The Golden Guar, a simple little tavern near the center of Lenaya. A large reptilian bipedal creature, painted gold and hung in a flat billboard above the entrance. Ilium had dropped a small sack of gold off for the bartender a half hour ago, prompting him to ask the normal patrons to leave for the day and allow those that had answered the flyer to enter. There had not been that many hopefuls. Soldiers looking for that one break, teenagers running from home and hoping for a good start, thieves, old adventurers, young upstarts. None of them would be able to make it out of the country, let alone across the Erbethan Bridge. She sat back against the chair and crossed her leg over the other and started to impatiently twitch her foot. She was anxious, she couldn't keep him waiting. At this rate, she'll never even get to the city in time. Then somebody actually interesting walked in....

---

Taking his first step into the capital city of Lenaya had been one of the hardest steps Renault had ever taken. Apart from leaving his wife in Yenanin, he was stepping into enemy territory in full armor. Even though none of the crowds paid him any attention, he felt as if thousands of eyes were singling him out. He sighed and stepped forward, shoving his fears and nervous demeanor down deep and just kept walking. It didn't matter that the hairs on his arms were standing on end, or that every instinct and bone in his body was telling him to draw his sword and defend himself. All that mattered was finding this woman and getting out. Join this group. Go south. Find the city of gold. Pay for Cynthia's trip here and find a nice secluded place to spend the rest of their lives in happiness and away from any form of government. That was all he had to do. Simple.

Things were never that simple.

He nearly fell backwards as he collided with a giant of a man, or more accurately, a lizard. He caught his footing just before falling and shook his head, looking forwards afterward. He came face to stomach with whatever he hit. He had turned and looked down to him with a heart stopping snarl. "Sssswaladun can Footh, Heeeuuuman!" He had yelled. Renault stepped back a bit to get a better look at him. He was a Tsurask, a warrior he had only heard legends of back home. Massive people that stood twice the size of any human and could split the strongest of shields with nary but a single tailwhip. Renault felt his blood chill as the Tsurask spit out another string of unrecognizable words. "Regchalk leigh grakan!" "Look, I apologize, sir. I did not mean to-" He instinctively jumped to the side as the Tsurask brought down a huge warhammer right where he was standing. Without thinking, Renault reached for his sword on his hip and his shield on his back. The Tsurask roared and swung the hammer again. Ren ducked the horizontal attack and came in low, slashing at the thighs of the tower before him. The Tsurask cried out in pain as Renault ripped open a tendon, spraying black blood onto the ground. A titanic punch to the chest, sent Renault flying backwards and to the ground. A crowd had gathered to watch and parted as Renault flew by. They helped him get up quickly, obviously choosing to help a man of their own species before a Tsurask. He was back on his feet and already dodging out of the way of another pavement destroying hammer strike. As soon as he got up, he dropped his shield and reached for his back, taking hold of the pre-loading crossbow and firing it. The Tsurask moved slow and could not stop the bolt from slicing deep into his skull. It had penetrated the bone with ease and shredded his brain. The Tsurask looked at Renault for a moment before falling forward in a heap.

He breathed heavily and looked down, noticing the deep dent in his chest plate. He cursed to himself and placed his Crossbow back into it's holster on his back as well as his shield. He sheathed his sword and approached the body. Law enforcement were already approaching and Renault simply reclaimed his bloody, disgusting bolt from the Tsurask's head. "What happened here?!" Said one of the armored guards, but the citizens spoke up first, several stepping forward to support The Templar. They claimed that the Tsurask started it and that Renault was innocent. Seeing the scene before them, the Law opted to listen to the people and send Renault on his way. "Guess this place can't be all that bad," he thought to himself as he made his way towards the Golden Guar.

