"Not really. With all this free time, I have been thinking about taking up another class between our training sessions and my side job." After stretching Annabeth went over to Ssarak and served as his spotter. She stood near by in case he needed her to help him hold a weight, or simply so they could continue their mental conversation. The weights that Ssarak were using was akin to cannon balls, though those were probably lighter. "Though the influx of all these merchants can get fairly annoying. It is difficult going though the college without being heckled into looking into their stalls." But even than, the merchants knew better than to give the students a bad deal. The guard detail had been increased notably, and every large area had at least two guards posted, and that was just visibly. Once a thief stole an item from one of the stalls, only to be swarmed by five guardsmen, two statue golems, and seven demons who literally jumped out of the bushes. It made Annabeth a bit paranoid about who could be watching her when she thinks she's when she thinks she's alone, but at the same time, the appearance of absence was not evidence of absence. "Ssarak, if you do not mind, could we go over something about our training last time? I am still a bit confused with how you handled our last technique."

"The merchants do not bother me as much. That would require that I actually have coin to spend. The most I have been able to purchase since I arrived here was a replacement for my helmet. I suppose I have been too focused on my studies to take up regular employment. Still, there are a few who do not seem to comprehend that you cannot draw blood from a stone." Ssarak said with an audible chuckle as he put down the weights and sat up. It seemed Annabeth did wish to resume their training, and he had no problem obliging.

"But of course. What specifically is giving you issue?" He asked, standing to his feet. He would need a minute or two after that exercise to allow his muscles to recover, but that would simply provide time for Annabeth to explain with what she needed assistance. His arms and armor were still in his room, but the practice weapons in the gymnasium would likely suffice.

As Ssarak rested, Annabeth prepared their equipment. Wooden and weighty imitations of real weapons, though she supposed bludgeons were always deadly no matter the material. Either way, Annabeth got their weapons. Ssarak's weapon was a imposingly large battle axe, with dual heads and and heavy enough to crush a normal man. Annabeth's battle axe was a little under half it's size and only had a single head. She could use it with one or two hands, though for the sake of the training she uses two. "It was the leg sweep. You say it is supposedly... Non-lethal? Either way, after some times I've had the unfortunate tendency to hack of the legs of the targets I use. I was hoping that you could show me how it would be done again, without amputating them of course."

Ssarak nodded, grabbing the practice weapon in his hands. "Alright, I believe I can help. I will preface this by saying that, in a life or death situation, you should not hesitate on any maneuver you perform, even if you do not end up performing it correctly. If you wish to preserve your opponent's life, amputating their feet is preferable to killing them. Any hesitation on your part could mean your own death. Now, as for the technique, I have some advice I can offer."

Ssarak approached Annabeth with his axe held low, near her feet. His motions were slow, indicating that he was merely demonstrating the correct motions at the moment. "The first thing to consider with this maneuver is when is it appropriate to use it? As you can see, to attack your feet requires that I hold my weapon very low, which leaves me open to attack. Body parts such as the feet, or for an Esyire like myself, wings or the tail, may seem like tempting targets, since they are not as often defended, but you must consider how open your movements leave you. Only attempt a leg sweep if you know your target will not be able to immediately respond. Wait for them to miss a swing, or see if you can force them off balance."

Moving his axe to match his words, Ssarak began to explain his technique. "The way you perform this attack depends on the type of axe you are using. For one such as mine, it is usually possible to 'hook' their leg between the axe head and its shaft, like so." He said, demonstrating the proper motion. "Pay attention to how far past the leg I move before pulling back to catch it. If you attack at the right angle, you can use the ground to stop yourself before pulling back. Just be sure you do not embed your axe into the ground. A heavy axe such as mine can trip up an enemy more easily than yours, as it has more weight to it. As always, I recommend trying to work your way up to larger weapons.Unlike war axe, a battleaxe should be considered a crushing weapon, first and foremost. Its ability to cut is more of a bonus. If you do find yourself with a smaller weapon, you may attempt to strike at the legs with much greater force. You may not be able to be as precise, so another method is to strike with the blunt edge of the axe head. The force of the strike can be enough to trip your opponent. To improve the speed of your strike, you might try swinging normally for more aerodynamic efficiency, then twisting the weapon at the last second so that the blunt edge strikes. Go ahead and attempt either method on me."

Ssarak was a rather heavy individual, so providing enough force to sweep him off of his feet would be difficult, but he believed Annabeth was up to the task. Since he was wearing only his leather pants, instead of a full set of plate armor, he did not have as much weight to him as he normally would in combat, but he was still heavier than most humanoid opponents one would expect to face outside of the Scorched Lands.

Annabeth watched quietly as Ssarak explained the technique, absently thinking about why she wanted to learn how to use this technique properly. "I don't always use this against my enemies. Sometimes I might have to put a stop to a friend, and I'd rather not cut off his leg to get him to calm down." As Ssarak continued, she stood a bit away with her own axe and tried to copy his movements. Their weapons were not only different in size, but also in scale. Ssarak had himself something akin to a halberd in terms of how much shaft space he had, while Annabeth's shaft was much shorter, as tall from the top of her head to her hip. Nonetheless when she was given permission to do the technique, she did not hesitate to get into stance and prepare herself. Though her weapon was made of wood and blunt, she did not want to end up breaking his shin or ankles. Somehow.

Taking and releasing a deep breath, Annabeth moved in and went for the sweep. She kept her shoulders parallel to her hips, and when she had to reach her axe down to his legs she bent her knees instead of her back. She swung her axe in a small arc, the shaft hitting Ssarak's shin while the axe missed right behind his leg. When she felt the shock of the axe go through her arm, she planted her feet only to change their direction. Starting from her waist up, her muscles tensed and pulled as she pulled her axe up, hopefully enough to at least make Ssarak stumble.

Ssarak did not actively attempt to avoid Annabeth''s attack, but he certainly braced for it. He had no intention of making it easy. She performed the maneuver just as he showed her and hooked his leg with the weapon, but pulling him to the ground proved much more of a challenge. She lifted his leg into the air, but with his tail as a counterbalance, he was able to stay on his feet. "Not a bad attempt. Your technique is correct, and had I not been bracing for it, I may have ended up on the ground. It likely would have worked on a human opponent, or something of a similar size. Still, if you can learn to perform it successfully on me, then I doubt there are many it will not work on. Perhaps you should try it in more...dynamic circumstances. If you like, we can spar, and you can see if you can take me to the ground." Ssarak suggested. "Alright then! Prepare yourself Ssarak, I practiced some secret techniques myself!"

Ssarak smiled. "Indeed, just be cautious not to think about them." He said, tapping the side of his head.

Ssarak and Annabeth sparred briefly. Though each gave it their all, both also managed to walk out no worse for ware. Winded and slightly sore, but not greatly harmed or injured. Annabeth drank some water in a canteen she had, handing it to Ssarak to drink if he desired it. The spar was more tiring mentally than physically; the both of them had used their magics in some way during the battle, mostly with Annabeth trying to predict Ssarak's movements. But with his ward up, the only way she gained any information was when she managed to break his concentration, and during those moments Annabeth had difficulty trying to balance reading his mind and reacting to him during the spar. In the end though, it was good practice. Gave her a gauge of what her abilities currently was like. "How are you holding up Ssarak? I didn't hurt you did I?' Annabeth spoke verbally, allowing her mind and body to recover before returning to telepathic communication.

Ssarak gladly took the canteen, but was careful not to drink too much for himself, which would have been easy with the size of his maw. "You can hit harder than I expected, but I am fine. Your strength training has certainly been producing results, I would say. I still believe it would be beneficial if you joined me on a more regular basis for exercising. You could match Alaira for strength with more practice. I know you mentioned that you do not like the way your, what was it you called it, 'warrior arms' look, but I have to disagree. Besides, the...utility which comes with greater strength is worth it, is it not?"

"Eh.... Such matters are complicated." Annabeth hugged her body tightly, feeling her own arms. "There is a certain part of me that remembers that I liked the compliments I received for my formerly lithe appearance... But now a days, I do value strengthening my body over merely looking like a marble statue. And yet at the same time, I do not wish to be seen as..." Annabeth couldn't really find the right word. She had the feelings in her mind, but no way to express it. She allowed Ssarak to go through her wards to read her thoughts on it, as she she felt it was the best way for her to explain her thoughts simply by letting him listen to them. "I have seen many attractive people in the college, and I would have liked to know them better. But no one knows who I am, and can only judge me for what I look like. And should they see me with my warrior arms, what would they think? That I am simply a fighter who wishes to do battle? No, I would like to be a lover as well, but my body does not convey that message. Few who I speak to have negatives thoughts of my appearance, some even all it ugly. It is times like this I wish I could not read minds, as their thoughts lingers long into my memories. I know I know, I should not care so much about the opinion of strangers, but I was also raised to always look my best. And for whom? Strangers that I do not know, or perhaps ones who I would like to know more about. But some of those who I speak to look at me as though I am not someone they could see themselves with, and I know this. It is why I was also thinking, perhaps, changing my routine and diet again. I do not plan to lose my muscles, but perhaps try to make them more appealing. I have heard some who admire women with well defined musculature and look as though they were 'Carved from stone'. Wouldn't that be an interesting idea?" Annabeth took another sip from her canteen, but gargled the water and spat it into a waste bucket.

Ssarak listened intently to Annabeth's words, as well as her thoughts when she opened up her mind to allow him to read them. It certainly seemed as if this was something that weighed heavily on her mind. He supposed he could not truly understand the problems it gave her, as he was raised in entirely different circumstances with different expectations. Still, perhaps some of his words could be helpful to her.

