---

“Come now, Sir Gray Flame. Her manner of speech is perfectly fine.” said Fia. She wrapped herself with her arms as she continued, “Being addressed as a lady is such a loving compliment. Please, my dear, you may continue to call me as such.” The focus quickly returned to the matter of the skull and the obsidian dagger. Fia had noticed them on the table as she circled the chamber. But at the time, they looked more decorative than otherwise. A dagger made of glass was not a new concept. Obsidian was naturally sharp. As for the skull, even with the attached chain, it would be unwieldy to use as any sort of jewelry.

Fia listened as Carnatia explained what the illusory elf said to her about the crystalline skull. Fia rested her arms on top of each other. She raised the top most arm up to her chin. That was kind of fascinating. Some part was their origins. Sarkaz. If elves were thought to once be angels, somehow it made sense to the sorceress for there to be some sort of antithesis to them. Not quite as fascinating as the djinn, but even those creatures of legend were more known about.

“I honestly don’t see what the problem would be, darling. I assumed the concern was over how bulky it was.” said Fia. She turned to look through the doorway into the next chamber, again. The skull just sat there without any care, oblivious to the discussion involving it. “I don’t know what activates it or its range. I can see your concern if it’s passive, darling. I wouldn’t want to bring harm to any of you lovelies.”

Fia turned to Carnatia shortly after Vesemir and Gray Flame spoke about the object. Like Carnatia, they seemed to think it would be of some benefit to bring it along. At least Vesemir was on board. Carnatia still remained cautious about it but otherwise hopeful. And Gray. He didn’t seem to have an opinion one way or the other. If anything he seemed to lean opposed. However, with the arrival of Engelbert, all opinions seemed to have swayed towards the latter.

“Well, I might be able to trap it within a void. But that would make it more cumbersome to carry than it already is.” said Fia, “I won’t know for sure whether that would be necessary without actually checking out the skull. Maybe if I get it to work, I would have a better understanding. I’m going to see what that skull has that has my dear Carnatia spooked.”

Fia took a couple steps back, twisting on her heel to move towards the chamber when Roxas approached. The healing elf waited until Fia left the conversation to bring up the strung artifact she gazed at before. Fia paused her steps for a moment.

“Oh? Now that’s an interesting idea.” said Fia. She started back towards the chamber, urging Roxas to come with her. It was an affinity for ice that was keeping Roxas from utilizing the bow to its full potential. That, and maybe some other sentimental reasons. But it was the affinity to frost magic that Fia latched onto. “Hmm, You know, darling, I haven’t considered using a bow before. I’ve always had my magic. And when that fails, I usually have my rapier.”

Fia entered into the chamber, but walked past the workbench where the skull rested instead stopping in front of the bow. The bow still stood in splendor, not tarnished once from the hundreds of years since it was lost handled. Fia stopped here because she wanted Roxas to consider the bow again. Besides the fact Roxas was the only one to show interest in it and would probably know how to use it, the bow had a heavy history tied to it that Fia would think a shame to leave abandoned in lands that might not be explored again in over another millennium.

“Tell you what. We can bring it along with us anyway. With its history, something special might occur for just having it with us.” said Fia. She gestured to the bow while keeping eye contact with Roxas. “But to learn archery, why don’t we help each other, deary? You might teach me to use a bow passably, but you will always be leagues more skilled than I. How about in exchange, I help you expand your elemental prowess to include frost? You already have an aptitude for magic. Your barrier was nigh impenetrable, and your healing was beautifully done. I think it could do us both some good to share our expertise.”

There was a short pause of a few seconds. Fia turned and took a step away, “I’ll let you think about it. I’ll be over by the work station when you have an answer, dear. There is that skull Carnatia is curious about, and she has made me wanting to investigate it as well.” Fia took a few strides towards the table where the skull and dagger rested. She attempted to get close enough to reach out and hold. She was curious on what sort of effects it had just handling it if at all. Perhaps also figure out some of the more logistical issues such as encumbrance and weight.