Stepping inside, he saw the old woman in the corner of the somewhat empty tavern and elected to wait for the others before addressing the woman. He made his way over to a table and sat down for a moment before standing again, the chest dent starting to irritate him. He unfastened the buckles and belts that held his chest in place and placed it onto the table. He saw that he had a nasty bruise already starting to form on his chest. He made his way over to the bar tender and asked for a drink and a hammer so he could get to work on fixing his armor. Making his way back over, he sat down in the booth and started to hammer away at the dent somewhat gently, pushing it out bit by bit. He took off his helmet and placed it on the edge of the table and placed his equipment down next to him, resting it on the seat. He took tremendous care of his armor and didn't care that the others were staring at him. Every now and then the armor would slip out of his grasp, but it bothered him very little. That was until a woman had appeared at his side to hold it in place. He looked up to see the brown haired woman with leather armor on her shoulders, two swords on her back, and her rather large Dire wolf companion behind her.

"Greetings, ser knight." She said, holding the armor as he tapped the dents back into place. He didn't reply to her for some time, concentrating on his work. He appreciated her help, he had noticed a few near seamless imperfections to tap out after refocusing. Once he had finished she helped him refasten it to his chest. Once on, he looked at the woman and gave a faint smile. "Thank you, ma'am." He said briskly. His voice coming out low pitched and with a slight vibration to it. Her voice came out smooth and soothing almost, much higher pitched but not annoyingly so. "I'm Nalia, and this is Kita." She said, gesturing to the dire wolf. "Glad to meet you. Saw you kill that Tsurask outside. He was asking for a fight." He dipped his head to the left slightly, signalling that he wasn't so keen on talking about it. "My name is Renault. The pleasure is all mine, Ma'am." She sat down next to him and Kita came close to the table, sitting on her behind and laying her head on the table. "You here because of the flyer too?" She said only to see him nod silently, sipping on his stein of stout. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned and curious as to why he was so quiet. He simply replied with a smile and a nod. "I am not big on speaking, Ma'am." He said finally.

"Oooh, tall dark and quiet type, are you? I've met a few knights like you before. Always been the most valiant of them all. I'll be glad to travel with you." She said, much to Renault's surprise. She stood up and went to grab herself a drink as well, leaving Renault alone with Kita. She barely paid any attention to him and to Renault, that was the best company he could ever have.

Lenaya, the capital of Lydia as far as Evia had found out from the humans after asking about the city since seeing the poster. The city was absolutely massive and Evia had been able to see its walls from quite the distance. It was so much larger than the small villages Evia was use to seeing in her journey from Ilpa. She had seen small villages and towns as well as the moving tribes of her people who welcomed her with open arms. Apparently they had known about the tribe on Ilpa and were glad to see one of their kind outside of the island since they had left. Her people had kept her supplied with bread, fish, and nuts whenever she stopped with them as a part of their welcoming gift. In fact, Evia had stopped a few days ago at one of the tribes before leaving for Lenaya once again with her supplies.

The city was amazing in size and the architecture was like nothing she had ever seen before. Villages had tatch roofing and were built from wood but here, here the houses had stone and wood. It was obvious that this city was the capital by the richness of the buildings inside the walls. The 'peasants', as Evia had come to realize they were called, lived in the small villages while this city seemed to be a mixture of working class people and the upper class society. It was odd to Evia, her village had no such positions as everybody helped everybody. She felt the urge to write about this part of the Lydian society for her people to read about and perhaps warn about. Evia knew that she couldn't write anything until she was somewhere safe where nobody would try and take anything, a person had tried it once with her book and ended up with a bite wound on his hand from Minim. It seemed Minim knew more about human nature than Evia did or at least didn't trust anybody.

Upon arriving inside the city, Evia promptly searched through many shops to find a woman selling ink. It was a bottle, the same size as her empty bottle, and bought the bottle for what happened to be all of her money. Only to realize, a few minutes later from another vendor, that the person she had just bought from often swindled new comers. Evia was not happy with this and as such had been in a foul mood since early morning. Minim had tried her best to fix Evia's mood only to be met by a sort of half smile from Evia. Minim had been her friend for so long and had never left for long, only occasionally to find some fish. Evia had sat underneath a small tree with Minim in her lap hoping to hear somebody mention the Golden Gaur so she could ask them for directions. Those who did mention it would scoff at Evia's question as if she was a child unable to care for herself.

