### Mages A rumor has spread both throughout the wilds and The Undercity: skilled persons, especially mages were wanted for a well-paying job. The Misala village was the meeting point, an abandoned village at the frontier of Altea's slowly expanding civilization. Due to unrelenting bandit raids, the village was simply abandoned and it's inhabitants relocated. Now it serves as perfect meeting spot for those who want relative privacy, as long as you don't mind the constant danger of being robbed. While many dismissed it as some kind a trap or a hoax, _<your character>_ decided to check it out. There are bound to be others who will be there, and the path itself is dangerous. Dangerous wildlife, bandits and large woodlands where you can get easily lost. And yet, the allure of a well-paying job makes them take the risk. -------- ### Luminous Knights The fresh graduates, having just celebrated getting their title, got a message from their now captain to gather at the HQ for a mission briefing. Their first one. To be considered a full Paladin and be able to join a covenant, or get a promotion, one has to serve two years under the supervision of a veteran paladin. For the next two years, this guy is going to show them the ropes, and teach some practical experience. As to what kind of assignment it was, they were not sure. There were rumors of Paladin outposts being attacked by someone, outposts which construction has started only recently. And so they made their way to Meridian, the capital of Altea. And there they would go their way to the HQ, the very place were they trained hard to become what they are now. ------ ###Alicia von Eternus Saying colds farewells to her father and Master Oriano, Alicia set off to the capital. They were proud of her accomplishment, however minor. Pride... Was she just a tool for them to feel better about themselves? Of course, Alicia was also a political move, and she very well understood that. Her father was already one of the richest people in Altea, owning the most renowned non-dwarven covenant in the land. As far as the public and his employees were concerned, he was a saint, someone people would aspire to be. Even though civilians have no say in politics, the sheer economic and public pressure Deliah von Eternus has allows him quite a bit of freedom when compared to everyone else. And now his own daughter was to be the ultimate protector of the land. Already a rising star, her two year mandatory practical training was just a formality. Various high-ranking positions were already lined up for her, all thanks to her abilities and her family's influence. But all that meant nothing for her. She was raised as nothing more than a tool for Deliah's political ambitions. Other people, especially the people she graduated with, envied her status and skill. This disgusts Alicia like nothing else: they had a choice, they joined this line of duty because they wanted to. Alicia, even before she was born, her entire future, her entire life was already planned. The sense of duty and patriotism others possessed, the driving force for them to be the best they can, was absent in Alicia. Hollow inside, Alicia had already accepted long ago that her life did not belong to herself. At last, her carriage arrived in Meridian. At least she would meet her friends. The only little light of happiness in Alicia's life. Maybe she would not laugh to their jokes, maybe she would rarely if ever show any emotion, but being considered a part of something, a human being, was too much for her to let go. -------- ### Eddy Misala was not far. The multiple humanoid footsteps, broken branches and kicked up little stones meant that others were near. Or maybe just bandits passed through there. Either way, any jobs where employers would actually pay you instead of trying to kill you after you are no longer needed were rare. The hotspot of various bandits, outlaws and hugs, this region has been deserted for a reason. Not even paladins would want to spend the manpower and resources to clean it up. Wars between various bandit gangs were commonplace, as well as raids on anything that's raid-able. Eddy knew of quite a few entrances to the Undercity as well, and most of them were in good working order. Probably because of the high useage. Climbing on top of a tree, and scaring off a few confused ravens, the elf scouted the area. He could see the center of the village, quite overgrown. The wooden walls even started sprouting branches of their own. Within the village square, a few tents were already pitched. According to the rumor, the said employer would show up within a few hours. Up in the distance Eddy could also see a few other people heading towards Misala. He was trying to look for possible hiding places, possible ambush locations, and yet, could find none. Whoever wanted them there, wanted everyone to feel relatively safe. There was no way to sneak up to anyone within the abandoned village. Deciding to go there himself, he spotted a rabbit running around below him. Sniping the poor critter from the tree he's sitting, Eddy jumped down, retrieved his arrow, and placed the rabbit on a special hook on his belt. The elf might as well have a snack while waiting around for their mystery employer.

As Darthalia stepped out of her hut, she looked back. A frown tugging at her lips. The place was so small, she would have to duck her head down to enter, every time, the top of her head even touched the ceiling. But she never thought to change the hut. It was her home, her life really. And now, she was leaving it, for some silly rumor she heard from a bunch of blood thirsty criminals. But she really had no choice, out of silver, no silver meaning no ingredients, no ingredients means no potions, no potions means no silver. She had nothing, no food and no trade. She had to at least try this "job" it was the only hope she had. Of course, deep down, between her paranoid pessimism and her brain screaming in terror, she wanted to go, if not for just a little while. Somewhere else, an adventure, all she had known was this forest, those seedy markets, and her little hut. "This was insane" her brain screamed as she turned and walked away from the hut, heading for the edge of the Black Forest. She made it through easily enough. She stuck to the shady area's under the trees. Her long green velvet like cloak and hood dragging along the dirt, her cross bow hidden under the back of it and her dagger strapped to her leg. She glanced every now and then at a drawn up map she bought from some drunk with her last gold, feeling foolish until she saw a glimpse of what looked like a run down village, quite open to. Some may of dismissed it as a hoax, But Darthalia could not, for she had no idea what a hoax was and forgot about the Paladin's years ago. No second thought she continued on.

Mastrix considered how awkward this whole situation was as she was sitting on a chair next to a fire she made in the middle of the village. Some people had even decided to sit next to her without asking! Foolish mortals, she should eat their livers. She had it good for the last few days, the bandits pillaging the land had been easy prey and what they stole from the villages around she was happy to steal for herself. Real food and water from a river were nothing like in the Scars! Somehow however it didn't make her want to live like these people as much as it made her hate them more. They had it so good, the farmers, the paladins that would collect taxes from them, different from the bandits only by the veil of legality behind them. She was thinking about this when she stepped in this apparently abandoned village and had been surprised by the arrival of people. She had hid by clinging to the ceiling of a small house for hours until she tried to get out. She had turned around to see some guy taking a piss looking at her and saying 'hi'. There was too many people around, she couldn't just immolate him to death so she didn't react. 'Mage uh? I hope that contract works out'. And to that she had just answered an hesitant 'Yeah'. When the guy told her he and his mates had killed a boar on the way here and asked if she wanted some she accepted. Her guts told her it was ok, that she could just get away after a nice meal and she had learned to trust her guts with her life. She saw 2 elves entering the village from different openings. Looking at them Mastrix clenched her staff and hugged her most prized possession close to her while eying them under her Warlock mask. Damn forest hippies, the only thing she knew about them was their annoying ability to detect her magic, not that they couldn't guess from her own appearance. That was because her fire was a fire that consumed the earth, that left nothing to grow for the next 10 generations, a fire that curses the land. The tree huggers knew of nature enough to know those things in their guts. She couldn't help but look at them with a rising sentiment of jealousy, their looks, their health. It was unfair. Without realizing it, she was now looking extremely intensely at Darthalia, probably not the most endearing look considering her armor was made of bones sculpted to represent some man eating beast or another.

