[i][b][center][color=a187be]Annabeth Gulch[/color][/center][/b][/i]

Annabeth tilted her head at Keri's request for Annabeth's help. She wondered if Keri meant help at the forge; while Annabeth has been to a forge before and has a few uncles who were blacksmith, she never used a hammer and tong before. The closest thing to smithing she ever did was sharpening her blades. But regardless she'll see what she can do. [color=a187be]"Sure. I think I might have some Blood Root back at the kitchen. Underhaven is a bit... Crowded around this time, so maybe we could just head to the mess hall?"[/color] Truth is, ever since the catacomb mission, Tyrael had been coming to Underhaven a lot. At first Annabeth simply went about her business as usual, but more and more he just comes in, drinks all the mosswine and strong alcohol, and occasionally yells at a demon or vampire. She even got the misfortune of having to serve him a drink, where he nearly exploded at Annabeth because she had only filled his mug half-way. She tried to be understanding of him at first, but now Annabeth just wishes that he would leave.

[color=a187be]"I've been meaning to ask you, what have you been up to at the forge? I see you there sometimes, but you don't look like you're just browsing. Are you making something?"[/color] Annabeth couldn't say she knew all of Keri's skills so for all she knew Keri may actually be a skilled smith. Though it only made Annabeth wonder even more why Keri doesn't dismantle that shield, but she tried her best to ignore it and simply accept it for what it is. [color=a187be]"I tried my hand at smithing once, but I just didn't have the patience for it. Melting ingots into molten metal, hammering away at them in extreme temperatures while wearing so many layers of clothes, days spent grinding and treating the metal, and all just for a little knife? I've decided to spend by time on more immediate things."[/color]

[i][b][center][color=crimson]Lucilia Riovas[/color][/center][/b][/i]

It’s been business as usual for Lucilia. Always busy, always a new problem, and always Lucilia was on-hands to deal with it personally. The new mercenaries, colorful characters, needed to be properly housed and controlled. While she largely left the face-to-face interaction to Darius or Grey, she still managed their finances and made sure to investigate any disruptions they were causing. Fortunately they were on their best behavior, though that didn’t mean she didn’t hire a few of her vampires to oversee their conduct.

Then there was that mess with the Catacombs. Lucilia did not get involved with Tyrael’s trial; she made it obviously known that she thinks that he needs to be removed from the college. A horrible teacher and a nut case. Of course she was being prejudice so she didn’t think her opinion mattered, and beside that she had more important things to be concerned about than the demonic orc. Namely the purpose of the mission was to fetch much needed materials for Ovak’s medicine, which was completely forgotten the moment the naga arrived.

Lucilia had to divert much of her time and resources into getting the materials to treat Ovak that she narry had the time to speak to the naga. While she was present on the meeting concerning where to relocate them, she never got the chance to speak to them personally, despite her interest with them. She especially wanted to speak to the matriarch in order to foster better relationships with the naga, but unfortunately Lucilia’s own business in the Ravine had to come first.

Indeed, the Ravine proved so treacherous that she could not even rely on her vampires to venture deep enough. While she had skilled warriors in her employ, the Ravine could not be defeated simply through skill at arms. After the first party she sent came back with only one survivor, Lucilia had to dedicate two days venturing into the hellhole. And while she ultimately triumphed, she made a very important note that next time, she needs to prepare a specialized team solely to venture into those deep roads. She was prepared for everything, and she had ten too many close calls.

Right now, Lucilia had one more duty on top of everything else. She had spent a better part of her day cleaning up her office to the point it looked like she was moving out. Indeed, she had just about everything from cabinets to her desk, even the window was removed. Now while it made sense for a vampire to want as little contact with the sun (Lucilia always made sure to feed so that the sun doesn’t bother her), this change wasn’t for Lucilia. It was for Satori.

There was a knock on the door. Lucilia went to answer and found the pink-haired psychic. They greeted each other with a friendly embrace before walking into Lucilia’s bare-bones office. 

[color=pink]”Thank you for taking your time out for help me.”[/color]

[color=crimson]”Think nothing of it, Satori. I may be a busy woman, but I’m never too busy for a friend.”[/color]

The two women sat across from each other on two separate couches, with a table between them. On the table were ten six-sided die. The perfect setup for a game of Five Die. It was the game that Satori played to gamble for Mar’s soul, that much she knew. But everything else was blank. Ever since Satori woke up from her coma, her memory of what happened in Mar’s mind was gone. While she was able to extract Mar’s own coherent memories, discovering who attacked her and how, everything else after that was nonexistent. This troubled Satori greatly as she was perhaps the most powerful Psychomancer of their time, yet somehow someone was able to force her to forget something. Satori didn’t even know what she had forgotten, but the fact that she did was a big sign that whatever she saw, it was important. And whoever took those memories away from her was powerful.

Satori had spent a large part of her time trying to remember what happened but to no avail. The game of Five Die was all she could remember, so using her own deductive skills, she figured that she must have gambled Mar’s mind and soul against an opponent in her head. That was speculation of course, but Satori felt if she could replicate the scene, her mind might be able to piece together at least some facsimile of what had happened. A trace of the truth that would allow Satori a picture of what went down. Satori had to cancel her extra classes for today, but that was an unfortunate necessity if she intends to somehow prepare herself and the others against this mysterious opponent.

[color=pink]"Good enough. Let's play."[/color]

[i][b][center]Tyrael Marcrosias[/center][/b][/i]

The demon sighed as Uicle made his entrance. He didn’t even need to look to know it was him; the sound of everything falling apart was essentially Uicle’s theme song. Tyrael continued to drink as the necromancy teacher gave him a small speech, and once he was finished Tyrael simply held his mug out to be refilled. While it was being filled he spoke quietly. [b]”You think I have not noticed? You think that I am not prepared for war? You think that if I knew who sent those mages, who attacked Lyn and mutilated Mar, I would be here drinking?”[/b] Once his mug was filled up Tyrael drank, draining the cup in a single gulp.

[b]”I have nothing to follow. No scent, no evidence, and no one can tell me what they saw. Even Satori cannot remember what happened. [i]Satori[/i]. Someone, something, wiped her memory. And with nothing, all I can do is be prepared.”[/b] Tyrael stood up and faced Uicle, his hulking body dwarfing the walking suit of armor. Anger was apparent, but also a touch of depression. [b]”I nearly killed everyone in the catacomb because I was reckless. If you want me to act now, first I would do is accuse someone of the college of being responsible. Then I would accuse the nagas. Then I would accuse Kudd, go into the Inferno, and never come back. Though we both know I am wrong. So for the sake of everyone else I have done nothing.”[/b]

It wasn’t as if Tyrael didn’t want to find out who was responsible and kill them. But he had nothing to find them with. If Kudd was responsible, he had already started looking for Kudd and a way to stop him months ago. But if it was someone else, someone who could be more powerful than Kudd? Tyrael needed something. [i]Anything[/i]. Even if it was just a sliver, it would be something that Tyrael could use so he could follow it back to it’s source. Hell, if he had the corpses on hand he could use them to find their masters. But he had nothing. So there was nothing he could do.

It seemed to be a reoccurring theme. 

[b]”I am leaving.”[/b] Tyrael created a portal to the Inferno, taking out a solid chunk of silver. He left it on the counter to pay for the drinks as Tyrael walked out of Underhaven. He didn’t really know where he was going, but right now he just wanted to not be here. He felt like he was losing a grip on things, no control over anything happening in his life. Everything he touches only get worse; he can’t even destroy them. They simply get worse. He needed to find something he knows he can deal with.

Maybe he’ll go to the ocean. He had some business he needed to settle.