The repetition pointed them in the direction of the riddle once again. Ben had little doubt they were wrong, but it was surprising nonetheless. The next guess would be the Sinnenodel House. If it was not them, then they would just continue until they ran out of objects. Before he would instruct Lilie to point him in the direction of the next object, however, she met him with new information. No, that was incorrect, she had neglected to inform him of their complete surroundings. He was not surprised in the slightest; information gathering seemed to be a worryingly glaring weakness of the mage.

For the moment he would put that aside as he thought to himself. If the King did not accept the object, then the object must go elsewhere. He considered taking a swing at the pillar as a last resort, feeling the area where they had left the weapon last. It came to him easily and he held it to him as he took a few steps away from the statue.

"The item is correct. The method is where we failed," Ben said. "The King mentions he who does not fear him. I believe that we must summon his fellow men to rise the way he did."

With one hand outstretched did Ben walk, and by pure chance did his hand touch something smooth and cold. As tempting as it was to take out whatever frustrations he had on said pillar, he resisted. Instead he touched weapon to pillar as he thought to himself. What would they do now? Had there been any changes?

"Inform me of whatever surroundings move and change around us," Ben said.

---

> Ha, ha. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you I don’t really have that luxury.
> But, fine. Good luck with all that. Let me know if there's anything I can do.

What the hell was Aaron doing that was taking him so long to respond? Hopefully Cinnamon sent him on a chore while he and Eris were embarrassing themselves and this twat wasn't just pretending to be busy so he didn't look needy. Everytime Max thought he was finally done with him, he'd respond again. At least that one had some finality to it. And what the fuck did he mean, he didn't have that luxury? Was he on 'babysit Eris' duty or something? There's no way the count would trust someone he evidently thought was totally incompetent with that. Unless he really did consider Eris such a minor player in this game that he wasn't even worth keeping tabs on.

He was tempted to respond, despite his better judgement, when the door opened. That was suspiciously quick. Even if Eris was a total quickdraw, there's no way he'd have returned by now. More importantly, that didn't seem like enough time to probe Varis into saying something he shouldn't've, so the entire endeavor would've been a pointless risk. The vampire didn't say anything either, which wasn't much of a surprise if he was concerned Max was going to explode again; but he still had a sinking feeling Eris fucked up while he was over there.

He poked his head out of his room briefly, only to see the vampire had retreated to his own room. Still not suspect in itself, but given the circumstances, it wasn't assuaging Max's misgivings. Was he in there crying or something? The mage was tempted to ask Aaron for details, but it was probably better to get them from Eris. Aaron might not've even been there, and as much as Max would prefer a dynamic of Team Mages versus Team Vampires, Team Sinnenodel was probably his more pressing opponent.

He hated politics.

Eris reemerged soon enough, which was a good sign. Sort of. Hearing him slump down in front of the TV like a bored father going through a midlife crisis was a bit concerning, but it wasn't like Max could say his own daily routine was particularly riveting either. Max could probably be rid of him for the rest of the night if he kept up the silent act, but the longer he waited to address this, the less likely he was to get anything out of Eris.

"Alright, spill. The Retriever said you were being a sentimental pussy and now you're back way too soon. D'you fuck up or something?" Max questioned as he paced out of his room and leaned on the doorframe. Hell, did Eris even go over there or did he change his mind and leave at the last minute? Probably his best move, given the circumstances. Though he was more confident that he was going to get a response about how they were both on Cinnamon's hit list now or something.

---

@Hero

Just as he had suspected the light it self seemed to be the clue. A small flower glowing brightly balancing on the hilt of a blade. At the very least it was definitely out of place. Victor tried the door but it was locked, “of course its locked.” He spoke to himself. He was deciding on how to open the door when Salem called out for assistance.

Gripping the axe in hand he looked down towards the boy and the two he was fighting. The mage seemed broken but knew what it was doing, the vampire on the other hand was moving with speed and agility as well in ways he hadn’t seen used in some time. Swinging carelessly but still with an amount of precision and personal harm to move its arms in the way it was moving. It was almost as if it was already dead.