Just outside The Misala was a small village, small with only a couple of buildings left standing and those that remind were also heavily damaged, clearly the remains of the great war. Wearing his white cloak, which over the years has started to be just a dull gray, Ordore starts to search for a place to drink. Being 17 in this village shouldn't matter. _Tavern... Where is the Tavern? Uhhh, there it is. Judging by the looks of it The Luminous Knights probably wouldn't be in there._ Looking at the tavern from the outside it looks horrible, depressing and gloomy. Bricks and stone beams make up most of the building's outer structure. It's near impossible to see through the curtained windows, but the apathy from within can be felt outside. As you enter the tavern through the heavy, wooden door, you're welcomed by the sound of the wind outside and a layer of smoke hanging below the ceiling. The bartender is pouring a drink for a customer and makes no effort to acknowledge your presences. It's as disgusting inside as it is on the outside. Several walls support the upper floor and the sconces attached to them. The walls are decorated with mounted animal heads and small animals, though most have become worn and broken, given the place an even creepier feel. The tavern itself is almost completely abandoned. The five people inside appear to be drunks, both dwarf and humans. Under his hood he scanned the room. _5 lifeforms. 2 humans. 3 dwarves. 1 human and 2 dwarves appear to be passed out. Bartender is human and is serving another dwarf. A back exit and front exit is clearly visible, big windows, easily smash-able. 3-4 possible escape routes without any harm to these 5 people_ Feeling comfortable with the situation Ordore walked over the bar, 3 seats away from the dwarf, safety. Flicking his hood off his hair became visible, slightly roughed but still maintaining his spikes. His hair, once a bright purple has over the years turned to sombre purple. The bartender walked over to Ordore. He was an older gentleman, longish grey beard, not straightened, bald with a scar across his forehead and eyes, and when he spoke it was a real rough croaky voice, "You're a bit young to be throwing you're life away drinking with this lot." He said scanning the room and sighing. "Give the kid a drink Oxton, you and I both know it could be his last." Ordore looked to his right. The dwarf the bartender, Oxton, was serving before. He was staring right back at Ordore and gave a slight chuckle. Oxton grabbed a mug and poured him a drink. "That'll be 3 silver kid." Oxton asked, stretching his hand out. Ordore reached into his inner pockets of his cloak and pulled out 5 silver coins. "Keep the change." Ordore said giving a feint smile. "Thank you, son." Oxton returning the smile. "What did you mean it could be my last drink?" Ordore said turning to the dwarf and taking a chug of his mug. "Don't think you're the first person to walk through those doors in the last week. We've had quite the amount. You maybe the youngest we've had so far. You're here for the Misala job? or rather, the meeting of the..." he stopped and looked at all the passed out people in the room. Leaned in, probably just for dramatic looks, this dwarf is a weird one. "Mages..." he said ever so quietly followed by another chuckle. _This confirms it. If many mages have come through then there is definitely a meeting. Still... a trap could well be an option. Caution is advised._ "The names Karnak Dadas," The dwarf added, "And you are...?" he was waiting for a response. Ordore stood up, finished his drink and turned to the door. _This dwarf likes dramatic ways of saying things, well this should be dramatic and baddass_ "Ordore." He opened the door, letting the bright sun creep into the taverns doorstep. "Ordore Igbin" Closing the door behind him. He put his hood back on and entered the street. _Let's go to the meeting then._ And Odore started to head of in the direction of Misala.

Darthalia decided to just walk into the village, not really thinking about it too much as she glanced around, a lot of people around. Well really it wasn't many but to an Elf who wouldn't usually see anything living for months on end, it was alot. She kept her head down and hood on as she walked passed people. She looked up and saw a....thing....she couldn't tell what it was by the horribly intimidating armor it was wearing. Also the stare didn't help but Darthalia had no idea what it meant. Was it angry? Happy? Sad? or fantasizing a buffet. All of this running through her mind as she walked forward, without realizing it she was standing a few feet away. It was quite awhile before she had come up with some sort of coherent words. Of course this looked very odd, but to Darthalia, it was normal, she needed time to come up with what she was going to act, also to search for the reason she decided to go up to the "person" //if that was what it was even, it kinda looked like a person...shape// most likely to use her intestines as kindling. Maybe it was because it seemed like the only 'person' looking at her. So she pulled on the most forced smile and spoke "Umm, Hello....do you know if this is the Misala village?"

_shink...! shink...! shink...!_ The monotonous noise of a sharpening stone running down the length of a sword rang through the air. Holding the large weapon up to inspect it closer, Freiya let out a grunt of minor satisfaction before setting the stone aside and reaching for her scabbard. It had been a few days since she had left home to reach the capital. _Home_, she thought in no small amount of disgust as she sheathed her claymore. A minor village nearby Undercity, with barely any Paladin presence in the area. Undercity was a den of mages and other similar serpents. She had considered leaving many a times before, but something had always kept her from leaving. She could not afford living in the esteemed capital. She had no skills of trade outside her Paladin training, so joining a covenant as a craftswoman was out of the question. She was a woman of the sword to her dying breath, anyhow. But mostly the memory of her father kept her in place, despite her apparent dislike for her home. Freiya traced the outline of her scar before scowling, taking a quick swig of drink from her wine-skin. But that was all behind her now. She would become a Paladin. One day, an Overlord. She would succeed or she'd die trying. She had a duty to the dead to fulfill. A world without mages. She'd create one somehow. The Luminous Knights were as good a start as any. They'd brought about the Age of Peace, after all. She sighed, taking another swig before looking out from back of the carriage she was hitching a ride on. The pain was finally beginning to dull a little. Freiya sat in numbing silence, lost in thought as the paved path faded into the horizon, replaced by a cobblestone road. They were getting close. She'd be in Meridian by nightfall. There she'd see what fate had in store for her.

The elfling was walking to her! By the ancients, were these ears even real? The she-elf probably had bones in them to keep them up like so. Like chickens. Elf ears would most certainly make a nice snack. But no matter, what did she want? No matter how braced Mastrix had put herself for social interaction, she was still surprised and caught off guard when Darthalia spoke. Getting up and jumping backward, pushing the chair she was sitting on the ground and placing her staff in combat position. There was a silence for a few seconds. Mastrix heard one of the men around the fire with her snort. Of course, she had been jittery ever since she had been there, each time someone spoke to her and the fools did try! Still, the question, ah yes, a question. She gathered her thoughts and went to a less defensive posture, trying to use the magnificence of her armor to support her. She cleared her throat and... "Uh... Y-yeah. This is... Misala." FUUUUCK, this wasn't what she meant to say at all! She was a good actor, well, when she spoke to people and that was... 12 years ago, damn. She heard the guys next to her giggle. Taking a deep respiration, something making her sound like a monster from the Scars as the air went through the openings of her masks, she slowly turned her head toward the men, the fire's intensity diminishing as Mastrix controlled her desire to make it explode. She whispered. "Don't laugh at me." These softly spoken words however had nothing comedic to them and the silence was instantaneous. She began to relax and the fire to go to normal. Well, that was that. Placing a hand on the chair to sit back down Mastrix stropped and shook it a little. Faaaack. This chair must have spent a decade to face the elements outside and with Mastrix pushing it backward only so little it was about to break. Moving back a little she kicked the rickety old thing in the fire. Now she'd have to sit on the ground. Noticing that however one of the men she had spent about an hour now, moved on the tipped over log he was sitting on to make a spot. Mastrix looked at the invitation of moving 5 feets to the side and sit. She decided to rather sit on the ground where she was. The man raised an eyebrow. "Ooooook. Suit yourself. Do you want a spot lady?" He turned his offer to Darthalia.

