A long sigh came from the young mage as she walked down the muddy road, thoughts clouding her mind as the weight of her mission hung in the air. Though the kingdom of the elves and the kingdom of the humans thought the stone should go to one of them, Eliza knew it belonged to no one. The stone must be detroyed, or else history would repeat itself, and the kingdoms would destroy each other. The world as they knew it would end if this evil wasn't done away with, and Eliza had the feeling she was the only one that could see this. The old mage that raised her had died years ago, and she missed his guidance in this matter. He always knew what to do when she was unsure, and at the moment she was more unsure then she had ever been in her life.

She had a duty to protect the kingdoms. Long ago she had sworn to herself that she would protect and care for others, however at this point it seemed as though the kingdoms were beyond all reason. "Foolish girl." "What do you know?" "You're too young to understand." Those were the words both of the kings had said to her when Eliza had tried to reason with them. She wanted to help, but was it really worth helping them when they wouldn't listen? The thought of simply leaving and letting fate decide had occured to her, but there was a little voice that kept saying that she could help. She could save them.

Still there was doubt. It would be very ambitious of her to attempt a task by herself that a whole legion of knights had not been able to accomplish. There was no doubt that others would be on the road to the ancient kingdoms, and that they would in time run into one another. If she kept her true intentions of destroying the stone a secret, then perhaps some allies would surface.

On the other hand, she had heard of a mercenary in the town she was approaching that might help her. Perhaps she could find him, and if she offered enough money, he may join her cause to destroy the stone.

Elion was riding his horse down one of the deer trails that his people used for hunting, slowly progressing towards the main road. It was cold, so very cold. The warmth coming off of the beast beneath him was the only thing giving him any comfort, as his cloak was soaked from the rain, and the wind was not helping his condition. Thankfully, rainy conditions never lasted very long and Elion suspected that in a few minutes it would be past. He wondered who he would meet on the road. Mercenaries were a definite possibility, as were knights and royals from the humans. It was also possible that a certain mage he knew would be coming along.

As he came onto the main road and started entering the town, he could see a figure walking, and as the rain started to clear his suspicions were confirmed. Eliza had been making some noise lately, and was not in a very favorable position with the royal family. However Elion had not forgotten the debt that they owed her. A few years ago, there was a gang of drow that were attacking some of the people on the outskirts of the kingdom, and without Eliza's help Elion feared that there would have been far more deaths.

"Eliza! Cormamin lindua ele lle." (Meaning: My heart sings to see thee.) He called, trying to catch her attention. He moved his horse into a trot to catch up with her. "How have you been, my friend?" He knew very well of her intentions with the stone, however he would overlook that for now, as long as she would. They would deal with the problem of who got the stone when they came to it.

Sedriso Ulveri, blade for hire. One of the best, in fact. With all manner of spells, enchantments, and fighting skill, plus a few other tricks, he's a fighter of many trades, and good at what he does. If not the best. And he can be yours.
For the right price, of course.
That was the sort of thing he'd always told people looking for a mercenary to do their dirty work, or to protect them during their travels.
It isn't boasting if you can actually deliver.
He said that sometimes, too.
In a place unfriendly to Drow--most civilized places were, in fact--it was important to have the best credentials...and something to hide your face with.

Sedriso Ulveri, battlemage mercenary of the Drow, was sipping spiced wine in a hot, stuffy corner of the inn at which he was presently staying, after having completed a job. He intended to give himself a few days to relax before seeking further work, but he found it difficult in his present atmosphere. He was likely the only Drow in this gods-forsaken town, and so he refrained from removing his chitin armor and mask to avoid disrupting the general populace with his presence, and was sipping his wine from underneath the red cloth that formed the masked portion of his helm. So far, it seemed, no one paid him much mind.

He hoped that it would stay that way. He'd just done quite a bit of fighting, and wasn't interested in being the cause of another at the moment.

"Yes you ma'am, that one is actually..." Erebus had lost interest soon after his mistress began speaking with the other Two Legs behind the cloth-covered wooden table. The giant feline flicked his ears around and nearly turned his head all the way back over his shoulder as the big cat took in his surroundings. He and Juju were currently in the middle of the local village's plaza and needless to say it was pretty crowded. But the big cat's sheer size was more than enough reason for people to give the animal a wide berth as the strode by. Not to say that he was completely ignored; a few children made deliberate detours to pet Erebus, which he thoroughly enjoyed and even made sure to purr extra loudly for the extra attention. One had the incentive to ruffle the beast's mane and he accidentally kicked out with a rear leg in pleasure (thankfully no one was standing behind him at the time).

