to get his or her hopes up. They had been following every map, direction, and instinct they had to try and find the place, and they had messed up so many times before that E’nasha just felt like they were going to keep messing up until- El’kan interrupted her hopeless thoughts with some of his trademark optimism. “We are actually in the area where it’s supposed to be. Maybe someone in this town could actually lead us there.” He finished by nodding his head to the wall they were walking alongside.

“El’kan… First of all, we don’t even know that this-” She pointed to the wall as well, “Even IS a town. Second, what the heck is Sir staring at?” E’nasha and El’kan’s attention was drawn to a dark, hazy figure in the distance. Sir had landed while they were talking, and E’nasha had almost tripped over the large bird, which was how she noticed that all his attention was on something else.

“El’kan, the trees.” She whispered quickly as the shadow seemed to get closer. They both climbed the branches of a large pine, hoping that the prickly leaves would hide them. “Sir! Natural!” E’nasha hissed at the bird that was still staring down the shadow. As soon as he heard the command he flew up to the top of another tree so he was partially hidden from her point of view. Oh lord Ren, don't let us be found!

Hours after her first attack, the Roc had taken flight. Her wings had shoved her skyward as wing cradled her, pulling her into its embrace where she knew she belonged. Higher and higher, she went with the plead of every feather in her being and let it cry to her instinct. An instinct the Roc would heed. Air flutter through her wings sending them gliding on air across the land leaving her shadow to sweep across the gray, lifeless landscape. It skimmed with purpose over the area left barren save for anything smaller than a beetle or humming bird, most the intelligent animals long fed from the area and only those too stubborn to heed their fear were left. Perfect prey.

Her eyes swept the ground far below. The land was bare and still for most the way as she drew farther south east, her direction taking her farther and farther toward the college. Her pride head bobbed, her wing almost jerked to wheel herself around when a dark shape came into view. A large raven, known as Sir to his companions. The Roc stared a bit more, studying it and letting her instincts digest the image.

She knew these types of bird, sometimes kept as pets by the pink walkers. Though the Roc disliked hunting them due mainly to the fact they weren't easily scooped up without sharp claws (tools/weapons unknown to her) that drew blood on her talons. It hurt and often enough, she was forced to release unexpectedly losing her meal. A matter that ruffled her feathers. It only took a few seconds before she spotted just where the bird have came from: two pink walkers, their figures rushing into the forest edge. She was desperate and while the Roc would've preferred other game, her situation prevented it.

Quickly descending into the ground, her claws rushed up to cushion her lands as she sent a gush of wind breezing through where E'nasha and El'kan were hidden, Sir too small to attract the Roc's attention. The branches were the pair sat rattled furiously, threaten to send one or both tumbling to the ground with the unexpected movement. Almost three elephants stacked on top tall and wingspan over double that, the Roc made an ear piercing screech. Making loud, giant steps the large bird edged to the trees then slowly made rustled her beak among the prickly leaves. Seeking one or both of the pink walkers to eat.

[E'nasha Williams & Joseph Windsor] ((Collab with Lucius Cypher))

E'nasha was right to think it was a demon approaching, however it seems her frantic prayer was ignored. "That thing's already spotted us!" El'kan whispered to her quickly.

"Well, if you're so worried about it, DO something." She hissed back. She saw El'kan take a deep, calming breath, and he pulled out his favorite weapon, a very untrustworthy boomerang.

"That thing will not do us any good against THAT thing. Just, let me try first." She said as El'kan aimed to throw it at the creature. He sighed but put the boomerang down while she called to Sir. "Sir! Distraction please!"

At her command, the Raven fearlessly dive-bombed the creature as it landed, only to get blown away by the strong wind its wings made as it touched down. Sir tried to maneuver to glide back over to the tree he was in before, but E'nasha couldn't see where he ended up because she and El'kan got shaken out of the tree by the same wind, El'kan landing heavily on top of her.

"Crud, sorry." El'kan mumbled as he helped E'nasha to her feet. "Are you ok?" He asked after they had both ducked behind a tree so the creature was unable to see them for a moment.

