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Rez smiled solemnly as he finished the latest entry into his journal, setting the pen back into its jar of ink. He turned his head to look at the bookshelf that was nearly filled with such journals. Writing everyday was a necessary part of his routine as the years spent in this place have all started to blend together. Sometimes the entries were about his thoughts and sometimes it was about the numerous personalities that have come and gone through the centuries. He could safely say that everyday spent here has been interesting at the very least. Rez never tired of hearing the children's stories, their tales of triumph and tragedy. It was perhaps the one, true factor that has stopped him from losing his own identity. He smiled warmly at the thought then pushed his chair back off the desk and stood up. Enough time had been spent in his personal chambers already and it was time to greet everyone. Would today bring any new faces? It was a question he greeted every day with a hopeful smile. After the sins he had committed, this was the least he could do to atone.

Rez left the comfort of his chambers and headed down the spiral staircase that led up to his tower, which was also the highest point in the Sanctuary. It would have been more practical to use the elevator at the center of his tower but he preferred to walk when possible. Once he reached the bottom, he was greeted by one of the many constructs, named sentinels, he had named Bradamante "Good morning, master. Breakfast has been prepared. The instructors's lessons are ready. The amali Vey has requested the archery range again. New guests should be arriving with a day or two. That is everything." The deep, not quite human voice spoke in a toneless and clear voice as it always did with the morning report.

Rez nodded to confirm he had received the report "Thank you, Bradamante." He turned to face the contruct, who was several inches taller than the master "Make sure you are at the front gate in preparation for these guests' arrival and give them your warmest welcome when they get here." Bradamante was the only construct other being that was allowed inside Rez's tower, so it was also the first 'face' he met every morning. The artificial creature was far more direct and to the point than the others "Of course." Bradmante replied immediately and proceeded in front of Rez, moving at a far quicker pace. Efficient, obedient, and unrelenting. These traits were instilled into each of the constructs that guarded the Sanctuary, making them the perfect soldiers.

The master followed in Bradamante's footsteps, choosing to walk down the grand, double staircase that led to the open central chamber. Large pillars extended to the roof above high enough for even a fully grown dragon to enter. Ancient banners with heraldry long forgotten hung from the ceiling illuminated brilliantly by cages of blue flames. Directly above the center of the room was a large painting of some unknown heroes battling an army of undead warriors. the large room was the equally enormous front gate made of a dark-grey metal. A intricate design was carved into each door that was never in the same pattern twice as it slowly shifted throughout the day. For most of the inhabitants here, the day began with a large breakfast held in the main mess hall and that was where he was headed as well.

A wave of delicious aromas invaded his nostrils before he even opened the door. Once he was actually inside, it engulfed his sense of smell completely. Everyone who saw him enter greeted him loudly, save for a few, while he walked further into the room. It used to be that all the food here was created through magical means using old recipes, but recently there has been a few of the residents that have volunteered to prepare every meal for all the others here which made each bite even more tasteful. He moved over to his favorite table which was situated by the large glass windows facing out towards the twisted landscape.

Rez, who was known by the residents as Mister R or Master R, watched the children eat their food while he waited for his to be brought out. He knew each and every one of their names. There was Volfango, a male Amali who had come here on the brink of death; Cisna, a female Anserian who showed up in tears and refused to speak anything of her past; Arton Yule, a Draeni with a dream to become a champion of the weak; Vey, an Amali rebel looking for the strength to free her people from oppression; Valerie, a Dark Elf mage on a quest to explore the darker side of magic; Voltaire, a young human trying to rise above his broken childhood; Emile Volstryggr, a human without any combat or magical ability but with a strong charisma and a desire to create a world of peace; and several others. It was Rez's hope that he could help them achieve their goals and dreams, and perhaps make the world a better place for it. The only way to avert the coming disaster, was to have faith in the people of this age.

The forest had become more wild, more feral and untouched than the one she had come from. Even the energy was more primal and vibrant as if the outside had not poisoned its aura - that is when Asri knew she was where she was meant to be. The cries of wolves were more pure and the waters of the nearby stream sounded calmer and it filled the ranger with a sense of relief, to be in a place of natural flow. It was easy to navigate as well, whispering ancient words upon her tongue allowed her the gift of hearing the whispers of the wind. Leaves rustled and swirled, pointing her to the direction she was destined to be at. Before long the sight of the majestic castle came into view, jagged, wild rocks daring attackers to breach her walls. To its entrance was a lone warrior, clad in armor that was almost shaped as if the warrior was born into the steel.

Asri's steps were soft, even walking causally, the ground and trees seemed to welcome her presence as if she were one of them. Taking into account she had appeared here like many others and stood before the intimidating castle and its guardian, Asri seemed unusually calm in her approach. "Hail guardian," she called out to Bradamante, waving her hand slightly, as if to greet a familiar friend. She paused just short of arm's reach and offered a polite smile to the construct. "I wouldn't be surprised if you knew why I am here -" she started, "- but even if you don't, I know this to be a safe haven. My name is Asri. Might I ask yours?" The woman had no signs of fear or nervousness in her question and if anything, an aura of calm flowed outwards from her.

Truth be told, Asri wasn't quite sure why she was here herself, only that she was supposed to be here. She had been tasked with finding a castle that only the lost could find, a place of knowledge, mystery, and of answers. Why she had tasked Asri with this, she could only imagine as to the reasons, but she knew them to be of a good and pure nature. Asri knew she was meant to be here, for a reason, and in time it would reveal itself.

