Location-Nox

Colette growled, the pain just adding to the annoyance. Using her long fingers nails, she tried to cut the sticky, white threat that the damn creature, for some reason, to cover her with while ignoring the pain it was bringing to her exposed skin, mainly her stomach and arms. Each time she cut a new thread, another one was in her way.

"Ooooh this is so fucking annoying right now. I am not going to be a damn meal for that...thing!" not caring for mannerism, she continued to spout out cuss words that could make a make a sailor blush. Lady or not, she wasn't a lady, right this second, it was not important. What was important is that she needed to get free and maybe slice and dice the creature who dared look at her as a meal.

Hearing Annabeth's voice rang out, her eyes turned to the female, who seemed to be trying to find the creature with her psychomancy, but looked to be failing badly.

"Annabeth. Look for a spider like creature"Colette cried out to her, hoping the little description would be able to help her best friend out. Turning back to her task of getting free, she was able to make some progress, getting her upper body free.

"Atticus, Hyllos. I could use your help right now" Colette held out her hand, her hand glowing a dark red color. Within moments, the flabbergasted demons appeared. Hyllos was the first one to see her mistress and flew to, her nuzzling her.

'Mistress, we were so worried about you"She said.

"I know.I need you two to free my legs and feet quickly" The two demons nodded and began to claw the remaining white thread off her body. Once free Colette jumped back from the spot and flexed her hands. Colette's body was littered with red lines from where the threads had touched flesh. Picking up her rapier, she pointed it outwards.

"Time to teach it a lesson that I am not a meal" Colette said.

Althalus

Althalus opened his mouth to yell at the stupid girl (Helena, he thought her name was) for running into the undead infested city by herself and fighting their enemies in close quarters. She did it well, he had to admit, but the timing was stupid. Before he could tell her this, however, his chance was yanked away as darkness reached up and grabbed everyone. After several attempts at yanking himself free failed, he merely secured his crossbow and knives. "We don't get paid enough for this." With that, he was yanked into darkness, feverently hoping he wasn't going to be torn apart like some other poor bastards.

Althalus woke up to screaming. Good news; I woke up. Bad news; There's screaming, and not all of it human. He quickly got to his feet, idly noting how unusually light he felt, before turning around and jumping six feet into the air as an arrow went through his chest. "Gah!" He yelled, hands going all over his body, feeling for the arrow. They paused when he finally looked down. "I'm a ghost....does this mean I died then immediately left my body?" Glancing down, his idea was (much to his relief) tossed aside at the abject lack of a body. "Okaaaay...Why am I...oh fuck." Althalus believes in preparation. Knowing the event he was going into, he had done research into the Nox, finding what scattered lore he could. He knew what he was, and what it meant. He just didn't like it. But there wasn't anything to do about it, for now at least. With nothing left to worry about, he turned his attention to the monster along the wall.

"You, stupid girl who ran into a horde of undead. Are you good at shooting a crossbow?"

The screeching, was nothing to her. It was scary yes, terrifying even. But she expected it after all. It was a giant spider, it was going to make some noise. She still had to do this right. Helena was distracted in her thought when the arrow whizzed past her, catching on the edge of her hair. She took in a sharp breath and let her eyes go wide as she kept the panic in check at the idea that she could have almost been shot just then. And likely by her own companions. And given that Althalus was right in front of her, it was Annabeth who’d done it behind her. When they got out of here, she was sure to have words with her about nearly taking her head off.

But then words brought her back to and she looked at the slightly glowing form of Althalus a few feet away. “Helena,” she said without being asked for it, her tone holding the slightest hints of annoyance in it. It’d be best he knew her name now. It’d be helpful. Besides, he should have already known her name. They’d been in same caravan for weeks now. He’d just never been bothered to pull his own head out of his ass to ask.

“And somewhat,” she said, taking a few quick steps to him while the beast was relatively not paying direct attention to them. She could hear the others behind. Annabeth and Collette. So there was at least the four of them here. There might be others, further away, not awake yet, hidden behind buildings. “I can use one, not the deadliest of shots, but I can hit a target.” Especially as one as big as that. When she was glancing back over her shoulder, she reached for her ring again, this time tapping it once gently. If these creatures around were used to this shadowed realm, her light would be visible yes, but initially, it’d be too much for them to look at right away. “And I’ve got fire boost too, if needed.”

~In Sansar~

With the bloody evisceration of one of their number, the few remaining Sand Cobras bolted for the portal in the shadows, charging through while Yolin was distracted with his victim. The portal closed, leaving Darius, Myrn, Aramir, El'kan, and Summer with Yolin.

Aramir, in the mean time, was quenching a ball of flame in her fist. Her eyes blazed at John, the demon servant of Baulder. If I ever get my hands on that fool, I'm going to beat him senseless. She silently vowed, steadfastly avoiding looking at Myrn's tempting rear. There were more important things, like the maniac who had just caused someone to be eviscerated with merely a touch.

The man in question had calmly turned back to the College students, splattered with blood and gore, and was noting there missing members. His eyes were back to their normal color, and he no longer crackled with ominous power. "It appears the rebels have kidnapped your friends. We will, of course, do our utmost to retrieve them from the grasp of the heathens, but you must understand that the odds of us finding your friends, much less alive, are slim to none."

"We understand." Aramir spoke with a forced calm, still clearly very upset about the fact John attacked her. And that it was so damn hot.

"Good!" Yolin clapped his hands. "We still have time to kill and the Arena is really something you must see. Just the thing to put this unpleasantness behind you." He began to walk away, pausing only briefly to glance behind him. "I suggest you keep up. The crowds tend to get...unruly after events such as these. Especially around foreigners. Real or otherwise." With that warning, or perhaps thinly veiled threat, he began to walk away.

Aramir looked at Myrn accusingly. She was hot, covered in sweat, had nearly been tackled by a damn demon, and now was following a mad man around. "I blame you for getting me into this."

~Unknown Location. Underground Cave~

The portal closed as the remaining Sand Cobras leapt through, avoiding the College students and stumbling to their own lines. "Darian is dead." One of them gasped, before vomiting. The woman holding the portal opened glanced at him in distaste. "You should really learn to get over that sickness of the portal. It'll cost you your life at some point." She said pointedly, closing the portal. The man muttered something, possibly a few choice curses, before doubling over and vomiting again.