"I'm fine, you just knocked the breath outta me is all." E'nasha was leaning against the tree, breathing heavily through her pain. "You've really gotta loose a few pounds." She said as she finally got her breath back. "So, what's the verdict? Will playing possum work on this thing, or should we run now?"

El'kan shook his head at her, looking around the side of the trunk. "I don't know. Running is probably the better guess though." He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away from the tree. When she refused to move, he looked at her worriedly. "What's wrong? Did'ya break something when we fell?"

"No, just trying to think... The second it sees us again it'll probably start chasing us, and it doesn't look like it'd be bothered much if it knocked down every tree here to get to us." She replied quietly, pulling his wrist so that he was backed against the same tree trunk as she was. "So, running might be out too. Unless you have a way to keep it from seeing us."

The Roc flew through the air for another swoop. It's prey hid in the cover of the forest, but that would not protect them for long. These soft creatures were slow compared to itself, but made for tasty morsels. As it flew in for another attack something cut it. The Roc let out an ear-piercing screech as it diverted it's path and flew higher into the skies. When it got to a safe altitude it looked down to see what had attacked it.

And what the Roc would see, and for the two humans in the forest, was a small blue elf riding what looked like a ball of water. The look of determination in his eyes masked the fear. He was just out here to get his journal that he had left earlier that day, but than he saw the Roc menace those two strangers in the forest! He couldn't have sit idly by, but he wasn't ready to fight a Roc! Luckily there was a light rain earlier before, giving him an ample supply of water to use.

"Run you two, run away!" The elf shot his hands out from his side, sending two thin blades of water flying towards the Roc. Seeing the new threat the bird of prey was able to effortlessly avoid the attacks, but the elf was relentless, stalling it for the other two to make a break for it.

"Let's go!" El'kan said as he grabbed E'nasha's hand again. Together they ran back along the wall in the opposite direction of the way they had been going before. E'nasha barely had thought about who it was that had yelled at them to run, she was a bit more worried about if he'd be ok facing off against that creature alone.

She was about to try and go back before she remembered they wouldn't be able to help him anyway. He must be confident in himself to try and take on that monster... That or he's just really brave, or dumb. As if he could sense her unease El'kan slowed to a light jog, squeezing her hand as he spoke. "Hey, don't worry about that guy. Didn't you see him? He was controlling WATER, like actual water!"

"Yeah, I saw him. So? Just because he's got mageblood, that doesn't mean he'll be ok. C'mon, we gotta keep going. We aren't far enough away yet to slow down." E'nasha said as she sped up again. "We have to find some other people or something, that guy will probably need help." El'kan nodded his agreement and they kept running along the wall.

The Roc shook her head, her eyes blinked as she let out a screech. Her claws danced clumsily on the ground which she wasn't build well for when she peddled backwards, avoiding the blades of water. Her head jerked to see the two she had been chasing darted across open field and away. Feathers fluffed and her body hopped to intercept the two, her head lowered and wings tucked in. Her beak opened to clamp down and seize the slower of the two, E'nasha.

All E'nasha heard before she found herself being pulled into the air was the beginning of a panicked warning from El'kan and a screech from not too far behind her, probably from the creature. She tried to run faster or try and duck behind something, but she was too far away from the trees and the wall didn't really have any places to hide on it, so she was unable to do anything as she felt her feet leave the ground other than scream.

"No, no!"

The elf had been trying to harass the Roc for as long as he could, but the beast proved to be tough. If it didn't simply dodge his water blades, it was able to shrug off all but his most powerful attacks. If he had more water to use he could have taken this beast down himself. Joseph continued to assault the Roc with water, trailing behind it. His attacks grew more frantic as it dove down towards the two humans running for safety. This was Joseph's only chance to hit it with one of his strongest attacks, since it was flying a semi-strait path. He focused the ball of water he was standing on into a spinning cone, before it grew even thinner until it became a watery spear. It was spinning with such speed that it could bore through the wall of the college if he missed. And he really hoped he didn't miss. Planting his feet on the soggy ground the elf hurled the spear at the Roc, aiming at the center of mass.