Darthalia was a little confused about the look it was giving to her ears and was sort of shocked herself as the person jumped backwards, this heavily armored person just bounced back and was ready for combat after she had just asked a question. Very odd, the only conclusion she could come to was that the person was blind and she spooked them. Hearing her voice gave her little information, except it was a little higher pitched to be male....or maybe males voices sounded like this, she decided to give it a guess and bowed her head "Thank you Miss" Her forced smile wavering before fading as she stepped back, watching the, what she assumed now, female kick the chair into the fire then turned her head quickly startled by the second voice, a seating offer, she was sure this was a nice offer so she accepted, nodding and smiling again as she sat down on the log, her knees up and pressed against her chest. She was quite tall, but of course average for an elf. She looked up at the man with a odd smile "Thank you...Sir"

### Dysmoira Bazgard Rich golds and warm bronzes decorated the interior of a stone room that gave the impression of being carved out from the mountain it resided in - albeit expertly carved out, so that it had impressive design work over the doors and around niches that held braziers that gave the room a comforting glow. Even the frame of the bed that stood on a raised portion of the room seemed to melt up out of the floor, as if it belonged to the earth. A fluffy mattress, covered in silks and feather pillows, was placed within the carved bed frame... and on it, a dwarven woman drooled upon one of the aforementioned pillows, her hand outstretched to a open book on the other pillow as she dozed away. A resounding _boom_ heralded a stout dwarven woman as she threw open the door, her full beard trailing around her feet as she waddled over to the younger and much more sleepy dwarf on the bed. **"Dysmoira, you'll be quite late if you don't make a start."** The older woman said, placing a hand on the younger one's shoulder. Even still, she slept peacefully as if mocking the older dwarf. The latter's mouth went into a petulant smile and she did the only thing that was remotely reasonable at that current moment in time: _she flipped the mattress_, upending the younger dwarf and blankets to the floor. From beneath the upturned mattress and blankets, a hand shot out along with a muffled voice, **"Breakfast, mother!"** -------- _'Today is the day'_, Dys mused as she tore off a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth. She had the book she was reading during the night open in front of her, propped against a large wheel of cheese while she skimmed over the contents, barely absorbing the information as her mind reeled in excitement. On the table next to her book lay the summons that she had been waiting for eagerly. _'The headquarters of the bloody Luminous Knights,'_ Dys thought with a fierce grin, _'I better not keep my fans waiting.'_ Her grin only widened as she recounted her fellow Knights-to-be. She was fond of a few, they kept up with her humor. She took a long drag from the pitcher of mulled wine, foregoing her glass entirely. **"Ahhhh! That hits the spot."** She set the now nearly-empty pitcher back down and stood up from the table, scooping up her book and letter in one fluid motion. Her family had already said their goodbyes to her after she had gotten dressed in her armor and strapped her battleaxe across her back, so she was free to go without any further formalities. Her journey up from the Undermountain and through Triumph's Hold was one she had experienced time and time again, and so she kept her face buried in the book she was trying to distract herself with as she weaved around people. She _felt_ herself leaving the Luminous Shroud, the sensation for her was akin to removing a thin coat she had not realized she was wearing, the stripping of a layer of protection. She was given Tryndamere, a stout dwarf-sized horse, to ride to the headquarters and into battle, if she so wanted. She refused to take him into battle, he was too old for one, but for another... he was a complete coward. Dys shoved a hand into her belt pouch and came up with a sugar cube to feed to the old animal, and she gave his long nose a pat before swinging up into the stirrups and starting toward Meridian.

A man who looked like little more than the common thug was making his way down the rode towards the little village of Misala. Former village, he corrected himself. From what the rumor said, it had been abandoned for over a generation, possible two. Thick boots kicked up dirt into the already dirty brown trousers he wore. His beard was unkempt, a mass of brown that was sorely missing its normal treatment of being braided like the dwarves did theirs. A black tunic covered his chest to make him look at least somewhat decent. A sword hung on the left side of his belt, a backpack on his back filled with books, parchment, quills, ink, and a tiny bit of rations. Still a good bit from Misala, the man kept his beady little eyes on the text in the pages. An old, old dialect of the common tongue, difficult to read yet easier to speak. He would, if he needed to, just to confuse those around him. His eyes rose for a moment, then lowered back to the pages. They described fantastical things, things that many would rather be forgotten or kept hidden. Things of demons and magic, of wars and monsters. He chuckled, knowing full well that he'd be a dead man the moment the Paladins realized he'd pilfered it and a few other books from the library before running off to lands unknown. It was about that time when he realized that he had come into the shadow of a building. He looked up, noted the horrifyingly overgrown state of the village, then shrugged and continued, shutting his book in the process. It was stuffed underneath his arm as he made his way into the center of the camp, situating himself a little away from the rest. He let the backpack onto the ground, then stuffed the thick tome inside out of view of prying eyes, then pulled out a few pieces of dried jerky to gnaw on while others enjoyed their roasted boar and other treats. He did notice the elves and the odd girl in the worse looking armor. The girl did not impress him. She looked like she was overcompensating. With that thought in his head, he took out a small book about the recent history of Altea and began reading to pass the time while he waited for their esteemed benefactor to come and give them the job.

Ru gazed across the clear landscape, scattered trees leading the way to the abandoned town. Although the town of Misala now lay in obvious ruin, signs that the once bustling town had life in it once more could be seen. Small tendrils of smoke could be seen rising above the walls, and figures could be seen wandering outside. With a half smile, Albec, one of the guards travelling with the small caravan Ru had attached himself to handed over a few silvers. **"Seems others followed that fool rumor to the middle of nowhere. Wonder if that supposed employer came too. Either way, there's more than enough for Deran to profit off of, so it makes no difference to me."** Ru and Albec chatted some more as the overgrown palisade drew nearer. Eventually, they returned to a debate they'd had since the little party had set off. Albec initiated the debate. **"So, you still think that mysterious employer's offering 25 Sovereigns for *each* participant? 'Cause with the amount of potential employees that have shown up, no one but a noble house is going to be able to afford that, and what kind of noble would hire the sort of ruffians that follow rumors like this?"** **"Looking to win some of that money back?"** Ru chuckled, jingling the silvers he'd won. Albec had bet that they'd find the town still abandoned. He was a rather pessimistic one, though most former soldiers Ru had met were. If they did find the place bustling, and Deran made good sale on the alcohols he'd brought out, Albec would feel the benefits. **"This *mysterious* employer of mine has asked specifically for mages, or so the rumor goes. It's not impossible to find mages for hire discretely in the undercity. So why not just use one of those? Why bring us out here, and why *bring so many?*"** Ru's voice became more intense as his brief monologue continued. That had been a large part of the reason he had come to the middle of nowhere. It just didn't make sense unless something big was going to happen, and if something was going to happen, Ru figured he may as well be at the center of the action. At the very least, life should be interesting. They continued walking on in silence for some time, coming to through the busted gates, and were about to part ways when Albec broke the silence. **"20 silver says it's 25 Sovereigns for all of you, not each. And if it is for each, and this is as big as you thing...I'll be happy to give it to you if we make it out of this alive. Something doesn't seem right about this."** **"And if I survive this job, I'll be happy to pay it back."** Ru replied with a smile and a wave, heading off towards the town center, where smoke could be seen rising above the ruins. Before long, he came across a group scattered around a fire. For the most part, they were unremarkable humans, generally looking like Ru himself. There were, however, two obvious oddities. The first was a green clad elf looked slightly cramped sitting on the edge of a log several of them seemed to be using as a bench. Ru liked to think himself of average height, at least for a human, but he had a feeling the elf would be able to tower over him. The other was another human, wearing a set of rather horrifying armor, whose face was obscured by the helmet. The armored one seemed rather tense, as if expecting a trap to be sprung at any second. Not surprising, considering how hard the paladins had been hunting mages. There would certainly be a response, with all the rumors floating around. Hopefully not too soon. **"So!"** Ru exclaimed, seating himself on the other of death-armor, a few feet away **"Does anyone know whether this mysterious employer of ours is paying us 25 Sovereigns each, or we all get to fight over a pot, 'cause *I've* got a bet to win."** He thought for a moment before adding. **"Does anyone happen to know who this mysterious employer of ours *is* for that matter?"**

