"Well I think we are being followed," Alyon spoke softly as she closed the door to room, preventing passer-byers from listening in. She then held out the letter and placed it down in front of Fraya, knowing that she wouldn't be able to read it but following up by telling her, "It says, 'The eye is forever watching'."

Alyon sat down and passed Fraya the drink before reaching over to her pack and pulling out the Artifact that they had obtained from their earlier adventures. She placed the object on a flat surface and analysed it's unique beauty. "I was talking to the Bar Tender and he was telling me about rumours of man with a glowing eye who appears when Artifacts are involved. What was more interesting is the possibility that he has an Artifact already. Could... Could he be a Hunter?"

The link between these Artifacts was becoming more and more confusing. Alyon needed some real answers soon and hopefully once they reached her Home, her Father would be able to enlighten the two on the history.

"What? Being followed?"

Fraya looked confused as she leaned up from the sofa, her eyes tracing to the world moving so fast outside that she could hardly believe that anyone could be following them right now! However soon her confusion cleared up when Alyon passed off the piece of paper to her, though it still confused her since she couldn't read... Thankfully she soon read it out for her, causing him to nod with a frown.

Taking the drink she sipped it a little, though it tasted good she could not help but look worried. However her words did not improve things as she gave a small sigh at what she said, a worried tone coming over her as she started to speak. "A hunter? Like you? Maybe they are some kind of group that gathers them but... That man with the glowing eye, worried me. He still ran when he saw me but I don't think he was scared. Maybe your farther knows?" She remembered only a few things when she was in a rage, such as Alyon being scared but also that mans eye and the look on his face. A man that showed no fear in the face of death...

Fraya was right. For the two of them to solve the various mysteries that surrounded these artifacts and the people involved, they would have to go to Alyon's father for some hard answers. No sooner that they had finished their conversation they felt the train begin to slow down as it began to make it's way into the station. Peering out the window Alyon could see the night sky with the faint glow of lights. Even without seeing the town buildings she could tell that she was home. It was just something about the air that made her feel at ease.

The two of them stood up and began to gather their belongings so that they could disembark the train and make the trip to Alyon's home. When the two of them stepped onto the platform they could see only a handful of people were around them, a sure sign that this town was not high on the tourism attraction list.

"This way..." Alyon spoke as the girls walked off the platform and towards the edge of town. The darkness surrounded them and produced an eerie silence that was only broken by the sound of the moist ground squelching under their feet and a few frogs croaking in the distant. Before too long they were on a small path that lead to a lone house, surrounded by a few oak trees and resting on the edge of some farmland.

Alyon stepped up to the doorway where a dim light shone through the gaps around the edges, and with a steady knock she heard the shuffle of some feet. The door creaked open as a bearded man stuck his head out, "Who's there and what do ya want!"

"Hello Father, I've come ho..." before completing her greeting the door swung open and the man stepped forward to embrace her daughter in a grand hug.

"Pumpkin!" he bellowed as he held onto his daughter, "Look at you. You need to rest, and who's you're friend here. She's..." His eyes stopped his speech as he examined the creature that was accompanying Alyon, looking at the tail and horns that made up her build. "Get inside! Now!" he bellowed at Alyon before motioning for Fraya to enter the immediately and slamming the door behind them. In an instant he spun on his feet, and rested his hands on the shoulder of Fraya, "You found one of them... You actually found one of the Ancients."

Fraya blinked in surprise by the feeling of motion suddenly being taken away from her as the train started to slow down while it pulled into the station. Right away she could not help but turn away from Alyon and peer out towards where her traveling companion had lived, though it was dark so she could not see much even with her inhuman sight. However she did not have the same feeling as her companion as she just suspected it was always meant to feel like this way, the atmosphere of unease of a likely unsafe little town in a world where monsters could be anywhere.

After stepping off of the train Fraya stretched out with a big yawn, attempting not to have her tail follow suit as she hid it under her clothing so that she did not freak out any of the humans around. After all like Alyon had said before, a place full of only humans may not take to other races very well, and the last thing she wanted was to make the girl look bad in her own home...