After about six people, Evia took to the street and began to ask the occasional person who didn't seem busy for directions. Most said they had not the time to explain to a newcomer. It took several minutes before she met a man who was willing to give her directions. He led her down an alleyway and then turned the corner where he stopped. As soon as he stopped, the man pulled out a knife and Evia could hear movement from behind her. "Give me everything ya got and don't try anything funny. That there creature of yours would make a pretty penny on the blackmarket babe." the man said as he waved the knife closer to Evia. The person behind her had approached so that he held a knife right against her pack. It was a bad move on that man's part. As soon as he moved to take the pack, Evia twisted around and gripped his wrist. Before the man could do anything, Evia had already thrown him off balance by hooking her forearm at the crook in his knee and pulling forward.

The man fell backward and landed with a dull thud as his head knocked against the stone. Evia turned her attention towards the first man who had promptly advanced towards her while she was knocking the second man down. He lunged with his knife at Evia only to catch a set of sharp, hooked teeth in his forearm from Minim. Evia took advantage of the situation by pulling her swords from their place at her hips and pressing both tips into the man's sides. His struggling stopped as he realized that the situation had turned against him. Minim let go and hopped back on to Evia's shoulder before she began to talk. "So, you thought you could easily take over little me simply cause I am new here? You are a fool for trying. I don't carry these swords for fun." Evia stated as she pushed the tips into his sides to clarify her point. He obviously understood how bad his situation was as his face blanched from the pain of the swords pricking through his skin.

"I'm going to ask you some question and you are going to answer, yes?" Evia told him as Minim let out a soft growl. The man shook his head affirmative at Evia's trick question. She was tempted to simply injure the man and ask his currently knocked out companion the questions to let off her bad mood but decided against. "Why did you target me? Why did you want to steal from me? How do I really get to the Golden Guar?" Evia pressed the man for questions, some simply to learn something and as well to figure out where she needed to go. "You..you seemed new in town so we thought you would make an easy mark. We needed the money from selling your things to get some food. We didn't mean you any real harm ma'am. To get to the Golden Guar, just leave this alley and take a right then continue to till you reach a intersection of four. Take the left road and you'll eventually find the sign marking the Golden Guar." The man said shakily, seemingly nervous from the swords in his sides. Evia thanked him and walked out the alley way to follow the man's directions.

After several minutes of walking, Evia found the tavern known as the Golden Guar. It's sign held a drawing of a golden humanoid looking reptile on it, something which confused Evia immensely. Never in Evia's life had she heard of or seen a walking reptile. It seemed as such an odd thing to draw for a sign. Evia ignored the oddity of the sign and caustiously entered the tavern, as she had learned to do so many times before. Last time she had walked into a tavern without some caution, Evia had walked directly into a bar fight and was in jail for a night despite the fact that she wasn't even involved in. She entered the dark and mostly empty bar looking around the make sure there wasn't any sort of trap in the bar. There were three people in the bar alread and what appeared to be a big wolf, much larger than anything she had met. A man wearing some heavy looking armor was sitting next to the large wolf, perhaps he was the pet's master.

A young woman with brown hair stood at the bar, probably buying some of the beer the humans loved so much. The third and final person Evia noticed was an older woman sitting alone at a table. Evia felt out of place among these people and felt as if maybe going on this journey was a bad idea. Then she reminded herself that the reason she was going on this journey was to write more about the outside world and return to her people with knowledge of the outside world which could prove helpful. Evia took a seat in a chair against the wall and let Minim sit on the table. She opened her knapsack and pulled out the fish wrapped in seaweed and broke off a quarter of it and handed it to Minim. "Here, you haven't eaten anything of real substance today. Then again, neither have I." Evia said to Minim as she wrapped the fish back up and pulled out a loaf of wheat bread and broke a chunk off it which she proceeded to consume. Evia would have gotten a drink of water or at least some beer if she hadn't used all her money to buy a bottle of ink. "So, are your guys here cause of that poster?" Evia called out to the man in armor and the woman at the bar after having nibbled on some of her bread.

Beads of sweat rolled down Tahira’s face, leaving no mark on the moisture retardant paints she used on her skin, and fell onto her legs. The result of her continued efforts. An ironwood quarterstaff was laid across the ground in front of her, recently acquired from an arms merchant in return for some labor which Galal had provided him. The air around the entire length of the weapon shimmered with heat from the magic she was attempting to imbue the item with. She had traded components with an alchemist, who had given her instructions on how to prepare a treatment to help the item retain magic. It appeared to be working, as the wood had not yet burst into flames after her repeated spell casting.