---

Stephanie was walking by the river of, which her hometown gets trade and fish of. The entire reasoning of wanting to get out of the town was to get away from her biological parents altogether. However, she felt like went through something since the river in question, changed from a peaceful calm river to what it seems like rapids. This scared her a bit to notice this change, however, she could see something in the distance, which she was approaching. The lands around her was changing and their was clouds forming, even though where she left was peaceful and clear night skies. ”W-What the hell is going on? I only been traveling for what it feels like two hours.” Stephanie thought to herself. However, she didn’t realize the power of her necklace glows sharing her inner thoughts as outer thoughts but there was no one right there at the moment to hear them.

Her eyes moved up and saw a massive castle in the distance, which was protected by what was a very tall guardian standing outside of the door to the castle. She moved up nervously to the guardian, the river, which was becoming more dangerous. Her eyes looked at the guardian and then she got up enough courage to speak. ”H-Hello, Guardian… is this u-uh the place I-I seek for safety and protection?” Stephanie asked towards the guardian specifically. Her tone in her voice was nervousness and sadness, which she cannot shake off her so easily. She was hopeful though that this was the case.

The entirety of the situation made her highly nervous of her future, which she didn’t like at all. She did move slightly towards the guardian, hopeful it would answer her question. ”I-I pray to Satelle, the Goddess of Peace that this is the place, which I seek. N-Not much is known of it just its name.” Stephanie thought to herself. The necklace glows in a dim color of greenish blue, which had the odd effect of sharing her inner thoughts as outer thoughts. Her body language was highly nervous and had a very deep sadness to her, which was ever presence in her looks. She stared at the ever presence guardian, which is definitely taller than her. In terms of everything, she couldn’t help but feel alone but she was at the front gate of the castle, however, she blinked a bit and noticed another person here. She smiled a bit and looked at her. ”H-Hello, who are you?” Stephanie asked, towards female in particular. She was speaking directly towards Asri Lockheart, however she didn’t know who her name is since that’s what her question was about.

@Lyla @Ithradine

---

Ar´oa wore an inquisitive gaze at the sight before him. Countless hours had gone by since having infiltrated the ancient temple, and on the opposite end of the long stone corridor was an exit. The light that emanated from this opening was white and gentle, nothing like the ruthless and golden sun of the wastelands that he had spent his whole life surviving in. He lowered his ornamental lantern onto the ground, letting its sapphire embers extinguish through a small magical cue. His steps towards the strange light were careful and tense. None of the various artifacts worn throughout his body had given any sort of indication that the opening contained harm.

He uttered a small growl of annoyance with his canine jaw at how bizarre this expedition had resulted. Either what was on the other side was harmless, or a powerful entity was awaiting its next victim. Ar´oa, however, was not deterred by the possible danger involved. Large risks needed to be taken if it meant lifting the curse that had haunted his clan for generations. With several more steps forward, he approached the rectangular blast of light.

What had surrounded him was a painting from a storybook brought to life. The verdant grass and towering forests and gentle weather. The air soft and easy to breath, with no debris or filth of any sort. What was perhaps the most astonishing sight however, was the enormous castle not too far in the distance.

Ar´oa, like many Anubis, was well acquainted with legends and stories. And as soon as he had understood what the castle in front of him represented, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief. This was no malicious illusion conjured forth by one of The Wasteland´s many hateful supernatural entities. It was a sanctuary meant for powerful warriors. Or at least, that was the variation of the story that had been passed down to him. The sanctuary also explained why he felt the memory of his actions from moments ago blurring harshly. Try as he might, whatever temple he had been exploring had regained its forgotten state.

Ar´oa neared the steps to the castle after a brief sprint and felt intensely curious at the other guests before him. Just by juxtaposing their appearances it was apparent that whoever was in control of the building had eyes all across the land. He thought of how strange he must have appeared to them, as a slender and gaunt anubis of nearly nine feet in height. His robes and their vivid blue color were slightly less eye-catching than the gaudy accessories his kin enjoyed decorating themselves in, but a canine face and a pair of onyx eyes marked him as not the typical visitor of a castle.

The pair spoke loudly compared to the typical whispers of one anubis to another. Rather than a standard introduction, Ar´oa began by addressing the construct in front of them, as it was most likely the one responsible for granting them passage to the inside.

"I am grateful for having received an invitation to this sanctuary. In truth, I had thought of it to have only been a fable. Curiously enough, it seems that I and several others have received an invitation at roughly the same time. It is a pleasure to meet you."

His canine head turned to the pair near him in curiosity, speaking with a deep and tranquil voice. He wondered whether it would be difficult for them to understand his subtler facial expressions.

The mess hall was lively as it ever was this morning. The residents of the sanctuary were always eagerly in the mess hall first thing of a morning. The smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the hall, and the idle chatter of lively conversation filled her ears. Most people seemed to enjoy the breakfast and morning, eating and conversing with the rest of the others in the Sanctuary. Most were friendly, chatting away or otherwise keeping to themselves.

Flying above the others, was a lone Aetheri with what appeared to be an apple in her grasp. Normally she'd be causing some small mischief or weaving a tale of one of her many adventures either fictional or not, but today was different. She had maybe overheard something about new arrivals from a certain Bradamante. Now they were going to be such a fun to play with! New victims - ahem, friends, to share some fun with. She just had to make sure to arrive and intercept them before that cold hunk of metal did and she could give them the grand tour herself, heh!

"Morning R!" She said, zipping right past the master of the Sanctuary. "Bye R!~" She flew off with a giggle before he could say anything, a telltale sign she was probably up to no good.

In all honestly, this place was great. Not just for her own entertainment, but it was such a happy, yet mildly somber place. The people were warm, gentle, and friendly, and most were just lost souls looking for a place to call home. She liked to think she made their time here a little more lively and entertaining, heh! As she approached the front gates, the Aetheri landed on top of the painting, using its frame as a seat and placing the apple next to her.

