Michellin

Wanderers

She blushed as she drank when he voiced his assumption about her choices. “You’re not entirely wrong. I was close to making a move on Ysaryn,” she said, giggling a little at her confession. “Narda and Myka though—no. They’re more like foster siblings than anything else. I’ve gotten close to taking other women to bed. As for men, though, I think that first time, being so dull and unremarkable, I hadn’t thought about taking another man to bed after that for a while. It soured me on the idea for quite a bit, and then after that I hadn’t gotten another opportunity.”

She thought about his explanation about elven matches. “That’s true, about choices. Sometimes being Empress, you think you have all the choices laid out before you, but sometimes being under that scrutiny, your options are few. And to be honest, while I intend to take back the throne, there’s something about not sitting on that throne that—appeals to me. There are things I can do that I would hesitate to do when I’m still trying to act the Empress. Like deciding what to do or who to be with without people commenting on my choices.” She looked up at him then, cheeks flushed. “Or doing something potentially stupid for a night.”

Wanderers

Kire’s mind had wandered, so she blinked in mild surprise at his question. She cleared her throat, sitting up straighter. “So there’s me, Elva, Ed. The ones you haven’t met are Jan, Daryll, and two smaller cousins, Precy and Etta. Daryll’s an alchemist, though mostly self-taught. Most of us lost our parents during the Black Storm, and I had asked that we all move to the Capital after that. There are other branches in the family tree, but we weren’t particularly close, and they’re too distant to be really close family anyway.” She sighed, a little embarrassed at where her thoughts had gone, were still going. Kire looked at her mug, decided to drink some more.

“Out of all of us, only Elva got married so far, which is why she has this manor, and is all the way up here. Wasn’t a happy marriage, but now at least we have a stronghold far away from where the main fighting’s taken place. Sometimes I wonder if I had just been less stubborn about finding a husband if things would be more peaceful in the empire. I can’t imagine going to bed with somehow with whom I’ve only just arranged a match, like a business transaction.” She grimaced at that. “I’d at least want to make sure it’s with someone who knows what he’s doing, right?” she added with a bit of a nervous chuckle.

Wanderers

“Clever elf, that,” Kire said, chuckling as she refilled her mug. She saw his empty one and refilled that one, too, in case he wanted it. “Ugh. Gods. That was embarrassing. Want more?” she asked, holding out the mug she had refilled before sipping her own again. “And it is quite pleasant here, except during a blizzard. Now that’s too cold for my liking. Snowfall like tonight, that I can bear.” She sat back down, idly touching her slightly damp hair.

“Sometimes? Though there would be days I wouldn’t come back here, having to move between different battle fronts. Of late idle moments like this have been rare.” She swirled her mug as she looked at him, and at the bed, thoughtfully. “Besides, Elva’s the last person to judge what I do with my idle time. She’s found her own ways to keep her bed warm here. A lot more fun than going out to punch things in the cold,” she said, shrugging a shoulder as she looked in his direction, her eyes lingering on the empty spot beside him on the bed. “It’s not a bad idea,” she murmured, thinking aloud.

Wanderers

Kire laughed. “No, you earned a day off from yelling and nagging. And I’ll spar with her tomorrow, but not tonight. I’m restless but not restless enough to bother changing into proper fighting gear and go out in the snow for a mock battle.” She kept drinking as she listened to him, and when he talked about being homesick, she set down her mug. “I know a little bit how that feels. Felt it a bit three months ago.” She vaguely remembered drunkenly star-gazing while lying down on Ysaryn’s lap. “Nothing quite makes you feel so small as looking up at a totally unfamiliar sky, doesn’t it?”

She grinned when he said he was glad she had survived. “That makes two of us,” she said, leaning back on her chair, crossing her legs. “And don’t worry. I doubt you would be the first target of anger if I died back there. There’s a perfectly good set of Gemini heads that would serve as lovely targets of their rage.” She looked solemnly at the Ring in her hand. “I get the shell-shock. That’s how I felt, too, the first time I used this Ring. And a few more times after that.” She took up her mug again, thoughtful as she sipped the last of it.

“I remember reeling after the attacks at the Capital. There were days on end where we were just on the defensive as we retreated. Assassination attempts, too. Somehow, we survived all that. And then there was this day of calm and I just,” she gestured with her other hand, “it felt like a dream, didn’t quite know what to do with myself, after weeks, a month? Months of what seemed like endless fighting.” She grimaced, going red. “Ended up in bed with someone and regretting it a little. It wasn’t particularly good.” She took a swig, then realized she had already drained her mug, and went even redder.

