The Centaur's plan to discreetly eavesdrop as well as a Centaur could do anything discreetly was almost immediately sabotaged when Bast himself walked over to her and made a public display of recognising her, before inviting her to join him. Luckily, she was sober this time, and annoyed at that, so the charming compliment did not breach her defences. Nevertheless, she shook his hand and nodded her agreement with pursed lips and steely eyes, though, by the time the two reached Bast's associate, Eilidh was once again all passive smiles and understated cheer. At least for the first few seconds, before the stranger asked if they were together when everything went out the window and she became flustered and flushed noticeably redder.

"No. No, we are not." She spoke, making a clear effort to keep her voice down. When the talk of business began, however, she quickly regained her composure and paid attention.

@PaulHaynek@13org

Bast Ragoczy

Bast could just activate his card on the carriage right now, but at that moment, he was really interested on Lord Barensia. He seemed to be quite a good man for what he saw until that moment. Eilidh's presence there only made things even more interesting. Unlike the other day, Eilidh was sober. Her steely stare when she shook Bast's hands and her composed posture were certainly fitting of a centaur knight. Lord Barensia's expression and tone of voice when he saw Eilidh were certainly... intriguing... Surely worthy of investigating. But the biggest surprise was yet to come... Lord Barensia's next line would open a big mischievous smile on Bast's face...

"Are... you two together? As in, 'together'?" Lord Barensia asked.

Immediately after that, Eilidh's posture and composure were utterly and completely shattered, as the centaur woman replied to the man, flustered and noticeably redder than normal.

"And here I thought that I had a chance... She rejected me without even a second thought!" Bast said, putting his hand over his chest making a pained expression, followed by a hearty laugh.

"Women are surely hard to understand, don't you agree, Mr. Barensia?" He said, with a wink to the man.

"Anyways, leaving my wounded heart aside... Yes, I've heard quite a few things about the Barensia... Including the fact that you are very influential around this town." Bast said, taking another sip of his tea.

"Regarding what I wanted to talk, other than your magnificent manor, which I'm quite interested to know who built it, I wanted just to have a nice talk. As I said before to your guards, having good contacts is never enough." Bast continued, smiling.

"That said, ask me anything you want, and I shall answer you. Of course, I will take the same approach!" Bast said laughing.

"Well, firstly, as a rather personal question... Are you familiar with the names Lord Araghast and Lord Joshua? If so, what are your feelings towards them. And... If you allow me, as a side question... What are your feelings about Demi-Humans in general?" Bast asked, carefully watching Lord Barensia's reactions.

@PaulHaynek@Silver Carrot

@Silver Carrot(RBC),@PaulHaynek

Magnus' curiosity was piqued once he heard Niel's question, scratching the back of his head, near the base of his horns as he thought on it. "No, but...I did meet a bard coming down from the North. He was really nice...had a scary looking elf with him, though. B-But the voice is completely different for sure!" he said, humming as he thought on the fact that Niel seemed to be just...dodging the question. Maybe it was valuable, or some kind of family heirloom. Having felt like he'd overstepped his boundaries by asking in the first place, Magnus lowered his head a bit. "Y-You don't have to tell me about that stone if you don't want to, by the way...it must be important to you."

Suddenly, a chill ran up Magnus' spine as he heard footsteps near the kitchen, feeling the eyes of someone he definitely had hoped would be...here sometime when he'd be more..."emotionally prepared" for a confrontation. Turning around once she noticed the scratches and tears, Magnus gulped, getting significantly paler in the face as he felt his stomach try and run to his feet. With Niel asking as well, there was no way out of this conversation...in retrospect, perhaps he should have taken the thing off once he had returned. But then, maybe Rebecca would ask where it was, and be even angrier that he tried to hide it. "I-I-I...i-i-it was j-j-ju..." he started, desperately trying to blunder his way into saying some sort of magic phrase to make Rebecca calm...but really, after a moment and steadying himself with a hand on the counter, a lamenting expression overtook Magnus' face. "Ms. Rebecca...I-I'm really...really sorry...me and Arletta were on our way to the quest a-and some Varjan war hounds were attacking a caravan. I charged in and...didn't even think about what I was wearing. W-We killed them,but...one jumped at me and I didn't get out of the way in time..." he said, dropping to his knees and putting his forehead to the ground. "I-if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I will! I-I'll never ruin another shirt again!" the Minotaur swore, hands clutched between his horns as he hoped and prayed for forgiveness.