Now to wait for them to enter and play with them.

Today was going to be fun indeed.

"MMMMmmmmmmmooooooooaaaaahhhhh..."

Its voice echoed through the forest. It had obtained a fair few wounds this time. Not the arrows, nor the spears, one of them had an axe. One had fire. They attacked it without provocation. A dozen in all swarming like termites over its form. Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning. They attacked it, and the Nidhogan felt their color. Reds, with golds, then purples and blues as things didn't go in their favor. The quarry proved strong. Their fury and greed were met with something ancient and primal. It still felt the blood under its trunk like legs, already supping them for their water. Thorns, clubs, claws, teeth. It always ate the fire. It was the root that marched against the flame... that's what it was called before. More so than the name it was given so long ago.

The monster looked at the broken bodies and tapped them. Their colors vanished now, and with it, so did its own color, leaving only the yellows and greens as its attention went to itself.

It hurt.

It hurt but it would not stop moving.

That was good. A reason to see yellow.

With a terrible groan and the crunch of a dozen arrows, it moved its limbs and pattered back through the forest, never thinking another thought. Sometimes the squishies were just violent like that. Sometimes they weren't. Sometimes they spoke, just like now-



The voices were chatty today. It was almost like music, almost, it kind of came all at once sometimes. But it always paid. The clearest ones were always the closest. The clearest ones, the loudest ones, they were always fun to follow. And so the monster turned, turned in pursuit of a voice it barely understood. Than it stopped.

Another bellow of cracking wood and the creak of groves that were ages in the making. "Hooooommme." It sometimes lost what it was looking for. Sometimes it forgot, but sometimes it stopped itself, stopping to remember that it needed something more important than fun. Much more important. All the squishes had something... a box without sun, it always wondered why. But maybe it'll learn one day. It knew its box needed something with a bit more sun. The tops of the boxes came off easily enough.

"This way... you need to go this way..." Another voice came in, loud and clear, well a whisper, but it was different. Alot of times it heard names and things that didn't fit its description at all. Very confusing. Sometimes, sometimes though. When it was important, the voices spoke to it. It had to follow. Coincidence that it was the direction it was already heading.

---

The monster looked up to see the road, the bridge that lead to a great castle, a stone edifice that peered into the sky. Its mangled form rested at the bottom of the ravine, its bulk moving through the fog that collected at the bottom. It met a wall, a wall that lead to the castle. It reached to touch the rock, the soil and it felt different, very wrong somehow, but peaceful, as if the stone needed not life to find its own purpose. This blocky thing. Was that what the voice had said? This way. A wall is there, it must climb.

The monster began to scale the cliff side, its massive digits unfolding and refolding and splintering into the cracks between black stone in nearly a hundred places as if a tree was growing out of the wall itself, over and over and over again as it defied gravity and all sense to enter the palace from its exterior foundation. Onlookers would see a beast of trees and moss and leaves move like a rat scaling the wall, but profoundly slower and more terrifying.

No doubt its disturbance would attract the custodians whom protect this place, and as the Monster reached the cusp of his ascent, right at the foundations of the grand sanctuary, already several automatons were their brandishing their weapons. The monster however seemed not to be perturbed by them as it pulled itself over the side of the cliff and onto the plateau that held the great holy place.

Its head writhed this way and that as it crouched, resembling something akin to a dog, perched and waiting for its master by a door. The head, the 'hair' branches that swayed like hair as it looked to the walls, to the skies, to the automatons, than the ground. So many voices were here.

So many.

So many yellow voices.

And with that, the creature itself seemed to bloom... its bark grew flowers, its leaves becoming more akin to petals on the vine as if the creature was a cherry blossom tree given life and motion. It gurgled and thrummed and bellowed, its mouth open and yet A dozen voices rung out as if they were all singing with their throats.

Needless to say, any onlooker would be quite confused.

---

Stephanie heard a new voice and looked directly at the person, which it came from. However, her entire face was absolutely shocked at what she saw, it was a walking, talking dog or her parents called them Anubis. Her parents outright hates Anubis with a passion, however, she’s definitely different than her parents. ”Hello, sir. H-How are you doing? You are also seeking stay at this place. That’s what I am doing. I do hope we can be friends.” Stephanie said, kindly towards the Anubis. However, a torrent of tears started falling from her face since she was a bit still terrified of her parents judgment on her and wanted to be free from their presence. There felt like a shift in the winds, since her parents outright told her this thing happens when a dangerous beast or monster is near. She was more afraid of her parents than whomever or whatever made the winds change like that.

The entirety of this moment was between her was a lifelong decision she wanted to do even if it costed the one who treated her like a ‘true’ daughter, grief and pain. She terribly sorry to Sarah but she had to get out of there, her nightmares have been getting more frequent before she decided to runaway. ”I-I have a feeling that my parents would’ve hostile taken over my town on their own sense of prejudices. T-That would’ve had me tortured or worse by them. I-I’m so sorry, Sarah but my parents scare me more...” Stephanie thought to herself. The necklace glows in a dim color of greenish blue, which had the odd effect of sharing her inner thoughts as outer thoughts. Her entire body language showed regret for running away from one of the safest places in her hometown to a even more safe place. The entirety of being terrified out of her mind didn’t help her sleep any better since she would constantly wake up terrified.

