Allard let out a hearty laugh, "Well then, I guess a silver it is!" he said as he nodded, accepting the silver coin. Sev then mentioned the recent missing girls and His happy demeanor seemed to wash away. "Aye, some missin' a few days now, but the group that went out know these sands well. They should be back soon with them all in tow within a day or two. If ya wish to be of some help, I could always use some help taking care of the tavern, someone ta run errands at the least. Would be bright an' early. Should be some good folk 'round town that may need a hand as well if ya willin' ta work, though payment may not always be in money. Trade is still a viable option."

Valia looked to Maeve, "Oh, if you get him started on one of his 'stories of the glory days', you would be lucky to ever make it to your bed tonight," she chuckled."Don't worry yourself about the scouting group, both of you. They will be fine, I'm sure...," she said the two newcomers, her thoughts trailing off to her students for a moment, hoping that they would all come back. When Maeve officially introduced herself, Valia seemed to lighten back up. "Well, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I may be able to try some simpler dances, tomorrow, depending how well my leg was healed," she started. "Oh, just a 'normal' dance, hmmm?" she asked with a coy smile and a finger thoughtfully tapping her chin in mock thought. "Not curious to learn some of the others for a special someone?" she giggled, "I am just teasing, I would be happy to share my heritage with you. I must say, I am fairly interested in maybe seeing a traditional Tundral dance, I have never seen one before."



"Aye, that she does. So much so in fact you start to get worried when she visits, you think something bad is about to happen," Dorran said with a smirk. "Normally though, like this time, she just happens to be in the right place at the right time." The skiff crested another dune and the craft rocked forward before continuing its decent down yet another mountain of sand. As they rode across the dunes, sometimes some wildlife would pop up. One instance in particular, there was a rocky outcrop where some wolf-like creatures were seen. Their fur was sandy colored, though had peculiar plates of armor adorning their body, almost like that of an armadillo. the back and forelegs were armored, as well as the top of their head and the top side of their tails. Their tails were elongated, and at one point the fur underside ended and gave way to a fully armored stinger-like tip. "Sand wolves...," Dorran explained in passing, "They actually have a venom in their tails that will stun its prey, very dangerous in packs, but fairly skittish for the most part. They can be domesticated if you are patient enough, but the stinger has got to go because they will still try to use it."

Bidzil listened to the others introduce themselves and nodded along, though mostly to Kistal and Chihiro, as the other human didn't seem to respond with much, and the giant man he guessed didn't hear him as he was standing at the back of the skiff and seemed zoned out as he watched the horizon. "Portea, eh? I can't say I have been there. I had the chance to pass through it, but the place was huge! I ended up deciding to walk around. The Red Saints... that sounds a little familiar. I think some used to visit my home town, but it was always someone different it seemed. I've never heard of this Calabris person though," he admitted.

Chihiro giggled extremely cutely when the chief talked about her visits. "Well, I seem good at finding the trouble and ending it. Then, we get a feast and party. You have never complained about a chance to have fun, Dorran, especially when you were just a child." She watched the wolves with mild attentiveness. They were venemous, but she was more so. She had taken down a pack before, so she knew what to do if they decided the skiff passengers looked appetizing. "But Dorran, if I may be so bold, you should let myself and any other highly experienced warrior take point. I would rather not see anyone hurt if it can be prevented."

Kistal listened to the back and forth between the chief and Chihiro. Upon stating she remembered him when young, Kistal raised a brow. She barely looked a day older than her mid-twenties, yet she acted like she had been to Kalla many times while people were kids. That made him wary of her. She had not seemed to lie at all thus far, but she was definitely withholding information. He was sure she had her reasons, but he had no reason not to keep tabs on it.

Allanon watched with interested as the skiff drove into the desert. This was an interesting perspective for viewing the desert he had traveled on foot before. He was fairly aware of the wildlife through his own studies, however, this was his first time seeing a sand wolf. He was quite fascinated about this new sight. The way Chihiro spoke was quite off-putting. Before he could question it out loud, he heard Bidzil's comments about the Calabris family and his ignorance about them.

He took serious issue with the lack of knowledge in regards to the Calabris family. After all, they had their hands in everything everywhere. The fact that they were unknown outside of Portea only went to show how effective their covert operations were.

He faced Bidzil with a serious expression. "The Calabris are not a person, they are a family. They are a business. They are a corrupt organization representing the worst in humanity. They are everywhere, and where ever they are they should be cut out with precision. They are the most powerful family of the Big Three in Portea, and they are greedy monsters. The fact that they are so little known outside of Portea is a worrying thing."

When the party went into one of the skiffs, Eduard followed along. He took a seat on the floor, choosing a place near the stern where nobody could bother him much. Once he was comfortable, he grabbed his walking stick turning the golden sparrow head to the left drawing a thin and sharp sword. Eduard looked at the blade up and down, ensuring it was in optimal condition for what was to come. Placing it aside, he reached into his knapsack, pulling out two vials of glowing green liquid which he then proceeded to mix by emptying the contents of each other into each of the bottles. As he did, he thought about the mission. Eduard had volunteered only to help his old friend, but he thought that this whole thing was a fool's errand. For one, he knew that either bandits or slavers had been responsible. There was no one on this desert who would be interested in kidnapping young girls. That aside, the condition of the girls would probably make this whole rescue pointless. As much as he valued life in general, he believed this whole operation would make those girls suffer even more. He had seen enough women go through the same. It is mental anguish very little people could recover from.