Rezello

---

Placing a hand on the metal shaft of the golem's warhammer, the characteristic silver light of Rezello's Armory spell extended out from his palm and engulfed the weapon for a few seconds before seeping into it. He smiled at the first new addition to his collection, grabbing it and pulling it from the shattered stone grasp of the slain construct. Holding it in both hands, he gave the weapon a few swings as the others explored the next room, getting a feel for its weight. Meanwhile, Vesemir had brought a sealed scroll out of the workshop and into the library; Rezello hadn't seen him come in and begin reading the incantations written on it, but it was difficult not to notice the effect that they had on everyone nearby.

Deciding he had done enough practice for the moment, Rezello shouldered the warhammer and walked into the workshop to see the others looking at or discussing various weapons that had been stored within, with the occasional appearance of what seemed to be an arcane projection of an elf explaining the items. At one end of the workshop, Tillius had acquired a fine-looking partisan spear, while an ornate silver bow rested along the wall opposite. Rezello managed to catch the tail end of one discussion that at this point had involved most of the present members of the party, regarding a dagger and accompanying skull, both made of crystal, and the apparent difficulty in transporting it - some curse-like aura emanating from the skull, from the sound of it.

It was a pity Armory didn't work on magic items, or else Rezello could've held on to it that way. Then again, even if it did, there was always the chance that its interaction with cursed items would be... unpleasant.

Whether it was her stronger magical background or by the simple expedience of being mentally prepared, the skull's whisper didn't smash into Fia quite the same way like the noblewoman a moment earlier. Still, there's significant difference between hearing about it and actually experiencing the effect. Her perception of the world itself warped, color taking a slightly more monochrome tint that wavered at the edge of her sight, indistinct echo of a primal chanting that was more felt than heard, the skull and dagger standing out by being the only thing that remained indifferent to the warping effect.

The mental effect was much more insidious, soft caress that would be easy to miss if one wasn't prepared or focused too much on the immediately perceived distortions. It was a soft caress at the back of one's mind, subtly trying to guide and change her value, to make death seems like the most appealing goal she could strive to. Fia could block it out without too much issue right now, but it's a constant effort to do so. If a mage of Theriadore's caliber had to erect a containment field to study the artifact for prolonged period, perhaps similar display of prudence was a wise thing to do.

Nevertheless, directly handling the crystal skull didn't cause any notifiable change. It was lighter than it looked, the inside hollow like a disconcertingly perfect replica of someone's skull down to the slightly assymetric nature of a natural one. Wearing it as a necklace would still be cumbersome, but not impossibly so.

Meanwhile, the dagger contained a more direct hungering for life upon touch. It was similarly easy to block, not dissimilar to ignoring the pounding of a light headache, but the black glass itself hungered to be wielded. Fia could see the herself slicing forward, feeling the grisly sensation of the glassy edge biting into exposed jugular, the warmth of lifeblood spraying on her face...

...a blink, and the image was gone. Only the ravenous hunger remained, contesting the skull's pull to plunge it on oneself instead of on others. The balance was tenuous, but perhaps that's how the previous wielders remained sane? For some time, at least.

---

It didn't seem like the hologram was sentient. The orc leaned side to side while it was talking and it didn't react to it, only when he had the spear, a message from the long departed.

From what he could figure, this spear had a stained past. Whoever was named Lukman was clearly very attached to the spear, and likely a good warrior to back its mythical status, but something had happened that made both the owner, the hologram to harbour such conflict towards this spear. For the elves, these objects and artifacts had a romantic notion to them as if they too are also human, and their legacy are tied to that of their owners. Tillius couldn't say he fully understood the sentimentality, but the blade clearly was in good shape, so its story continues to be written. Like that elf said, he ought to use this for the purpose of good, whatever that means with this group of adventurers.