---

@Eviledd1984, @Rune_Alchemist

Even in her haste, it was easy to see for the black dragoness that time had passed far too quickly...far too sharply had everything turned to darkness, the floorboards creaked where they should have been strong, and overall, the room seemed...faded somehow. As if it had aged a hundred years into disrepair. There in front of her was the culprit in her mind, the Phantom that Maria had warned them about, that had attacked her and cut the chandelier. Taking a step forward, Nephele seemed a bit taken aback by her words. Evil Lord...? Clenching her fist slightly, Nephele advanced upon the phantasmal foe before her, poison seeping from her mouth, though she couldn't be sure that would work. "So, who is this evil lord, then?" she asked, unfurling her fist to suddenly lunge at the Phantom, a telegraphed sort of knife punch that wouldn't be hard to see coming. That was her intention...it would be hard to extract information from an exorcised ghost. "Speak! What is this place!? Why did you murder Gerald? Why-" Nephele cut her rage, exasperation, and question short, suddenly relaxing her stance.

"...You're the playwright." Nephele said, looking up at the Phantom before her. "Tell me...what is your name?" she questioned, glaring at the woman. It was just a hunch, but...Nephele had felt somewhat put off ever since they were rehearsing the play. Though she'd been enraptured by the role...there was nothing. No information on it, just...the motions of acting. Acting without knowing, and being pulled into the role. There was something peculiar stirring in her chest...what kind of spell had this Phantom placed on the house?

Rebecca was taken aback by the outburst of grovelling coming from this large, hulking Minotaur, and spared a look at Neil to see if he shared in her surprise. When he was finished, she put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from giggling at the Minotaur's earnestness and innocence, believing that would be of ill tact. Instead, she crouched down and placed her hand on the top of Magnus' head. When he looked up, he'd she that her face was kind, without a hint of malice.

"You are forgiven. That shirt was a gift given in order to be worn, and I would be more offended if you refrained from wearing it for fear of damaging it. Perhaps I was mistaken in giving the gift in the first place. I have taken an assignment today myself and I did not truly appreciate how dangerous the world out there is when you are on this side. Especially those damned Varjans. It is I who should apologize. My prudishness is a relic of my old ways, ways that today has made me realise I should not be as proud of retaining. You do not need to wear a shirt."

She stood up and turned to Neil, sensing from his words that he had been trying to conceal something, and had, almost stuttering, asked about Magnus' shirt in a clear effort to change the topic of conversation. Rebecca pursed her lips. Secrecy was a sin, and that's one Order doctrine she won't be dropping any time soon. "My apologies, Neil, but I fear I may have interrupted a conversation between Magnus and yourself." she slyly spoke, hoping to bait Magnus into picking up the conversation she had been having.

@PaulHaynek@The Irish Tree

~@Rune_Alchemist~

"...should it? Neils my friend, I don't think he'd keep secrets from us that could harm us. Everyone has their secrets, Talia, and they're that way for a reason. I trust Neil, he's a good kid."

Talia closed her eye at your response and smiled. "Let us hope your judgement is sound, Miss Dupain."

You and the Cyclops return to the main hall just in time to see Bart the guild master enter with a pile of wood heaped upon his arms. "Oh! Hello there!" He greeted the two of you. "Welcome back, Arletta and Miss Cyclops! Sorry for not being present, I had to gather up some wood for the fire and left Neil in charge of the cooking but..." He looked tired from carrying the logs. "...Can I catch you two later? I need to let go of this."

"Oh, let me help mister..." Talia came over to Bart and effortlessly lifted the wood pile from his arms. "Where do you want to put this, sir?"

Bart panted. "To the... to the kitchen..."

Talia nodded before leaving. "I shall see you later, Miss Dupain."

You and Bart were left alone in the main hall with the latter bended over as he caught his breath. "Hey there, Arletta... so, who's the Cyclops?" He asked to get some conversation going. "How was your quest? It was... it was the one with the flying machine, wasn't it? Did it fly? Were there a lot of people?"

---

~@The Irish Tree (MAG), @Silver Carrot (REB)~

"My apologies, Neil, but I fear I may have interrupted a conversation between Magnus and yourself."

"Oh, y-you didn't interrupt anything. It was just uhh... it was just small-talk and stuff. I-It's nothing." Neil continued to evade the questions. "A-Anyway, welcome back Miss Rebecca. Magnus here's just-just helping me in the cooking. He arrived earlier with Arletta and a... a-a Cyclops lady. By the way, can I... can I ask for help setting up the table?"

It was then Talia the Cyclops entered the kitchen with a pile of wood on her arms. "Umm... an orange-haired man entered the guild. I believe you know him?" She announced before putting down the logs. But upon seeing Rebecca, she froze. "O-O-O-Order?" She muttered, her eye completely fixed at the priestess as if she was a great threat.

