The Sickened creature struck but a mist of what Willo used to be, for she had vanished and reappeared part of the way to the barrier, with Lazarus observing from the other side.

The creature turned towards her, the skin covering its lower face parting. Another screech resonated through the hallways, echoing all the way to the exterior of the castle.

A similar screech had been heard before yet the skin on the face of this one was intact moments ago before it let out its own one. It didn’t seem as if it was alone.

On the road towards Castle Bloodleaves the veteran hunter stopped just as buildings on the side of the road were dwindling and stared at the castle from which the monstrous sound came. At the same time Jonathan caught up to him extending his hand to him.

The veteran blinked in a moment of confusion after all that had happened, before nodding and taking his hand.

“Your help is appreciated.”

---

Two bodies were just being removed from the scene of the town center, when Alex and Imgor arrived at the location.
An eerie silence engulfed the area as the crowd stared in silence at the castle in the distance.

Alexander went to the nearest person he could see, looking for answers.

“I- I don’t know. Two men were . . . murdered in plain sight of the pub.” The man kept shifting his gaze to the castle. “An- And then there was this . . . terrifying scream that came from there.”

It seemed the question did not prove so pointless after all. The man looked at the two dumbfounded once the second one came. “The inn’s not far from here . . . b- but all things considered, I don’t recommend staying here.”

"I'm kind of tired from the journey so far, a good rest would certainly do good." Imgor yawns. "In fact, I wouldn't trust myself in battle right now."
Imgor's tone implied asking Alexander to discuss how to proceed.

The man simply pointed to the Inn at a point where the street intersected with another one.

Alexander nodded, they could both use a rest and he wasn't worried enough about the apparant murder to forgo a good nights sleep. Besides, if anything attacked them in the middle of the night, well morning really, Larion would doubtless alert them or take care of it alltogether. Thanking the man Alexander turned his horse towards the inn. Naturally he first tied his horse before going inside to arrange their lodgings, they could work on the rest of their task and perhaps find out some more about the murder in the morning.

The castle would probably be a good place to start given the nervous glances of the helpful villager. His thoughts were further supported by the tremendous echoing roar that came out of the castle mere moments later. Wasn't that castle Bloodleaves? Joshua had said something about it earlier he was pretty sure but he couldn't remember what. Whatever, clearly he wasn't functioning very well and if the town came under attack then surely the gaurd could deal with it or something.

Being tired, Imgor did the same, almost forgetting to tie his horse due to tiredness.

The entire process of paying for the room and then getting into bed went by like a blur, yet once in bed Alexander felt the restlessness that plagued his familiars mind.

Alexander sighed. The bed was soo very soft and comfortable. He really didn't want to bother with whatever was at the castle. He sat up and Larion nuzzeled him eagerly. "You're a real pain you know that buddy?" Alexander stared at the oversized lizard for a bit longer while considering what to do. "Ah well, I guess a little walk couldn't hurt now could it?" A rhetorical question of course but Larion responded to it eagerly all the same.

Just as the two left the Inn, Alexander could nearly feel the horrid surge of pain shoot through Larions body, the source of it being the wounds he sustained in the earlier scuffle. Usually the bond between the master and familiar involves their minds being permanently interlocked, and their minds alone. Yet some how Alex could feel a third presence creeping its way into theirs. And Larion was definitely worse off than he was at the time.

"Son of a-" Alexander cursed in surprise at the sudden burst of pain. He'd known Larion was still wounded and had fully intended to deal with it in the morning, well, later in the morning, but he hadn't known it was this bad. Whats more there was the oddest sensation of a third being shoving its way into link between them. Was this some side effect of the plauge? Larion hadn't shown any signs of being affected by it but that didn't mean he wasn't. Obviously the first thing he had to do was make it to some sort of doctor.

Before he was able to take any further action his body suddenly grew numb, and his vision faded to black. The last thing he felt was the impact of his body hitting the ground.

---

In the castle, a wake of marks scarred the ground as the beast charged Willo again and again, Willo all the while deftly evaded its attacks with her Flitter. The final flitter was near, and with perfect timing, the creature went through what seemed like dark dust instead of striking Willo. Its claws however, dug deep into the ground, its momentum coming to a halt just before the barrier. Another howl as it turned to face Willo, completely ignoring the man in front of him. The howl, no doubt, was once again heard outside, attracting the attention of Imgor and Alexander.

As it prepared another charged an exicus rune appeared, seemingly in midair, glowing brightly behind it. An invisible force pulled it backwards and pinned it against the barrier, slowly incinerating its back. However it seemed it would not pass through all the way.

“Willo!” Lazarus spoke her name again as if always expecting her to know what she should be doing next. Regardless, the next step was but obvious.

Willo could feel it, the toll of Flitter's repeated use on her energy. Though the spell was meant to be cast rapidly, nothing was infinite, and coupled with the pained ache from the beast's earlier attack, she knew the barrier's "intervention" was a saving grace. Not that she'd admit it of course.

--"Got it!" she called back, almost before Lazarus had even finished, then picked up once again into a sprint towards the beast. She didn't expect to be able to do much, but light as she was, she still carried weight that could only assist the barrier's suctioning destruction of the monster. Once and for the final time, she was sure, she evaporated, then came again into being with her feet planted on the beast, planning to push it further into the barrier and herself back, out of harm's way.

The rune vanished with Lazarus side-stepping the incinerated pile of flesh just in time, the remains sliding out through the massive gates behind him.
All the while Willo hit the ground after the strike, not having the strength to lift one finger.
On the stairs leading to the said gates, two individulas hurried up towards the entrance to Castle Bloodleaves.

"Watch out!" The veteran hunter yelled as he dove to the side, grasping whatever he could to not slide down the steep hill..
Jonathan was suddenly faced with a flying hunk of burning meat hurtling towards him. Jonathan was not deterred by this though, his horse saw the hunk as well, and its training saw it already dodging to the side opposite the one the veteran dove towards.

The hunter made his way back to the main staircase and dusted himself off, groaning all the while.

"I am going to kill that fool." He muttered to himself before continuing the climb, completely ignoring Jonathans presence in the process.