As Mar and Baulder eyed each other, a stone wall erupted between them. "There will be no fighting here. We didn't save you just so you could kill each other." The woman snapped, eyeing the both of them balefully.

The woman turned her attention to addressing them as a whole. "Welcome to the Resistance. I'm Sahra, the leader of the non-militant side of it. The Sand Cobra leader is somewhere in the back, sulking because I wouldn't let him join the fight against Yolin to snag at least some of you. If you all can behave you can follow me and the two of us will explain everything to you. If not, these four gentleman will restrain you and we'll wait for you to cool off while we tend to our dead and wounded." Sahra arched an eyebrow at the three of them.

"Well?"

E'nasha Williams ~ Yarosmere?

---

E’nasha was starting to feel like her worries had been unfounded, until she let out a small noise of surprise as she found herself suddenly being pulled through a portal by a pair of seemingly disembodied hands. Whoever was doing this worked quickly, she didn’t even see the chaos beginning to break out back on the other side of the portal before she was pulled into the darkness.

She landed hard on cold stone, too dizzy to make out anything around her besides the fact that there was indeed ground there. Whatever hands that had grabbed her let her go, and she tried to stand up only to decide to lie down instead. She felt like she might be sick, and closed her eyes to help block out the rest of the world spinning around in her vision. Vaguely, almost as if they were far, far away, she heard others come through the portal behind her and begin speaking, though she didn’t really catch any of the words.

A sudden loud noise made her open her eyes and attempt to focus on what was going on again. She was glad to see that the spinning had stopped, though the rock wall separating her teammates from each other, and the look on Mar’s face, was altogether as equally unsettling as it was sobering. She thought about standing up again as she listened to what was being said now, but the clarity of her mind hadn’t yet undone the knot in her stomach. She definitely felt bad for the man who couldn’t keep himself together as well as she seemed to be.

"Welcome to the Resistance. I'm Sahra, the leader of the non-militant side of it. The Sand Cobra leader is somewhere in the back, sulking because I wouldn't let him join the fight against Yolin to snag at least some of you. If you all can behave you can follow me and the two of us will explain everything to you. If not, these four gentleman will restrain you and we'll wait for you to cool off while we tend to our dead and wounded."

"Well?"

By the end of Sahra’s little introduction, E’nasha had gotten herself to sit up all the way and finally took in the whole scene around them, but she wasn’t that eager to do anything other than just sit there quite yet. "ugh... I second his opinion right now." She made a motion to indicate the man who was still busy losing whatever was left of his lunch before wrapping her arms around her midsection and putting her forehead on her knees. "Can I have a couple minutes to make sure I don’t get like that? And Mar, Baulder… maybe do something other than glare at each other? What even happened just now?"

Mar, Sansar (Yarsomere): Underground Cave~Unknown Location

Before Mar could snap at Baulder’s stupidity, there was a small rumble. The sound grew in volume then suddenly a stone wall shot up. Several pebbles shot off then smacked against Mar’s face, creating a slight sting as she jerked in reaction. Her eyes shut tightly against the pain before it faded gradually. She let out a harsh sounding hiss that vibrated across the stone walls and gradually faded into the darkness shortly afterwards. When it died, a new voice took its place. One of authority and bane against her action, drawing Mar’s attention toward Sahra as the once Naga fixed on half of the Resistance’s leaders.

Her lips pressed in frustration and silence. Surprisingly, she become much like a cobra, through her body was unable to unfurl in irritation and strike out when it suited her. Gradually working herself upright onto her feet, she overheard E’nasha speak while trying not to lose her stomach contents and even Mar felt slightly queasy. However, she suspected it was because she was rising then the portal. Using the stone work to aid her, the hardness never left her eyes when she glared in Baulder’s direction. His eyes unable to see through the wall as she growled in an icy cold voice.

“Baulder sent his demon at Aramir and wanted to hurt her when she said she didn’t trust him not to do something stupid. Instead of proving her wrong, he did something stupid as predicted.” She had already made her way toward E’nasha during her explanation, her voice lowered as she used the hunched over human to balance herself. “Currently it seems we’re guests of the Resistance as they jerked you through the portal. Aramir believed it was best Summer, Baulder and myself follow you since we were the highest risk to remain. A need to figure a way to regroup.”

She patted E’nasha on the back and rubbed it a bit, still talking. “Baulder makes me nervous as it seems a simple statement can set him off. In addition, he seemed to have enjoyed the city far too much for my liking. If he attacks Aramir or anyone else, I will rip his throat out first chance I get. We are already in a wary position as it is, we don’t need another threat breathing down our necks.”

Yarosmere

Darius stayed silent while the man he warned and his men attacked Yolin's guards. Only standing so that he wasn't at a disadvantage if these men decided to attack him as well. Once everything was done, one of the Resistance fighters was dead, as well as Yolin's guards. Three from their group had gone through the portal and, luckily, Yolin believed them to be kidnapped, and promised to do his best help retrieve them, saying that there was little chance they'd be found alive. Darius nodded to the man.

"If they are found and they were... sympathetic to the rebels, how likely is it that they will be returning with us?"

---

Djarkel

Leith chuckled. Now that he thought about it, he knew quite a few people that were skilled with weapons. "I understand how the mages college doesn't seem like a place where there are a lot of fighters, but you might be surprised at how many mages there know how to fight. As for myself, I have some training with long-swords, it's not much, but it has helped me when I needed it. They come in handy when magic fails. However." He paused to look at his right hand. "Long-swords don't quite feel correct for me right now." He offered his left hand for Bryland to shake. "And please, call me Leith."

Annabeth Gulch

"Spider?" That would explain the webbing Annabeth was feeling when she reached out to Colette. Likely also meant that she probally hit the thorax of the creature, assuming she hit at all. Point is that it was low to the ground, so trying to get a short on it wasn't going to be easy. Instead Annabeth sheathed her bow and drew her Estoc. Her telepathy allowed Annabeth to pick up on the fact that the creature had moved up onto a wall, and possibly the ceiling if there was one above her. "Careful Colette, it's trying to get a jump on us. Stick close to me and strike when I tell you to..." Standing close to Colette Annabeth expanded her telepathic field, including Colette and her demons among the minds she could sense. Without the ability to actually see in the dark this was the only way Annabeth could perceive these hostile creatures. She also remembered seeing a light before, so Annabeth lightly took Colette by the hand. Only hard enough to maintain a grip, but light enough that Colette would have no problems getting her hand free if she needed it.