On one of the many cobblestone paths leading to the Altean capital of Meridian, a lone horse-drawn carriage rattled through the path in the direction of the great city. The driver looked around and enjoyed the scenic view of the quiet outlying villages and the cityscape in the distance as he whipped up the two horses. Meanwhile inside the passenger compartment, Varkasan Trenact and 3 other Paladins were seated within. they were all wearing their armor, though they had their helmets off and cupped them under their hands or on their laps. Varkasan had his helmet resting on his lap as he massaged his head. It was mildly aching, and the tight carriage and bumpy ride was not doing anything to help. He was trying to keep his mind off of it until they reached their destination. The Paladin seated next to him spoke up with a gruff voice. "Is your head still hurting Varkasan? Come on it's already been three days! Surely no one is that light of a drinker" He said jokingly. The other paladin had a thick bears and was wearing light armor and had his steel cap in his hands. "Zalfn, you seem to forget that we had decided to mix a Dwarven potion in our celebratory drinks to _'spice them up'_. You also seem to forget that you convinced me to have the first drink." Varkasan replied with a weak smile. "True true... If it makes you feel any better I wasn't expecting the effects to be _'that'_ serious. Why, the rest of the men wouldn't dare touch those drinks after what happened to you and I" Zalfn replied. "Ah yes, you took a glass of it too." Varkasan said. "Of course, it was my idea, so it was only fair. Though if I may say, I seem to have recovered much better than you did." Zalfn replied with a smirk. A Paladin seated opposite of them wearing heavy armor seemed amused at their exchange and merely shook his head. Varkasan continued massaging his forehead. Despite the head still feeling off, the sensation was much less than it was before, and he was slowly feeling better by the minute. He gave himself maybe an hour tops before he fully recovered from whatever that... concoction... did to him. To continue trying to get his mind off the aches, he thought back to the mission they had received. It was actually more of a summons than an actual mission. They received it the day after he and several other associates had their graduation celebration. 4 of them were ordered to head to their headquarters there to be assigned underneath a Captain and begin their official duties. The message also said they had a mission already assigned to them, but the details would only be given once they had gathered. Since 4 of them had received the same summons, they all decided to share the expenses to get a ride to Meridian. Varkasan didn't know what they'd be asked to do, but he had hears the rumors, about how Paladin outposts on the frontier started being lost and destroyed with no leads as to the perpetrators. So he had a feeling that their duties might become more serious soon. On the bright side, he knew he'd be seeing more of his fellow recruits once again after the unit is formed, and he was hopeful that they were people he had befriended or was associated with. If not, it did not matter as they would need to learn to trust each other if they wanted to survive out on the field. It was just a question of how long that would take. The Paladin seated opposite to them glanced outside the carriage window. "We're well into the city now, Headquarters shouldn't be too far" He said. "That's good to know Aradus, I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand being in here." Varkasan replied with a chuckle. A few more minutes passed by in silence until the carriage came to a halt, and the driver outside started talking. "This 'bout s'far as I go, lads. The Paladin building s'not far from here. Juss' follow the road." He shouted from outside. "Understood, thanks for the ride. Aradus said as the Luminous Knights began piling out of the carriage, and beheld the grand building down the road. The sides of the street were filled with people going about their daily business, but none venturing towards the headquarters of the Luminous Knights. "The place looks just as terrifying as it was on the first day of training!" Zalfn said out loud jokingly. "Don't ask where the bathroom is as soon as you enter, this time." Aradus responded. "Of course not! I've already memorized where they all are." Zalfn answered with a laugh. With that, the group of 4 headed towards their destination, wondering what their superiors had in store for them.