Blood dripped on the ground as the Roc took off, her beak struggled not to drop her earned treat.Pain rippled through her chest yet the spear flew pass and into the College wall, cracking it on impact. The weapon had hit her regardless, her body barely fast enough to miss being impaled while she slapped her wings against the ground. her feet lifted and rose from the ground rapidly. Air swirled and gusted about, knocking El'kan and likely Josphine off their feet in her retreat. In moments the Roc was several feet in the air before she transferred E'nasha to her talons, both the youth and the Roc disappearing towards the nest.

E'nasha started to get dizzy as she felt a strong wind around her, meaning that the creature had started to fly. Quickly attempting to calm down and focus, she reached her thoughts towards the plant-life around her. She had just barely felt the familiar rush that meant the plants were responding when a sudden movement completely broke her concentration. The creature had been holding her in its beak when it had grabbed her from the ground, as she saw when she felt its large talons wrapping around her body, constricting her lungs and causing her to pass out.

El'kan, still on the ground, watched in terror as the creature lifted E'nasha up, and he nearly screamed when he saw her figure go limp in its grasp as the creature flew higher. He thought about throwing a weapon or something at it, but was too afraid that he would hit E'nasha to do so.

Thankfully, as the creature was getting farther away, Sir came up to him and landed on his shoulder. "Oh, thank the gods! You're ok at least." He said to the bird. He pointed at the quickly retreating figure of the creature in the sky and gave the only command he was sure Sir would follow right now. "There's E'nasha. Follow her Sir!" The Raven responded immediately, taking off after the creature and E'nasha. El'kan took a moment to get his thoughts together, and decided to go look for the Blue Elf-guy that had tried to fight the creature earlier.

"No..."

The elf fell to his knees. He began to pull at his hair and was close to crying. "No! How could I have let that monster get away!" The elf was close to sobbing in rage when he noticed El'kan approaching. He composed himself, but was still rather sadden about the whole ordeal. But he had to put that aside to make sure this one was at least unharmed.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"Not physically, no." El'kan could see that the Elf was trying to hold back tears, just like he was. He forced himself to keep his voice steady as he spoke to him. "Th-thank you for trying to help us, even though..." He let the sentence trail off as he tried to think of something to say other than even though E'nasha got carried off to who-knows-where by a giant bird-monster.

As he thought that, he remembered. "The Raven, the one I sent after them, he'll be able to show us where that thing took her. Well, it'd be us if you'll still help me..."

The elf shook his head, looking over where the Roc had taken the girl. It was dangerous even for himself... But he had a responsibility. "Alright, but first let's head inside the college. We need to get ready." The elf was thinking how much he was to blame for this. And frankly, he was scared. He was more used to teaching students the ways of Hydromancy than hunting down monsters. But he couldn't be a coward now, not while that girl was in danger. They'd still need time to prepare, but with any luck the team sent out to deal with the Roc will save her before the worse would happen...

Alaira Taenn (and Tyrael)

Alaira hugged Lyn good and tight as she climbed into the wagon, keeping her close. And when she made the gesture, Alaira was confused... She was familiar with Lyn's gestures, but it took a moment for her to process it. Lyn. Pain. Alaira... That couldn't be right... It was Alaira that almost killed her, not the other way around... Did she... did she think she was responsible? "N-no, you didn't hurt me..." She said, her voice surprisingly gentle as she stroked Lyn's hair. "It was the bad man... he's-" She turned her head, wincing as she saw the man executed. Merely because it was unexpected, it wasn't fair he got such a quick death... he should have experienced searing agony like she had. "He's gone... It wasn't you... I love you, Lyn..." She cooed, trying as best as she could to calm her...

She spent the trip in the wagon. The beast pulling the thing complained some at her added weight, But nobody was able to convince her to leave, so they simply dealt with it. She soon fell asleep along with Lyn, and when they reached the place they'd be camping she simply chose to stay in the wagon. She had let Lyn run off, she wanted to help and Alaira had needed some time alone to think...