Tahira took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, then moved her palms above the staff. She opened herself to the Outlander’s power, feeling it blossom within her mind and through her body. She shaped it, channeling it outwards to the palm of her hands, and beneath them a virulent flame erupted around the staff. Ever so slowly, the flames focused inwards, soaking into the staff as if it were a sponge until they had disappeared completely. That was new.

Reaching down, she rolled the staff into her hands and gently lifted it off the ground. Hesitantly, she sent just a trickle of magic into the weapon. The result was immediate; a wave of heat washed over her and a web of glowing fissures spread across the surface of the staff as if it had been pulled from a roaring fire. A prideful smile plucked at the corners of her lips. This will do, she thought, placing the butt of the staff against the dirt and using it to stand.

She had been kneeling on the dirt floor of a hovel she had commandeered in a shanty town growing from the walls of Lenaya. The shanty town was populated by penniless travelers, the servants - or slaves - of wealthy merchants who could afford to reside within the heavily populated city, and a variety of other down on their luck peasants. Cities were a strange thing, Tahira had found. They were much like a gamble against oneself, where the smallest portion succeeded and the rest would have done better off to remain within the tribes that had been mankind’s birth. They called the tribal peoples such as the Valishul savages, but she had heard of and seen greater acts of savagery within the walls of Lenaya than she had ever known on the Sand’s Teeth.

Of course, Tahira had been unmolested during her time in the city despite her ignorance of their ways and vulnerable appearance. The reason why became evident as she stepped out of the hovel and proceeded towards the city proper. Falling in behind her, Galal stood head and shoulders above the shaman, with arms as thick as her waist. He didn’t like fire, so she had left him outside to avoid scaring him. Although he was a gentle giant, nobody knew that, so the crowd parted around the two of them wherever she went.

After her last battle on the road to Lenaya she had decided that her kurki wouldn’t always be enough, although it would have been easier to imbue with the Outlander’s might, so her first few days in the city had been spent gathering the resources and knowledge for enchanting a new weapon with a longer reach. The flyer had been convenient discovery, the journey that would come from such an undertaking was the type that fed the mind, body and soul. It had also been the perfect reason to craft a new tool, which is why she had decided to enchant the staff before going to this ‘Golden Guar.’

Not knowing the way, she approached a young street urchin. The boy shied back at the sight of Galal, but did not run as he noted the metal token that Tahira had produced from a pouch. She was not entirely sure how these were used, even after so long in Lydia, but the ‘coins’ held value to these people and they would suffer to receive them.

“Will you take me to the Golden Guar tavern, young man?” She asked, proffering the coin. Her low, sultry voice was difficult to make out in the higher pitched noise of the crowd, but he nodded, edging forward and snatching it from her grip before beckoning her on and moving down the street. He led her and Galal to a modest building of wood and stone with a sign depicting what must have been a golden guar. She thanked the boy and handed him another token before he raced away with his prize.

Not sure what to expect, Tahira entered the tavern cautiously. Behind her, Galal had to turn sideways to get his broad shoulders in, and that caused the bag on his shoulder to get caught on the hinges. She turned towards him with a sigh, nodding encouragingly when he made the right moves, until he finally managed to get in with a squawk of triumph. When she turned around she saw those others who had gathered in response to the flyer, two women and an armored male warrior, both of the women accompanied by their own companions. Was one of them Ilium Norak?

It wasn't often Jen-Tai sojourned into town, especially ones as large as Lenaya. And when she did it was for supplies and services caravans did not offer. The crowds, the tight spaces, it was suffocating. Out in the wilds she could run and jump to her heart's content, here she was stuck waddling along trying not to get her intimidatingly large sword caught on anything. Eventually she made her way into the other side of town, the one filled with gamblers and drunks. All along the streets vendors and entertainers were trying to make a quick coin.

"One coin! Test your strength for just one coin! Best me, and win it all!" One large man in particular was challenging everyone passing by to arm wrestling.