#### **Mages** Quite a group has already gathered in Misala. There were some tensions between strangers, but nothing serious. And then, it happened. With a thundering bang and a flash of light, a cloaked man appeared in the middle of them. A ragged, unassuming cloak to not draw much attention, yet there was something about him. Like a feeling in the back of the head that's someone is near you, even if you can't see or hear them, everyone gathered could simply feel his presence. **"Hmm, a bigger group than I thought. Good. Stand back and give me some time to set up."** From his voice, he sounded quite young. From his large leather pouch, he pulled out a huge book with bright red leather covers. He started flipping through the pages, until he found something he was looking for. **"Hands like this... Place the sigil where you want the table to appear and invoke the spell..."** he quietly murmured under his nose. Putting the book back in it's place, he clasped his hands together. Magical energy started gathering around them, and a strange magical symbol appeared on the ground. **"Raenor's War Table!"** he said firmly, and out of the symbol stone started to rise, eventually forming a large table with seats. **"Now then, take a seat and I shall explain the assignment."** As everyone reluctantly took their seats, he pulled out a large scroll and unfurled it on the middle of the table. It was a map, at least three hundred years old. The majority of locations listed there simply no longer existed. Back then, nearly the entire continent was settled. Cities, roads, fortresses and castles, very little of that remained. It was like looking at a map of a completely different world. With only a small part of eastern coast settled, the society at large was just a mere fragment of what it once was. The Cloaked Man pointed at a fortress at the western part of Altea, not far from the Elven Forests. Strangely enough, the infamous Black Forest was not on the map. **"Weisstraugh Fortress - back in the old days, it was a prestigious place of learning. A magic academy. The best and brightest would hone their skills and knowledge there. Most renowned was the Weisstraugh Archives, a massive library. Every book, every written work deemed worthy of renown was stored there. While copies of course there made, the originals were kept in the archives. The entire combined knowledge of the old world is there. While the academy and fortress itself may be in shambles, the archives were build to weather wars between mages. As you may have figured out by now, your job would be to locate the archives."** After explaining the job, he pulled out two more paper scrolls out of his pouch and a bright red gem. The Cloaked Man unfurled one of the scrolls, placed it on the ground, and said **"Waypoint create!"** The scroll lit itself on fire, and from the embers a smooth stone plate arose, with another strange magical symbol. In the center was a slot for something, like a gem. As the man placed the gem in the slot, the symbols started glowing. Then he put the second scroll on the table. **"Once you locate the archives, you create a waypoint like this and activate it with the locator gem. Once the second waypoint is active, I warp to your location and pay you. You then may browse the archives yourselves or come back here via the waypoint."** The Employer then revealed another large pouch he had, jingling familiarly. **"You would get 25 sovereigns each for this job. You get 5 sovereigns in advance, and the rest upon locating the archives and creating the waypoint. And, so you play nice with each other, you get a bonus for each member of the group who makes it to the archives. Judging from your numbers, if all of you make it to the archives, your pay doubles. If you have any questions, now is the time..."** The man was interrupted by nearby shouting and large amounts of footsteps. The village only had two entrances, and from both of them, a large amount of bandits started appearing. They were surrounded. **"So, there is actually a job. You guys wouldn't mind paying us in advance? Like with everything you got?"** their leader shouted. A grin appeared on the Cloaked Man's faced. **"Perfect timing. Consider this a test and show me what you got. Take out the trash, so to speak."** Without waiting for anything, the elf archer quickly put an arrow through the bandit boss's face, much to the horrifying shock of everyone. **"Hey, don't you have slow and fat merchants to rob? You know, the ones that won't make you go running back to your mommies?"** Eddy taunted them, and it worked. Outnumbered three to one, there was no way to avoid the fight now. ----------- #### **Luminous Knights** The paladins reached the assigned briefing room. After some small reunions, they new captain walked in. Generally unassuming, short black hair, clean shaven, and clad in full plate armor, he didn't look much different from their instructors, except he didn't greet them by shouting **"GOOD MORNING MAGGOTS!"** **"I am captain Bernard Tines, and you folks will be stuck with me for two years. Luckily for you, I didn't draw the short straw when our missions were assigned, so this one will be fun. And dangerous... You may have heard that our frontier outposts are under attack. They are under construction at the moment, so they contain nothing of value. But since they are important to our expansion, we need them up and running. Reports say that a single bandit gang has been attacking them. The very same gang has set up for "toll collection" on one of our roads. Our job is to clear them out, and secure the area for construction. Overlord Levran will be joining up with us later to oversee the construction and security personally. A fake caravan has been created just for us. I will pretend to be a driver, and you will hide in the back of carriage, behind the empty crates. Once they come to me for their safe passage tax, we will give them one. With point ends. And that's it. Make any last minute preparations you need, head for the stables and hide in the back of carriage. We will reach that location within two hours. Dismissed!"** ... The ride was uncomfortable. Cramped hiding behind crates, a bumpy road and a cold evening. Eventually, they could hear shouting and the carriage was coming to a stop. A voice could be hear nearby: **"Your payment in keeping this road safe would appreciated, sir."**, followed by what sounded like a sword being driven through someone's guts. And then there was lots of sounding and unsheathing of weapons. Go time was now. By the time they kicked out the empty dummy crates and rushed outside, their captain had already gotten at least four of them. There was at least forty of them, quite a bit more hiding behind the trees. ... During the battle, the paladins noticed something strange: the bandits were suicidal in their attacks, with no sense of self-preservation. Nor they did seem to show any emotion when their comrades fell. --------- #### Alicia von Eternus After exchanging a few hellos, the briefing started and was quickly concluded. Getting rid of bandits, seemed like a worthy cause. Just a little something for Alicia to have some sense of self-worth. The ride itself was uneventful, uncomfortable and cold. And then they could hear the battle starting. By the time they kicked out the empty dummy crates and rushed outside, their captain had already gotten at least four of them. There was at least forty of them. Most of them possessed basic weapons: daggers, bows, clubs and axes, only very few possessed a sword. The majority of them had makeshift shields, mostly wooden boards with some metal bits strapped on. They had no mages within their ranks, so Luminosity was useless here. Battle - the only place Alicia could forget her misery, even if for just a minute. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she focused. The blank state of mind, devoid of any distraction - Combat Focus. Her actions were already clear. The thugs did not have any martial training, had no clue about such things as a correct stance and technique, or how to use their weapons to their fullest. Rushing ahead and past her teammates, she started her onslaught. When in Combat Focus, it feels like time slows done. For that one minute, Alicia can see the world in slow motion. Clumsy and clueless fell one after another. For the outside observer, Alicia was literally carving the path through the bandit ranks, with them not even being able to react - she was simply too fast. This was Sioretto in action - mesmerizing and beautiful, as long as you are not on the receiving end. After literally clearing a line through their ranks, the bandits,went towards her en-masse. With her Combat Focus finished, Alicia was not in the shape to do anything like that again. Fortunately, her teammates were not simply standing there and watching, and rushed to her assistance. Still dizzy and sick from such mental exhaustion, she sheathed her shorter sword and prepared to defend herself. **"You shouldn't spin around so much Alicia, you always get dizzy afterwards."** Varkasan said to her as he cut down a bandit trying to hit Alicia from her back. She couldn't help but release a small chuckle. But even as the battle raged on and the ones hiding behind trees emerged to help their comrades, one thing was definitely wrong. The bandits were nearly suicidal in their attacks, with no sense of self preservation. It was not like them to fight with such zeal. It was not like them to fight until the last man. -------- #### Eddy An interesting bunch has gathered in Misala. One woman in strange armor attracted Eddy's attention. Seemed fancy. Seemed like something a mage from the old era would wear. She probably had no idea how to use any of it when she found it. Doesn't matter. He's here for a job, not a freak show. And then it happened. A cloaked man simply appeared. Out of thin air. There was something odd about him, like some sort of presence. Eddy couldn't really figure out what was that. The others could also feel the same, considering their expressions. The strange man then conjured a table. A TABLE. Eddy never heard of mages conjuring up tables. Seemed rather useless, except in this situation. Obviously, the red book was a spellbook. Eddy had a small one as well, but could only manage to learn the Fireball. The rest he simply could not learn to use. Of course, he didn't really understand the instructions, trying to guess the process from the pictures. The rest of his spells came to him naturally, probably because the elf liked fire. ... The job was to find an ancient library and create something called a "waypoint". A map like this would already be worth a fortune to the right buyers, but an ancient archive? Curiosity and anticipation overcame his caution - Eddy was taking this job. Payment in advance, bonus for each surviving employee - this guy has thought this through. However, it was also evident that he possessed extreme wealth. He was not from Undercity, that was for sure. And he was a mage, and probably a powerful one. Powerful mages and knowledge don't mix well, Eddy knew that from history. But the pay was simply too good, nor he would care much if Luminous Knights were taken down a notch or two. They were interrupted by a bunch of bandits however, who thought they'll find easy prey here. From their numbers, it seemed like an entire clan was here. The man ordered the group to kill them, it would be a test of sorts. Eddy did not need that encouragement, he was going to do it anyway. Putting an arrow in the head of the loudest one, he knew those thugs were mostly just talk. **"Hey, don't you have slow and fat merchants to rob? You know, the ones that won't make you go running back to your mommies?"** He said. This will piss them off, and pissed off opponents are far less cautious. Even though they were greatly outnumbered, Eddy did not worry. A bunch of crazy, desperate and/or capable mages were here, along with a few skilled non-mage fighters. Bottom-feeding scum like that were no match for them. ... The fighting was underway, with their mysterious employer staying out of it and intently watching. Actually, he was a big target, but he had some sort of force field around him. Nothing could even come close to touching him. A bandit managed to sneak up behind the fancy-gear Mastrix. Luckily, Flame Crash was there to smack the sucker's charred remains back down into the ground. **"Hey, fancy-armor, watch yourself!"** he said to her, only receiving a sneer in return. It was almost like target practice - with the bandits being help busy by others, Eddy was free to shoot arrows with little interruption. It felt like being part of a team again, and it felt good.