Neil saw what was going on and quickly interjected. "Hey, hey, don't worry. She's with us, she's cool." He said to Talia. The Cyclops seemed to calm down, believing the boy's words. "You came with Magnus right? Did you see the flying machine? How'd it work?" Neil then asked before turning to Rebecca. "And what about you, Miss Rebecca? How'd your quest go? You were the one with the different language, right?"

Talia did not answer, taken aback by Neil's sudden surge in confidence, and let Magnus answer their set of questions.

---

Alike In Dignity
~@13org (BST), @Silver Carrot (EIL)~

"Well, firstly, as a rather personal question... Are you familiar with the names Lord Araghast and Lord Joshua? If so, what are your feelings towards them. And... If you allow me, as a side question... What are your feelings about Demi-Humans in general?"

Lord Barensia raised an eyebrow. "L-Lord Joshua? Do you mean Lord Joshua Caldeyron? The King of Varjo?" He confirmed the name. "How can you not know him? He is the king of Varjo and one of the closest allies of the Order. I've heard that he is also pretty close to the Order's Grand Bishop." He explained. "He and his sister Queen commands the brutal armies of that dark realm but hey, if you wanted results, they'll certainly deliver. I'm quite sure that's why the Order keeps them close."

"As for Lord Araghast... Well, forgive me but I do not recognize the name."

"And demi-humans? You mean monsters?" Lord Barensia then briefly glanced at Eilidh. "Well, they're monsters I guess. What else is there?"

"Now then, it is my turn to ask questions..." Lord Barensia began. "Who are you truly and what do you want with the Barensian manor? And if this Centaur is not your lover then who is she? You two clearly know each other."

~@Eviledd1984(MAR))~

---

As the vines tried to ensnare the apparition, it didn't even seem to notice them at first. It merely kept walking. Slowly. MENACINGLY. However, as the vines managed to break through the decrepit floor with ease and wrap around his legs and one of its arms it stopped, only long enough for its blade to cleanly cleave through the vines in a single blow. The shadowy apparition immediately locked its sight on Christine, seemingly ignoring Maria.

"R-right...I should get some place safe...." Christine grimaced, and began running back up the stairs. The apparition wouldn't have any of that though, and made a beeline right for her, using its weighty sword to attempt slashing at the stairs where Christine was running up.

@The Irish Tree (NEP)

---

The Phantom's eyes went wide from the strike aimed at her, ducking under the blow, her mask lingering in the air in a comical fashion for a few seconds before landing atop her head.

"Ack! Foul! Hitting the lovable _{and totally sexy} author is bad! Bad dragon!" She shouted, straightening the mask back on her face. Still, she didn't seem too put out by the action. If anything she seemed amused as she straightened herself, holding her cane under her arm and giving Nepehele a rather flirty grin. "And hasn't anyone told you smoking in another persons house is rude? Tsk, you'll liable to start a fire and then I'd be homeless. How cruel." She fakely pouted, holding a gloved hand to the side of her face before breaking out into laugh, finally decided to answer Nephele's question.

"Well now, someone's finally using their noggin, but I think you already know the answer to that my dear Nep-Nep." She smirked, shrugging and shaking her head. "Or haven't you been paying attention? Ah-ah, it doesn't matter. I can't let you jump ahead to the epilogue oh nonono. That would be spoiling the story...and after all, this story has yet to have a conclusion even after so many years of being in production!" Oddly, the phantom cast a glance towards the ground.

"I wonder if that poor girl will get a happy ending after all these years finally? Who knows? I certainly don't. All I know are tragedies. But word of advice darling...there are no happy endings without a hero to fight for them." Her expression changed into a bright grin, and Nephele would only have a moment to try catching her before she disappeared into the floor, likely heading for the floor below. "Toodles darling! Try not to meet with a terrible fate!~"

~Arletta Dupain~

@PaulHaynek

---

Arletta frowned at Talia's words. How exactly was Niel not trustworthy? He hadn't done anything to make her believe that he couldn't be trusted. Unless Talia wasn't telling her something, but she hoped the cyclops wouldn't do something like that. In all, this made her feel rather conflicted, but before she could linger on the topic too much Bart walked into the guild after the brief tour.

"Oh, sure. I'll probably be around for awhile so I'll see you then." Arletta replied as Talia left, turning to Bart. "The flying machine? Oh you should have seen it it looked amazing." Arletta replied, letting go of her more stoic persona for a few moments. "It wasn't finished yet, but that's what we're helping with. He needs some materials and we're going to be getting them for him, but he told us there's no hurry so we can find them while out doing other things, hopefully."