"Were you Esyire, I do not believe it would be a problem for you. In my clan, a woman who is strong and capable would be seen as desirable. Some parts of your culture I do not believe I will ever truly understand. Regardless, I do suppose I can understand why this causes such conflict for you. I have been judged for my appearance on many occasions since leaving the Scorched Lands, though in a different way. Few who I came across regarded me as more than a brute or barbarian, and my size was simply intimidating to many. Obviously, I could not change that I am Esyire, so my options were to find a way to bear with it, or to return to my homeland. Perhaps I would have, had I not found the college. There are still plenty here who do not waste a moment in judging me, but I have come to realize that I do not care. It does not matter how many people dislike me for simply being what I am as long as I have a few good friends, such as yourself. I do not believe it worthwhile to attempt to satisfy everyone, as you may just end up disappointing yourself. If you are worried about finding a partner, you do not need to please everyone you see. You need only find one person who accepts you for who you are. Your choices are your own, of course. You will not find me making judgement on you for them, I simply believe you should avoid putting others' desires over your own happiness." Ssarak advised, his tone supportive.

Annabeth listened to Ssarak speak, her smile slowly growing. She was disappointing in herself for thinking that Ssarak was just dumb muscle oh so many months ago. He was quite supportive of her, soft spoken, and a calm person in general. Not the sort of calm that allowed one to merely be stoic; that was to suppress emotions. No, he had a sort of calming feeling that said that he understood the emotions going on, and instead of ignoring or keeping them down he simply chose the better of choices. Or at least that's how Annabeth felt about it. "Thank you, Ssarak." She sat closer to him and leaned on him, punching his armored scales affectionately. "I bet you were quite the lady's man before you came here, weren't you?" She was just joking, but Annabeth was also unaware of his past in the Scorched Lands. She knew lots about the Esyire through him, as well as some of the quirks and interests he had, but not much on his past. It was simply something that she never tried to get from him.

Ssarak chuckled lightly. The mental image of himself seducing the women of his village was amusing, even as it brought up painful memories of his family. "I would not quite say so. With how dedicated I was to serving as a warrior, the only reason I ever had a wife was because it was decided from birth. I do not believe I ever told you why I left the Scorched Lands, did I?" He asked, his expression turning a bit more serious.

Annabeth stopped leaning on Ssarak when he spoke about why he left the Scorched Lands. At first she was interested in hearing his story, but a look at his face told her that his tale was not a happy one. Especially when he mentioned his wife. Annabeth knew how some of these stories went; two people coming together as lovers, either on their own or arranged. But one had to leave the other behind, either in life or death. She already knew before Ssarak even began his story that he would be speaking of things near and dear to him. Annabeth was no stranger to such tales, hearing many oddly heart-felt ones in Underhaven. But as a friend, she felt that she needed to be more personally invested in it. "No, you have not. Do you... Wish to share?"

Ssarak nodded. "It is not something I speak of often, but...I can share the tale with you." He said, glancing around as he saw a few more people enter the gymnasium. "Though, perhaps somewhere not as...public."

Annabeth nodded her head, standing up and giving him one telepathic message before others came too close. "I know a place, follow me." After getting dressed and packing her things, she led Ssarak out of the gymnasium and into one of the main buildings. There, she took him through the maze that was the College's lower levels, until she reached the location of Underhaven. It wasn't open until later today, but using her worker's rune she was able to enter the door with Ssarak in tow. The bouncers came up to them, but upon seeing Annabeth they retreated, though they did ask about Ssarak. "He's with me." Was all that she needed to say before they left her alone. Passing the bar the goat demon simply known as Barkeep looked up to her. "My room key please." The demon tossed her a largely large key, made with an intricate pattern of carvings and holes, unlike most traditional keys. A little more walking and soon Annabeth and Ssarak were in a fairly large, comfortable room. Though Annabeth wasn't much of a drinker, she had some bottles of the tavern's better alcohol on the table near them, as well as a pitcher of water, juices, and a fizzy sweet drink that made bubbles. The room was rather dim, but the two mortals could see each other well enough. The last thing that Annabeth did was light a larger brazier at the center of the room. It provided additional heat, light, and a place for them to heat up snacks if they wanted any. Once she was done prepping the room, she took a seat on one of the room's many couches, which were almost as comfortable as the one that Tyrael was trying to get rid of. Except these wouldn't threaten to tear your intestines out of your body.

Ssarak could not say he was especially thrilled to end up in Underhaven. Annabeth had told him about it before, but it was not a place he normally would have gone to on his own. The demon patrons were of particular concern to him. He was not ignorant enough to assume all demons had malicious intent, but the very nature of what created a demon made them...suspect. Nevertheless, he entered upon Annabeth's request and followed her to her room, largely ignoring everyone else in the establishment.
"A tavern is not what would normally come to mind when I think of a private location, but I suppose it will work." Ssarak commented as he took a seat near Annabeth. The couch was small compared to him, but it was functional. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking on how much he should share. He was hardly the hero of his own tale, and he did not know if many would forgive him for his actions. Perhaps he did not deserve to be forgiven.

"I suppose I should begin, though I will say it is not a joyous tale, by any means. In my clan, marriages were always arranged from birth for various reasons, usually to bind families closer together. As soon as we were both of age, I was married to my wife, Riiska Dyreallanar. The following years were mostly normal. I trained to become a warrior, just as my father had been. He died when I was a child, you see, and I had always wanted to honor his memory. Through the course of a few years, I became a warrior in full and had three children with my wife. At that point, I would have said my life was proceeding perfectly, but I would not be here now if that had remained true. The short version of the story would be that I left because my wife, children, and much of my family were slaughtered in an attack by a rival clan on our village, but there is of course more to the story than that." He said, his tone becoming solemn as he lowered his head. "...much more

Listening to Ssarak's short tale, Annabeth had predicted correctly, though it did nothing to lessen the impact of what he said. His short, laconic version of his tale gave her the idea that it was indeed a very long and painful one. Annabeth was hesitant to ask him to continue, not wanting him to open up old wounds, but for all the help he gave her, the least she could do was hear him out. "Go on... But take your time. I will listen for you, Ssarak."

Ssarak nodded slowly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Very well, though I am afraid I am not the hero of this tale...far from it. All of the pain, all of the suffering my people felt, was my fault. Although it has been only a few years, it feels like it has been decades with how...different I used to be. I was not always the person I am. I used to be arrogant and, more importantly, angry. The death of my father is an old, well-healed wound, but I was always bitter about it. He perished in battle with our rival clan, the Xhoth. That was the reason I never became particularly skilled in my blood, as my father was the only psychomancer in the village. I resented them for it, more than most. I survived several battles with the Xhoth, but killing their soldiers did not temper my growing rage. I wanted to end the war...permanently. I wanted to destroy our enemy once and for all, so I acted against our traditions, against the code of honor both clans abide by. I convinced a sizable portion of my village's warriors, mostly young warriors such as myself, to attack a Xhoth village directly...and to kill all inhabitants. The raid was successful, but the cost was far great than I ever could have imagined. The Xhoth feigned an attack on a neighboring village of clan Dyre, drawing our warriors, myself included, away from my village. You can guess what happened next. When I returned, the village was ash, with few survivors. None of my family were among them.

Ssarak's hands were trembling, and he could do nothing more than stare blankly ahead. "When I buried my children in the ashes of what was once our home...I believe that is when the anger within me died, replaced by the far more sinister presence of regret. Although, I deserve all of the pain I feel, and much more beyond it. I caused the deaths of many innocents, both directly and indirectly, and yet I was not the one punished for it. My clan, my family, received all of the pain that rightfully belonged to me. I still do not know why I am alive and they are not. I suppose the sense of justice of whatever gods that control this world is not the same as my own. My purpose now...I do not really know what that is. I want to find a way to atone for what I have done, but I do not know if that is possible."

Breaking his blank stare, Ssarak reluctantly shifted his gaze over to Annabeth. "I suppose you can see why it is not a tale I readily share. It is a story in which I am the villain. It is not something I would expect anyone to forgive me for; it is not something I would forgive myself for."

Annabeth listened, but as the story continued, she found herself mixed between feeling sorry for Ssarak, and shocked. For someone who seemed so kind and understanding, to have done so much and had so much done to him... It was a lot to take in. And Annabeth feared that she did not have Ssarak's ways with word to sooth whatever pain that he may have. She was, really, speechless. For what seemed like a long time she and Ssarak sat in the darkness, their faces dimly lit by the brazier's embers. Soon she began to speak, trying to make sense of what Ssarak said. "You... You only did what you thought was best. An unknown eternity waging war against another clan was not a great future. You tried to stop that, and what happened afterwards was merely... Merely nothing you could have predicted. Your actions would be considered evil, but you were willing to do it out of necessity. If not you, someone else would have done it, but only after many more gruesome years of war." Annabeth felt that it was weak, but she continued to try to console her friend. "And... You have my sympathies for your family. I know it must have been a great pain to know what happened to them. You may think it is a fitting punishment for you, but even so you can grieve for them nonetheless. After all, what you did, it was only so they would not have to grow up and end up in the same situation as you were in."

The more Annabeth spoke, the less she thought her words were working. She wished she was strong enough with her magic to try to manipulate Ssarak's emotions, as wrong as that is. She poured her and Ssarak a drink of water, herself finishing the cup quickly before pouring herself another one. "But there is no harm in trying to find a way to make right of what you did. I cannot say what that may be... Something like that requires you to seek it out. Perhaps that in itself is a way to find redemption, to constantly do good in the right way. Live the rest of your life trying to solve mistakes until the very end." Annabeth's face grew red and hot, trying to find some words or way to show Ssarak that things were alright now. But they weren't. But she was still trying anyways. "I'm glad that you trust me so much that you are willing to tell me something so personal about yourself. I cannot say I have all the right answers to all of life's problems, but I will be willing to lend and ear and offer a helping hand. If nothing else I will always be here for you as your friend, as you have for me."

Ssarak was speechless. A look of utter shock came over his face. He had expected anger or distrust, not consoling words. He did not understand how anyone could forgive him for his actions, and yet...she had. Honestly, it did not matter what she said, the sheer fact that she was even trying to help him after hearing his sordid tale raised his spirits higher than they had been in quite some time.