He sighed as the thoughts started making his chest feel heavy. No point in objecting to this now, he was already here. There is no turning back. In an effort to keep himself busy, he began to mix the poison he was going to use for the upcoming battle. Inside these two vials he was mixing, was a powerful elixir made from the extract of the Green Briar Tree and the Green Thorn Berry. It was a centuries old recipe used in low quantities to alleviate muscle pain and other pain-related conditions. However, in large doses it can cause full-body paralysis and hallucinations almost instantly. The elixir had the properties of both plants. The hallucinogenic properties of the berry and the paralytic properties of the tree. A simple cut to the skin would deliver enough of a dose to paralyze a full-grown human or elven male.

Once the concoction was done, he proceeded to empty the contents into the sheath part of the cane. This would allow him to coat his sword in the elixir with the press of a button. When he was done, he placed the sword back into the sheath.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I do have plenty of time! Plus, I'm sure his stories must be entertaining too." Maeve said, laughing as she heard Valia's words about Allard's stories. The large innkeeper sure seemed to be the type who had lots of interesting stories to tell.

When she heard the man who had arrived a moment ago saying about working and Allard mentioning some errands to be made, Maeve thought to herself, even if she didn't need money, it could be a good opportunity to have a small 'tour' around the city. Sure, that was only an option if Allard's errands could be made at night...

"Really? Would you?" Maeve asked, turning her head with an excited expression when Valia mentioned she might be able to perform some simpler dances to show her.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself though! I would be glad just listening about it." Maeve said, with a kind smile. Even though she didn't try to hide her excitement when she heard Valia's words, she didn't want the woman to get even more exhausted than she already was.

The second Valia teased Maeve about the other type of dances though, it was almost amusing to see how red Maeve's face became as she blushed, replying to her.

"I-I mean... It's not that I'm not curious but... Oh no! I don't have anyone like that yet..." She said, in an unexpectedly cute display of embarrassment.

"Well I... We do have traditional dances in Tundral, but I doubt they are as interesting as the ones you have here in Kalla. The nobility back in Tundral often make balls and parties to both show the other noble families their own power and influence... Or to commemorate one of their daughter's coming of age ceremony... Or an engagement... Honestly, Tundral nobles search for any excuse they can to throw a party." Maeve said with a giggle, regaining her composure in a surprisingly short amount of time after Valia teased her.

"Our musicians are also famous for their talent! Even though I am not really someone who likes exposing herself in those types of social gatherings, It's undeniable that it is indeed beautiful to watch. The beautiful, precise and graceful movements of a couple dancing..." She said with a smile.

It didn't take much for Valia to notice that the traditional Tundral dances, balls and parties were incredibly formal. They were almost completely opposite styles of dancing. Despite that, Valia would be able to perceive that even though Maeve was used with such a rigid, formal dance, she wouldn't have that many problems learning Kalla's traditional dances upon getting a quick glance at her body and muscles. Her figure was surprisingly delicate and feminine, yet, she had strong and flexible muscles and knew how to move herself with a surprising grace and flow.

@Honesty Crow@Jollan@drewccapp@Lotrix Molick

As the skiff danced across the desert sands, Anrak started into the expanse ahead, deep in thought. Despite the conversions happening around him, the massive warrior remained silent throughout the trip. As his tired eyes closed for a brief moment; the sun and wind kissed his dark skin, bringing him a true moment of peace. But such a brief reprieve was not to last, as the mention of the saints tickled his ears. Would the other beastman oust him as a pretender, should he use the gospel?

The colossus shifted nervously, as he shook the thought from his head. Such a thing would be unlikely, if these were common kidnappers, he'd have know need to bring forth the flames of his faith. However, the mention of the Calabris made his blood run cold. He knew who they were, and what they did. In the old life, his band of brigands and highwaymen had done work for them before, but only a few times. Instinctively, his hand sought the gospel, to remind himself that he was a new man, that the past was behind him now.

But the book was no longer there.

Panicked, Anrak immediately began looking around frantically for his precious bible. Where could it be???

Dorran chuckled to himself at the fond memories. "Yes I remember very well those years, wouldn't trade them for the world. If you wish to take point that is fine by me, as long as I'm there as well. I want to feel these bastards' bones shatter under my mace..." He finished, his eyes staying ahead as he drove the skiff.

Bidzil listened intently to Allanon, his legs crossed and arms folded. He had a look of concentration on his face, as if he were absorbing the very information and branding it in his mind. When he was done, Bidzil looked out to the sands for a moment before responding. "I didn't really get much schooling growing up, so a lot about the outside world is still new to me. I can't honestly say I've met anybody associated with them. They sound like real trouble though.... hmmm, wonder if they would be the ones with the Greed's Eye... sounds about right..." he mumbled to himself at the end."I may have to pay this Calabris family a visit sometime. I think that they will have something I'm looking for, but it's only a shot in the dark." Bidzil noticed the so far quiet giant start to panic, "Everything alright over there?" he asked as the skiff shook with Anrak's shifting weight.