Stephanie glanced directly at the construct, which was still not answering anyone’s question yet. However, the winds changed again and it made her confused, however, it’s only because this place had strange weather. She remembered Sarah was searching for this place but gave up and became Gondrevil’s Mayor instead. Her eyes went back to the Anubis in question and smiled kindly. ”W-What’s your name?” Stephanie asked, curiously to the Anubis. There’s many things that make her definitely not alike her parents since any differences its her kindness and wanting to get to know people, which didn’t cause her to have nightmares. She smiled cutely, directly at the Anubis since there’s now another person to talk to in front of the place, which they all seek.

---

Packing was a difficult endeavor for him. His mother was worried, his father, non too happy and Vescartes had yet to speak to him. One would think he'd see him off but he had left early in the morning. Vilkas took it all in stride, bidding his family goodbye. Dromon had come by the day before for a bit of instruction and he felt confident enough that he would do well. Shifting and strapping the bag to his leg he set off eastward to the mainland, hsis father with his armor in another bag besid him. It wasn't too long of a journey for the dragon. His wingbeats were strong and steady. When he was hungry he dove down beneath the waves to hunt his bag protected by his mother's powerful enchantments. It would not burn, get wet and she had added an enchantment for keeping food fresh for a longer time. It took half a day, crossing over the Border Island before he reached the shore. He shifted and pulled on his clothes, his father watching him as he set off.

He wandered, meeting people and helping them. He rarely used his dragon form but they knew they existed and he kept just out of reach from any who would cause him trouble as they knew Dragons were rather strong. Vilkas helped quite a few people over the year and a half he was wandering. He made a few enemies, particularly a merc compy from the Dremorian Empire and several of the new super soldiers he defeated protecting a small village from being raided. He almost lost that but with his shifting and the blood rune version of Hagala, he whipped up such a storm they had to retreat or die. The downside was that he was severely weakened from the encounter, having only bought enough time for the villagers to escape. He limped weakly into the forest, hoping to lose them. He had broken a wing and was in too much pain to shift out of it, making his progress slow. After an hour he found a river in a gorge. With the Dremorians hot on his tail he threw himself in, clutching his bag to his chest. "I need to get to the Sanctuary... But how in the hells am I to find it..."

When he came to he found himself lying on a rocky beach, blackness encroaching his vision. He groaned as he pushed himself up, noting his wings were torn in several places. High up on the cliff he could see a large structure, almost like a castle. He picked up his things in his maw and carried them as he made his way around to get up the cliff. Thankfully a path had been carved out and well maintained. A soft rain had started and mixed with the dragon's blood. He made it about halfway up the path before he slipped, claws scrambling for purchase on the rock. Flaring his unbroken wing for support he caught himself. "That would have been a long tumble I can't take right now..." He kept climbing, reaching the top of the cliff where he could see the structure for what it was. A large bastion, positively radiating magic to his draconic eyes. He kept moving forward, reaching the back entrance. It was there he finally collapsed, body unwilling to move another foot forward. Dropping his bag he succumbed to the black, his wounds and blood rune use too much for him.

The fully-plated Bradamante stood at the top of a short series of stairs that lead to the large, front door. A masterfully crafted spear with a long blad was held in his right hand with the blunt end of it jammed into the solid stone beneath his feet. From here, he could observe everything that move out in front of the castle though he did not need to rely on sight alone. His head turned ever so slightly from his rigid posture to look at the new arrivals that now walked upon the Sanctuary's sacred grounds. Ripples in the magic that surrounded the castle informed him of each arrivals, as could be felt by every other sentinel and the master himself of course. First to approach him was a being of hybrid blood, a stalwart female warrior that didn't any signs of fear. That was when he sensed its presence around her, a feeling he had not experienced in centuries. When she spoke to him, Bradamante did not move an inch for his position.

"Greetings, young Asri. My name is Bradamante. Your purpose is not known to me. The master will know." He spoke in a clear, dignified voice, his tone carrying a mystical kind of quality.

No hostility was presented by the guardian other than his imposing figure. Her purpose for being here did not change whether or not she could enter. Those who arrived here were already granted permission by through the selection of the Sanctuary's magic, designed by the great ones. His gaze shifted from Asri to another female, this time a human, who came after her. This one appeared to be less confident and more frightened, which was evidenced by the sound of her voice when she spoke up. What was strange was the second sentence she spoke was done without the movement of her lips. Being the Avatar for Humanity, Bradamante always felt more emotional for humans that came to the Sanctuary and tended to view them as his charges.

"Indeed it is child. Fear not. Nothing will harm you here." His words were strong and filled with sincerity.

Bradamante could feel traces of magic from the necklace but did not identify that as the cause. It did bring him some joy that her prayers for safety would be answered today. Movement in the distance captured his attention once more and he was a bit surprised at what he saw. An Anubis was a rather rare sight even at the Sanctuary so this would make Ve'Tal very happy, though Bradamante hoped that the Anubis Avatar did not smother him. As expected, the Anubis wasted no time in running up to the entrance. Their ground speed was one of the fastest of the races living on Alskyra. Bradamante gave a single nod of acknowledgement to Ar'oa, while the other two conversed.

"The same to you. This is not that unusual. There should be more arriving in fact. Once everyone is here, I shall bring you to the master." He seemed assured in his statement.

He had remained firm in his stance and only his head had moved since Asri arrived. Shortly after replying to the Anubis, Bradamante received a telepathic message from one of other sentinels. It appeared that the other arrivals had approached the rear entrance instead. Hmm. That was unusual but again, it was nothing he had never experienced before. Now they no longer had to wait at this entrance and could proceed inside. However, a familiar and mischievous energy was detected just within the large doors. This did not come as a surprise to the construct in the slightest.

"I must address my previous statement. It appears that this will be everyone for the moment. Please, follow me inside. And mind your step."