Tillius spent a couple more minutes than the rest looking over the quality of this nifty weapon he just acquired. Even with just a whiff, the air already cried pain. It's a good weapon, something he would have loved to have possessed back in his service. And better yet, since it was made by elves for elves, the weight of the weapon was nowhere near heavy enough for him to be used with two hands. It wouldn't hinder his ability to use it in conjunction with the shield, unlike the two falchions that actually required two hands to use to its fullest extent. However, he is at the limit of his capacity.

Finally, he joined back the group. Like Rezello, he caught the tail-end of the conversation. Letting the lads have the discussion of whether or not they should carry around that skull that could potentially put everyone in jeopardy, Tillius stood by Rezello.

"Out of curiosity, how good are you with spears? Or twin swords?" He said to the man, still looking at the group hurdling in the workshop.

---

Well, now Fia understood why these items were of great concern to Carnatia, but also why the spellsword might have wanted to bring them along. Though Gray Flame might not have known the specifics, it seemed he had valid concern to the contrary. With a desire to end herself attempting to invade her mind, Fia steeled her resolve. This gnawing at her countenance was not going to break through. Similarly to the skull, the dagger also attempted to sway her mind more towards murderous intents. To harm oneself and to harm others, such a heinous enchantment to inflict on someone. If the wielder of these items were expected to endure such internal torment to use them, that was cruel punishment. Part of Fia wondered if the Sarkaz were immune to such effects, and these were more of a fail safe to prevent enemy faction use.

Fia held the skull in her hands. Despite being made of crystal, the skull was actually hollow. It was though this was the actual skull of a living being which happened to be made of a material other than bone. If the dagger was meant to rest within the insert at the forehead, how was the blood absorbed? That aside, Fia put both items back onto the bench. She noticed what appeared to be notes near where she picked up the cursed items. She gather up the pages gingerly and slowly left the table, trying to gauge just how far the effect range was.

Once Fia was clear of the crystallized item’s influence, Fia started to skim the notes. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but perhaps there might be some insight into what they discovered experimenting with them. Perhaps it might also have a clue on how it was contained. Depending on what she could find, maybe she could imitate their methods. Of course as soon as Fia started to look through them, a majority of them were in ancient elvish. Before Fia went to Vesemir and Gray with the notes, she decided to look through all of the pages anyway. Maybe she could infer some some information from any diagrams.

"Say, Lady Carnatia, how do you know about its effect? Did someone approached it already?"
The question was directed to Carnathia, still, Gray answered it anyway.

"Theriadore left messages for every item in that chamber. Looks like the Man had a lot of things to share before his demise. I couldn't blame him for that. After Luithiel killed his Brother, he seemed to have a trust issue with the Varenheim Government. I think that's also one of the reasons why those powerful relics are buried here."

Silence suddenly, then Gray shifted to their boss.

"Vesemir. Now we've got what we're looking for, let's not stay here for too long, yeah?"

"Mhmm. I am waiting for you fellas to decide what to do with that infernal skull and dagger Miss Carnathia found. Once we reach a consensus, I am all ready to go."

Leaving Vesemir, who again busied himself with copying its verses into his notebook, Gray Flame followed Fia into the chamber. While The sorceress's attention was mostly to the Skull, Gray would pick the silver bow instead. He overheard Fia and Roxas discussing how to fully utilize the bow and learn from each other, he wondered how that plan would fare.

He picked the bow and pulled its string up to his chin, but no Theriadore Hologram this time. Shame, he was expecting at least one snarky commentary.

He then notched his own arrow and channeled his magic. The bow, true to Theriadore's word was capable of channeling magic, but since the bow's unique attribute and his arcane element were mismatched, he could not contain his magic or have it manifested on the arrowhead.

"So, are you two really going to take this bow?" Asked Gray when Fia was looking at some sort of diagram. Gray was still holding the aforementioned bow and testing it, and at some point had it aimed at the skull with no arrow notched.