"Alright." Following after Alyon towards the edge of town. Walking through the damp town that had seen recent rainfall she could not help but feel like it felt somewhat empty of life... Maybe it was that everyone was inside? Either way she did not have time to discover the true meaning of this as soon enough they came to a lone house, surrounded by a few oak trees and resting on the edge of some well kept farmland. Walking up to the door she looked interested as she stared towards the door as it creaked open and a bearded man stuck his head out.

However she was really surprised as the man embracing his daughter, though it was not from the act itself but the cute nickname that he had given his daughter. Really it was so cute that her tail swayed out from under the cloak and started to twitch from side to side, the sight catching the mans attention but at the moment Fraya was thinking of something else... Why did she feel like such a act was normal for her? As if she had that done to her many times in the past, though she would also have a farther right?..,

Blinking in surprise she was suddenly ushered into the building, the rush coming out of no where and soon she found herself with the mans hands on her shoulders. Out of instinct more than anything she let off a light growl while her tail swayed from side to side. "'One of them' is standing right here and doesn't like being talked about like she was a piece of found cloth..." She gave the older man a blank stare, though she did match the only known depictions of the ancients the man who likely studied this all his entire life would have took not of the odd way that they were... For instance her looks were most commonly shown her race battling some kind of shadow.

"So uhh... What's your name? I'm Fraya."

"Dad!" Alyon bellowed at the man, to which he suddenly pulled back and realised that he was probably invading Fraya's personal space.

"I'm sorry, terribly sorry. I am Bromadier," Bromadier pulled his arms away as he turned towards the kitchen, "Let me get you girls a drink."

Alyon was gazing around the home, admiring it's usual mess with books stacked to the ceiling and maps rolled up on every available surface. The home while untidy, was organised and you could see how each stack had it's own place and category, presumably all to do with the Artifacts. She pulled around her pack to the front of her body and lifted out the cube that the two girls had gathered deep within the crypt before placing it on an available table surface that barely housed enough space.

"As well as being an 'Ancient', Fraya deactivated this artifact by..." her words were interrupted as her father walked back into the room.

"Let me guess, she touched the stone?" he spoke as if he already knew the answer, "It's mentioned in one of those documents over there." Bromadier pointed towards a box behind Fraya which contained several manuscripts thrown in as if they were a group of flowers in a vase. He passed a glass of water to Fraya and moved towards Alyon, swapping the stone with a cup so that he could examine it better.

Alyon took the glass and sipped the water before continuing, "Well, we were told that this stone is the Stone of Blight, and when we were obtaining it we were attacked by a man with a glowing eye."

Bromadier stopped examining the stone for a moment, speaking only a single phrase, "The Eye of Knowledge..." He could see the confusion on Alyon's face for a moment, deciding that it would be best to continue on what he knew.

"The Eye of Knowledge is in fact an Artifact, but what makes it so powerful is that it houses all the knowledge of every being that touches it. Humans, Ancients, even animals. Your race," looking at Fraya, "created it so that they could share their vast knowledge with others, like how we today share information through Libraries. The issue lies in how it is now within a group that calls themselves the Worshippers of the Eye, a group of thieves who want to obtain the artifacts for themselves in order to overthrow governments and cities."

"How do you know all this?" Alyon asked, knowing that her father wasn't a Hunter but worked as a merchant during his travels.

He looked at Alyon with a tear in his eye, knowing that what he would say next would impact her greatly. "Because I was once a member of that organisation. They were the ones who attacked me in an attempt to re-obtain the Artifact after they found out I was going to sell off the eye to an interested buyer. Your mother however was the one holding onto the eye at the time and not me, but her own curiosity got the better of her. When she touched the Artifact it led her to this very stone." He picked up the cube, looking at it's dangerous beauty. "She was the one that activated the Stone of Blight, which in turn gave her an incurable illness. I do not know where she left the Eye after that, but as fate has it, the Worshippers of the Eye ended up finding it again."

Fraya blinked in surprise as she was finally released from the mans grip, though given what she knew about him he was likely very excited to see one of her people she should have expected that. After being given the glass of water the girl peered around to try and find a place to seat... For a moment she considered sitting on the pile of books but decided against it, so she started to sip at the cool liquid while standing there, listening to what he had to say.