Those last words were a subtle warning for whatever the trickster Aetheri had planned. Of course, Bradamante would not directly spoil her fun. That would be most unsporting of him. He raised the staff of his spear in the air and tapped the blunt end on the ground three times. After he had completed the third, the large metal doors slowly began to open to reveal the magnificent central chamber. A long, royal purple carpet was rolled from the central stairwell at the back all the way to the door. Bradamante finally moved from his position, pivoting on the spot, and walking in a straight line into the castle. He continued into the center of the room where he stopped and turned around to face them.

"Feel free to converse among yourselves. The master will be here shortly."

---

A golden knight with the visage of a wolf on his helm emerged from the smaller, yet still daunting, rear entrance of the Sanctuary. With a fury in his step, he moved towards the first two guardians of the four that had drawn weapons and placed his hands on their weapons and forced them downwards. One of them would have been more than enough to subdue the being before them that had caused this apparent commotion. This was the first time that one of the Veidish had arrived at the Sanctuary's doorstep, though this kind of response was unacceptable.

"You will all lower your weapons this instant!" The wolf sentinel growled at them.

The four other guardians complied with his order, adjusting into a straight posture with their weapons held to their chest. Thorin let out a soft groan before he noticed that this Veidish was not the only being here. There was a wounded dragon not too far away that required immediate attention. Every single one of the fifty guardians of this Sanctuary could use healing magic but as luck would have it, their best healer was already present. He would task him with healing the dragon while he attended to the Veidish himself.

"Suriel, attend to the dragon's wounds. The rest of you can return to your duties." His voice carried with it a stern seriousness "Now then....I welcome you the Sanctuary, a place of peace and respite. My name is Thorin, a guardian of this castle." It addressed Nidhogan with a neutral tone, the fierceness in his previous voice completely removed.

Meanwhile, the sentinel called Suriel rushed over quickly to the fallen Vilkas. Despite being irritated from being commanded by Thorin, she immediately went to work using her complete mastery of healing magic to restore the dragon. Whatever he had done had been incredibly reckless to leave him in such a state. Her metal hands hovered over Vilkas's chest as she sent forth a wave of magic into his body. Every wound was sealed and closed, appearing as though they had never occurred in the first place. Not all of those that arrive at the Sanctuary do so completely intact. It was usually do to them taking a risk that they were not prepared for.

"You are lucky you were sent to us. You would not last the day." Her words were rather cold for a healer.

Once his wounds had been dealt with, Suriel stimulated the natural creation of blood within his body with her magic. This was only done for a couple minutes as any longer would risk over-saturation. It was hasten his recovery time so that she would not have to deal with him for longer than possible. If she was correct, which she usually was, then Vilkas should be waking up from his nap shortly. Weaving the magic of life was something that was dangerous in the wrong hands. Saturation of healing magic could caused unintended consequences and required a delicate touch to heal grave injuries such as this. Her brilliant white wings curved around him.

"It is time to wake up, child." Her tone this time was softer.

The Nidhogan hardly seemed to notice the weapons or the commotion it was causing. It was just ecstatic. It was so Yellow here, and it could only sing and grow flowers in its jubilation. It wished it had the other Veidish here. They would have a party right on the spot, and a grove would bloom in this place for a thousand years.

Then a voice seemed to catch its attention, the flowers and petals stopped growing, but did seem to open and move on their own, as if everyone was looking at a flower covered hill that was being constantly pelted by wind, it swayed and flowed freely even as the rest of the creature was dead still, looking upon this new comer. A walking wolf. It didn't know wolves could be made of metal either.

Thorin gave it his welcomes. This was so exciting! It didn't get welcomes alot! How did it respond last time it got welcome... oh yeah!

The Nidhogan approached Thorin on all fours, standing maybe a meter or so higher than the armored man at the shoulder. Its odd mask like head bobbed back and forth as the leaves and petals fell from its frame, the eyes all seemed to focus on him as it stopped. The top of its mask, looking like branches now seemed to be a bushel of leaves like the top of a tree. The same thing seemed to be happening to one of its arms. Rearing up, a potentially threatening position, in stead it hovered over Thorin and began to shake.

Thorin became literally showered in apples. Heaps, bushels of them, all seemingly to grow to full size within seconds one after another on its branches. They would patter harmlessly off his armor and pile around his feet. After a full nine seconds of this and near five hundred apples, and quite a few leaves and flower petals, it put it's arm down and tilted its head. If Nidhogan had a mouth, it would be smiling.

With the coversation past its introductions and exchange of pleasantries, the Nidhogan moved around Thorin to go off in the direction the others went. Something about a dragon, it remembered that word and rather than fear, it was even more excited. It had never seen a dragon before. It walked its full length, than stopped to look back at Thorin, than walked, lumbering again before it looked back again.
It would patter its front stumps like a dog waiting to be walked. It wanted Thorin to follow it.

---

The Nidhogan came to the back gate, its face looking at the oddly rough ground, the view of the castle and the castle itself. It made thrumming sounds, questioning about things, but none of it came out as understandable words. "Thoorrrnnn... Sk-skuuuiiiieee... Sssuuuuuuuuunnnn?" The darkness of the castle was a bit worrying. Where was the sky? Where was the sun?

The angel, the bird that walked like a squishy made of metal was over... Nidhogan couldn't see it clearly, as it was obscured as the angel attempted to heal the injured newcomer. It went to them, but stopped a scarce few yards away. It suddenly seemed so still, so calm as it watched, its lumbering hulking mass of green and wood simply watching the angel at work.

It recognized this magic, and it seemed fascinated by it.