Ars Argento

Ars listened with attention to Freyr's story. He was curious, both about how a non-female monster came to be, and how this monster ended up an adventurer too. The boy too was dumbfounded when the poet promptly left, and looked at his guildmates, if he could already call them that, and guessed from their similarly confused expressions, that this was not what they expected either.

"I supose we are done with the request..." Ars muttered without thought, obviously disappointed. He didn't notice it at first, but, Freyr and Haley were now steering a conversation where he didn't want to go. The boy had no knowledge of such matters, but he was starting to wonder if maybe Haley and Freyr were a couple. So, Ars had no wish to linger in Boreal Port much longer, if the request was finished, and felt it would be better to leave the other two to whatever it was that couples did. "If that is acceptable, I could head back to the guild and report the request's results." He offered.

@13org @PaulHaynek

@Rune_Alchemist

Maria Falena

"Just run and find some place safe.." The mothwoman yelled out to Christine, Preparing another earth based spell, Letting a few more vines coming out of the ground to try and ensnare the creature. Rushing at the large armored foe with her rapier at hand.

The mothwoman was wondering what was the weak point of this thing, She hoped that the vines would hold it down before it could harm Christine.

Freyr

Freyr was honestly a bit surprised with Haley's teasing grin. While what she said was in part true that he was a demi-human himself, Freyr himself had never thought about starting a family. But again, how he, a hunter that spent most of his life on the forest, could know anything about love? As much as he didn't like that situation, he was completely lost on that matter.

"Even though I'm a monster, I've never thought too much about it. After I left the forest, the things I saw, being away from my kin... It made me think a bit differently. I do not dislike this life of traveling and adventuring, but... having someone with you, would be rather nice..." Freyr replied with an embarrassed smile, before looking at the sky for a few moments, almost like if he was searching for answers to the questions that flooded his mind.

Even though it wasn't that long ago since Freyr left the forest, he saw many things and met many people. Thinking about it a bit better, Freyr wouldn't open himself like that to anyone. It was, in fact, the first time he had done so. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could really trust Haley. As these thoughts passed through his mind, he caught himself looking at Haley as she talked about what they could do now, with a kind and warm smile on his face. As soon as he realized that, he looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." Freyr said, after he heard Ars saying that he would go back to the guild.

"What about you, Haley? Do you want to go back to the guild or do you want to stay here for a bit longer? I don't really know much about Boreal Port, and I can't say I've met a... Dark Priest before..." He said, thinking about what Haley said about the dark priests.

"So, I don't really know what to think about these dark priests." He said, laughing. "Should we avoid these types?" he asked, curious.

@PaulHaynek @Kyun

Double post...

Stupid browser...

@Silver Carrot(RBC),@PaulHaynek

Magnus waited for a strike on the head once he bowed, but soon found comforting words instead, her hand instead resting atop his mountain of silver hair. Looking up, Magnus almost felt like he'd seen an angel fallen to earth, his eyes getting a bit misty. With a single look, Rebecca had relieved all his fears at having ruined her gift, causing the minotaur to nearly cry right then and there. He was...a big fucking baby, to say the least.

Holding back his emotions a smidge, Magnus eventually rose to his feet and inhaled through his nose, masking a sniffle. "T-Thank you for being so kind...Ms. Rebecca. You don't have to apologize though...I-I really liked the tunic. I promise I'll patch it up sometime." he said, giving a small, but heartfelt bow to her. Mostly it was small because he was afraid of goring somebody if he lowered his head too low. However, she did bring up a good point...shirt aside, Niel seemed incredibly eager to shift the topic of conversation away from himself. And, thinking on it, Magnus had no idea where Niel came from...or why he wanted to be an adventurer.

Talia entered and seemed surprised, obviously about Rebecca's presence. Niel calmed the situation though, so that was a thing. Now that he was happy once more, Magnus thought it was time to return a bit of care for Rebecca, mainly by asking how her quest went. "That's right, you had to translate something, right? O-Or find a translator? You said something about Varjans...a-are you alright?" he asked, concerned for the woman. Kind as she was, and as fiery as she seemed to get, he was still worried for her. After all, she'd gone alone.