Jonathan dismounted from his horse to follow the hunter. He patted her on her side before going. "Stay here girl, you know the drill on manouvering inside." He followed after, his hand resting on the handle of his saber.

It took a bit for Willo to finally regain some strength, just enough to probably get up to her feet. Lazarus' attention was more on the walls that held the barrier runes than anything else. Cracks permeated the areas in which they were carved.

"It seems the barrier was intended to deter anyone from entereing, but not to fully prevent them from doing so."

The creature didn't even have that much mass yet it was enough to make the barrier collapse.

Willo however, found energy just from being able to stand, though not to do much else. Her steps were shaky, in fact she was trembling like a leaf overall. It didn't deter the massive grin splitting her face.

"Did you see that." It wasn't even a question, and it would quickly become apparent Willo's aim wasn't conversation. "That was so fucking good, you were like--Laz, Laz you were like 'Use the barrier!' and that thing--what the shit happened to it?!" Slowly, she made her way over to her mentor and scooped up Cinderwill from the ground, rolling her neck and shoulders. A few minutes would be enough to get the spring back in her step, but she wouldn't be doing much Flitting for a good while. She considered nudging Lazarus with her shoulder, but quickly decided against it. No need to tempt fate so often. "So much for the beast of Castle Bloodleaves, ah?"

Lazarus barely managed to open his mouth, and for a second there it even seemed like he was going to praise Willo for her actions. But at that point she would never find out, as another hunter barged in through the gate behind him.

"You little- I leave you alone in this town for one minute, and this is what you do?!" The hunter raged.

"This is supposed to be an assignement by the council." Lazarus responded calmly.
All the while Jonathan showed up from behind the raging hunter. Willo would no doubt note the flashy clothing. It seemed to be a nobleman. She could only wonder what someone like him could be doing here.

"And would you have preffered the creature to be let loose in the town?" Lazarus continued in the meantime. The other hunter merely grumbled in objection and took a few steps back after yelling at Lazarus, mere inches away from his face.

Jonathan suddenly remembered he had a certain letter on him, which in turn reminded him of why he was here, at Castle Bloodleaves.

"If I may interject" He said as he produced the letter from his pockets. "I was instructed to come here to meet my new mentor. Named Joshua... that wouldn't be any of you" His tone was meek and his posture was reticent. He wasn't going to be humbled by a hunter again today

"Who's tall dark and spit-shined?" Willo asked, leaning to Lazarus though it was spoken more to the air.

Lazarus in turn glanced at Willo and discounting her remark spoke to Jonathan.
"I am Drake Lazarus. Since it is only you who are here, I will assume you are not yet part of the group Joshua is currently training. He should however, arrive shortly." He explained.
Before Lazarus could discuss any other issues with him, he was nearly dragged outside by the other hunter present, somehow still maintaining a straight face all the way through the process. This left the two trainees to get acquainted with eachother, while also having to cope with the one-sided shouting coming from just beyond the gates of the caslte.

Jonathan remained silent for a moment before turning to the others in the room. "So... what was that flaming corpse flying out the front door about?"

Willo blinked at the argument going on not too far away. Twice today she'd been surprised by the way strangers treated Lazarus, and she half expected her mentor to lay the angry sod out flat. But no, civil as always. She turned to the noble boy, looked him up toe-to-head then back again, before beaming back.

"Like it? Big ol' beastie won't be bothering anyone anymore!" she chimed, dusting her hands off together. "So, you a newbie too?"

"Yeah, Don't really know what happened to my previous mentor, he just kind of disappeared one day. I used my family's contacts to get in touch with this Joshua character". He looked over his conversation partner. She seemed of a rather lithe build and a seemingly naive disposition. "So what's your story?"

"Me?" she swooped over to Jonathon and made a grand, sweeping wave at the horizon. "I'm a beast hunter, a hero! Or something. How about you, shiny? You look like the real...sporty sort."

"Why yes miss, It takes quite a trained frame to ram a lance all the way to the shaft into a slavering monstrosity, and just as much strength to pull it out afterwards."

As the conversation progressed, Jonathan would start hearing incomprehensible whispers, which at a glance seemed to surround him.

She looked at him blankly, head cocked. "Those are some expensive words for 'I kill shit', but hey, the more the merrier."

"What can I say, I was raised to be yet another fat nobleman sitting on his ass, guess the expensive language is something I've yet to unlearn." He checked around him to see whether anyone else was in the room." You hearing something too?" He said with a midly concerned voice.

She cocked a brow and glanced around with him. "...Nope can't say I am. Why? You hear something? Anything neat?"

"No, just... whispers spitting out nonsense in tongues. Coming from everywhere yet nowhere in particular.". He was growing increaasingly concerned now. "You think someone is playing magic tricks on me? I'm serious, it's just... there." The hand resting on his saber grew tighter.

"Uhm..." her smile turned nervous, and she put her hands up in a calming manner. "I'm sure you're fine, probably just a tick, maybe the wind, excuse me a moment."

She offered an overly-extravagant bow --wasn't that how the nobles did it?-- then scurried over to Lazarus and the other gentlemen, jutting a thumb back at Jonathon. "Laz, new guy's losing it."

The other hunter gave Lazarus one last sour look before leaving. Lazarus in turn, spun around to face her. "Yes. Of course. We are in close proximity of the creature." He responded, reminding Willo of the other creatures presence. He then pulled out a familiar piece of paper. The one that held the rune which was supposed to be cut into the skin to clear ones mind from its effects.

"Please show this to our new arrival. I have to take care of one more thing." Lazarus instructed Willo, while remaining outside.

Willo took the paper and nodded. "Sure thing boss. Hey, thanks for the coaching and what not back there, we really handed it to'em," she said, again deciding against nudging him.

"Hey!" her attention returned to Jonathon, and she jogged back to him, the energy regained to do so. She shoved the runed sheet out at him. "Forgot to mention, beastie still around fucks with your mind, gotta mark this rune into your skin. And don't be a baby about it, pretty sure that's also part of the ritual."