Dorran sniffed a couple times and turned to the doc for a second, "Eduard, those reek, what are you mixing back ther-," but he was cut off as suddenly something exploded out of the sands next to them. Shouts were heard from the other skiff as they identified what just happened.



"SAND WYRM!" they shouted. Dorran cursed audibly as he moved the skiff to run closer to the bases of the mountains. "BRING THE SKIFFS CLOSER TO THE MOUNTAIN WALL!" he yelled out. This would keep the wyrm from surprising them from below again due to the rocky formations keeping the wyrm from fitting intothe more shallow depths of the sand there. Dorran made sure the other skiff was able to pull ahead of them before he put more fire into their own skiff, the craft surging forward. Unfortunately, that only took care of one of the wyrm's options, as it snaked its way towards the skiff rapidly, like a giant snake across the sands. And it was gaining.



While Hilde was clearing a table. She had noticed a book where the large man was sitting earlier. She touched the outside of the clkth cover on it, thinking for a moment. She nodded to herslef as she came to a decision. While Allard was distracted by Sev, and While Maeve spoke to Valia, Hilde took the book and made up her mind om what to do. Quietly, she had picked up her armor and taken it to her room...

Valia smiled when she saw Maeve's face light up. "I will try the best I can, tomorrow should be much easier on me," she tried to assure the Isoli girl. Ad for her little hint at wondering if she had someone special, Valia gigled at the cute reaction given by her, "Oh really now? Well, then, I guess I really will have to show you a few dances to capture any man's heart," she said laughing a bit.

Valia seemed very attentive when Mave spoke of tundral's style of dance. It seemed from her description that it was rigid yet... smooth at the same time. It would be very interesting to see one day indeed. Valia, not meaning to be rude but out of sheer professional interest, looked Mave up and down as she described her own native dances. Her body was actually well toned and would be suited for dancing as well. "You sem to be well suited for dancing, I would think you would pick up on our styles very well, you have the body of a dancer, all it would take is learning the movements."

The sudden appearance drew Kistal to his hooves. His superior sense of balance let him stand on deck with almost no effort as they attempted dodging. His focus on the wyrm sharpened as he pointed at the wyrm. "Your body will rebel against your mind." He then took a deep drink of his alcohol and then breathed a dark miasma out of his mouth to leave a large cloud to function as a trap for the wyrm that would inflict the curse. The curse itself would cause the target to be unable to coordinate their movements properly and thus would either disable them from moving or at least slow them down.

Chihiro reacted much more calmly than the chief. She was confident they could repel it, so she decided to begin the process. She drew a feathered spear, taking time to steady herself on the skiff. The inquisitor drew it back and used her thumb and index finger on her other hand to help her aim. "My aim is true, my arm strong, and my body will bring about your ruin." Her voice echoed with power and rumbled in the immediate area once she spoke the final word. Her arm and eyes began to glow bright green as the spell took hold. She let loose the spear, aiming for the partially open mouth of the wyrm. The spear flew fast and straight, anyone versed in combat able to tell that the speed and strength of the throw was heavily enhanced by her spell while her enhanced sight made her throw strike where she aimed, assuming nothing else changed.

"I look forward to it! Isoli dances are quite beautiful but if you were raised in the nobility and had to attend to countless balls, they do get quite boring." Maeve replied to Valia, with a cute laugh as they continued to talk.

Even though Maeve had just met Valia, she could already say that it was simply impossible someone could hold any type of grudge towards the woman enough to justify kidnapping her students and even trying to kidnap her. Whoever was behind this truly had no good intentions nor any good reason to do something like that to Valia.

"I will accept your offer then... Who knows... It may be useful in the future, right?" Maeve said with a giggle, as Valia mentioned teaching her a few dances to conquer a possible love interest. Even though Maeve didn't have anyone in mind yet, she was curious about how those dances. Even if such dances wouldn't be something an Isoli noble would consider doing, they could be useful In case her potential partner would prefer such dance to a duel...

"Oh, really?" Maeve asked with a surprised smile, after Valia mentioned she had the body of a dancer, compatible with the Kalla dancing style.

"Well... Thinking about it, it is still a dance, right? The dance of blades." Maeve said with a mischievous wink as she pointed towards the beautiful blade she carried with her.

"Most Isoli dances aren't that physically demanding. They do have a lot of rules and small nuances which do make them quite beautiful, but one does not need to be particularly agile or flexible." she continued.

"Still, I am quite confident in my body and how I move myself. Few people in Isoli can cross swords with me or even keep up with my movements." Maeve mentioned with a giggle and a smile. Even though some people could doubt Maeve's words, Valia's experienced eyes were immediately able to see that her body was indeed well trained.

Allanon had never fought a sand wyrm before, and gripped the handle of his sword and drew it calmly preparing himself to engage into combat when the opportunity arrived. He stepped up to the edge of the skiff the wyrm was closing in on ready to leap onto the beast at the first opportunity. He wondered, when was the last time he had fought a large beast such as this? Occasionally the Calabris family had sent his team out to slay the rare large beast and harvest their parts, but even when he worked for them his work focused more around the various people of the world.

