---

---

---

Harun blinked, surprised at how well everything had gone. He had entered the throne room of the castle, forgetting his surroundings as he ran, and instead of being attacked was now receiving traveling supplies from the same woman he had robbed. Not bad for his debut back onto the thievery scene. Not even five threats on his life, at that!

An innocent smile crossed his face once more as he left his bow, rising to stand above Odessa. He was not an incredibly tall man normally, but part of him couldn’t resist. “Xil, will you go on assisting?”

“Yes, though I’m loathe to. We still need to have our talk.”

“All in good time, my man. For now,” He turned to Odessa, tapping the ruby on his dagger’s pommel, cueing the blade to begin translating. “Madame, I apologize for the abrupt nature of my arrival, but I thought it the most expedient way to find an audience with Her Majesty. More importantly, however, I came to retrieve Xil’Gurash. He is an old friend, and I do not dare to venture in the name of Vis without him at m-”

The traveler continued as his blade began to speak, gesticulating and clearly trying to leave a good impression. Xil’Gurash ignored this. “My Lady, I am so sorry. Harun is a rogue and a bastard, but he once saved my life. I owe him a debt for so long as he lives, as he rescued me from the cold waters of the Western Sea. Were it not for him, I would’ve rusted to dust long ago. I just…” Hesitation tinged the edges of the dagger’s voice, Harun still gesturing with one hand and speaking. “I must go. You were a more than worthy wielder, but a debt is a debt. And I promise you, at his core he is good. I just need to bring it out, you see.”

The blade’s voice matched tone with the thief’s, but his words were full of shame. “Harun was my greatest failing. I gave sermons, I told parables, and in the end the only thing that forced his hand was the death of his father. I have seen him as a force for good in the world. He unified an empire, and the people loved him. They truly did, and he was good to them. He slew a tyrant, but for a personal grudge. Maybe this time, I can truly change him. I beg of you, pray for me. We all march in the name of Vis, but I fear my task may be as difficult as the battles ahead.” At this point, the amber-eyed man waited for his knife to finish, arms crossed in front of him, winning smile still flashing. The dagger’s tone notably changed. If the blade could roll its eyes, it would have. “Also, he says he is impressed that you’ve been the only one to threaten him and wait for a response. He appreciates it. In the name of supplies, he would like a warm scarf, a bandolier of throwing knives, and a sign of favor from the queen, as well as food for travel. There was more in there, but it was largely fluff and flattery. He would also like to speak with the Ladies Le Fey and Pendragon before they depart.”

There was a long pause as the knight commander stared down the man who had taken her companion, expressionless. “There will be no sign of favor, for Her Majesty does not favor the ill-mannered. A scarf and food are both doable, but tell your friend to watch himself. The daggers may or may not happen. Speaking to the others will be acceptable, so long as they find it so. He will have supplies. Will that be all?”

“Will that be all?”
“Quite. Ooo, actually, could I get a horse as well? I could fly, but I would go so far ahead of those two that it would completely ruin the point of tra-”
“He would like a horse, if you can spare one. His arms get tired.”

Odessa nodded, maintaining her glare. “It will be done. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to the preparations.” She turned to walk away, pulling an empty, fur-lined scabbard from her belt and handing it to the thief. It was simple, but hand-crafted and obviously well cared for. She looked elsewhere as she spoke, and her voice dropped for the first time since Harun had seen her. “Watch out for yourself, my friend. I know you wish to spread the light, but guard your heart. ...I hope to see you again.”

With that, the knight commander turned to her men, face hardening once more as she went back to barking orders to the guards around the room. If one were watching Harun, they would have seen the slightest break in his mask as she walked, a shadow of doubt and guilt creeping across his visage before he shook his head, gathering himself up once more. Xil’Gurash was silent, but the thief knew that the dagger could feel his emotions. That was always the hardest part of traveling with his damn conscience.

He shrugged off those feelings, instead focusing on a small bead of anger in his breast. Walking across the throne room, he pulled Xil’Gurash from his belt, flicking the blade into the air and catching him in the scabbard he had been given. A few guards kept their eyes on him, but he paid them no heed. Shortly, he came up to the two heroes of old, the same confident smile on his face. “Xil, feel free to take a break. Madames Le Fey and Pendragon appears to be quite fluent in Kashiyem themselves, all the more impressive considering they were both so very dead during the time of my empire.” He placed undue stress on the possessive, emphasizing a tension that his face did not speak of. Apprehension echoed through the empathic link in Harun’s mind, but he paid it no heed. Bowing deeply once more, he rose up to his full height, meeting the eyes of the fey-touched. “Greetings, Ladies. I would go through introductions, but I have already spoken mine and I am all too aware of who you are. Why, I’ve told both of your legends many times in my own life for coin and company. Indeed, two fine examples of chivalry you are if there ever were.”

“Regardless, I’m afraid there was a misunderstanding, and I would like to correct things early if we are to travel together to Bervenia. I’ve always found it best to work out issues early on in any relationship, business or pleasure.”

The rogue’s expression remained the same as his head turned, focusing on the red-haired woman. One hand rested on the pommel of his blade, relaxed and easy. It was not a hostile action, but certain measures were universal. His lazy smile stayed exactly the same but his voice grew ever so slightly harsh, continuing to address the mage even as his eyes stared into the warrior of old. “You see, Madame Pendragon, the dagger has a name. Were she an uneducated stranger, I would forgive the slight, but as the Queen of Knights, I was shocked at the lack of respect your companion had when addressing another soul. After all, she knows something of him or she would not have mentioned him to me. He is Xil’Gurash, not a lifeless chunk of steel like she wears on her hip, and I would appreciate it were your noble friend courteous enough to address him as such. Additionally, from one leader of men to another, at times it pays to allow others to speak before you walk away from them. Food for thought. Aside from that, Felspeaker, I’m sure we’ll get along famously. My thanks for your time, I’m sure it’s quite valuable.”

With his last words, the thief bowed one final time before turning away, flipping his dark hood over his head as he went. Xil’Gurash spluttered in outrage, alternating between apologies to the two ladies and lambasting Harun as they walked, but the rogue ignored it. The guards followed him attentively, befitting the the man who had robbed their leader from the sixth floor, but it wasn’t as though they spoke ancient Kashiyem themselves to perceive the slight unless the two heroes told them. Frankly, he thought their pride would stop them from that.

As he exited the hall and began to make his way outside, the southerner resisted the temptation to turn all the paintings crooked as he did, making a mental note to contract a spirit for the job before they left.

After a time, Xil’Gurash quieted down, ending with one last furious statement. “We are having a very, very serious talk about borders tonight.”