Jonathan nodded his head and took a look at the rune. He pulls a small survival knife from his belt, rolls up hus sleeves, takes a deep breath, and makes the first cut." hrrmph... I hope you aren't pulling my leg on this, Id' rather not be cutting my flesh for shits and gigles here."

The cuts after the first one soon followed, and as soon as the pattern was complete, the whispers seemed to die down."aaah... that helped... well it still hurt, but it helped against the whispers..." He looked back to what he assumed would be his fellow trainee as he wiped the blood off of his arm and noted that she lacked any visible scarring that would likely remain after carving a rune into ones skin. "So, I'm noticing a distinct lack of scars. Is there some sort of second part involving healing runes you neglected to tell me about?"

"Probably," Willo said, but shrugged. "Laz has the weird, mystic bandage things, you'd have to ask'im. Oh, but don't call him Laz."

Lazarus finally came back inside. "As it would seem, it might still be a while until Joshua arrives. For now, you will be acting as a member of this team. Initially I was supposed to join this team on the first floor. If successful they would have been promoted to official hunters and would have proceeded to purging the second floor of the celler of plagued creatures as part of their first assignment. Since I have yet to gauge your skill in combat. . ." he glanced at Jonathan as he said that ". . . it seems that is no longer possible." He then paused in contemplation.

"We will instead secure a camp spot on the first floor and wait for the arrival of Joshua and his team."

"The cellar is of extensive size." He explained the need to establish camp site to Jonathan.

"Affirmative, I'll do my best to assist" He said. "I am not all that proficient at fighting in enclosed spaces though, just as a bit of tactical information."

The crummy steps of Lazarus and the two hunters-in-training reverberated through the long hallway, accompanied by the crackling sound of the dredged up debris bits that used to form a neat marble floor, getting crushed under their feet. It was rather amazing how easily the place turned into shambles after the rather short scuffle Willo had with the sickened creature. The blood trail, however, was still strikingly visible.

Lazarus instead entered the armory, opposite of the door where the trail ended, which also held the puzzle intended to allow passage through the now defunct barrier rune. A few seconds of peering at the rune on the wall and he glanced at Willo over his shoulder.

“Nothing. . . and a smile.” He revealed to her.

After another gander at the rune Lazarus turned around and walking in-between Willo and Jonathan, exited the armory. Walking up to the door on the other side of the hallway he merely waved his hand, urging the two to follow him.

---

Alexander found himself surrounded by a bright light. In an instant that brightness turned to darkness, with a mere crack in what appeared to be a canopy of murkiness. Alexanders eyes instinctively followed the light from its source to not far in front of him. There laid Larion, every extremity of his shackled with rusty chains.

The beam of light that fell unto Larion began narrowing and Alexander could feel dread overtaking him for some reasons. He didn’t know why, but he felt like that wasn’t supposed to happen. He was afraid the light would go away altogether.

Alexander groaned quietly to himself. What had happened? He was blinded briefly by an overwhelming light, but it quickly left him to shine on something else. Larion, Alexander realized, barely recognizing his companion with his still teary eyes and the excessive wrappings of chains. The light slowly began fading and a growing sense of dread filled all of Alexander. _"W-wait!" he cried out, his voice a half gargled croak. His throat was dry and his lungs felt heavy, barely able to make noise. Struggling to pull himself towards the shackled lizard Alexander tried again, somewhat more intelligibly this time, but not much more than a whisper. "Wait!" Where in the nine was he? What was going on? His attempts to remember anything only resulted in drawing an utter blank. Alexander had left the inn to take Larion on a brief walk, there was on overwhelming burst of pain through their connection, some strange entity, then... Nothing. Was Larion shackled because he was infected? Was... Alexander himself infected?

_@NanoFreakV2

Past the door, stairs led to what the two could only assume was the cellar they were supposed to clear. The descent was long and as they progressed the aesthetics of the environment changed. The chiseled stone slabs which put together the hall they were in previously were replaced by rough uneven ones.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs they were faced with another enormous corridor extending to their right. At the end of it another similar hallways extended in both directions.

However the most noteworthy elements were two troll like creatures rambling around the area. They had to be at least twice the size of an average person. The fact that one of their arms was over-sized and took the shape of a gigantic claw, probably the just over half the size of their body, was clear indication of the plagues affliction. Most curious of things was how they looked almost identical. If Willo and Jonathan had learning anything over the course of their training, it was how end result of a plague infection was never the same, even if the infected species was.

The two beasts were still unaware of their presence, a fact which Lazarus nonchalantly changed as he spoke.

“Single-handedly defeating such a beast would no doubt prove difficult, but not impossible. Two of them even more so. I wish to see how well the two of you can work together, despite having just met.”

The two sickened trolls turned to face them and roared in unison, also revealing sharp teeth coated in black sludge. Lazarus glanced at them, took a few steps back and crossed his arms.
Willo knew Lazarus would only be an observant to this battle, having seen this posture all too often.

---

The light in front of Alex vanished together with Larion and was quickly replaced by a blur of murky colors. He felt a few pats on his cheek followed by a faint voice.

“Ah, there we go.”

Alexander quickly realized it was Joshua standing over him. Not in all good shape either. His attire was visibly beat-up and what seemed like traces of blood ran down from his forehead all the way to his chin.

Larion laid on the ground next to him, slightly trembling, his consciousness still clung to Alexanders mind, and dearly so. This required a considerable amount of concentration, however if Alexander let go now Larion would be forever lost to him.
At least the pain was no longer so intense.

“No time to squabble. We should wake up Imgor. Actually you are going to do that. I must see if I can catch up to the old friend I was talking about back at the hideout. Once you’re at the castle we’ll also see to Larion, yes? He doesn’t seem well.” Joshua explained as he helped Alexender up to his feet and prepared to leave.