Wanderers

Kire sat herself down, waving a hand at him to let him know he needn’t bother tidying up. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. And if she does steal anything, she’s welcome to have it. Unless it’s a knife or a sword. She has enough sharp things on her person,” she added with a chuckle before sipping more wine. “I just, uh, feel like having some company before bed.” Why am I here? She realized, looking down at her mug, trying to sort through her thoughts through her tipsiness. “I should be bone tired. Part of me is. But I feel a little bit like that time I punched through some trees back at your mountains. Like I need to put all the temper I’ve stored up the whole day somewhere else.” She looked at him. “A lot’s happened these past few days. Aren’t you reeling at all?”

Wanderers

Kire had enjoyed the long soak. She felt strange, both tired and restless, as if the power the Ring had stored up earlier had sent her mind buzzing as well. She stared at the burn mark around her ring finger, frowning. The past few days had been a whirlwind: she found Ed and his soldiers at a hidden elven stronghold, had her friends stranded for a brief while in her own world, and just a while ago she destroyed a world gate. Granted, it was a smaller world gate than the larger ones that had devastated Amria before, but it was no less dangerous. And I had a Gemini mage in my hands, so close to me. She rubbed her face, then continued with her bath.

Back at her room, she put on a dress and a thick robe over it, idly drying her hair, sipping the wine in between. Her mind now had a different, pleasant buzz from the liquor as she stared out at the window. Some time later she heard the door next to her close. Ruli. She noted how he smiled a little easier around her now, or at least it seemed that way, compared to how much more withdrawn he had been when they met three months ago. She looked back down at her own hand, remembering his touch on it earlier when he pulled the memory of the manor from her mind. She chewed on her lip, swirling the wine in her mug, before she turned to walk out her room.

Her wine in one hand, she stared at his door, hesitating for a few more moments before knocking twice on it.

Wanderers

Kire sighed, shaking her head, though she had a smirk on her face as she did so. “Then, to preserve the good will between my people and yours, you will fight alongside us when the time comes.”
“Enough talk for now about fighting. If you insist on bringing me home, why don’t we bring them along with us?” Ed said. “Elva’s manor in the mountains should have more than enough room.”
“Oh. Right. And you can meet the other stubborn Wyverns,” Kire said. Myka chuckled.
“Is there any other kind of Wyvern, though?” the pirate captain put in, to which the cousins laughed softly. “So, if you’re all going back, I’ll say my ‘good nights’ for now. Will talk to my crew and then we’ll all have a nice long rest for the night. Hunting spies is tiring work, especially when you throw a wildcard into the mix,” she said, winking at Ruli. Kire and Ed rose, each embracing Myka. “Come by the ship soon, Ed. And bring Ysaryn. She should be fun to have around.” She grinned at the elf, before taking her leave.

After Kire was finished with her meal, she and Ed spoke with the officers of the camp for a few moments, giving one final round of instructions before she went back to the other two. “Alright. I can bring us all back with a portal, but I think you all know how the sensation feels,” she warned before turning to Ruli. “If you’d prefer not feeling that until it’s time to portal back to your world, you can get the location from me instead and Shadow-Walk.”
Ed grimaced. “I’d rather the latter, honestly.”
Once the others agreed that the other option was infinitely better than experiencing anything portal-related for the night, Kire extended her hand to Ruli. He would have pictured a large hearth and a great stone hall lit with more torches. “It’s warm inside, but just to warn you, it might be snowing a bit this time of year there.”