“I would expect no less.”

---

"E-eh? You said her name was madam Rice though?" Auges replied, feigning innocence. Not that Royce was helping with that with the sudden bringing out of the steamed rice.

"A-ah! You really are the rice lady!" Auges replied, seemingly shocked at the development. Had...had they planned this? Well, no matter. She had got the rice she received. So Auges gratefully accepted the rice from madam Rice and began to eat. "The service here is great..." She giggled, starting to devour the rice. "Hmm...too bad you're not the banana lady. Bananas would go great with this." Bananas also happened to be Ante's favorite food...but she wasn't going to be thinking about that. No, she was going to act as if her twin didn't exist for the moment.

She wasn't sure she could keep from having a breakdown if she didn't.

So she listened to the others in the room.

"Eh? You don't know Vis, Maire?" Auges blinked, surprised. "She's only supposedly the most powerful of all the gods in existence." The alchemist replied through mouthfuls of rice. "Though, I've always been a little skeptical myself...might as well say coming back from the dead is proof enough though, heh~" She then turned her head towards Al'Nehak. "Eh?...necromancy Illegal? That's silly. It wasn't Illegal back in Harena's time. Has that changed? I wouldn't be able to do what I do without Necromancy. Is it Illegal? If it is, then I might be arrested on the spot. I'd like to seem them actually try it though, heh!"

"Silly? What is considered acceptable in one era may not be in another," Al'nehak replied bluntly with a tinge of restraint anger in her voice. "In my time necromancy was extremely restricted or even banned. For better or worse, in all of Arlina there wasn't a single prominent necromancer when I was alive. It was considered a dangerous and corrupting art. People fear what they do not understand. I tried to bring light to that subject, devoting much of my life to studying necromancy to enlighten my people about it. Nothing good came out of it. That being said, it would be appreciated if you did not bring up what was clearly a private conversation to everyone else's attention. If I wanted my question known to everyone in this room I'd say it aloud."

She turned her attention back to Madam Royce. "One more thing I guess. You've made preparations for our coming. Would it be a stretch to say you will supply us with anything we request to deal with this problem to the east?"

After registering his weapons Icarus spent half an hour wandering aimlessly through the town, though he had been given a few key locations by Samson none had shed any light on the situation at hand. As he passed through a busy market-square the barrage of noise of shopkeepers haggling with the townsfolk seemed to form a wall of noise all around him. Glancing left and right, Icarus saw numerous streets heading in all directions with nary a clue as to which might be the correct path to take. Pausing he leaned against a nearby wall and turned his attention inwards ”So Solarius, as tempting as walking around a city all day is - I get the feeling that we don’t have all day for me to stumble across the correct path”.

There was a short delay as Solarius seemed to be in conversation with another entity before turning his attention to Icarus, thoughts coming through as directions through the city mixed with another message ’It appears that you are indeed later than the rest but there is still some time. This is your destination”. An image of a well-aged building flashed into his mind, the stature hinting that it was a place of knowledge and important despite its age. ’Strange to have such an important meeting in an ancient place - but perhaps that is fitting given the company’ Icarus mused to himself as he quickly weaved through the traffic of people crowding the streets.

Minutes later he found himself in front of the building that Solarius had showed him. Approaching the steps Icarus reached the base before pausing and glanced around the area. This part of the city seemed very quiet compared to the markets he had just walked through and yet he couldn’t place the unsettling feeling of being watched. Given that this location seemed to be of some important for the meeting he would have expected guards to have halted and questioned him but none were forth coming with his approach. ’Perhaps since I am expected I am being allowed to pass’ Icarus concluded, in truth the reason did not matter as he trusted Solarius that this was the correct location.

Making no effort to hide the sound of his heavy footfalls upon the steps of the approach, Icarus reached the door and with a small effort heaved them open, letting the light of the day flood into the interior of the building. Thanks to the skylights that adorned the roof of the building there was no adjustment time to the change in the amount of light for Icarus or those inside the chamber, letting Icarus gather a quick sense of the company that was already gathered.

In truth he did not know what to make of the odd bunch, it seemed as those a collection of adults and ..kids from across a variety of cultures had already assembled themselves and were deep into a conversation which he had no doubt interrupted. Figuring he should explain the interruption Icarus announced his presence ”Apologies for the intrusion, I had been ‘requested’ to join with a group at this location though the specifics of the meeting were rather lacking.”. Part of his was tempted to elaborate but since he was lead to believe that his presence was expected, no doubt a long winded explanation would be unnecessary

Madam Royce mostly smiled softly at the room conversed, though she was just slightly upset as Al'nehak was when Auges spoke up, giving off a soft sigh. "... and that's why I didn't have them bring in the bananas," she said softly, but loud enough for the saint to hear her. "But it's true," she said in a lower voice to the necromancer, "the laws have been uplifted quite a bit. Though, it's also true that raising the dead is seen with the utmost restriction - mostly because many find it difficult to both honor the dead and use their bodies, but it's not right out against laws. Some may oppose it on priciple, but you are safe here Lily." She winked playfully just when Icarus walked in as if expected, causing some of the heroes to quiet and Royce to smile.

"Only three more left, but yes miss, everything you would think to ask for is in your rooms," as she spoke louder, waving Icarus in as if it were normal. "This is Icarus, Knight of the Phoenix and he shall be a comarade against the dark moon. To which," she said, looking at him and folding her hands, "he may ask you about or may ask me - the choice is his. Truly, you are all to roam as you please within the building. I'd just ask you do not leave, though I'm not forcing you." She laid back in her chair, causally and confidently. "Also feel free to visit Xenobia in the courtyard or Phacia in the observatory. Truly, this is her library - just knew it'd be the easiest to meet." There was a pause while some of the heroes gave her a questioning look. "... oh! Right, I haven't told you yet. That's future me, sorry - those are my sisters. Oracles too, in their own right. Now.. now I've told you." She nodded to herself.

---

Morgan turned as did the queen, though the queen seemed to have more of a reaction than even Morgan, seeming completely surprised by the (admittedly polite) outburst. Though Meliadoul didn't dare intervene, instead giving a sideways glance and whispering to a guard before nodding to Nimue, implying she had to get back to her duties - the farewell was never meant to be long.

