Ain't A Hero

Season 4

Bryan Schuder

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Beta Release

Updated 01/08/2019

Ain't A Hero

Season 4

Dedications

Timeline

Episode 40

Episode 41

Episode 42

Episode 43

Episode 44

Episode 45

Episode 46

Episode 47

Episode 48

Episode 49

Episode 50

Episode 51

Dedications

First and foremost... A special thank you to all the crazy humanity loving folks over at /r/HFY ! Out of all the places on Reddit for writing, you all are the most accepting and welcoming bunch of them all. As long as humanity is involved some how and you want to write, /r/HFY will give you a place to call home. I was not only surprised to find people interested in this crazy tale, but people who repeatedly read episode after episode... And still wanted more. I will try to deliver more! Second season down, hopefully a third and more to go!

So, in an inconsistent arbitrary order of me looking through the series posts, thank you to these fine folks that provided commentary (both praises and criticisms) and those who subscribed. (Please let me know if I missed anyone!)

roflmaono
Attamark
Lithuse
KillerKolonelz
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joe_wood
Fly18
Lurking_Reader
Waspkeeper
bontrose
carpkiller
KahnSig
Shactus
michael15286
Krynja
ProfessorVonSagan
Layxe
zarikimbo
Ryushimojii
atomic_cheese
Rand__Rahl
NinjaTurple
fatboy93
PhalanxLord
Slayalot
K2MnO4
zymurgist69
ChainsawNagitana
Eater_of_yellow_snu
Jonfirst
Nuke_the_Earth
Isitalwaysthisgood
Red-Shirt
WandererOfTheMind
ImperialForgeMaster
barely_harmless
Maxkenny09
Alphamole0
Random-Hats
Applepielord1244
Fieryfight
ccassidyx9
Ghrrum
Thatfurrykid
tipsy_topsy
DudeGuyBor
InitiativeTwentyOne
Sakul_Aubaris
antonthekiller
pie4155
ragnoraknow
nerdy_n_dirty86
RedTheReckless
Shiamu
ZeDestructor
Omega048
MavenDeviant
HardAtomicSmile
testicouille741
Deathcoolbro
SirSchmoopy111
Halefor
cochi522
Olindoga
smeik111
explosiveelephants
LIKE1OOONINJAS
Cyber_Reader
ruruwkzu
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sic99
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Firenter
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ryan_morland
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elemental821
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RollSavingThrow
randommlg
GrayMatter01
Daevis43
Glaris
vittupaahan
Admiral_Sylvor
TRN42
Golddrake
Repeated_613
Voobwig
Dr_Acen
Honoris_Causa
nuacc2
sluglie
mortalnine
mheiszler
pennythoughtful
IntelligentDemise
Makyura
minkshaman
Fkn_Ra
WakelessTitan
BlessedPatrick
ikbenlike
maaghen
Shaeos
garrdor
wiggamail
allorigional64
DarkLordZargon
bracabrad
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ubercaesium
kaloshade
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kumo549
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Meh12345hey
F0rg0tMy70gin
Dolduck
jaredzz
KorbenD2263
PresumedSapient
minicooper237
mudkip201
Netmantis
Kasaeru
UnholyReaver
Just_a_stae_of_mind
Khelbun
Ice_Man_Cometh
Havok707
Omenofstorms
zombieking26
Kiryln
JJdaJet
AMEFOD
TheBarbequeSteve
TW6173
_Skylos
A_Drunk_Ninja
Maravedis
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Brimicidal
o11c
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readcard
Deadlytower
Einhanderz
HarbringerOfMayhem
Zoutpeper
Tinkerbill93
p75369

-40-

Small, blue orbs glow and cast circles of light upon the inscribed surfaces of the walls. Spread out roughly even, each ball of illumination reveals more of the intricate details of area to Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia. Dretphi adjusts a few bright electric torch lamps on tripods and aims the beam where Cideeda points a claw. Cideeda gives a quick thumbs up and kneels down next to a removed access panel in a familiar console. "Thank you. I think there might actually be a proper computer inside here. So, maybe there's data to dump."

Sebastian pivots his ethereal form in the middle of the room and nods to Cideeda. "That would be nice. Any signs that anyone else has been in there before you?"

Cideeda cranes her head to peer her emerald eyes inside the kiosk's maintenance cavity and shakes her head with an eager grin. "All the dust build up looks even and no marks that I didn't put there. So, it should be original parts."

A flicker of bright light reflects off the walls and tints the rest of the room. Aristespha side steps over carefully, and holds a tablet with both hands up to the various inscriptions upon the wall. She lines up a shot of the inscribed surface on the screen, taps the button icon, and momentarily squints as the flash pulses. She slides the tablet over methodically, repeats the previous process, and lowers the device with a sigh. "This is going take some time to work through."

Sotalia steps over next to Aristespha and presents another tablet to her. "I think I got enough pictures of the platform to stitch together a big complete one. But, the battery is almost dead on this one."

Aristespha glances down, examines the image on the screen, and notices the status bar for the battery blinking red, with an acknowledging smirk. Sotalia eyes over her shoulder, motions towards an old, dusty energy storage vessel, cracks a mischievous grin. "So... Do you think anyone is going to miss one... or two... of those?"

With a slow lift of a contemplative brow, Aristespha leans over to view the collection of stray and stacked magical cells and works out the indecision, twisting her lips. "I doubt it. But... I really do not want to tempt fate too much. And, I do not want to test the good graces we have gotten with ruin raiding."

She debates in her mind as her violet eyes search for a reasonable justification. After a few seconds, a wicked smile graces her lips and she glances over to Sotalia. "Well, I suppose the stray ones with recent hand marks, possibly from Noxian, could be considered evidence worth taking in for... Extended investigation."

Sotalia returns a similar expression, turns slowly around, and tosses a stray lock of dark red hair over a horn with satisfaction. "I would have to agree. Certainly, such direct evidence is part of our ongoing mission."

Bach flicks a few more glowing blue orbs off to float along a path to spots on a far wall. He pauses, gauges the overall brightness, and crosses his arms. Sebastian drifts down next to him, crosses his arms, and shrugs. "So another thirty minutes before you have to touch them up again, bro?"

Bach sways his head slightly shoulder to shoulder, and pulls at the corner of his mouth. "A little longer than that. Tried to put a little extra in these orbs. Maybe it'll free me to do something more useful than lighting."

Sebastian smirks, chuckles to himself, and gazes over to Bach. "Shit. It's Saturday. A Saturday after a hell of a week, bro. So, don't worry about it. Take it easy while you can. We'll be back to the complicated stuff soon enough."

A begrudging groan escapes Bach. He shrugs his shoulders and relaxes his arms down to his sides. "Yeah."

The two brothers stand in silence at the array of blue lights dotting the old chamber. Each drifts a gaze across the area and observes the work of the others. Dretphi prepares a clear plastic, white paper backed sheet from roll and lays it next to a faint footprint in the thick dust. She cuts it to size, and carefully pulls the paper off the adhesive side of the plastic. With deft precision, she gently floats the plastic on to the dusty, flat surface. Allowing the sheet to rest evenly, she pats the plastic down securely with modest pressure and waits a minute. With even tension, she lifts the entire sheet back up, glides in the air over to the side, and rests it securely back down upon its original paper backing. Dretphi smiles as a sense of pride fills her and breathes out her relief, guiding back her platinum braids to clear her view of the footprint captured in dust between the sheets.

Cideeda's eyes telegraph her confusion and thoughts, as her arm feels around inside the console. Reaching through the access panel, she twists and contorts herself to find the best angle after many awkward attempts to budge something inside. As the frustration infiltrates her face, she halts, stretches her arm slightly deeper inside, and ponders. A muffled, mechanical pop emits from inside the console, and a triumphant grin splits Cideeda's lips. She carefully removes her dust covered arms out of the space, guides a metal vented box with a tether of electronic cables onto the floor, and eagerly inspects it further.

Sebastian pivots around, and watches Aristespha and Sotalia sort through pictures upon the two tablets. His ghostly gaze notices Aristespha occasionally rubbing her stomach unconsciously while the rest of her focus pours upon the images on the tablets. He glances over to Bach and points to his pocket. "What time is it, bro?"

Bach digs a hand into pants pocket, pulls out his aetherphone, and clicks a side button to activate the screen. "Umm, about noon?"

Sebastian nods, turns to the rest of the group, and ethereally hems for their attention. "Okay, it's noon. As party leader, I think it's a good time for a lunch break."