"This is a good bow. The draw weight is on the medium side, so you might be able to learn how to fire it rather quickly." The masked elf carefully released the string and lowered the bow. "Couldn't say the same about its Frosty Feature though... It may require another kind of expertise."

"Certainly a lot harder to master than that dagger, that's for sure." He continued. "Buut I will take a finicky elven bow over a mysterious demonic dagger and its glorified holder. That thing gives me a shiver, and I have seen many creepy things in my life."

@A5G@Randomness

---

Roxas looked to the bow. She listened to Fia and even gave a soft blink. She could possibly learn to use the ice with the bow..? That made it more intriguing.. Enough that she had been about to grab the bow when Gray came over and grabbed it. Starting to test it out.

She shifted, watching him and offered a nod. "Yes, I was planning to take it and trade skills with Miss Fia. You never know when learning how to wield a bow could come in handy, especially when low on mana." She looked to him more before giving a soft sigh. "But if you would like to take it, then feel free. I will not fight over a bow."

She glanced to the skull on the table and moved over, but not as close as Fia. Huh. She shuddered a little before starting out of the chamber. The bow had been the only thing that piqued her interest besides possibly some more medical books, which she properly looked for now, since some were wanting to leave.

She shifted, watching him and offered a nod. "Yes, I was planning to take it and trade skills with Miss Fia. You never know when learning how to wield a bow could come in handy, especially when low on mana." She looked to him more before giving a soft sigh. "But if you would like to take it, then feel free. I will not fight over a bow."

"It's a sound plan, all things considered. As for who is more entitled to keep it, Well, I'd say finders keepers. You found it first, it's still yours if you change your mind." He quipped and shrugged playfully. "I've had my share of exquisite antiques, and this one. Eh, just keep in mind that the boss said we are likely to encounter the owner of this bow, or at least her apparition. It could lead to a hilarious exchange... or deadly encounter."

Placing the bow at a nearby table again, there was a feeling that Gray's words sounded like an ominous omen.

---

“Well, now. If you’re done stealing from my dear Roxas, would you do me a favor and look over these for me?” said Fia, mostly in jest. She was serious about the notes, however. She lined the pages into a neat stack and passed them over to Gray Flame. “As much as I would love to be the one to enlighten Carnatia on the specifics of that skull, I can’t read elvish. Maybe you can gleam something from those notes to help her bring it along, dear.”

Fia circled around Gray Flame. If he didn’t receive the notes, they would have been placed on the same table where the masked elf placed the bow. Fia would pick up the bow, and gingerly strapped it to her person to carry it along. She wasn’t too concerned about Gray’s words or tone. “Anyway, I don’t think there is any manifestation from the past that could shake me worse than what those phantoms displayed.”

"Who says I am done?!" he chortled "I am going to claim the bow, and add it to my collect--"

Too late now, whatever Gray's true intention was, Fia had already taken the bow and slung it, causing the string to press snugly against her ample bosom.

"You know... for your size, you might need *ahem* a chest guard," he said awkwardly before averting his gaze on the notes and holding it close to his face "Well, let's see... Yea... I might be fluent in our ancient language, but it feels like I am doing a double translation to decipher Theriadore's scholarly writing. Basically the first section talks about an introduction. Where did the artifact come from, what effect did it display, the decision to destroy it, and the failure to do so. There are also some details about the dead raised by the dagger still having a certain degree of "muscle memory" left, and can still perform their expertise to a limited degree. 'It made for a dangerous army if left alone.' Theriadore said, and the skull's distortion field is a soul-based mechanism."

He flipped the pages and stopped at the section where pages were full of drawings of different kinds of magic seals and codes.

"Second section - containment field. Theriadore had a few spells and runes cataloged and experimented here. Perhaps to minimize the skull's terrorizing aura. In some way, it seems he met quite a satisfactory result. Remember that none of us realized the Skull's existence before Carnathia found it? I guess the best way to carry that thing is by bringing it with its metal box."