While listening she could not help raise a brow at the name of the decides, why didn't they ring any bells with her? She suspected that it was just called something different in her native tongue and so they translated it... Then again she was missing her memories so it was likely also a big factor in this case.

However after the announcement about Alyon's mother and farther those idle thoughts were pushed into the back of her mind. This was far more important that such mundane things to her people were being used in such a manner by these people! She was sure the stone of blight was meant to cleanse and be a weapon but the eye? "Why.. Do they worship it? Its just a store of knowledge right? You had to have known that while you were with them." She stated, her tail swaying from side to side like a animal about to pounce its pray but she had no plans... Yet. "Wait... That eye holds the knowledge of my people? I can use that to help me. To remind me of my people!"

"Hold on! My mother is dead because you joined a rebel group and betrayed them?"

Bromadier was caught off guard by the sudden influx of questions from the two girls. He staggered a bit and attempted to regain his composure, hoping that his words would defuse the situation at hand.

"Alyon dear, I understand your anger towards me and I hope to make amends for the past mistakes, but if what you girls are saying is true then the country has a serious issue at hand." At this moment in time he was holding up his palms, gently pushing an invisible pocket of air downwards in the hopes of calming his frustrated daughter. Alyon could see his actions and bit her tongue, still holding a growing grudge towards her father but realising that they needed to discuss the matter of the Artifacts before addressing their family feud.

Bromadier turned towards Fraya and carefully continued what he was saying, hoping to all hell that he didn't end up with 'two' girls that wanted to strangle him to death.

"The organisation never started off by worshipping the Eye. We started off as a more peaceful group, protesting against leaders and royalty about the treatment of the people and beings of this world. When the Eye was discovered we learned of it's contained knowledge about the Ancients and their health, science, magic, weapons, even attempts at immortality. The focus of the group shifted from protests to forceful attempts at confronting governing groups, and that was something I didn't agree with.

"If you are having troubles with the memories of your kind then the eye will help, however everyone that has come in contact with it has become a dangerous person, filled with the poisonous knowledge that it has absorbed over the centuries. My books here may help you in a safer manner, but I don't have much information about the past race other than the hieroglyphs on the walls. Your other option might be more dangerous, but the Vemrahm library contains an assortment of Artifacts and resources that were deemed unusable or unreadable by the people of this age."

"Vemrahm?" Alyon enquired, knowing that she mentioned this dangerous area to Fraya once before, "The village with the fanatics that hunt and kidnap anything that is of mythical decent?"

"Precisely. Why do you think I wanted to sell it to such a remote estate?"

Alyon looked towards Fraya and wondered to herself...
All this conflict over a simple stone. Are these Artifacts really something the world should be allowed to find?

Fraya listened to the mans speech about how he was once apart of the very group that had threatened to kill them several times so far... Though she could at least understand that he was apart of it way before they had became like they were now. However that eye worried her slightly, as it meant that they knew things about her and her people that she had forgotten. Though from what he spoke about the effects of such a thing he had to wonder if the people that used it even had enough focus to understand what they were seeing...

Biting her lower lip her tail swayed back and forth, their new destination seemingly chosen, well for her at the very least. "Vemrahm... That is where we are going, I need to see if there is anything there that can tell or lead me to the truth." Turning to Alyon her eyes were filled with determination, clearly not caring about the danger if it meant she could get it. "Besides those artifacts belong to my people, it is my duty to see to their care or destruction." Turning towards the books that were all gathered up she then lowered her head, yeah there were tons of information but... "Heh... I can't read what any of this says!"

Alyon sighed heavily. This ordeal had grown far beyond what she could have expected, but for Fraya it was the sign of a new beginning. A chance to recover the past that she had lost over the years, and Alyon knew that. The books were only going to be of little help with getting to the hard facts and details, information that the two of them needed.

"If we end up going to Vemraham, then we best make sure that we are fully prepared. No more surprises with Tree Spirits, ambushing Killers, Red Light incidents and silly business like at the docks." Alyon's father gave a curious look, but shook his head as he wanded out of the room towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to go outside to practice for a bit, I think I need to let off a bit of steam..." With that, Alyon leaned down to pick up her sword and wandered out to the garden to practice her weapon usage that she had neglected for a while. As she stood out in the cold night she could feel the air pressing against her cheeks, and upon drawing her sword she felt the routine of her techniques flow back into her thoughts.

