[IC] Unlikely Team [Sporko+Grizz]

[SporkoBug]

Jay laughed, "I'd love to dismantle the Hunters." He started, "And I would do so in a heartbeat if I could." He listened to Rex quietly, "I'm the outlier of the Hunters, I have the ability to take the throne from my Grandfather, but I doubt he'd allow me to."

He gave a small smile at Rex, "I doubt they'd give up with out a fight. Either sid-" He started before he flinched as Wyf suddenly chomped down on his ear. "Ow ow okay." he said quietly.
"What is it?" He looked up towards the Skullbird and the bird skull. "Oh, would he like it?" He looked between Skuggi and Rex, "He can have it if he'd like?"

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex thought for a moment. He let his mind drift to the many possibilities and variables for the future before nodding. "I could possibly assist you in this endeavor. For we both seek to buck the yoke of our respective organizations. It is rather refreshing to speak so plainly to one who's lived predominantly amongst humans and the fairer races. If we reform them, we can create something much better than we are being forced into."

He looked over at the skull, a smile on his face. "I'll leave it up to him. His current nest is a bit small now, about the size of a mouse." He chuckled as Skuggi chirped at them, sending everyone in the room an image of the skull he used and tinged with bitter uncomforting feeling.

"But this reshaping of our people can wait until we've dealt with the bigger problems, Yes?"

[SporkoBug]

Jay gave a nod, before looking towards Skuggi.
"He's more than welcome to take it." He said with a bigger smile, "I don't know where it came from but the Hunters don't use it. They barely use the house as it is anyway."
He looked to Rex as he spoke, before he gave a small nod.
"Yes, of course." He started, "Lich first, reforming later." He nodded before he looked to Wyf, who had settled om his shoulder quietly.

"So, if you don't have your information currently." He started, "Shall we meet somewhere tomorrow?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

---

An older man slammed his hands against his desk as he couldn't locate the Hunter he was looking for.
"That little bastard!" The man almost yelled, growling as he stood up and away from his computer, "I shouldn't have sent him out alone. He's thrown away his phone and his tracker is broken."

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex nodded, finishing his tea. "I can see that, this area doesn't see much activity." He stood, motioning with his hand as a rune on under his glove flared and Skuggi chirped happily, exiting the skull he occupied and gripped it in his talons. He seemed to grow a bit larger, nearly the size of Wyf as he did, carrying it to Rex before shrinking and settling on his shoulder. "I will see you tomorrow, then. For now, I recommend you get all the rest you can. What I have is a bit much, so I will see about sneaking you into the Manor. Shouldn't be too difficult, I'm well versed in stealth tactics, and my magic is suited towards it." He chuckles. "What a fit the Council would have if they saw their King conspiring with a Hunter. Positively scandalous." He smiled at that. "I will be off. HAve a good rest of your night, Hunter Jay."

He took his leave, heading back to the manor. A soft whisper of a spell and he was not disturbed. He had to prepare, sleep for the first time in a week and send a strongly worded letter to the Council of Elders that if they wanted their King to pay taxes, they would very well expect to pay as well, and their motion was denied for even suggesting that they be exempt from it.

---

"He is not a boy, Elder Marcos." The deep brasy voice of Elder Zion all but sighed out as he argued with the Regent on the matter of their young King. "He is well of age, yet unbonded. He has a few more years yet before it will be time to no longer enjoy the whims of young adulthood. I say let him."

"He shows no interest in ruling, Elder Zion." Marcos replied with a sneer. "He chases a lost myth that led to his father's insanity and ultimately got him locked away in an enchanted slumber and the King killed by Hunters. We should be spilling their cities with blood."

"War with the humans would only hurt all of our kin. Not just Kin, but the Therians, the Fae, the Elves, and the Dwarves. You've seen what has happened to those that threatened them. The Orcs have all left for the Wild Lands, the Dragons were nearly hunted into extinction and the Covens? They burned them." Zion stood as he spoke, addressing the entire Forum. "What we should be seeking is peace. That we may coexist like we do with others. I stand against the motion of War." He looked directly at Marcos. "I still want revenge for the slayings, we all do. But War will only see us all killed. I stand by the King's wishes and vote no." With the swing vote, once again Marcos was denied his wishes. Zion could see the fire in the young Elder's eyes and it reminded him of his past mistakes, of the secrets he kept and the loss of the Royal Court. "The Council is adjourned. Have a good evening Ladies and Gentlemen."