"Th-thank you. I did not expect any measure of acceptance after what I have done, no matter how I have changed. I appreciate your words, truly I do, but I have long abandoned hope of justifying anything I did. It does not matter why I did it, my actions were inexcusable. The road to the Pit is paved with good intentions. As for what I am doing now, however...I believe you are right. It has been what I have been trying to do since leaving my homeland. I always attempt to do the right thing whenever and wherever I can. Perhaps I will have to save all of Tien before I could possibly be forgiven for my actions, but if that is what is required, then that is what I shall attempt to do. Again, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. It is far more than I deserve." Ssarak said, a smile creeping on to his face. For the first time since he began his self-imposed exile, atonement almost seemed...possible.

"Don't lose hope yet!" Annabeth blurted out without much forethought. She quickly tried to back track as Ssarak spoke, hopefully unaware or at least quietly considering her shout out. Ssarak seem to have taken her previous words to heart through, despite her own thoughts that they were fairly shoddy attempts to be consoling. His smile was contagious as her own face began to light up with a small smirk. "It's not something you have to earn, Ssarak. It's just something that I have to give, is all." Her smile grew wider as Annabeth stood up and went to a closet. Inside was an assortment of snacks and such they could cook on the brazier. "Interested in anything to eat, Ssarak? While we're here anyways."

"Yes, thank you. I have not yet eaten, so I am starving, as I imagine you are as well." Ssarak responded, his mind quickly returning to their conversation. "I am still surprised that you are so forgiving, although I suppose I have never mentioned to anyone what happened before now. Since the beginning of my self-imposed exile, I have always considered atonement to be more of a dream than a potential reality, but maybe it is more attainable than I assumed. Not that it will be easy, by any means. I still have a long way to go, a lot of work to do. I have only saved one life since arriving at the college; I will need to save many more before I can hope to attain that goal."

As Annabeth operated the grill, she also spoke to Ssarak about his atonement. "I cannot say that I forgive you, but what you did isn't something for me to judge you on. I mean, what you did was... Evil, in a sense, but at the same time, it was a situational thing, you know? Perhaps here in the safety of the college such things would be wrong, but where you came from the alternative would be worse. All in all, I am shocked, but I won't think of you harshly for it." Annabeth skewered some nuts and assorted meats and veggies onto skewers, letting them roast over the grill of the brazier. "Atonement... It isn't something that the atoner chooses. So they can't really decide if they can or can't... They just have to keep trying something, anything. And have faith that, in the end, they've done all that they could." It was a hard thing for Annabeth to say. Basically amounted to "keep trying". But that's what it all boiled down to really. Skill, luck, ability, none of that mattered if you weren't going to put them to use. Perhaps she wasn't the best person to talk to Ssarak about this, but the fact that he was willing to talk to her about it said that he at least valued her opinion.

"Food's done! It's a bit dry since I didn't prepare any sauce, but it should keep us full." Annabeth placed down various shishkebabs of assorted meats and veggies, as well as a plate of roasted nuts. Annabeth also traded her water for the bubbling sweet juice. The fizzy texture was a surprise at first, but it went down with no trouble. It was very sweet though, likely not good for her health if she drank so much of it.

"It is no issue. I do not think you will find me too selective with my meals." Ssarak commented, gladly taking his share of the the food she had cooked. He decided to keep his water, namely because he did not actually know what it was she was drinking. "Anyway, I believe you are correct. Certainly, I do not intend on giving up. Unfortunately, it is not too often that someone is in need of a hero, but I will take the opportunities when I can."

True to his word, Ssarak wolfed down the meal she had prepared, as he had quite the voracious appetite, especially after a workout. He usually had trouble remembering the table manners humans expected, though he doubted that Annabeth would care, being a close friend. From what he had gathered, such rituals were commonly only observed at formal gatherings. "Perhaps we should move away from such...unsavory topics? This place, Underhaven is it? I have never been here before. Living in the college, I know I should be accustomed the the presence of demons, but I must admit that being in a place such as this is slightly unsettling. Being that you are a mortal, I cannot imagine all of the clientele treat you with respect."

Annabeth ate at a moderate pace. She tried not to "Stuff her face", but sometimes she did bite off more than she could chew. But after a few swigs of the fizzy drink, the food went down all the same. Ssarak, not wanting to talk about the previous topic, decided to ask about Underhaven. She could do that fairly well, she imagined. "Admittedly I stumbled upon here by accident. I was asked to find someone on behalf of Satori, and she told me to find this place. I searched and searched, but never seemed to be able to find it. I asked a guardsman, who directed me to a golem, who simply brought me to a wall. I loitered around for quite some time before a... Demon... Showed up. I had to admit, I was scared. It was only me and the demon in the lower levels, and I only had my dagger with me that day. But the demon simply asked me why I was there, and when he explained things, he showed me inside." Between her words and eating, Annabeth took out a amulet from her bag. "Underhaven has multiple entrances, but each one require a special rune to open. It's to prevent those who would try to do harm to demons or vampires from going in and causing trouble. As for the usual patrons, they are not so bad. Subtle, infact. Though their fury does tend to boil, it's never directed towards me so much as it is towards other patrons. Usually the demons use their magic and take their fight elsewhere, but sometimes the bouncers would come in and kill them quickly. They aren't so brutal with vampires, but it happens. It was quite shocking at first, and even now when a fight breaks out I get scared, but the demons never seem to bother me or other 'mortals', as they call us. Even the vampires seem to ignore me so long as I do not try to attract their attention." Annabeth began to crack open and eat some nuts, washing away their salty aftertaste with some water.

"That being said, I always do feel out of place there. Everyone there is either a demon or a vampire. I always hear them talk about things like who they've killed recently, or how their last meal was like. Sometimes I feel they only talk about it when I'm around, just to scare me. Or maybe it's simply by chance..." Annabeth continued eating her nuts as she tried to think of things to ask Ssarak. She wanted to try to stray as far away from topics about his former home or his exile. The college seemed to be the best thing to talk about, so she made something up. "So, I've heard that you also have been taking extra classes from Satori. Between the usual work she has for us and my job, I haven't really focused my time on much else. I'm interested to know what you've learned from her so far."

Ssarak's expression showed some concern as Annabeth explained the details of her work. It seemed dangerous for her to always be around such volatile patrons. She could certainly defend herself, but if she was not armed and facing a demon, the bouncer would be the only other line of defense. Other than her psychomancy, of course. When the conversation shifted toward Ssarak's private lessons, a bit of a grin came over his face once more. "Indeed I have." He said, standing up and activating an invisibility spell all at the same time. Given their training session earlier, he could not keep it up long, but it was more than enough time to make his way behind the couch she was sitting on and look down on her from above. He spread out his wings to make himself appear larger in her field of vision, then ended his invisibility. "My dedication to my training has granted me a few new abilities. I have not had time for much else, but I would say it has been worth it. Invisibility, improved wards and telepathy, and the ability to switch between wide and focused psychomancy are some of what she as taught me. I believe you would enjoy taking private lessons, even if it means a somewhat reduced stream of revenue."
"Oh my!" Annabeth shouted with glee when Ssarak vanished. She had seen others do the same spell themselves, but it was more exciting when Ssarak preformed it. When he appeared he had his wings spread out and his entire body was over her. Despite the increase in size, it wasn't until his spell ended that she actually saw him.

"Indeed! That does seem rather tempting... Do you think Satori would be willing to take in another student? Especially since I still plan to work here, if only part time." Annabeth's own thoughts on Satori was fairly low. Though much time has passed since the opening ceremony, Annabeth would like their relationship to be nothing more than a professional teacher-to-student one. Personally, Annabeth found Satori much to apathetic to the feeling of others. She could not say that she does not know how others feel or think without lying, so often anything she does to bother her students were done intentionally, not due to any sort of misunderstanding. She was still a good teacher, but Annabeth simply found her personality to be too carefree for her taste.

"I believe so. Her motivations may be unknowable, but she seems dedicated to her role as an instructor. If she is capable of it, I imagine she would take you on for private lessons. I admit I would be more at ease if you took those lessons. I doubt you carry an axe with you while working at this place, so psychomancy would be the next best way to defend yourself. Actually, once we become experienced enough, our psychomancy will outstrip anything we can do with a weapon. It could be used to avoid conflict entirely. The concept of never having to fight again is... Exciting to me." Ssarak answered, pulling his wings back into their normal position.

Annabeth giggled as Ssarak's enthusiasm for magic. She had to admit, while the material itself is long and confusing at best, when she manages to cast a spell she felt a certain rush from it. She could only imagine what she could do when she becomes more skilled. "Indeed. Psychomancy is quite an entertaining magic. Perhaps, later today, I'll see if I could ask my boss about arranging my scedual to accommodate my extra lessons from Satori." Annabeth finished off the rest of her nuts and lounged on the couch, looking at Ssarak. "Ssarak, I don't mean to gossip, but what do you think of some of the other teachers? I've met Uicle, and despite his misfortune, he seems like an kind fellow... Quirks aside. I've also met with Lidda, very kind but also very eccentric. I've only seen Lucilia occasionally in Underhaven, and she always seems to be busy with something. When she's in Underhaven, it seems like she's only there to solve a problem. I've also seen Khan around the college, I'm not entirely sure what he does, but I'm surprised that he's a demonmancer. The current demonmancer teacher... Well, he scares me. In a way. I've seen him in Underhaven too, and all the demons listen to him. But he's so... Cruel? I've seen him kill some people..." The entire cast for the college's teachers were all strange in their own ways, but some more frightening than others.