He glances over to Bach and tilts his head towards the exit. "Hey, bro, could you go out and get the cooler from the humvee? Probably best we eat in here and keep our profile low right now."

Acknowledging with a thumbs up, Bach walks towards the exit with a playfully sarcastic roll of the eyes. "Yeah, a big picnic, midday, in the middle of the restricted area for a dig site... Probably not the best plan."

Cideeda glances down at her grit and grime covered fingers and cringes briefly. "Could you bring me cleaning wipes, too?"

Sotalia notices Bach moving towards the exist and wanders over that direction, glancing over to Cideeda briefly. "I'll go get them. I need to hook this tablet up to the charger anyway."

Bach squints his blue eyes and lifts his hand up towards the noon sun as he passes threshold of the entryway of the chamber. He lets his eyes adjust to the daylight and scans around the area. After a few seconds of blinks and watching the peaceful, quiet ruins, he steps out onto the gravel walkway towards the covertly parked humvee. He hears a second set of foot falls into the dirt and glances over the shoulder towards Sotalia. "Oh, hey."

Sotalia moves to keep pace next to Bach, and tucks the tablet under her shoulder. Seconds later, she trains her golden eyes at him and lifts an inquisitive dark red eye brow. "So... How are you doing? All things considered, of course."

Bach awkwardly scratches the back of his head and manages a weak shrug that poorly attempts a nonchalant pose. "Well... Um... Okay. Apart from certain developments, ah..."

A genuine smile shapes Sotalia's mouth and she apologetically sighs with hints of compassion. "Listen, I'm sorry for being a bitch the last few days. Old habits die hard no matter what I try. But, you don't need any grief from me."

With a long exhale, tension vents out of Bach's lungs and he relaxes his shoulders. "It's okay. Quite the major secret to reveal in the most dramatic fucking way possible."

Sotalia laughs with a growing smirk at Bach. "Certainly not how you wanted to tell everyone, I'm sure."

Bach bites lip and momentarily averts his gaze from Sotalia as the two walk closer to the humvee. "Yes. Since, truth be told, I was really hoping to never need to tell anyone. But, that plan didn't survive contact with reality."

Sotalia meets Bach's returning glance with a gentle smile and roll her eyes at herself. "Well... Truth be told, they rarely ever do. From personal experience."

Bach and Sotalia walk down the rough rock encrusted dirt path and approach the humvee. A curious grin parts Sotalai's lips and she slyly narrows her golden eyes at Bach. "So, after telling us such a big secret, maybe you'd be transparent with a little, trivial piece of information."

As Bach moves towards the back passenger door of the humvee and pulls open the door, he squints a wary glance back at Sotalia, perking his brow. "Like what?"

Sotalia swings the front passenger door out, places the tablet from under her arm on the front seat, and attaches a charging cable to it. She brightens her tone and coyly gazes over to Bach with a devious smile. "Oh, a certain important number... One you should have learned when you entered adventuring school... From a certain test."

Bach pauses to blink just as his hand grabs hold of a handle for the cooler in the middle aisle. "Uhh..."

Sotalia twists her mouth, directs a prying glare, and awaits a response with her hands firmly on her hips. Bach draws a long breath in and acquiesces with a sigh. "Well, I don't know the exact number. Because, the system was glitching out from my stupid antics in the test chamber. But... It was around the mid nine thousands."

A contented, eager grin creeps onto Sotalia's face and she reaches over the front seat to grab tub of cleaning wipes. "Interesting. Now, was that so hard to admit?"

While shaking his head, Bach slides the insulated container across the floor in front of his seat and secures his grip around the other handle. "No. I'm just fearful of what such knowledge may or may not encourage in the future."

Sotalia hums to herself in thought as she closes the front passenger door. When Bach clears the path with the cooler, she closes the other door and stands in front of Bach. "Okay. Just to be fair, ask me a question about myself."

Bach ponders the proposition and examines the expression on Sotalia's face. His eyes search in his mind and scrutinize a number of possible candidates, then focus upon Sotalia. When Bach's stare drifts up to towards the top of Sotalia's head, a crack forms in her aura of confidence and she quells a reflexive grimace. A playfully sinister grins flashes upon Bach face and narrows his eyes upon her. "Are your horns naturally that dark?"

Sotalia's mouth hangs open as a response fails to launch. Amusement, relief, and embarrassment swirl together on her face and she shrugs off the hesitation with a smirk. "Well. No. I use a tint to darken them down. They're naturally much lighter. And, the tint helps keep the color even."

Bach nods, hoists up the cooler higher, and walks back towards the entryway to the chamber across the ruins. "I was curious. I remember Shadeesa always kept a whole collection of horn care products."

Sotalia steps along the gravel path back next to Bach and rolls her eyes. "Oh! You have no idea. As much as I love my horns, there's some days I totally understand why some people cut them short and keep them filed down. It's SO frustrating when you find a nick or gouge."

With chuckle in his tone, Bach glances over. "Kind of like when you find a bruise you don't remember getting?"

Sotalia exaggerates a nod and laughs with a smile. "Yes! Except the bruise will go away eventually. With horns, you better hope you can buff it out with some clear polish or know someone who's REALLY good with filler putty."

Bach entertains his curiosity. "Ever do the horn carving thing?"

A sigh rushes out of Sotalia and she shakes her head. "No. I lived in a town with hard water. No design looks pretty with hard water stains."

The two continue along the gravel route discussing the intricacies of emin horn and nail care, soon disappearing into the entryway to deliver food and cleaning supply.

The late morning sun shines through the windows in the small bedroom of the ranch style house. Through the open door to the hallway, heavy, cumbersome footsteps echo into the room. Seconds later, Bach crosses through the doorway into the bedroom, flips the switch next to the door, plods over to the bed, and swings his draw-string duffel bag off his shoulder onto his bed with a bounce. He pivots toward the doorway and directs his voice down the hallway. "Hey, is there anything else I need to help haul in?"

Dretphi responds back down the corridor. "Not at the moment."

Slowly Bach glances back over his shoulder, side steps over to align himself to a clear part of the bed, and tips backwards. He flops onto comforter and sends a shockwave of air through the sheets. He gradually works the rest of his body up on top and loosely sprawls himself over the surface, sloppily propping his feet on the duffel bag. He quickly works off his low cut shoes, exhales a long sigh, and stares blankly up at the overhead ceiling fan. As the blades spin up to speed, Bach eyes perceive but his brain idles. As the present thoughts subdue, past events rise out of the haze memory and drift through. Focus shifts from moment to moment. Bach's expression remains blank towards the breeze of the overhead fan and warmth of the sun as beams sluggishly travel across the room. Sounds of the motor hum, the conversations elsewhere in house, the series of light footsteps barely audible from the hallway, and the rest of world fade as all of Bach's attention turns inwards, ignoring the background stimuli of the current place he resides in. His mind disconnects from the outside and wanders within a haze of the past.

A series of claw tipped raps upon the door sound off into the room. Bach closes his eyes hard and opens them to refocus upon the surrounding world. He lifts his upper body up off the top of the mattress and spots Cideeda waving at him from the doorway. She crosses her arms into a lean upon the door frame and smirks. An unconscious unease leaks into Bach's smile and he waves back. "Hey. How are you doing?"

Cideeda pulls a smile across her lips, perks her furry ears, and cocks head to the side. "Good... How are YOU doing?"

Bach musters a smirk and nods slowly. "Well, all things considered. I'm doing okay."

Cideeda narrows her stare slightly, furrow her brow, and parts her lips to a grin. "That's good to hear. By the way, what time is it? I don't have my phone handy."

After retrieving his aetherphone from his pants pocket, Bach clicks the side button to trigger the display on. With an initially nonchalant tone, Bach paraphrases the information off the screen. "Well, it's Sunday late morn- Uh... Huh. Um, afternoon...?"

As Bach processes the unexpected chronological difference, he shifts himself to a seat on the side of the bed. His attention darts between his phone and the daylight coming in through the window, before he returns an awkward, confused glance towards Cideeda. "Well. A bit later than I thought."

Cideeda calmly steps up next to the bed, places her hands on her hips, and focuses a gaze upon Bach. "You spaced out for an hour. I looked in an hour ago and saw you staring at the ceiling. So, I thought I'd give you a few minutes to decompress from the ride back. But, there's more going on, isn't there?"