"So when I beat you, I get that entire bag?" Jen-Tai asked, taking the seat opposite him.

"Hahaha, that's if you beat me! I should warn you, no man has ever defeated me. Little lone a woman."

Dropping a coin on the table, she firmly placed her elbow down into arm wrestling position. The large man did the same, and as soon as they locked hands Jen-Tai slammed his down making a loud thud. The man was silent in aww for a moment before speaking "N-no fair! I didn't say go!" Again they locked hands into a neutral position. This time the man, furrowing his brow in concentration, waited a few seconds before shouting "GO!" He struggled to tilt her arm half an inch before she effortlessly slammed his arm down. ""I'll be taking my winnings now."

"Y-you cheated! Some kind of magic, I know it! Get outta here before I call the guards!"

"You dare cheat me, little man?!" She stood up, towering above him. Her hand reached to the blade strapped to her back. But before she can unsheath it a woman appeared to break up the conflict.

"Whoa there! Let's not get hasty. No need to call the guards. She said before turning to Jen-Tai. "C'mon, lets go. Now" Grabbing her arm, the two briskly strolled away until they were out of sight. "Always getting into trouble, aren't you? It's a wonder you survived this long without me, Jen" The woman leaned in to give Jen-Tai a big hug, which she gladly returned.

"Elise! It's been too long. I thought you settled in that river town."

"It was awfully boring, too many elderly folks. Besides, my new job pays much better. So what are you doing in a place like this?"

Pulling the flyer from her pocket, Jen-Tai showed it Elise. "Gold, treasure, and adventure. You know, the usual."

Elise looked disappointed, like she didn't get answer she expected. "Oh Jen, doesn't carrying that thing around get tiring?" she said motioning to the sword.

"It's only a few pounds."

"You know what I mean. It's dangerous out there, all alone. Even for an Amazon. Why don't you settle down, like the rest of us? I've a modest home, with plenty of space. You're more than welcome to come stay with me."

"You know I can't..."

"And I thought I was the stubborn one. Well, I have business I must see to. You'll visit me when you're finished with your little adventure, won't you?

"Of course."

"And... be safe." she said before giving Jen-Tai a kiss on the cheek and one last big hug.

Sometime later Jen-Tai found the entrance to the Golden Guar. She waited outside a while, and before long a snake-like creature with limbs and fur climbed up her leg and arm before finally resting on her shoulder. "Now where have you been, Ravaatra? Everything look good in there?" Ravaatra purred in confirmation. Jen-Tai then entered the place, seeing others have already showed up. She would've gotten a drink if she didn't spend her last coin on that arm wrestling con-artist.

"Bye, Chunk! Be back soon!," Tara waved at the stables where a massive animal was being lead out of sight as she ran through the city gates. That same feeling she got when she left the treehouse in her wake returned when she crossed the border of the forest and it was back now. She looked up at the inside of the wall absently and then out at the sprawl of tightly clustered buildings and crowd of people near the entrance. She marveled at the sights and noise and wonderful smells and how strange the cobblestones felt on her mostly bare feet. A smile formed on her face. How could she feel so free, so excited and so nervous all at the same time. She had been here before, of course. Selling skins, furs, and taking contracts for various jobs to earn some gold, then spending that gold on supplies and tools, but this time was different. This time was final. She was leaving home. Leaving her forest, her Nema, the treehouse, the main roads, the Lydian country, and Lenaya, the only lands she had ever known, for what would probably be a long time. She couldn't stay forever. Something was urging her out into the world. She couldn't stay cloistered in one spot forever. She was a woman now! Her Nema had said so.

Tara only hoped she wouldn't be hindered or left uninvited or found unworthy to go on the journey. Some travelers on the road had told her about it last week. Her Nema had protested and argued against it. But in the end, the wonder got to Tara and she would not be controlled! Now if only she could remember the name of the meeting place. The color yellow seemed fresh in her mind. "The Yellow... Something..." She would know it if she saw it! But for now, with no name and no knowledge of the city other than the market and the blacksmith, she wandered aimlessly. Part of her began to wonder if she had made a mistake.