[SporkoBug]

Jay waved Rex off, smiling at his words.
He closed the door quietly and moved towards the Kitchen again, Wyf floating over to his shoulder again and settled properly.
"He's interesting to say the least." Jay said with a small smile, "A royal Vampire, in my midst, not wanting to kill me."
"Hmmm, It's definitely interesting!" Wyf said with a small whistle, taking off into the air again and fluttered around.

He pulled out his book again before starting to write something down; he wrote about his encounter with Rex, his travels to this city... But he wrote in a coded language; Jay didn't realize, but he wrote in the Fae language, rather than Human Common English.
He signed the book off and closed it, locking it with it's small cord and tucking it back into the hatch on his belt. He kept it hidden from everyone, none of the Hunters knew anything about it, and Jay didn't really have too many other friends...

---

"I'm sure the boy has his reasons..." A females voice echoed from behind the older man, who seemed to narrow his eyes and looked to the female.
"Don't start with that shit." He hissed, standing up a bit more, "Don't give me that shit talk again."
The female narrowed her eyes, "Don't use that tone with me." She said, her green eyes flickering with red for a moment, "You don't listen to that kid, you never have."
"Why would I listen to a fucking half-blood of all people." The male said, turning to the female.

The Female stepped forward, staring the male down, "What have you got against half-bloods? Does it not make it easier for Hunters?" She almost hissed, the Older male lifted his hand and slapped the female across the face, causing her to stumble back.

[GrizzTheMauler]

The next evening, Rex stirred himself awake at the desk when Skuggi kept pecking at him. The young skullbird was hungry and after feeding both the bird and himself he took a quick shower and set off to gather the hunter. The night before he'd prepared his magical cloak, one that was enchanted to avert the eyes of those who looked in it's direction. It was tricky work, though Rex knew the runework intimately and was able to complete it, flipping the cloak inside out and putting it in a bag when folded. He made his way to Jay's cottage, knocking at the door.

"Jay, it's Rex." He called, scanning the area to make sure no one was around. He'd done some careful planning to make sure the vampires loyal to the Council wouldn't find out what he was doing. The last thing he needed was for them to discover Jay. It would be catastrophic to their respective goals and missions.

---

Elder Zion stumbled over to the hidden door in his study. He had expected the Regent to be angry with the turnout of the vote, but this was sheer madness. He opened the door with one hand while clutching at his bleeding side, eyes flicking to the body of a Hunter on the floor. Entering and grabbing the satchel inside he bandaged himself up. He didn't have much time, as Rex's new information had said something bigger was brewing in the underbelly of the Council. While they had suspected the Regent of being powerhungry, they never expected what lengths he'd go to in reality. Zion shook his head as he changed clothes, left a coded message for his assistant and vanished into the stormy weather outside. Let Marcos think he was dead. He would have justice served to him either way.

It was a simple affair to get to the forest outside the city. Out of all the vampire elders, Zion was the oldest and strongest of them. He chuckled as he thought back to when he would run out here with his lover, General Dryder Valorian, in his youth. While the Regent controlled the people, their military might always stood with the Crown, a rule that not even the Regent could easily overrule, as they were devout Loyalists. And with all that had happened, they would no doubt fight any attempt of the Council to force their hand, especially since with the Law of War in place. Zion felt secure in Dryder's ability to maintain order. In the meantime, Zion would focus on helping the young King. He would outsmart any of Marcos' men who thought they could track the centuries old Ranger, taking them out silently before heading out to the last known location of the king, Verdant Falls.

[SporkoBug]

The sound of flapping echoed from behind the door, the door slowly opening as Wyf's head poked through the gap, she gave a happy trill.
"Hi!" She spike into Rex's mind, "Whatcha doin'? Come inside!" Her head moved again, the door slowly opened as Wyf pulled the door open.
"Jay's in the room behind the kitchen. He's testing something so be careful!"

Jay sat in the darkness of the room, his eyes closed and he focused on the small crystal in front of him. He could feel it in the darkness, he wasn't touching it, but whatever reach his magic had could reach this crystal.
Jay felt the power through him spike up suddenly- The crystal suddenly floating up and the candles around him suddenly burst into flames.

---

"Half-blood." She hissed the word as she looked back at the Hunters Base. "How dare he; he's lucky to have someone like me on his team. He's lucky I didn't skin him alive." She grumbled before she let out a loud sigh.