Morgan on the other hand stood her ground quite well, though she raised an eyebrow and looked fairly confused for the most part, although she let the man speak his peace without so much as a peep. Eventually he bowed and stormed off, or at least it felt as such, making Morgan tilt her head slightly and looking to Nimue. ".. he.. really has no idea, does he?" With that, she let out a sigh and shrugged. Nimue knew of Excalibur and knew how far from the truth of it being 'just a sword.' The blade had intelligence, more than most, even if it never spoke. Instead it relayed messages, gave feelings, and knew more than Morgan ever would, ever-confident and seemingly ever-knowing much like the Lady of the Lake herself. ".. so his name is Xil'Gurash.. I wonder how I was to know.." she quietly said to herself. "He mustn't of known the rush we're in either," she added in a mumur towards Nimue, pursing her lips.

She paused, shaking off the anger of the shapeshifter, smiling softly to Nimue. ".. I.. well.. we should, uh.. speak.. at some point, but..." There was a long pause. "You.. shouldn't be scared.." She felt her lips curl into a shy smile, blushing softly before taking in a breath. "Maybe we should go to the horses and wait for Harun to join us? Best not to waste time..." She could still feel the flush on her face as she politely gestured towards the stables. "M'lady."

---

"Ehe...was that supposed to be a secret?" Auges replied with a coy, innocent grin. She supposed she shouldn't have blabbed that, should she have? Whoops, ah well. But seriously...Necromancy being Illegal? What sort of silliness was that? Hmph. Seemed things really had gone badly once Harena fell, as a beacon of learning and forward thinking as it was. Hmm...still, now that she had been given free time what was there to do? She didn't feel like going to her room for now, no. She wanted to get to know the lay of the castle so to speak.

"Hmm...I think I'll take a walk around the castle! Maybe see what I can learn from the library here. If anything, it'll give me a good idea about how much the world has change." Auges continued, the now empty bowl of rice in her hands suddenly morphing itself into a small sculpture of a sun. "So, I guess if anyone needs me - I'll be around. Ta-ta!~" With that, the young looking alchemist waved bye to all those in the room and started walking in a random direction away from the group. She'd stay in the castle, but she needed to be alone right now.

...Ante...

As she walked, her previous somewhat childish demeanor faded entirely, replaced with a deep frown. So many things to learn, so little time. She'd start with history since her disappearance. Ooh, she hadn't had an all-nighter in a while. It was nice to get back in the swing of things...it'd also keep her mind off of Ante.

"I'm just going to my room." Ante said, almost begrudgingly. She made sure to escape as quickly as possible.

Maire meanwhile, pondered what Royce had said but decided that would be enough for now. She needed two things. Water, and dirt. Not that she'd eat the dirt, but she'd get most of her strength back from "rooting" in it. So, she headed to the courtyard. Supposedly this place had some dirt and one of those other oracles. Perhaps she could figure out more information from him or her.

She made her way down there, catching more than a couple of eyes with her bizarre appearance. Soon enough, she reached the courtyard finding both the person in question (or just someone who was likely Xenobia) and enough dirt. She just needed to claw into it a bit to take the sustenance from the ground. She then turned to this "Xenobia" person and spoke. "Would you happen to be Xenobia? Admittedly, I had not come here to speak with you, however, perhaps we could converse while we are both here? If you would like."

---

Ante made it to her room, barely paying attention to anything in there aside the bed and just flopped on it, grabbing a pillow and holding onto it. So many emotions were running through her head since knowing that Auges was alive. "How am I suppose to show my face in front of you? You obviously hate me. . . Of course you do. I don't deserve forgiveness. I'm sorry anyway." She said as tears fled her eyes.

Al'nehak simply watched as Antes left the room. The room was quiet and Al'nehak was not sure of what to do. The occupants of the room was now just her, Madam Royce and the knight who was introduced as Icarus. She gave a small nod at Madam Royce and threw a cursory gaze at Icarus.

"I will also retire to my room. I'll see you all around."

Outside the room, a star knight approached her. "Are you Al'nehak?"

"Hmph, you can't hide anything from her. Yes that's me. What is it?"

"I am here to escort you to your chambers."

"Very well then, lead the way."

She followed the star knight to her chambers. Madam Royce promised there would be items of interest in their rooms. Al'nehak wondered what that meant. A specimen of the alien waiting to be dissected? That'd be too good to be true. Or perhaps it was her old dagger then, Xa'nuro? A sick joke! Just thinking of that dagger swelled her with anger.

They arrived at the door. The star knight bowed and went his way. Her hands turned the handle but stopped short of pushing the door open. Come to think of it, if these 3 seers could make such predictions, would they be able to find that sentient dagger?

No, it was likely something far more mundane. She closed her eyes. What did she want to see behind this door right now? Gears, lots of nuts and bolts. She felt an incredible urge to create something. Raw materials and a workbench would be great.

She opened the door and to her surprise, she found a neat arrangement of magitech parts adjacent to a workbench. Madam Royce apparently kept her word. Still, it unnerved her somewhat that Madam Royce was true to her word. How did she know so much, even as an oracle? She wondered what the others would find in their room. Al'nehak went over and took a quick glance at the parts. They were very good quality and her mind raced with the possiblities of what she could create with it. She noticed there was a note left on the workbench.

"If you need more, feel free to ask the good sirs stationed at outside your door. They'll fetch it!" From what she could make out of the signature, it belonged to Madam Royce.

"Well then I will take you up on your offer then," she said aloud. "Now then, I wonder what I shall make in the limited time I have. I think she said we had a few days at most before the rest of them arrive? I don't have anything as fancy as a philosopher's stone nor do I have especially powerful enchanted items. So with that in mind, then I think I'll devote my time doing this..."

---

---

---

“Thank the gods.”

Three staunch horses stood at the crest of a grassy hill amongst the rolling fields of Bervenia, their riders overlooking the Twinned City. Two women, both with red hair and simple travelers clothes, and one, rather busty and scowling. One of the slimmer women looked to the others, a mischievous smile on her lips. Her voice was not the thief’s own, but it was one he was quickly growing accustomed to. “I can’t believe we’re finally here. Now you two can move on with whatever grand destiny you have and I can knock out my chores. I would like to say it has been a pleasant journey, but I don’t lie. For the record, Fly Without Wings is a fantastic stallion, don’t you dare let them geld him. I’ll be checking back in with him in a few days.” With that, Harun ran his hands over his horse before transforming into a sparrowhawk, spiraling off towards the city. Fly Without Wings was a beautiful beast, and the thief had every intention to keep him, Fraweth be damned. Xil was eerily silent on the subject.

Traveling to Bervenia had been hard. Not the actual route there, the road was easy and the wind was always to the travelers’ backs, but let the world be damned if it wasn’t awkward. The two lady legends were sheltered in their own tents, though the thief distinctly heard them sneaking between them multiple times as they traveled. It was obvious that where the warrior’s bodies had long been dead and their spirits dampened, they were looking to make up for lost time.