"Honestly, I do not know most of them very well. My days are generally filled between classes, exercise, and training. I cannot say that I regret not knowing Tyrael, honestly. His demonstration in the opening feast spoke volumes about his personality...of course Satori's was hardly peaceful as well. I would not say I trust Satori necessarily, but perhaps I should not be so judgmental. Overall, I would not say I envy Khan. He has the task of keeping the college together through the myriad of challenges it faces. He has to keep Satori, Tyrael, and any other unstable staff in line, he has to deal with hordes of dignitaries, he has to make decisions I have never even thought of having to face. I am afraid I was at least partially responsible for one of the issues he had to face only a day after my arrival. It was due to my psychomancy that Althalus mated with Mar and put them in their current predicament. Of course, I would say pregnancy is preferable to death, in that case." He said with a chuckle. His own thoughts on the situation were mixed. He did feel partially responsible for the situation and wanted to be helpful, but he doubted Mar would be accepting of any aid.

"Wait wait wait wait. Mar's pregnant!?" This was news to her. Just about everyone knew about the naga and how she was the "pet" of the demonmancy teacher (Though the two are going through a bit of a rough patch right about now). Most also knew that Mar and Althalus were roommates. But for Mar to be pregnant with Althalus's child? That was almost as shocking as Ssarak's personal story. "How did this happen? She never seemed to be the type to really involve herself romantically... But I can't imagine someone like Althalus to force himself on her, certainly not. But how do you come into all of this? Did you give Althalus some tips to woo Mar?" Annabeth promised herself not to gossip, but this was too interesting to let go. It would explain why the demonmancer teacher seems so ornery as of late, as his possessiveness of the Naga was well known, like she was his daughter or something.

Ssarak scratched his head a moment as he moved to take a seat. "Oh, right, I never told you about that. It is a complicated situation, and I do not have all of the details myself. It did not start off as you think. Quite the opposite, Mar came very close to killing Althalus. I do not know exactly what caused it, but when Mar returned from her hunt on the second day we were here, something had influenced her to become exceptionally angry. Althalus was attempting to stop her for some reason, and she lashed out at him with her scythe, fully intent on killing him. I was in the courtyard as well and witnessed these events unfold. Mar had Althalus in her coils when I intervened. I projected a cloud of psychomantic gas over the pair, which calmed Mar's anger, but it also had other effects, akin to various drugs. Unfortunately, I did not have near the stamina then as I do now, so I was too exhausted to focus on keeping them separated. As I went off to Satori's class, they went off to a private room and, well now Mar bears Althalus' child. I know little more than that, as Mar is not the most...social individual. I have scarcely ever spoken to her. Personally, I did not know humans and Naga were interfertile, though I suppose I should not be surprised. It seems many of Tiien's races are compatible in that nature, as evidenced by students such as Aruna."

Annabeth hasn't even been to class and she's already learning something. She already knew of Eysire's ability to breath the magic of their blood, but she had never expected Ssarak to have been able to subdue the naga and human, as well as make them sexually charged enough to really go through the ritual of baby making. Annabeth was almost tempted to ask him how he did it when he mentioned Aruna. She knew of the half-eysire, if only in passing. She did always wonder how Aruna would feel about someone like Ssarak. Annabeth could see the two together and thought it would make for a cute couple, but also kept any thoughts about relationships for Ssarak to herself. He was once married. "But wait, if this happened on the second day... I do not know much about nagas, but do you think her child... Hmm. I do wonder what her baby would be like once it's conceived. I know!" Annabeth stood up and looked towards Ssarak. "We should get them gift for their child! You, after all, were the one to make it all possible. Oh, if only I were able to be there! I mean, I don't know what I'd do, but it's certainly a momentous time. A naga and human child... Yes, we should be present for it's birth! But we need presents first. I know who we could go to; Val! I'm sure she could make something for the baby."

Ssarak was surprised by Annabeth's sudden excitement, and nervous all at the same time. There was a reason he had not attempted to speak to Mar. She was not very approachable at the best of times, and with her child coming closer to being born...he did not know if trying to become involved would be a good idea. "I, um, I do not know if that is a good idea. Mar is far from a kind individual, and certainly not sociable. She may not appreciate the sentiment of a gift. Althalus might, but not her. I would not know what would be appropriate for a Naga-Human child. Both are different in many ways; I can only guess what form it will take."

Annabeth would not back down so easily. "Nonsense! A gift is a gift! And for a child, we have to make sure it's something that will help her grow but also enjoy life. Maybe... Maybe a toy of some sort? A rattle perhaps, or maybe a doll! But if the child is part naga, it will have to be a strong doll. I've seen what Mar is capable of, no doubt the baby will inherit her mother's strength. Come on now Ssarak, this is no time to be scared! It is a joyous thing to happen. Don't worry, I'll get us two gifts, one that I can give and one you can give! Come on now~" Annabeth reached over and tried to pull Ssarak to the door, off to find Val and get something for the baby-to-be.

Although Ssarak did not resist when Annabeth began to pull him toward the door, he was regretting bringing up Mar's pregnancy. Her intentions were certainly good, but he could not imagine this ending well. "Alright, but I would like to say that I find this a very bad idea. There are many, many more ways this can go wrong than it can go right." He said nervously as he followed behind her. As much as he wanted to remove himself from the situation, he did not want to be absent if Annabeth ended up in a confrontation with Mar. For both their sakes, he hoped she was right.

"There's always a chance for bad things to happen, But we can't give up a chance of doing good just because of it!" After handing her keys back to Barkeep, Annabeth and Ssarak left Underhaven and headed topside to find Val. All the while Annabeth was thinking about what they should try to get for Mar, which she allowed Ssarak to telepathically converse about. "It has to be something we can give to a boy or girl. I'm thinking we should get a soft baby blanket, white like the snow. Or maybe some sort of stuffed animal! But it has to be a neutral color, wouldn't want to embarrass the child later in his or her life with a doll that makes them seem too childish. But if it's an animal, what should it be? I think it may be in bad taste if we simply gave her a snake... Maybe a dog, or a cat." Annabeth's thoughts just continued to rattle off ideas as they looked for Val.

Winter had fallen on the Twilight college in the form of blankets of icy white snow. The tree's shed their leaves and hunkered down for the winter. Animal's became scarcer in the wilds and people began spending less time outside. The colleges many hearths and other heat sources served as a good way to throw off the cold that gripped the land, but still people would come in shaking bitterly from the cold and cling to what warmth they could find. Those that did walk the outside wore thick coats to try and fight off the cold or were of bloods they could use to fight off the cold. At times snow seemed to fall endlessly from the sky, coming down in little flakes or ragging storms, each flake added to the blanket that coated the land.

To those in lands that went through similar seasonal change this was nothing new, but to others this was foreign and inhospitable. Both Deven and Jenna found themselves easily adapting to the snow, being from Wintercrest a place that well earned its name. Winter's were no less aggressive here then it was back at home, something Deven and Jenna were keenly aware of.

The college bustled with its around two thousand students and the arriving delegates. But outside in the wilderness, it was a different story. As always in winter life made its way along, only slowed by the bitter cold but never stamped out. The landscape was a dreary gray devoid of the colors that once filled the land. Icy winds would send up swirls of loose snow into the air only to float back down gracefully into a new place. But in the trees some way from the college something stirred. Hidden in the bushes, something that in another season would have gone by invisible barely making a sound, but in the dead of winter every breath was made clear in small puffs of frozen moisture.

There nestled in some bushes sat a lone archer, wrapped in fur clothing that blended well with the brown of the plant they sat. In their hand they clutched their bow, the string already pulled back and an arrow in place. A few seconds passed as the archer waited, waited to take their shot. Another faint soft breath. A small cloth had fallen down revealing the archers mouth, nose and jaw. The cold nipped at the exposed skin but the archer did not make any move to fix it, their focus was entirely on this shot.

Once more an icy breath.

As son as the breath ended, in a tiny movement of releasing the string the archer let the arrow fly. The arrow whistled through the air, the silence of the forest finally being disturbed. For only a few seconds the arrow flew until it met its mark. The arrow plunged into the neck of a female deer that had been grazing. Crimson gushed from the wound and the creature's eyes shot wide open. But before it could move or the adrenaline could start pumping through its veins, another arrow whizzed through the air and plunged into the deer's skull, this one from the opposite side.

The deer collapsed to the ground in a loud thump, small wisps of loose snow went up in a small cloud before slowly settling back into place. From the bushes the archer stepped out and jogged lightly towards the deer. As they did another figure appeared, a feminine figure whose features were still notable through the coat. The two met by the deer. The first one looked up and nodded towards his partner.

Deven smiled softly from under his hood, his face now fully visible under his hood. He dropped to his knees by the deer and reached up pulling the mask over his chin, mouth, cheeks and nose, which had began to sting from the cold.

"You have gotten better." Jenna commented as she kneeled setting her bow at her side.

"Well I have a good teacher." Deven replied his eyes shooting up towards her thankfully before returning to the deer. Her reached for his knife at his side, taking it from its sheath and moving it towards the deer. He needed no teaching in how to skin an animal, he had learned a long time ago. But rarely had he been so lucky to bag himself a deer, let alone at this time of year. Slowly he slid his knife in.

"Strange." Jenna said her voice breaking the silence that feel over the area, "Something must have separated it from the rest of its herd. It's unusual to see one alone in this weather, let alone in the college area...though it does seem to have only recently arrived...given the fact here are no other deer tracks around the area." Jenna said making conversation as Deven did his bloody work..

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Deven answered.

It took a rather long period of time before Deven had stripped the deer of its useful meets and its pelt, putting the two into separate bags. He had only paused twice to warm both him and Jenna up with his pyromancy. Once he was done the two began to make their way back to the college. The two of them had advanced in the skill of their bloods since they arrived at the college. They both trained as regularly. Jenna even volunteering in the infirmary helping in anyway she could with her blood. It served as a good way to do some good and practice. Deven, practiced regularly, he was looking into speaking with the pyromancy teacher about taking some private lessons but he his introvertedness always kept him from posing the question. In class both he and Jenna payed absolute attention, they tried their hardest in their classes ad rarely messed around.