Bach averts his eyes downwards, grimaces, and slowly nods as his voice wavers. "Yeah. Just thinking about everything..."

He looks up to see emerald eyes staring right back at him. Cideeda sighs, shaking her head. "Bach. Let's review that whole situation."

Bach blinks and nods through the puzzlement. "Um. Sure."

Cideeda smirks and rolls her eyes at herself. "If there had been time to present the options, I would have chosen the blow it the fuck away option. Especially, for THAT thing."

She chuckles, bites her lip, and works out a bit of past embarrassment in her posture with a flick of her long tail. "I mean, I DID fling a satchel of explosives at a security bot armed with a minigun and plasma particle cannon, recently."

A brief flicker of a smile tries to emerge on Bach's face. Cideeda sighs out her nerves and crosses her arms tightly as the past circumstance replays in her mind. "And... We weren't going to outrun that horrible thing. You figured that out, and made the choice that you thought gave us the best chances for survival. Despite the risks, I agree it was the best choice. One I would have made myself."

A bit of relief releases the unease building within Bach's body. He feels Cideeda rest a hand upon his shoulders and she flexes a brief, familiar five claw tip grip. Cideeda waits until Bach looks back up, and smiles with slight watery glint at the corners of her eyes. "And somehow... I've gotten another chance at something I didn't think I would ever get. So, I think you did just fine."

Bach nods slowly, draws a long breath in, and thinks in silence. He finally exhales with an uncertain cadence. "Thank you. Really. It's just... I'm really happy with the results. But, I'm not sure how to feel about how I got the results?"

Cideeda lifts her hand from Bach's shoulder, holds her chin in thought, and grins toothily. "I think I get what you are talking about. It's about using that elder energy?"

With long groan, Bach quickly acknowledges with a grumble. "Yes."

Resting her hands behind her on the top lip of the dresser drawers, Cideeda shrugs her shoulders and sways her head side to side pondering the predicament. "Being an outside observer to magic for a LONG time, I just can't help but to see it as just a tool. For example, I've got lockpicks. I could break into houses like a thief, or I unlock doors for owners without their keys like a locksmith."

She leans forward to stand up straight, gestures with both hands weighing balance in the palms and shifts her attention between them "I've got a gun. I could hunt food with it, or I could mug someone with it. I've got a car. I could drive it responsibly for good reasons, or I could drive it like a maniac for all the worst reasons."

Bach blinks and stares into his thoughts to an eventual understanding. "Yeah. I can see that. It's just a bit more gray area than I've put to it before? It was easier when it was just a simple light or dark side thing."

Cideeda laughs with an honest smile, and waves off the subject with amusement. "Oh gods. Remind me to tell you some Fvalian fables my parents would tell me. Every last one of them just rolls around in moral gray area."

She gazes down at Bach and smirks happily. "Anyway. From what I've seen, magic is just a tool I've seen used for both good and bad things. So far-"

Cideeda winks a Bach and grins. "You've been doing good. For good reasons."

Bach sheepishly scratches the back of his head and dons an awkward smile. "Well... I try."

Sotalia echoes down the hallway through the small bedroom doorway. "Cideeda?! Where are you? I got that magic's shop's aethersite up and want to show you want they've got in stock."

Cideeda grits her teeth briefly, crosses her arms, and flicks her ears back to Bach. "By the way, could you do me a huge favor?"

After a nod from Bach, Cideeda bends down close and whispers to him. "Tomorrow, could you please come with us for magic shopping? She's really excited about teaching me magic and I DO NOT know anything about it all to stop her from buying everything I don't need."

Bach turns his head towards the doorway momentarily to hear Sotalia audibly admiring the inventory of the store, and returns his understanding gaze to Cideeda. "Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea. I need to actually get a few things myself, so I'll have a good excuse to join you two."

Cideeda relaxes her shoulders, loosens her arms, and walks towards the bedroom door. "So, mind helping me with a few data cables for that dusty mess of computer?"

Tipping forward, Bach rights himself on his feet, stand up, and follow behind Cideeda. "Sounds good."

The television in the finely decorated two bed hotel room shows the latest local new developments and pictures of the aftermath of the "Hattan Nightmare". The bathroom door opens up with a billowing cloud of faint steam and Tassilda steps out wrapped in an elegant bathrobe. She guides her damp black hair back over her gray shoulders and carefully towels off swirling horns as she walks over to her bed. She focuses her light blue on black eyes towards Deedri, on the other bed, with a perplexed expression. "Whatever are you doing?"

Deedri pauses from sorting through a stack of papers, finishes writing a few notes in a journal, and rubs her auburn eyes. "Oh. Just logging the medical work I did in during the attack and formatting it to send to the guild."

Tassilda gracefully slides on top of her bed, settles up against the pillow stacked headboard, and studies the collection of documents organized upon Deedri's bed top. "I am honestly curious, what do you need to send to the guild?"

Deedri uncrosses and stretches her legs out from underneath her. She lowers her upper body down and rests her head on a fluffy hotel pillow with a long sigh. "It's for my public work hours. I try to keep up with my quota so it doesn't build up too much."

Her tufted ears flick and she glances over to the confusion upon Tassilda's face. She blinks a few times, recognizes the lack of context, and smiles with an apologetic tone. "Oh. Um. It's a medical mage requirement to keep our licenses when we are part of adventuring groups."

Tassilda quirks a brow, leans over down to the floor next to the bed, and reaches a hand in a large zipper bag. "They certainly seem to keep medical mages on a short leash."

She rises back up with a small mirror and a clear bottle with a dark, translucent liquid inside. Deedri shrugs and rests her hands on her night-shirt covered stomach. "It's not so bad. And, it's for a good purpose. The guild has an agreement with most of the medical systems of all the different states in the area. They make sure the adventuring groups don't hire out the medical mages without keeping up with their license requirements to practice for the public good."

With a quick twist of the cap, Tassilda sets the bottle upon the middle nightstand between beds and examines her horns through the small mirror. "Ah, I see. Prevent all the talent from getting stolen away for the higher paying adventuring life, never to be seen again."

Deedri frowns and begrudgingly agrees with a slow nod. "Well... Yes. But the guild not only handles a lot of the paperwork, they also will find work that counts for your quota. So, if you've let your quota get too big, they can help out."

Tassilda squints her light blue on black eyes through the mirror and adjusts the angle. She reaches over with her free hand, lifts the cap of the bottle to reveal an integrated brush, and guides the liquid soaked cap brush to a discolored spot on the side of her horn. With a few careful taps of the hairs of the brush, the dark fluid settles and blends out the discoloration. Tassilda replaces the cap on the bottle and lifts a curious brow to Deedri. "What happens to a medical mage that does NOT keep up with their quota?"

Deedri's eyes widen and she slowly lifts her upper body off the bed. She grits her teeth underneath a twisting mouth and dons a wary expression at Tassilda. "Nothing good. Usually a guild warning is enough to get them to take a break and work on their hours. But, it escalates from there."

As she thinks about the situations, her attention turns to the her claw tips on her hands. "If its negligence upon the medical mage, they're put on probation, and eventually get their license revoked."

She glances over to Tassilda with a strained smirk. "If the adventuring group is hindering the medical mage from getting their hours done, the guild sends an operative out to... Firmly and assertively explain... the importance of supporting the medical staffs' needs and how it may extensively delay the release of mission payouts."

Tassilda blinks to a blank stare of surprise and places the mirror down on the nightstand. "Oh, my. Well, you have my appreciation for keeping up with your quota. I certainly could not stand to have to contend with that much regulation."

Deedri smiles and nods graciously. "It's a small inconvenience really."

A thought drifts forward in her mind and she focuses an inquisitive gaze at Tassilda. "You know, I've been curious, why did you focus on charm and counter magics?"

A sly grin graces Tassilda's lips as she narrows an amused glance to Deedri. "Oh, it's really very simple. You don't need great attack or defense spells when your opponents have no desire to attack you. And, it doesn't matter what spells someone has if they rendered moot before they affect you."

Deedri eyes follow the reasoning in her mind and she agrees. She shifts her focus to the clear bottle of dark fluid and looks to her toes. She draws up her legs closer and examines the roughed tips of her toe claws with a tinge of annoyance. "Do you have anything that'll help with this? Running on the pavement really did a number on my claws."

Tassilda leans out, surveys the scuffs, marks, and wear upon the tips of Deedri's toe claws, and smiles confidently. "Oh, of course I do. Do you need anything for you finger claws?"