---

@Eviledd1984, @Rune_Alchemist

"...Very well." Nephele said, the purple fog disappearing from her mouth, and soon the room. It was clear that she was now somewhat resolved on what she had to do, walking past the Phantom as she dissapeared into the floor, giving a final statement of: "We will save her. And you." She was trying her damndest not to draw the conclusion that was already outlined, instead gritting her teeth and bolting out of the hall, sprinting to return to Christine and Maria.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the armored apparition, gripping the banister before jumping off of it down to the first floor. White fog began billowing out of her mouth rather than poison as she coughed up a huge billow of it in Christine's direction, offering some protection from the thing's line of sight. The fog would slowly start to disperse towards a nearby hall, giving her an option for a stealthy escape in case she needed it. Breaking the claws out, Nephele knew that she couldn't penetrate armor with a head on strike without damaging him first, and as such sought to go for the head, to keep the figure distracted. Perhaps if he saw her as enough of a threat, his focus would draw to her, letting Maria cast more of her spells. "Maria, can you freeze it!?" she called out, just trying her best to contend with a fully armed and armored opponent who was probably a ghost too.

@The Irish Tree

Maria Falena

Maria was making sure the armored knight would not harm Christine, Using her earthly magic to try and tie down the foe but it looked like she would have to something more drastic to stop it. Looking up at Nephele who was now running down the stairs and calling to her, "I can try.." She said softly feeling not quite good with using ice based magic. However this was a situation she would need the confidence to preform well, Closing her eyes for a moment chanting the words before opening her eyes and extending her hand out. The air becoming cold around all of the woman as the earth shook once more, She hoped that the blade and the body of the armored foe would slowly freeze so it would be immobile for the time being.

If it was frozen then she would fly over to grab Christine and try to escape form the mansion with Nephele.

Eilidh, through the combined irritation at Bast's reply, and the bringing up of Varjo and the Order, had turned completely serious. While she did not have particularly strong feelings about the Order, her run-in with Varjan forces yesterday had shown her they were dishonorable bullies, and if this mission hurt that nation in any way, she was more than happy to help. However, on the mention of monsters, of which Centaurs had no issue with that label yet other races did, she was confused about it's use, withholding her indignation until she confirmed that it was actually an insult.

"Can you specify what exactly you mean by monsters?" Eilidh asked with pursed lips, before blushing a little again and looking sidelong at Bast. "And Bast and I are friends," she answered weakly, in a way that not so much caused suspicion as confirmed that there was a spark of...non-hostile tension between them.

@PaulHaynek@13org

---

Rebecca felt very awkward, standing with her hand on the head of a kneeling, sniffling, 9"7 musclebound Minotaur. This was not a scene she'd ever imagined she'd be in. She was relieved when he eventually stood up, towering over here and restoring some sense of equilibrium. His promise to restore the tunic himself indicated that it was a treasured possession to him, and for this, Rebecca was grateful. She curtseyed in reply to his bow, before returning her attention to Neil, and nodding and smiling as she accepted his request to help set the table. It begged the question of whether her domestic tendencies were an actual interest and hobby of hers or a symptom of being raised a woman in an Order nation. The truth was likely a little bit of both. Even so, where was a steely look in her eyes as she answered Neil, hinting that she had dropped her pursuit of his secrets in the name of good manners and nothing else.

It was then a cyclops entered, and had to be reassured by Neil not to be afraid of Rebecca. That admittedly stung, and it showed. Still, she had given up all that she deemed evil and kept all that she had deemed good, and her dress, Church, manners, beliefs and ideals were among the things she would not give up for anybody. Before she approached the cyclops herself, Neil and Magnus both inquired into the details of her mission.

"I delivered the note to the correct recipient, even though I couldn't fully read it. It was to the Sonarran resistance,
of which I extracted a future returning of the favour as reward. If we ever need to venture in that area in a future mission, they will assist us. Especially if it hurts Varjo. I cannot understand why the Pravarian Order maintains good relations with that barbaric nation."

She calmed herself down, having been getting slightly worked up over the topic of Varjo. It was then she turned her attention to the Cyclops. Approaching her, Rebecca smiled and curtseyed. "You have nothing to fear from me. I am considered a traitor by the Order and have allied my Church with this Guild in it's stead. My Goddess and I are friends to Demi-Humans, and to women. My name is Rebecca St. Croix. May I ask yours?"

@PaulHaynek@The Irish Tree

~@Eviledd1984(MAR)@The Irish Tree(NEP)~

---

Run and find someplace safe? What did the mothwoman think she was doing? Christine bolted up the stairs, continuing into the hallway towards her room. Well, at least what was once her room. How had the place changed so much? Was this the phantoms doing? She hadn't a clue. Whatever the case was, the combined efforts of Maria and Nephele slowed the specter long enough for her to get into the hallway and slam the door shut behind her.

She'd be safe in her room. Of course she would.

...