More importantly, Xil’Gurash had been uncannily quiet since the launch party, only breaching the silence between them to bring up their ‘important talk’ that needed to be had. It was usually at these points that Harun would change the subject or begin addressing minor issues with the two Ladies, putting things off. It wasn’t that he didn’t wish to have the conversation with Xil, just that he didn’t want to now, and sure as hell not in the company of those two. More than that... he didn't know what to say. Xil had been happy, that was easy to tell. He had a wielder who deserved him. But Harun had found him first, saved his life even! Surely that made him deserve to wield the holy blade... right?

Putting those thoughts away, Harun was actually glad for the budding romance between the two stone-brained fools. As far as he was concerned, the more the twin heroes of Fraweth paid attention to each other the less they paid to him, and he had more than his fair share of work to do. As they made their way, he continually set contracts with local spirits for the sake of surveillance, gathering information and leaving spies. He even set a few gusts of wind to watch his associates and respond in case of emergencies. Nothing they would notice without obvious magical assistance, and if they did then what of it? He was looking out for all of them, whether they liked it or not. That, and he was learning their mannerisms better and better...

Regardless, they were finally here, in the shimmering jewel of the plains. ...Or something along those lines. The point was that the shapeless prince had finally found the object of the strange urges in his mind, and could get down to business. Or at least, those were his thoughts when he landed in a stall in the market. Shifting to a familiar shape of a tabby cat, Harun walked down the streets unmolested, taking in the strangeness around him…

“Excuse me, Harun?” The tabby spun around, claws out and back arched. The thief could already feel the anger rising. The witch had followed him to the city? Seriously? After trekking across the gods-damned continent sighing and moaning and wishing that he wasn’t with her, she followed him?!

It was at this point that the southerner realized that the voice addressing him was male and coming from a tall, armored form. Still, the man was looking directly at him, mostly stoic. Much more importantly, he was speaking Kashiyem. It was stilted and obviously not something he was fluent with, but it was Harun's own language. Blinking once, the bandit king stopped dead in his tracks, seeing how things would go. This was different.

"Yes, er, Harun Fakim Al-Kashir? Sandwalker? The Ladies of this city request your presence at the palace with the other heroes, as well as the Ladies Morgan and Nimue as soon as they arrive in the city. Lady Royce would also like to comment that ‘redhead and the busty fool’ seems like a disrespectful way to refer to someone when speaking with spirits, but your life choices are your own. Additionally, I've been told to inform you that your stallion will be more than tended to. Mayhaps more importantly, the Lady addressed him as 'your stallion,' so as to avoid conflicts. Follow me, if you would?” Immediately the guard turned around and started to walk, his face slightly red as the people in the street stared at him, speaking to a cat. It wouldn't be odd if Harun didn't follow him, but this seemed like a way to get answers, or at least important questions, so...

Harun ignored the strained laughter in his mind, Xil’Gurash chortling in his mind’s ear. Considering his options, The tabby cat followed the guardsman, blinking with confusion. Either the leader of this city was a divinist or another spirit speaker, and considering how common the latter was in his own age... Divination magic was always a pain in the ass. He could take any form he wanted, if she knew his name he could be found eventually. Horribly inconvenient, but she knew he was alive. That itself spoke volumes as far as he was concerned. The bastard king would be at the palace soon, and would be more than happy to speak with this ‘Lady Royce.” Maybe she would have some godsdamned answers.

His thoughts came to a halt as he was led through the palace to a small chamber, silks and cushions piled in small mountains. To be entirely honest, it was a little too similar to his own throne room for comfort. More greens than he favored, though. Still, his attention was more than taken with the throne across the room, facing away from him. As he stepped inside, he shifted, taking his full form plus a few inches of height for dramatics. He swept into a low bow, a confident smile crossing his handsome face as his amber eyes flashed in the dim light of the room. He didn't bother changing languages. She would know plenty. "Lady Royce, I presume?

The woman looked up from her books, her legs folded next to a small fountain as the water splashed behind her. She gave a small smile and shrugged. "Yeah, sure, if you want. I'm just.. well, I have the fun gift, y'see. Get to see in all of the past. Well, never of our gifts are perfect, but I see a lot. What did you want to talk about?" She kept her book open but her focus was on Maire. Dressed in some older but exotic clothing, fire red hair which was a stark contrast to Royce's own green. They spent some time chatting while Xenobia caught her up on what had happened to her in the past, her village, and who Vis was or at least what little everyone knew of her.

---

The next few days had been.. odd to put it best. Nimue had sneaked into her tent a few times, though conversation never truly went anywhere, but instead they ended up revisiting old memories. Maybe they were both nervous of what would happen if they faced that night of passion - Morgan still wasn't sure what to make of it and perhaps Nimue was scared of losing this one moment she had built most of her adult life around. Most of it was just laughs over the irony of encounters they had, though the pair tried to stick to the more happy ones and stayed away from mentions of when Nimue felt her heart sink. Still, while it was fun, it was awkward. Even more so with the distance that Harun kept himself at. Herself at? Morgan had almost thought it best to simply call Harun by them or they, unsure if the hero even considered themselves one gender or the other - she could at least attest to the fact that in female form, they looked nice, but there was a very cold shoulder. It was a shame that a simple misunderstanding blew up so violently.

Before long, he decided to go ahead and leave his horse, which Morgan grabbed the reins and gave a glance to Nimue, smiling softly. Again, felt odd, but they traveled the small ways to the city with the riderless horse in tow. Morgan was.. irritated in a sad way that Harun thought she'd dishonor his request. He was a thief, perhaps, but she was a knight and this to her wasn't even a position but her heart and soul was noble in nature. Always had been. This is why Excalibur had stayed by her side for so long, even in death. Maybe he'd learn to trust her someday. Maybe he never would.

They approached the gates where two star knights greeted the final pair, to which Morgan nodded and thanked them, though she didn't seem quite as surprised as some. Excalibur was known for whispering feelings, though she had never heard of an oracle before, so there was that. By the time Harun had run into Royce, Morgan and Nimue had entered right behind him, making the small child-like oracle grin happily. "Sandwalker! Wizard of Camelot and Queen of Knights - the final arrivals! I mean, always sounds better with nicknames, right?" She bounced from her chair. "Bring you up to speed before the others arrive - I called everyone here, by the way. There is like, um.." She paused, holding up her hand as she counted. "Five others so far. Anyways! The dark moon to the east, it's presumably summoning abominations - well, aliens to our world as far as I know - and they decided they hate all of us. Right now, they're kind of winning.. and um, Vis revived you all!" She held her arms out and paused, watching their looks. ".. oh, and Harun.. probably should let Morgan explain things about Xil, yeah? Wait.. that's later.." She slowly put a finger to her lips. "Oh, but when the others get here Harun, you have an idea! To travel east, without having to wade through the armies." She winks and grins.