The woman walked along, moving to tie up her hair before her phone beeped. She looked at it quietly, Where did you go? Are you going to find him?
She texted back to the Number quietly, How do I know you're not going to sell me out?
Never. Why would I? The reply came in quickly.
You figure it out. She responded before she continued to walk. She thought to herself before another text came through.
Vex, you can't. It's dangerous for a Half-Vampire to go out into the world.
Vex ignored it and continued, shaking herself with a small sigh.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex nodded and carefully entered the cottage. He looked around and didn't see Jay, so he went to go sit down when he felt the soft thrum of magic. He closed his eyes and opened up his senses to the magic, getting a feel for what the other man was doing. It was soft, but steady. His senses spiked when the candles lit themselves, and he grabbed Skuggi before the skullbird could go check it out.

"Stay still, little one." He admonished. "Do not disturb him." He sat the parcel he held down, taking out the cloak. It shimmered slightly, but he paid it no mind as he took a seat, placing it in his lap. It would be much easier to deal with while he was holding it, as the first time he made the rune he couldn't enter his workspace for several days.

---

Verdant Falls turned out to not even know where the King was. As Mayor Graham hadn't seen him in nearly a month. Word traveled fast through the Kin about a rumor of the murder of one of the Elders. Zion grimaced as he heard that the Regent was trying his best to get the Militant Faction to declare war on the Hunters for the travesty. Zion would rather let them assume he was dead as it made his mission much easier, as he wouldn't be traced in any way.

He kept moving, planning to ask the one other person who might know where the King was, the estranged Elder Jivarn Kartoss, in New Auburn City. It was a Sanctuary City, and the Regent refused to recognize it as part of the Kingdom, since it had been Magnus' only act to create such cities when he was King before abdicating to his brother. Jivarn was one of the late King's closest confidants, and his Court had all but moved there when he'd died. It would be a solid day of hard travel for the elder vampire, who would need to use all his speed to get there. He just prayed he wouldn't run into trouble or any Hunters along the way.

[SporkoBug]

Jay's magic picked up the trace of someone else in the house, the Gem instinctively spinning. His fear settled as he recognized the signature. The candles had flickered violently while he was afraid, but they started to settle now.
Jay slowly opened his eyes, the crystal floating in the lightly lit room. He took everything in, he smiled slightly, moving to shift towards it, ruining the candle line up before the magic suddenly dropped.

The Candles all suddenly went out, the Crystal in the air dropping suddenly and clinking on the floor.
"Damn it." He started, moving to stand up properly before pocketing the crystal. He started to head out to the kitchen. He jumped at the sight of Rex, as Jay had shifted into his pj's, which were normal pajama bottoms and a worn tank top.

---

Vex moved along quickly, she felt her body ache. The Hunters' stopped her from feeding in hopes of weakening the Vampire Urges. She was incredibly lucky for her Fae blood for lengthening her ability to fast...
She had to find a drink... And quickly.

She knew of New Auburn City, the Safehaven for Vampires; The Hunters had been talking of storming it but nothing ever came from it. They left the city alone at least, which Vex was happy for.
She shook herself as she knew she'd have to travel a far way to get there; she feared for her sanity and hated the idea of becoming Feral... Or worse, coming across a Full-Blooded Vampire.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex kept to himself while Jay practiced his magic. He could sense the fear rippling his magic for a moment before settling. He was very attuned to his magic, Rex thought. All at once the magic vanished and Rex looked up as he entered. He blinked at the man's wear and scanned him momentarily before looking in his eyes.

"Good evening." He gave a small nod of his head. "Wyf let me in. I hope that I'm not interrupting. Everything is ready for tonight and I have a cloak that will help you navigate the town safely. Word has gotten to us that there was a death in the Council. A friend of my father's. He was apparently attacked by Hunters and one of them possessed a Sun rune." He sighed. "I suspect foul play among the members, Councilman Zion is arguably the strongest Vampire behind the General." He swallowed thickly, worry creeping up again. "We need to act fast."

---

Zion slipped out of the store with ease and focused on the area around him. He was old enough to remember the teachings of the first Alpha Prime, a man who'd saved his life and trained him, despite their racial differences. All night long he had felt the mistress of the night urging him towards something. The Therians called it their Instinct, and surprisingly, Zion felt his awakening again, finding use after all these years. He would follow it, traveling to where the pull drove him, his form settling into the powerful Vampire Lord he'd once locked away. Time was of the essence and he needed all the speed he could get. He could handle a little bit of feral urge as he'd always had.