Back in the main hall, the hulking figure's blade slammed into the staircase, nearly cleaving the already decrepit fixture in two. Maria's spell did excellent work however. The ice encroached upon the blade and the creatures body, freezing the blade to the floor long enough for Nephele or Maria to get in a good blow while it tried to pull its blade from the ground.

If this was a ghost of some sort, then it seemed to at least not be quite so intangible as the Phantom from earlier.

@Rune_Alchemist

Maria Falena

Maria could see the creature slowing down before finally stopping in place, The mothwoman felt like she had a chance to finish the armored creature. She could see what looked like a opening in the armpit of the armor and thought that could be where the heart of the creature could be, She thought this because she had heard of a legend in her youth, A creature that was quite powerful but his only weakness was the armpit which was struck by a unlikely hero.

Gripping her rapier tight in her hand, Getting the hilt sweaty in her soft pale hand. Flying over towards the armored foe and stabbing as hard as she could into the opening. She hoped that would be enough to defeat the creature, In the back of her mind she hoped that Christine would be safe form the phantom.

Bast Ragoczy

Lord Barensia's reaction when he mentioned Joshua's name surprised him. Bast had no idea that he was such an influential person. The king of Varjo and a close ally to the order. The same order that was rather infamous for their... extremism about demi-humans, or monsters, as they call them. Lord Barensia's description about Joshua was brief, but it was also impactful. Joshua and his sister are probably the same as Araghast, hence why that brutish man spoke so highly of him, nothing but warlords. Gold, silver, blood and death ran through their veins.

"That is certainly interesting. I am very grateful for the information." Bast replied to Lord Barensia, with a sly expression.

"Regarding Lord Araghast, he is a warlord under Joshua's command. Quite a brutish and uncivilized person, if you ask me. He was the one responsible for the massacre at Boreal Port." Bast continued with a quick wave of his hand, dismissing both the massacre and the warlord as unimportant.

"Just monsters... huh?" Bast repeated as he heard Lord Barensia's words. Eilidh's question soon after he said that left obvious that she was a bit annoyed by his answer as well. Bast didn't have enough information about him to tell that without a doubt, but Lord Barensia looked like one of those people who thought that demi-humans were just monsters, nothing more than beasts, inferior. If that was the case, then surely it wouldn't be interesting to have that tension on the air, especially after how Eilidh reacted to that. The way Bast held Eilidh's hand weren't just to embarrass her or flirt with her. It was almost as if Bast was saying to change topics.

"I just asked because there are some people who have a very... extreme opinion about demi-humans, you see? So I was worried that I could have offended you in some way by bringing my dear Eilidh, to our conversation." Bast said, with an amicable expression, and gently holding Eilidh's hand and raising it a little bit, as in if he was presenting her to the man.

"Which, by the way, is absolutely adorable when embarrassed." Bast said, with a chuckle, after turning back to Lord Barensia.

"Now, to answer your questions..." Bast said, looking to the man.

"My name is Bast. Who am I is a question that many people ask, and to each one of them I give a different answer. None of them are lies, but none of them are the entire truth. I have many faces, Mr. Barensia. Many personalities, many names... Secrets are everything I am, Lord Barensia." Bast said, with a neutral expression, showing absolutely no emotion.

"Both me and Eilidh are from the guild. A very interesting bunch if you ask me. As for what I want with the Barensia, I didn't lie when I sent you that invitation, but it wasn't all the truth." Bast said, with a sly smile on his face.

"While i was really looking forward to just having a nice talk, knowing a bit more about the one responsible for designing your manor, I am also after information... I had quite an... interesting encounter with Lord Araghast. Obviously, it wasn't that tranquil. After all he is a warlord... Despite the obvious difficulty to have a decent conversation with such a brutish man, he did mention Lord Joshua, and he did mention that we are a bit... similar... in some ways... For personal reasons, I am quite interested in both of them. Because of that, I'm investigating a bit about them." Bast said, with a serious expression.

"Why would I go to the Barensia even with so many people on this town, you ask? Well... I'm no stranger to nobility, and I know how things work... Those with power and influence are very well informed about the workings of a city and a country. And let me ask you a small question: How does one attain power and influence?" Bast asked, giving a small pause to finish his tea.

"The answer is money." Bast concluded, looking to Lord Barensia, expecting him to understand where he was going with that statement.

@PaulHaynek@Silver Carrot

~@13org (FYR), @Kyun~

"What about you, Haley? Do you want to go back to the guild or do you want to stay here for a bit longer? I don't really know much about Boreal Port, and I can't say I've met a... Dark Priest before... So, I don't really know what to think about these dark priests. Should we avoid these types?"