When they were not in class, training or socializing with the few people they had met, they were helping out in whatever way they could around the college. They had received a letter some days ago from Wintercrest. The letter had been written by Jenna's father and spoke of the goings on at Wintercrest and asked them how their studies have been going at the school, it spoke lightly of the conflicts, saying only that they were nothing more then small bands of what little remained of Redwoods small garrison. Many of the Redwood garrison had deserted after Wintercrest took the city. Redwood's soldiers had been offered amnesty and were told if they lay down their arms they would be allowed to live their lives as normal citizens at this offer many of what remained of Redwoods army accepted and laid down their weapons. Those that didn't fled and had taken up raiding Wintercrest caravans and trade routes. But the letter did not delve into any of this, this was all knowledge that Deven and Jenna already knew, the letter only stated things were going well into their favor.

But that was not all the letter spoke on, they spoke of the meeting of nations. Eanian and Djarkel delegates will be arriving at the college and many more delegates from other factions would arrive as well. In times before Wintercrest had never taken part in the meeting of nations, but this time was to be different, they would contribute to the meeting of nations sending a small contingent of soldiers and delegates who will bear gifts for the college. This band would be led by Jenna's uncle, Trystan Fellrien. Trystan had been close with both Deven and Jenna when they were younger. He had taught Deven almost everything he knew about swordsmanship. Recently he had been one of the many charged with leading the capture of Redwood. But as it seemed he had been brought back home and given a different mission. This mission did not surprise either Jenna or Deven in the slightest. Trystan, though magicless, was as skilled with his tongue as he was with his sword, both Jenna and Deven agreed that he was a good choice for them to send on a delegation mission.

The two hadn't spoken with anyone about the details of the letter instead keeping it to themselves, they had been told that they should not talk about anything relating to Wintercrest's plans, no matter how small unless told other wise. They had no idea who could possibly be working to thwart Wintercrest and they were in no position or mindset to let them have any information that could aid in this quest. Something though that did spur the pairs curiosity was a small mention in the letter about Trystan having gifts for the two of them. There was no attempt at making an explanation of what the gift was just that there was one coming.

Now the meeting was nearing its point and the two could feel their interest and curiosity welling up inside them as well as a want to see some friendly familiar faces again.

The pair soon began to near the gates. It didn't take long for them to close the distance, as they arrived they were met with the gate guard, Jenna explained as she had when they left that she was part of the hunting class and that she was just going out for a little, the gate guard put up a fight to Deven going along for he was not a member of the hunting class, but Jenna managed to get the Gate guard to buckle, at one point claiming, "Hey, I need someone to carry the bags.".

Jenna pulled down her hood and face cover as they entered the college courtyard. Her eyes switched back to Deven who was doing the same, She took off her bow and quiver and held the two out by their straps in her right hand while holding her left hand out expectantly. "Mind taking my bow back to my room while I deal with our spoils?" Jenna asked.

Deven nodded and un-slung the two bags, "Of course, here, try not to drop them." Deven said as he gave her the bag and took the bow and arrow, slinging them over his shoulder. "Alright, see you in a bit." Jenna answered as she began to walk away.

Deven nodded his head in good bye and began to make his way back to his room. He had managed to memorize his way to the important areas such as the library, his room, the main gate, his classes, the gym, the mess hall, the infirmary and the garden, but other smaller areas, such as some of the teachers offices he hadn't bothered with. But this was something that had little president to him, if he ever needed to find a teachers office he could ask one of the golems or perhaps a fellow student but, he hadn't had such a need yet.

Jenna turned her attention to the merchants that had taken up residence in the main courtyard, it did not take her long to sell the furs off to an Eanian merchant, after which she began to make her way to the mess hall, her end destination being the kitchen. She knew she could sell the meats off to the merchants as well, but she had no need of the gold, Wintercrest had supplied them with more then enough gold for the year but, both her and Deven agreed to save it for when they needed it. So instead she chose to give it to the cooks at the college for the other students to enjoy.

Deven rounded a corner and closed the distance to his door, unlocking it and opening it without reservation, he still did not have a roommate and his attempts at finding one had already run dry and nonexistent, he felt a little left out at not having a roommate like so many of the others but, this feeling was nothing new to him, it had been something he had grown used to in life and payed no mind to it. He shut the door behind him and dropped his pack at the foot of his bed. The pack contained supplies for if an issue should arise during the hunting trip happily they had no need of it. He then turned to the mannequin that stored his armor. He had taken to leaving his weapons leaning upon it. Already his sword and sheath leaned on its right side, he had given up on strapping it to the mannequin's side and instead just let it lean on the mannequin. He un-slung his bow that Jenna had bought him from the college armory. It was a decent quality bow but nothing like Jenna's it served as a good "starter bow", he leaned the bow on the mannequins left side along with the quiver before unslinging Jenna's and placing it on his bed. He then undressed himself and changed into some more comfortable clothes. A dark brown cloth, long sleeve shirt with dark leather pants and a coat that was primarily black with white fur around the shoulders and neck for greater warmth.

Once dressed he grabbed Jenna's bow slinging it over his shoulder once more before stepping over to Jenna's room. She had been yet to find a roommate as well, something she complained about every so often, unlike Deven her searches were still open. One thing they had learned was that they could room with people of the opposite sex, but this seemed uncommon and the two had mutually agreed that it would just be easier to keep their own rooms if they could not room with other people. They already roomed next to each other so it made little difference. She had given him a key and him her so entry was no issue, he pulled out the key and unlocked the door before stepping in. He shut the door behind him and made his way to where she kept her bow, he placed the bow in its spot and then made his way out. Once out he began making his way to the mess hall where he and Jenna had agreed to meet before they left to go hunting.

Leith sat in the dining hall, eating breakfast. He had quickly fell into a routine during the months he had been at the college. It'd start with him waking up early, if he even got to sleep; getting ready for the day, caring for the plants he had amassed in his room, going for breakfast, and finally, training with Deven and Jenna. At first, Leith didn't think that he'd need to learn how to use a weapon, but when he thought back to what happened to him, he realized that learning how to defend himself would be ideal. After a few months, Leith was competent with a dagger, although they did learn that he was lacking in both strength and stamina.

Leith was amazed that it had been six months since he had arrived at the college. It had only felt like it had been only a couple months to him, but the things that he had learned proved otherwise. The most interesting one being that Psychomancers could hear the buzzing in his head. He had come to this realization when several people he had walked by complained about a constant buzzing noise they suddenly heard, and when he had asked Ssarak about it, the Esyire confirmed it.

As Leith looked around the hall, he figured that it would be an interesting day. As early as he had been up, Leith had noticed the hustle and bustle of staff members everywhere. Dignitaries from both Eania and Djarkel were supposed to arrive, and everyone was doing last minute preparations for the arrival. Merchants and other people had already arrived, and were waiting for the dignitaries to make their entrance. When he was done eating, he put his plate away and left the dining hall. He was bored. With nothing better to do for a while, Leith wandered the halls. After a few minutes, Leith turned a corner and bumped into someone, knocking him to the ground. He looked up to see the girl he had run into and Ssarak.

"Ah, sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going," Leith said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "I don't think we've met. I've seen you around, but I don't think we've actually talked. My name's Leith."

Much had happened for Xyden in the last six months. He had learned far more than ever before in this short timespan, the Surface Dwellers acting at a rate he had never fathomed before. Events both great and small had taken place. His fins were taking on more colour, something he attributed to the strange foods of the surface. He had learned to control his mageblood, small amounts of water now doing his bidding when he wished. He had practiced combat both on the land and in the water. On the land he was powerful, but he still was not so skilled as some of the best fighters, relying on his physical strength and unusual attributes to win. In the water, only the expert Hydromancers posed a real challenge, though the master of Hydromancy still defeated him soundly every battle. His physical strength had improved as well, as fighting on the land required more effort and muscle mass to achieve the same thing as battling underwater. He had begun to adapt a steel chain with a vicious bladed hook into his style as well, and had had thin metal spikes crafted to cover the ridges of his fins while he was above the water. The loss of mobility was unimportant when they served no purpose but intimidation, something the spikes actually enhanced. The vision he had received when he had arrived had yielded no further wisdom, and he had cast it aside.

All of it paled in comparison to one fact however. One fact that had given him a new purpose for the last few months. The female land Naga was pregnant. When it had first begun to show on her form, some had whispered that Xyden was the father, after all he was the only other Naga in the college. Xyden knew better though. He ignored the whispers of those that would not believe the truth: the Land Strider named Althalus had fathered the child. That meant one thing. The child was an Abomination, the mother an Abomination for bearing it. In the absence of the wisdom of the matriarchs, Xyden was forced to consider the law of his people, law that he existed to enforce, on his own. He had reached a verdict.

The Abomination had to be destroyed.

At first he had bided his time, questioned his interpretation of the law in every way he could, and trained for his righteous task even as he had, but no aspect of the law that he could see allowed for this to go unpunished. And Xyden existed to enforce the law of the Naga, whether he wanted to or not.

Today was the day that he had chosen to carry out his task, to deliver the sentence and carry it out. Many of the staff were distracted with an event of seeming importance to them, one that had seen armies of Land Striders arrayed outside the college. He had planned to distract what few remained to take care of the students. Even now, he had slithered out of his watery abode, accoutered in full armour and carrying his trident, in search of the Land Strider known as Leith.

He had a favour to call in.