_"What could bandits possibly accomplish by stalling our expansion? If it's to halt our spread it won't do much. At best they're just stalling because there's no reason for us to not continue."_ Varkasan thought as their captain briefed them on their mission. It would be a reverse-ambush, with them attacking from surprise while surrounded. He didn't think it would be an issue however, considering the members that their unit had. Alicia Eternus in particular was quite an asset. While one might think of her as a fragile princess (as many recruits had on their first day) she was terrifying to fight against, though elegant when simply watched. Her speed and technique during their sparring was unmatched, and many recruits and instructors would be lucky to intercept even one of her attacks. Varkasan himself knew firsthand exactly how difficult it was to go against her, and felt pity for any foe at the receiving end of her twin blades and, what she called her _Sioretto Style._ If she had any weakness, it was that she tired a lot faster than most recruits during combat, which meant she wasn't suited for long battles. Another capable warrior was the Dwarf woman, Dys Bazgard. She was a loud and rough person, with a taste for ale. However, her advantage in battle came from her great strength (surprising, even as a dwarf) and resourcefulness. He remembered her partaking in arm wrestling matches among cocky recruits, and they very nearly ended up with broken wrists. She was also quick to think of ways to get through their survival training; a testament to the knowledge she kept in her head. Not to mention she was quick to cheer on recruits who were lagging behind in their tests. And by cheering on, Varkasan meant Dys shouting at them like a Drill Instructor who woke up on the wrong side of the bed until they were moving again A third person Varkasan knew in their training was the blonde Freiya Arkaos. That was someone nobody wanted to cross, and unfortunately it seemed that crossing her was very easy. She was also prone to drinking alcohol, but it didn't seem to affect her competence in the slightest. From their sparring matches, he knew Freiya's style of fighting was a suicidal onslaught of attacks. She uses all she has to bring down her opponent before they even realize what's happening, and it usually works. Varkasan noted that her berserker-esque attacks still had finesse in them, aiming and timing her assaults in a way that would quickly stun and incapacitate a slow enemy. Her demeanor and behavior in combat were all intimidating, and could make even a trained soldier think twice about going against her. There were other skilled Knights among their ranks, and Varkasan was confident that with such a line-up, they'd have no trouble dispatching simple bandits. Still, it would be wise to keep their guard up in case anything unexpected happened. That's what their instructors always did warn them about for when they were out on the field. _"Never assume everything will always go as planned"_ ------------------------------ It was not long after their briefing that the Paladins found themselves hiding behind crates in tight spaces, wearing their full battle armor. They wanted to speak to each other to pass the time, but they knew they could not risk being loud as they did not know how much further the toll-gate was. Varkasan clutched his sword and shield tightly. Despite all the training, the first real taste of life-or-death combat could never really be prepared for. He could feel some anxiety building up, but managed to push them away when he reminded himself of just how capable everyone was. _"We can all take care of ourselves. I shouldn't worry too much about the others and just focus on what unfolds before us"_ He told himself. Eventually, the carriage stopped, and he heard their captain conversing with someone outside. Then, there was the telltale sound of sword piercing skin, and everyone knew the battle was on. Varkasan burst out of hiding with the rest of the Paladins as they flung the crates at the bandits waiting outside, and while they were stunned, The Knights jumped out and drove their weapons clean through them. Once outside, Varkasan quickly scanned the area. The bandits were beginning to realize the deception and started coming out of their hiding spots in the trees surrounding the road. The other carriages started having boxes and Paladins flying out of them as bandit bodies hit the ground. Alicia was the first of the people in Varkasan's carriage to charge into the bandits emerging from hiding, cutting her way right into the thick of them. She was a blur of blades as she struck them down. "Wait! Don't charge in there without assistance!" Varkasan shouted, knowing she didn't have the energy to take on all of them. However, it didn't seem as if she heard him, so he followed after her. The other bandits who noticed Alicia's attack started trying to regroup and consolidate their broken line, but Varkasan was already getting to work on them along with the rest of the Knights in their carriage squad. He didn't really need to analyze their enemies much, they all fought the same way: instinctive, obvious, and undisciplined. The simplest of counterattacks could bring them down. A bandit came from his right and he had to quickly beat him back with a shield, stunning him, before finishing him off with a clean stab through the chest. Another bandit assaulted him from the front, a wooden club held high to bash him. Varkasan brought up his blade and held it horizontally to intercept the attack, causing the low-quality club to crack. He then kicked the assailant straight at the stomach, following up with a shield bash to knock them to the ground, and then stabbing the fallen bandit in the chest. His allies were taking care of the other nearby bandits so he used his breathing space to head towards Alicia who was already weakened from her initial onslaught. Just in time too, because a female bandit tried to stab Alicia from behind with twin daggers. He managed to reach them quickly enough and sliced the enemy in the back, causing her to fall to the ground as he finished her off with another stab to make sure she wouldn't get back up. "You shouldn't spin around so much Alicia, you always get dizzy afterwards." He told her as both a joke and a warning. The rest of their squad had already arrived and were eliminating the bandits as they took advantage of the opening Alicia made. "Stay close and watch each other!" He said, returning to a serious tone as he intercepted another bandit charging at them with a spiked bludgeon. Varkasan kept his shield up with his sword hidden behind it, before he proceeded to quickly put aside his shield and drive his sword forward before the bandit could bring the weapon down. He used his foot to kick off the body from his blade, and saw another one charging at him as the previous bandit's body hit the ground. Varkasan backed away a bit for the new bandit was brandishing a long wooden spear with a metal tip. One thing odd he noticed was the spear-bandit literally stepped over the body his dead ally as he attacked him, with a face that was blank of all expression. No fear, no anger. It was unnerving and strange. He didn't have much time to think on it before he pushed aside the spear using his shield to keep the tip away from him, and then horizontally slicing them in the stomach to kill them. Varkasan knew bandits were people with almost no moral compass, but he also knew that they treated their clan members like family, and to show such indifference to the slaughter of their allies was highly unusual. Now that he thought about it, it was surprising that their leader didn't call for a retreat as soon as they revealed themselves as Paladins and inflicted heavy casualties upon them. There was something wrong here, but the battle didn't afford him much time to think about what. He glanced around to make sure his allies were still alright before scanning around for more incoming enemies. He had given himself the role of squad protector, and his duty was to make sure no one got into their team's blindspots, and engage any enemies that wandered too close to them. He'd leave the main offensive to his squad.

Ah, a man seeking the knowledge of the mages of old a thing she could respect, fear and hate. Even looking back in time in the scars she could see petty mage politics come into play, constant betrayal over the simplest of things, one of them being the access to knowledge. Indeed time taken to do your own experiments on things already discovered was time lost doing other things. Still that mage already had a spell book so there was no doubt in her mind: Considering he'd allow them all to read at the library this mage would either back stab them or was looking for something so precise that the rest of the library was a triviality to him. Either way they stood to gain much less than this man. The voice behind them all interrupted her thoughts, much to her annoyance. "Fresh meat!" Getting up from her chair she found herself glad to have an archer to silence the ceaseless blable of the bandit chief and as soon as she was on her feet Mastrix moved on to extend her free hand and unleash a torrent of unnatural fire. She had to admit this wasn't her cup of tea, people everywhere and encircled, she had gotten careless to be in this situation first. It was however remarkable how Mastrix was NOT a team player and that only a few seconds into the fight almost the entire village was on fire, something that left very little room to maneuver for non ranged allies. She turned around when she heard someone fall down behind her, only to hear the male elf gloat. She sneered at him behind her mask only to hear a distinctive schunk. Lowering her gaze she saw her torso had been hit by an arrow. A second later a second and third hit her in her stomach and shoulder. She definetly did not enjoy this 'Team' concept, but probably not as much as the looter she had cursed with her pain and let go from the scar a week back that now suffered her wounds. She kept moving as not to be sitting duck and passed in front of the elf as he was drawing another arrow. "Stop flapping your gums and just kill more people, elf, I eat scum like this for breakfast." More literal than he would know, that's for sure. Still, Mastrix limped away, removing an arrow, clenching her teeth as she did. Before disappearing behind a building she had set on fire however she gave one long look to an archer, whispering under her breath and soon enough, he fell on the ground from the pain of having 3 arrows stuck in him, almost instantly making Mastrix feel better. She removed a second arrow without any technique, making the wound even bigger and nastier but as it was already beginning to close itself, she hardly cared.