Fraya could not help but chuckle at the mention of all that had happened to them on their way here, her tail coming up from the floor to start and stroke the back of her head. "Yeah I understand." She watched as Alyon started to head outside and her farther went into the kitchen, leaving the being within the room of books all alone. She felt so strange at that moment as she stood within the complied knowledge. Was she truly just like these books and minor toys of her people? Nothing more than the remnant of the past to be inspected and left within a room to gather dust...

Shaking her head she pushed such silly thoughts out of her mind, such feelings may have taken over lesser people but she was not going to let them control her. Turning around she peered out into the garden where Alyon was training, though after so long traveling together she felt like it may be good to have some alone time.

Taking a hell turn she moved back towards the kitchen where Alyon's farther had moved to, placing her claw on the entrance of the door and peering inside. "Sir? IS it alright if I keep talking with you?" If he agreed she would move inside and take up a place next to one of the counters, her claws coming up to click against the hard surface. "Is Alyon going to be alright?..." She was of course worried about the person that had saved her from that deep dark tomb that she was locked in. "She was so scared before, when I was forced to battle off the enemies." He did not yet bring up the fact she had called her a monster...

"Alyon will be fine," Bromadier spoke as he turned towards the curious creature, "She left for her adventure knowing that she would find all sorts of amazing and wonderful things, but I don't believe she was never truly prepared for the fighting."

He pulled over a chair bar chair from the side of the room for Fraya to sit on, mostly so she felt a little more comfortable than trying to communicate around the corner. At that point he lifted out an old smoking pipe from his pocket and placed the tip within his lips. "Hope you don't mind," he nodded as he lit the tobacco within the end and gently puffed away, the smoke drifted around his torso. Bromadier raised his crippled leg and placed it on an unoccupied chair, pulling up the end of his pants to reveal some deep scaring where he was attacked all those years ago.

"Being unprepared for battle is a trait both her and I shared at the beginning of our ventures. I learnt the hard way that not all fights can be fought with words and negotiations. Even begging for your life can play against you when your attacker already views you as weak. This 'ere was caused by a werewolf," pointing to the teeth marks around his leg, showing that there was more to this injury than what could be seen at first glance, "Turns out the Worshippers of the Eye hired themselves a beast... Don't worry! I'm not infected!" he spoke quickly, unsure if she was following what he was saying, "Turns out a Werewolf can only infect others on full moon. It's the only time when they cannot control their transformations, and thus, cannot control the toxins that they release when biting."

Bromadier promptly pulled his leg away and dropped the pants leg down to cover his scar, "Anyways, point is that this world is full of nasty things that will try and kill you at any point in time. So survival is really the only option left, and if that means that you have to face fear at a younger age... then so be it. You're better off facing those monsters earlier when you have little to loose rather than older, like myself, when you have a young family whose lief you are trying to protect."

Fraya tilted her head with a unsure look on her face when she was told that Alyon would be just fine, though she was very unsure with the way she reacted to the harshness of the world. Though maybe she should have been more worried that she did not respond what would have been considered normal in a way.. Giving a small nod she agreed on the aspect of her not having been ready for combat, though she was competent it was clear she lacked experience. Though she could not say much as without her memory she only had her feelings to go off from, since all fighting experience she may have ever had was now gone.

When offered a chair she sat her butt down with her tail swaying idly from side to side while she listened to that story of his, raising a bro to the mention of a werewolf. "What is that?" She asked, not even knowing what the were part of the meant meant but she was not afraid to ask since it seemed to have done a number on him. "Is it some kind of wolf? We never had anything like that back in my time." She continued to listen and from her words she decided to lighten the mood just a little bit "Well I am kind of even older than you right?" She gave a small chuckle and placed her clawed hands onto her thighs which also held some of her finer scales that faded into her skin.

She was a little tense to be talking to him about it but he was the closest thing to another human that knew Alyon that she knew so she had to talk to someone about it. "When Alyon saw me fight before she got really scared... I didn't mean to lose it but what snapped me out of it was her calling me a monster." Her tail stopped swaying as she peered up with those flame colored eyes towards the man "Do you think she will be able to forgive me for that? It has been really awkward between us all the way here..."