Well that only served to make things more confusing. Alexander still had no idea what was going on. Larion was still chained up. His headache was slightly less painful, but still an needling pain. Alexander felt Larion's self slipping away and held onto it like a drowning man to a lifeline. Having established a firm mental grip Alexander considered the situation at hand. Joshua was bleeding. Or had been bleeding. Joshua didn't bleed, heck most of the time he didn't even look dirty. Alexander feebly regained his footing and pointed weakly at where Larion had been, holding onto the image of his friend mentally. "But Larion." He croaked, "Where's Larion?" Where was Imgor? Why did they have to wake him up? What in the nine was going on and perhaps most importantly- "Where are we?"

Casually, fluidly, Willo drew Cinderwill from her back and struck the handle-switch against the wall. Already she'd been cheated out of using it against one beast --well, perhaps that was more her fault-- it felt good to hold the blade in her hand as it slowly heated up.

"Aight shiny, you an' me then," she said, glancing to Jonathon.

Jonathan took a more conservative approach, he simply unfurled the whip lance from his belt and locked it into a lance mode. He didn't have the advantage of horseback right now, so he would have to make use of the other asset his lance granted him... reach.

Similar to their synchronized roar beforehand, the two beasts charged at the two combat-ready trainees, the ground cracking under their heavy steps.

"Alright, behind me!" Jonathan commanded, his voice amking it clear there was no time for argueing. He set one foot in front, one foot in back... braced himself as he had been thought. A charge was a charge, whether it was a mounted knight or a blight beast.

"Oh, a gentleman!" she laughed, and followed along behind. In the back of her mind she knew she'd have to be careful, there'd be little if any Flitting this go around, not after the last fight.

Finally the actions of the two creatures diverged as one continued the charge while the other leapt in the air, at absurd height really, considering the mass of the sickened being.

"Willo, intercept jumper!" Jonathan wasn't even bothering with complete sentences anymore, he lowered his spear to continue his original strategy of breaking the chaarge with a braced spear strike... Finding a good spot to strike was always a gamble, and this time, he bet his cards on the creature's oversized arm. He would just have to hope its increased mass also meant increased bloodflow, and thus... increased bleeding.

Intercept? If Willo hadn't been otherwise engaged she might have stopped to laugh at him. Intercept, what was she going to do? Tackle the big fuck? No way in hell was she running face first into that thing. Instead, she let Jonathon go ahead, and waited, Cinderwill primed back, to meet it on the ground, where it damn well ought to have been.

The charging troll stopped in its tracks just in front of Jonathans lance and smacked its oversized fist into the ground. Were it not for the ability of the lance to turn into a whip it would have been snapped in half like a twig. Instead it was forcefully shifted into its whip mode. At the same time rocks were sent flying by the impact pelting Jonathan, while forcefully pushing him backwards to the point where he nearly stumbled over Willo. It was at that point the two likely realized the nature of their situation. If they were not take serious action with the next second or so, the other beast would land on both of them, with crushing results.

A second however, was all that Jonathan needed. At least in real time. When he realized the dire straits he was in, a more supernatural skill was made manifest. To an outside observer, it would be as if he acquired nigh presciencs. Everything moved as if suspended in syrup, and he had all the time in the world to see the little crack he could exploit... That crack, would be the momentum his whiplance still had. He allowed the weapon to fly out behind him, and then adjusted it ever so slightly. Right past Willo... and coiling around the leg of the looming threat above him. The moment that happened, he simply pulled forward and downward...

Willo didn't bother with trying to figure out what had happened, or how Jonathon had reacted as quickly as he had. Instead, on pure instinct she dashed away and tried to Flitter, only for a soreness to pulse through her and leave her stumbling a few feet sideward.

The momentum of Jonathans whip was just enough to pull the massive hazard out of the way. The creature crashed into the ground, narrowly missing Jonathan, yet the shockwave created sent him flying over where Willo was standing moments ago. Willo on the other hand was mostly unaffected by the impact. The other creature emerged from behind the point of impact, and to the surprise of everyone in the room, grabbed Jonathans whip, apparently intending to pull him closer. The razors didn't seem to dig very deeply into the foes flesh, It were certainly tough.

Plagued beings usually were just mindless beasts. They usually had a very crude sense of their surroundings. That such a mindless beast could comprehend the nature of the tie between Jonathan and his weapon, and moreover that it was capable of problem-solving, like using it to pull Jonathan closer, was astonishing. Even Lazarus seemed surprised, as he observed the events unfolding in front of him with a raised eyebrow.

Jonathan's mind, still riding the residual wave of hyperawareness, quickly processed what was going on. He was not going to win a tug of war against this thing anytime soon, so the next best option seemed to be to again use its strength against it. With his off-hand, he drew his saber. by the time the monster pulled him in, he was desperately twisting his sword around. He had little practical experience with left-handed saber styles, but necesitty was the mother of invention. He completely surrendered to the momentum with which he was flying towards his foe. His saber pointed sharp-side at the monster's torso.

Willo made the split decision to ignore the freshly-grounded troll in favor of assisting Jonathon with the other. Of course, deciding to do it didn't make it so, and while she did in fact sprint for it, she waited a moment to see if any opportunities presented themselves. Mayhaps not the wisest move, but, it was a reaction.

Jonathans saber cut deeply into the sickened trolls torso and promptly remained lodged in its body. The troll, likewise let go of Jonathans whip and swung his man-sized fist with surprising speed. Jonathan was in the unfortunate path of it, this time having no possibility to dogde in the required time due to a rather awkward landing on the beasts body.

"Shit" was all jonathon thought as he saw the giant mass of meat coming directly for him. He wasn't in a position to dodge, and in all likelihood he wouldn't have been able even if he had been in more favorable positions due to his heavy armor. That same heavy armor however, provided quite a serviceable barrier between the full brunt of the troll's might. He rolled with the strike, which sent him sailing through the air. He hit the wall with a metallic thud and fell to the ground. For a moment, it looked like he wasn't getting up... then however, he flicked the switch on his whip, and it retracted back into a lance. He used the pole part to vault himself upright and got back into a spearfighting stance. He moved back into combat. Standing still had been disastrous so far, so he went with a distinctly more proactive approach this time. Keeping his distance, constantly moving around... Ready to stick the monster the first chance he got. "Willo, keep its comrade busy... I really am not in the mood to get flanked right now."

