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Silas leaned on the railing of the balcony attached to his quarters. He closed his eyes as he solemnly basked in the warm rays of the morning sun and contemplated the journey ahead of him. Lady Wyght and Lady Rayne tried to put on a brave front while giving their short brief, but Silas could see through it. They were scared and had every right to be. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something big and terrible was approaching...that is, if one paid attention to the signs. He had several encounters with the Walkers over the past few months and they seemed to be more driven and purposeful than ever before. Their mixture of anxiety and confidence was palpable and Silas could sense a growing power within them. And now, he was being recruited to help House Marelda, which was further cause for concern. Usually when Paladins from several guilds gathered for a mission, it was serious.

Silas took a final deep breath of air before returning to his room to finish his travel preparations. As he gave his swords a final sharpening and packed his bag, a knock on his door broke his pensive mood. He walked to the door and opened it just enough to see out, knowing well in advance who would be behind it. To no surprise of his, Rae’annah stood just outside with her hands behind her back.

“Are you ready yet? We gotta get a move on,” she said as she cocked her head slightly to the side.

“Really, Rae? You in that big of a hurry?” Silas said as he returned to his bag, leaving the door cracked.

“No….you’re just slow, is all,” Rae replied, forcing the door open the rest of the way and propping herself up in the doorway.

Silas rolled his eyes slightly and continued to pack. “You know we’re taking the short route to Marelda, right? I have to make sure we’re good on supplies. You know it’s not the safest of journeys.”

Rae contoured her face into pseudo-seriousness. “First of all, don’t roll your beady little eyes at me, mister. And just because it’s a shorter route doesn’t mean we can take our sweet time.”

“Well, for your information, I was almost done anyway…so you really accomplished nothing by barging in here like a madwoman,” Silas said with a smirk.

“Oh, please, I did not ‘barge in here’...” Rae’annah righted herself and revealed the two large pieces of fruit she had been holding behind her back. She tossed one to Silas just as he closed his pack. “Think fast, slow poke!”

Silas reacted in just enough time to catch the fruit. “Thanks.”

“What would you do without me?”

“I’d survive.”

“Hmph...I don’t think so.” Rae gave Silas a light shove and sat on the bed next to his pack. Her mood turned slightly more serious. “Things are getting worse. I can feel it and I know you can, too. Are we sure we’re ready for what’s coming?”

“Ready? It can’t be any worse than what we’ve faced before, right? Whatever’s going on here, the Walkers won’t win.” Silas took a big bite of his fruit and wiped away the juice that started to run down his chin with the back of his hand.

“Right.” Rae’annah hopped down from the bed and headed out the door. She scooped up her own bag that had been sitting just outside and slung it over her shoulder. “Well, anyway...c’mon, slow poke...the others are waiting.” She took a bite of her own fruit and headed down the hall.

Silas shook his head as he placed his fruit on the bed and sheathed his swords. Once he donned his pack, he grabbed the fruit and took another bite. It was rather tasty this morning and he was inwardly more grateful for the gesture than he showed on the outside. He grabbed the door with his free hand and closed it behind him as he made his way to meet the rest of the group.

---

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Remon massaged the back of his neck, his nose deep in a book and mind at work as always, even if he were not in his usual abode. Being in the back of a cart wasn't that bad, but it was far from ideal, as the cramps radiating up and down his spine could attest. The journey itself had been pleasant however, albeit a bit long, and a tad uncomfortable as the cold morning air had given his side cause to ache even with the thick blanket he'd worn. An unfortunate suffering, but one he dealt with like he always had. As for the purpose of his trip, it was simple. He had been summoned. Something about Walkers poking around in places they shouldn't. An occurrence he wouldn't have batted an eye at normally, but one he did so to now thanks to their recent behavior. They'd been on the offensive more often as of late, attacking villages and plundering settlements in broad daylight, consequences be damned.

A bold tactic, even for them.

Blinking, he turned his attention back to the equation upon which he was working. It was a distance formula, one that would hopefully increase the overall effectiveness of his teleportation ability. He'd been having some troubles with it lately, namely when he wished to teleport more mass than that which his body could naturally provide, and over a greater range to boot. The solution had evaded him however, to his chagrin. Sighing, he shut the book and put away his quill, electing to focus on the tranquility of his surroundings instead. Watching as trees, hills, and grass he was familiar with gradually gave way to the exotic fauna and flora bordering House Marelda's territory. Taking a breath, he tested the air, noting its increased humidity and dankness. A sharp contrast to the far lighter and far sweeter atmosphere of House Darthon.