They stepped out of the shadows into the hall in Kire’s memory. There were attendants about, and as soon as they saw the Empress they bowed and excused themselves to fetch their mistress, having gotten used by now to Kire appearing out of nowhere to see her cousins or conduct her business. “Are you alright?” Ed asked Ysaryn, remembering that she didn’t feel too well the last time she Shadow-Walked.
Not too long after the servant had left, Kire heard brisk footsteps approaching. The moment Ed was in sight, Elva broke into a run and pulled her brother into a tight hug. Next to Ed, the healer’s resemblance to him was unmistakable, though she was much slenderer, her features softer. Kire could be mistaken for a younger sister. “Where have you been?” she murmured after a long, tearful silence, her question rhetorical. Ed didn’t answer, squeezing Elva tight in his embrace before looking back down at her. “Did Kire tell you about Earnest?” she asked. Ed nodded, lips pursed, then, remembering that they had company, cleared his throat and stepped back a little.
“Told you I wasn’t making it up,” Kire said softly, smiling at her.
“Well, you can’t bloody fault me for thinking it,” Elva said with a huff, before turning to Ysaryn and Ruli. “Ahh. You’ve told me about your friends, but proper introductions are in order.”
“Right. This is Ruli and Ysaryn. They helped me a few months ago to hunt down Ikegai and Akuma, and they helped get me to Ed. This is Lady Elva of the Northern Reach, Ed’s sister and one of the best healers in the empire.”
“Tsk. Stop it with the whole titles and such. Except the healer part. I will concede that that part’s accurate,” Elva said with a cheeky grin. She saw the bandages on Ruli’s arm. “How’s that getting on? May I?” She stepped closer to peer at the bandages, the look on her face showing she was tempted to ask more about the injury to see if it had been tended to properly.
“See? Right to work,” Kire remarked. “Elva, if we may trouble you for accommodations for them for the night? And baths too, maybe. Also, where’s Jan?”
“Tired. Asleep. If you want her in a better mood, let’s let her stay that way for now. We can do the catching up tomorrow with her,” Elva said with a grin. “I’ll see to your rooms then. Wait here, or you can bring them to the kitchens, though I suspect you might prefer the cellar.”

“Ooh. Have you got any of that spiced wine brewing in the kitchens now?”
“Of course.” Elva grinned, then pointed to her brother. “Now you, come with me and make yourself useful now that you’re back. I trust you’d want to see to the fifteen Kire dropped off here unceremoniously, hm?”
Ed chuckled, shaking his head. “We’ll be back,” he said before following after his sister, the two of them conversing in Taakalon as they walked away. Kire chuckled softly, watching the two, before turning to Ysaryn and Ruli.
“Alright, got something that might warm you up faster. Come on.”

The mountainside manor was cozy, though as Kire led them to the kitchens, the hallways in between chambers were still cold, the winter chill seeping into the stone. The kitchens, thankfully, were nice and hot, and the smell of mulled wine filled the chamber, particularly the smells of cinnamon and nutmeg. As soon as they saw the Empress and her guests, particularly the lusty look Kire gave the large pot of wine brewing over the fire, they fetched a jug and three mugs, as well as a platter of meat, cheese, and bread. Now that Kire’s stomach had settled, she found she was famished. “Gods, that hits the spot,” she muttered, sitting back as she sipped on the wine after nibbling on some cheese and bread. “Sorry if it’s a bit too cold for your liking here, though at least you’ve got this stuff,” she said, gleefully taking another long drink.
“There you lot are, as predicted,” Elva said a while later, Ed beside her. “We’ll have someone bring those up to your rooms if you want to keep eating, though from what Ed tells me you have all had too long a day.”
“Yup. And you two need a good long catching-up,” Kire remarked, standing up and following her out. “I’m good with just the wine, thanks. We’ll talk longer in the morning.”
Elva smiled at her, then at Kire’s two guests. “Thank you. For helping her get him home.”

After Elva and Ed excused themselves to go to her library and catch up, servants beckoned to them to follow them up to their chambers for the night. Though the manor was large and well-provisioned, there was simple, rustic feel to it as well. They were led up a flight of stairs and down a quiet hall with windows that afforded them a view of the mountainside below. Snow fell gently outside, though in the dark of the night one could only vaguely make out the snow-capped mountains that surrounded them. The Empress had been given a large chamber at the end of the hall, with Ruli’s chamber adjacent to hers. Ysaryn’s was next to his, while another room, presumably Ed’s, was being readied as they were shown their chambers. Each one was similar to the others, with a large bed covered in thick blankets and fur, a fireplace, and tapestries draped over the walls, woven with fine thread. A wardrobe filled with warmer clothes sat at the corner of each room. The servants left some of the food and wine on a table in each room.
“Get settled. I’ll go wash the grime of the day off me, just let them know if you need anything else,” Kire said as she stretched. She was going to feel this tomorrow, she was sure, so she looked forward to the hot spring baths underneath the manor.