"Buddy there better be a 'please' in there somewhere," Willo muttered under her breath. She turned her attention away from the troll Jonathon had stabbed, if he thought he could take it, then she'd let'im at it. Instead, she whirled back around to spot the troll that had instead leapt for them, and dashed for that one.

"Alrighty big guy, let's dance!"

The troll Jonathan was confronting continiously faced him as Jonathan encricled it, leaving little openings for any attacks. Yet again it struck the ground, sending even more debris flying towards him. His armor did a good job of protecting him, but it was unlikely he would be able to keep this up forever.

Willos opponent was just pulling itself out of the ground as Willo dashed towards it. It responded fairly late with an attempted hit with its giant fist, leaving Willo with ample time to react as needed.

After some more circling, Jonathan decided that this current stratagem would also not work. He suddendly sprang, spinning his lance over his head a single time to build momentum, and then switching it to a whip. With the momentum built up, he lashed out at the troll. Whether his attack hit or not, he switched back to spear immediately afterwards to take advantage of any openings this manouver created... all in all, the entire move took maybe two seconds to perform. It was his intent to continue heckling his opponent like this. Movign differently each time as to not give it any ideas of grabbing onto his whip again.

---

“Why, you’re in the town of Kiruth.” Joshua laughed, which was surprising, considering how it looked like he’d been through a lot while he was gone.

“Listen. . . “ His tone suddenly became serious “. . . I apologize, but there is little time to be lost.” He then looked to Alexander side where laid on the ground. “Larion should be fine for now.” He told Alex, unaware of the mental struggle the two were in. “I assume you and Imgor got yourself set up at this inn?" He asked, which in turn made Alexander realize he passed out not even moments after exiting the building. "Get Imgor and come to the castle. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

He gave Alexander a pat on the shoulder before sprinting off towards the castle in the distance.

Alexander was still struggling with what was going on. It may have been because of the constant needling pain in the back of his head, like holding onto a burr that was trying to fly out of your hands. Only the burr was your best friend. Alright so the metaphor had kind of dissolved there but Alexander wasn't exactly in the best mental state to it was excusable. Still Joshua had left and Alexander was expected to make it to the inn and back to the castle, where something would happen. Alexander gave a small nod to reassure himself, simple plan. He slowly began walking towards where the inn was, at least where he thought it was. These buildings all tended to look the same. After a bit of struggling Alexander managed to wander into the inn. Where was Imgor's room again? The barkeep pointed him in the right direction and Alexander weakly pounded on the door with one hand, the other rubbing his temple. "Imgor, Joshua said we need to come to the castle." He didn't bother waiting for a response, he probably wouldn't have heard it even if Imgor had said something. Alexander made his way back out, waving away the attentions of a staff member and stepping outside. He glanced at his horse momentarily. No, he wasn't sure he could even free it from the secure knot he'd made and even if he could the rough ride would do no good for his mental grip. So he began slowly walking towards the castle, using his weapon like a walking stick. Joshua had always been a little eccentric but this was ridiculous.

Imgor was woken up by the pounding and Alexander's voice. Did it sound as if Alex was very stressed, or was it just Imgor being unable to tell due to lack of sleep?
"Are you alright?" As he didn't get a response, Alex was either already out of hearing range, or did he just mumble the question? Regardless, Imgor got up, and started heading for castle Bloodleaves. He was still tired, but at least his mana had almost fully regenerated.
After untieing his horse, not noticing that Alexander's horse was still tied, he rode towards the castle.
Imgor didn't wake up his familiar, in the castle a mole wouldn't be of much help anyways.

---

Alexanders steps were heavy as he felt rather drained of energy. The lack of proper sleep didn’t help either. Surprisingly, Larion began following him all the way to the castle despite likely being even worse off than Alex.

Halfway to the castle, as he reached the outskirts of the populated area and the mainly deserted area between the town of Kiruth and the castle itself the pain flared again. For a moment it seemed like he was loosing Larion. After the amount of time exposed to the pain Larion was experiencing, he began to understand the source of the pain. Larions body was changing, and rapidly so.

Just as it seemed he would collapse again, the sound of a trotting horse came up behind Alexander.

Imgor, who was riding the horse in question, noticed something was wrong with Larion, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet, due to the darkness. "Are you two alright?"

Alexander came to a halt as another spike of pain drove through his brain, loosening his tenacious hold on Larion. The insight into Larion's condition was hardly helpful and only served to worry him more. If Larion was plagued then what would happen to him? What would happen to Alexander? He tilted his head at the sound of hooves slamming into the ground behind him. Imgor he assumed, no one else would have any reason to be out here at this time.

Alexander noted the question and tried to formulate a response. Alright would be a dramatic overstatement, but could he make it to the castle? Would that even help? Of course it would, surely once Joshua became aware of the situation he would know what to do to fix it. "Just... tired and a bit of a headache is all." he replied and started walking again, standing a little straighter, still using his staff as a walking stick. He had to get to Joshua. For Larion's sake.

"Really? It doesn't look like just a headache, you are using your staff as a walking stick at this age." Imgor was a little bit worried, now that he had a better look at both. "Do you need a ride?"

Alexander shrugged. He wasn't sure if the doubtless worsening of his condition from the horse ride would be worth the speed. Did he trust in his own strength enough? Yes. "Its fine I assure you. Though I can use a ride." Alexander said quitely and prepared himself. He leapt onto the horse in a surprisingly smooth motion given his condition. "Lets get going."

The moment Alexander was on Imgor's horse, he kicked its flanks softly, ordering it to quickly gallop towards the castle. Hopefully Larion could keep up with it in his condition. "If it doesn't bother you, may I ask if you know the reason for your current condition?" He might as well find out more on the ride.

Alexander merely grunted, making his response to the question rather clear. His focus was divided enough as it was trying to stay mounted while maintaining his grip on Larion's slippery mental state, trying to explain what happened when he barely understood it himself wouldn't be doing anyone any favors.

The rest of the trip to the castle was spent in utter silence, Larion all the while barely keeping up with them. The trip made it difficult for Alex to concentrate, however it was just enough to not lose his familiar to whatever force was trying to yank him away.