Leaning back, hands propped behind his head, Remon let out a tension filled sigh. Closing his eyes, he attempts to drift off to the rhythmic creaking of the cart as it moves deeper into the surrounding jungle...

The light from the sun was waning when they finally arrived in town. House Marelda was reputed to guard its territory jealously, and Inoques had some worry that they'd have trouble at the gates, but their entrance into the town passed without incident. Soon afterwards Mortirmir departed to seek room and board, so she decided to look for an establishment which would sell her a drink — mostly to get out of the noxious humidity characteristic of the Mareldan jungle than any particular desire for refreshment. And, Inoques admitted to herself privately, she found the people of this world endlessly entertaining when they were in their cups.

She found a quaint establishment and paid the doorman for entry, pretending not to notice his gawking. She passed through a gate and into a small courtyard, and in the center of it a woman sang in high, warbling notes to the accompaniment of tambourines and other local instruments Inoques could not place. Inoques smiled at the singer appreciatively before taking a seat on a tall stool in front of the bar. She ordered two cups of wine from the barman — he stared too, but took her money readily enough — and settled into her seat to wait for her husband. Inoques could feel him now, as if an invisible gossamer thread connected them. In some ways, she mused, it was not a poor analogy.

A man sat down next to her. "Nice tattoos." He said by way of greeting, and took the opportunity to leer at her.

Inoques frowned. One thing she did not find entertaining about this world were encounters like this one.

"Do they go all the way down?"

She could feel her husband growing closer, and smiled involuntarily. The man seemed to take this as encouragement.

"How much, sugar? I have a room not far-" He stopped as she turned away from him. "Hey."

Inoques made to leave.

"Hey!" He said angrily, and reached for her.

There was hiss-crack, and suddenly the man was flat on his back, the remnants of his now-shattered stool scattered around him. The music ground to a halt, the instruments making a discordant sound as their owners abruptly stopped playing.

"I am a man slow to anger," said Mortirmir, his tone deadly serious as he stepped over a piece of splintered wood. "But if you should ever touch my wife, I think I shall kill you."

The man groaned, and then retched.

Mortirmir turned to Inoques and she grinned at him. "I bought you a cup."

~ ~ ~ ~

"You did that on purpose." Mortirmir said later, as they walked back to their inn.

"Yes." Inoques admitted, and smiled coyly.

He looked at her. "Why?"

She laughed, and took his hand in hers. "You know why."

"Hmm." He said, but she could tell he was pleased.

They passed the rest of their journey in companionable silence.

Lucien shifted slightly on the thick branch of the tree he had decided to perch himself in; taking in the beauty of the bright jungle around him. He pushed his hair out of his face with one hand while the other manipulated a small flicker of flame across his fingers. He let out a harsh sigh, contemplating the news that he had heard passing through the Wardens and Paladins of his House. The Walkers were attacking with more and more fervor, and as things stood that meant more people dying without anything being done. Just like them to attack those that couldn't defend themselves. It was the coward's way of instilling fear into people, and was the exact reason why he'd left home to join House Marelda. To stop these kinds of attacks, instead they were only getting worse.

"What do you think of the state of the world right now? Not the best, yeah," he directed towards a large, colorful jungle bird that had settled on a nearby branch. The bird cocked it's head curiously and hopped slightly closer before letting out a loud squawk in response.

It eventually hopped down onto the same branch he sat on. "I'll take that as an agreement," he responded, chuckling slightly as he pulled a piece of fruit out of one of the many pouches on his belt and placed it in front of the bird; leaning back onto the trunk of the tree as the bird pecked at the fruit. He let one leg swing off of the branch and looked up towards the thick canopy above him where he could just see the sky through the massive boughs.

"What do you think the members of the other Houses will be like?" He queried towards the bird as it hopped closer, allowing him to gently stroke it's colorful head with one finger, "it's been ages since members from the other houses have joined up for a mission. That doesn't bode well for what said mission will be though." The bird simply squawked again.