After about half an hour had passed she found herself in a much too quiet part of the city that was more small houses than any sort of place for a tavern or a shop. Maybe the meeting place was a house? No. That didn't seem right. The travelers had said it was a tavern. Hadn't they?

"Hey! Hey!" she yelled when she saw a city guard turn onto the street, "Hey, I need to find a tavern!"

She ran up to the armored man who gave her a confused look.

"A tavern? Well, there's at least a dozen on this side of town alone. Can't be too hard," he said.

"Just need one, sir," Tara said, "It's got a name. I know it does. Just can't... The yellow something? Or gold maybe?"

"Not ringin' any bells for me, little lady," the guard shrugged, "More than likely, you mean the Gilded Trader. It's three blocks back the way you came on the main street."

"Fine," Tara huffed, "I'll just check them all."

She turned on her heel and started back-tracking.

Back on the main street she asked directions of one more of the locals who managed to point her in the right direction. The tavern was full to bursting with travelers, merchants, working girls, and chatty locals. A lot of people had come to go on the journey. Really a lot. Though none of them looked like guides, or mercenaries, or fighters of any sort. Something was wrong here. She awkwardly waded through the crowd, watching her heavily laden back pack, keeping her toes out of the way of boots and ducking elbows and bodies that came her way. She had never been in a tavern before.

"Hey, cutie!" an elderly man with several missing teeth got in her face, "Nice tattoos! Where'd you get them?"

Tara simply froze and looked up at him with huge eyes before making a sort of horrified squeaking noise and ducking behind a waitress. She squeezed her way to the wall of the establishment as fast as she could. This was the wrong place. But after sticking to the wall and carefully making her way to the door she slid by a large, mismatched pair of message boards covered in announcements, wanted posters and advertisements. She looked through them seeing if there was anything useful.

"There!" she gasped out loud.

She snatched one of the fliers from the board and shuffled her way up to the bar. These patrons were crazy and drunk and she didn't trust any of them to help her. Once there she stood on tip-toes and threw her arms over the bar, which hit her high on the chest, thrusting the flier at one of the bartenders.

"Hey! Where is this?" she jabbed the now crumpled and ripped parchment.

"The Golden Guar?" the barkeep frowned, "Down the main way, then two blocks south after you get to contract office. Why would you want to go there though? That place is a dive for mercenaries, thugs and bad people. You can buy anything you need here, sweety. What can I get you?"

"What? Heh! I'm not going to buy anything," Tara giggled.

The swiftness with which she found herself face first in the road outside of the tavern door was absolutely stupefying. People stared at her and the men who had thrown her out yelled at her, but she quickly and stubbornly picked herself up. She dusted off her skirts and pulled her fur hood off her head where it had fallen. Her bare knees were scraped up, but it was no matter. She glanced up the road where the barkeep had said she should go and started running.

By the time she reached the contract office she was panting a little. She didn't need to run, but she had already been going around in circles and wasting time and she didn't want to miss anything. Damn. This road was a lot longer than she thought it was. Her feet skidded over the stones as she rounded the corner too fast. There it was! She could see the sign from where she was. It was small, but it hung out over the street and she could see the tell-tale glint of the worn gold paint. Tara didn't slow down until she neared the door. She jogged to a walk and straightened herself up as much as she could before opening the door just a crack and peering in. Her mouth dropped open. She could not believe what she was seeing.

She threw open the door and stood there, just taking it all in. These people were all armed, some of the armored, all of them like nobody she had ever seen before and they all had friends. Amazing, exotic, beautiful friends. Just like she had back at home! Her eyes darted quickly between the adorable little white reptile, the curious owl, the beautiful wolf, the hulking ape and finally the long, graceful, snake-like cat. That last one forced a huge grin and a short burst of astonished laughter from her. Where did they all come from!?

"Kid, are you going in or what?" someone grumbled.

She snapped her attention upward and was met with a pair of bright yellow eyes looming over her. The very tall, thin creature leaned on the doorway above her and glared down. He was hunched and dark, but she quickly recognized his kind. The fur and the long ears gave it away. Essang. Not exactly rare in Lenaya, but not common either. Truth be told they rather scared her.