Morgan simply raised an eyebrow at the small woman, folding her hands in front of her causally as she watched Harun's reaction for a few moments before glancing to Nimue. Really, she didn't have much to say. She had never been the one to step up front and offer things, it was just that.. most of her life, for some reason, everyone wanted her to take the lead - the step forward. At least that's how it was when she was alive before. Urther promoted her to Knight Commander because he believed in her and the people believe in her and even the current queen seemed to defer to her judgement. She was used to it, but.. maybe this group of heroes would never want that from her. Maybe they'd want Nimue to lead or maybe even Harun. There was no telling, but she was fine stepping down from that role if the others would rather follow someone else. She really didn't mind.

---

---

The trip had been...perhaps more awkward than she had thought, and admittedly this was a type of trip she was not used to, with horses and no angry, angst-filled teenager-like dragon a few thousand years younger following her about in a grumpy mood. Such a trip reminded her of the old days, her final years, in which she had gone about from place to place, to help others and go about the task with at times a single-minded determination that held fast due to...her promise with Morgans. By Vis, waking up and seeing Morgan about the camp in the morning was a surprise she had still not tired of having each time. She was not of the forgetful sort, so perhaps the sensation was simply the steady rejection of this ingrained sense she had of not having her beloved compatriot along for so many years. Perhaps. Though often during the trip she had managed to sneak into Morgan's tent at night to talk, though neither had seemed to want to speak about their shared..."dalliance" the prior day.

Though whilst they had talked of the happier days of old, the joys of the ancient years far long passed that they had shared, Nimue felt a bubbling up inside her of...anxiety in a sense. Worry about what had occurred between the two,about...not having informed Morgan about more of the happenings after her death that for the mage were far darker times indeed. As compared to other things she had grappled with, this anxiety was easier to keep shoved down even around Morgan, though impossible to completely conceal in the back of her mind. At the very least, the shapeshifting thief and his magical dagger were keeping from the main group to an extent.

It was ultimately an awkward thing, however, as she at least had not been able to actually get into some conversation with him during the trip. Albeit, she had threatened the man before, and even now she could honestly admit to herself that she did not have any measure of complete trust in the man. Trust had to be earned, on all sides apparently. Yet even as the man left his horse behind and the mage returned Morgan's soft smile as best as she could, she felt herself outside of her times with Morgan falling back into who she was before she had died. In other words, a somewhat depressed mage who seemed to bear a sense of emptiness...which was awkward around Morgan and and of itself, leaving the feyblood to hope that Morgan did not see her like that much at all.

Though as the oracle currently prattled on to the three of them, Nimue felt a small frown come to her face. It was odd having someone speak to her who, if they possessed strong enough divination magic, might know more about her than she was comfortable with at all. One reason she had avoided divination magic, really, since it was an odd sensation to be on the receiving end. Glancing over at Morgan as well, Nimue met her eyes and gave a light nod before looking back towards the child-like oracle before them who seemed to command such respect.

"So we are essentially to understand that this world is under attack now by a being of alien origins that looks like a dark moon is creating some form of foreign abominations? And my assumption that this revival is the work of Vis is correct. And that we might be
using a vehicle such as an airship or some other methods to avoid land travel, if i am interpreting what you said correctly that is," the mage noted, her tone taking on a serious note as she attempted to make sure first that she had heard the oracle correctly and had placed a guess at what the oracle was referring to when noting Harun eventually mentioning a way to travel east without wading through the enemy's forces, "Though i must ask how you gained such powers of divination in all of this, whether by divine means or not. Further, your appearance to be suggests some amount of fey relation or ancestry, if i may question such a thing aloud. I mean no disrespect by any means, but with everything taken into account i simply wish to gain an understanding of you as well on some level."

Not that this woman was evil, perhaps, but it was not like Nimue was going to take this all without any questions being asked about this oracle or the like. Everything had moved so fast so far, it was...slightly jarring in some respect. While the "others" had perhaps been given the time to adjust after arriving here early, the mage, knightess, and thief had not exactly been given some amount of preparations or time to soak in simply being alive once more for that matter.

@Lyla@Tominas

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The thief-king rose, maintaining his composure as he looked at this… strange child. Of course, he certainly couldn’t judge based on appearances. Knowing how things work, she was likely several centuries old, just to fuck about with common preconceptions. Still, her manner of speaking was a little carefree for his tastes. Shifting his form for the sake of comfort, his traveler’s clothes were replaced with the silks and jewelry he had taken at Castle Fraweth, freely wearing his ill-gotten goods. Part of him wondered if the two heroes of that place would notice, though their queen had not in her own hall.

Not that it mattered. Quietly, Xil was translating. More than he had said in a few days, that was for sure. He could understand Royce fine, but Nimue was different. Still, as he listened to their words, his smile faded. Monsters and demons and spirits, he had dealt with them previously. But these abominations from the East were apparently something new, different. The spirits told him that much, but their perspectives were always… off. The truly worrying part was that all of them had been concerned. The wind, the trees, even the very ground they walked on all spoke of these creatures with dread. Nothing Harun had ever heard of was that bad. Nothing.

The thief noticed Morgan being notably quiet. She glanced between her two companions, seemingly sulking in the corner. Harun was slightly surprised, she tended to be rather… outspoken. He supposed being the patron saint of a nation would do that. Still, he sure as hell didn’t mind. The sooner he got the information he needed, the sooner they could all part ways.

“Xil, I trust you’ll give me a hand here? I’ll try my best to avoid flowery language.”

“I definitely believe that.”

“I’m taking that as a yes.” The bastard cleared his throat, arms crossed as he glanced towards the mage. “With all due respect, Felspeaker, if I may interject, there are more pressing matters than Lady Royce’s ancestry.”

His smile faded, brows knitting together in concern as he stood over the rest of the group. “We need information. You either speak with the souls of the land or use divination magic, and the spirits haven’t told me of you so I’m assuming the second. How many of these abominations are there? Are they as strong as a bear, a dragon, a man? Are they land-bound? Are they intelligent? Can you see them? How do they spawn? The moon was not always dark, have we no idea why it has become so? Do we have our own armies, naval forces? Do the other nations work with us? How do our forces stand, how many men do we have? What ‘others?’ Are they as strong as us? Where are they? And most importantly, why exactly would Vis resurrect us? We are strong, but are there no great heroes in this age? Have men grown so weak?”