As they reached the flight of stairs that led to the main gate of the castle the two took note of the scorched remains at the bottom of those stairs.

Considering it was a bad idea for a horse to trot over stairs with two people on it, Imgor decided it would be best to stop here and walk the rest on foot.

Alexander managed to slip off the horse without collapsing to the ground. He slowly began walking down the stairs after Imgor. Where in the nine was Joshua and what were they doing at this place?

Dashing forward, Willo knew she couldn't afford another flitter, so instead opted to try and glide beneath the beheamoth's incoming fist.

Willo's hair fluttered in the slight breeze the giant fist created with its considerable momentum. It would make the rebound for another strike even slower than normal.

On Jonathan's side of the battle things were finally starting to look up with an effective tactic for the time being. His whip struck the shoulder of the troll, digging fairly deep into its flesh. If it had been an ordinary weapon it would have likely become lodged in the dense fibrous mass of the troll, however, the switching back to its lance form caused it to snap out of the tissue.

Further strikes by Jonathan ensued, though this time the beast blocked with its fist despite sustaining injuries to it.

Jonathan ceased his heckling tactic when it became apparant his opponent was catching on. He needed to keep the pressure on it with a constantly changing assault and wait for the oppurtune moment where he could strike true and slay his enemy. He breathed heavily. Exhaustion and some rather painful wounds were beginning to take its toll. He could not let up until his opponent was slain though. Another whip backswing and he charged forward, lance-formed weapon in hand. His intended target was the troll's elbow. For even the strongest arm was useless without a working joint.

More than a little relieved she'd cleared the beast's strike, Willo sprang upright, whirled Cinderwill around, and went to slash wide at its ribs from behind. As her swing went out though, she was already moving towards the troll's frontside, hoping to catch it as it turned and swing right past again.

The troll Jonathan was battling shifted its giant fist causing the lance to pierce all the way through it. It struck the body of the beast, however it also had the unintended effect of bringing Jonathan into its range once more. And promptly, the plagued creature swatted him away with its fist, disregarding the absurd amount of damage it had already sustained. Jonathan smacked into the wall again. Unless he intended to win this battle in one piece, it was unlikely he would be able to do so alone.

Willo all the while successfully landed her hit at the beast's back and prepared to dodge its next attack. To her surprise however, the creature roatated in the opposite direction which WIllo anticipated and struck the ground, fortunately not hitting Willo herself. The sizable chunks of floor however did, sent flying by the impact and Willo along with them.

Lance lost, saber lost. It appeared Jonathan would have to call for help... His divide and conquer strategy had not yielded a decisive victory. In fact, defeat and death loomed over him in the form of an infested troll. "Willo, get over here and help me. I'm out of weapons and this thing ain't stopping!"

Not too far away, Willo was in poor shape herself. Though a second-hand strike, it still hit, and on top of everything else, it was starting to add up. She had to pull herself to her feet, thankfully a good distance away, and her attention turned to Jonathan.

"Oh boy," she started over, gradually picking up to her normal pace as she approached Jonathan's assailant troll. "Over here! Ay!"

She ground Cinderwill's blade against the wall and floor as she approached, creating sparks she hoped would draw its attention away long enough for Jonathan to do...well, whatever it was he was going to do. Something, she hoped.

The troll that had just attacked Willo turned and followed her with his gaze before starting a slow run towards her. The other troll also focused its attention on Willo and it seemed like it was about to charge while at the same time it slid its giant fist off Jonathan's lance. The other side of the lance hadn't pierced the torso of the beast too deeply, as it anticlimactically dropped to the ground.

Jonathan Breathed deeply to quell the pain, he focused his mind on the creature in front of him and on his fallen weapon. The troll looked away to Willo, its attention broken for the briefest instant. He breathed again, and the world slowed down to a crawl. He sprang forward for his lance, intensely aware of the strain he was putting his battered body through. Powering through it, he would pick up his lance, ram it through the troll's armpit, switch it to whip mode, and pull it back out. Likely taking most of the troll's internal organs out with it.

Willo saw the troll she'd left behind start lumbering after her, but was confident that she could outrun it for the time being, and that's what she did. No point risking another hit for nothing, especially when she wasn't sure she could muster up the strength to stand toe-to-toe with it anyway.

Willo in turn also saw as Jonathan approached from behind the distracted troll. A not too pleasant, fleshy sound echoed through the room as his lance dug deep into the trolls torso. As soon as it was back in its whip mode Jonathan pulled on it hard. Black liquid and other organic materiall spurted all over the ground as the upper part of the troll simply toppled over, having been gruesomely severed in half.

The still alive troll, surprisingly, caught up to Willo after building enough momentum, but it wasn't yet close enough for a direct strike.

Jonathan wiped the bits of troll out of his eyebrows. He had always wondered just what would happen if he did this stab and pull manouver he had been considering ever since he first had his lance designed. Apparently, it was just as effective as he had imagined. He basked in his triump for a brief moment, but then he saw the troll looming over Willo, and he sprang back into action. "Two-pronged attack!" he shouted. The fight had left them both battered, but now they had the numerical advantage.µ

"I don't know what that means!" Willo shouted back, but kept running nonetheless. She saw one of the trolls go down -spectacularly at that-, and decided it was best to bring the one chasing her back towards Jonathan. Two against one would be better--oh.

"Heads up!" She rounded about, sprinting back towards Jonathan, and silently praying the beast wasn't close enough to pull anything.

The creature narrowly missed Willo and struck the ground instead. Another shockwave sent Willo flying towards Jonathan. Both were in luck however, as the force with which the beast attacked caused its fist to become lodged in the floor.

Jonathon caught Willo's lithe form and released her once her momentum had been sufficiently dampened. "Circle around and assail it in the back. I will run it throug from the front." He didn't wait for an answer, simply trusting she would go along with his tactics. He raised his lance above his head and brought it down on the beast with all his weight behind it. He was pretty sure the thing would be completely pierced and stuck ot the floor were he to hit. And even then, his compatriot would be there to follow up on his attack, or at lest that was the expectation.