[SporkoBug]

Jay gave a small smile at Rex as he spoke to him. "No no, it's fine." He said, "I couldn't sleep, I tried to test out some magic."
He listened to the words of the Vampire, his smile slowly fading into a frown.
"Foul Play between Vampires?" He asked with a worried look. "That's something that I've never heard of. Does it happen often?" He asked.

As he waited for an explanation he moved over towards the fridge and opened it, pulling out a small can of coconut water before he moved to put it in his bag. He had heard talk of Vampires using Coconut water as a blood supplement so he might as well pack a few in case needed.

---

Vex pushed on despite the pain through her body. Her ears pricked up every so often, hearing the noises of animals moving around.
Her eyes flexed between Red before dulling to a soft pink as her Fae blood took control, pushing the Vamparic urges down.
Her hair glistened slightly, slowly changing in colour before she stopped by a tree.

She waited, hesitating to move as she noticed a Deer walk through the trees. The Vampire in her screamed for her to kill it, the Fae side just managing to stifle the urges.
She was unlucky in terms of Vampire powers; she didn't have a proper 'Vampire' form, as her Fae blood seemed to be more prominent; which is why the Hunters reluctantly let her help out, especially with Jay.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex nodded. "Not often among the higher echelons." He thought for a moment. "It's usually lesser Counts and petty House quarrels gone sour. It's not happened in the High Court for centuries if I remember right." He shivered. "I have a bad feeling about it. The sooner we fix this whole Undead mess the sooner I can fix the damn Courts. I just pray the General can keep order."

He patted the cloak in his hands. "This is what will help you get through unfettered. They won't bother me, they believe I work for Jivarn." He held it up, looking between Jay and the cloak. "It should fit. It'll be a bit tight since well... I had originally made it with myself in mind but it will do. You just focus on these runes here and send a bit of magic to them and they will take care of the rest."

---

Following his Instinct, Zion found tracks. The scent was of vampire and something else. He struggled to place it as it dissipated but thought back through his long history. "A Fae. No.." He scowled and followed the trail. It was headed roughly in the direction of New Auburn, but he didn't know of any vampire who had that particular scent. He noted a few traces of a more feral scent, though the vampire he was following was definitely not feeding regularly, marking them as a danger to themselves and others.

"I'll take care of this and then I'll keep going." The elder vampire thought to himself aloud as he ran between trees. His steps were unusually light, leaving nothing but a swiftly fading scent of an ocean breeze.

[SporkoBug]

Jay gave a frown, "That's not good." He said, "I'd like to say I'd help you with the Court problems but the Potential Lich problem is the more important problem right now."
Jay slipped his side bag over his shoulder before he looked towards the cloak.
"Ooh!" He started, moving slowly to gently take the cloak from Rex quietly.

"Oh that's cool." He started, Wyf moving to flutter over to her owner. She landed on his shoulders before moving to clamber down into the sidebag, poking her head up with a small trill.
"Any sort of magic?" He asked, moving to look up to Rex with a tilt of his head. He tried it on slowly; Rex was correct, it was slightly tight around him, but he would be able to survive.

---

Vex shifted to a crouch, readying herself as the Deer seemed to be feeding. She narrowed her eyes before she leaped, she slammed into the Deer without a second thought.
The Deer moved to thrash before Vex's teeth dug into it's skin, suddenly the deer moved to lie on the ground. The Faepire pulled away from the Deer after a moment of feeding, her hands tingled from the Fae healing she was using on the deer.

Vex slowly stood, her senses picking up the presence of something else. "Run little one." She whispered to the deer, who moved before standing beside Vex. She looked to the deer before she sighed, "Of course." She whispered before she lifted her hands up in a fighting stance, one of the only things she could think of right now.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex nods. "Aye. Any sort of magic will fuel it. Runic magic's only downside is the incredible difficulty it is to create them. All you are doing is... Flipping a switch. I can see you of course." He nods. "Since it's fueled in my own magic, and I have a counterspell for it, but it would take a strong magical being to directly influence you." He heads to the door. "Come along, just follow me and stay relatively quiet, as the sound will give you away."

Leading the way he takes the normal path, the enchantment holding well, Rex smiling inwardly as this would be the newest defensive utility spell in recent history, since the Seidkonnas refused to share their actual runes. He would do a bit more testing before showing Jivarn, who was waiting for them.

"Good evening, I assume you brought the hunter with you?" His eyes drifted around Jay, never settling on him, the old vampire's eyes glowing softly after having recently fed. "I can sense an odd ancestry around him."

"A mystery we will naviagate later, Councilman. How fares the Capitol."