"There was a strange light back the way I came. Follow me, and keep your senses sharp." Annabeth walked back, keeping her telepathy up to detect the monster in the dark and anything else that might come at her. If anything came, Annabeth would tell Colette where the creature came from so she could react too.

DIPLOMACY MISSION

Brannor smirked, clasping Leith by his non-demonic hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Leith. It is good to know that someone from the college remembers what power can lie in a skilled sword." He gestured to one of his servants to fetch drinks, wishing to speak to Leith after a few rounds. "Though I must ask. You don't smell mortal, yet you don't have the scent of a vampire either. Have you... Given yourself to demons?" Brannor said bluntly. As if Leith's hand wasn't obvious enough, but Brannor's vampire scent did not detect any blood from Leith that he'd care to drink, nor the familiar smell of a fellow vampire. Though Leith certainly had the look.

As for Ssarak, he'd quickly note that the bird had died. The last thing that Ssarak would have seen from the bird was a larger, bird-like creature swooping from the darkness to snatch it out of the air and wring it's neck. It came suddenly and quickly, and the bird never saw it coming. As for the man, the last thing Ssarak would have seen of him was walking into the forest. Elsewhere, Ssarak may have felt another, stronger prod against his wards. If he remembered from his lessons, he would know that this stronger prod came from multiple sources. As Satori once explained, multiple Psychomancers could attempt to simultaneously penetrate another wards. Gather enough of them together and even a novice could break through a master ward, and more skilled practitioners could use less people. However like any sort of teamwork, it required training and skilled cooperation with others. Simply having everyone attack a single ward doesn't make their collective attempts stronger. Thus, Ssarak could easily conclude that there was a group of psychomancers trying to break into his ward. The only trouble was that even if Ssarak could trace back the source of the invaders, he would quickly realize that they were scattered about the gala.

Most notably, Keri would be assaulted by feelings of hunger, as if she needed to feed. This was regardless if she had fed or not, or eaten her blood candies already. The feeling came gradually, first just a itch in her throat, and then it became a pit in her stomach. There was a force working in her mind that was trying to make her feel hungry, though the wards she had would allow her to fight this feeling, if only for a moment. Because while there were certainly Psychomancers at work, it wasn't as if Keri being blood-thirsty was unusual or impossible. It would even be worse if she really hasn't fed yet, because if she falls for the spell, she would seek fresh, mortal blood. Not the drinks and cocktails being served, but fresh from the veins of a living being. And the only people who weren't vampires were the college students.

Baulder

Unknown

Baulder only got a second to look around before the urge to vomit overwhelmed him. He spilled the contents of his stomach out and dropped to his knees and leaned over. He did his best to not spill it on himself. He could taste the jerky he had eaten on the wagon and the small amount of soup he'd been able to eat at the table mixed with bile. He was slightly annoyed as he had quite enjoyed that soup. After wiping off his mouth he looked over to see Mar wobbling much like she had been the whole trip. But before Baulder could yell at the recovering snake lady he was pulled up into the air again by more rock which, once again, caught his foot and caused him to be flipped onto his back. Still sore from last time Baulder actually groaned when he hit the ground this time. He barely managed to miss his vomit as he rolled over. He threw his hands back and threw himself up onto his feet using his weight.

He orientated himself to the new rock wall and put his hand on it. When he noticed that a new lady was speaking about keeping them restrained he noticed she looked a bit more, distinguished. She spoke with something, authority maybe? It was something Tyrael did sometimes, it was strange to notice here. "And I was having a nice meal thank you. Then that prophet man had to go and make a wall oooooohhhh great. Then he had to go and blow that guy up, I was having such a good time trying local foods."

As he said that he was reminded of E'nasha and he panicked for a moment before he heard her speak and he realized she was probably ok. He turned towards her voice and began to move towards her hand outstretched to help her but then Mar moved to her side first. Baulder growled at the snake women. "You Mar, had to stop John yes? Of all the times I've seen you not let insults go unpunished, of all the people, you, you I wouldn't think. Bah! Some other time." Baulder's tone then changed on a dime to a much more soft and caring tone. Something he had actually seen the snake lady do to her daughter. "E'nasha my dear, are you alright?" Baulder felt his face heat up as he heard the snake lady continue to insult his actions and his intelligence. Something was stopping him, maybe it was E'nasha being between them? Maybe, maybe, he would need to think about it later.

Rubbing his sore shoulder blades Baulder turned to the older woman and responded in a reasonably even tone considering how frustrated he was with the snake lady. "Yes, an explanation would be nice. Both for the attack and the portal. The portal is of particular interest if you have the time that is."

_{@Rtron,@Lucius Cypher, @May, & @Luna}



As the wall crawler retreated to the wall, one of her delicate smaller arms reached back then grasped the arrow embedded in her abdomen. With a few furious tugs the shaft came loose. Black blood spilled from her veins and the split open carapace, the white stringy muscle dangled out through the opening and laid across her ass end. He head turned toward the incoming bodies rushing to her now freed meal. The number was more than she bargained on causing her frustration to boil to the surface and her throat to rattle, her thinner hand dropped the now broken shaft. When it dropped, the sound vibrated off the stone work until the echo vanished deep into the Nox.

Her large arachnid backside bent at a nearly impossible curve and back legs gripped onto the wall, scaling the seemingly smooth surface onto the roof easily. Among the corners, the students would notice the thick webbing strings stretched across the surface declaring this area her nesting ground. Slowly several more eyes slit open to reveal a few smaller males creeping from the darkness. About six if anyone was to count through their realization of a sudden increase of numbers.

Originally the female beast had hoped to get her meal and scrambled out before the others awoke. However, with the conflict, there was little chance for her to gain a greedy portion now. While in the farthest corner, her head tilted behind her as she examined her wound. It had been so long since something had made it past her carapace and drawn blood.