The axe was at the very least balanced appropriately for its size and weight, the material was quite strange. Normally obsidian would never be able to be forged like this, it was sharp sure but brittle better for small knives and arrows. The count looked to the cabin once more and didn’t see any obvious markings or additional riddles that would get the door open. Not only that but did he really want to draw the Lord’s ire by breaking into his precious cabin? Even if it was just an illusion.

The answer was clear to him at least. Squinting at the masked mage for a moment, shifting his body one way then another as he gauged the distance between himself and the mage. With one step and a heavy swing Victor threw the axe at the mage aiming for center mass. “The clue is in here!” he shouted back to Salem. The locked door wouldn’t get in his way, if he did what he was about to do in real life he knew full well he would likely be killed. However, just imagining the shit storm it would put his father in would be well worth it.

With fury growing in his mind and the anger of what his family had done to him beginning to reemerge. Victor kicked the front door of the cabin with all the might and rage he could muster. If the door didn’t budge he would hit it again. If again the door didn’t budge he would try to break the windows, the walls, and the roof if he had to. Even if the door gave way with the first kick, he would attempt to pull out the blade and continue to destroy whatever he could get away with inside the small cabin.

@Trainerblue192

---

Max rolled his eyes as Eris was halfway through his story. He really was droning on and on. What was this? A threat? A cope? A diversion? All of the above? Apparently everything that occurred today was a calculated plan now, of course. He didn't believe a word of it, but if it was true, he'd prefer it to the alternative. At least Eris was being too... Eris for anything to have gone horribly wrong. Plus, all the creepy nonsense the Retriever was texting him about actually being an act would honestly be a relief.

"Manners are for people I'm lying to, Eric. I'll spare you the patronization of pretending I like being your pet." They were even back to the same song and dance. Maybe Eris was a fucking genius; Max knew exactly what he was doing and yet he was playing along perfectly. What the hell did him talking some security guard into letting him bring something into the exam have to do wit- see, it was working! He was tempted to actually ask what the fuck that had to do with anything and ignore the elephant in the room! "As for watching you, it looks to me like you're dodging my question. Long-winded story we both know I don't care about, thinly-veiled threat I won't heed, a little bit of prodding to get me arguing instead of prying into your business - you're gassed up right now, so clearly something went right over there. Are you gonna tell me what that something is or should I save myself the trouble?"

Unless the vampire wanted to get one last bit of sass out before Aaron rang the doorbell and melted him down into powdered bloodsucker, Max sincerely doubted their little tryst had gone sour in a way that might end up affecting him. Which, quite frankly, was enough for him to wash his hands of the issue for now. If Eris wanted to be some unsolvable puzzle, that was fine by Max; evidently he was too 'hot and cold' for the vampire to have any luck on his end either.

---

@Hero

---

"Thank you. Was that so hard?" Honestly, half of that was information he genuinely needed to know if he was going to be looking into this. Or did Eris expect him to just drop everything on a whim when he said 'Hey go look up someone named Greta' with no further context? At this point, the mage was convinced vampires lied just for the sake of lying. The leech was awfully confident in this lead, too. From Max's perspective, it seemed like Eris wasted his time over there. Varis being distracted was a draw at best, not a win.

"Couple questions, though. First off, I'm not being forcefully invited to this little tea party with Ryner tomorrow, right?" He doubted Eris would even want him there, but Ryner was eccentric enough that he could see her insisting. Though, given the intent was probably to gossip behind closed doors, Max doubted she'd want a mage present either. "Secondly, do you think it's a bad idea to ask the Retriever about this Greta thing? He's probably the best source for royal family information, but Varis has him so neutered that he might blab about me asking no matter how innocuously I word it."

Taking the risk was less work, but it was better to err on the side of caution when he was working right under Cinnamon's nose. Even if he did ask, he'd have to wait at least a few weeks for Aaron to forget all about the test and not try to put two and two together, not to mention a valid excuse as to why the resident apathetic grump was suddenly interested in an irrelevant dead leech.

---

@Hero

The reveal of the kill card brought a sense of relief to the Countess as Lord Peiron’s youthful face peered up from the table. While she was thrilled that one of their two placements had brought them their first ‘win’, she was content in knowing that, at the very least, it wasn’t a loss. She turned to shoot Maddie a small smile before accepting the chips back, the stack now one more than when they had started. Without hesitation the dealer began speaking once again, moving the pair along into their next clue.