He set another piece of fruit in front of the bird, smiling fondly at the creature he glanced towards the ground and prepared to make his way down. The other Houses should be arriving soon enough, and he wanted to make sure he made it back before that. With nimble movements, from years of practice, he swung down from the branches of the massive tree, using the occasional vine to slow his descent between the branches. He jumped from the lowest branch, which was still several feet off the ground, and let his shoulder take the impact as he tucked into a roll across the soft soil of the jungle floor. He stood up, dusting the dirt off his trousers and tunic he began the walk back to House Marelda; letting the warm air and quiet sounds of the jungle soothe his troubled thoughts for now.

Darcy stood knee-deep in the chilly waters of the river near House Darthon. She was highly frustrated as she tried again and again in vain to skewer a fish on her spear. She had decided recently that she wanted to pick up a new skill, and spearfishing had seemed like a wonderful venture since she was so close to this river. She huffed and groaned with each failed throw, and her face grimaced with her ever-growing level irritation. Ceraseth gave an audible growl of impatience as he awaited what was supposed to be his breakfast.

“Oh shut up, Cera! I’d like to see you try this!” Darcy missed yet again as she made another awkward throw. She refused to accept defeat, but she knew that time was of the essence. Remon had already gotten a whole day’s head start on her and he was most likely already well into the jungle by now. Even though she wasn’t too worried about the travel time, she certainly didn’t have time to be fumbling around in the river trying to catch fish. Reluctantly, she decided to recruit some expert help.

“Alvorion!”

A small portal severed the air directly above the river and Alvorion descended gracefully through its threshold followed by his sister, Snow. The sky drakes landed on a pair of nearby rocks jutting above the surface of the crystal water. Alvorion rolled his ebony frame in a lengthy stretch, signifying his fairly recent awakening.

“Whatever it is...it’s too early…” Alvorion said slyly.

“Spare me the smartass comments. I’m freezing and Cera and I are hungry...we need to get some fish.”

“What...did they run out of food inside?” Alvorion retorted. He could see how irritated she was already and couldn’t help but prod her.

“Alvorion...”

“Now, brother, don’t pester her. She’s doing such a remarkable job. I mean just look at the haul she’s gotten already…!” Snow motioned a nod toward a spot on the bank directly behind Darcy. There wasn’t a single fin or gill in sight.

“How about I do a ‘remarkable job’ right through your left paw!”

“Well...judging by the state of your aquatic prey, I’d say my paws are more than safe.”

“Alright, ladies, enough…” Alvorion leapt off of his rock and hovered slightly over the water. “I haven’t eaten either, so let’s hurry up and get this grub.” His eyes began to glow bright white as he conjured his magic.

“Hey, wait, you dummy!” Darcy turned and half-sprinted, half-tripped her way out of the river just in time enough for Alvorion to send a bolt of lighting crashing into the water. Several electrocuted fish floated lifelessly to the surface, and the sky drakes began retrieving them. As they collected their catch onto the shore, Ceraseth blasted each scaly snack with a plume of flames. Darcy sat with her arms folded as her draconic brood finished preparing their meal. Cera floated over to his flustered invoker and dropped a freshly cooked fish in front of her before going back for his own. Darcy calmed down slightly as she devoured her breakfast a bit too hungrily. After a moment, the fish had all but disappeared, and everyone’s bellies were full.

“Feel better now, Darcy?”

“Shut up.”

“Oh...still a little salty, I see.”

“Hmph...anyway, we have some traveling ahead of us. We’re heading to Marelda for a mission.”

“Well, don’t even think about riding this little drake. I just got finished grooming my feathers,” Snow replied abruptly, striking a regal pose.

Darcy rolled her eyes and shook her head. She didn’t even have the energy to argue. Instead, she grabbed a bit of mud from the ground and chunked it at Snow. The clod nailed the drake directly in the ribs, soiling her milky white fur.
“Rude!” Snow gasped as she flapped her wings in alarm. Alvorion immediately proceeded to go into hysterics.

“You know what...now I feel better.” Darcy smirked as she mounted Alvorion’s back and grabbed a tuft of mane. Ceraseth followed suit and curled into Darcy’s lap. “Alright, make it snappy, twinkle toes...we’re a little behind.”

Darcy winked at Snow as Alvorion spread his wings to full span and lifted off. Snow huffed in annoyance and followed shortly behind her brother.