Gingerly her smaller, delicate little arms tenderly stuffed back in the white strings of her muscles back into her abdomen where they would mend in time. While the group gradually collected themselves, Helena tapped her light where barely a fade glow erupted to Annabeth gripped Colette’s hand, when the female’s head snapped up abruptly. Her eight eyes stared into the distance with expectancy then rattled a warning hiss. Promptly all the wall crawlers scattered into the tunnel.



A low, subtle rumble began. Rumble...rumble...rumble… at first, it could’ve easily been mistaken for a much worse creature trapped within the Nox. A beast with a ferocious appetite. It grew louder the longer the party stayed in wait before the floor started to quiver and gradually quake. Their feet slipped underneath them as they crashed into the floor without warning, the very stone work starting to crack and shift beneath them. A large fissure formed between Colette’s and Annabeth’s hand (assuming they were able to keep hold) while a stone wall shot up from the darkness within. In moments, Colette and her demons were separated from the rest when she vanished from sight.

The wall facing Annabeth then grinded toward to her coming to stop just inches in front of her. Another wall rocketed toward Althalus, his knowledge about solid walls effect if they hit him were unknown, threatened his very life when it shot toward him. Considering he hadn’t went through the floor it was best to assume that the wall could easily crush him even in ghost mode. Helena-being a bit from the rest- found her floor slanted upward at an angle enough to slide her back into Annabeth. Upon hitting, they crashed against the wall in an entanglement of limbs and arms.

When the walls stopped shifting, they would find at their side a newly revealed path. And one student short.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

The death of the bird made Ssarak’s next decision for him. He saw Lyn re-enter the gala and intended to speak with her, but there was first another matter that quickly presented itself to him. He felt pressure against his ward, much more than before. Fortunately, his training clued him in to the nature of this attack, being that it originated from a group of psychomancers. This was not something he could ignore.

It did not take long at all for Ssarak to react. He leaned himself up against the nearest wall and placed his concentration first in to his own defense. He reached his hand into one of his pockets and placed his hand over one of the psychomancy runes the college had supplies to each student. He did not yet need it, but if he found himself starting to be overwhelmed, he could use it to bolster his defense. He hoped it would not become necessary, as this was his first real challenge at the gala. The first chance to demonstrate to at least a part of the Djarkel court the might that the College could bring to bear.

Ssarak could have attempted a wide concentration attack against each of his opponents at once, but that was not his specialization. His expertise was in focused concentration, he felt he could overcome that particular limitation with some creativity that played to his strengths. With his expert focused ability, he could break through a weak ward quickly, and often without notice. So, he quickly surveyed his attackers as best as he could and singled out the weakest ward he could locate within the few seconds he gave himself. From there, he worked to break through as quickly as he could while still maintaining his own ward. Once he was through, he intended to maximize the effect with the least amount of magical effort as possible. The psychomancers attacking him were all across the room, but their locations would be irrelevant. He would influence his target’s psychomantic “perceptions” to direct him or her to attack the wards of one of his allies, specifically the strongest ward of an attacker that Ssarak could currently identify, all while still thinking that they were attacking Ssarak’s wards. The result of this single action would be threefold: one less opponent would be directing attacks on Ssarak’s ward, another opponent’s attacks would be weakened by the sudden attacks against their ward, and Ssarak would gain unwitting help in retaliating against his attackers. All-in-all, it would have a fairly drastic impact on the mental battle compared to the amount of effort Ssarak had to put into his trick. And the more times he could do it, the more times the effect would compound. As long as he could maintain his own ward, it would not be long before the advantage turned towards him. He would just need to think of an appropriate punishment for his opponents that was not too extreme.

Lyn’s hand pressed against the intricately decorated frame, then pushed the wood forward. It creaked open into the sounds of music, sight of ambling bodies, and suffocating atmosphere. The cursed landscape gave away to the illusion within the party causing her to pause and her mind filled by the sense of being out of her element. Psychomancers were feared for a reason. She recalled the tales from Satori over their abilities, ranging between the defenses she was taught to the strengths they had compared to other blood magics, drawing her doubt over her ability for this mission.

’No, stop that, Lyn chided herself as she inhaled, then pushed the door more.

Gingerly, she stepped into the colorful scenery once more and moved toward Keri casually. Any reminding thoughts about the handkerchief clutched in her fist, her fingers curled and crinkled the surface’s scribbled surface. Her wards flickered with strength through the holes of carefully selected childhood memories were still present. It required continual focus to sense when other edges of her ward holes were being poked or prodded.

She swayed her face about to scan the crowd vaguely. The new atmosphere warped about her and seemed to push in toward, her heart leapt in caution. Her soles prickled from the chill across the glass floor, the delicate vines and flowers protecting her slightly. Pushing farther into the room, Lyn’s eyes searched for her companions and quickly spotted Keri being the nearest one. As the hybrid drew nearer, her expression crunched up in confusion when she saw Keri immediately down one of the offered cups causing her feet to draw to a slower pace. Her eyes darted down to the handkerchief then looked around through the crowds, noting the behavior of a few within the general area.

It took her several moments but she located a possible source. She suspected it might’ve been one of the Psychomancers, her figure drew closer to investigate. She came to a halt at the nearest table, its top filled with several blood filled goblets, rare meats, and some pretty flowers shimmering with a crystal gloss. On closer inspection, Lyn was amused to find it was merely an illusion when she gently touched one of the pretty ones to ‘admire’ it. Her attention however edged over to her target. It was obvious he wasn’t listening, his words darted hopelessly against the subject and seemed to frustrate his conversational partner. Testing a theory, Lyn eyed Keri from the corner of her sight then casted a spell of growth upon the flowers, her body stepped away casually.

The flower bloomed and extended upright, a small narrow stem branched from the vase. It trailed down the surface then crept to the edge nearest the sneaky bastard’s back. With precision and quick movement, the whip like stem sprouts thorns then lashed out across the rear intending to rip the finery before it retracted back into the vase. Hopefully, unseen.

Helena didn’t really have a chance to hear if he’d replied any before the ground was shifting and everything was changing and her and Althalus went tumbling back the way she’d come from, landing heavily on top of someone else. She had of course, barely had time to grab her glasses before things had gone literally sideways, so thankfully they were saved from being broken or lost in the tumble. So she was wearing them when she looked down at the nice face of Annabeth underneath her. Sadly, she wasn’t as soft with the armor on.