...Alaira turned the 'Battery' in her hands, stoically wondering if using a gift from someone she hated so much was hypocr-

"Actually, no, to the Pit with what others think. All that matters is you and me."

"I loved you for a long time Ssarak, and I will continue to for the rest of my life. Now..."

Alaira thumped her head against a sack of goods in frustration. Thankfully, it was soft so she didn't make any noise and inadvertently get them yelling at her for eavesdropping... Like she even wanted to hear any of that, gods. How could she focus on her inner monologue with those lovebirds out there?... Though she'd never, ever admit it, even to herself, a small part of her was jealous... They had something she knew she'd never have. She sighed, slipping the battery into her pocket as she climbed out of the wagon. She knew they were keeping watch, and she'd already gotten some sleep. She was near Meirin, and she rapped her Mace on the cart once, in case she hadn't noticed her.

"Go take a nap with your boyfriend or something. It's my turn." Despite the harshness of her words, there was a sort of softness in her tone... Perhaps she was sincere, and the blunt statement was the only way she could say. 'Get some rest, I'll take care of this for you.' still, Meirin would't be blamed if she felt insulted.

"You know, theres something pleasant about not having a nose. I didn't have to smell being attatched to a leg for a start." He looked around. Flowers. "Flowers usually smell nice, there used to be this one that would eat your little toe! Just the little toe mind you it didn't really like anything else. Not your pinky, not your other pinky. Not your thumb or any other toe. Just the little one, what's with that? What are little toes called anyway?" He took a pause, however at that point a shadow went over head, a bird. A big bird, though this one didn't insult them it did seem to be carrying something.

"Hey look. Lady Rocs pulling in her kill-" The figure moved. "-No wait it's still alive. She's pulling it in for the kill. Just hope she doesn't have a man friend back at the nest, that would be a pain in the backside. Though kill the female and the man friend will go away to find a new lady friend. Completely disloyal, no sense of emotional attachment. They probably don't even grieve the barbarians. Though I suppose it's a good thing they don't go on a hunt for revenge-" He tried to turn his head up to view his captors, then realized he couldn't due to the fact that he was missing a neck. "-I did that one and look where I ended up. Anyway you probably want to save that person and get it before you end up with a double team."

Collab-Luna and Lucius

Looking through the canopy Annabeth could see night coming. They'd have an hour or two at most before the sun went down, and that meant less visability. While this might be helpful for sneaking past the Roc Annabeth was certain that it had better senses than they did. The darkness also brought out other predators that Annabeth didn't want the group to have to deal with while also fighting the beast. Looking at what everyone had brought together she figured that they had found enough materials to make the rope she needed.

"Okay everyone, let's head back to the wagon!"

Annabeth took point but also made sure everyone was close together. She didn't want them to get lost when it got too dark. While she was walking Annabeth slowed down to chat with Colette. "We have a nice haul here Colette! I'll need your help making the rope we need. I sort of know how to do this, so you can follow me lead. God, this is so exciting! Hunting a roc! I mean, I was pretty scared at first when it arrived. But now I'm thinking that we have a chance at it. What about you? Thoughts?"

"I guess, I never hunted something like before, the only thing I ever hunted was for" she took a deep breath "... Blood" she shivered at the word as it left a bitter taste in her mouth

Annabeth nodded her head silently. She knew from her time working in Underhaven that Colette was a vampire, though she wasn't sure how others thought about it. It was no secret that Lucilia was one, and so far she's never heard much complaints about her. At least as vampire. And it was also no secret that the college has vampires as both students and staff. And yet there was still that underlining fear of vampires. Vampires who feed off the blood of mortals in order to keep their power, turning humans into cattle. Of course Underhaven was made specfically so their vampires wouldn't need to harm others, but that did nothing to fight the fear.

Regardless Annabeth wanted to comfort her friend. She put her arm around Colette and pulled her into a hug. "Colette, don't worry about things like that. I won't let anything harm you, not this roc, and not your thirst. I... I'll protect you!"