Often times he was simply the distraction while the powerhouses did their damage. There was only so much a swordmaster could do to a monstrous beast such as this. The real MVPs of this battle would be the magic-users.

An hour or two more passed as Maeve and Valia continued to talk about their homelands until it seemed Valia was starting to feel the full brunt of today's stress on her. Allard eventually took notice and lightly put his hand on her shoulder. "Oi, ya should probably get some rest, ya know? Went through a lot today, an I'm sure our guest will have plenty of time ta talk when the sun is out once more." he said with a warm smile.

Valia gave a playful sigh of fake discontent, "Awe come now, tearing me away from such a delightful conversation, where is your heart, Allard?" she said as she stood up to slowly make her way to her room.

"Oh, don't you know? Gave that away looong ago. Speakin o' which, I believe my wife an children 'ave gone ahead an laid down for tha night, so if they are tired, I know you are tired," Allard replied.

"Fair enough," said as she gave a slight bow to the others in the tavern. "It was a pleasure to meet you Maeve, I hope to see you in the morning." She said before heading up the stairs to her room.

Allard followed her until she was in her room, making sure all was safe and secure, and to make sure she made it up the stairs. When he came back down however, Allard's expression was quite more serious than before. He took a look outside for a moment before shuddering the windows. He turned and looked to the two foreigners before him. "I may be just an old warrior, but I swear I can smell a bloodlust in tha air... Cheif Dorran left with a good number of some of our better fighters. Someone may think we are defenseless now," Allard walked to his armor and placed it on. "My wife can handle tha tavern in tha morning. But I will have ta stay up these next few nights. Can't sleep to well on nights like this," he finished as he also hefted a large double headed war ax. For most it looked impossible to wield. The axe head being all part of the same metal the shaft was made into, making it more durable. The shaft, which was wrapped in leather, also tapered slightly to a thinner handle thinned as it went down, adding more weight to the head end, and finally ending in an enlarged cap on the opposite end, giving a flared pommel-like finish while still being the same piece of metal. This would held retain the weapon on heavier swings as well as better control of the swing itself as the flare matched the ax blades much like the handle of a woodsman's ax but for both heads. The way he handled this weapon however, was terrifyingly casual, as if there was no weight to it at all, but from the sounds it made when he set it on his counter-top, made no mistake about its heft. "If ya wish ta call it a night, don't worry, I'll keep this place safe," he then smiled to the two, "Sorry if I sound a bit forebodin', probably just my nerves. Somethin just feels... off."

What Allard had felt however, was probably more of a parental instinct, as his daughter had slipped quietly out of the town. With her, a metal bible, and her father's old wind skiff that was parked next to the other scouting vessels similar to the ones taken earlier.



As the Wyrm drew nearer , it readied itself to crash down upon the skiff, to it looking like a large strange animal carrying other strange creatures on it. Little did it know however that wood, metal, and the few people aboard would not be very satisfying or filling, especially when for some reason the creatures riding on this strange animal seemed to fight back. All the sudden the wyrm convulsed, it's body trying to fight what it wanted to do. It was the work of the curse Kistal cast, though it wasn't potent enough to take on a creature this size, it was enough to make it difficult for the monster to pursue as effectively, every once in a while a twitch would run the coarse of its body that would slow it down. Once of these twitches, however, was enough to make Chihiro's spear throw miss it's intended mark, though not without its own impressive effects. Due to her spell, and the added strength of the aura of empowerment, the spear surged forward and buried itself deep within its neck under the chin. Normally, it would be considered a feat just to drive a spear in even a quarter of it's length into the rough skin of a sand wyrm, however, this spear sailed straight through, ripping through to the other side of the creature. This made the wyrm screech out in pain, which would be a test to anyone's ears close-by, however it did make the creature stop it's immediate pursuit, putting them some space before it tried once more. While the damage the spear did was amazing, its placement would keep it from killing the beast, the creature would most likely heal before a wound like that would kill it. Now however, the creature was chasing them in a state of rage rather than hunger, and although the convulsions from the curse were amplified by this anger, the monster now craved their blood and would chase them until it couldn't any longer.

Now that they had some space from the wyrm, it was easier to concentrate on their surroundings to look for an escape path. The ahead skiff waved to the cheif and pointed towards part of the mountain they traveled on, looking like they spotted a cave to take shelter in. If they could make it to that cave, they would be in the clear. If the party was watching the darkening skyline around them as well, they may see a small sail powered single person craft approaching very fast, and with a familiar face. It was Hilde, nearly flying over the sands in the sail skiff, using the gifts of her heritage, Sylve and Varuk, wind and fire together to create her own powerful thrust against the sail. Even as fast as the Wyrm was going, Hilde's craft surged by the creature effortlessly. The book, which was covered when left at the inn, was now uncovered, held closed by the latch that held the two covers together. Hilde had admittedly gotten curious and took a peak at it beforehand. "OI, YOU THERE YOU LEFT YOUR BOOK!" she yelled out to them, a look of excitement written across her face. She cruised up next to the skiff and tossed it aboard, the metal book not even remotely phased by what most would call abuse of a holy text. "If you are a Red Saint priest, you shouldn't be leaving your bible everywhere! Its so irresponsible!" she lightly chastised him, slightly out of envy to his position and surprise that someone who had something so amazing to her would just leave it lying around. She then cutely waved to the others on board, before pulling back and rounding towards the wyrm, which was gaining on the party's skiff. With their current pace they wouldn't outrun the wyrm. "WHATEVER YOU DID BEFORE, TRY ONCE MORE, BUT THE HEAD THIS TIME! I HAVE AN IDEA!" she yelled as she flew towards the beast.