Deedri flexes her fingers, inspects the points on each tips, and shakes her head. "No. They're okay."

She narrows a stern stare upon her open hand, curls her digits slightly inwards, and lowers her tone slightly. "But, I have been thinking about sharpening them."

A few bags shopping bags with a colorful "Miradia's Magic Materials" logo sit on the coffee table in front of the couch. A few containers of reagents, packs of thick paper, and a stack of books fill the table space between the shopping bags. A bookmark marks a place in a copy of "The Illustrated Guide to Magical History". Nearby, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia sit around the dining table. Sotalia enthusiastically explains magical basics with exaggerated gestures and elaborate demonstrations. "Without getting too deep into details, the easiest way to think of your magical flows are On, Near, and Far. On is what magical energies are on you here. Near is magic energy that is relatively near you in the aether. And Far is pretty much anything towards the Abstract Prism."

Cideeda gradually nods her head and maintains blank eye contact with Sotalia. Dretphi glances briefly down at the notepad in front her to write down a few notes. Sotalia continues her explanation and pans her gaze between Dretphi and Cideeda. "Now, most of the magical energy you two will flow is On you. It's the immediate source you have to will into your spells. It's limited, but what you use is replaced when it flows to On from Near."

Bach's attention rests upon a pad of thick paper and his careful, purposeful strokes of a finely haired brush. As Sotalia pantomimes out a simplified process of magical flow transition, Bach calmly dips the tip into a small bowl of black ink, next to a sliced lime and a salt shaker. He lowers the brush upon the paper and inks out a series of branching, interconnected lines. With calligraphic flair, he adorns the page with a network of lines that form a simple maze. He pauses a moment to listen to Sotalia list through a number of techniques to practice flowing magical energy, and glances at the attentive, slightly overwhelmed stares that Cideeda and Dretphi give Sotalia.

Sotalia stops her lecture and smiles eagerly to Cideeda and Dretphi. "So... Any questions?"

Cideeda blinks a few times and cocks her head to side in puzzlement. "Well, what practice technique should we use?"

Sotalia points out the collection of practice focuses on the table top. "Well, practice focuses help with getting used to moving a lot of magical energy. So, I would start with that right now to build up your power."

Bach places the final touches on another ink maze and slides a piece of paper to Cideeda and Dretphi with a smirk. "And it also helps, to practice fine flow control."

Examining the papers, Sotalia perks her brow as she recognizes the drawings on the page and her interest piques. "Those look like flow mazes. Oh! I used to do those all the time as a teenager. I had the fastest times in the mages club back in high school."

Cideeda curiously inspects the piece of inked paper and her ears flick with her thoughts. Dretphi turns her head to face Bach and eyes the paper in her hand. "How do these function?"

Bach leans over the table, reaches out both hands to direct Cideeda and Dretphi to large circular spots on the pages, and grins. "It's simple enough. Place a finger on the starting dots and flow some magical energy."

Cideeda and Dretphi exchange looks, both shrug, and place fingers on starting spots. Dretphi concentrates her gaze upon the piece of paper. Within seconds, a faint silvery wave traces along all the inked paths, and illuminates the entire network. Cideeda narrows her eyes, grits her teeth, and strains her focus. Slowly, a gradual progression of green creeps onto the lines and overtakes the black on the page. When the last bit of dark path glows green, Cideeda releases her frustrations with a triumphant exhale and relaxes back in her chair. "Wow... That's actually really challenging."

Bach nods with a sly smirk and lifts a brow towards both Cideeda and Dretphi. "Yes it is. Especially, when you get to the point of just lighting up the path to the exit with no extra branches."

Cideeda's emerald eyes open wide and she stares down the flow maze in bewilderment. Dretphi blinks, drops her head to examine the paper under her finger and twists her lips in contemplation. Bach smiles and shrugs with a laugh. "Ah, don't worry. Once you get the feel of how the energy reacts to you, it gets a LOT easier. But, it may take awhile to figure that initial bit out. Took me a while, too."

Propping her head up by a hand with arm on the table, Sotalia watches happily as both Cideeda and Dretphi test their magical mettle against their paper puzzles. She glances over to Bach with a mischievous grin, reaches one hand over for the bowl of ink with the brush in it, and frees the other hand to slide blank pages over. "So... You up for a real challenge?"

Bach narrows his gaze, lifts an amused eyebrow, and dons a nonchalant tone. "Maybe? If you can present one."

Sotalia pauses at the last statement, focuses a competitive glare at Bach, and then turns her full attention to the page in front of her. She picks up the brush and deftly details out an elaborate array of pathways and lines. She fills the network of confusion with segments of chaos, splintered forks, and feathered branches. In the minutes Sotalia spends to the construction of her masterpiece, Cideeda and Dretphi continue their practice and Bach carefully grants just enough assistance to help them out. Sotalia finally places the brush down, blows a gentle breath to dry the ink on the page, and confidently presents the advance maze to Bach. "Here you go."

Bach eyes scan the chaotic pathways and works through a bit of apprehension. But, he nods slowly and smiles slyly at Sotalia. "Okay. I'll give it a shot. But, I think it's only fair I make one for you."

An eager glint sparks in Sotalia's golden eyes and she rests her head upon both palms with a devilish grin. "Oh, but of course..."

Bach guides the bowl of ink back over and glides a piece of think paper in front of him. He lifts up the bowl, hovers it over just over the page, and pours a blob of ink on the page. Sotalia tries in vain to hide her bewilderment, and snarls her upper lip with wide eyes staring at the scene before her. Bach purposefully presses his finger into the blob of ink on the paper, and a blue glow emits from his eyes. A magical flow of blue brightly illuminates the ink and series of thin lines grow from the blob. The charged ink spreads out on its own in intricate patterns and fanciful paths, each branching into complex routes and rejoining prior paths. As the maze expands upon the page, Sotalia's confident grin wanes to an awkward smile, and her wavering stare telegraphs her agitation. Cideeda and Dretphi both stop practicing to watch. Dretphi discreetly hides her smirk behind her hand and Cideeda awaits quietly with a tight smile.

Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi watch expectantly as Sotalia pours her full focus upon the finely crafted, hectic flow maze on the paper. Sotalia grimaces and grits her teeth as a singular path of golden energy edges closer and closer to the exit point of the maze. Her long nailed fingers remain firmly pressed on the starting blob of ink. Above the dining room table, Sebastian hovers above, observes the intense progress, and roughly points out a spot with an ill-humored smirk. "Hmm. Looks like it's starting to leak down that branch over there-"

Sotalia mumbles forcibly through her lips and winces as her attention shifts briefly. "I. Know. Sebastian."

The flow of gold approaches the exit, creeps out into the end point, and illuminates the finish place brightly. Sotalia tensely waits a few seconds. Bach and Sebastian exchange glances and Sebastian calls out. "Clean path! Time?"

Bach taps the button on the screen of his aetherphone. Sotalia lifts her hand from the page and flops back into her chair with a pant. "Ha! Still got it!"

Bach quirks an eye brow with a sly smile and reads off the number on his phone. "Fifteen minutes and forty three seconds. Not bad."

Sotalia eyes spring open and she reaches out for Bach's phone with a frustrated growl. "What?! There's no way it was that long!"

Cideeda retrieves her phone out of her shorts pocket, glances at it after pressing a button, and nods in confirmation. "Yes it was. It's been about fifteen minutes."

Flexing her the fingers on her hand, Sotalia glares at the black ink paths on the thick paper and twists her lips as her frustration reveals itself more. Bach shrugs with a smile and highlights his tone with an honest appreciation. "That's actually a really good time. I put a lot of nasty tricks in that one, so that's quite an accomplishment."

Shifting her full focus, Sotalia aims her inquisitive stare right at Bach and speaks with a tinge of a growl. "Let's see how long it takes you."

Bach blinks as he processes the context clues and slides his chair back, averting his eyes towards the refrigerator. "You know before that, we should probably think about... Um... Dinner?"

Sebastian floats his ethereal form back from the table and down upon the floor, and nods in thought. "Probably a good idea, bro. I'll go check on Aristespha. She's probably gotten wrapped up in sorting through all those pictures and stopped paying attention to the time, again."