Wanderers

Kire looked at Ed. “What did she say?” she asked. Ed grinned, softly patting her back.
“She said you were crazy.”
Kire chuckled. “She’s not wrong.”
Myka smiled at Ysaryn’s observation about the Gemini. “You’d really get along well onboard the Wench. Where do you keep finding friends like her, Kay?”
Kire shrugged a shoulder. She looked down at her hand, and at the glowing Ring, and twisted it off her finger. She clicked her tongue, seeing that the Ring had, indeed, branded her skin. She switched the Ring to her other hand. At Ysaryn’s mention of food, though, her mind tried imagining her eating and instead made her feel nauseous. She pursed her lips, held up one hand and pressed her other hand over her mouth. After a few moments, her stomach calmed. “Maybe not a big meal,” she said after a while, clearing her throat, “but I need energy. Something sweet to nibble on. Or, hells, I’d take sugar water if they have it.”
“Alright, come on, let’s sit you down. first,” Ed said, gently tugging her towards the tents.
Kire let him, very much eager to rest. Seeing Ruli, she smirked, and when she was close enough she gave his shoulder a pat. “Worked like a charm. Wouldn’t have done it without you,” she said.
Myka watched her friend, her gaze shifting to Ruli. She stepped up to Ysaryn and whispered, “So, what’s the deal with these two, really? Do you know?”

Back at the tent, the rest of the Wyvern camp looked to their Empress with awe, some with a little fear. They knew she had the power of the Paladin, and they knew she was strong, but the display earlier was on a whole different level of powerful. At Ed’s instructions, someone set a platter of fruit in front of Kire and a cup of juice, alongside more water. Kire was silent for a while, nibbling on some grapes and taking sips of water and juice. “So. They’re likely not going to be happy,” she said after a while. “But you can’t say we’ve violate the truce. Still, we should probably be on high alert.”
Ed shook his head. “Honestly, Kire, you need to take a break first.”
“Hey, Kay, I have a question,” Myka put in. “That thing you did earlier with the Gemini. You haven’t been able to do that before, summon portals like that. Is that something you’d be able to do every time now?”
Kire shrugged, chewing on some fruit before answering. “Don’t know. Tonight, I could, maybe. Seems like the Ring took some of that energy for itself. So I could likely bring you two home,” she said, gesturing at Ysaryn and Ruli, “after I take this one back to ours.” She patted Ed’s arm.
Ed looked halfway through an objection, meaning to stay behind and lead the camp while Kire rested, but when he was slow on verbalizing it, Kire grinned. “You’ve been away long enough. It’s your turn to get scolded by Jan and Elva. Nine months’ worth of nagging.” Ed grinned back, rubbing his nape.
“Looking forward to it. I need to check on the soldiers who had gone back, anyway.” He looked at Ysaryn. “I do owe your lovely friend a tour. And she has promised to fight alongside us when we win back your seat.”
Kire’s lips parted in surprise, before she looked at the elf. “I suppose you’re going to say I have no say in this and you’d entertain no objections,” she said to Ysaryn, narrowing her eyes at her. She wasn’t sure whether to feel elated at this or be worried. She shook her head. “Best return you two later, though. We still need to check and see where Narda and Zeke are. By now the Raielwen are probably awake and could help with the search.”

Wanderers

It didn’t take too long for him to close the circle. As soon as he did, his signature permeated the whole perimeter of his ward. It filled her with comfort, contrasting with the wards the Gemini had put in place. She squared her shoulders and faced the gate, suddenly anxious. What did I just agree to do? Some ways away, the other Amrians watched. Ed’s arms were crossed, silent as he kept his gaze on his cousin. Kire rarely had second thoughts about anything she had set her mind to do, and seeing her not immediately jump into action worried him greatly. Meanwhile, Myka, seeing Ruli step back, jogged to him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Here,” she whispered, handing him back his saber. “In case, you know,” she whispered, hoping he got her meaning. “Can’t really trust those bastards.” She gave him a pat on the shoulder before she went back to the rest of her crew.

Kire tested out the strength of the rune at her feet. She wiggled her toes, shifted her weight from the balls of her feet to her heels. When she tried to take a wide step, it held her fast, even when the surprise at the sensation made her lose her balance, the enchantment was so strong that she didn’t topple over, the magic making sure her whole body stayed upright at the spot. “This is weird,” she muttered under her breath. “Okay. Come on, Kay.” She rolled her shoulders and held out her right hand at the swirling light of the gate.