He paused and looked at the box, which box? Apparently, it was part of the desk itself. "Yeah, not gonna happen... moving on!"

Now he almost reached the last pages of that notebook. "This section talks about Theriadore's futile attempt to destroy that thing; so far he had tried smashing it with blunt force, drilling, and through magical means. Those attempts barely make a dent on that thing, and when they do, the skull somehow fixes itself afterward. Yikes! I think that's all, the notes stopped here."
@Randomness

---

Listening to further explanation regarding the skull, Carnatia concluded that it was probably not worth carrying it with her. While it would no doubt fetch a nice price from inquisitive mages, there was no sense bringing it if it could affect the group with its effect, which could be hazardous in a battle.

The only way to carry it safely appeared to be the metal box, which wouldn't be practical. Therefore, it was best to leave it here. The dagger, however, was another matter. It would not work without the skull, but it was still a unique artefact with peculiar enchantment. She could get into some arrangement with one of the arcane universities for a finder's fee. And then she would sell the map to the vault so they could do their own expedition to recover the skull.

That sounded like the best compromise.

"Thank you, Lady Fia, Sir Gray. I think it's best we leave the skull here. I'll be taking the dagger along, however."

---

“Ah, Carnatia. I didn’t see you come in. I guess that saves me the time of repeating everything Gray read.” said Fia. Fia looked towards the table as well. The containment device used for the skull was built in he said. Well, that seemed impractical. Unless the illusory elf was afraid of people misplacing the skull. It could be argued as justified given the influence the items had on the mind. Then again, it also made it very hard to utilize if they did at all during those battles over a millennia ago. Since they had tried to destroy it, the likelihood it was used at all seemed meager.

“Hmm, you’re right. If Forbann was in here, we could ask him to build us another box. Sadly, concentrated metal is a little outside of my purview.” said Fia. With the idea of transporting the skull proving to be too cumbersome, Carnatia joined the others in deciding to leave it behind. However, the spellsword was interested in taking along the dagger. Since both items were still within their own bubble of influence, Fia stopped Carnatia before she got too close.

“Hold on, dear.” said Fia as she placed her hand upon Fia’s torso gently as to urge her to not move closer, “The dagger has an influence over the mind as well. While it would be easier to carry, we don’t have a box for it either. It sounds like it used runes to contain the aura.” Fia sighed, “This would be so much easier if… nevermind. If you really want to bring it along, darling, I can try something. But until then or until Forbann can create a box, we should be careful with it. I don’t want it to harm your pretty face.”

---

“Hold on, dear.” said Fia as she placed her hand upon Fia’s torso gently as to urge her to not move closer, “The dagger has an influence over the mind as well. While it would be easier to carry, we don’t have a box for it either. It sounds like it used runes to contain the aura.” Fia sighed, “This would be so much easier if… nevermind. If you really want to bring it along, darling, I can try something. But until then or until Forbann can create a box, we should be careful with it. I don’t want it to harm your pretty face.”

Carnatia nodded, "I see. In that case, please do, then. I do not use dagger myself, but I would like to bring it along to have it studied in one of the arcane universities if nothing else.

For a finder's fee, of course. But even aside from that, while the enchantment on the dagger was rather morbid, to Carnatia it was a tool as any other. She could see some of the applications for it. For one in terms of pure warfare, the demoralizing effect of such magic would be devastating as people see their dead comrades rising against them. It also meant that for every single one of their comrades slain, their enemy would gain a soldier.

And while that was most definitely quite the morbid application, Carnatia did not see it as any different than any tool of war. In the best-case scenario, such horrific magic might even act as a deterrence to war.

The skull was one thing, but pragmatically speaking, there really was no reason to not take the dagger along if it could be brought safely.