"That old fool demands I attend the Council and have my associates arrested for speaking out against him." He shrugs, a calm expression on his face. "I told him he was free to attack the Sanctuary Cities that are protected under centuries of written laws, whereas his own "rule" is only kept by the unwritten tradition that the King be half a century, since there is no precedent. Alas, I have some interesting news that I am sure you will find... Uplifting. I left the letter on your desk. I am going out, I do believe it's a good day for a walk." He looks directly into Jay's eyes and winks, grinning. "After all, a Hunter lingers in my city, need to make sure they aren't up to trouble." He bows to Rex and leaves.

"Gah. And to think he would have been my stepfather." Rex grouses. "Teased me relentlessly all day about having you come over here."

---

Zion smelled the blood as the wind shifted his way, and he slowed, using his abilities to stealh quietly around Vex. As he spoke, he used his magic to appear from all sides. "I see a halfling before me... It's unusual... We seem to be getting a lot of you lately. Who is your Sire, child of Blood and Magic." His voice was firm and grandfatherly, as if he was sitting on the porch as Vex came to visit. He could tell she was not one of the Kin he was used to seeing, her stance told him that. She was trained, not as much as he, but he was cautious.

[SporkoBug]

Jay nodded when Rex mentioned any magic would do, he pulled the cloak over him and sent a steady stream through the cloak. He glanced around and then down at himself, petting at his bag once for Wyf to stay still and quiet.

He followed after Rex without a word, watching quietly once they got to the manor. He blinked at the old Vampire, hesitating at his words about the 'Hunter' in the city. He looked to Rex slightly as Wyf wriggled her head out of the bag, but still under the cloak.

Jayce waited until the other Vampire left, before he moved to pull the hood back slowly, "He knew I was here...?" He asked, his voice low and quiet. "I'm hoping he's okay with me... Being here."

---

Vex jolted and moved to crouch as she looked around, seeing the multiple copies of Zion.
The Deer faltered slightly, moving to stomp around before moving to sprint off, leaving Vex alone.

The sound of Zion's voice made her relax, she didn't sense any hostility from him. She relaxed and slowly stood back up, the blood in her system making her settle faster.
"I have no idea where the Vampire part comes from." Vex started, her voice shaky but slowly calming, "To be honest, I have no idea where the Fae side came from." She hesitated on continuing.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex shrugs. "He's... Strong. Stronger than I am. Trained me in my father's stead so I know he's gotten a large repertoire of magical skills." He thinks for a moment. "Or he could have replicated my notes. He does that when he's bored. His skill is what keeps the Regent at bay. Each Sanctuary City has a Guardian. This one, led by Vampires has the previous Magister of Magical Affairs."

He leads the way through the halls. The Manor is a large sprawling structure, richly decorated and a lot of the paintings feature either; a mystical landscape of a magical creature or anomaly, the old Vampire Court as led by Magnus, Rex's father; or a photo of Magnus and Jivarn together, of which most of these are outside the pair of offices. Rex frowns at his father's picture but continues inside, searching for the letter in the small pile on his desk. The inside of the room looks like a warlock's workshop, with potions and poultices everywhere.

---

The forms all consolidated into one, Zion's hood concealing his normal form's features other than the beard and he focused on her. "Interesting. Not even a familial name? Most of the Kin keep that, even in spite of halflings." He looked her over. "Were you orphaned?"

[SporkoBug]

Jay gave a small nod at Rex's words.
"The Hunters have... Only one other person aside from me who is good with Magic. She's... Interesting." He started, "I don't think she's fully Human; Granddad doesn't like her." He sighed before he looked around the office.

"Man! This Office is amazing!" He said with a look of wonder in his eyes. Wyf moved to poke her head out of the bag before climbing up onto Jay's shoulder. She stretched her wings slightly; she moved to click her maw together before looking around with a low whistle.
"Much bigger than our room at the Inn!" Wyf said, moving to climb up onto Jay's head, she scratched on his head slightly.
"Ow, ow." Jay said quietly as Wyf's claws slowly scratched on his head. "Wyf. Ow. Darling-!"

---

Vex gave a small shrug, "No idea, I guess?" She started. "I remember nothing from when I was little. Being smacked around by Hunter's as a kid doesn't do much for the memory." She said with a bit of a sneer.

"What about you? Who're you?" Vex asked after a moment of swaying on her feet. The blood slowly wearing off from her. She mumbled something to herself before she shook her head and her body, snapping back to reality.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex tilts his head at that. "Interesting... They are worse at tolerance than most humans though, so I understand it. Also yes, it's a bit large... Though that was because this was my Father's and he needed the space. He had a second lab down in the basement level though Jivarn stores most of his stuff there. I haven't been able to figure out the lock yet."