"That depends. If you're alright with having them drone on and on about Pandemonium then sure, hang out with one." The Siren replied. "I'd tell you more about Pandemonium but I'll let one of them explain that to you."

"But... Ars here looks like he's itching to go back so let's not annoy him any further." And with that, the three were on the way back to the guild.

------

Haley, Freyr and Ars reach the guild by nightfall. Haley was the first to speak about the newly-built guild. "You weren't kidding. You guys really built this place up again." She remarked with awe. "And in such a short time too. How? Did you guys use magic or something?" She asked while still looking at the structure.

"Oooh! I wanna head inside!" Haley excitedly said as she bolted into the front door.

-------------
~@Rune_Alchemist~

"The flying machine? Oh you should have seen it it looked amazing. It wasn't finished yet, but that's what we're helping with. He needs some materials and we're going to be getting them for him, but he told us there's no hurry so we can find them while out doing other things, hopefully."

"I see. So it's not a complete-right-now type of quest." Bart replied. "In any case, why don't you tell me about these materials and I'll see if I can find some in these areas."

It was then that the front doors opened and in came a Siren alongside two familiar faces, one being Freyr and the other being Ars.

--------------
~@The Irish Tree (MAG), @Silver Carrot~

"You have nothing to fear from me. I am considered a traitor by the Order and have allied my Church with this Guild in it's stead. My Goddess and I are friends to Demi-Humans, and to women. My name is Rebecca St. Croix. May I ask yours?"

"O-Oh, I-I'm Talia. Talia Bucchas. Nice to meet you, Miss Sayncroy." The Cyclops eased a bit as she replied. "T-Though, I hope you're not being actively hunted by the Order. That would be p-problematic."

---

~@Rune_Alchemist, @The Irish Tree (MAG), @Silver Carrot, @13org (FYR), @Kyun~

The majority of the guild had come and dinner was ready. A few others were still out on their quests but Bart the guildmaster called for the dinner to commence once the preparations were complete. Once the members had assembled in the dining hall and the eating began, Bart stood up and caught everyone's attention. It appeared he had something important to say.

"My friends, I thank you all once more for doing a fantastic job on your requests today." He started. "But right now, I have a request for all of you and for me as well. I request that we come up a name for our guild." The guildmaster announced. "This has been an issue since day one but since we were obscure back then, it didn't really matter but now we are facing recognition and it would not look good on us if we were just called 'A Guild'."

Neil was the next to speak. "Yeah guys, we need a name. With a name we could spread word about our accomplishments more easily and get even more requests. Maybe from even someone important or rich." He added. "I'm not really good with names so... what do you guys want to call our guild? Though I'd prefer it if it was something catchy or maybe something epic."

"Any suggestion is welcome!"

---

Alike In Dignity
~@13org (BST), @Silver Carrot (EIL)~

"Can you specify what exactly you mean by monsters?"

Lord Barensia was a bit confused. "Ummm, you know? Monsters. Monster people. The umbrella term for you and all the other non-humans out there. The ones that emit demonic energy, that is." He answered. "...I'm sorry if I offended you or anything. I swear to you that I did not mean it."

"I just asked because there are some people who have a very... extreme opinion about demi-humans, you see? So I was worried that I could have offended you in some way by bringing my dear Eilidh, to our conversation."

"Oh not at all. This is Ambran, after all. A neutral territory outside the reach of the Order." Lord Barensia replied. "Anyone who wants to act out against the monsters gets dealt with like with any other troublemaker. Well sure there are establishments that prohibit monsters but everyone minds their own business in Ambran."

"The answer is money."

Now Lord Barensia was even more confused. "Wait, wait. I don't exactly follow but are you trying to enlist Barensian aid for investigating King Joshua? If so, then I'm afraid I must decline." He declared. "King Joshua is a dangerous man with many tricks up his sleeve. If he catches wind that I'm aiding something like an investigation onto him, he would..." Lord Barensia paused, his mind likely exploring the many ways that scenario would play out. Judging from the look on his face, none of it was good. "...I can't risk that to my family. Never."

"I'm sorry. But you will need to find aid elsewhere."

@Silver Carrot(RBC),@PaulHaynek

Magnus was relieved by Rebecca's explanation of her job; It seemed that even though she'd been in dangerous territory, she'd made it back okay. She must have really known how to handle herself...he'd heard stories from his brothers-in-law about the terrifying ferocity of Varjan fighters. Maybe she'd been able to disguise herself as a normal Order priest to get by or something. Thinking back on his own job, Magnus would be sure to ask Bart about the flowers Kyle needed; He'd been practically everywhere it seemed, so maybe he knew a thing or two about regional plants.