"S-sorry, sir!" she hustled in and jumped into the first chair available. It was somewhat far from the others. Too nervous to move again, she looked to the large woman with the big sword and her pet as much as she could without staring and squirmed from time to time.

The Essang had to stoop somewhat to get through the door and couldn't fully straighten up inside the tavern. He limped by her gracefully and she could hear him mumbling something under his breath. What exactly he said, she couldn't tell. He sat down at the bar and after one irritated swish of his tail, tapped the bar twice with a claw.

"Toss a raw egg and some firesalts into it," he growled, "Sobriety is overrated."

"So, are your guys here cause of that poster?" Evia called out to the man in armor and the woman at the bar after having nibbled on some of her bread.

As the woman that had called out to them approached, Kita got up and moved a bit to let her into the group and moved a bit to let her into the group. Renault didn't answer the woman in much more than a slow nod, but Nalia spoke. "Yep!" she said enthusiastically. "Don't mind Renault here. He doesn't speak much, apparently. Kita and I got here a little while ago. Few others came in and I...Oh my! Is that...?!"

Nalia jumped up and looked past the woman in front of her. "Tara?!" She yelled and ran across the room to another table on the far end of the bar, leaving Renault and the woman there alone with Kita. The Dire-wolf had lay down by this point, nodding off into a light slumber. Renault didn't intend to be rude to this woman, but he may have come across as such, disappearing into the realms of his own mind as he sipped at his ale every minute or so. His world was masked away by the veil of a blank, nonexistent, stare into the table.

Tara's head whipped to the side and her eyes darted furiously around the room. Her hands splayed out on the table. She looked like a deer about to bolt. Until she saw Nalia. Her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, but an excited smile soon erased the look. The girl jumped out of her chair and threw herself at Nalia, nearly bringing both of them to the ground.

"You're here too!? Why didn't you tell me you were taking off on some dangerous journey!? We could have come into town together! Wait," Tara released her vice like hug and frowned, "You were going to leave without saying anything."

"Wait wait, back up. You didn't get my letter?" Nalia replied, frowning slightly.

Meanwhile...

The old woman grabbed a few papers off the table, one of which was a letter. Tara's Nema threw it into the fire and smiled. "Mmmhmm! Toasty warm!" She said, wringing her hands together.

Back at the tavern...

"I swear I left it on the bottom of the access rope when I left!" Nalia scowled, unhappy that her letter didn't reach her friend. She instead decided to hug the little woman before her tightly.

---

"This is going better than expected." Illum said to no one in particular. She still sat in the same chair in the back of the bar, her leg still resting on the other as her foot tapped lightly in the air. A very slight crease of a smile crept across her mouth as she saw the group starting to talk and mingle, becoming acquainted. They would all know each other soon enough. There would be plenty of conflicts, but all will lead down the same road. There was a very well rounded group before her. Combat roles were filled without issue. Some were even overqualified. The chances of success were good, but they weren't the best. They could be better. She was sure that they would improve soon enough as more came about, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. She had tried this method of reaching the city several times before, each time was better than the last and this was no exception

"I feel it is time to begin," Illum said quietly.

Despite her lack of volume any voices in the pub fell and conversations slowed to a stop. Once everybody was giving her their attention she rose up from her seat. She brushed the creases out of her blouse and stood tall. Her long fingers traced gently down her sides and then clasped around her back.

"We certainly look prepared, don't we?" she smiled, "Good. As my advertisement and agents illustrated, I'm sure, this will be a profitable journey for those of you who survive to see it through. If you survive. Ladies and Lords, this will be no vacation or simple pilgrimage. Many have embarked on this trail before you. None have reached the end. If there is any doubt in your minds regarding your skill, integrity, perseverance, and motivation, then walk away now and leave such matters to better souls."

The crowd assembled remained still and focused on their leader.

"Very well. I will be providing you with a guide who knows the route and will keep contacts for you. Rations, a cart and a couple of beasts will be provided to you for the first leg of the journey. What happens to them and what happens to you once on the road is your responsibility. I would highly advise you spend the night checking and double checking that you have everything you will need. We will be leaving at dawn tomorrow," she paused, "Are there any pressing questions you may have? If not, please, enjoy your stay. I have made sleeping arrangements in the upper levels of the tavern. Do not be late in the morning."