"H-HILDE! WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU-," Dorran yelled out in surprise, but far too late to stop her. "By Krogan's beard, her father is going to kill us all."

Bidzil stood up, keeping his balance fairly well on the craft to to being raised in a city full of boats, it felt like another day on the water to him. He felt like he should help, but had no idea what to do in this situation. to be fair, he had only ever dueled with other people, he had never even seen the likes of a creature this large before. He was just a swordsman with a single fancy wing that could pop out of his back, what good would that do? He can't fly with that. He gripped his sword, wanting to help, yearning to help, but he was forced to sit and watch as well. Unknown to him though, that passion lead to a stronger aura boost to the one's around him, strengthening them further.

@Jollan@drewccapp@Lotrix Molick
Catching the Gospel in his enormous mit of a hand, Anraks heart soared-- as his beloved bible was once more by his side, to say he was grateful to Hilde would be a great understatement. However, in the pit of his stomach, he felt fear building, if the other beastman's words were true.... Hilde had completely exposed him for what he was, and potentially who he had been. "Thank ya Lass!--" he hollared back, "Aye'd kiss ya if I could right now!"

Though he was fearful, the colossal man knew he had no time for fear. Dropping his shield to the skid's floor, he turned to Doran; "Turn us around, glancing just off tha left cheek. Aye'm gonna need ta be close fer this."

He closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and unclasped the gospel. There was only him-- and the book. Nothing else. "Oh goddess hear my prayer... Let me be your mercy, your might, your love, and your light--" a spark, small but hopeful lit within the giant's breast "Grant me strength that I may protect the innocent and strike down those who would harm them--" the spark built, but did not release. Unlike how it usually spread across his shape, like a holy visage wrapping him in a tight embrace, as if it were.... Stuck?

For a brief moment his chant wavered but he pressed on as he drew his sword and raised it high. "COME FORTH, OH FAITHFUL FLAME." he roared.

Then Anrak exploded.

The skiff rocked and shuddered as a plume of gold-white flame violently enveloped Anrak; suffusing and swelling every fiber of muscle and bone before extending even into his blade itself. His powerful heart pounded like a large bass drum; loud enough for the entire skiff to hear, as the straps securing his already ill-fitting armor snapped and broke. Tucking the Steel Gospel in his belt (which was the only garment that truly fit), and gripping the longsword with both hands, having his right hand half on the blade of the weapon itself for him to properly grip, he strode slowly to the front of the skiff, assuming a low stance as if ready to strike.

"Ya may want tah move lad." he said to Bidzil.

"Ahh," Sev sighed in contentment as he finished the meal, little in the world was as good as a full belly and good drink, "wait, bloodlust?"

Sev paused to sniff a couple times, looking around the room in mild confusion. His staff stood upright next to where he sat as though it was stuck in the floor despite the lack of anything supporting it, a fun magical trick he'd learned early on, with the wide brimmed, and sweat soaked, hat Sev had worn outside hanging from the top as though the mage's staff were a hat rack. Across the room a rather pleasingly attractive woman had been speaking to someone about dancing, based on what Sev had noticed, several other patrons were retiring to their rooms or enjoying their drinks. But bloodlust? Sev didn't smell anything like that, but that might have been because of the amount of sand that had been blown in his face.

The Sylve jumped in his seat as the innkeeper dropped a massive axe on the table, talking about being an old warrior.

"If you need someone to assist you in combat," Sev said as he realized the axe wasn't directed at him, "I'm more than willing to help out, as I mentioned earlier. I'm a mage of some skill and can hold my own in a melee."

Kistal's curse did something, but it was obvious he needed more potency. Luckily, he still had more booze. He was planning to add a little dancing to it, but Hilde interrupted them by coming up beside the skiff. The bible was very familiar to him. He had heard of the fire priests. Anrak did not meet the look of them. He turned to him and frowned. "We will have words after this, armored hulk. We all have secrets. That one is not worth keeping from people you are fighting with." He was about to continue, but Anrak summarily exploded.

The satyr was thrown to the edge of the skiff by the shockwave, but his immense balance and strong legs kept him securely on the vehicle and his feet. He decided it was best to leave it be until they weren't being attacked. He grabbed the rest of the bottle of booze he had and chugged it all, doing a flourish and twirl afterwards. "Your fears live, nightmares uncounted. They bring forth destruction, flee to survive." He ended the curse by reaching a hand forward, grasping like he were grabbing the wyrm's throat. The curse would bring the fears of the target's mind to the surface and make them begin to hallucinate. If they lacked tangible fears, it would begin to eat at them with lack of confidence and cause a flight reflex.