He let the deluge of questions hang in the air for a moment, taking a breath. It was much to consider, but he was not going to die fighting a fool’s quest. Preparation was ninety percent of any victory. Still, there was one word that stuck out from Nimue’s statements, and he could feel a grin pulling at the edge of his mouth. “Finally, and my apologies for being behind the times, but did someone say ‘airship?’”

Maire rooted herself in some nearby dirt to regain her stength as she listened in to Xenobia. She explained a lot, and Maire was thankful. "How interesting. So the villagers moved away, but came back to pray to me for many years until I was forgotten among the traditions." There were worst ways the village could have whethered away. "And Vis is the grand goddess looking over everyone? It... Makes sense to me. The Goddess I worshipped in my time ended up just being a Grand Spirit. One could say I was a god myself in that case." Still, it was good to know her people lived good lives after her death. After they slew the dragon, she'd hate if the villagers died from the aftermath. [color=green]"Thank you for the information. She spent her time rooted and regaining her strength. The flight took a lot out of her.



It's been a couple of days. Ante quickly found that there were plenty of bananas to eat and drowned her sorrows in them. A favorite food, albeit exotic by quite a bit. Harena's reach was far and wide so getting these were possible back home, though not exactly easy. Soon enough, Ante found herself easily distracted enough by the bananas to forget the ignoring that Auges did. Now though was sort of time to go visit that Royce girl. Ante had a question, and now was as good a time as others. Quickly, she found herself in the room than Royce tended to frequent but found more than bargained for.

"Woah! People I don't recognize." Ante said, shocked as she entered. Rather than an easy introduction, as one would normally expect, Ante just got up close and personal. First Harun. "Fanciful clothes for sure! Rather cool looking as well, the dagger too..." For a second Ante thought this person felt. . . Familiar. . . But pushed the thought out of her head. Next, quickly over to Morgan. "Hmmmmm, you look tough. A swords-woman, but a pretty face. You remind me of me. Well, sort of." Then over to Nimue. The woman's chest caught Ante's eyes first of all, then the rest of her. Rather obviously the girl's eyes were brought to that specific spot a couple of times. "Geez, I see where your weight went. Not that I can really complain though, it's easy on the eyes. You've got a nice face as well."

Ante pulled back from the group of people and went into a little thought before saying something again. "Geez, did Vis just resurrect people that are younger than me? I feel like an old hag looking at all these younger people. Well, you all look younger. Ah! Wait! I look younger than you all! Silly me." The girl made a silly little gesture. "Well then, ignoring the age issue... other than you." Ante said, pointing to Harun, "You two, though, look rather cute! Yes, yes." She nodded as she pointed to Morgan and Nimue. Ante looked rather pleased with herself despite stealing the entire show. "Well, if you can even understand me... Royce, is there a way to bypass the whole language barrier thing? This is annoying."

@Crusader Lord - Have fun with Auges~

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Auges quickly fell into the routine she had all those years ago in Harena. Spend all day in the library, spend all night researching and practicing. Sleep had been something she had never been fond of, especially so after Ante's death. Now? Well, she was even afraid to sleep a bit. Not that she didn't try of course. She could ease weariness and fatigue, but sleep was a necessary part of human physiology. It wasn't something that could be neglected. Most of her time practicing had been making sure her skills had been up to snuff. Dying didn't seem to be having any adverse effects on her abilities or the stone, thankfully.

It was when she was taking one of her rare breaks and walking through the palace did she notice a gathering of other people in the room they had previously met the rice lady in before.

"Eeeh? Madam Rice, what's going on here?" Auges walked into the room, the red philosophers stone hanging around her neck loosely. "Ah? It's two pretty ladies and a...hehe, handsome man." Auges giggled. However, the Saints eyes were mostly drawn to Nimue and her legs. Her eyes widened significantly at the items magi-tech items. Such items had been something of a marvel back in Harena. Lost technology and all that. It was at least something they didn't have in there, at any rate. Before anyone could reply, Auges made a beeline right for Nimue and her legs.

"Wah! What are these?!" Auges gave Nimue a wide eyed stare. Without even waiting for permission or asking, Auges gave Nimue's magi-tech legs a poke. "Aah, they're as beautiful as their wearer!" The Saint of Harena grinned up at Nimue. "Hey hey, lemme take a look at em! Come oon, I probably won't break them. Pleeeease?"

The last of the arms were grafted onto the beast. An unimaginable number of bodies were used to create this monstrous titan. Yet, it was still inert. All that was left to do was to give it the spark of unnatural life. Al'nehak touched the entity's head and began to recite her spell.

She was surrounded and the combined armies of Vraweth and Zidel were barring down on the port city. They were merely a half's day march away according to her shades. She had used up much, perhaps too much to create this thing. But she could not deny that it was her greatest creation by far.

As the terror began to stir, Al'nehak took her dagger and plunged it into its forehead.
=====
She was awake now albeit still groggy. "To be sleeping with my head down on top of the workbench, I overworked myself didn't I? That's rare." she muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes. To her surprise, there was copious amount of sweat on her forehead.

"Must've been a nightmare."

Fully awakened now, she turned to the right side of her workbench. A pair of armlets sat on the table and they looked innocent enough. She put them on, one on each side.

"Simul," she said aloud.

She grimaced as sharp pain erupted on her upper arm. New nerve connections were being made. They contorted and twisted underneath her skin. She let out a low moan as the last of nerve connections were finished.

Now with just a thought, she could manipulate the armguards with precision and finesse almost instantaneously. The armlet could change its shape into anything she wanted. Of course, it could not exceed its mass. But even the thinnest sliver of metal could pierce the skin and deliver a fatal dose of poison.

Fusing the flesh with magitech. She never considered how strange it sounded until today. If she really wanted to, she could replace her whole body in such a way. No, it was too much a risk and very dangerous. Yet didn't she perform these very same experiments in her previous life upon the living and the dead.

She shook her head. What was going through her mind at the time? She already knew the answer in the deep recesses of her heart. She then looked at her golem. The shell was already finished and she had already transmuted such that its skin was hard as diamonds. A few more spells and an energy source as its power and it will be finished. She sighed. A flesh golem in this city would bring too much attention. But there in the battlefield, she would have much less reservations.

"I wonder if the other people Royce mentioned are here. Hmm, guess I'll see her if there's any updates. Maybe I'll ask Auges for her opinion on a possible energy source for my golem."