“A blade long sealed away for keep, with care and love does it sleep, this one who wields with it perfect skill, equal to tongue and pen in kills.”

Whatever buzz the recent win had brought was quickly replaced with frustration as the man finished speaking. She couldn’t help but to feel that they were being met, yet again, with trick words and half-truths.

“I know there’s a saying about pens being mightier than swords but I’m fairly certain that was meant to be in reference to diplomacy rather than body count. Alrighty then, what do we take literally and what should view through a metaphorical lens?”

Ben did feel the weapon slowly being pulled out of his grip but did not fight it. He waited with great anticipation, his fingers lightly pressed against the marble as he tried to feel a difference. Once upon a time there was a story about a vampire who had somehow gone blind and his other senses worked so well that he could tell the difference in everything he touched. That was a simple story of course, but until he knew what was the result of his actions he couldn't think of anything else. Perhaps this was a sign that he needed to better hone his other senses; he could say with pride that his eyesight was excellent but the rest had room for improvement.

Fortunately he did not have to wait long as Lilie informed him of what had happened: the pillar had changed and a crest had appeared. One step in the right direction, I assume, He thought to himself, but the fact that that was the only change hinted that there was more work to be done. The young vampire straightened up and backed away from the pillar while he considered his next options. He had to fight the urge to search himself, feeling quite vulnerable for a second.

"We will repeat the process until there is nothing left," Ben said. "Guide me to the other objects and once we are finished, we will see if the rest of the nobles follow His Majesty's lead and make an appearance before us as well."

There was no concrete confidence in his choice but it would be a step forward if nothing else. He believed once the pillars were set up that something must happen. If not, then they would simply have to adjust accordingly. Considering that was very much a possibility, Ben made sure to think of a few alternative choices while he waited for Lilie to lead him towards the other objects.

---

Eris' logic made no sense to Max sometimes. He didn't see how Cinnamon knowing what he was up to would be advantageous, but if Eris was going to give him a license to act openly and not have to sneak around, he wasn't going to protest. Plus, that meant he was allowed to act suspicious when he was asking under the guise of just being bad at the information gathering game. As for the second question, he really didn't know where to start with that. Clone-Eris didn't give him much, and Max couldn't figure out the significance of the things he did leak anyway. Something about his family? He didn't even know who those people were, Ismene and - fuck, what was the other one's name? Antagonism? - aside.

"I learned you can't direct worth a fuck," The mage replied flatly, "He did bring up little illusions of what I'm assuming was your family, but I had no idea who the fuck those people were. Other than that, your clone was reveling in the attention I was giving it too much to get flustered and start spilling secrets." He wrinkled his nose in distaste, "Except for when he got weird at the end."

He really hoped that was the test talking and not Eris. Sentimental headpatting did not need to become part of their usual routine. Eris wasn't the worst leech to coexist with - a fact he'd never admit out loud - but anything more than that was flagrantly ignoring the fundamental incompatibility between vampires and people.

Max leveled an accusatory scowl at the vampire after a moment. "I think the fake was nicer than you are."

---

@Hero

“With how the exam has played out so far I can’t be certain of anything anymore. Just when you think you have a handle on things Ryner shows up with another surprise.” Amaris lightly tapped the side of the knuckle of her first finger against her bottom lip thoughtfully. She had to agree with Maddie that the Sinnenodels and Astorios were skewed too far in their respective ideologies for there to be any sense of balance. But the remaining two families weren’t standing out to her either. If the blade in question was, in fact, a literal blade, it was not one that she knew of. Then again, until recently she hadn’t known a thing about what her blood was capable of either. If such a secret had to be kept from her, there was no telling what other information she would have to dig up at some point.

“I have doubts about Eve as well. The treaty was signed five hundred years ago, yet Lutheran has only been a representative for about one. Had the Fates selected Biero as they had done my father I might have reconsidered, but as it stands, Lutheran isn’t even recognized as a Lord. The Count lacks the authority we’re looking for.” The Countess noted to her partner. “What about Ryner. The Noila’s are the highest authority we have after all.”