As the months went by, Haklo Desol did what he came there to do. He observed and learned. He attended warding classes and made exceptional progress warding off invading psychomantic attacks. He had spent a lot of time in the library and in other magical classes, observing and listening to what the teachers said about the magics that they were teaching. He was mostly interesting the prospects of runes and overall to make profit from various magic. He’d have to keep in mind to commission something from master runecrafters. Other than learning about magic, he used some free time to keep various skills honed such as horseback riding and swordsmanship. He managed to befriend some novices, gets to know them and see what they were about and learned what he could about others. He watched other students that he didn’t get much of a chance to interact with for one reason or another. He was inquisitive about people but not suspiciously so, asking others and overhearing conversation and making sure to be up to date with any rumors, gossip or just overall facts about people’s lives, the pregnant Naga for example.

Currently, the young nobleman was outside the collage grounds astride a black steed with a white mane, tail and socks including a star between the eyes. The saddle was burgundy of fine quality leather. The nobleman was awaiting a delivery, a regular delivery from his father of coin. He didn’t need it so this was also an ample opportunity to re-evaluate the need for the deliveries.
The young nobleman was wearing a heavy cloak to help him with the cold with a hood pulled over his head. Underneath he wore his most worn armor of studded leather. He was warm enough though this winter his breath was visible in the breeze. He sat there on his horse as he watched the road where a courier approached with his delivery. “You are late” Haklo said, staying there until the courier approached him in his light wagon dragged by two horses. “Sorry, milord” The courier said, a man of middle age with a very bushy beard that was partially covered by a scarf. “Some roads are very dangerous and I had-“ He started but stopped when Haklo raised his hand. “No matter. You are here now. Give me the delivery. In return I have a letter for you” He said and handed the older man a finely folded letter sealed with red wax stamped with the Desol emblem which he bore on his ring. “And for your payment” he said as he took the casket from the man, tossing a velvet bag filled with coin. The man fumbled, dropping the back to the back of the wagon but managed to get it. “Thank you, lord. It was an honor” the courier said, watching the nobleman turn back to the collage.

Haklo headed straight to the collage stables, getting his horse which he had decided to name Star. With his steed secure in the stables feasting on some hay. Haklo walked back into the collage proper. He was hungry and needed something warm so he headed straight to the dining hall where he procured himself warm tea sweetened with sugar and milk and a plate of warm chicken, bread and cheese. The meal was much needed as it warmed him up a bit, especially the tea. He finished the meal rather quickly, leaving a piece of bone that was broken with the marrow sucked out with bread and cheese crumbs. With food in his stomach he left the dining hall carrying the somewhat unnecessarily ornate casket of coin and heading to his quarters.

He passed a window as he walked through the halls, seeing the Djarkal representative with Khan. His eyebrow arched at the situation as he knew the Djarkal style anywhere and he found it somewhat comforting in a strange sense. He then looked around when he heard people not too far away. He decided to follow the voices and at a turn he saw three people which he had seen the faces of. Ssarak, Leith and Annabeth. He saw that Annabeth still had her knife which he had returned to her all those months ago. He didn't approach them as they were already engrossed in their own conversation and about to speak with Leith so instead the nobleman prepped up his ears and leaned against the wall, in sight as he listened to them.

Collab: Grey and Meirin (Also Zaad).

As the two walked towards the Infirmary, Meirin hoped that Grey knew where to go. She certainly didn't, since she still hasn't explored the entire college yet. She's only gone to and from her dorm to her Weaving class, and occasionally from her dorm to the dining hall or to some of her other classes. She certainly didn't know where she was right now. Grey asked her about her home, which made Meirin smile. "I came from Djarkel, in the mountains. I was raised in a monastery after... Things happened. We didn't speak much, but when we did I have noticed that those of the monastery did not always sound like those who lived in Djarkel. But it didn't really matter to me; it was clear enough for communication. " Meirin wondered how they were doing back at home. She sent letters, but she never got a reply back. Not that she ever asked for them, she merely wanted to let her elders know how she's progressing.

"The monastery is based on the Mountain of Time, one of the mountains that surround Mount Sanguine. The monastery was to be a safe haven for travelers with no were else to go, as well as taking in the homeless and orphaned for a life of rigorous martial training. I moved in as a child, and have been training with them as soon as they felt that I could handle it, which was around seven or so years old. They not only taught me their arts, but also mannerism, respect, and morals. Of course, they also taught me that we all have our own paths, so it's not as though that I'm the prefect representation of who they are. If you ever went there, you might even say I'm something fo an oddball. But they are good people, if a bit boring. Despite their skills, they refused to go into war, and only use their power to help travelers head to the city. Occasionally we may accept whatever reward they are willing to give to us, but otherwise we do it simply because we have the power to do so."

Meirin went on a monologue of her home, though she made the conscience choice to keep it mostly vague. Talking about it hit close to home, and would have poked some old wounds she was going to let heal. In hindsight, Meirin noticed how naive of the world she was. She only knew of her home, and barely knew of the college itself. Perhaps she would go out and learn more about Tiien after or even during her time at the college. Pick up some culture.

Annabeth Gulch

Annabeth and Ssarak had just returned from their visit of Val. There, Annabeth brought a few things for Mar's child; a minx green blanket, a chew toy, and a soft breathable pillow. Fairly generic gifts for a baby, and she had Ssarak hold onto the pillow so he had something to give. "I think Mar would like these for her child. As rough around the edges she is, surely she couldn't deny a gift for her baby." That's what Annabeth hoped, and as she was turning a corner she ran into someone. She nearly stumbled, but caught herself on a wall. "Whoa! Are you okay...?" After regaining her balance, Annabeth looked at who she ran into. She was somewhat familiar with him; a hyrdomancer student, but that was about all she knew of him. He introduced himself as Leith after apologizing for running into her. "Oh, it's no a problem. No one hurt. My name is Annabeth Gulch, nice to meet you."

Tyrael Marchosias

Dragging the whelp through the stones, Tyrael dragged his knife across the demon's wrist again and again. As the demon was bleeding out from the multiple cuts on it's arms, he finished it by stabbing the knife into the demon's chest, before breaking the blade off at the hilt. "Hang him."

Tyrael tossed his handle to the ground as he went over to the next prisoner. For the past months, Tyrael had been scouring the lands of Tiien looking for new demons to join him. Gathering hints and information of locals, he's been attacking demon colonies and given them a choice; join him or suffer in the Inferno. Many have resisted and tried to fight back, and they were being hung from trees they hid in. The next demon who dared to defy him had ropes tied to his wrists and ankles, and those ropes were connected to hellish horses. "Pull." The four horses ran in different directions, pulling on the demon's limbs. He roared in pain before his arms and legs were torn off his body, and Tyrael grabbed him by the next. Using the power of the Inferno, he cauterized the wounds into a dark scab, to ensure the demon doesn't bleed out too quickly, but also to make sure that the demon does not get his arms or legs back. Tossing him into a pile of other quadrupled amputees, Tyrael channeled his demonic powers into his body, creating a large blade in the place of his arm. Some demons weren't given elaborate deaths; some were just decapitated. Walking to the next sight, he moved the executioner aside to cut off the head of a demon himself, than attached the head to a rune enchanted pike. This pike had the opposite effect of what most pikes do; they give life instead of death. Well, sustain life anyways. That why when he rammed the demon's head onto the pike, it would not die, and thus would not rot. This will cause the demon to be "sealed" in the mortal world, as an example to those who fail to concede to Tyrael's demands. But regardless of what he did, he did it with methodical precision, and boredom. He didn't want to do this. He wanted to find his daughter.

A few months ago he was given grave news. His adopted daughter had gone missing. That day he left the college to find her, but found nothing. No hints to where she went, no evidence that she was taken. In a brutal rage he killed just about everyone there, though most were demons. Most. Since then he had been focusing nearly all his time and effort into trying to find his daughter, but he kept this quite from the others of the college. Indeed, his feelings towards the college was... Strained. First there was Mar, who seemed to reject any notion that he wanted to help her. Though he tries to forget it, he could never forget the words he told her.

"The elders were not trying to exile you! They were sending you to your death! I wanted to save you, to give you a chance instead of struggling until you died! But if you want to die slowly, than I am more than happy to kill you myself!"

It was a foolish thing to say, and he had allowed his various emotions to take over him. He nearly came to blows with Mar and would have struck her down had his demons not intervened. It was also sad to think that his own demons were the ones who saved him from making a grievous mistake. Either way his relationship with Mar had strained since than, though she at least was able to keep herself out of trouble. Which was good, because Tyrael had his own problems to deal with. Because not only was his daughter missing, word had gotten around to him that Kudd has awaken. He knew who he was; he knew what he was capable of. Though the masses were ignorant to his existence, Kudd was more of a threat to the world than anything mortals could come up with. Khan too knew of what Kudd was capable of, and thus he sent Tyrael to deal with the demons. The demons at the college now wasn't to mediate the conflict between Eania and Djarkel, though they could also handle that. No, the college was building an army to fight Kudd's enviable awakening. Because neither of the two master Demonmancers knew when or how Kudd was going to arrive. They knew his powers and they knew his intentions, but everything else was a mystery. Tyrael did not like it at all.

Savagely beating another demon into a broken body, Tyrael retired to his tent. "Well? What do you have to tell me?" Tyrael looked towards another demonic messenger, who unfortunately found nothing about his daughter's whereabouts. The demon signed and rubbed his eyes in stress, yelling at his demons to leave him. He sat alone in his tent, contemplating what his actions should be. Khan had sent him to gather the demons, but now his resources were limited and he could not focus them to finding his daughter. "Why should you care about the college anyways? You already know that you stand alone there." Standing next to Tyrael was a demonic figure. One that has transcended time and space to meet him. A figure of the past, but lost to the time. But his existence was an enigma, and could not be so easily destroyed.

Vorinclex stood before the fallen orc. "Face it. You are alone. You are a tool to the college, no longer needed. Not even Mar requires you anymore, as she has now sunk her fangs into the others, far more willing to help her than you. You daughter was the only one who would keep your company... And she is lost. You must find her. Forget Khan's orders. Find your daughter. Before it's too-" Vorinclex's image was cut in half much like Tyrael's table. "I have had enough of you inane rambling..." The orc continued to sit alone, in silence, as outside his tent demons were brought to suffer and be tortured into obedience.