She left the room and headed for Madam Royce's office. When she entered, much of the original group were already there and there were 3 new faces, 2 women and 1 man.

She also found Auges admiring one of the lady's legs. Magitech legs, how curious.

"You must be the other 3 that Royce was talking about. How are you? I am Al'nehak."

Morgan blinked as the two small girls came in, letting them rant and rave about her and Nimue's beauty. Nimue was beautiful, to be sure, but children? Though slowly, she got the feeling that perhaps they were like this child oracle. That was, not children at all. Which made it easy to blush softly once she realized that she was being flattered by two cute women themselves, only casting a soft smile to the pair in response. Her gaze caught Nimue for a moment, remembering what she and Harun had said however. They had good points, so she felt comfortable enough to stand there, such as was a knight commander's job to do such in front of royalty - Nimue was still a princess afterall in the woman's eyes. Though the others could experience something unique from the queen of knights. An aura, something that filled them with inspiration and courage and if she were to take stand, well, it would be no wonder that people followed her commands in times past. For now though, she seemed content in letting others speak.

"Oh.." the oracle paused, waving a hand between Morgan and Harun, only making the knight look at her curiously. "So it's this path! Ah, yes.. can't always know which path everyone takes, hm?" Royce paused, twirling her hair for a moment before smiling to Ante. "Yes, go ahead. The spell is quite permanent now, but.. only works between the group. So you may need Nimue or Morgan to speak on everyone's behalf.. probably more so Morgan.." She then walked up between Nimue and Harun, looking to one and then the other, smirking softly.

"Aye, I'm part fey, such as yourself M'lady Nimue! And.. well, Vis saw it fit to give us all these gifts. Why? Ask her, I suppose, but we try our best to steer who we can towards peace, hm?" She gave a playful wink to the wizard. "No you, good sir, yes an airship! You know where and how, obviously. As for what I know - not as much as you'd like. The dark moon, whatever it is, blocks parts of my sight. I mainly know what anyone on the front lines know. They are land bound, thus far, strong as any northman, agile as any southman, fast as any horse and we're fighting a losing battles.. slowly."

She took a moment to look at the others and sigh, shrugging. "Some of the others already came and they have their own unique set of skills.. strong is relative to the situation, but you know this best. As for the why.. well.. we have our heroes, such as the knight commanders.." Again, she took a moment to look across the group. "But no, none such as yourselves. You are legends, like it or not and for sound reasons. As of right now in this world, you are the best of us."

Royce twirled on her heels, walking towards her chair before nodding and looking back. "I was only meant to gather you, tell you what little we know of these things and give you a gentle push.. as it stands.. this path of reality has chosen Harun to lead you for the moment. Would have been Morgan in another.. or Nimue in yet another. May yet change. Whoever it is must guide everyone to victory. If not.. this world might experience a darkness like none other." Her tone had suddenly started to carry a great weight on them, as such you'd expect from a true seer. "I'm sorry there is not much more help than this."

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Even though she had listened to Madame Royce's words directed at her and the other "legends" here assembled in this room, at the same time the wizard felt a mixture of emotions. Currently, the most prominent one was....the odd sensation of one gets when they realize someone who is shorter than them is currently lusting over their magitech legs and calling them beautiful at the same time. Which is to say, it was a mixture of frustration, flattered feelings, and curiosity that left her struggling what to say for a minute or two as Auges checked her out like a hungry wolf would look at a crippled sheep alone in the woods. She had not really met someone who was this...intense about her magitech legs, albeit with all of them likely coming from different places an eras by a large margin, perhaps this person did not have such things back in their time as magitech legs?

Though as Nimue looked on at this excited, small person, she noted the presence of a particularly red stone hanging around their neck. Raising an eyebrow, the mage looked at it with intent for a few moments, before a thought clicked in her head and she cast the "Lingwus" spell once again to refresh its duration.

"No you can't tinker with them, especially considering that i'd like to be able to walk," Nimue said, sound audibly frustrated at first before letting out a small sigh, placing her hands on her hips, and continuing after adopting what seemed to be a more relaxed but interested look about her, "Though i'd be willing to talk about their design and make with you at a later time, if you'd wish. To be honest, i did not think anyone else would be this interested in my legs."

As she spoke that last sentence towards the excited alchemist, Nimue threw a sly look and a brief wink at Morgan, before looking back hopefully in time to not have the gesture noticed by others. Heavens, it was but a simple tease, an attempt to lighten her own mood in the process as well. Albeit, she was not the best at jokes, so perhaps it came off as more awkward to the Queen of Knights. Whatever the case, the wizard sought to follow things up with another question towards this other person.

"But may i ask...is that...a philosopher's stone? An actual philosopher's stone?" the mage said to Auges, intellectual curiosity and a studious look upon her face forming as she looked at the red stone without moving any closer to the already-close alchemist.

A philosopher's stone had been described and theoretical details of its make to boot in one of her own "old" books back during her lifetime, but as of yet no one she could ever recall learning of or hearing about had managed to create one. An item that in her day was legendary in and of itself and was supposedly only able to be made by the best of alchemists did not just turn up every day, as it were. She herself had dreamt at one point in her younger years of making one, but being the versatile mage she was she had not chosen to specialize in any one thing.

@Rune_Alchemist@Lyla

@Crusader Lord

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"Aww, come on, I'd be careful!" Auges replied with a pout. "Besides, legs are the greatest part of the human body. I'm a doctor, I would know." The small girl gave a bright grin as she completely ignored Nimue's question in favor of further admiring her legs. The smaller humans pout disappeared almost instantly as she started pelting Nimue with questions regarding her legs. "Do they have full tactile sensation? how'd you get them to work with your body?" She gave the magitech constructs a few more pokes as questions left her mouth faster than Nimue would probably be able to answer or even keep up with. "Do they hurt? They seem to be able to channel magic well! How'd you lose em? I could probably regrow some legs for ya if you want.Doyoustillhaveanicebuttwiththoselegs?" That last bit was definitely not scientifically oriented. At the end of the pelting with questions though, the small alchemist stepped back a bit with a light giggle, seemingly realizing she was perhaps being a bit too forward.

"Ah...sorry!" Auges replied with a sheepish laugh. "Magitech was really rare in Harena and I get all excited when I see magic stuff." Auges still seemed mostly intent on ignoring Ante for now. "I seem to have forgot my manners, hehe. I am Auges Magnus. Doctor by trade. If you have any medical conditions I can fix you up easily. Probably." Now that introductions were in order, she should probably wait for Nimue to actually introduce herself. Seemingly reigning in her enthusiasm at the sight of the legs, Auges took a much more mild and measured expression.