Colette's eyes widened when she felt her friend's arms around her for the first time and it gave her a sense of warmness she has not felt for 2 centuries. Tears welled in her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Annabeth crying away all the years she had faced alone with no guidance, crying away the past that has long time haunted her and controlled her actions and crying for her own future and what it could bring for her, but one thing she knew in her mind, she wasn't alone anymore and she was glad for that.

"T-thank you so much Annabeth, you are the bestest friend I could ever ask for" she said her voice hoarse from crying but there was a hint of happiness in her eyes now.

Annabeth didn't have anything to say. Maybe it was best that she didn't. She let Colette cry into her chest, keeping her close as they walked back to the wagon.

Colette smiled and held to her, tears sticking to her face indicating that she was crying since her eyes didn't show the red and puffiness.They soon made their way back to the wagon, Colette shuddered feeling herself hungry and wondered when the last time she had fed. She looked at her friend.

"Hey Annabeth is there anything I can drink from, I am hungry." she asked.

After arriving to the wagon, the group went about their business before filling into the back to make that rope. By than it was just Annabeth and Liam, who Annabeth had taught how to braid the plant fibers into a rope. So far so good, until Colette came in and informed her that she was hungry. Her blood ran cold. Taking Colette away from the others she spoke softly. "Colette do you mean... I still have some of my lunch I never finished, or do you want... Blood?" Annabeth had never actually seen a vampire feed off of someone. Despite how long she worked in Underhaven, everyone drank from their mugs of blood. It was just something Annabeth had grown used to. But now Colette was thirsty, and they were no where near Underhaven.

"I need blood or even my control over it wont last. I haven't been trained much over my powers and I fear for everyone until I feed." she said ashamed and sad.

Annabeth gulped. She was afraid of this, but kept her mouth shut. He thought maybe Colette would be able to last the mission without feeding, but... Time to take one for the team. Taking a deep breath Annabeth pulled her collar down to expose her neck. She didn't really know how vampires normally fed, but figured this would be the easiest thing for Colette. "Alright Colette... T-take a drink." Annabeth closed her eyes and exposed her neck for Colette. She hoped vampire knew what she was doing.

She went over and placed her face right on top of her flesh. "You sure Annabeth? It will hurt at first." she said looking at her friend. Seeing her comfirmation she bit down swiftly breaking just enough layers of her skin to draw blood and began to feed as gently as possible so she didnt take too much blood.

Annabeth's body shook as Colette bite into her neck and becan to suck her blood. It was painful indeed, but Annabeth clentched her hands tightly and let Colette feed for as long as she needed to. It was rather... Euphoric. Gasping for breath after a minute Annabeth placed her hand on Colette before she simply pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged Colette tightly but tried not to disturb her from feeding. Annabeth just needed something to hold onto.

She felt her hug and soon pulled black allowing her tongue to slid scross the wound closing it so it would bleed no more and she hugged her back "Thank you so much I hope it wasn't too painful for you" she said.

Annabeth was breathless. She wanted to console Colette, to tell her that everything was fine, but her body was a bit shaken. She regetted nothing about what she did, it was just draining for her first time. By the time Annabeth loosen her hold on Colette Annabeth could only pant out two words. "It's okay." Her body was shivering and quivering from the experience. Letting herself rest for only a moment Annabeth sat up with a smile on her face. "Alright! Let's finish making that rope Colette. Now that you're at full strength we can finish this fast!"

She nodded with a small smile and went back to making the ropes feeling much more better than she had before she fed from her friend "Thanks Annabeth you are the bestest friend anyone can have." she said.

The forest was dark, and there was no moon in the sky as the man chased her through the trees. No, not her, but the other woman, the one with the pretty red hair who was crying silently as she ran from the man. There were jumbled cries of many words and phrases that didn't matter, the man was already lost. As he caught up to her, a slow smile spread across his face, and her crying ceased. The ground stained red, and a dark shadow hunched in the trees, while the man smiled and screamed his laughter into the night, accepting his new self.