The walk from the infirmary to the post office wasn’t far, but with Max having quieted down, there was nothing to distract Aaron from his stewing. He realized about halfway there that if he fiddled with his note in his pocket anymore he’d destroy it, and had to make a conscious effort to spin his ring instead, picking up the pace just to leach off some nervous—or perhaps frustrated—energy. Some of the tension he’d been relieved of at the infirmary was coming back, balling up in his chest like some kind of angry swarm, and with every step he took, he grew more and more agitated. Part of him almost wanted to turn back, crumple up his strongly-worded letter and just let Ryner deal with whatever storm Varis was about to sweep into her office without warning, but he didn’t stray. For once, this wasn’t about her. He was doing this for him.

He pushed open the post office door with a little more force than he intended, but luckily there weren’t many people inside to hear the ensuing bang. It must have been a slow night, with a quarter of the school occupied and all; in fact, there was only one other patron in the small building, standing at the counter with his back to the door. Inside, the office was unexpectedly cold; moreso than would have made sense if a gust of cold wind had simply blown in when the door opened. But when the only other patron turned around at the sound of the door, Aaron realized with an inward groan the exact source of the chill.

Ralph.

“Damn. I was enjoying my night away from you.” Ralph grumbled, his expression mirroring Aaron’s feeling. He all but slammed the package on the counter, ignoring the postal worker as they weighed it in favor of glaring at Aaron. “Your master let you off your leash already, huh? Guess you’re pretty good at licking dirt off your master’s boots.”

Aaron only became aware of the tiny sliver of good mood left in him when it drained away at the sight of Ralph. He leveled him with a cold stare, crossing his arms.

“How kind of you to notice,” he replied cooly, walking up to the second kiosk of the counter and leaning an elbow on the desk. Fortunately, there was a small basket with blank envelopes available for use, and Aaron quickly produced his note, skimming it one final time before stuffing it into one.

“I hope that's the only package you have tonight,” Aaron commented as he sealed his envelope, unable to resist a jab. Yeesh, maybe Varis was wearing off on him. “Stay here any longer and the poor staff will freeze.”

"They can put on a jacket." Ralph muttered, taking a moment to confirm the sending information. "I know you don't like getting too much time off your leash but us peons can afford them too now. It’s amazing how much things can change 500 years after you sold us all off."

“Indeed. And what prosperity we bought,” Aaron replied, shooting Ralph a smug grin. He used a pen from the desk to write Ryner’s name and title on the front of the envelope in elegant script, then flipped it over to write “No Reply Necessary” on the back.

With the office attendant still working on Ralph’s package, Aaron turned toward him, drumming his fingers on the counter. Fuck it, tonight was bad enough already; he could afford to have some fun.

He put on a blatantly false pensive expression, looking up at the ceiling. “Speaking of… you're Mr. Martin’s nephew, right?”

Ralph just scoffed at Aaron's comment, grabbing a pen and filling out the paper the postal worker asked him to sign. "Unfortunately. Why does it matter?"

“Hmm…” Aaron kept his face carefully thoughtful, having to resist the urge to grin. No wonder Eris messed with people so much - it was a surprisingly good stress reliever. “I thought I recognized the name, and I finally remembered why.” He slapped the counter, grinning. “One of my great-grandmothers was a Martin!”

Ralph stared at Aaron like he'd grown a third head. The postal worker quietly took the form and the package off the counter, placed a receipt in the same spot, and placed them on the counter along the back wall. Ralph's jaw clenched and relaxed repeatedly. The postal worker turned to Aaron.

"What can I help you with tonight?" She asked.

"Don't be disgusting. There's no way I'm related to a family of vampire fetishists." Ralph ground out. If looks could kill, Aaron would have dropped dead. Ralph certainly wished he would. "There's more than one Martin family out there."

Aaron grinned smugly at Ralph, the strangest giddiness filling him at the sight of that scowl, before turning his attention to the postal worker. “I’d like this sent as soon as possible, please. Before sunset tomorrow, if possible,” he asked politely, sliding the sealed envelope toward her. As he did, he brushed his hair behind his ear, covertly flashing his Sinnenodel earring.

Turning back to Ralph, he shrugged, insufferably nonchalant. “Yeah, you're probably right. There's no way your Martins are connected to the Garrick family.”

“We can probably have it there before sunrise.” She said, skipping over the outgoing mail slot and depositing it in priority mail. “Was that everything you needed tonight?”