Willo understood "stab it in the ass" well enough, and as soon as her feet touched the ground again she was off. Jonathan made his move, and she took a moment to switch Cinderwill back into a blade for just a bit more leverage as she darted around for the troll's back.

With a leap, she aimed to imbede the superheated blade into the nape of its neck, but would really settle for just about anywhere that would cause damage.

Just as Jonathan was about to strike the sickened beast, it finally pulled its fist out of the ground and used the energy accompanied by the move to raise its fist above the bulk of its body, blocking Jonathan's lance. The beast however was powerless to Willo's attack.
To what extent a plagued creature still required a nervous system was a mystery, but Willo's attack certainly was effective and likely severed what remained of the troll's spine. The lifeless body toppled over, almost crushing Jonathan in the process.

The two victorious hunters-in-training could hear a slow clap coming from the direction of the entrance they used as they came in the over-sized hallway. It wasn't Lazarus however, but another slightly eccentric looking. On closer inspection he didn't seem to be in better shape than Jonathan and Willo themselves after their scuffle beforehand.

"Well done. It seems I won't have to step in after all." He said to the two. All the while Lazarus was leaning against the wall with his head pointed towards the ground, eyes closed.

Jonathan was the first to answer. "Err... who are you if I may ask?" He wasn't quite sure he would lower his weapon quite yet. Not until the newcomer identified himself at least.

Willo on the other hand had her guard as low as it could go. If Lazarus wasn't upset with this guy's presence, she didn't figure there was much to worry about. Besides, she couldn't do much to fight'im off anyway if he was hostile, so instead she took a note from her mentor's book, leaned against the wall, and tried to let herself relax. Shiny seemed to have the conversation under control anyway.

The uninvited casually continued approaching Jonathan and also extended his hand to him despite him having kept his weapon raised at him.

As the adrenaline of battle made way for soreness and tiredness, Jonathan decided on coiling his spear up. If this newcomer had been nay threat, he would have made his move by now. He used his free hand to take the man's extended hand. "Jonathan Von gulderland... and you are?"

"Ah, Jonathan it is. I've been looking forward to meeting you. It's rather unfortunate that it must be under these regrettable circumstances." He explained.

"I can see some things went awry here... I thought this place was supposed to be a secure containment. What happened?"

"Yes, well it was our assignment to clear out this basement. That is me and the students training under me. And you were supposed to become one of them. Still have the letter I presume?" He continued as his identity was without doubt clear to Jonathan at this point.

"Ah, so you're Joshua then, pleased to finally meet you in person. It's been a long road to get here, and the past few minutes have not been kind to me either." Jonathan tried to stretch out to remedy some of the soreness, but it only served to give him a stabbing pain in the lower chest. Still, as his martial instructors had been fond to repeat, no pain, no gain. "If I may ask a rather direct question... Will we be exerting ourselves much more? I feel like a peasant farmer in winter after that fight."

Joshua patted Jonathan's shoulder and laughed. "Well, Lazarus no doubt would like you to push on, but I'm sure I'll be able to convince him to give you some rest time." He then turned his head and looked at Willo leaning on the wall. "Hmm, and you must be . . ." he snapped his fingers in a moment of thought "Willo! Yes?"

Willo offered a thumbs up in response, and nodded her head. She thought she'd heard Lazarus mention a "Joshua" once or twice, but then, it was a name she might have just happened upon before.

"Nice t'meetcha," she said, then remembered her manners and gave as much of a bow as she could muster. "Er...an honor?"

Joshua couldn't help but laugh once more. "Ah please. You needn't bother with formality around me."

“I am truly amazed that the two of you survived that confrontation. The amount of team work and coordination you displayed was simply appalling.” Lazarus finally spoke up as he pulled out of his idle posture against the wall, distinctly unhappy.

“Oh, don’t be so hard on them. I’m sure they fought fiercely.” Joshua interjected.

It no doubt caught Willo's attention too as Lazarus seemed to be warming up to her a while back. It seemed it was back to old Lazarus again.

---

Before Imgor and Alex began up the stairs they couldn’t help but notice the charred corpse at the bottom of the stairs. They both assumed it was likely Joshua’s work since they weren’t really aware of anyone else being in the castle at the moment . . . other than that Lazarus Joshua had them running around to find him when went off chasing after Sapphire’s abductor.

Regardless, the two continued up the stairs until they reached a giant gate, oddly wide open. Some had been here before, there was no doubt and moreover obvious once they were inside. A faint trail of blood that led all the way to one of the doors at the end of the hallway. The trail was barely visible as it was masked by the evident signs of battle. Not a small scuffle either. The floor was shattered at countless points and Imgor also easily spotted the three busted runes on both sides of the hallway and the one on the sealing.

Alexander on the other hand, didn’t pay much attention. He was still entrenched in his battle of wits, trying to hold on to Larions consciousness while also trying to repel that third presence.

At Imgor’s suggestion the two cautiously continued down the hallway and down the stairs that went on where the blood trail ended. After an eerie descent the two found themselves in another gigantic hallway, thankfully surrounded by friends, if Joshuas leisurely attitude was any indication of that.

Willo and Jonathan had a small amount of time to rest while Joshua and Lazarus caught up on recent events. The two trainees did overhear part of their discussion, mainly what sounded like one of Joshua’s other students, and him not being well.

Lazarus turned to face the new arrivals and widened his eyes. His expression rarely gave his emotions away, if he even had any, but this time it was clear he was disconcerted with . . . something, about the two who had just arrived. And once Larion barely managed his last few steps down the stairs he narrowed his eyes in realization.

Lazarus and Joshua looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“We need to keep moving and find an area where we can establish an encampment. We are once more pressed on time.” Lazarus explained.

“Imgor, Jonathan, would you mind giving Alexander a hand? I don’t think he should be up an about at this point.” Joshua quickly followed after Lazarus and then went further down the hallway to possibly investigate it further.

In the light of the hallway, Imgor could finally see how bad of a state Alexander and more so Larion were in, and since he was more or less next to Alex, he quickly supported his comrade's weight.
After looking at the two defeated beasts, he suggested: "Can't we use this very hallway for now, it seems you have already cleared it. Or are you looking for a specific campsite?"