Dinner came, and the Minotaur ate, taking care to mind his manners a bit. Just because Rebecca was fine with him not wearing a shirt didn't mean he should risk eating like the barbarian he was supposed to be. Small bites and slow pace. When the question of a guild name sprung forth from Bart, Magnus swallowed a bite of meat he'd been nursing before speaking: "Well...up north we try and name battle companies after something about our leaders. A-At least that's what my dad told me. T-Though...its not like I know enough about you Mr. Bart to come up with something like that. Maybe start it with something strong sounding, like a metal?"

---

@Eviledd1984, @Rune_Alchemist

As frost set over the armored figure's form, Nephele's lips curled into a slight smile; Metal became brittle in the cold, especially when frozen by magic. Books on alchemy and smithing that had been left in heaps in her treasury taught her that much at least. Now Maria's strikes would hopefully be more effective, if not immediately fatal. However, Christine had ran farther than anticipated; She'd hoped that she would stay in the hall, rather than return all the way to...what sounded like her room from the direction and distance of the door slam. She didn't know if this being had a flaw to exploit, but did know that it seemed fond of only using that sword.

As such, while it was still frozen to the ground, Nephele began slashing at the midsection of the sword, her scaled claws driving sparks along the steel, as she sought to leave gashes large enough to have the sword itself just fall apart, in case Maria's thrust proved to be ineffective. "Christine is the key, Maria! If she dies, then the story ends with a bad ending. I don't fully understand it myself, but the Phantom is in control, but isn't the one sending this thing after her. Ice worked, so if it moves again, keep freezing it. I'll guard her." the dragoness shouted, before sprinting up the stairs to make sure Christine hadn't fallen into some sort of trap. In novels similar to this, there was always a cliche of the damsel being kidnapped in a supposedly safe place while everyone is looking for the killer so...here's hoping the Phantom was a bit more original. Not just for the sake of narrative originality.

Eilidh relaxed, satisfied with that answer. "Forgive my sharp tone. There are people who use 'monster' to mean a being of malice and evil. Sometimes, they call us members of of other races 'monsters' with that intent. I had to be sure you weren't one of those people. Now that I am reassured you are not, I can be civil."

Her good will went quickly out the window when Bast once again gave her an inflammatory compliment and her face inflamed in response. She listened in silence with pursed lips. When their acquaintance refused his aid, Eilidh looked to Bast, to see what he'd do next.

@PaulHaynek@13org

---

Rebecca appeased the Cyclops's fears. "I am wanted in my land, yet to my knowledge I am not being actively sought out. If it is discovered that I am, I shall leave the Guild and deal with my issues alone."

At the meal, Rebecca pondered the request for a name. Rebecca had several ideas, but she doubt they would receive much love. This order was hardly a gathering of devout, god-fearing individuals. She liked Magnus' idea of something strong sounding, but it would also have to reflect the nature of the guild. Their goal was to help those in need and promote love, tolerance and acceptance, especially of Monster People. "Maybe something like a circle or a ring, to suggest unity," she muttered out loud, fully audible to the table without realising it.

There were several new faces at the table to Rebecca, and to those people, there would be a new face in Rebecca, a kindly looking lady with soft features, albeit one who was dressed in the manner of an Order Priestess.

@PaulHaynek@The Irish Tree@Rune_Alchemist@13org@Kyun

~@Eviledd1984(MAR)(NEP)~

---

The apparition gave a ghostly wail as it was momentarily halted by the ice, as Maria's blade struck it, it went straight through, but it wasn't quite enough. Thankfully for her, Nephele quick to react and struck the creatures blade causing it to shatter the brittle metal to shatter. Now however, its attention was completely focused on Maria, ignoring Nephele as she dashed up the stairs to check on Christine.

It was a ghost after all. Maybe nothing more than a nightmare from the mind of a frightened child. It wouldn't be killed so easily, but it seemed at least, on some level, weakened without its sword.

It growled, lunging for Maria with its hands. If she could land another solid blow on it, perhaps it would be done.

~@The Irish Tree~

Nephele hurried up the stairs, the now decrepit looking manor a far cry from the place it once was. She easily reached Christines room without any sort of trouble, and once she was at the door it opened easily, and Christine was found pacing back and forth in the middle of the room, likely more than a little worried or otherwise emotionally unstable at the moment.

"N-nephele!" Christine noticed the dragon, quickly running over and giving her a worried expression. "I-is it gone?" She seemed safe for now. As safe as things could be.