E'nasha woke in a cold sweat, forcing herself to stay quiet as she attempted to calm down. She always had such vivid nightmares, and the scariest part was that the beginning of each of them always started out as what could possibly have been a happy dream. The couple in her latest nightmare had lived in a little cottage in the wood, the worst part of their lives being the natural disaster that had destroyed their home a few years ago and that had killed their young child... The death of whom had slowly driven the father to madness, and caused him to blame the mother for failing to save him...

E'nasha shook herself to force the memory from her mind, unsuccessfully. In her second attempt, she took a look around herself, this time able to distract herself from the dread the nightmare had caused. The area was, to say the least, strange. There was a wall surrounding her into a very large area that was at least twice as tall as she was, and made from what looked like interwoven pieces of wood from carts, branches, and entire trees, all bonded together with a LOT of mud. The ground of the area contained inside the wall was made of much the same material, but also included what looked like partly rotted animals and cleaned bones in the mix.

As if she hadn't been scared enough already today, what with the surprise attack from that giant bird-thing, and then a nightmare, and now finally E'nasha found herself stuck in what seemed like said bird-thing's nest with it. The creature didn't seem to be paying any attention to her though, as it was on the opposite end of the area and making a lot of noise while repairing the wall over there.

Also in the nest, there were quite a few animals milling around. They were all herbivores, for as much as she knew, like sheep and small horses. While they seemed rather relaxed right now, they were all staying in one area in between her and the monster. There were large patches of grass, dirt, and things like hay and corn spread around everywhere, along with a bunch of broken wagon parts and one wagon that still looked completely intact.

Lastly, to her right there was a group of large off-white eggs that had Darker spots covering their entire surface. Most likely belonging to the large monster who was still messing about with the wall across the nest from her.

E'nasha carefully stood on the surprisingly uneven ground, trying to keep from falling or fainting as she did. Keeping a wary eye on the creature, she backed up slowly until she was up against the wall of the nest. Then she turned quickly and climbed up the side of the wall, it was easy to do considering that the entire wall was made up of knotted trees and branches and things. When she got to the top, she peered over the side and quickly climbed back down. "Not gonna be able to make that jump." She muttered to herself. "On to plan B."

E'nasha started making her way over to the wagon that was still 100%, looking for something that could possibly help her to get out of the nest without breaking a leg. Other than a bunch of jars and crates of stuff, the wagon was empty. With a sigh, E'nasha went over to where she had been sitting before and plopped back down on the ground, wondering what to do next. The thought crossed her mind to try and ride the creature out, but then she remembered that the creature would probably just kill and eat her right then and there if she tried, so instead she settled for hiding as well as she could behind a pile of debris from the creature.

She stayed like that as she watched the sky get darker and darker. Then, after a while, she thought she could hear a familiar Croaking caw as she saw Sir emerge from the shadows. "Oh! Good boy!" She said happily as she petted him and scratched his head. She always appreciated that Sir was able to make her happy in even the strangest of situations. As she thought about that, she also thought about how worried El'kan must be for her right about then.

As the first traces of purple began in the sky, E'nasha took off her necklace and gave it to Sir, tying it around the bird's leg. "Lead him to me, Sir." She ordered quietly. He pecked at her forehead once before taking off again, heading off into the growing darkness.

Eural watched the two girls, a vampire and the leader, alongside the foxman braiding the plant vines together. Each one made a braid tightly and strengthening it until finally it seemed they had enough rope. Meanwhile he just leaned against wagon, observing until they decided it was ideal to move onward. Time was a key factor as his eyes caught the overhead sun dipping past the noon point and into the western position. It would be dusk and that meant twilight shortly after, something not advisable was to combat Roc in the late hours of the day. Already he had made sure Samson the horse was strapped up to the wagon and secure this time. Last thing he wanted was another escape attempt. Losing the horse meant they couldn't move the overgrown crossbow which made killing the Roc that much harder.

Beside him, perched on the wagon edge, Eural could hear the chatter of the skull ramble on. The click-clacking was slightly nerve racking while he bite back his tongue at snapping at the odd item. He had been just about to tell the skull to shut up when darkness shrouded everyone. The piercing sound of the Roc and her wings flapping, the guide immediately lowered himself just under the cart's side. His mouth let out a soft hiss, head tilting to watch the large thing sweep by without sparing a glance in their direction. Silence drowned the scene until the skull's jaw clicked again, breaking it.