“You okay?” she asked, pushing up on her hands some to hover above the other girl. She was fine, just kinda sore from being slid around and such. “Althalus?” she called over her shoulder, looking for the other man, to make sure he was with them still. “Collette?” she went on, looking for the other girl as well.

@Fallenreaper/Luna-Colette and Darell/Aarem

Colette gasped as she felt Annabeth’s hand slip from hers and everyone vanished from her view. Hearing her demons panic she looked towards them, only to find an entrance of a max before her. This was no ordinary maze, oh no nothing about this mission has turned out normal. First zombies, then being dragged down into the something equivalent to hell, almost been made a meal by an ugly spider thing and now she was in front of a shifting maze.

”I'm going to ask myself now, what the hell did I do to deserve this? Iam so not telling Keri any of this”Her voice seemed to echo back to her. Colette saw the maze shift until there seemed to be a visible path that she could take.

Making sure her rapier was out in front of her, she began to take the path with her demons backing her, reading to fight anything that could possibly attack them from behind. When she reached the end of the path, she stopped.

”Hello?”

Darkness shifted and warped, swirling from pure black to dark and light greys before a lithe, tall figure emerged outside Colette’s range of sight. His raven black hair curled thickly against his pale skin, his hooked nose turned down the direct where the sound echoed from. His onyx eyes narrowed and considered something for a moment. Gradually, his shape began to liquefy into something more putty like and promptly began to twist his shape into something more… acceptable to mortals.

Now where a old, powerful God stood… there was a young, timid looking boy looking no older than about fifteen. He could easily been mistaken for one of the students back from the original trip as he cautiously stepped forward. A small cap covered his dark, curly hair causing him to adjust the oversized garment with a breathless curse. Gradually he stepped into Colette’s view when he spoke, his attire pretty basic in cotton trousers, shirt and furred coat like many of the Nox students wore in the winter trips.

“Yes-s, w-who’s there? Show yourself! Please. I don’t...I don’t know where I’m at or how I got here. Help… someone.” He hollered back while he made his way toward her, his appearance looking very frighten.

Colette jumped when she heard his voice and she looked around rapidly for the owner. She relaxed when she saw a boy not far away. Her eyes looked relieved when she saw another student, or what she thought was another student.

”Oh hello. My name is Colette”Colette said nervously as she got into his sight, the red marks still fading from her exposed skin.”I am so glad I am not alone in this hell”

The boy seemed to fight back a frown at her last comment, but quickly turned his head to hide it. His eyes scanned the darkness and swallowed a bit, the saliva collected at his throat back while he thought about what to think, “You’re named Colette, right? My friend mentioned it because you were one of the few vampires on the trip. I’m Darell. Do you know where we’re at?”

Despite the fact he already knew exactly where they were at, the boy feigned ignorance in favor to learn how much the young vampire actually knew. A test, through some might call it a game, to learn her worth.

”Well, I want say the Nox, buuuut I don't know. I never learned about this before. This could be something else for all I know” Atticus bumped against Colette, watching around to make sure she stayed safe. Colette patted his head to praise him. ”Where do you think we are at”

“I would say the Nox as originally this is what our teacher taught us it would be like,” Darell stepped toward the nearest wall then touched it, feeling the cold sprout from the solid mass. However, that wasn’t what it should’ve felt like. Usually the walls were thriving, almost alive, with a pulse all its own but now that was missing. This concerned him greatly though he kept silent about it when he returned to face Colette, his disdain at seeing the demon nuzzle up against her caused him to ask a simple question.

“Why do you let that thing nuzzle against? Don’t you know it’s a demon and if given the chance, it would slit your throat without any regret in the least. Who would want something like that to love on them?”

”I am different. Demons have feelings and I have fine controlling them both. I had to train to get control over Atticus here, but they are loyal to me and I am happy about it”Colette said sharpy, her personality going a complete 180, going from a timid person to a girl that had mannerisms of a noble female.

Darell stepped back, his eyes narrowed and jawline tightened. His tone was bitter and angry with each word he replied with, “So you think. All demons are the same. They are created by sins from mortal souls and when people think they won’t hurt them… they never wake up because it’s too late.”

His head tilted toward one of the directions, his figure seemed drawn to it. Ignoring Colette’s ignorance to the nature of demons, the boy’s eyes stared into the darkness farther down the tunnel, “I wonder if this is the feeling our teacher meant when he said the seekers will find the route.”

Colette watched him with a narrowed eye look. The longer she watched him, the more she seemed to take notice that he seemed to glow like Althalus does. Was he really a student,or something posing as a student to lower her sense of security. She looked at rune, wondering why it hadn't gone off in a while, which could be considered a good thing, in her mind.

She could feel her anxiety just rise. She was in the nox, a place A: she was not suppose to be here and B: She had absolutely no knowledge of, So she already felt unsafe and the fact that she was with a student she never met that talked about demons the way he did, yeah that was already asking for a bad time. She walked around,being silent about it.

””I don't believe what you said about demons. Sure they are made from sin, but some people are just as full of sin as well. I have done some horrible things and I'm not going to lie about it, but it is never too late for me to gain redemption” Colette continued to walk, determined to stay away from Darell. ”Maybe. Are we the seekers?”

“Tch. You only think that because you never watch they hurt you or someone you love. I did,” Darell said, his tone filled with disgust and irritation at the vampire’s lack of understanding over demons, “Even the headmaster, a demonomancer himself, doesn’t fully trust his demons.”

He began feeling drawn to the tunnel’s end, his eyes noted Colette moved down the opposite from his attention and seemed determined to stay away from him. That was fine because she was like everyone else. His feet started to move to the direction as he continued, “If you’re a seeker, you can’t attack or influence anything within the Nox. Your sole task is to guide those that can. Considering I can’t do anything here, I know I’m a seeker. I would say you’re a guardian because you’re not glowing at all and that means you can pretty much kill whatever we come across in the maze.”

Each step drew away from Colette as he shouted back, “So I suggest if you want to get out of here, we need to finish the Nox trials. Honestly, I rather not die.”

She looked towards the area where his voice said and saw him vanishing. Confusion filled her mind. A guardian. She had no idea what that meant. She saw him vanishing down a trail that she didn’t notice before and rushed after him.Sure he was weird, but she was not willing to be alone. She hated being alone. Her demons followed after her, Hyllos made little noises as she did as Atticus was more silent in his following.