The family name wiped that scowl off his face immediately. “You’re joking.” Ralph said flatly, though his face had paled considerably. “We are not related in the slightest. I refuse to believe we share any sort of blood relation.”

Aaron smiled sweetly at the post office worker. “Yes, that's everything, thank you.”

He didn't bother wiping the grin off his face when he turned to Ralph. “Small world!” He exclaimed happily, leaning on the counter like he hadn't a care in the world. “Oh yeah, the Noilas pull from the Garrick Martins every few generations or so. I hear they're very healthy. You and I probably have more than just one common ancestor.” He had to laugh, the look on Ralph’s face pleasing him more than he'd care to admit. “What are the chances?”

“Fuck you.” Ralph snatched the receipt off the counter and flipped Aaron off. “Go ruin someone else’s night.” He stormed out of the postal office, slamming the door as he left. The postal worker, Sarah, just rolled her eyes at the display as she typed at the computer.

Breaking into full-on laughter for the first time in what felt like months, Aaron must have looked like a maniac cracking up in the post office, actually needing to brace himself on the counter to get it all out of his system. By the time he was done, his eyes were watering and his cheeks were sore from smiling. He had to take a few breaths to calm himself down enough to thank the postal worker and make it out of the door, welcoming the cold air on his flushed cheeks. His only regret was that he hadn't had time to shout “See you around, cousin!” before Ralph took off, but that was fine. He'd have the chance to do that the next time he saw that asshole in class. For once, he was actually looking forward to it.

---

---

Interacting with:@ReusableSword

Salem was more than annoyed that Victors axe had not only missed its mark, but it also notified the mage of his magic. His blade of grass had withered like it was nothing, the mages magic proving its dominance in totality. If only he could removed the mased Salem should attempt to blind him. As the mage turned his attention towards Victor, and his back to Salem, the vampire he was with began to snap and tear as it grew grotesque vines that protruded from his body. There was now a dual sense within Salem. Horror and amazement. He would have to learn that spell later, if he survived this encounter. The vines began to lunge at Salem as he started to sprint away from the offending spell. If Victor had found a clue then Salem would buy him as much time as he could. He needed a way to cancel the spell the mage was doing while also keeping himself alive.

Salems breathing became harsh and difficult as he felt something within him constrict his breathing. Magic? His injuries from the vampire weren't severe enough to have damaged him like this, and his lungs weren't punctured by any means. He gritted his teeth as Salem threw his glaive towards the other mage whose back was still facing him. If the obsidian tip penetrated the plant mage then it could cancel out his magic and stop the vines while also affording Victor some more time. However if it didn't stop the magic then Salems life may be as good as forfeited.

Victor quite enjoyed breaking in the door to the cabin but knew he would have to wait to enjoy the moment for another time. Vines and grass were starting to grow up around the sword now and risked cutting off his ability to grab it or destroying it all together. He quickly reached for the blade and began pulling it out of the floor. The vines were quick to constrain him and the blade keeping him pinned for just a moment.

With a scream from outside the grass and vines went limp releasing their grasp on the blade and sending his back into the wall. Standing up Victor quickly moved out the front door to see that Salem was victorious and the other two lay motionless on the ground. He witnessed the lord clap his hands twice before moving off into the forest. With their task done victor began to walk down to Salem making sure to punch out one of the cabin windows on his way down.

“You handled yourself rather well with the mage and his minion. However, next time before jumping into a situation be sure to read the environment first.” Gesturing up towards the cabin, “there was a light up there, vampires don’t need light. The lord himself would not make such an accommodation for any mage or human.” Victor kicked the mage over onto its back picking up the mages wand and attempted for a moment to remove the mask before standing again.

“This one is known as Edmond, it’s not his real name. Like you he is a plant mage. However.” Pointing the sword at the pile of dust that was once a vampire. “This is what happens when an Astorio perverts plant magic, this one uses magic to distract while planting spores in its victims chest while they breathe. Eventually they become puppets like that one.” The count looked over his mage and any injuries he may have obtained then offered the hilt of the blade with the glowing flower to Salem. “Honestly I think those tactics are only useful to spread fear or to be used on a vampire that is otherwise useless because it limits our physical prowess, but does tend to make them more durable.”