"I would be very interested in discussing the magitech later, if we have the time, but for now I think we should be doing something else?" Perhaps it was just her, but Auges never liked waiting around for things to happen. While she didn't go looking for trouble or make a racket out of things if she could help it, she didn't exactly like beating around the bush so to speak. Of course, that wasn't saying she ran into things head first - that was Ante's specialty. She just didn't see any sense in not dealing with a problem immediately.

Auges was just ignoring her again. It... Wasn't unexpected. That's what Ante's other half always did to things she didn't want to think about. Much like this discussion of the stone, or lack thereof. It was always annoying to Ante, but she tolerated it... Now though... Instead of cowering off in some sort of pseudo fear of Auges. Perhaps this was a chance to at least explain herself. She knew if this sort of shadow war with Auges was going to continue, her heart couldn't stand it. "I... I-I hate that about you, Auges. Never answering the d-damned question. It's the only thing I've ever disliked." Ante said to Auges before turning to Nimue.

"It is that stone... Though I wouldn't recommend trying to make one. It gave us these age regressed bodies and gave us some enhanced abilities but takes your sanity until you try to harm the one you love the most." The Blade-Dancer looked over to Auges with a somber face. Not like the life story is necessary, but creating one of those things is dangerous. "I would say that I was the lucky one to die to the stone, I don't think I could live with myself if I killed Auges... But, I guess I'm hated either way." The twin scratched her head, and turned around... Was a quick escape an option?

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Much happened in the next minute. An… oddly beautiful woman appeared, pale and with strange bands on her arms. Harun couldn’t help it, his eyes lingered on her form for just a touch too long… but there were others.

Two children, one of whom he recognized. His face was kept mostly still, but the thief couldn’t help but let his countenance budge just a touch when she bounded into the room. Of course she was a noble hero from times of old. She was, the other child was, Harun was, the Feyblood and the ice queen were, hell, next thing he knew there would probably be some shirtless man bearing a spear and shield saying that he was the chosen of Vis.

He shifted again, becoming the large man with a beard and dark skin, bearing a staff covered in sand and blue cloth. He needed something to lean against, and this was as good a form as any. From his hip, the Sandwalker felt a sense of nervous energy, maybe even excitement. It had been a good time since Xil had gotten any exercise, from what he understood, and things were beginning to head that way.

The smile faded from Harun’s face as he watched the proceedings, particularly the two small ones’ squabble. There was bad blood there, and bad blood in an army led to trouble. They didn’t need trouble. On a more personal note, this rankled the former monarch. In many old tales, twins were the same soul. Anything that caused them to kill one another was a problem. One they could potentially use, but... well, time would tell. As for this Ante... He didn’t have anyone mortal who belonged to him in this world, but the girl had exchanged gifts, if she knew it or not. He would have to see about her.

Feeling a strange sensation from the knife at his belt, Harun stepped aside as conversation proceeded, settling into the corner as he had a hurried discussion with his blade. “Harun, you are no councillor. Let me speak with her.”

“Oh, now you choose to speak with me. And here I was beginning to miss the dulcet tones of your voice, dear friend.”

“Hush! This girl is obviously going through serious emotional turmoil, she needs the council of someone who knows what they’re talking about, and you do nothing but cause problems when it comes to young women. Let me handle this.”

“Come now, I traveled with her for a week and she loved me!”

“You were a bird!”

“And now I’m a charming prince from the southlands, and she needs a pick-me-up. It’s been a time since I’ve played the genie, and you know you want to as much as I do.”

The blade was silent for a time, frustration and a sense of begrudged acceptance leaking through the connection. “...fine. But if you make things worse for that girl, so help me, I’ll keep you awake for months.”

“It will be fine, you old worrywart. Besides, if there's infighting in the group, I feel like you won't need to expend the effort.”

Harun cleared his throat and stepped forward, trying to reign things in a bit. Glancing about the room, he thought it was about time for a change of scenery. Looking at the Lady Royce, he still felt the corner of his mouth lift just a touch. “I like the sound of an airship. I’m assuming, from general chutzpah and the feeling of import here, that the plan so far is for us to fly into the heart of the continent, find what causes the dark moon, and stop it? Because with all due respect, if it were that easy, it would’ve been done by now. I’m going to assume something awful is awaiting us, even if you’re vision cannot see. No offense.”

Turning to the crowd in the room, Harun noticed that he was, at this point, the only man in the group. That was… interesting. Again he felt his eyes flick towards the pale woman and Nimue before he felt a rising sense of disapproval from his side, with a voice as quiet and sharp as a razor in the desert. "Harun..."

Shaking off unsuitable thoughts, the former lord of Cordial switched between the forms of those in front of him as he introduced himself, mirroring those he viewed and trying out their voices and the shapes of their bodies. “Ladies Al’nehak, Auges, Ante, a pleasure, I’m sure. I will skip titles, as I'm sure we all bear many. You may call me Harun, if you so please, and Lady Al'nehak I assure you I am quite well.” As he spoke, he gradually shifted back to his true form, though around fifteen for the sake of matching pace with the crowd. He had been a skinny child, but an athletic one, and this form was still useful for fitting into small spaces. “It would be delightful to ask about all of our abilities and histories, but for now I’m afraid we haven’t the time. When we board our ship, I’m sure we’ll have plenty. Lady Royce, I would like to have a discussion with you regarding materials for a few rituals your people could do to speak with the local spirits, maybe arrange a few deals. For now,” the foreigner turned towards the exit, unable to stop a small smile from breaking across his face. “We’ve a boat docked somewhere, raring to go and waiting for my inspection. Felspeaker, I'm sure you're ready to see my back, but I would like if you could look over the shape of the ship when you get a chance, along with everyone else here with sufficient magical talent. I'm going to assume that includes you, Lady Auges, from how you're going on about our local Fey-touched's magical legs. For now, I'm far too eager to remain here, and we can discuss further as we load and set sail."

“That being said, I would like to take someone with me, in case of foul play from our opponents. No such thing as being too careful.” He pulled a red feather from his hair as he walked, twisting it idly in one hand as he walked past the twin with a matching ribbon. It was the feather of a glass shrike, red and vibrant. He strove keep all sympathy out of his voice. If she was here, she was a warrior, and pity was a hateful thing. Still, he couldn’t help but feel his tone grow the slightest increment gentler as he offered her the feather, pointedly setting his gaze on the horizon as he came up beside her. “Lady Ante, we’ve traveled together before, and I've seen your work. Come with me?”