”What do you mean guardian Darell?” She asked as she caught up to him, not breaking a sweat or panting like any living person would be doing.

“It’s a nickname from the earliest students. As I said earlier, you pretty much are the muscle of the group and anything we come against is able to be killed by you. Usually Nox students are separated into two types: Seekers and Guardians,” Darell answered as he continued to walk, his hand hooked into his belt. His eyes peered into the path ahead and deeper they edged into the Nox, “Whenever we set out to do our Nox alignment, we group off for protection with the teacher watching our movements and ready to pull us when needed. Those that make it to the center can take one of three Alignments: Shadows, Decay or Pestilence. I’m going with Decay myself since it’s pretty useful and one of my best magics.”

A bit of silence endured before he asked his own question, “I take it you’re a vampire as you’re not breaking a sweat or even bothered from this walk. However, I’m getting a bit tired after wandering around earlier.”

Colette listened and absorbed the information he was saying about the Nox. She looked at him as he said his choice. He wanted to chose, but she had no idea what those words meant.

”Explain each of them in more detail, so I can make a choice myself” Colette said. She didn't stop looking at him as they both walked through the silent trail. ”Oh yes I am a vampire” she added real quick to what he said about her being a vampire.

Darell laughed in amusement, “You’re not a Noxomancy last I knew so it’s not important to you. The Nox has nothing to do with Demons because of Aarem’s dislike for demons, something I can relate to, and their god.”

As Hyllos fluttered rather close to him, he stepped away, his eyes narrowed in spite, “Keep that thing away from me.”

”If you say so Darell” She got Hyllos away from him and sat her on her bare shoulder. She looked around the area, wondering how long the trail was.”If I was brought here, that has to mean something. It could have taken anyone, though I am glad i'm not that...thing’s next meal”she shuddered i repulse at the thought of being a meal for anyone.

She could heard Atticus chuckle in amusement at her and she gave him a nudge and a playful glare before getting back to seriousness.

”Tell me more about the Nox. How did it come to be? Is it connected to arachnite magicks?”

Darell raised his eyebrow, silently judging her, then began to rely what he knew, “The Nox is Aarem’s domain and gives Noxomancers their power. A primary source for his power aside from what he gains from vampires, worshippers and other sources. Unlike the other gods, he’s constricted by his younger brother Ren after he killed another God, his hand stained with the golden ichor and bring fear from the other ruling gods.”

He skirted to the left, his eyes peeled through the darkness and continued to walk farther.

Colette listened and absorbed the information about the Nox. Her brows furrowed at what he said about the Nox. ”Hmmm, how come we never learned about this before. Then again, I am in demonomancy, so we learn more about demons and controlling them as well as our connection to the inferno.” Colete said as she looked down at the ground as she walked.

She looked up a few moments later and looked around.”How long is this trail?

“There’s a lot of things we don’t learn about each other’s magic because it’s optional, not required. Personally, I would never want to learn about demonomancy,” Darell stated as he shrugged at her last question, “I don’t know. I only know the direction, not the length of the trip. I do know if we’re not careful, the maze will shift and we risk being crushed if we’re careless. The funny part, the Nox is a twisted mirror version of the real world. Each element represents Aarem’s understanding of our world.”

Colette shivered at his lines, horror and fear filtering itself through her other emotion like they were nothing but a strainor. If she wasn’t careful, she could possible never see the light of day again. The fear shoned a little in her eyes, breaking through the mask of courage she had placed on herself.

”I...I see. So I take it Aarem is never allowed in our own world, so he created this one to get a understanding of our world in this place....What do you think will happen when we reach the end?

“No, Aarem is the most limited of the Gods as his punishment for killing another God. Hence, what he draws power from is limited to about three sources as I mentioned earlier. Ren did this so the other Gods wouldn’t simply ask for his banishment from Ivellios,” Darell corrected, his expression dropped with slight sadness as he recalled the memory. His pace slowed gradually before he shook it off then added, “No one ever wants to know the actual story behind why he did it and just assume he’s pure evil.”

”Tell me. I wish to know” Clette said with sincerness that couldn't be faked.”It's wrong to assume stuff instead of actually hearing the fact about people. That's why there is so much hate in the world, because people are fooled by stories and rumors they heard by others....For that reason,I nearly was killed many times all because I am a vampire”

Darell sighed, “You’re not going to like it. It’s why he hates demons and as I said, I can’t blame him. It might ruin your perfect image of your pets after all.”

Not waiting for a reply, he moved onto the story as their steps echoed through the tunnel, “Aarem wasn’t always the God of evil but merely the God of the Nox, nothing more or less. After the wars with the primal creations of the universe, there was a few god remaining and co-existing in Ivellios at the end. Kudd used to be a God of Demons and Demonomancy at the time. The story revolves around three siblings, Duuri the Goddess of Psychomancy primarily, Aarem the God of the Nox and Ren the God of all. Duuri grew close to the son of Kudd who in turn grew lustful for her, finally raping her when her two brothers let their guard down.”

Darell’s voice stalled a moment, seemed to choke and struggle with the next words, while he forced them to pour from his lips as naturally as he could, “Aarem naturally found her first, the experience changed and mentally broke her enough to expand her domain into a negative one. While he attended to her… Ren was on the warpath. He took off and killed the lesser God, spilling the insect’s blood across the paradise’s steps in secret until Aarem arrived. Instead of letting his brother take the blame, Aarem took the spear and said it was him. In the end, Ren agreed and punished Aarem in his stead.”

“Over time, the Gods grew to fear Aarem and avoided him save his three siblings. Eventually, he became the role everyone bestowed on him until he could no longer tell himself apart from it,” Darell finished then looked at Colette’s face. He expected a reaction.

Colette listened without a sound or word throughout the story. She noticed his choke and struggle through it and she was reminded of someone trying to explain something of their past, but simply struggled. She now understood why Aarem was deemed evil. He simply wanted to protect his brother from being punished. She kept her emotions at bay but she showed sadness for Aarem.

”I don’t know how that makes me change my views, but I understood why Aarem did what he did. He wanted to protect his brother from punishment by taking it himself. He obviously loved his brother and would do anything to protect him, even to that extent that made the gods fear him. All I hear is a misunderstood god who is feared because of assumptions and drawn conclusions” She said, not a hint of deception in her voice or eyes.