"A werewolf my dear girl is a human who has the ability to transform into a wolf-like beast. The strength and speed is greater than that of a regular human so for many it makes a formidable opponent. You have to keep in mind that the world of today is very different to your world. When your species left many new creatures arose out of the darkness with some of them more demon like than others. Maybe your kind was holding these forces at bay for so long... but that's just an old man's assumption."

Bomadier chuckled lightly. For the longest time he hadn't had anyone to really talk to about these kind of stories. Someone that both knew what he was talking about, and someone that was willing to listen intently to ensure that his thoughts were not wasted on the deaf ears of man. But his chuckle ended and his tone turned into a cross between serious and calm before continuing with his final words.

"A wild creature will often perform actions that are unpredictable and reckless. Does this make them a monster or is this a result of isolation for so long?" He paused for a moment, deciding that an analogy would be the best way to explain. "Let's take a look at a dog as it can be the most loyal of all animals. An animal that can hunt for food, protect it's owner, and even offer company and support; but a wild dog can be dangerous. It can kill recklessly, damage property, and harm the most innocent of children. Both could be born from the same litter, but both go down different paths. What is most interesting is that each pup has the ability to switch from companion to feral at any point, and vice versa."

He leaned back and placed his body against the wall, pulling out his pipe and pointing it towards Fraya, "I guess what I am trying to say is just because you might have been a monster, doesn't mean that you are destined to become that monster. Alyon needs to see that and she needs to open her eyes once in a while and see the people of the world for who they really are."

Fraya listened to the old mans wise words on the nature of what a werewolf was, and of course just how one could choose to become a monster or not... Those words were far beyond her years and yet she felt like she understood them, though in the end she had little choice in the matter when it came down to it as she either adapted or fell into history like the rest of her people. "I understand, thank you so much for your words." Her tail now swayed lazily behind her, calmed by her conversation with Bomadier even if it was also about a powerful enemy that could give her a run for her gold.

Standing up from the stool she peered around the kitchen for a moment and rubbed her bare stomach "I was wondering, is there any chance I could get some food? I haven't had a good meal all day" She had gotten a small snack on the train but that was about it and now the old being was hungering for some fresh food! "Also umm, I didn't ask Alyon but where do we sleep?" She took a look back towards the living room just as a small pile of books tilted over and scattered across the ground.. Not that you could tell if you didn't see it.

While Bromadier and Fraya were speaking, an ears-dropping girl stood outside the kitchen window, leaning up against the wall and faintly listening in on the conversation being had. While she couldn't hear everything, she heard enough words from her father to make out what it was that he was saying. To put it lightly, she believed everything that he said to be mostly correct. The fact that Alyon was not really prepared for fighting, the idea that she hadn't faced enough danger in her life to overcome the fear of Fraya, and even the future challenges that both of them would have to face.

"I think I heard enough," Alyon quietly mumbled to herself. As much as she wanted to tell her father that he was wrong, the truth was that his wisdom and foresight was mostly correct. The leaned up off the wall and slowly walked back towards the barn that laid on the edge of the garden, entering and standing under the calm glow of the candles that she ignited prior when she first walked in there.

Resting upon a workbench was her sword and as she picked it up she could see a few small knicks in the edge from her fight with the unknown man. For her, this signalled a change in her life. A moment when she had to step out of that fantasy of finding treasure and move into the challenges of fighting a battle. She very well could have lost that fight, but was saved only by her quick moves in defence. Still, a sword should never show signs of weakness and Alyon picked up a honing stone and stroked the edges of the blade, slowly removing the damage.

For her, this process did mean a little more than cleaning up a sharp edge, but also meant that she was mentally preparing herself for her next confrontation. She had to be more aggressive, she had to be more assertive, she had to show the moves that she learned years earlier and apply them in a real situation, and having a blade in her hand that showed to both herself and her enemy the mistakes of her past would only bring back the memories of her failings.

With a loud yawn Fraya pulled herself up from the makeshift bed that she had been provided, her gaze looking around the room that she had taken resident in. Stretching out she gave a yawn as she acted much like a feline while she stretched out. She had slept in her clothing again, though she really needed a shower or bath of some kind... "Alyon?" She groaned out as she looked around, moving up from the bed she took a walk through the house, unknowing what she may find.