Chihiro, much like Kistal, was pushed by the shockwave, but she instincively moved her magic from her arm to her legs, causing them to literally dig into the skiff somewhat, leaving a small rut where her feet skidded through. She was obviously impressed by Hilde's passion. "Oh my, she is a full of bravery, like her father. She is also as reckless as him. I love it!" She screamed the last part as she drew another spear and amped up the magic in her legs. Bidzil's ability made her magic even more potent, leaving her legs practically bathed in an almost bloody red light as the magic hit full capacity.

She tossed the spear into the air and jumped up to follow it. Doing a twist and flip, she levered her leg and foot into the end of the shaft, launching the spear with her much stronger legs, aiming at the eye of the wyrm.

Truth be told, Maeve ended up losing track of time as she talked with Valia, completely forgetting that the woman should probably rest a bit to recover herself. Even though Valia apparently did lose the track of time herself, when Allard finally told Valia to rest, Maeve put a hand over her mouth with a surprised expression.

"I'm sorry! We ended up talking for quite a long time, didn't we? I hope I didn't take much of your time, I know you should probably be resting and focusing on recovering yourself, right?" Maeve said, apologizing herself with a bow.

"I am also starting to get a bit tired. The trip was rather long and the heat didn't help." Maeve said with a wink and a kind smile.

"I must say though, It's been quite some time since I had such an interesting conversation with someone that didn't involve blades or a duel!" Maeve said with a giggle.

"Good night, Valia. I hope you wake up tomorrow feeling better and recovered." Maeve said as Valia went to her room, escorted by Allard.

After a few minutes, Allard came down again, looking to her and the other foreigner as he mentioned not being able to sleep. His tone of voice and his words were a tad bit foreboding though and as he grabbed his double headed axe, it was obvious he was feeling restless. It was understandable that he was feeling that way though, due to the kidnappings and everything else going on.

"I do wake up quite easily, so if something happens, I'll certainly come down to help as well. That said, you should try to rest a bit too. Don't overexert yourself." Maeve said, trying to relax Allard a bit just after the black haired foreigner offered his help to Allard.

Before heading to her room though, she gave a few steps towards the black haired man, introducing herself with a small, polite bow.

"I am terribly sorry, since I was quite entertained with the conversation with Madam Valia. Since you also offered yourself to help Allard in case something happened, I guess the least we could do is introducing ourselves properly, right?" Maeve said to the black haired man with a small laugh and a kind expression.

"I'm Maeve Orzhov, but you can call me just Maeve. It's a pleasure to meet you." Maeve said, this time with a much more formal and polite bow, making her noble blood quite obvious.

"Don't hesitate to call for me if anything happens, both of you." Maeve said, looking to Allard as well.

"I should probably retire for the night. Not only the trip was quite long, but this hot climate isn't exactly kind to an Isoli." Maeve said with a chuckle, before heading to her room to rest.

Allard nodded to the two of the foreigners, "I cannot rightly ask tha two of ya ta risk yurselves in such way," he said in a serious tone, looking them dead in the eyes in turn. Then, his face seemed to lighten up as his eyebrows raised, looking away towards his axe and feigning interest in dusting it off. "However, if ya find yurselves not tha sleepin' sort, well... not much I can do about that," he said with a smirk. "Go on, rest while ya can. I may be wrong, but if anythin' is out o' sorts, I'm sure you'll hear it. Tha warnin' bell is quite loud. Anyway, I'll be down here makin' sure all's clean if ya need me."

---

Some time passed into the night without a sound. Allard locked everything up, which he normally wouldn't do for those late night customers that rarely come through. This time however, he made his way outside, locking the door behind himself to secure the inn. When he stepped out into he moonlight, he was in full battle gear, axe in hand as he made his way to the square. From here, he found a good spot in the square that he could see down both the main streets. He set the shaft of his axe down on the ground and rested both hands one over the other on top in the middle of the head. He took a deep breath and waited there, as a silent sentinel into the night.



"Ya don't have ta ask me twice!" the chief said responding to Anrak, his accent slipping into a more local and less formal speech. He let the fire die on one side and poured more into the right, causing the craft to spin to the left. Once turned he put everything he had into charging straight for the beast, slightly to the left as Anrak wanted. The amount of power from the flames going into the engines for the skiff was unreal, the large craft quickly outpacing Hilde's lighter single person skiff and passing her. To have been driving the skiff for this long and still holding onto this much power was an incredible feat, even for the most practiced of firekin. Anrak's explosion of power didn't seem to phase the captain, his focus being on taking the fight to the wyrm. Bidzil, however, was caught off guard, and nearly tumbled back. Had it not been for his sea legs, he would have surely toppled over completely. Bidzil was awestruck at the display of power, not ever having seen anything like it before in his life back in Trantis. He wanted to say something to commend him, but he could find no words.

This display also seemed to take the wyrm by surprise as well, the small explosion added with the curse from Kistal made the wyrm rear up in uncertainty, never having the feeling of fear creep into its mind as an apex predator. It was unsure how to cope, so instead it roared out to the incoming attackers to make them back off, but it was already to late for that. At the same time as Anrak would be making his strike, Chihiro's spear was launched toward her prey, the wyrm making itself an easy target when it reared back, the spear pierces through the eye, and out the other side of its skull. Hilde, seeing her chance to finalize the creature's death, summoned forth the wind to compress itself into the eye wound, pressurizing oxygen into one spot before lighting it with fire, causing a concentrated and potent explosion, making a crater where the creature's eye once was, making sure it was dead as a chunk of its skull was now open to the air. The wyrm fell to its side, kicking up a cloud of sand, which quickly started to turn red with its blood.