---

Stephanie moved her head and body towards the guardian, which finally spoke to her and the rest of the people who arrived to the Sanctuary. She heard the name of the guardian, which is called Bradamante. She smiled kindly at learning the guardian’s name. The entirety of the situation felt too good to be true, until the guardian spoke to her. Her entire body felt relief from what the guardian had said specifically to her. ”I-I thank you Bradamante. For everything.” Stephanie said, with a slightly chipper tone of voice. The prayers she has had for as long as she wanted to run away from her hometown has finally been answered. She couldn’t stop crying in the fact she’s now safe from those who would hurt her, which was the reason she was crying.

In all of her minutes of her life, she was finally free from her parents grip on her. However, the nightmares would still probably be with her because you couldn’t really get rid of those that easily. She looked towards, who Bradamente was addressing, which was the Anubis in specific. When Bradamante mentioned ’Master,’ which freaked her out a bit only for a moment since this place is for protection and safety in terms of what she read in Sarah’s library. ”I-I wonder whom the Master of the Sanctuary is.” Stephanie thought, with a bit of curiosity in her thoughts. The necklace glows in a dim color of greenish blue, which had the odd effect of sharing her inner thoughts as outer thoughts.

Stephanie listened very carefully about what Bradamante said about following him inside and mind the step. She didn’t really understand what he meant for the last part of what he said. The amazing thing she saw was the large heavy metal doors opening. Her eyes opened widely at how large the magnificent central chamber was from where she was standing. She gasped at how beautiful it was, which kinda reminded her of Sarah’s beautiful mansion’s entrance but a bit more extravagant since it is a castle. The wariness of her entire body of wanting to be free and safe. She walked behind Bradamante and entered into the castle’s and felt a bit better. ”I will definitely do, in terms of conversing.” Stephanie said, happily with a smile. Her body language was a bit straighter but still a bit worried about things. She wanted to converse with the Anubis & Asri, which was a beautiful first name.

Interacting With: (@Landaus Five-One) Stephanie, (@HokumPocus) Ar´oa, (@Ithradine) Bradamante

Asri could only smile at the small girl, sympathetic to her fears, though she raised an eyebrow at the mention of the goddess. She could sense an energy from the young adult and thought perhaps she had a great potential behind those streaming tears of sadness. As she was asked her name, she could only offer a calming smile. "You may call me Asri.. and this place is indeed what you seek, simply deemed the 'Sanctuary' - I wouldn't doubt if the goddess herself lead you here." The woman didn't have much time to reply, though obviously Asri had heard her thoughts - or perhaps she said the right thing at the right time, because Asri didn't mention a thing as she turned to the Anubis.

"Honor met Anubis - it a pleasure to see your kind again, though to be in the forest and away from the harsh sands must be quite the shock," she said with a quiet chuckle. "As you've heard, you may call me Asri." The ranger was unsure how wide spread her name was, but then again, she didn't care much if her legend had spread across the world or she was but a whisper in the wind - glory was never her goal anyways. She could recall her years within the harsh sands of the wasteland and truly rare was the Anubis, however she had the honor to meet and assist a few of the elders - they were a reclusive clan for certain.

As Bradamante mentioned they could all head in, she had no hesitation in following the sharp footsteps of the animated solider, her eyes darting out of curiosity of the dark, imposing, and yet mythical and magical walls of the castle. Taking in a deep breath, she could still feel and hear the whispers upon the wind, giving her general feelings of what this place was and those who dwelled within - indeed, this was an ancient and mysterious place. 'Even after all I've been through.. at times like this, I feel like a babe, stepping into a world unknown to me.. what do you have in store for me, m'lady?'

Unbeknownst to Bradamante, Tania stuck her tongue out at him. Or perhaps he did know? She didn't care too much either way.

Finishing devouring half of the apple, the small Aetheri watched the newcomers with rapt attention. Two humans and an Anubis. Huhu, now he was a rare sight! She had seen a few in her lifetime. Travel for most of your years and you run into all sorts of people and creatures. The younger human looked like she'd be tons of fun, too. What to do, what to do...

Standing on the frame of the painting, Tania stretched, fluttering her wings.

"Alright, lesse...which one of these guys are gonna be the funnest to play with..." The Anubis was automatically out. While messing with him could potentially be fun, it'd probably require a bit of forethought. She had no desire to get bitten by a mutt, so to speak. That left the two humans. The old lady and the younger looking kiddo. The old lady looked pretty dangerous, while the kid looked like she was about as green as grass in the ways of the world. Hm...well, today was a good day to potentially die, heh! Start simple, gauge reactions.

Invisibility was always a fun time, heh! Inhaling, Tania made a simple arcane gesture with her hand.

"Seachmall." A simple spell, for visual illusions. What was the illusion you ask?

A snake slithering up to Asri's leg.

---

Stephanie had a sigh of relief and looked at Asri, which introduced herself to her and the Anubis. She smiled happily at Asri and saw something slithering on her leg. Her body started to shake and realized it was a snake. ”I-It’s an s-snake… slithering u-up y-your leg Asri.” Stephanie spoke highly nervously and terrified of what she saw. However, it wasn’t as big as the snakes that her parents talked about. In the case of the snakes her parents talked about could eat a Giant whole or a Dragon. However, they kinda want to be left alone but very ancient dragons. She remembered Sarah talk about the Holy Dragon Dromon, which is a very large and ancient dragon. It didn’t help her parents outright showed off the head of one of those snakes they killed in a contract.