The flash of blue from her Ring was lost to the bright blue light that appeared between her and the gate. They were almost identical, except Kire’s portal was smaller and felt more turbulent. Kire could feel her Ring growing hot on her finger. She gaped at the portal for a moment, unused to seeing it this way, or unused to not jumping into it straightaway. She could feel the two wards—both the Gemini’s and Ruli’s—activate in response, and the combating forces pulling at her from both open gates and the wards made her body shake. Too much! She hissed, pulling her hand back, slumping over though her legs kept her upright as she breathed heavily. Her head was pounding, and she cradled her right arm. Her hand was hot to the touch.
“Kay!”
She heard Ed shout behind her, and she held up her left hand. “Nobody move!” she yelled back. She looked at Ruli, part of her tempted to call him. She shoved the thought aside. “Nobody move,” she repeated in the common tongue this time, her voice firm, turning back to the gate. She sensed then that the Gemini wards had meant to gather the energy she was going to siphon away. She wasn’t sure for what, but most likely it might have to do with redirecting it to the mountain pass and to make sure she didn’t come out of this unscathed. “Devious bastards,” she muttered, glad that Ruli’s own protection wards were working so strongly against it. Kay, concentrate. Don’t think about the pounding headache. Don’t think about what might happen around you if you let the gate’s energy loose. She raised her arm again. Concentrate on the gate’s energy flowing through your portal. Get used to the sensation.

Her portal starts up again, but this time she opened it much closer to the gate itself. She grits her teeth through the sharp headache, the hot flashes through her body. Far above them, another flash: the other end of the portal opens, and from it a continuous blast of hot white energy. Kire felt like the hurricane winds inside the portal were inside her head; blue smoke rose from her body and her sapphire eyes glowed blue. The Ring felt so hot she thought it would brand her skin. Fuck, she wanted to throw up; she clamped her other hand over her mouth to stop herself. The gate looked to be shrinking, the light overhead growing so bright it almost looked like the moon had gotten closer to the earth. Ruli’s enchantment over her position held fast, so strongly that she felt the ground cracking and sinking under the pressure of keeping her rooted to the earth against the great pull of the two portals. She felt faint, but she could see that the gate had shrunk to half it size. Just a little more, Kay.

“Gods!” Myka said, looking to Ed, “she looks terrible. We have to do something!”
Ed looked up at the other end of the portal spewing energy, then at Kire. He knew very well. “Not yet. If she thinks it’s working, it’s working. We can’t interrupt now until we’re sure it won’t interfere and do something worse.” He glanced at the Gemini, jaw clenched. Despite his words, he wanted to get Kire out of there. He was about to say this to Myka when they felt the earth around the outer ward cracking and sinking under the pressure of competing with Ruli’s ward, similar to what was happening beneath Kire’s feet.Those who were nearest stumbled back, while everybody else scrambled uphill. “Damn them, we need their wards removed!” Ed seethed. “Secure the Gemini and tell them to break their wards.”

Kire felt it too, her knees momentarily buckling as she felt the whole area sink. Her concentration broken, her own portal dissipated, and the world gate, though smaller now, spat out errant energy. “Shit,” she gasped, looking around her. Everyone looked fine, only this time there was a standoff between her own soldiers and the Gemini contingent. Her body was still emitting blue smoke, and her Ring glowed hot even though she didn’t have a portal open right now. She felt restless, her heart beating fast, as if it had absorbed some of that energy and didn’t know what to do with it. Her eyes scanned the men the Gemini had brought along, made a quick count of their numbers. “Stand down,” she ordered, “and stay back.” Even from a distance she could sense that Ed and Myka were reluctant to obey. “Do it now!” The moment her soldiers backed away, putting space between themselves and the Gemini contingent, Kire commanded the Ring to open another portal.

Instead of continuing with her immediate task, a portal opened just behind the Gemini. With a surprised yelp, the emissaries and their soldiers disappeared into the blue light, save for one of the mages she had seen directly involved in the making of the circle. Another portal opened before the mage could attempt an escape, and he fell backward into it, reappeared right in front of Kire. She grabbed him by the neck and held him at arm’s length in front of her. “Here’s the thing: you’re staying here until I finish the job,” she said in a loud voice, “and if I die or some other terrible thing happens to me, they have my permission to kill you. If your ward interferes with me doing my job, the gate will kill all of us. If your ward harms any of my people, I will kill you.” Her fingers tightened around his neck. “Will you tell them how to break your wards?” She had sent the rest of the Gemini back over their own borders, but this mage didn’t need to know that. She could feel the tug of the errant gate, but she at least had Ruli’s wards to help her stay put. Without the countering force of Kire’s portal, the wild gate sucked on the mage’s body, with Kire’s strangling grip the only thing tethering him to this world. With a strangled cry, the mage nodded, his eyes wide as he faced the blinding gate in front of him. “Good.” Kire grabbed him with her other hand to ease the pressure on his neck. “Tell them what they need to do.”