“Would you honestly care for something that raped your sibling?” Darell said coldly, his expression frowned at her first statement. He was obvious angry about it and snapped his head away in frustration, the walking pace increased abruptly down a corner. They were drawing nearer to the others as he continued, gradually cutting down the distance.

”No. I wouldn’t, but he was simply under the control of his lust, it's no different than a vampire giving into its lust for blood. Some emotions are more powerful than others, no matter how hard people try to fight them and gods are the same, they have them too”Colette said in a sharp tone that said that she didn’t appreciate him assuming who she would or would not care for.

“So, it was the Goddess’ fault for tempting him? She’s to blame and he was feeding his baser instincts rather than control them? How is that right for her or mine?” Darell snapped back, his fury building at her words.

”Did I say I was blaming her? No! She can’t control who falls for her or not, not even gods can control that no matter how hard they try. I am sure she never meant to tempt him into raping her. Even some emotion gets out of control to the point of no return and by the time it's over, the damage is done. I'm glad she doesn’t remember that and have to live with the scars, unlike us mortals who suffered from anything traumatic for years or even the rest of their lives” Colette snapped right back at him fury gathering in her eyes, darkening them a little.

Darell didn’t care if he pissed her off, his own blood was boiling by this time, as he stopped her from continuing, “ She does live with those scars as that’s why she became associated with insanity, mental illnesses, and cripples. According to most worshippers, whenever they speak with her… her mind is broken into literally individuals. My own sister has been raped by a demon and believe me, she didn’t remember it but the effect is there in her eyes. She knows she lost a part of herself during that lost memory.”

”I get why Aarem blamed himself for the incident, but I do hope he was able to help her after it and made sure it never happened again. Gods make mistakes too, that what makes them a little bit mortal, if gods didn't make mistakes, the world wouldn’t be the way it is now wouldn't it?

“Tch,” Darell said in reply.

”So don’t go snapping at me. I do have my views on this story and so would others if they heard it too. Not everyone thinks the same way as others. That what makes everyone different. They all respond to trauma differently, they all cope different, but they all have one thing in common, their lives are never the same, no matter how much they heal from it”

“One day, a demon will prove you wrong. Then you’ll understand the pain many people go through with demons,” Darell warned as the pair gradually pulled into the group, their voices becoming louder and louder with each step. By this time the others would notice them arriving from the dark tunnel behind them.

Sansar, Yarosmere

Yolin turned around, smiling genially at Darius. "They can be as sympathetic as they'd like. But if they interfere in Yarosmerian politics for the wrong side, they will be rebels and will be treated as such. Oh! Our guards. Right on time." He turned around, walking away and humming happily to himself. Aramir exchanged concerned glances with the remaining members of the group. "Well..here's to hoping he doesn't think we're siding with the rebels." With no other choice left to them, as the squad of ten guards fell into step behind and around them, they followed Yolin farther into the city.

A dull roar could be heard in the distance as they approached the center of the city. Slowly the dull roar became distinguishable. "Khalitan Cah! Khalitan Cah! Khalitan Cah!" They rounded the corner, and a massive arena came into view. It soared into the sky, the only building free of any damage. The crowd was deafening, their chant unending. "Perfect! We're just in time for the main event!" Yolin cried, gesturing for them to hurry. They were ushered through the wide entrance hall, empty pedestals and shattered statues rushing by them. Yolin and his guards muscled a position through the crowd, getting the College students a full view of the sand covered arena floor. Two dozen bodies covered the ground, in various states of dismemberment. Five men and two women stood in the center of the arena, covered in blood and breathing heavily, each wielding two blades.

"The last of the Sand Cobras, that didn't escape, are going to be executed by Khalitan Cah, The Immortal One. He hasn't lost a single battle, not in all his years of fighting in the arena." Yolin explained, gesturing to the Cobras in the arena. A gate at the far side opened up, causing the crowd to howl in excitement and bloodlust. The Cobras in the arena tensed in fear, warily getting closer together.

Slowly, Khalitan Cah made his way into the arena.

Unknown Location, Yarosmere

Sahra shook her head as she viewed the College students. "Allow me to repeat myself. There will be no fighting here. If you have issues, deal with them after we've saved your friends." She looked at E'nasha. "It'll be faster if we just got Sarn. You're going to be there for a while, and I don't trust your friends to not tear each other's throats out in the mean time." She turned her attention to the group as a whole. "The portal was a simple power of any practicioner of Nox shadow magic. As for what happened, perhaps I should start with explaining fully what we are. We're what remains of free Yarosmere. The resistance. Everyone else is a slave to this 'Prophet.' Her lip curled in disgust. "We made deals with the Wild, from the stories, and that kept us from having our minds dominated as well. Unfortunately, that still leaves us outnumbered and without the power to truly fight back."

"That's where you come in." A new voice called, a man pushing his way through the ranks.

"The College can free Yarosmere from the grasp of the Prophet, and restore Order to the kingdom. Otherwise, this new Yarosmere will attack you."

Althalus

"I know your name. You just need to be aware how monumentally stupid your actions were." Althalus replied, somewhat absentmindly. He was examining the creature above them and mentally feeling out this...instinct he had. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch. He'd deal with it later. Right now, there was a horrifying monster to address. He took his crossbow out, preparing to toss it to Helena, when the floor started shaking. "Oh, what now." He complained, struggling to keep his footing as the floor rumbled and shook. He fell to the ground, climbing to his feet as walls began shooting around the place.

More importantly, a wall began shooting towards him. "Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit!" Althalus scrambled out of the way of the wall, rolling as he barely escaped being crushed like a bug. "I hate this place already." He declared, sitting on the ground and throwing his hands wide. "Why can't we ever go to a mission to an inn? Or a restaurant? Taste test their food or something. But noooo, we have to do all the ridiculously dangerous things because the world hates us."

He continued to complain, making his way over to where Helena and Annabeth. "No idea where Colette went. I think she was launched behind a wall. In other news, we need to head that way." Althalus pointed in a seemingly random direction. "It'll lead us out. Eventually. If we live. And after we find Colette." As if on cue, he heard the vampire's familiar voice, arguing with another, coming nearby. "Well. That was convenient. Helena, here's some throwing knives. Whoever's best with the crossbow, take it because I certainly can't use it." Althalus tossed said knives and crossbow to the duo in front of him before turning to the sound of Colette. "Colette, glad you're alive. Who is your friend?"