The skiff came to a stop after, an eerie silence took the place of the chaos that they had just been released from. Dorran slumped back in his seat, exhausted form using too much fire."Th-that was incredible!"[/color] Bidzil exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like it. No monster like this or even magic like that!" Dorran looked back to Bidzil with a withering gaze. "Be glad it was a small one, kid. And we need to get out of here soon, other wyrms will smell its blood and come for a meal, they don't mind eating each other, or any other snacks milling about. Morna, you can take over from here, get us to the cave with the others, we will rest there tonight," Dorran said as he sluggishly climbed out of the control seat.

Hilde glided up in her smaller skiff, the excitement still evident on her face. "That was brilliant! The bandits won't know what hit'em! And who would have thought that a fire priest would have been here just in time. The monster didn't know what to do about you, gave it a good fright!" Hilde babbled happily to Anrak. "And Chihiro, what an amazing shot! It was perfectly placed! I had never seen a spear pierce a sand wyrm before!"

"Hildebrand!" the chief called, irritation obvious in his voice. Hilde winced a little, her smiling fading instantly like a child knowing why she was getting fussed at. "I heard you were to stay in Kalla. Your father will have our heads if he knew you were out here with us. Hell, he might even know by now..." He looked up at the wyrm for a moment then shook his head. "Bandits he may be just furious about, but this... we won't mention it, alright? Not for a while anyway," he smirked. Hilde then let a sheepish smile appear, but it was quickly wiped from her face when he pointed to her. "Oh no, don't think you are in the clear. Meet with us at the cave, we have a bit to discuss," He looked to Morna, the other firekin that was with them, "alright lets get over there before the other party starts freaking out."

Hilde looked to Anrak, "Hey, you were looking for armor right? Well, you could do much worse than using the hide of a sand wyrm. If you can cut it out, it would work well against most average weapons," she smiled with a wink to the large man as the skiff started to move away from her. She then hopped onto her skiff and started to follow them to the cave, which was within eyesight of where the sand wyrm had fallen.



In the darkest part of the night, when all should be silent as Kalla slept, a lone bell started to right out. When all should be dark, fires were alight in the fields and some buildings. The two foreigners would awake and see not the town at slumber, but the starting of a battle. There was shouting and fighting, and the occasional burst of fire from a firekin, however, one thing was quite noticable at the square. The number of bodies that surrounded a giant of a man, fighting scores more of men on his own, his great axe bringing down multiple attackers as a scythe to wheat. Crushing opponents under his feet and under his mighty fists. Allard, a man that was normally so jovial, driven into rage aimed against the men who would dare harm the people in his town that he saw as family. They would all pay at the edge of his blade, the streets would run red tonight.

There were skirmishes all through the town, fighting off one of the largest bandit hordes ever seen by Kalla. Normally the bandit groups that would attack were small and cocky, thinking they could take on the town without a fight, however, this group of bandits was well put together, as if there were militants mixed into the wild Varuk bandits to bolster their fighting forces. At one point there was a large man trying to shove the doors to the inn open, though it was quickly silenced as Allard, from afar fighting in the square, pulled out a large hunting knife and threw it, the blade burying itself deep into the man's skull from behind, the point jutting out his forehead at the other end, dead before he hit the ground.

"COME ON THEN, YA COWARDLY RAT BASTARDS! I'LL TEAR EVERY ONE OF YA APART IF I HAVE TO!" Allard yelled to the masses of enemies as he plowed through them. As many as he killed though, he wasn't going without his own injuries, multiple slash and stab wounds accumulated, but nothing seemed to bring the titan down. If the enemy thought that they could catch this place defenseless, they were dead wrong. A number of foes would see the grisly sight of all the bodies around Allard and turn and run to find weaker foes, though few would escape his wrath as Allard could catch up in just a few paces, his weight seemingly having no effect on the man's speed. The last thing they would feel was a heavy axe splitting them in two as it crashed to the ground, causing everything to shake from the impact. "YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU WILL ONLY DIE TIRED!"

Upon the wyrm being killed, Kistal let out a small sigh and a quiet burp. "Well, seems like my work helped out a good bit. Now, where were we? Ah yes, the 'priest' needs talking to." He stepped over to Anrak and pointed at the bible. "Those are rare at best and you do not look like any other fire priest I have ever seen. Now, I am not one to particularly judge, but this is my allies. At the very least, I believe you should explain. Otherwise, I will be keeping a wary eye on you, and I do not sleep."

Chihiro watched Hilde act like other new adventurers on their first big kill. The chief's chastisement led to the naga to tap her chin and then walk over to Hilde. "To be fair, Allard is essentially smothering her dreams. I will keep an eye on her. Hilde, stick close to me." She then turned to the chief. "If Allard raises a fit, send him my way. I will assuage him." She wrapped an arm around Hilde. "Besides, it is nice to have a brave and pretty young woman seeking to better herself."