Alyon was sitting at the breakfast table ploughing into a delicious bacon and egg roll that her father had cooked. Next to her plate was a glass that was filled with orange juice with the pulp bits floating around. She was in heaven, enjoying every bite of the home cooked meal.

"Morning Fraya!" she called out as the sleepy girl wandered past the doorway. "There's a heap of food here if you want. Going to have to eat up, not every day we get a home cooked meal." Alyon was pointing to the center of the table, making sure that the girl saw the plates of goodness.

Alyon's Father wandered up behind Fraya, briefly saying excuse me before slipping past her into the dining area with yet another dish of food. "If you girls are planning that trip to Vemrahm library, you need to make sure you eat up, especially you," he pointed towards Fraya, making sure to single her out and make her feel guilty of NOT rushing to the table for food. A gentle taunt with a jokingly gesture.

Fraya gave off a yawn as she walked into the kitchen, her tail swaying lazily from side to side as her clawed feet clacked slightly against the hard flooring. Her keen nose sniffed at the air, a fanged smile crossing her lips as she took note of the smell of food that filled the air! She really could get use to being fed every morning to say the least, more so the bounty that she saw on the table.

Raising a hand she gave Alyon a wave good morning, her eyes tracing the table full of food as she made her way over on sleepy legs. "Morning~ I was wondering when I would get to eat like this again heh. I haven't since we were in the bath together." She commented without a hint of shame as she sat down at the table, her tail moving to cruel around the chair so no one tripped on it.

She hardly noticed Alyon's Father wondering up behind her before, her mind being so focused on the food and the happy welcome. "Heh, I can eat plenty. Thank you very much!" Looking down to the fork beside she remembered the very first time she ate at the human town.. She used her claws and devoured everything, thankfully she had learned since then and so started to take it up and scoop up some scrambled eggs on it to munch on. "Mmm~ Mmm~ Hmm... Is it true that this place hates non humans?" She asked, having worried about it during the night.

Bromadier looked in horror at the scene that he witnessed. Every plate was licked completely clean... clean! Not even the golden runny goodness from the egg yolks or the oil from the bacon remained. The juice itself in the glass cup was devoured in such a way that you would never even know that the cup was used.

"You, errrr, are certainly a big eater," Bromadier commented as he wondered whether a lock should be placed on the pantry cabinets, but that thought quickly vanished when Fraya mentioned Vemrahm and their hatred for those of non human origins.

"Some people you will talk to will know a little about Vemrahm," Alyon chimed in as she sipped her drink. "The city was in a long standing war many, many years ago between humans and non-humans. Apparently the land that the city was built on some holy land that was owned by the Elves?"

Alyon took a side glance at her father to see if he knew the correct answer, but he gave a subtle shrug as if to say 'I don't know'.

"Anyways, a law was passed about a century ago that stated that all Non-Humans are to be imprisoned on sight, no matter who you are. The main concern that I have is if you still feel comfortable heading into such a dangerous city?" Alyon looked at Fraya, making sure that she understood the gravity of the situation. "Whatever the answer, I have two horses in the Barn that I loaded up last night so it's your choice if you want to visit Vemrahm. It's only a day's ride so we can leave soon and be there by dark."

Fraya was gulping down the juice like it was the first thing she had to drink in ages, sort of like a wild animal making sure to eat as much as it could since it never knew when its next meal was going to be. Though she had much better table manners than any beasts, not spilling a drop and making sure to use what she had learned watching Alyon eat. Really that may have made it all the more frightening on how well she seemed to devour everything. After finishing she made sure to get one more glass of juice, though only sipping it for the time being.

While she listened as to why Vemrahm would be a dangerous place she could only suspect what they may do to her. "I suspect they are well versed in fighting strong non-humans?" If this way the case that meant they were possibly even a danger to one such as her, so the threat was likely very real and yet not even for a moment did she hesitate. "I want to go. I have to discover what is happening and what happened to my people." She took a good gulp of the juice to calm her nerves "I am ready to go whenever we are able too!" Her tail swayed in determination, it thumping lightly against Bromadier's leg.