The skin color, which was already pale, just turned as pale as a ghost. Her eyes turned into the back of her head and felt her body get heavy and she just collapsed onto the ground. She fainted soon after that too, which caused the necklace to glow a pale blue in color. Her entire body was exhausted from the constant overexertion of not really getting any real sleep. ”M-Mommy and Daddy, I don’t want to go to Baterol. I don’t want to be your mule for your weapons… I don’t like fighting. I don’t like it...” Stephanie faintly thought in her fainted state of mind. The necklace glows in a dim color of greenish blue, which had the odd effect of sharing her inner thoughts as outer thoughts. It was pretty much a sad state of affairs, which when you hear the loudness in her mind in what she didn’t want to do all those years ago. She was breathing normally but she did have a bump on her head since it was a slight concussion from landing on the floor pretty hard.

---

---

Stephanie opened her eyes in utter shock and screamed loudly, as if she was dying. The entire thing of that nightmare was completely terrifying and she didn’t want to have nightmares like that. However, she was still laying on the floor, which she started to cry because it was too horrifying. She still had a concussion, however. ”O-Owwies, I don’t want anymore nightmares...” Stephanie spoke loud enough to hear. However, she was crying constantly and was holding her head because it was injured. The nightmare felt very real, however, she didn’t want to go to Gondrevil since it felt much more evil and dark. Her mind was at ease, when she realized she’s still in the Sanctuary, however. Her heart was racing a bit much and looked directly at Asri, as if she wanted someone to comfort her. She kept her eyes looking up at Asri instead of the snake she saw.

@Lyla@Ithradine

Interacting With: (@Landaus Five-One) Stephanie

The ranger paused as the younger girl pointed out a snake was crawling up her leg, causing her to glance to the unfeeling illusion. It was dismissed quickly as she noticed the girl fainting right in front of her eyes, causing concern to flash in her face. The words of her parents seeming to echo from her as she lay there only made Asri step closer, as if by instinct to guard her - much like she had many others in the past. The rest of the scene came too quickly for the ranger's tastes as Staph screamed herself back into the waking world, whispering about nightmares and staring right at Asri - pleading for some sort of comfort from her own demons.

Asri let out a gentle sigh and was easily the first to respond, kneeling down and pulling the girl into a quick hug as she pet Steph's hair. "Worry not, young one - the snake was just an illusion. This place is built for peace. You are safe here. Whatever it is your parents did to you, they will not break down the doors to this castle." Petting her hair just a little more, just pulled Steph to her feet and smiled softly. "Come.. walk beside me as we greet Sanctuary's Master. Perhaps in time, we can build your confidence through training. For now, trust this calmness, as hard as it may be." Asri was quick to rub the girl's back comfortingly and urged her, gently, onwards so the group could continue into the main hall.

---

Stephanie felt Asri’s hug and her hair, which she winches a bit at the fact her head hurts. The calm voice in Asri reassured her about that was only an illusion, as well, her parents won’t get her. Her mood brightened up a bit only since she was now is standing right next to Asri. ”I-I’m hopeful you are correct in that… they are terrible people.” Stephanie said, with a slight headache. However, she did realize that Asri’s words were correct greeting the master of the Sanctuary. The whole thing with that nightmare was terrible and was still physically shaking, however, the protection that Asri was giving her was enough. ”I-I do want to meet the master.” Stephanie said, with a bit of a heartfelt regret in her voice.

She was moving with the fact that Asri was much kinder than her mother or father ever was. The evil they emitted were terrifying, which made her realize the one thing she should have done sooner, ran away sooner but her outright fear outweighed her need to run away. She was still crying, but slightly less now even though her head hurts. ”Ow, I don’t feel okay. My head hurts,” Stephanie said, holding her head still. The movement in her feet was a bit sluggish but was still moving forward. Her tears was still flowing from her face though.

---

As her wings covered his body, Vilkas shifted into his human form, unfortunately he was very undressed and as he opened his eyes he looked up into Suriel's face. "Uh... Are you an Angel... Did I die... Oh gods... Dromon's gonna resurrect me just to kill me again..." He scowls. "Gramps would probably tell me 'I told you so'..." He looked around. "Wat... I'm in a pool of... That's a lot of blood..." Looking around for his pack he sees it over by the back entrance. Pushim himself yp, not really caring for the nudity since he destroyed his last pair shifting for the fight with the flying dremorians. He searched the large canvas bag and pulled out a pair of pants he kept just for this event. "I'll have to get boots later... And new clothes. Had to leave my clothes bag back in the village..." He grumbled to himself.

With his back to the others, they can see that a lattice of scars and tattoos line his body, even going up to his front, done in a swirly entrancing way, leading over to his shoulder with the rune for strength Uru in gold. When he turns there are even more scars on his front, remnants of his decade of training under the rather militant gaze of his teacher.

Turning around he looked at the scene before him. "Sorry for the whole bleeding on your floor. I'm Vilkas Excellion, the student of Divine Dragon Dromon and scion of Vescartes, Patriarch of Tempest Peak Borealis clan. I uh.. Was told I could get training here. In the Old Way." He shoulders his bag. Looking over he sees the Veldish. "Oh wow... I've seen one of you before but it was young, a few decades old. Brend was studying it to learn more about Green Magic. It's an honor to meet you." Looking at Suriel. "Thank you for healing me. I know it probably drained a bit out of you..."

---

Ar'oa was unsure of how interpret the human's nervous behavior. She looked to be young even for her race, yet there was a hardiness to her that suggested that she could hold her own in battle. So what had caused her to become so overwhelmed by emotion? He thought of the stark differences between his kin and the rest of the world and how she might have been intimidated by him, but that didn't make much sense to him. The girl was clearly able to fend for herself and was honest in her words. Something else had been the cause of her tears and nervousness, something of great importance to her. He didn't ask. The anubis respected each other's secrets, and he would extend the same courtesy to her.