The sound of a clicking tongue caught his attention and, knowing exactly what that meant, Erebus slowly rose to stand. "Alright big boy it's time to go." Juju scratched gently behind his ears before padding off to wherever it was she wanted to go to next. Erebus was quick to follow and easily kept up despite his lumbering gait. Juju pulled up the hood of her robe a bit higher, and out of pure coincidence Erebus chose to shake out his coat to rid himself of any remaining droplets still clinging to his fur. Thankfully the rain had just stopped, although that didn't mean the weather was any less cold. Erebus paused when Juju veered to the side, yet another seller's stand grabbing the woman's attention. He knew the drill by now so without further ado he promptly dropped to the floor, effectively ignoring the puddles beneath and around him. That's when something else caught his attention: clucking. It was music to his ears.

Erebus crouched and peeked beneath the tent's flaps. Aha! Not too far away, he was able to spot the source of aforementioned noises being carted around in a wagon. They were packed in crates and stacked up like pre-packed meals. Had Juju noticed the stupid little birds in the distance then maybe she would have been able to stop her pet and direct his attention elsewhere. Unfortunately for her she didn't, and that was all it took. Erebus lunged, bolting out from beneath the awning and heading straight for the peddler. From behind, "Stop him!" The crowd screamed and split as everyone scrambled in all sorts of directions to get out of Erebus' way.

A familiar voice caught Eliza's ear as she entered the town, and she turned to see none other then the prince of the elves himself coming towards her. She remembered him well, and was quite pleased to see him. He was one of the few royals she didn't have bad blood with. "I've been well, your highness. It's been too long." She replied, stopping so he could catch up. There was no doubt as to why he was here, he must be going after the stone as well. He had probably heard of her arguments with his father, but she was relieved that he decided not to bring it up.

Before the prince had time to reply, a sudden sound of screams made her instinctively start running towards the sound. More often then not she'd be able to help with whatever it was. As she rounded a corner, she saw the cause of the commotion was a tiger of some sort, and thought back to when she has a familiar by the name of Azerna that took the form of a tiger. Azerna had been her most trusted friend for ages, but she had passed a few months prior. Eliza had almost died as well, but Azerna spent his last bit of energy to cast a spell to keep his death from affecting her. It was something very few familiars could do, but then, Azerna was extraordinary.

As people started screaming and she saw men starting to grab their weapons she couldn't stop her heart from bleeding for the poor thing. It obviously just wanted some food and was acting on instinct, and it wasn't going after people. Acting quickly, Eliza said a spell to stop the tiger in its tracks, and got snatched a sword away from a nearby guard who was shaking in his boots. "At ease, fool. He's harmless now." She moved closer to the tiger to stop anyone else who might attack it, and looked around for the owner.

He had been about to respond to Eliza when suddenly she ran off, and he let out a sigh. "Why is it every time I'm around Eliza someone starts screaming?" Elion muttered to himself before he moved his horse to follow her. He saw a rather large tiger up a head and became more then a little uneasy when Eliza got in between the tiger and some swords, but he knew she could hold her own. It was quite obvious the tiger wasn't wild, as he wasn't chewing on someone's kid, and it irritated him that someone had carelessly let the big cat wander off.

Sedriso's not-quite-relaxing was abruptly interrupted by screams coming from the town square, and purely out of habit, he quickly set his wine down, drew his sword, and rushed out of the inn to see what was happening.

He ran to the square, where the screams had originated from, and saw several people crowded around what appeared to be a...massive cat? With horns.

Looked like something out of his nightmares, to him. And yet the animal seemed peculiarly still, and there was a woman casually standing between it and several guards. And that's when he saw it.
The elf.
Sedriso felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck, and he almost spat on the ground.
Damn elves.
But he returned his attention to the scene before him, and he realized why the cat looked so strange.
It really was frozen in place. His first inclination was that the elf did it, considering elves were the most apt at such benign magic, but he had his doubts. Now, there was only one other person around that didn't seem to be running and screaming in terror, and that was a woman. She certainly looked very human, But she seemed...different. She had more elvish features, and she was tall, for a female human.
...A half-breed, perhaps?
Possibly.
Regardless, it didn't look like the foul beast was going to move anytime soon, so he re-sheathed his sword with a low growl. This wasn't what he'd come here for.

He approached the guards that were still stupidly standing around.
"Look, the thing is immobile. Do us all a favor and stop waving those swords about? You might chop off someone's head, acting like that..." He called to them.
"And learn how to hold that weapon properly while you're at it..." He muttered under his breath.
Despicable. And they call themselves soldiers.