He drifts through the archway into the hallway and leaves the team, just as Bach warily get up from the table under the watchful stare of Sotalia and the amusement of Cideeda and Dretphi. Sebastian glides down the hall to the last bedroom door and phases through. The late afternoon sun cast a few rays on the bedroom floor and the document and tablet covered desk. Sebastian furrows his brow and tilts his head to the side as the lack of someone at the desk confuses him. From the bed, a familiar sigh catches his attention, and he observes a figure under the sheet quietly mumble a dialect of evuukian to herself. Sebastian floats over next to the head of the bed, waits a few moments to listen to the annoyed grumbles, and smiles as watches the tips of a pair of long ivory, gray and blue hinted ears poke out from under the comforter. He kneels down and speaks with a gentle tone. "What's wrong, dear?"

The bed covers shift and an opening lifts up to reveal a pair of violet eyes behind a mess of silvery blue hair. Aristespha groans and exhales with an annoyed moan. She stirs underneath the covers, glances down to the glow of screen within the fabric cave, and extends her hand with aetherphone to Sebastian. She presents a prominent section of text within a very long message and grumbles. "This... Sebastian."

Sebastian's ghostly form examines the paragraphs and slowly nods in understand with a reassuring smile. "Oh. Well, we have been neglecting your hours, dear. Don't worry. We can take some time soon so you can work on them. I think a bit of a break from anything too heavy or crazy is in order and-"

Aristespha's hand withdraws back into the comfort the bed sheets. With the screen illuminating her face, she drags a finger up to scroll the document and turns the phone back towards Sebastian. "Look..."

As his eyes follow the lines of new text, Sebastian's expression tints with concern and he musters up the best awkward grin he can. "Well, I guess we'll take a break this week then, dear. It'll be fine. You just need to work down your quota this week. Then, you won't have to worry about it for a while."

Aristespha breathes in, pauses, and exhales a mixture of annoyance, sadness, and frustration. "Yes. I know."

She reaches her arm out to rest her phone on the nightstand, pulls the sheets off her head, and attempts to sort through the chaotic mess of her long hair. "It's just... Right after we find some possibly useful information, Bach revealing his ability, and..."

She sits up slowly, crosses her arms, and grumbles with a petulant posture. "I REALLY do not want to spend the rest of this week doing clinical diagnostics. If they could postpone it for a month or something... But, the Hattan attack has redirected staff from other places to help out."

Sebastian hovers to a seat on the bed next to Aristespha and smiles lovingly to her. "Now, now, dear. You know we are suppose to be trying to be on the heroic side of the adventuring business. And, you should do your part for the public good."

Aristespha rolls her eyes and works out a grimace on her face with a groan. Sebastian leans over closer to her and chuckles lightly. "Don't worry, dear. Your research will still be here, all for you to explore. I don't think anyone is going to solve it before you. And, it'd be a good change of pace for you."

Aristespha tries to direct a hard glare to Sebastian, but it wavers almost immediately and a lovingly smile forms. She relaxes her shoulders, extends a hand out to Sebastian as her eyes glow violet, and pulls him over for a long, tender kiss. Seconds later, she slowly releases Sebastian, her eyes dim, and she narrows a sinister gaze at him. "Okay, Sebastian. But, if I have to treat anything disgusting, nasty, and/or stupid you are going to have to listen to every single little detail. You try to hide in the sword and I'll use telepathic magics to show you the mental imagery."

Sebastian dons a heroic grin and winks at Aristespha. "But, of course, dear. I will brave the worst stories for you."

With a playful roll of the eyes, Aristespha slides the rest of the covers off her, flipping the fabric through Sebastian's ghostly visage to his brief shudder. She stretches her back, and guides her long silvery blue hair over with an amused groan. "You know there's going to be at least one incident with someone doing something stupid with their genitals. That's just how my luck is."

Sebastian glides up to stand in a brave pose and nods to Aristespha. "I look forward to hear all about it."

A dark giggle escapes from Aristespha. "You say that now."

He breaks his act and leans down close to Aristespha. "The rest of the group is thinking about diner. So, you might want to say something soon, especially since Sotalia is in one her competitive moods against Bach at the moment. So... Dinner might be a good distraction."

Aristespha shifts her weigh forward, stands up on her feet, picks up her phone, and walks towards the bedroom. As she opens the door, she taps through to a list of saved restaurants and glances behind to Sebastian. "I think I'll vote for a place to order pick up and I'll take Bach with me to help carry the food."

Sebastian gives a thumbs up and nod as he floats behind Aristespha.

-41-

In the back field, near the corner of the ranch style house, Dretphi pants at a slowing rate, wipes the sweat off her brow, and drapes her platinum blonde braids back over her shoulders. She stands under the shade of a tree, stares out patiently, and idly stretches in her workout shirt and shorts. After a few minutes, Bach staggers up the small hill into the shadow of the branches, and stops to support his upper body with his hands on his knees. He breathes loudly and slowly straightens his back, noticing the obvious sweat spots on his shirt. "Well... At least I made it to the base of this hill before almost collapsing... Ungh... I guess that's progress?"

Kindness graces Dretphi's face and she smiles with a perk of the brow. "No wheezing."

Bach pauses in thought, pays careful attention to his breathing, and slowly nods in agreement as he fails to hear a trailing whine to his exhales. "Huh... That's... Hadn't noticed that. I guess that actually is progress... And I feel tired, but nowhere near the close to passing out... Like I have felt."

Dretphi steps over to the base of the tree, leans over to pick up a water bottle in each hand, and moves over to give Bach one. "It takes time. Persistence leads to progress."

With an inquisitive eye towards Dretphi, Bach quaffs down the water and swallows to a smirk. "That sounds like another bit of wisdom from your birth father."

Rolling her eyes, Dretphi dons a reserved grin and shrugs her shoulders. "My mother. Her wisdom proves true. In certain situations."

Bach wipes the overflow of water out of his beard and chuckles lightly. "Well, don't think I'll be beating your speed any time soon."

Dretphi stops drinking her water as her mind brings forth a few memories to the foreground of her thoughts. She narrows an examining gaze at Bach and calms her tone. "You have moved faster than me before."

Slowly nodding, Bach turns his full attention to Dretphi and approaches the subject. "Yes, with A LOT of careful magical assistance."

With a questioning glance, Dretphi rests her hand on a hip and holds her water bottle at her side with the other. Her curiosity guides her interest and she watches Bach carefully. "I do not believe you have used assistance during training. Why?"

Bach blinks blankly as his brain gathers its resources to compose a response. Seconds later, he draws in a long breath and fashions together an explanation. "Um. I guess because I honestly want to get into decent shape? The magical augmentation helps in a pinch... But, I've learned from experience that you really shouldn't rely just upon that."

He sighs and shakes his head as he averts his eyes away with a tinge of shame. "And, it'd really nice to lessen certain... contrasts of physique... between my brother and me."

A slight frown creeps from the corner of Dretphi's mouth and her expression tints with concern. Bach cracks a smile and glances over to Dretphi with an appreciative tone. "Also, I thought it'd be really disrespectful to you to not take this training seriously. I probably would have given up a bunch of times if weren't for you helping me along."

The statement surprises Dretphi. She presents a warm smile to Bach with the faint traces of blushing in her cheeks. "Thank you."

After a few moments, her thoughts refocus and she resumes her inquiry. "I know of people augmenting physical abilities. Great feats possible. Rarely done. Significant risks involved?"

Bach eyes widen and he exaggerates a long nod with a trailing exhale. "Oh gods, yes! Aristespha could go into more details, but if you don't have the body and focus for it... You can really hurt yourself doing anything more than minor assists with simple actions."

He shakes his head and scratches the back of his neck with a grimace. "I really don't like doing it, unless I really need to. As out of shape as I am, I'm surprised I haven't broken a bone, torn a ligament, or dislocated something. While the magic helps your body move, you actually need to have a body that can handle the strain. I've only figured out the basics and it's spooky enough."

Dretphi's attention drift away to her memories, but she eventually returns her focus to Bach. She nods in agreement and eyes her large flow blade resting against the trunk of the nearby tree. "I will not lie. Those are techniques I have interest in. Risky now... Maybe later?"

She walks over to the tree, grips onto the flow blade handle, and hoists it up. "I need to understand this blade. Then learn augmentation."

Bach finishes another long pour of water into the mouth, clears his throat, and walks near Dretphi with an encouraging smile. "Well, actually, that's not a bad plan. The flow control required to empower that blade are similar to what is needed for basic augmentation magic."