All was quiet and somewhat tense until the door to the tavern opened once again. Warm, pink light from the sunset outside flooded through the opening and framed a grim man in a heavy, dark, and tattered cloak. He entered slowly and with some difficulty. His face was mostly in shadow under the deep hood he had pulled up over his head. But it did little to conceal bright, moist eyes that saw only what was directly in front of him. He was followed by another dressed in a similar fashion who it seemed was trying to help him. His breathing came in wheezes, harsh and forced. One of the sleeves on his cloak had been rolled up and pinned at the shoulder where his right arm should have hung. Another man entered behind the first two and remained close to the door while his friends continued for several paces into the lounge. He was dressed in light armor and many blades and religious symbols covered his gear. His face was gaunt, dark and tired. He watched something out there intently and then nodded before letting the door close and seal out the sunlight.

"Illum," the leader hissed. He spoke with a voice that had been deprived of its depth and spirit. A breathy whisper from the husk of a dying man.

"Not going to tell them what you're really doing, you witch?" he asked.

The woman remained still. Her composure did not slip even in the slightest. The barkeep hurried to the end of the bar.

"Sorry, the place has been rented out for the evening, boys. On top of that I won't have you insulting my patrons. Go on and don't make me sort you out myself," he threatened.

"It's alright for now," Illum waved him down, "I apologize, I cannot seem to place your face to memory. Have we met? Are you aiming to come with us?"

"Don't you play your games with me!" the man jabbed a finger at her, "I already joined you once! Look at me! Look what I got out of it! Gold and riches, bah! You're a liar, a witch, and a murderer!"

He stumbled a bit while brandishing his stump of an arm. The man with him had to catch and stabilize him before he toppled into a table.

"Tell them, Illum! Tell them about the Black Wardens and the damned dragons and the fire! Tell them about the fire! I'll see you impaled and burned for what you did to us!"

Illum's patience and ease vanished. Her body visibly tensed and the look of composed curiosity transformed into defensive malice.

"You have been touched in the head," she said, "I remember each expedition as clearly as a still lake and I will not have my memory questioned. You have never had the honor of joining those men and women who have embarked on this task. I have never seen you and I hope I never have that displeasure again. Now leave. You are not welcome."

"Stuff your festering mouth!" the man screamed back. He hobbled up to the bar talking to himself in a rapid fury. His hand slipped under his cloak to his belt. The man standing guard by the door opened it and signaled.

"No drinks," the barkeep scowled, "My lady is finished with you, and so am--"

His words were severed by the short sword now shoved through his neck. The old, one armed man wrenched it free clumsily leaving the corpse to hit the bar and then slide to the floor. Two more mercenaries armed to the teeth and decorated with human teeth, various herbs, vials of liquids and an assortment of pouches entered. They already had weapons drawn.

Tara scrambled out of her seat by Nalia and backed to a wall as quickly as she could. Her eyes were wide and she looked for some sort of escape. The Essang watched the spectacle with some boredom and sucked down the last of his drink. His claws rested on the handle of a knife.

"We come for the witch!" the old man yelled at them, "We have no business with you. If you aim to keep it that way then get out! Those of you who defend this whore will be considered accessories to her evil and gutted alive beside her!"

The five of them spread out and began to close in on the enraged Illum.

"What about this one?" the one who had been guarding the door gestured at Tahira, "She looks like one of them Outlander lovin' magic slingers."

"We'll take her too!" the old man barked.

The Essang was the first to slip out of his seat and limp leisurely over to Illum. He drew a long, jagged dagger out of its sheath, a sword to any human of smaller stature, and spun it around once, testing the weight like he always did.

"She's got adventure, escape and gold, you old scag," he hummed, "You've got crazy and a big fat dose of ugly. I mean just look at that one!" he pointed at one of the henchmen, "That man fell out of the ugly tree itself and hit every damn branch on the way down! Don't think you can just come wreck up a private party and threaten ladies and get off with out a fight."

"You're gonna die for that!" the henchmen yelled.

"We'll see," the Essang smirked.

The witch hunter lunged at them both.