---

Carnatia still had her heart set on bring these malicious artifacts along despite all the information they were able to recover. While she seemed to have abandoned the idea of taking the skull, she figured that the scale of the dagger would be easier to manage. As for everyone else, the same concerns echoed. The dagger would constantly eat at the mind until whoever was in possession of it fell under its spell. During the expedition, there was a high likelihood an ally would be at the receiving end of the obsidian blade.

Still, Fia was not one disappoint. She decided to at least try to contain the dagger in the only way she knew how. If it was successful, the influence would be contained, and Carnatia would have her desired treasure. Fia turned towards the workstation. While she didn’t have control over concentrated metal like Forbann claimed he could, Fia was not without magic of her own that might be able to work. To be sure, Fia wanted need to keep her own magic concentrated. To that aim, Fia reached into her bag and brandished her glass sphere. Normally Fia would not bother, but she wanted to give her own flavor of containment its best shot. After everything the illusory elf had to do to seal it, Fia though it best not to underestimate it.

Fia started to channel her magic. As she did so, the starburst within her orb turned pitch black. A similarly pitch black particle formed within her hands, and she pushed it away gently letting it float softly until it was close to the obsidian dagger. From there, the particle grew until it enveloped the dagger, covering it a black shell that absorbed all light. This form of darkness acted like an impassable void, separating it from the rest of the world. Not completely impenetrable to many forms of the arcane, perhaps it would be enough to keep the dagger’s influence within.

Fia let out her breath as soon as the void was complete. She put her sphere back into her bag and reentered the radius of influence of the two items. Again an urge beat her as the skull attempted to convince her life was not worth continuing, but pushed those feeling aside. She picked up the skull and put it into the built in box on the workstation. Whether that was enough, it didn’t matter. She then picked up the dagger, now encased in a black ovaloid and walked away with it, out of the skull’s influence.

Fia needed to be sure if her idea worked. If the dagger still affected her mind towards bloodshed, Fia would walk back to the workstation, put it with the skull and inform Carnatia that her idea failed and it would probably be better to leave it behind. However, if it worked, Fia would smile and present the darkness wrapped dagger to Carnatia. From then on, Fia would have to put mana into the void to keep it going, but much like a battery, that shouldn’t be often enough to be detrimental. Of course, Carnatia could easily dispel the void whenever she wanted. If the containment worked, that would be Carnatia’s decision to make.

The dagger offered no resistance to the magical veil, the already dark glass taking a completely vantablack shade that drinks in the light. Just upon picking it up it's quite evident that the effect was greatly muffled, like it was a distantly morbid thought instead of a constant near-physical urging to slaughter. Moreover, though it was difficult to tell with the skull's influence being so much louder, upon leaving the immediate vicinity the voice seemed to be even more distant as if despite their opposite voice the two artifacts were still inevitably linked and affected each other when they're in closer proximity.

Or perhaps it's just an illusion of the mind. Nevertheless, the hazard seemed much smaller now.

---

Despite the banter, there were no disputes on the distribution of treasures. Tillius took the spear, Fia had the bow and Carnathia claimed the dagger. The last one was the trickiest, but Fia's spell seemed effective enough to contain its enfeebling aura.

It was time for them to leave, finally and Vesemir would be the one who lead, though he did so with a heavy heart.

"Goodbye, Theriadore. Your legacy will always live on!" He said as he watched the door seal itself shut after he inserted the access card. "On a less evil day, we would enjoy our time sitting in the library and honoring the knowledge, but now we must go, hopefully, that's for the better days."

The monocled elf sniffed the air as if fighting against the tear, before walking away. His commentary about the stairs making him feel rheumatic was the last rambling before they started the climb to depart from Lasse Municipal Library

I presume nothing is happening while we are inside? See anything unusual?" Asked Vesemir intensively to Forbann when they reached the building's front door. He wielded the so-called powerful protective scroll, but his tone was vigilant, and although the Oni answered with a resolute no, his eyes still wandered about.

And when someone asked what he was expecting, the answers were short but effective in hindsight: "Varenheim authority". And no other explanation was given when he reached in to grip something behind the layer of his clothing and declared: "We made it. We got what we are looking for. Let's move out!"