Lucilia Riovas

"It is interesting, thank you for letting me know. I'll be sure to look it over." Lucilia waved off another group of from Eania. As Khan dealt with the dignitaries, Lucilia handled just about everyone else. Those who represented interests all over the world, not just in Eania and Djarkel, though many were based there as well. Mercenary Companies, Labor Unions, Cults, just about any organization with more than a hundred people have at least one person here trying to get the college to support them. And Lucilia had to make sure they didn't end up getting themselves in a bad deal. It was not entirely pointless, as some organizations were bright minds who merely needed support for their endeavors. But who those were required Lucilia's expertise.

Lucilia herself was actually just going about her business trying to make sure the college didn't overwork itself, but regardless if she was merely walking through the halls or actively assisting someone people would come to her and bother her to talk about their organization. And playing her part as someone who gave a damn, she had to drop all her activity and try to get rid of them as soon as possible. If she was fortunate she'd already know about the people they represent and she could skip the tedious process of listening to who they are. Otherwise she had to stand around for about thirty minutes waiting for them to finished their rehearsed lines before giving one of her own, and than returning to her original duties.

Currently, Lucilia was heading towards her the infirmary to get their inventory reports. Along the way she saw a familiar person, Grey Onyx. One of the mercenary guardsmen assigned to protect the college. Though she had her initial doubts he had so far proven himself a decent guards, even if all the tasks he were given were either outside his given skill set or insanely difficult, such as filing the health reports of his fellow guardsmen or trying to keep an eye on Zaad. However with him was another student, Meirin. Not only that, but Grey appeared to be injured somehow. Lucilia walked over to the duo as Meirin ended her long tangent. "Hello you two. Grey, you don't look so well. Zaad giving you a hard time?"

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak found himself nervous, still believing that much could go wrong in approaching Mar. Perhaps he was being too cautious. After all, with how far along Mar's pregnancy was, she was certainly not in peak physical condition and might realize the risks involved with lashing out at someone. Regardless, Ssarak still did not wish to offend her. The Nagas' customs were entirely alien to both Human and Esyire cultures, so neither he nor Annabeth had any real idea of what expectations they had for social interaction. Perhaps he would be able to convince Annabeth to present the gifts to Althalus, instead of Mar? He was Human, and much more friendly and approachable than Mar. Allowing him to take the gifts would serve the same purpose with less risk.

Just as Ssarak was about to speak up, Annabeth rounded the corner at the same time as another individual, who ended up falling to the ground as a result of the impact. Upon closer inspection, Ssarak saw that it was his roommate, Leith. He seemed unharmed as he stood up and dusted himself off, and Annabeth had managed to keep her footing, so there was no cause for concern. "Good morning, Leith." Ssarak added after the two introduced themselves.

"It's nice to meet you too," Leith said to Annabeth with a smile. "I have to say, this was definitely an interesting way to meet someone." He looked at Ssarak when the Esyire spoke, and nodded at him. "Good morning. What are you two doing today? Nothing gossip-worthy, I hope," he asked in a conspiratorial tone with a grin that he hoped showed that he was joking. "Anyway, I'm a bit bored, mind if I join you for a while?"

Leith noticed the pillow Ssarak was holding, and then the items that Annabeth was holding. "What's with the baby stuff?"

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

"Annabeth believes we should bring gifts to Mar and Althalus for their coming child." Ssarak said, turning his head towards Annabeth with a slight grin. "I suspect she is suicidal." He teased. He took a moment to look at the pillow he was holding, which seemed small in his rather large hand. Perhaps, at the very least, Mar would appreciate the utility of the items. He did not know if the hybrid of a Human and a Naga would be cold-blooded, but an item such as a blanket would be especially useful if that were the case. Without knowing what kind of a form the child would have, it would be difficult pick clothing for it beforehand, if it was even going to end up wearing them to begin with. Mar did not prefer to wear clothing, so Ssarak was not sure if she would pass that onto her hybrid child. There were many questions he had no way of knowing the answer to. For all he knew, all of the items Annabeth selected could end up being useless; the child could have fully formed teeth with no need of having something to chew on and end up sleeping on a rock.

Grey Onyx

As Grey listened to Meirin speak of her home, he was a tad surprised. Huh. I must not get around as much as I thought I did... He thought. Being from Djarkel himself, you'd think he would have heard of the place... Not that he didn't trust her, he was just surprised is all. "Ah, Djarkel huh? That's where I'm from. Though with how pale I am you could probably already tell, huh? Ever been to blacklight? tiny little village, not too far from here." He asked. He found himself smiling as well. He was just as fond of his home as she seemed to be, even if he went off to wander. He wondered how old man Slate was holding up without him to help man the walls... [b]"Ah, so you're a warrior as well? What weapon do you wield?" He said when she mentioned 'martial training.' He couldn't help but feel he had a few things in common with the girl. She certainly seemed nice...

It was then that they came across Lucilia. He was quite fond of her, given that she had been the one that got him his post after all. She was also rather nice, most of the time. Still, there was something... unsettling about her, but he was probably just being paranoid again. "Heh, bastard got my arm broken." he lied. He certainly didn't want Meirin to be reprimanded or anything. After all, it was an accident. "But chasing him around beats speaking with those snak- diplomats." he said, his disdain for the various factions vying for the college's support only barely disguised.

Grey spoke about his home, though he didn't go as long on a tangent as Meirin did. Though her home was in Djarkel, she never considered Djarkel her home. She nodded her head "no" when he asked if she ever visited the village of Blacklight, though she vaguely might have remembered escorting one or two people there in passing. Then Grey asked her about her weapons, though Meirin was a bit hesitant. Technically she "could" use all sorts of weapons, but life at the monastery taught her that a true warrior does not claim what their weapon is. Their actions will prove that, and unfortunately Meirin wasn't carrying her weapons today. "Ah, well... I suppose you could say I'm more of a hand-to-hand person, though I've never really gained the same level of ability as my masters..." Soon another person arrived, Lucilia Riovas the Vampire Teacher. Meirin perked up when she arrived, as she knew that Lucilia had potions that could help Grey. Or so Meirin thinks, she's never seen a medicine that could cure a physical injury like a broken arm. She's seen and had medicines that once purged her body of monster venom and currently was on medicine that would help her subdue her emotions, but she didn't think a potion could be used to restore a broken arm. "Ah! Miss Riovas, Grey's arm broke! We were heading towards the infirmary, but is there anything you can do for him!?"

Annabeth Gulch

When Leith asked about the baby gifts, Annabeth could hardly hide her excitement. "They're for Mar's child! I heard she's due for a baby any day now, so I had Ssarak help me pick things out. Though he worries that Mar would be too prideful to accept such things." Annabeth shot Ssarak a dirty but playful look at his comment. "What is life worth living without the chance of death? Besides, Mar isn't that bad. A bit rough around the edges maybe, but I'm sure she's simply a bashful, independent woman." Granted, Annabeth knew very little of Mar aside from second-hand observations and rumors, so she was hoping for the best here. Though Ssarak did have a point in that they should get Mar and Althalus their gifts soon. There was no real rush, but the sooner the better, she thought. "Anyways, let's go. I think they should still be in their dorm."

However, as the trio moved on, they stumbled upon a strange sight. Mar, Athalus, Alaria, and... A baby!? "Oh gods! She's already born!" With feelings of excitement and worry, Annabeth rushed towards the scene.

Lucilia Riovas

"Oh? That is quite serious. I'm surprised that you're taking it so calmly... Though I suppose that panicking isn't going to do you any good." Lucilia went over to Grey and examined his arm. It was indeed broken, much more than merely a fracture, though nothing that she couldn't handle. Though a Vitamancer would be able to restore his arm back to normal in a short notice, Lucilia preferred more tried and true methods of medication and braces. Magic had it's uses, but the energy needed to restore Grey's arm would be a lot for just any healer at the infirmary. And despite Lidda's own generosity, she did not want other students taking advantage of their kindness by constantly getting themselves hurt and hoping that they would make everything better. Granted, Lucilia was going to heal Grey, but she was also going to charge him and make sure that he owed her a favor. "I can handle this one. We'll need some bandages and splints to form a cast, but I have a few things to patch him up. My office isn't too far away, so let's head over there shall we?" Lucilia motioned for the duo to follow her to her office.

Grey Onyx

"Heh, not surprising, It is pretty small..." Grey said when Mei answered no. It was an extremely small village. Without Grey it would have a population of about 14 if nobody died. In fact, it was so small Djarkel's government never bothered collecting taxes. Or did anything with it, it was just seen as a colossal waste of time when the threat of war was always looming. She spoke, and he understood. 'Martial training' referred to hand to hand combat. Something even he was trained in a little. "Ah. You're the weapon." he said in understanding. then when Lucilia showed up, Mei more or less panicked again. "Hey, easy. I'm alright." He said. True, it still sorta hurt, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

Lucilia, however, had basically confirmed Mei's worries. "I don't really understand what the fuss is about..." He mumbled to himself quietly. At this point, Lucilia wanted him to follow her to her office. "Very well, lead the way. I think we were lost anyway..."

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Even though he knew Mar was far along in her pregnancy, he had certainly not expected to happen along her directly after the child had been born. Mar, Althalus, and for some reason, Alaira, were surrounding the small, half-reptilian child. He could not see too clearly from where he was, but it seemed rather humanoid in shape, with arms and legs. To an outside observer, the scene would appear disgusting. There was no shortage of blood and other bodily fluids scattered about, and the child itself was still a mess. Live births were inherently messy, and yet, Mar and Althalus were acting as if it were the most beautiful scene they had ever witnessed, because, to them, it likely was. The flood of joy and other emotions from bringing a child of one's own into the world would seemingly erase any other issues for Althalus for the moment, and Ssarak assumed it was at least partially the same for Mar.