Rex finds the letter and opens it, gasping. "I had hoped he was... Elder Zion lives still. He's making his way here. Jivarn got a message from him. This is good news. We'll need his help, especially if we're traveling."

---

Zion chuckles, he throws back his hood, dissipating the shadows around his face. His dark black hair is tied in a bun to keep it out of his face and his beard is a bit unkempt and long. He'd meant to have it trimmed the day after he was attacked. His steely eyes are flaked with crimson flecks and he smiles lightly. The aura that emenates from him is calming. He notices her unsteadyness and shakes his head. "I am Grand Elder Zion Valorian, young fledgling." He draws a blade and cuts his hand, the scent strong in the air.

"You need to feed. Come and drink." He holds it out for her. "It will quench your thirst for a good while. In the city there is another vampire Lord Jivarn, who has crafted a blood substitute. But you will likely not make it if you do not properly feed now. And I do not want to have to put another Kin down if I can help them."

[SporkoBug]

Jay listened to Rex's words, moving to pull Wyf gently off his head. He looked around before he looked back to Rex with a small gulp.
"I'm hoping that Elder Zion is okay with me being... In the city." He started with a small frown, letting go of Wyf so she can fly around.

Wyf fanned her wings out and took to the air around the two boys. She flittered around the room; She stayed in the air without landing for a little bit before she landed and settled on Rex's desk.
She moved to find the nearest bit of blank paper to play with; she found a small piece of a3 paper and started to chew on it.

---

Vex listened to Zion's words, her eyes widened slightly at the mention of who he was.
She was about to speak before Zion offered blood, his blood. Part of Vex didn't want to take it- it was risky at worst, but she needed it.
In a blink of an eye she was in front of Zion, gently holding his hand before she moved it to her lips to feed.

She kept her eyes on Zion as she fed, listening to his words. Did she believe him? He had no reason to actually lie to her about these things...
She pulled away as she had finished feeding, moving her hand over top of his to heal the wound.
"Thank you." She said as she swallowed the lump in her throat, "But... Why are you helping me?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.

[GrizzTheMauler]

Rex thought for a moment. "It's not Zion who should care. It's Jivarn. It's his city after all. He's letting you stay so I don't think he minds." He shook his head. "Much." He heads over to the workstation in the center of the room and points to the map of the known lands. "This is the culmination of my work. Thirteen years of chasing secrets."

He showed how it was organized, each pile meticulously placed and organized. The Red showed where undead sightings, the black showed necrotic infestation that he'd been subtly having the Army deal with, though it was slow. "I have a few ideas where the necromancer or lich is. The Western Steppes. It's a veritable Wildlands that no one knows goes to. The Black Dragon Kurogane cursed it several centuries ago. Used to be the height of the Draconian Kingdom... Then well... The Hunters came along." He shook his head. "I've wanted to visit it for a long time but it's dangerous and only a few know how to navigate the region. Elder Zion is one of them."

---

The blood was rich and heady, immediately filling Vex with energy as if she had fed herself fat on a city of humans. Zion just let her drink. He'd always helped any Kin who needed it. And to see one so young all alone. His protective instinct flared as he decided to take her under his wing. He thanked her for healing him and adjusted his robe. Being fed from was a rather.. Intimate experience, and he had completely forgotten about that part, since Dryder and him hadn't had time to engage in that bonding for nearly a decade. He grunted as he thought back to turning the massive general down when he had propositioned him while in the Capitol. Hopefully they would get their chance soon.

He looked down at the fledgling half vampire. "Well, it is my duty as the Eldest to see to the needs of the Kin. Though... I will warn you, my blood will advance a few of your talents. The Fae are quite adaptive so that half of you will be able to make use of it as well." He looked up to the stars. "In truth, you remind me of a young boy I know. He's a halfling, like yourself. His father practically abandoned him in favor of a search that killed him. I led the search to find him, our young King, and have been pushing for his Coronation. It has made me remember the youth I once had long ago and the sorrow of losing the once child I sired. You young ones are the future of our races. It is necessary that we see to your education in order to advance ourselves. I haven't lived as long as I have by being a fool and not investing in the lives of our young ones. I extend an offer of training you, as I once was. I have yet to pass down the Way of the Forest that I have been taught, and I can sense that it would resonate well within you. But only if you seek this knowledge."