It vouched at what he believed was clutched in the bird's talons. His head snapped at the skull when he heard mention of the Roc having a mate and scoffed, “It's too late in the season for Rocs to be breeding. They mate in summer, not spring else they don't have enough food. In addition the male never stick around when the eggs are laid. I don't know where you're getting your information but you're wrong.”

His hand reached for the skull, minding that it didn't get a chance to bite him, and tossed it at Liam, “Take him, I'm going to gather what rope we have done and load it up.”

Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Go after the mages who they were supposed to orignally kill. Althalus couldn't help a small chuckle at Coco's response and insistence that she was fine. Well, Alaira's tenacity seems to be rubbing off...not sure if that's a good thing or not. He watched Mar carefully, waiting for any sign that she was going to lose control like she did with the Yarosmerian diplomat. He only spoke when it seemed she was back to being her usual self. "So, currently our plan is to wake up the Necromancer with unnatural levels of magical power and hope he isn't feeling murderous. Alright. You all can do the talking and I'll kill him if he decides to try killing one of you rather than being reasonable." He avoided Mar's eyes when he said this. She already knew he was more than capable of doing this and living with himself afterwards. What was one more corpse, a little more blood on his hands? There was already a mountain behind him and his hands were already stained red.

"So, what are we going to do if he isn't cooperative and I kill him? Unless someone sees something I don't, the best we can do in that situation is walk into the forest very, very carefully. We could have had a cooperative informant on where the mages were but someone, who was supposed to be the most diplomatic of us on this trip, threatened to 'personally drive their boot through his head like it was an over-ripe watermelon' and then screamed at them to run."

Althalus pointedly looked at Grey, before continuing. "Regardless, shall we wake our friendly little psychopath up now?" he picked up his crossbow and loaded it. Just in case.

Liam

Liam had been minding his own business; he walked around the camp, sometimes stopping for a minute to check up on the others and what they were doing. He felt bored rather quickle, so he decided that the right thing to do was to break off a dying branch off a tree and pick up a somewhat sharp rock. He sat on the ground near the wagon and began sharpening one of the branch's points. It was one of his small, on-the-road, hobbies.

Then he perked up and looked around at the sound of Eural addressing him. He turned his head only to see a skull being thrown at him.

"Damn-" Liam muttered as he shot up and caught the skull in both his hands, one of his fingers dipped into its right eye socket.

"Whoops."

It was time. With what preparations that could be done, the roc hunters gathered their things, put away any of sign of their camp, and left the safety of the forest. They had made quite a bit balista bolts as well as lengths of vine rope. With a bit of ingenuity and elbow grease They made an improvised grappling shot of sorts. Annabeth refereed to it as the rope shot. She had no real intentions of being able to take down the roc without a lucky shot, and she couldn't rely on luck right now. No, she needed to stall, to give the others enough time to get the wagons and get out. She made that much clear as they were on the way to the roc's nest.

"Remember the mission: We need to get those wagons back. The roc is merely the main obstacle in the way. Aramir, Auriel, Liam, I want you three to go secure the wagons. IF what we know is right, the roc hasn't killed the horses yet, so try to secure them. Me, Colette, Eural, and our skull friend Arcadius will distract the roc the best we can. I can't ensure that we'll kill it, but with the arrows Aramir and Auriel made we can at least keep it occupied. Once you get the wagon see if you can try to send a signal to us, like a flare or something. That way we can retreat back into the forest and we can all head back to the college. One last thing: This mission isn't worth your life. If you get hurt, if something goes wrong, don't push yourself. I don't want to lose any of you tonight. Now let's do this!"

There was little fanfare from Annabeth, but as they got closer to the roc's nest they did stop by the forest to drop off the extraction crew (Auriel, Armir, Liam) while the others stayed with the wagon. Loading the balista with the rope shot Annabeth looked around. The sun was already beginning to set, and an hour or less it would be nighttime. While she was confident that she could use the moonlight to give her viability, the night sky would make it hard for Annabeth to see the Roc come down if it does. But that's what Colette was there for.