Dretphi secures her hands on the handle, gazes over to Bach, and smiles hopefully at him. "That is good to hear. Would appreciate your help. I have given up... a bunch of times... before."

Bach rolls his shoulders into a stretch and stands next to Dretphi with eyes illuminating blue. He aims his gaze upon the blade and grants an acknowledging nod. "Only fair to return to the favor. Now just flow some energy and I'll assess."

The humvee turns right onto an entrance roadway towards an expansive complex. The vehicle passes by the "Amaranth Valley Medical Center" sign and rolls down the road past a number of other guide posts. Cideeda scans out into the large parking lot ahead and directs her voice behind. "We're here! Now the fun part of figuring out where we drop you off."

Sotalia leans out from her seat and gazes back to Aristespha with a mischievous grin. "Is someone excited for their first day at work?"

An audibly annoyed groan rumbles out from Aristespha and she crosses her arms petulantly with a dramatic sigh as she stares out her window. "Really?"

She twists an unamused expression on her face, squirms out some nervous energy, and fidgets in her seat. With a laugh, Sotalia smiles brightly at Aristespha and rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on! I'm kind of jealous, actually. Most other magical professions don't get the special treatment like medical mages do."

She winks at Aristespha with a sly smirk and points towards the badge hanging from Aristespha's pocket. "And, you are DEFINITELY dressed nicely for the part.  That outfit is so professional... and cute."

Aristespha carefully inspects her white doctor's coat, brushes off her neatly pressed, black cotton pants, tightens the bun of silvery blue hair on the back of her head, and guides clear stray strands off her very long, pointed ears. Some satisfaction arrives upon her face when finishes her checks and she relaxes her shoulders with a long exhale. "I hope so..."

Cideeda rotates the steering wheel through another intersection and curiously glances into the rear view mirror at Aristespha. "Nervous?"

Tensing her shoulders, Aristespha draws in a long breath and releases it shakily, hanging her head forward in her hands. "Yes. Is it that obvious?"

Sotalia quirks a brow and adopts a quizzical tint to her encouraging voice. "What do you have to be nervous about?"

Aristespha lifts herself back into the seat, sighs, and rests a firm hand upon her stomach. "I haven't been in a clinic environment for close to two years now. It is vastly different than when you only have to worry about the same small group of people everyday. You never really know what your next patient will be and what you'll have to contend with. Often with no prior knowledge."

Cideeda spots the series of parking spaces with "Short Term" labels near a main entrance to one of the building in the vast complex. She navigates the humvee through the pathways of the massive parking lot and glances into the rear view mirror. Noticing Aristespha's discomfort, Cideeda dons a confident, reassuring smile. "You have nothing to worry about. I know from personal experience you are an amazing medical mage. This place is lucky to have you for awhile."

A reserved smile graces Aristespha's lips, and she closes her eyes. The humvee rolls in between the lines of a space along the sidewalk near the front entry. Another stress venting sigh escapes Aristespha and she stares at the automated sliding glass door of the entrance. She blinks, leans out into the aisle, and inquisitively gazes at Cideeda. "That actually reminds me. Has there been any noticeable scarring on your back and buttocks from the bullet grazes?"

Cideeda shifts the humvee in park and pauses in thought for a few moments before feeling the bottom of her back. "Not really. The skin feels a little thick there, but nothing too bad."

Aristespha nods and her eyes search her mind for a possible solution as she settles back into her seat. "There's a few simple treatments for that. I'll check in on those later for you."

Seconds of silence pass in the cab of the vehicle. Stares eventually fall upon Aristespha as both Cideeda and Sotalia wait. Aristespha retrieves her aetherphone, and taps through a few menus. "Okay, let me double check the procedures at this place and where I need to be-"

Sotalia rolls her eyes with a dismissive smirk, unbuckles her seat belt, climbs over the center console, and reaches a hand out to Aristespha's seat. She presses the release button Aristespha's seat belt, covers up the screen of the aetherphone, and faces Aristespha's surprise. "You will stop stalling already?"

Aristespha swallows some of her nerves, chuckles out some anxiety, and eventually puts forth a genuine smile. "Okay. Sorry."

Sotalia smiles and pats Aristespha on the shoulder, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Don't worry. If it'll make you feel better, I'll hold your hand and walk you to the door. Just like I did with my little sister on her first day of school!"

Aristespha closes her eyes hard and reopens them to project an unamused stare at Sotalia's ill-humored face, with a grumble. Cideeda snorts into laughter and covers her mouth to hide her toothy grin. Aristespha shakes her head, groans with levity, and fails to hide her smile under a grimace. She opens her door and glances back. "I think I'm perfectly capable of walking myself. But, thank you, though."

She steps out the humvee onto the sidwalk, brushes off her white coat, inspects her hair bun again, and closes the door. She waves to Cideeda and Sotalia in the vehicle. Cideeda gestures two thumb claws up and Sotalia exaggerates a wave. As Aristespha walks towards the entrance, her posture straightens, her expression calms, and her usual air of confidence resumes just as she arrives at the automated doors.

A loud beeping rings out across the area. A truck crane hoists up a flattened wreck of a vehicle off the street surface. The hydraulics strain as the pistons actuate the metal arm and the motor reels in the cable. A few Hattan city workers lift up barricades and carry them off to the sidewalks. Police officers cut plastic caution tape off and ball up the refuse into a nearby garbage can. Nearby, Isaac sits patiently on a distant bus stop bench and peeks over a notebook to spy upon the activity. His gray eyes focus upon the clearing road, intrigue growing on his face. The wind rustles his graying white hair and blows his blue scarf around. As his mind drifts to other thoughts and his stare idles, his attention snaps to a young evuukian man. The man approaches the partially cleared perimeter of the cordoned off area, aims a camera device with both hands, and looks through a viewfinder. Isaac starts to dismiss the activity when the young man presses the button to a prominent mechanical click. Isaac's full focus latches on and he watches the young man crank a winding lever. Putting the notebook away into his backpack, Isaac stands up with the bag over his shoulder and approaches the young evuukian man. A minute later, Isaac stands near the young man and witnesses a series of aims, clicks, and winding with the camera device. He scratches his graying beard and hems. "Excuse, sir? Whatever is that device you are using? I was curious if it is an old film camera, since they are quite uncommon these days."

The young evuukian startles, but quickly regains his composure as he turns around to greet Isaac. "Oh! Um. Well, it's technically a film camera, but not quite at the same time."

Isaac curiously smiles and arches an inquisitive eyebrow. "Well, you my have curiosity, young man. If it's not too much, I would love to pry into why it isn't quite a film camera."

A spark ignites the viridian eyes of the man and excitement fills his face. "Oh! It's not a problem at all! Well... If you aren't bored by the finer details of magical theory... and other long explanations... I'd be happy to discuss it."

Isaac nods and affirmatively gestures towards the device. "I'm a bit of a magical scholar myself and have done some work with the Grand Library."

The young evuukian's eyes widen in absolute surprise and he reveals his joy. "Really! Wow! This is actually a research project I'm hoping to use for my application to the Grand Library!"

Isaac maintains an intrigued smile and directs the evuukian's attention toward the camera. "Excellent, so let's try out a short explanation for the paper's brief."

The man nods excitedly, shaking his wild, light blue hair. He presents the device to Isaac, and clears his throat to an explanatory tone. "Okay... Magical imaging has been around in many forms over the centuries since the introduction of magic. While spells such as mage sight have become the most prominent method, there have been historical examples of using photographic devices to capture light affected by magical flow. Despite such practices being relegated towards novelty in the past, I theorize that, with the refinement that today's technology allows with many magical aspects, we can augment these methods to allow fidelity and resolution typically restricted to specialized arcane equipment... In a portable device."

Isaac projects a scrutinizing gaze upon the young man and device with thoughtful stroke his beard. After a few seconds of pondering, he nods with an honestly interested grin. "That is certainly an avenue of research that deserves a project."

He crosses his arms and cocks his head to the side. "Do you have any results so far you could possibly share?"

The young man nods energetically, lets the augmented camera hang from a strap around his neck, and opens a satchel at his side to showcase the contents. "Oh, yes! I've been experimenting with different alchemical solutions for every step of the development process, applying enchantments to a variety of lenses, and doping films with a hybridization of techniques-"

With a delighted grin, Isaac presents a hand to the young evuukian and curiously gazes at him. "Pardon my lack of manners. My name is Isaac. Whatever is your name, young man?"