Witnessing this scene made Ssarak's following thoughts inevitable. At first, it was fond memories of his own children which flooded his mind. He remembered when his first born was so small that her entire hand could scarcely fit around his finger. He remembered how she used to roll into a ball and chew on the tip of her own tail. He had to find a way to stop her from making it a habit before her teeth started to form, but it was one of the most satisfyingly cute things he had seen in his life up to that point, and indeed beyond it as well. Ssarak remembered the pride he felt when his oldest son completed his first flight, and how happy his daughter had been when she became accepted for training as one of the clan's hunters. Of course, such fond memories only served to lead him into despair once his thoughts shifted back to the attack. He vividly remembered the mangled face of his daughter as he buried her, the same daughter who had been celebrating her first kill as a hunter's apprentice only a week prior. He recalled how his youngest son, who had only just begun learning to speak, was hardly recognizable when he found him. Ssarak closed his eyes as tears formed in them. His hands trembled and he lost any form of concentration on mental wards. He said nothing aloud, as he did not wish to detract from the joy the others no doubt felt, but he could hardly bear the pain he was experiencing.

Sitting down against one of the stone walls of the front of the College, Coco was relaxed. She could listen to the small sounds emitted by the nearby small armies. While they strived to be silent, soldiers were still alive, and life had its natural sounds.

She was relaxed, until she heard a cough and sneeze coming from close. Her leaves perked up as she turned her body towards the sounds, mentally assembling the form of whatever that had made the sound. A male, human and wearing what seemed like metal armour.

"Those formations are as boring as a tavern in the morning, huh?" The man said in a cheery voice, chuckling as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief, helmet in his left hand.

"Name's Garde," He said after a few seconds of silence, extending his hands towards Coco "what's yours, bushy bush?"

Coco was stunned. Normally she would have sensed the heat coming from the soldier's body, even with this cold. So why hadn't she? 'Does not matter, he's introducing himself!' She thought.

"Coco," She said, stretching his hand, "Those are very soft gloves-" She said as soon as she had touched his hand. 'Like that strange alpha human's...'

Uicle

Uicle hated this time of the year. It was only two people who came to the College that got on his nerves, and the fact they both brought he biggest, most dangerous retinue's they could didn't help either. Every year, without fail, the Djarkel and Eania diplomats always made thinly veiled threats at each other, sometimes not bother to veil the threats at all, and one of their retinue would start a fight with another, and then he'd have to go in with his Golems to help clean up the mess, wishing he could just kill them and be done with it. But no. He had to be diplomatic and nice and not irritate the strongest nations in the land. Even when he mentioned he could make it look like bandits, Khan and the Archmage both refused to let him go through with the idea. Some days, it was much harder than necessary to do things the nice way and not his familiar way when serving Aarem. Which involved lots of pain and torture and death, but hey. It was always a temptation. Not to mention, with all the lovely sharp blades and hammers and short tempers, the curse just loved to get him into all sorts of nasty situations. Like now for example. Here he was, staring upwards from his position on the ground at three irritated Eanian soldiers, believing he had purposely smacked into them. It hadn't been his fault. There was a piece of cloth that fluttered in front of him, and he slipped on it and whacked one in the skull with his staff, and the other two he accidentally smacked with his windmilling hand.

Now, the Eanian soldiers had orders not to start fights with the Djarkel retinue. But, here was what looked to be a Golem of the college that wouldn't dare hurt them or risk the wrath of their diplomat. The three of them had a lot of pent up aggression. A Golem was the perfect release for that. Uicle sighed. "For the last time. I didn't mean to. It was an accident, and accident's happen a lot around me." One of the men looked at him suspiciously, clearly not buying it. Or, at least not wanting to buy it. "You're quite talkative for a Go-" "I'm not a Golem!" "Well, whatever you are, you need to be taught some manners." The man glanced at his companions, smirking. "Shall we?" Before the two of them could agree and reach for their weapons, however, Uicle's patience snapped. They froze in place, all three of them. Uicle picked himself up. "You know what's neat about Hydromancy? I can manipulate any liquid I please. That includes the blood of idiots who don't listen. Now, by rights, I should just break your arms and legs and force you to walk back to your part of the College. However, I think I'll just walk you. Best not stir up any trouble and ensure you don't cause any, right?" With that, he made them jerkily about face and begin walking towards the Eanian camp.

Mar & Althalus

A sensation of content washed over Mar the more she gazed upon Lyn. Her infant lost in her own world, absent of the cold or harshness, while her little fingers encased her thumb. The tiny hand held the same strength as any new born Naga child, her pride swelled to know her own DNA also ran through Lyn’s genes, even if it was deeper then skin. Eyes seemed entranced when her baby brought the thumb up to her mouth where she started to chew with little budding teeth. Her other hand gently stroked her baby’s head, the light blond hair marred by the red fluids and plastered to the scalp. Just from the way they felt, Mar knew they would be as pretty as her father’s was handsome.

Footsteps caught her attention. Her eyes widened and head whipped towards the source, her fangs bared with a faint hiss. It was both maternal and instinctive for her because Lyn was her first offspring. Her tail tried to lash out only to manage a weakened drag across the ground. It clear she had little to no energy to defend herself against an attack, her posture only slightly relaxed upon realizing it was students who had stumbled upon them instead of a threat. Her head leaned against Althalus’s shoulder, her eyes heavy and half open, still eyeing the pair that approached. A male Esyire and a human female, the later seemed rather excited while her arms held a few items within her arms. It would be clear to Althalus that the small gathering of people had her unsettled, inwardly she fought off the desire to ward them off by attacking. To add to her frustration, she was now aware of how exposed she and her infant were. To a Naga, this was a nightmare.

To ease the sense of dread, Mar defensively curled her tail about Althalus, Lyn and herself. Thankfully that wasn’t needed when a few medical staff, aided by Golems, with stretcher in toll. Within moments Mar’s mood had become worse and her tail wrapped tighter around the trio at the growing number of people. Too many…her instincts shouted at her.

All she could manage was a soft plead to Althalus. “I don’t like this many people… Too many.”

Althalus only smiled softly to see Mar's harsh exterior melted away when she gazed upon Lyn, not hearing Alaira's misgivings. It made for a nice change from six months of arguing and anger and stubbornness, to say the least. He was content simply to hold his child and watch. That is, until a female exclaiming something he didn't catch and then rapidly approaching made him look up. Three more students were approaching, and he heard a the female say something he didn't quite catch. Something to do with the Gods? However, his attention immediately shifted to Mar when he heard her hiss and saw her tail weakly drag across the floor. That wasn't good.

His worry about her became validated when she wrapped her tail around them. "It's okay. They're friends. It'll be okay." He whispered soothingly in her ear, shifting his grip on Lyn to wrap a protective arm around Mar. Then, of course, the Golems and a small medical staff approached and made things worse. "I'll get rid of some of them. But the Golems and the ones who just arrived are here to help." He assured her, before glancing up at Leith, Ssarak, and Annabeth. "I'm glad you're all here to see Lyn, our baby girl, but please back away. There are too many people around us for my comfort." He said it pleasantly enough, but it was clear that it wasn't a request.

The Golems and staff began to help Mar into the stretcher while Althalus handled the rest. Mar's instinct seemed to be ripping at her control as she bore it, her eyes fixed partly on the gathering and her face buried into the man's shoulder. His whispers were meant to be comforting yet she didn't seem to hear them, her body tensed over the need to defend her young. This was why Naga made burrows and went off alone to give birth. It provided safety and comfort, something outside prying eyes.

Slowly the Golems managed to detangle her from Athalus and Lyn, then place her in. Athalus shifted Lyn over to her as Mar gently placed her beside her, the infant's cooing and sounds settled the protective mother into a slight calm. With Lyn there, it was less likely Mar would lash out or attack because of the fear she might hurt her child. In moment they were moving towards the medical wing with Athalus behind, his face beaming and seemed ready to keep the crowd at bay.

Though Alaira would hear one of the staff then add, "Alaira, would you mind getting that medical kit and coming with us? Sam would want to make sure there's no other injuries as well as you're not suffering from Blood Sickness. The root sometimes isn't relible."

Finally they departed.

Xanaphya, one of the three minor Goddesses

-Looking through a small basin of water over the image between mother and daughter, Kyiir’s children. She touches the water to spot Xyden and shakes her head, the Naga saddened by her son’s grim determination and frustration. A bad feeling erupts within her being as she shifted towards her two sisters, their forms wrapped in thin cocoons and deep in slumber. She speaks, asking for her sisters to stand by and for their aid in what might happen quite soon.

Mar’s and Lyn’s images were transfixed in a basin of water. The calm surface projected the picture’s details until it almost seemed like the Goddess Xanaphya, the mother of the Ocean Naga and Xyden’s several great grandmother could physically touch them. It was a tender moment which warmed the ancient Goddess’s heart to see after thousands of years she suffered when Helkyso kill many of Kyiir’s brood, nearly wiped out her generations into the surface world. Yet, like all Naga, they managed to survive. Even regrow their number back to a respectable amount in the centuries that followed. Since then, the three Naga Goddesses had sealed themselves away from the mortal plane within a pocket created from their own energy. Now they stood apart watching their race grow and live their own lives.

She waved her hand over the surface. The image rippled and changed, a new Naga appeared. Not one of the land, but one of the sea and her. Xanaphya sighed upon the sight of Xyden looking frustrated. His form seemed to seek something or someone. What was her misguided son up to? She wondered, a bad feeling pulsed within her core and won’t leave. This will end badly for him, she was sure of it. Her head turned to her sisters wrapped within a thin material which hung form the walls, mostly a cave of sorts, and deep in slumber.

“Give me strength sisters for I fear one of mine is soon to travel a dark path…” she asked, the two seemed to have shifted in reply to her prayer.