"Colette, you'll need to be my eyes. Watch the skies for me and tell me when you see the roc."

Tyrael Marchosias

Time was up. He wanted more people for this job, but Baulder was the only one who actually bothered to stick around. It couldn't be helped: if this guy was willing to work than Tyrael had a job for him. If anyone else showed up Tyrael would tell them the same thing he told Baulder. Back at the office Tyrael sat behind his desk, a map of the world flat on his table. He marked the location of the college and the location that he wanted the group to go: The land of Tidehome. Known for their sea economy, the group would have to go through the Aerta College area and head south. With the wagon Tyrael was going to give them, it would take them about half a day to get there and half a day to get back. They'd have at least one whole day for the mission Tyrael had for them, so it'll take them two or three days depending on how badly they mess up. As for the mission itself...

"Go to the southern coasts of Tidehome and bring back a live lobster. This is what they look like." Tyrael showed the group a sketch of the creature in question next to a humanoid figure. The lobstar was about as long as the man's leg; a large specimen indeed. "This mission is simple, so failure is inexcusable. I want this lobster alive. I require only one, but I will pay for any additional lobsters as well, but they must also be alive. The roads are dangerous even between the college and Tidehome, so bring whatever equipment you deem necessary. If you require weapons or armor see me at the forge after this briefing, or go to the infirmary if you need other supplies. You are to leave within the next hour. That is all." Giving everyone a short list to remind them of their objectives Tyrael headed back to the forge. He wasted too much time looking for victims volunteers for this job, so now he needed to go back to the monotonous task of arming what Tyrael felt like was half of Eania and three-fourths of Djarkel.

Baulder's eyes darted open as Tyrael returned from......somewhere. He had leaned up against a wall hands folded and had gone to sleep. He was thinking maybe the Demon got stuck in an org-no it was defiantly death. He had thought the demon dead. He had only been asleep awhile...probably. After following his "teacher" into the office and watching him pull out some papers with drawings on it Baulder began salivating. Just the picture looked tasty, he was sure these "lobster" would make for good eating. Then again he had never had them, although Imp had tasted good if a bit tough. Baulder licked his lips and strained his jaw to keep the spit in. He looked to the orc after he was done explaining everything. "Do you have.....pole things with a blade on the end? They shouldn't need their legs right? They look tasty atleast...." The demon gave Baulder a sort of blank stare or atleast what Baulder thought was blank. Maybe he was disgusted with him? That wouldn't be good. He wanted more imp how would he get more imp without the orc? Yes, he needed more imp so doing this would get him more imp. When the monster left the room Baulder followed hoping he went to the forge so he could get the pole-blade thing. Or atleast he thought he knew what he was talking about.

Arc almost screamed. "That bloody well hurt you absolute idiot. Please refrain from piercing my eye socket with your thumb, I still feel pain you know. Which is strange, I didn't feel pain before..." Maybe it was a side effect of being detatched from his body a decrease in arcanite reserves which more or less... Well no idea. It was all wrong all twisted this wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to die hundreds of years ago beside those who were taken from him, but it wasn't to be apparently. It just wasn't to be...

"All right, so Liam a few ground rules. No poking or proding, and certainly don't attach me to your belt like that other person did. I'm quite happy being a free floating skull, it'd be nicer if I had my body but I'm not a fashion accessory-" He dazed off for a moment, missing a reply if any, as he saw another butterfly. Watching it for several minutes, or longer, he eventually zoned back in to hear the plan.

"You know if you had two balistas it'd be better, you could attach a net between two arrows and fire them at either side of the Roc capturing it. Though I suppose it's too late for that, the main question I have is what's for lunch? I know I cant' eat but I realllly feel like trying. It has been a long time and I feel pain so I might be able to taste things as well. That'd be brilliant." He paised for a second.

"No wait, that wasn't my main question. My main question was, how am I supposed to distract it?" Something distracted him again. "Ah look it's another butterfly. Do you know how amazing doors and butterfies are?"