He called out once more.
"Is anyone present the owner of this...large feline creature? If so, would you mind putting a leash on it? These people really can't afford to spare it several dozen chickens for a snack."

Trailing far behind the big cat was Juju running with all her might, her cloak nearly falling off as it hung on by nothing more than the clasp at her throat. Thanks to the other woman's magic, Juju was able to catch up with Erebus before he got to the chickens. Although, that's not to say that this incident went by entirely without consequence: nobody seemed to have been injured in the mayhem but he'd certainly caused an uproar. "Oh my goodness!" The term 'embarrassed' couldn't even begin to cover the mortification Juju felt at the moment. "I am so very sorry! Thank you for stopping him!" Juju finished her sentence with a nervous chuckle although the scarlet haze dusting her nose and cheeks probably conveyed enough. The human-elf hybrid quickly finished closing the gap between herself and Erebus, grabbing him securely by a sharp horn even though she was pretty sure whatever spell it was being used to keep him in place had that covered.

As the young woman came up, Eliza let out a sigh, and slowly released her spell. "It's quite alright, there's no harm done." She couldn't stop herself from stroking the big cat's nose. "Just be more careful, some of these guards seem a bit... Eager." The mage warned, casting an irritated glare at the cowards standing around. If anyone had been planning on making a fuss, they quickly rethought it and what few people that were still around started to return to their normal routine.

It was then that Eliza noticed a man that had called out, looking for the feline's owner. He was very familiar, but she couldn't quite place him... She knew they had never met before, but still she had seen him. Then it hit her. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a drawing, holding it up slightly so she could compare it to the man in front of her. Yes, it was a definite match. This was the mercenary she was looking for. "If you'll pardon me, I had business to attend to." She said to the woman before starting towards the armored man.

As Eliza left, Elion went up to the young woman. It was quite obvious she was a half breed, in fact he was quite certain he had seen her before. Elion had no particular dislike for humans, so it didn't particularly bother him (though he knew many of his kin did not share the same view.) What did bother him was how careless she was with the tiger in her care. Being who he was, Elion had no problem speaking to people as he saw fit, though he generally tried to be as polite as possible about it.

"You need to be more careful! Had Eliza not stopped him, your friend here could have very well gotten injured." He said to her. Responsibility was something the prince took very seriously, and in his eyes this girl hadn't handled her responsibility to watch and care for the cat very well.

And...then the woman who'd stood between the guards and the cat started to approach Sedriso, with a look of such determination that he was considering, well...
Fleeing, would be an accurate term.
Instead, he folded his arms and stood ground. He wasn't going to let a woman scare him off. Besides, she may very well want something from him.
Which could mean more money.
...He was fine with that. Was money his god? Hardly. But it most certainly was his motivation. He liked to believe he had a good nose for wealth, and she reeked of the smell. Perhaps he should come out of his vacation earlier than he planned. The anticipation was absolutely killing him.
He tilted his head as the woman drew near.
"...I think it's safe to assume that you want to talk to me, since there's plenty of wide open space on either side of me for you to walk around if you didn't wish to speak to me. So...Is there something I can, say, help you with? Or are you just looking for revenge over a lost family member or loved one that you think I may have killed? Because quite frankly...both are possible. If anyone in your family is disreputable, that is." He said.

The mage who'd caught Erebus was generous with her warning. And, to Juju's great surprise, seemed to want nothing in return for her assistant. Juju muttered a quick 'thank you' before the woman dismissed herself, only to come face to face with another angry bystander. Erebus tried tugging out of Juju's grip but the green haired hybrid held on tightly this time. "My sincerest apologies." Juju accepted the scolding without argument for three reasons; the first being that she knew she totally deserved it. The second is that she was one-hundred percent sure that even if she did point out that Erebus doesn't eat live meat and would have probably only attempted to play with the domesticated fowl, it would get her nowhere. Lastly, it took only about five seconds of direct eye contact before she was able to put a name to that sharp face. Prince Elion Farlith of the Adanon Kingdom. Just her luck.

"Just don't let it happen again." The prince replied. It was quite obvious the girl had recognized him, and he let out a sigh. Hopefully she'd be one of the people that didn't like him, as opposed to some of the irritating clingy subjects that fawned over him. He didn't like the attention that came with being a royal, it made things far too complicated. Unfortunately however it was the role he was born into.