On her neck was an amulet that shone with the changing colors of blue to green like captured seawater. He hadn't seen many artifacts with that sort of beauty in his travels and was fascinated by its magic. He would definitely ask her about it if the opportunity presented itself.

"You will call me Ar'oa." he said, calmly. It was common for anubis clans to maintain an emotional distance with one another, greeting themselves in that peculiar manner and even using false names and identities in certain cases. This, once again, was done out of respect above all else. He was aware that customs in the rest of the world would be different, but had yet to learn any of them and had decided to continue with the behaviors that were typical of his people. Anyone offended by it could probably be reasoned with, as he doubted that The Sanctuary would give shelter to anyone too brutish.

She had asked him for a name but had not supplied one for herself, and Ar'oa had stared at her with a pair of expressionless black eyes half expecting her to do so. The voices of clan elders obsessed with ceremonies and manners rang in his mind at such a bold action. And yet, it made him feel more at ease. If the world outside the Wasteland was truly this liberal when it came to greetings, then it meant that her words of friendship were more earnest than he had initially thought them to be. He too spoke sincerely, curious to know how other cultures behaved.

"Were these my homelands I would have thought of your words as folly, but it seems that The Sanctuary is miraculous enough of a stronghold that seeking friendship so boldly is possible during these times." He spoke with a usual relaxed demeanor and subtle changes in his face that could have been hard to read for the other races. The level tone was usually a shield for his true feelings, but he currently felt at peace with the fantastical surroundings and the friendly strangers around him. And the other human, a warrior, had also greeted him. It had pleased him to know that his stay at The Sanctuary would be closer to some sort of gathering rather than the temple infiltrating he was imagining it to be similar to. And to her he also extended a welcome.

"Certainly. Forests and castles were always confined to storybooks in the Wasteland."

He had noted that the wind felt weaker compared to the sandstorms of his home, making him feel as if grounded inside of someone else´s dream. A snake had interrupted his thoughts, however. Ar´oa cursed under his breath at not having taken enough protective measures. Revealing illusions was an absolute necessity when pilfering temples or interacting with their spirits, and yet he had let his guard down out of a sense of security. It was a pathetic snake, nothing like the gemstone colored serpents sold as luxury items between the caravans. He felt no need to intervene as the person it was attached to could very well see that it wasn't real. Stephanie had been injured however.

"If your injuries are physical", said Ar'oa, approaching the young human,"I can heal them if you wish."

---

Stephanie looked at the Anubis, which is named Ar’oa while still holding her head. She had a smile on her face, when he approached her seeking to wish to heal her concussion. ”I-I’m sorry for not responding to you when you told me your name Ar’oa. M-My name is Stephanie Viola Delia-Mira.” Stephanie responded with a bit of a regretful tone in her voice towards the Anubis. Her head was hurting much as if it was pounding. She was more or less telling this to Asri as well, since she didn’t really tell her name either. The look in her eyes were gentle but also a bit teary eyed at the whole thing. ”I-I would like if you would heal me, Ar’oa. M-My parents weren’t the best teachers of manners.” Stephanie said with a tone mixed of regret and hatefulness towards them.

She never really knew what kind of magic the Anubis used since her parents believed in what doesn’t kill you makes your stronger type of thing. That was one of the reasons, she hated them. She noticed the Anubis was staring at her necklace. ”L-Like my necklace, it was given to me by my mother… Rita, the Firebrand. S-She’s famous but I know her as a person who wanted to kill her own flesh and blood.” Stephanie said with real fire of hate in her tone but returned to crying afterwards. However, she didn’t know that her mother was that cruel, she felt like her mother was nice even though she wanted her own daughter dead as a doornail. The waterworks continued, however, mostly because of how she wanted not to be that cruel woman’s daughter. The emotions were all over the place, the anger, the hate, the resentfulness, and regret of leaving her hometown which felt like she was a calm gentle river being pelted by rocks and stones.

Stephanie was highly enjoying the necklace and bracelet, which her parents gave her as birthday gifts. However, she never really enjoyed their ideology of force instead of nurture. She got that from Sarah, since Sarah was also attuned to the water element of magic. ”I-I am hopeful everyone can help me with my lack of confidence.” Stephanie said with a smile towards Ao’ra and Asri. The thing she couldn't handle was another big blow to her entire livelihood, which is tied to her necklace and bracelet in the case she doesn't know they are magical at all no one told her that was the case.

Tania snickered, the illusory snake disappearing almost as fast as it had been made. Well, that was that then. Target had been found. The young human had completely paled at the sight of the snake, while the older one even recognized it for what it was. Huhu, even if it hadn't had much effort put into it, it usually took awhile for someone to realize such a thing for what it was. So that older lady was most certainly experienced. How far could she take it, she wondered? A thought to ponder for later. That little human child was far more interesting at the moment. Normally eavesdropping was considered rude, but Tania was not one to care for conventional manners.

"...Rita? That Rita?" She mused quietly to herself. Curious. So they had a kid. She knew of the name, anyone who paid attention to rumors, stories, and recent events would. As someone who traveled a lot, one picked up quite a many tales over the lands, and Rita was generally considered bad news. Honestly, it made her sick. As she had once traveled with a band of mercenaries for some time, people like Rita and her bandits gave them all a bad name. She wouldn't accept them as mercenaries in the slightest. Thugs for hire is all they were.

Ahh, if he had been here he'd love to be friends with this human...

...

Tania sighed, stretching her legs over the paintings frame.

Hmm, how to go about introducing herself?