She knew Ruli had been studying their ward previously, and as the mage yelled out halting instructions, she trusted him to know what the mage was talking about, and to know what to do in case these instructions were a lie. She kept her gaze on the gate, watching for signs of it acting up the way it did back at the woods near Lithilote. As the Gemini ward fell little by little, she could feel Ruli’s signature taking over, the pressure around them easing. Bracing herself once more, she directed her Ring to reopen the portal in front of the gate. Once more, the skies above them were illuminated, and this time Kire poured as much as she could into the portal, putting it as near to the gate as she dared. The mage in her grip screamed, both from the magical forces in front of him and from the grip Kire gave, her fingers digging in as she gritted her teeth and dealt with the massive energy flow.

With one final push, Kire opened her portal as wide as she could, until it was almost bigger than what was left of the gate. A great flash of white light lit up the mountain range as her portal sucked in the last of the gate and dispersed its energy up and outward. Then, darkness.

Kire panted, her body still faintly glowing blue, her Ring the only thing left shining bright and blue, along with her irises. She tossed the mage aside, and he landed several meters away from her. As soon as he did, Kire hunched over the dagger at her feet, gave it an almighty yank, then sank to her knees to throw up.
Ed was the first to go to her, a flask of water in tow. Kire took it, gargled some and spat it out, then drank the rest of the water. He tried taking her hand to stand, but her skin felt hot, almost scalding his. “I am not doing that again,” she rasped, coughing. When she held her hand up to wipe her mouth, she noticed her Ring still faintly shining. Her body felt strange; she felt exhausted, but at the same time she felt she could open a few more portals for tonight.
“Where did you send them?” he asked. Kire waved vaguely at the mountains.
“Their side. Can’t promise I set them down gently.” She faced away from him to cough and clear her throat, drinking the last of the water in the flask afterwards. Somebody brought Kire’s cloak and Ed wrapped her in it, helping her to her feet.

“What shall we do with this one, then?” Myka called, lightly nudging the mage with her foot, who had been knocked out from the intense pull of the portals and the subsequent hard landing after being tossed aside.
Kire huffed. “Still under the terms of the parley.” She hated saying that out loud. There would be time enough for the Gemini to have their final reckoning, but right now she just wanted the man out of her sight. Another blue flash, and the mage was gone. Myka looked disappointed. “Believe me, I’m more disappointed than you are,” Kire grumbled.

Wanderers

The Gemini finally faced her again. “We—agree to the terms,” the foremost said, and to his credit did his best to give her that same smile he had, though with much less smugness. “When do we begin, Your Grace?”
Kire looked to Ruli and to the others. “We could head there now. Let’s get this over with.” As the whole party made ready to head for the gate, Myka tapped Ysaryn on the shoulder and handed her a sword with a grin.
Ed shook his head, though he did have a hint of a smirk on his lips. “Not my choice, hm?” he murmured to Ysaryn. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. It is hard to say no to you. I’d be honored to have you. Fight with us, I mean,” he clarified, though he did have a teasing grin on his face as he made the remark.

They finally reached the vicinity of the gate. Those who hadn’t yet seen any kind of portal gasped at the sight as the blue hurricane of light illuminated the nearby woods. Myka shuddered. “Gives me chills, it does,” she muttered, squinting at it. As Kire ordered everyone to stay at a certain distance, the Gemini’s mages set to work. Kire watched like a hawk, her hand on her sword, her body tense as if expecting monsters to sprout from the gate with each rune they laid down on the ground. Though it didn’t take too long for them to close their circle, it felt like an eternity to Kire.

She took off her cloak and, after a few moment’s hesitation, stepped through the ward. The Gemini signature filled her senses, and she tried not to visible shudder at the sensation, cursing under her breath, instead.

She stood a few yards before the gate. So far, it seemed stable. She turned to Ruli. “Just a few drops right?” she said, ready to hold out her hand to him.