Still with a lantern at hand, Vesemir was taking the lead. The night was still dark, and it seemed they only spent two hours inside the library. The foul breeze was still whirling in this cold night, and from the corner of his eyes Gray Flame could see the shadowy silhouette creeping out from the ruined building, but then those shadowy entities retreating back again.
They were taking the same route, but now they just realized that Vesemir was not as cautious as before. The path they took was almost straight, and no amount of overgrown or sprawled part of the ruin would make Vesemir change course. Not even the shadow, that now congregates ahead of them.
He only stopped once, looked over his shoulder, and smiled. "Fear not, Friends! Never again we shall fear the darkness, for the echo of the past and the remnants of the departed have no righteous place in the world of the living!"
And he walked forth, through the encroaching shadow. And that layer of shadow shrunk and disappeared. More awaited in front of them; the wailing silhouettes of the past. It offered no resistance, nor even the slightest movement as it disintegrated into the light.

"The power of the scroll protects us all."

The group halted and crowded anxiously behind him, but who could blame them? The entrapment was still fresh in their mind, but now the evidence was clear as a day, and Vesemir demonstrated it in every step he took.

The march back to the camp was uneventful and felt shorter now with the phantoms no longer posing any meaningful threat to them. For Gray, it was a welcoming situation because fatigue had set in, and now he wanted nothing but a proper sleep.

They arrived at last, and at first glance, everything seemed normal. The campfire was lit brightly, but immediately he felt something was amiss. Out of five porters and henchmen Vesemir hired, he saw only one of them, standing aimlessly in front of the campfire with a hysterical expression. He held a woodcutter axe, and initially, prepared to swing it the moment he saw the group walked closer.

"Sire! Sire! Good Gods you are here!" The man was frantic, and he dropped his weapon as he knelt down and embraced Vesemir's shin like a frightened child with labored breath. "That thing! That thing took them! I saw it myself!... Into the forest! Sir Stepan and the others!"

Another minute was spent to calm that survive so Vesemir could extract meaningful information. The man repeatedly pointed southeast of the camp, across the paved road, where he said there was a dark entity taking away his friends.

Gray Flame said nothing. His vexation was well hidden behind his white mask. As the only ranger in that group, his first course of action was to analyze their camp. Besides the missing porters, everything seemed orderly, the horses were still calm and tied on their posts, the supplies were still on the carriage, and there was no sign of fierce assault. However, he noticed a dozen bottles of ales and bears scattered around the campfire and a few empty tankards along with unfinished meals. The survivor's account mentioned that the accident happened less than an hour ago.

Sitting on one of the chairs (that graciously did not topple over after that supposed ruckus!), the masked Gray sighed exasperatedly, his eyes glanced at the unmoving giant tree at the corner of the camp side. Meanwhile, the survivor was frantic again, this time he buried his index fingers in his ears, and screamed "The shrieker! Gods! Spare me! Spare me! Forgive me! Please stop!"

What the hell is happening?

---

Carnatia wondered why exactly Vesemir was expecting Varenheim's authorities. The elf did not give further explanation, but it seemed peculiar to Carnatia. The expedition had to have been approved by Varenheim, so why was Vesemir expecting the authorities? It was not as if this was part of Vareheim that was regularly patrolled to her knowledge. Was there something about the library that would warrant concern from the authorities?

Carnatia spent the rest of the march back to camp pondering about the possibilities. Unfortunately, each scenario was as baseless as the next. Concluding she had little else to go on except pure speculation, she gave up and quietly followed the rest back to the camp.

As they got closer to the camp, like the others, Carnatia noticed that things were amiss. Only one person was left, and that one person was approaching them with a woodcutter axe.

Carnatia placed her hand on her rapier, ready to draw it from the sheath. In the end, the man recognized the group and did not attack, but revealed that 'something' had taken the rest of the men left to guard the camp.