"The hallway is first of all too exposed and secondly too big. We will be using a concealment rune, but for that we require a smaller room." Lazarus explained.

"I see. Lead the way."

Alexander gave a slight sigh of relief as he was able to focus more on his mental anguish than his physical. He managed to peel his eyes open and pay attention long enough to see where they were but little more before he rested again, leaning heavily against Imgor, relying on other boy to keep his plodding feet in the right direction. Did the castle have to be so big? It seemed really big. "Les get going then." Alexander managed to droll out and the two began shuffling forward with Larion somehow managing to keep with them. It was going to be a long way, wherever they were going.

Jonathan was taking the brief moment of respite to catch his breath and feel around on his body to see if anything was seriously injured in the fight. His ribcage felt a bit sore and he had bruises here and there, but it appeared his armor had done its job for the most part. He looked up to see two newcomers coming down from upstairs. One of them looked more dead than alive, so it didn't surprise Jonathan when lazarus directed him to support the newcomer.

“What happened to him?” He inquired as he stood himself under alexander's other shoulder. The man was heavy and seemed to be quite bothered by... something. “He looks like someone's drilling through his skull”

Willo was less than pleased with the results she got from Lazarus, but then again, it'd be a bold lie for her to say that she'd felt confident during the fight. Exhausted, without the energy to Flitter and her brittle bones sore, really she was just thankful to be alive, which she supposed she owed largely to Shiny--er...Jonathan. Still, sucked in the major that she was back under Laz's ire, and she was just getting used to being liked. Oh well, easy come easy go.

Besides, there were more people now, people that she assumed were with Laz's...acquaintance? And collectively they didn't look much better for wear. One didn't even seem to be able to walk on his own.

Willo swooped after them, collapsing Cinderwill back into its sheathe. "Yeah, looks like shit," she said, craning her head around to Lazarus, since surely he'd have the answers. "He gonna kick the bucket on us?"

After Alexander’s cue they started off towards the end of the hallway where it split to the left and right. Lazarus glanced at Alexander and began explaining in response to Jonathan and Willo’s injury.

“It would appear that his familiar had been injured by a sickened creature and has subsequently been infected with the plague. It is not uncommon for familiars to become blighted as a result of combat and in normal circumstances the link between master and familiar is severed soon after. The former familiar is then consumed by the plague and reverts to the mindless brute that we typically encounter in the wild. If the time of infection is as Joshua reported. . .” Lazarus glanced behind at Alexander’s familiar following the group. “ . . . this should have happened long ago.”

By now they were nearly at the point where the hallway bifurcated when Joshua, who had gone ahead to investigate, came back.

“There’s a cell that was occupied by one of those plagued beasts. I think it’ll do just fine for now. It might get a bit cramped but it’s small enough for Drake’s disguise runes.” He told them.

They all followed Joshua taking a left at the fork. While on their way Lazarus added one finishing note to his explanation from before. “Even I cannot explain why the familiar is still under control of Alexander, however it is clearly putting considerable strain on him.”

Lazarus was the first to enter the cell once they reached it. After a quick inspection of the room he went to the center of it, crouched on one knee and placed his hand on the floor. Cracks spread from his palm into the distinct shape of a rune.

“Place him in the center.” He told Imgor and Jonathan.

As instructed by Lazarus Imgor put Alexander down into the center of the rune. While he didn't really trust Lazarus, Willo and Jonathan yet—he had just met them—up until now the situation didn't allow reluctancy. The fact that Joshua seemed to trust them didn't matter much to Imgor.
However, as he couldn't really do much now, he decided it wouldn't be a bad opportunity to get to know them a bit.
"So—what have you been doing here, if I may ask? You look as if you had been fighting."

Jonathan assisted in moving the tormented man. Listening to Lazarus's explenation with growing intrigue. "The thought of being able to feel your familiar being overtaken by the plague... I shudder to even consider it." He replied. His mind wandered to linda, whom he had left to graze outside. How was she doing right now? No... He needed not worry, he could still feel her presence in his mind. As for right now, that presence was peaceful and unconcerned. The young noble could practically see his beloved horse peacefully trotting around the castle's outer walls, nibbling at vegetation and patiently waiting for her master's return.

Jonathan was stirred from his considerations by one of the newcomers. The one with a seemingly clearer mind. "Yes, We've been fighting... It was quite a skirmish, but we eventually won against the forces that haunt this castle... Today at least. Let's not get cocky, for pride breeds complacancy... And complacancy makes great men fall". Jonathan was simply qouting the books of renowned military strategists, he silently hoped the more educated of his companions wouldn't call him out on this.

Alexander winced as he caught the gist of Lazarus's explanation. It was as he suspected, the encounter with the plagued beast had infected Larion. Alexander had no idea what happened when a familiar become plagued but it obviously wasn't good for either member of the bond. Alexander carefully shifted a little as he was laid down to make sure he was fully upon the center of the rune and breathed a small sigh of relief, the cold floor and being able to lay down instead of trying to walk make it much easier to focus on Larion. He could only hope that whatever Lazarus was doing, it would help Larion.

The moment Alexander was placed in the center of the rune it felt like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Larion was still fighting the hostile presence and he still needed Alexander’s attention, but it no longer required such intense concentration.

“It’s unfortunate that Willo is the only one who prepared for this situation. However, as hunters you will have to occasionally endure such conditions.” Lazarus noted to which Willo chimed with a hum of approval. Nearly smug sounding too as she tugged out a sizable fabric out of her backpack. A sleeping bag, which she promptly laid on the floor. Lazarus in the meantime started working on the concealment rune at the entrance of the room.

“I guess I’ll be keeping watch first. Even with these camouflage runes you can never be too careful. Gather your strengths, I reckon you will need it tomorrow.” Joshua told the trainees as he stepped outside into the hallway.

Lazarus was done with the runes, which now had a dim glow to them, and began work on another rune in one of the corners of the room. This one seemed to be for himself.