Leith Calder

"Not exactly." Leith looked at his hand while he answered the question. "Wearable Daemon Artes can fuse to the wearer, and if left long enough without any help, can turn them into demons. It can be halted, and if I can't find help soon, I will stop what progression has been done." He clenched and unclenched his hand before looking back at Bryland. "But for the time being, the strength I have can be put to good use." Leith looked around the ballroom for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.

"So, what can you tell me about Lord Carmine?"

---

Darius Jura

Darius followed Yolin to the Arena in silence. He was on edge with the amount of guards that they had now. They had appeared quite quickly considering how the attack was out of seemingly nowhere. He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the crowds chanting. Quickly, they entered the arena and soon had a view of the battlefield. As Khalitin Cah made his way into the arena, Darius snorted.

"That old man is going up against seven Sand Cobras? This will be something to see."

Annabeth Gulch

The Nox was a dangerous place.

Annabeth was ready for ambushes, traps, heck even for the walls to fall or explode on them. But not for the ground to open up and swallow them whole. Really, what could Annabeth do when something like that happened? She tried her best to avoid it but to no avail; the best she could do was tuck and roll into the landing. But only so much could be done in a free fall, and soon something crashed into Annabeth as she fell. By the time she came to, she saw Helena staring right into her face, her features somewhat recognizable in the darkness. "Helena!?" The two got off of each other and started looking around, though not much good that'd do considering they're completely surrounded by darkness. Annabeth sent out another telepathic pulse to try to pick up any minds nearby, ideally familiars ones.

Aside from Helena, who was much closer to Annabeth then she realized now that she could get an idea of her distance, the only other mind Annabeth could pick up right now was Athalus, who was on his way over. Colette was no where to be found. "Colette is missing..." Worry and concern filled her voice. Annabeth didn't want to leave Colette alone; sure she was a big vampire girl, but to Annabeth, Colette was a bit too gentle to be on her own. Annabeth started pacing around a bit before Athalus approached and pointed towards and exit. Annabeth was about to ask about Colette when her voice appeared nearby as well. She seemed to be talking to someone, which worried the psychomancer. Athalus handed out weapons to Helena and Annabeth, and Annabeth took the crossbow. While she was more skilled with a bow, she knew how to use a crossbow and at least Athalus had more ammo did Annabeth did.

"Colette, I'm glad to see you're okay! But who's he? And Athalus, why are you glowing?" Annabeth had been meaning to ask that, before the ground swallowed them up and everything.

Helena smiled at Annabeth when she was sure she was alright, adjusting even back into place and double checking her own weapons as she got things situated again. Everything was there except for the one she'd lost in that bastard up above. It she assumed up above. She wasn't entirely sure where they were in relation to where they'd come from. They might have gone sideways she supposed.

She took the knives that Althalus offered begrudgingly. He needn't be such an ass about everything. Not everyone could have as man years of experience as him, yet he seemed to expect her to be just as good. "How are you so certain that's the way out?" She asked as she tucked the knives away into her belt and such, places that would he easy for her to get to. "Because this looks like a maze to me and I haven't fucking clue how to get out."

Location- Unknown, Underground Caves

Summer moaned as she held her stomach. Ever since she was ran through the portal behind Mar, the nauseous feeling had not faded. She turned her attention to the woman that was speaking She waked a little under she stood beside Mar, still feeling nervous about the mission. She looked at Mar.

”I will go with you, I am rather calm though nervous, but I would like to know more about what is going on and stuff. Mar?Baulder,are you two going to just glare at each other or come with me to find out more about this?”Summer said in a slightly less nervous voice. Seeing their answer, she turned to the leader, Sahra, nodding her head.

”Well I’m ready” Summer said,adjusting her bow on her back to a more comfortable holding position, its string empty of a arrow.

Mar, Sansar (Yarsomere): Underground Cave~Unknown Location

When Baulder started to approach, Mar’s eyes narrowed and her figure tensed at his nearness. She let out a hiss at his growl with fangs bared defensively and ready to tear out his throat should he try something. At this point, she didn’t care what the woman said because she was tired of things attacking her and she was determined to take a chunk of Baulder with her should he try. Tyrael’s student or not. The fact he attacked Aramir proved he was unreliable, something obviously dangerous since she was sure he would try to finish hurting the snow elf over something pitiful. When he spoke to her, Mar didn’t stop her glare as he assumed she would’ve done the same thing.

“You know nothing about me. I’ve never attacked unless physically provoked or learning to expression emotions, there was no intention to harm. You attacked with the purpose to hurt Aramir and that makes the difference very clear,” Mar shot back at him, farther ignoring his change in tone then addressed Sahra’s comment, “Let me be very clear: Unless he attacks others or myself, I won’t attack. I will not be the one that starts a fight but I’ll finish it if needed. I’m not willing to repeat a mistake.”

Mar listened to the woman explain why the resistance wasn’t under the sway of the ‘Prophet’ and Wild Magic, the later a complete mystery to her. That’s when Summer awake then interrupted with a comment about Baulder and her glaring at each other. Mar frowned then commented, “They don’t want us to move from this spot so I have little idea where you’re planning to go or who’s leading you.”

Before further discussion was made, a new voice spoke. Mar’s attention shifted and her eye narrowed on light skinned man pushing his way toward them. Dressed in dark and loose clothing fitting the desert landscape, he had red and gold trimmings break the monotone theme around the lower waist and chest. Over all it gave him an appearance that reminded her of Althalus because it was meant to hide his identity. That was where the similarities ended however as he mentioned about the College aiding them again the current rule.

Uicle’s word penetrated her mind and mingled with the Naga withering in death, creating conflict within her. Finally, she answered calmly, “Despite my current issues with the state of things within Yarosmere, our main task was to first observe how badly it had gotten and then establish a basis of a relation with the Prophet. Our second task was to establish a connection with you if possible, without getting killed. I don’t think the ‘Prophet’ will risk making the College our enemy by harming the other students, but I don’t like the fact of leaving them with the Prophet for very long.”