The man energetically reaches out his bluish hand to shake Isaac's and smiles wide to the blue tints on his face. "Blesk Ziebens."

Isaac thinks a moment and blinks perplexed. "That's an interesting name for an evuukian. Not the common style."

Blesk shrugs his shoulders and sighs. "Ah, my family is a bunch of houseless black sheep. We pretty much do our own thing away from the usual insanity of... Proper... Evuukian politics."

Isaac laughs, releases Blesk's hand, and points down another street. "Well, would you allow this fellow black sheep to treat you to lunch as we discuss this further? I know this sandwich shop that is very nice."

Blesk scratches the back of his head and sheepishly, awkwardly grins. "Well... As broke as I am, I can't really say no to such a generous offer."

Isaac gestures Blesk to follow and walks down the sidewalk. "Good. Let's eat and discuss things. I'd like to see samples of your work. And, I'd be very curious as to how the pictures you just took develop. I think we should back here later."

Inside the living room of the two-story house, Chad sits comfortably in a couch chair and shows a bright white smile to Tassilda. "Well, I think it was my leadership that helped organize the masses and guide them to where they needed to go."

Tassilda rolls her light blue on black eyes and defiantly flicks a lock of black hair over a horn with grumble. "Oh, so yelling at people and pointing in random directions is what passes for leadership these days?"

Veevi perches herself upon an arm of Chad's chair and narrows her pink pupil eyes at Tassilda with a wry, sharp grin. "Oh, so wandering around putting up magical barriers that did nothing to slow the Nightmare Geist is what passes for magic these days?"

Tassilda crosses her arms, sneers at Veevi, and growls lowly. Chad smirks at Veevi and his arm wraps around behind her to pat the side of her leg. Veevi slyly smiles at Tassilda as her tail flicks over on Chad's shoulder. Laying on the long couch nearby, Trakenthin momentarily breaks from playing a game on his aetherphone and mumbles. "Did not see any of you haul equipment. Set up tents... Be productive."

A flurry of tense words echo out into the dining area and kitchen. Modoran peers over the open refrigerator door, and shakes his head with rolling eyes. He examines two flavors of bottled drinks in his hands. He bites his lip, indecisively inspects the other flavors in the fridge, and sighs. He closes the door and quietly sneaks towards and up the stairs. Another outburst of arguments resonate up the stairs and Modoran cringes momentarily. He glances back down the stair well, sways his head in annoyance, and walks calmly down the hall. Stopping next to Deedri's room, he slowly approaches the door, places his ear near the door, and waits in near silence. After a few moments, he cautiously knocks on the door. "Hey, Deedri?"

From the other side of the door, Deedri's voice calls out. "Come in."

Modoran turns the door knob and glances into the room. "Hey, hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Sitting cross legged on her bed, Deedri shakes her head and gestures Modoran to come in with a smile. "No. Not at all. Come in... And, close the door, please? I don't want to hear them right now."

Pulling the door closed, Modoran walks into in the modest bedroom. He surveys the various medical texts and neatly laid out equipment on the desk. He steps towards the bed and holds out both drinks to Deedri with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, but I didn't know which one you'd want. Take the one you like the best."

Deedri blinks back to awareness of her surroundings, glances between the two choices, and leans over to happily grab one bottle from Modoran. "Oh. Thank you! I'm actually a bit thirsty."

Modoran shrugs nonchalantly and opens the other drink container. "Well, you've been working on paperwork for quite some time."

A shameful sigh escapes Deedri and she averts her gaze from Modoran to hang her head. "Actually, I finished all my paperwork back in Hattan. I just... Needed a some away from-"

The muffled voices of Chad, Tassilda, Trakenthin, and Veevi resound upon the bedroom door and fade out as the squabble wanes. Modoran nods sympathetically and groans eyes away from the doorway. "I completely understand. Had to sneak away myself."

Deedri musters a weak smile, scoots over on her bed, and pats a clear spot for Modoran. "They've been really... strong willed... since the geist attack."

Modoran settles to a seat on the bed and laughs. "You mean full of shit."

He watches Deedri rolls her shoulders to a slouch as she slowly drinks her beverage. With a frown, he gazes at her with obvious concern. "You really need a break badly. You need to get away from this bullshit drama for a bit. I wish I knew where you could go... And, be free from them and the crew."

Deedri releases a long sigh and shakes her head as she blankly stares down at her legs. "I can't even go to the forest without a chance of being followed anymore."

After a long swig of his drink, Modoran hums in thought and his eyes search his mind for possibilities. "If there was a place they literally weren't allowed to go... But you could..."

An idea springs to the forefront of Deedi's mind and her auburn eyes widen. Her head lifts up and some her long red, blonde, white, and tan hair tosses back over her shoulders. She reaches over to a nearby nightstand, grabs her aetherphone, and quickly swipes through recent items. With a press on an entry, a guild notice appears, detailing a request for volunteers at the Amaranth Valley Medical Center. Deedri bites her lip and struggles with her emotions. "Maybe. There IS a possible place."

Modoran perks up and leans over to peek at Deedri's aetherphone screen. "Where would that be?"

Deedri contemplates with a wavering smirk. "I could volunteer at the local clinic. The local guild office put out a request for volunteers to assist. But, it's only voluntarily... And, my quota is very little right now."

A sly grin creeps across Modoran's lips and he chuckles with a mischievous tinge. "Well, does anyone else know that?"

Deedri pauses in thought, glances over to Modoran, and returns her attention to the phone display. A plotting smile creases her mouth and she drums claw tips in the thick rubber case on her phone. "But, how do I convince everyone to let me go work there for a few days?"

Modoran lifts a brow at Deedri and cranes his head over to gaze at her face with a scheming aura. "Not everyone. Just Chad. I mean how generous and noble of HIM would it be for HIM to support a fellow party member in their profession? And, for HIM to facilitate the medical mage in providing assistance to the local community in their time of need? I mean, what a wonderful service for HIM and the Flames of the Phoenix to make possible. "

Deedri slowly turns her head to look upon Modoran's dark bluish gray face and his dark blue eyes. She gradually nods with a toothy grin and growing wag of her long tail. "I think I get where you are going... Could you help me practice saying the right thing... the right way to Chad? I want to see if I can convince him later tonight."

Modoran smiles brightly and winks to Deedri as he leans forward off the bed and rests his drink bottle on the floor next to the bed post. "Of course. But, I need to check my tablet in my room. It hung on an update and I'm trying to see if it finally worked through it."

Deedri smiles excitedly, slides over to the other side of the bed, and unzips a large fabric case. "Thank you, so much! I'll start typing up the answer back to the guild."

The bedroom door opens inwards and Modoran steps out, pulling the knob quietly behind him. He turns immediately towards his room and moves quickly but near silently down the hallway. He slips swiftly through his door into his room and out of sight. Around the corner of the wall leading to the stairwell, a pair of pink eyes glare harshly towards Modoran's room and shift towards Deedri's. Veevi's fuzzy ears lower as she grits her sharp teeth. She tosses back her pink hair and drags a faint groove into the wall with a finger nail. Her eyes drift back towards Modoran's room and a wicked smirk forms as she slinks down the hallway to her room.

Samantha stares out through the windshield of the crew van. She grits her teeth in sheer irritation and maintains a low, annoyed tone towards her aetherphone. "So... What you are telling me... Is that we aren't allowed to step foot on even the SIDEWALK with camera equipment?"

A stern voice responds through the ear piece speaker and Gerald glances over from the driver's seat at the developing twinge in Samantha's face. With a long groan, Samantha sighs heavily, shakes her head, and rolls her eyes. "No. It's fine. We understand, there's no need to contact the guild about this. You have a... Nice... Day..."

She firmly presses the end call button on the display, tosses the phone onto the front dash, and runs her fingers through her brown hair with a growl. "Gods dammit. We can't go in... If we exit our vehicles with camera equipment, they will file a HUGE complain with the guild. So, we'll just have to record what we can from the vehicles."

Gerald nods, rolls down his window, retrieves his camera from behind his driver's seat, and braces himself upon the door frame. "We'll get a few shots and let the editing guys do their magic. They'll be able to stitch something together with a few good clips."

Samantha sinks into the passenger's seat, sneers, and picks up her clipboard. "It'll have to do. What the hell prompted her to do this? I can't stand that we can't put a camera in her room."