His quickness to pick up on her intentions was quite promising, although she had a feeling he had considered avoiding her. After his long introduction, she could see why. "Well, I have no family to speak of, so you needn't worry about me seeking revenge. I was actually wondering if perhaps you could... In plain terms keep me from getting killed." The young woman said. "A friend of a friend told me about your services, and I'm willing to pay for them."

Sedriso almost laughed.
"Oh, I can keep you alive, no doubt about that. Sedriso Ulveri, the finest blade--or mage, if that suits you better--that money can hire, at your service. Also the most expensive, if I'm honest, but I can assure you, I am worth every last gold coin. Speaking of which--I charge a flat fee of five-hundred gold per job. No exceptions, no I-owe-yous, and no refunds. However...before we get into all that, let me lay out what I can offer you, yes?" Now, Sedriso was getting into his game, and he rubbed his hands together.

"Simply put, I offer a combination of skills, unlike many of those other mercenaries who only know how to bash skulls in after coming clean from the bandit life. I've been doing this much longer than any of them, as well. Nigh a hundred years now, I think. I dare you to find any human mercenaries that can boast my experience. Be it magic, blade, or stealth, I can fulfill any combat requirements you may ever have. Which means, simply put, keeping you alive is what I do best." He told her.
"So...If you're still interested, then we can get right down to business."

After about the third sentence, Eliza tuned out. How many times had he practiced this introduction? This man must really like to listen to himself talk. The mage continued to silently judge Sedriso as he spoke, waiting for him to finally finish. "Yes, dear, I know your qualifications. I took the liberty of doing a bit of research before I started looking for you." She said, crossing her arms. "Now it's my turn for the long drawn out introduction. My name is Eliza Valaren, I am a mage and well known for my abilities, especially among the elves. I tell you this so that you understand I do not need you to protect me from everything, I just need someone to watch my back. I'm sure you've heard of the recent uproar about the Ferra stone, I'm going after it. I don't want the power from it, I don't want the money from selling it, I want to destroy it. It's a dangerous mission, one that I'm not naïve enough to think I can do on my own. I am more then willing to pay, but I feel the need to warn you that this is the most dangerous mission you have ever gone on in your entire life, and there is a very good chance that neither of us will come back alive." She had the five-hundred coin he was asking for. In fact that was all the money she had in her satchel, but it was worth it to make sure she had someone on her side that would keep her from getting killed.

Sedriso tilted his head and crossed his arms. "Of course you only need me to watch your back. That's what I do. Don't you worry, lass. We'll both come out alive. I guarantee it, as long as you don't do something stupid." He said in a casual tone.
"So you're after the Ferra Stone. That's all very well and good...Are you traveling with anyone else on this quest of yours? Rather, I'd expect not many people would be happy that you'd aim to destroy the thing. Mostly, I'm curious if I should be keeping a wary eye on any of your traveling companions, if you know what I mean." Under his helm, one eyebrow was raised. He made a habit of asking about any other companions his current patron was bringing, just to be prepared. He didn't like meeting up with his patron and discovering nine other party members he hadn't heard about previously. It wasn't exactly 'proper etiquette'. Some mercenaries took it as a personal insult if a patron hires them and then also chooses to hire others. Sedriso personally didn't mind too much, he simply preferred to know beforehand what to expect on the journey.

"Of course, Your Highness." Juju, now that she was able to identify the stranger elf, respectfully acknowledged the fact by bowing her head lowly to Prince Elion. "This isn't a mistake I intend on allowing to be repeated. My apologies for the disturbance I've caused" Juju sheepishly added while rubbing the back of her neck. Bringing Erebus along was supposed to prevent incidents like these. Dammit, why hadn't she just left him behind with the others? They were safer in the forest but Juju had been concerned that Erebus might wander off and get lost since he was still to young to quite grasp the concept of real danger yet; actually, one of her pets wandering off was the least of her worries. Hunters were her main concern despite her animals being harmless. Juju awkwardly coughed to clear her throat, not unsure of what to do next. The best part was now that this slip-up was witnessed by none other than a a member of the royal family itself. Which means that this left a very bad impression on her abilities to control her animals and ultimately would leave a stain on her business.

Erebus began to whine in irritation from having his head restrained so uncomfortably tight but Juju didn't think it would be wise to release the creature just yet. Although he had probably learned his lesson (for the moment), she knew it would probably look bad if she let him loose again. She got an idea, and Juju undid the ornamental sash around her waist in her decision to convert it into an impromptu lead for Erebus. The big cat sat up on command and waited patiently as Juju tied it loosely around his neck. "There" she huffed proudly to no one in particular.