Darthalia fell back from her seat as she heard the bandits. Darthalia was not built for combat, she could use her bow quite well but it took time to set up. As she saw a couple come close to her she muttered something and summoned a orb of contained light in her hand, very small, so not big enough to blind the others, but big enough to distract the bandits infront of her as she dodged their large swords, she moved, toward a building so she would have better chances when she saw the armored woman pulling arrows from her body. As she pulled her cross bow from her back she pulled out a small red vial with a cork lid, from a little leather bag around her shoulder, kneeling down to hand it to the armored one. She did seem to heal quick, but she seemed like the most usefully against a large group, even if she wasn't a very good shot, and needed to heal quicker "Drink it" Darthalia said quickly as she gave the woman what had to be a healing potion. Then she turned and readied her crossbow.

He was still not all that impressed by the group, and possibly even less so by their employer. So, he could teleport and summon a table. From what he could tell, it was all from that tome. Any idiot could read instructions and repeat them. But, even so, the man was easily more powerful than him if he had that book with him, and could garner any information he required out of it. So, he simply closed his book, shoved it into his back, and very reluctantly sat down at the table. At six-foot-two and wide in the shoulders, he was very uncomfortable with how close he was to the two mages on either side of him. The mention of a library got his attention. An ancient place filled with several hundred volumes of arcane texts, just out there waiting for anyone to stumble on them and take the knowledge for their own? He could barely suppress a grin from sprouting underneath his bushy beard. However, if this man was just going to give them all free reign over the place once they got there and established the waypoint, then there was something more to it than just the library. Something specific that would be overlooked by anyone not looking for it. While the man continued to explain the pay, which was completely secondary to him at this point, he grumbled underneath his breath. Then there was the arrival of the bandits. His original intent was to simply sit there, relax, and let everyone else deal with them all. Unfortunately, some _genius_ had decided to set the entire village on fire. And, even more unfortunate, he did not know any cold spells to put anything out. If she hadn't already been shot a few times for her stupidity, he'd have stabbed her. Instead, he yanked his sword from his scabbard and stalked around, waiting for easy prey to come for him. He must have looked intimidating, because he was mostly ignored for a little bit. A few bolts of lightning that were more show than substance flew over the heads of the bandits, gaining their attention. One of three charged at him. So, rumors of bandits being stupid were true. The bandit intended to run right through him. Rather than let that happen, the fool got a shot of electricity in his face when he was only a few feet away. As showy as his abilities were, a point blank shot to the face was enough to kill any but the hardiest men, and even then they'd be down for quite a while foaming at the mouth. Another lost interest for an easier target, but another, some guy in what passed for little more than rags covered in fur and wielding a mace made his way more cautiously towards him. The duel was over quickly. The bandit gave a savage swing, which was blocked with the flat of the sword, parried away, and then the tip of the blade was thrust forward into the bandit's chest. The mage let the body drop to its knees, and used the sole of his boot to push the corpse off of his sword. Then he faded into the background, disinterested in continuing fighting. He didn't feel like getting a knife in his back or an arrow in his chest, like some people.

Ordore had arrived to the meeting but, being cautious of traps and other mages, he kept his distance. He had to wait on a house nearby, he wasn't going for the whole, complete stealth, he just made it clear to everyone to not communicate with him. _Funny, how one small thing such as a rumor can get this many mages together in one place. All the knights would have to do is just spread a rumor and bamn, the adventurous mages get captured or kille-_ Ordore's train of thought was completely thrown out if this world with a huge thunderous clap that could only be from the gods themselves. Without hesitation Ordores hand went to his left side and clenched the hilt of his sword still in its sheathe. Seeing the man appear out of nowhere only made Ordore more cautious. The cloaked man summoned a table and called everyone's attention to it. Ordore, continued to stay on the roof. He could the conversation fine and using a pair of eye glasses he could the maps well too. He could leave right now and get a head start. _But then I don't get my advance pay... damn. I'll wait till everyone leaves and have a private chat with the cloaked figure._ The mission was set and several members were already out of there seats. The air changed, a new smell came into sense. _The people that live the more pay I get.... I have to warn them._ Ordore put his hood over his face and half face mask on, just going over his nose and mouth. No reason to give these mages his identity. When Ordore teleported down to the ground an elf had already drawn it's bow and killed one. Ordore had always wanted to be trained to use a bow. It'd help hunting so much. Ordore looked to the right and saw three more bandits coming through the entrance. Before Ordore got settled on the house he took precautions. He kicked behind him without looking and a rope connected to a pulley started to become in motion. _Too easy_ And with that thought spears coming from building all around the village were launched. _One. Two. Three. Four.. confirmed deaths and four more injured._ I don't know how but a bandit got passed them and charged straight for Ordore. When he was atleast five meteres away Ordore clenched his hilt and dash struck. he was so fast the blade went through him like a hot knife through butter. He fell in two and collapsed behind him. Two more now charged at him. Ordore's blade isn't like any other blade. Ordore's [blade](http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Souba) is a katana with two reinforced parallel blades, set a small distance apart from each other. The design's intent is to trap an opponent's blade between them and disarm them. So as the two enemies dashed for Ordore he saw an opening. One bandit swung and using his unique weapon Ordore caught it between his blades and flicked to the left, the enemies blade piercing his comrade. Ordore raised his hand muttered a few words. His hand, glowing a bright orange shot a flash of fire. It was so quick it's considered a beam. _Two more confirmed deaths._ Finally getting a breather he stood, watching the bandits getting slaughtered, no way did they expect a rouge mage could die so easily. Behind Ordore, on the roof he once sat a bandit was preparing. He lunged, silently and swiftly, blade aimed for a direct kill...