As Vesemir attempted to calm the man, Carnatia decided to take a look around the camp. He noticed Gray Flame inspecting their supplies, so she left the masked elf to it and instead looked around the perimeter for anything unusual.

Eventually, as Vesemir managed to calm the man, Carnatia returned to the rest of the group to listen to the man's account of what had happened.

Carnatia was of the opinion that the current situation was quite the conundrum. On one hand, those hired help had been made aware of the dangers in this exhibition and pragmatically speaking, looking for the rest of the men would mean taking a detour with no guaranteed chance of even catching up to their kidnapper. On the other hand, not going after them would mean that their camp would be much less secure when they were not around. It might also lower morale among the group as it gives the impression of all of them being expendable.

She supposed in the end, Vesemir would make the call as their employer. Though Carnatia certainly did not envy being in the elf's position.

"The shrieker! Gods! Spare me! Spare me! Forgive me! Please stop!"

Hearing the sudden shout, Carnatia drew her rapier as she focused her mind on any precognition of incoming dangers.

---

"Where are you going?"

Gray asked wearily when Vesemir picked up his lantern again and headed to the road. At Gray's inquiries, he stopped, unsure if talking to the masked elf was his original intention or if he was hell-bent on going into the forest all by himself.

"We're going to save them of course." answered the middle-aged elf. "Sir Gray, I know you and everyone else are not in the best condition, and for that, I can understand if unwilling to be involved in this endeavor. Please take some rest. But I would appreciate it if you would enlighten us on what kind of evil that lured my men into the forest."

"Honestly, I never heard about this shrieker. But there are types of spirits that can entice with voice. So our prime suspects right now are the phantoms. I did not want to blame your porters, but it seemed they were taken when drunk." he indicated at the bottles near the campfire and shook his head. "It is easy to be influenced when you do not keep your wits about you."

"I should have forbidden them from bringing booze in this expedition." huffed Vesemir.

"Too late now." The masked elf stood up and crackled his knuckles. "Give me some time to catch my breath, and then I will go with you. If this was indeed the phantoms's handiwork, then we might be able to save them..."

Gray had his own share of doubts but chose not to express them. He hoped his speculation was right. "Let me take that lantern from you."

There was a small talk after Vesemir appointed Gray to be their pathfinder and further inquiries with the surviving henchmen about the direction those men had taken. Nothing was new to them.

"If anyone wants to stay at camp please do!" Vesemir said, and Forbann was the first to express his decision to stay, which was a welcomed proposition. After the accident, they would be more careful not to leave the camp without sufficient guards.

Gray's only preparation was by drinking water and munching bread, and that was all. This quest to rescue will start soon, and nobody was expecting or even wanted to do this. But they will do it anyway, nobody gets left behind, that was Vesemir's promise, and he intends to honor it, no matter what bleak their chance was.

Whatever danger that was present, it seemed to be satisfied with the captives and already departed. Engelbert seriously questioned about the porters' wisdom, to not only get drunk in this place but also to be lured out of the camp by this... shrieker. Whatever that was. But well, he suppose that lot hadn't experienced any real danger and thought it's just some old forest or something despite all the warnings. Foolish, but nothing that could be done to change that. At least they'll learn from the experience if they survived somehow. He didn't like their chances.

"I'm coming. If there's the slightest chance that those poor souls are still alive, we have to attempt a rescue. It is only right."

If he needed a break at all Engelbert certainly showed none of it, still as energetic as usual. Cant help it really - he's simply built different than most people.

---

At the sound of screaming, Roxas moved over to the man and leaned over. She held her hand out and hovered it before setting it on his hand and glowing. Maybe her magic will help ease him, even a little. If not, he may need to be out to sleep, which she could do, but.. it’d be a little more violent than she would want. “It’s okay.”

She glanced up as the leader started to wander off. Shoot! Should she stay here and secure everything or go with the group.