"Why, my lady, introducing myself is the least I can do," Sev replied with a confident smile, nimbly taking her hand in his and raising it to his mouth to give it a gentle kiss on the back of her knuckles, "I am Sevuid Chigi, renown mage and warrior."

Releasing her hand he finished with a bow of his own that, while decent did betray his less than noble heritage to those with a skilled eye. Straightening he reached out one hand behind himself and, with a flick of his wrist, his previously stationary staff flew to his hand with a slight gust of air, the still sweat stained hat rocking about atop the slender headpiece.

"Though my friends call me Sev," he finished with another grin at Maeve, "and, should it come to it, I hope to be your friend if we are required to fight side by side."

"And I agree," Sev commented when Maeve mentioned the weather, "had I better control over ice magics I might try to cool things down, but, alas, unless you wish to be pelted with icicles we'll just have to hope the night is a more refreshing temperature."

Retiring to his own room Sev nearly collapsed on the bed after traveling all day in the heat he was more than ready for some sleep of his own. He barely managed to remember to cast an air ward on the door to his room, which would create a loud snap if the door was opened without him disarming it first. It seemed like moments before the tolling of a bell, followed by shouting and screaming outside woke him from his slumber. Groaning the traveling warrior mage got to his feet, pulling on his hastily removed cloak and removing the ward from the door with a wave of his hand.

He half stumbled down the stairs, relying on his staff for balance, arriving at the tavern just in time to hear a meaty thunk and see the door shake as whoever had been trying to get in was killed.

"Uh, people these days," Sev grumbled, shaking himself awake and preparing several spells in his mind, "no manners whatsoever."

Undoing the bolt lock he stepped outside, and over the corpse of whoever had been trying to enter the Inn, Sev took in the battle taking place in the small town. The big barkeep had the majority of the bandits under control it seemed, judging by the bodies stacked up around him. Clearly whoever these bandits were didn't agree, however, as one wielding a short sword lunged at Sev, eager for what seemed like an easier target.

While Sev might not be the combat powerhouse of Allard, he wasn't a pushover by any means. He lifted his staff to parry the incoming attack, something the bandit was ready for, reversing his swing to avoid the block. It didn't help, however, as what seemed like an invisible blade of air sliced through his neck as his own sword passed through Sev harmlessly. The bandit collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck and gurgling in confusion as the Sylve almost calmly looked around for more enemies.

"Well, isn't this quite the predicament I've found myself in here," he sighed.

Allanon relaxed only slightly after the beast had been defeated. He heard a belch behind him as Kistal commented about his work done well before accosting Anrak. He wondered exactly what had the beastman done? Taking a moment to consider he knew there were many varieties of spell casting. In many ways the most insidious spells could not been seen.

There were two spell casters on his former team: one used healing, and the other used curses. The curse user was a large reason their missions often went without a hitch. Her in combination with his wife, their scout, often had enough to make their operations very smooth. The effects of the curse user were never clear unless pointed out. She preferred being called a "control mage". Unfortunately, she was no longer alive.

Of the six of his team, only the healer, stealth assassin, and himself were still alive after all these years. While he did not miss working as the Calabris' slave, Allanon did miss the team that had become his family. Perhaps he could recapture that feeling before old age or a Calabris agent took his life.

Allanon faced the folks on board. "I think we should make clear what we are capable of so we can best come up with a plan of attack. Not many will be better with the sword than myself, so I'll be best as a front-lines fighter."

Maeve smiled and giggled as the man introduced himself, gently kissing the back of her hands. Truth be told, she wasn't expecting to be greeted like that, which made her a bit surprised. While he was trying to be formal, his less than adequate greeting, by the standards of an Isoli noble, of course, made it obvious that he wasn't exactly a noble. That said, the man was still charming and did made her laugh.

"A mage and a warrior... Quite intriguing..." she said, raising an eyebrow with a mischievous expression on her face as the man introduced himself.

"It is getting a bit late, but it was certainly a pleasure to meet you, Sev." she said, with a discreet bow, calling her in a less formal manner before she retired for the night.

---

Despite what Maeve had said before going to sleep, that she had a light sleep, one didn't need such thing to wake up on that particular night. In the middle of the night, the city bells started echoing through the town. Only a single glance through the window was enough for one to know what was going on. Fires lit up the town as buildings burned. The sounds of skirmishes in the distance, coming from multiple parts of the town and the smell of smoke made it clear what was happening. The most shocking scene going on though, wasn't the burning buildings or some fights going on in other places of the town... Instead, right on the middle of the square, a familiar, large man was surrounded by corpses, as he wielded an axe as big as himself and crushed many attackers under the weight of his strikes. Much to Maeve's surprise, the figure was no one but the same amicable Allard, whom she had met the previous night.

It didn't take much time for Maeve to get ready. Waking up and grabbing her rapier, she was already dashing down the stairs after but a single minute after she woke up. The second she got down, she was met by Sev standing just in front of a dying bandit.

"I certainly wasn't expecting something like this..." Maeve said as she stopped nearby the door, looking outside.

"Isn't this a bit too big of an attack to be made by just random bandits...?" Maeve asked, wondering if somehow, it had something to do with the kidnappings and the attack Valia had suffered.