### Dysmoira Bazgard **« _On the road to Meridian_ »** Tryndamere's hooves were the most prominent sound as they clipped and clopped over the ground dirt and cobblestone underfoot. Dys had decided to take a small detour from the more direct path in favor for the scenery of windswept trees and small creeks trailing inbetween the trees and rocks. A squirrel darted off of the road every so often, or a flock of birds were startled out from a low lying crop of brush as she and Tryndamere cantered past. It was a peaceful moment, seemingly right out of a fairy tale. When they crested a hill, Dys spotted a carriage heading in the same direction as her. _'More recruits?'_ She mused but put it out of her mind, enjoying the rest of the ride. ------ **« _During the Briefing_ »** She stood in line with the rest of the recruits as they were briefed on their mission. She had no fear of being in dark and cramped places, but she noticed some of the others looking uncomfortable over the idea. Claustrophobia was serious among the surface dwellers, something Dys had no idea how to comprehend. It was a _very_ rare dwarf indeed that would be afflicted with that fear, and she had never met one living in the Undermountain. _'Bandits... fools or tools?'_ She wondered, thinking about why they would hold up expansion. They were prominent in this day and age, and would pick off the weaker villages - but she had wondered if some of them weren't hired by mages to simply get in the way of the Luminous Knight's progress. It was just a theory, but it made her want to split their skulls open more. _Nobody_ would impede their progress. She shared smiles with her fellow Knights, including those she had been rough with in the past. They had shaped up considerably, but she was glad to see they had, had the fear driven from them. Or maybe _beaten_ from them would be a better way to put it? Varkasan was her favorite of the other recruits with his cheerful personality, but he was a tad bland in some aspects. He wouldn't break the rules, or take chances, but that was also the good part of his personality. He was reliable, dependable, and a solid teammate. Somebody Dys would like to have at her side in any battle. However, Freiya seemed to be adept at taking chances. The human woman was more fiery than Dys had been as a teenager, jumping headlong into battle and attacking with a fury. Dys didn't enjoy Freiya outside of combat as much... she could be melancholy and irritable, and sometimes the dwarf would have liked nothing better than to give Freiya the good old _"dwarven flagpole"_ as punishment for her attitude. The only good thing about her, in Dys's opinion, was her love of alcohol, judging by the wineskin Freiya took swigs from frequently. Then there was the envied recruit, Alicia. Even now other Knights, men and women alike, stole glances at her while the briefing continued. Dys didn't understand it. Alicia was quiet, proficient, focused - but honestly, she was a weapon instead of a human. Dys couldn't enjoy the company of somebody so very... Mechanical. Dys didn't envy her at all. She was amazing in combat, but hardly equaled Varkasan as a **team mate**. She focused back on her duties as she got prepared to go out on her first mission. Her first _real_ battle, filled with people wanting to split _her_ skull open. The idea was exhilarating. -------- **« _Battle against the Bandits_ »** The ride was comfortable for her, unlike her fellow Knights. They grumbled but barely spoke during the cold journey stuffed in the crates, while she was reading her book from a stream of light coming through a crack in the wood. It was just coming upon an interesting theory involving Luminosity and Elf magic when it was _go time_. Dys shut her book with a fierce smile, and tucked it away in her pouch and sprang out with her fellow Knights. Alicia was ahead of her to getting to the battle, something that fueled Dys's competitive nature. Varkasan wasn't far behind to lend his support, proving that he was the backbone of the recruits in every respect. _'Good on you, Vark.'_ Dys thought as she engaged a bandit, juked around the swing of his smaller axe and swung her own down with surprising speed, cutting through his torso. Her eyes scanned the battle field, and Freiya was no where to be seen. _Yet_. The suicidal woman would be around eventually to take the glory, Dys was sure of it. _'Something is odd about this.'_ Dys realized as she easily dodged and cut down yet another bandit with the ease of which she could dispatch a training dummy. They had no coordination, no fire in their eyes,** _nothing._ ** Dys actually backpedaled from the next bandit she was fighting, unsettled by the current events. He charged toward her just to charge, a puppet set to it's stage. Dys dodged his attack and, instead of using her weapon to slice him in half, punched him so hard with a burly fist that he was knocked out, cold. She slung the bandit over her shoulder with one arm, the other one deftly parrying attacks with her battleaxe. _'The Captain'll have to talk to this one. This is the work of Magic, I'm sure of it.'_ Well, she was _nearly_ positive of it. She carefully dodged around groups of Knights fighting bandits, intent on getting this one bandit back alive. She couldn't afford to lose valuable information, and if he had nothing to tell... well, in the name of the Luminous Knights, she would execute the fool herself.

Shortly after Ru had made himself comfortable, a strike of lightning struck the ground nearby, revealing a cloaked person standing before them. The man created quite an imposing figure, features hidden by the cloak and wreathed in a bright afterimage from the lightning strike. Thoughts flashed through Ru's head - stories of the great mages of old, wandering the lands wielding great powers and shaping the world with their whims. The paladins particularly liked to remind people of the scars and the great evils those ancient magi had wrought, while some in the undercity viewed them almost as saints, or gods, one day to return and save them from the tyranny of the light. Both views squabbled within Ru's mind as he sat in awe of this figure, wielding great power so casually. At least until he spoke. The voice that came out from under the hood in no way reflected the person Ru had been envisioning. His vision of an ancient warlock, wise and powerful started to crack. Whoever it was sounded younger that Ru! Their young-mysterious-employer pulled out a book, and began muttering what appeared to be instructions under his breath, finally announcing. **"Raenor's War Table!"** By this point, Ru's vision of a wise warlock had shattered entirely, and the event which should have been awe inspiring seem almost...comedic. With a sly smile he took a seat, listening intently as YME explained the job. He should have been happy upon learning they would get 25 Sovereigns each, his bet with Albec won, but the nature of the mission disturbed him slightly. YME sought power, and Ru didn't like being blind to his motives. As YME opened the floor for questions however, they were interrupted by what appeared to be a troop of bandits, coming in from both sides. *How did they get here so quickly?* Ru wondered. The open area around the village should have made it obvious that such a large band was coming, they should have seen them before -- His thoughts were interrupted as the bandit's head met with an arrow, and they were suddenly in the midst of battle. Fighting was something Ru preferred to avoid. Good stuff rarely seemed to come of it, especially when fighting well outnumbered. A quick attempt at a count revealed that there were at least twenty, if not more. His count was interrupted by a battered sword swinging towards him. Instinctively, he blurred himself and dove out of the way, leaving a shocked copy of himself standing where he had been to be impaled by the bandits weapon. The grin of triumph on the bandits face quickly turned to confusion, as the fake corpse poofed out of existence, then to surprise as Ru pushed him away, sending the man crashing through a rotten thatched roof. Still heavily blurred, Ru took a moment to assess the situation. Some of their members had been hit by arrows, making the bandit archers an obvious target. Cursing, he pushed several arrows out of their flight, being careful not to use too much energy. Throwing the man had taken more out of Ru than he'd expected. But the archers needed to go, or they would be in trouble. Dashing through the enemy ranks, occasionally disabling a bandit with a well placed stab, he emerged amidst the enemy bowmen, several quick illusions and dropped his blur, making it seem as though several men had appeared from nowhere amidst their back ranks. Startled yells blossomed around him, several of which were quickly silenced before Ru blurred himself once more and tried to disengage. Although only a few were dead, most others had dropped their bows in favor of bludgeons or worn blades. One of the few remaining with a bow suddenly dropped, screaming in agony, and Ru took that as an opening. As he dashed over the fallen man, Ru had expected to see a path through the remaining bandits, leading to open ground. Instead, he saw fire, with black smoke billowing above it. He thought he heard a building collapsing nearby, the weak wood failing under the flames as he turned to flee back to the mighty table. A strong push sent those in his way sprawling, leaving enough of an opening which he sprinted through. Once safely behind friendly lines, he sat heavily on the table. His anger at whoever had started the fires subsided into growing horror as he looked out on the battle field. The fight - if it could even be called a fight - was practically over. Screams and fire and the sound of breaking timber filled the air almost as thickly as the billowing smoke. Ru watched as one bandit knelt screaming amidst corpses, staring at his burning hand as the flesh melted off. Ru considered how lucky he was to have escaped any major injuries. The dull blades of the bandits hadn't been able to pierce his leather, leaving only bruises, and he'd managed to escape being badly burned. *Then again.* he thought *The battle isn't quite over yet.* He saw one of the bandits lunging from a roof towards a young cloaked mage (Ordore). Ru pulled hard on the man mid-lunge, dragging him down and away from his target. The unfortunate bandit's sword impaled the earth instead of the man it had been intended for, with the bandit's momentum carrying him into the hilt. Ru slumped a bit, exhausted from using more magic in such a short time than he had ever before meeting YME. Ru noticed the screams had died down, to be replaced by low, pained moans came from those unfortunate enough to remain alive as their flesh melted away, and Ru realized something. *So.* He thought to himself *This is why they hate us.*