Shaking his head, Gerald aims his camera towards Chad and Deedri standing on the sidewalk meters ahead. "Again, no recording devices where personal party medical information maybe stored and/or reviewed by a medical professional. Howard has explicitly told me to follow that rule... Especially, after that last lawsuit."

Chad stands on the sidewalk, just to the side of the black sports utility vehicle, in front of Deedri. He presents his trademark bright, white smile, spots the camera coverage nearby, and clearly speaks. "Deedri, I hope you have a nice Wednesday at this fine clinic. Thank you again, for trusting your party leader and giving me a chance to support your esteemed profession. I trust your efforts will bring goodwill towards the Flames of the Phoenix."

Deedri dons a nervous smirk, and bows slightly. "I'll try to do my best, Chad. For you and the Flames of the Phoenix."

Chad gazes over Deedri's white doctor's coat, neat black scrubs, professional identification badge, and hair tightly braided behind her head. A few moments later, he notices a few clinic security staff approach the crew vans, glances over as the argument between crew and staff brew, and looks to Deedri with a genuine smile and calm tone. "By the way, I just wanted to say you look amazingly proper and professional. If what you did in Hattan is any measure, this clinic should be delighted to have you. I would be surprised if they didn't request us to bring you back in the future."

Deedri's ears perk and her eyes flit wide with mild surprise. She smiles, graciously nods, and voices her appreciation. "Thank you, Chad. That's very nice of you to say. I- Thank you."

She tilts her head towards the entrance and takes a step away. "Well, I need to check in at the main desk."

Chad proudly stands tall and grants nod to Deedri. "Of course."

Deedri walks a few meters away, turns around briefly, and gives a final wave. Chad returns the gesture. From the confines of the front passenger's seat in the cab of the sports utility vehicle, Veevi leers through the windshield with hands supporting her head, seductively lifts a brow, and gives a long sultry wink to Deedri. With renewed purpose, Deedri speeds quickly across the sidewalk and through the automated doors of the Amaranth Valley Medical Center. Passing through the entryway, she releases a slow sigh of relief, spots the front desk, and quickly approaches it. A man at the desk looks up. "Welcome to Amaranth Valley Medical Center. How many I help you?"

Deedri unclips her badge and presents it to the receptionist. "Yes. My name is Deedri Preetta. I'm a medical mage volunteering from the guild."

The man takes the badge, inspects it briefly, guides an edge of it through a scanner, and returns it to Deedri. "Oh, excellent! I'll inform the head doctor. Another guild medical mage started yesterday to work on her quota, too. I think she went to the bathroom, but she should be here soon."

As the man picks up a phone and dials a number, Deedri blinks in thought and contorts expression warily as a particular possibility arrives in her mind... And presents herself. Aristespha walks up to the front desk, notices that the man is on the phone, and shifts her attention to the fvalian woman next to her. Both Deedri and Aristespha turn towards each other, exchange awkward gazes, and remain in silent surprise for a number of seconds. Eventually, Aristespha musters the situational awareness and assembles a greeting towards Deedri. "Well, I did not expect to see you here. I assume you are working on your quota."

Deedri nods slowly with surprise still keeping her auburn eyes open wider. "Um... Yes. I thought it would be an appropriate time to assist this clinic."

Aristespha acknowledges the statement and searches shakily for an appropriate response. She pauses in thought, draws a deep breath, and gradually dons a professional, stoic demeanor. "As did I. It is good that we share a common interest. I do hope we both can benefit from each other's skills and experience during our time working together."

Deedri briefly cocks her head to the side after witnessing the shift in Aristespha's mood. Moments later, her posture straightens, her expression calms, and Deedri looks Aristespha right in the eyes. "I actually look forward to working in the same environment with you and hope we both can be of assistance to the other."

The man hangs up the phone, and notices both Aristespha and Deedri. "Oh good. You both are here. The head doctor is down this hallway in the diagnostics and general practice wing. She should be expecting you."

Aristespha and Deedri exchange looks, both nod to the receptionist, and move down the directed hallway.

Modoran lays on the dark gray blanket on his bed, props up his tablet upon his chest with one hand, and slowly maneuvers a long blade dagger through the fingers of his other hand. An instructional video plays on the display and Modoran nods his head slightly on his pillow with quiet mumbling in a dialect of evuukian. He presses an on-screen pause button, glances over to his knife twirling hand, and carefully works through the steps, paying careful attention. After repeating the process from the video a few times in a cautiously controlled manner, he enacts the maneuver a number of times at a greater speed. Satisfied, he taps the play button and continues the rest of the video. Minutes later, a light knock on the door sounds out into the room. Modoran freezes briefly, blinks in confusion, and ponders a moment. He mouths out his bewilderment in evuukian, places his tablet on the pillow, rests his blade on the bed, and slides off the top to his feet. He curiously approaches the bedroom door, listens a moment, and turns the knob to open it. As the door open inwards, the suggestively posed frame of Veevi stands confidently just outside the door frame. She flutters her eyes, tosses back some of her pink hair, and firmly grips both sides of the doorway. "Hello... Modoran."

Modoran glances down at Veevi, quirks his bewildered brow, and eyes towards either side of the hallway. "Hey... Veevi. Um, if you are looking for Chad, I haven't seen lately. He might be outside with Trakenthin or maybe doing some personal interview with the crew?"

Veevi grins sharply and hoists a dark pink eyebrow at Modoran with a low giggle. "Oh, I'm not looking for him. I was actually looking for YOU. I wanted to see if we could do some... Training."

A smug smirk graces Modoran's face and he snorts, hinting towards dismissive. "Well, if it's more stealth training. We could do some hide and seek today. I'll give all the head start you need to find a good spot before I find you."

With mischievous glint sparkling in Veevi's eyes, she suggestively pushes through Modoran into his room, softly raking her fingers across his tight shirt covered chest and dragging a coiling tail over his upper legs. She saunters through the room, surveys the average contents, and locks her attention upon the blade on the bed. With a playful, sultry grace, she wanders over, seats her herself near the knife, and glides her self upon the sheets to a revealing pose. She runs her fingers up the handle, slides a sharp nail along the blade, and lightly taps the tip. With a devious, hungry gaze to Modoran, she touches the tip of her finger to her lips, and exaggeratedly licks it. "While hide and seek has been... Fun. I was thinking something more... Personal. Physical, even."

A strong wave of unease and discomfort floods through Modoran's body language and he does his best to suppress a nervous twitch in his eye. "Uh, sure. I guess you want to learn more about knife fighting? I have some spare training blades..."

A reserved smile pulls across Veevi's lips and she stretches herself out on the bed top with a sigh. "I guess that would suffice... For now."

She spins herself around, slowly places her feet on the floor, and gradually lifts herself up, presenting herself in the most overt fashion. With each step towards the doorway, she sways her hips with hands firmly upon them. She purposefully brushes against the utterly confused Modoran with an evil grin, slowing her progress across his body and dragging her tail intrusively behind. Once in the hallway, she pivots with a wink to Modoran. "So... See you in an hour out in the backyard?"

Modoran rigidly nods once with a blank face and empty tone. "Sure...  For the knife fighting training."

Veevi struts away, a plotting, sinister expression growing upon her face as the distance between her and Modoran grows. Modoran carefully closes the door securely, takes a few steps away, and shudders. His body twists and flexes in a mix of disgust and horror, ending with him pressing the fingertips of both hands on his temples. He shakes his head and mumbles a strong expletive in evuukian repeatedly as he drops his hands dramatically. He vainly attempts to blink off the horrified stare and subconsciously tries to brush the intangible off his shirt.

Bach plants his feet, steadies his stance, and aims the plasma pistol at a steel plate target in the distance. He waits for the wind blowing across the taller grasses on the side of the ranch style house to still. With a gentle squeeze of the finger, the trigger moves slowly to make contact, and the plasma bolt launches out the barrel. The orb of energized gas flies straight over the field and impacts the lower corner of the metal target in a concussive cloud. Bach sneers his upper lip, glances at the pistol, and holsters the weapon. He crosses his arms, hums in thought, and pivots in place to face Cideeda. "Okay, I'm lost now. I can't tell if the sights are off or if I didn't get one of the accelerator stages aligned right..."

He awaits a response, but does not receive one. An amused smile grows on his face as he watches Cideeda quietly voice an incantation and methodically gesture through a simple spell. Joy fills her face when a small bright orb remains steady for a number of seconds over the palm of her hand before dissipating gently in the breeze. She continues to gaze delightfully at the magical miasma drifting off. Her furry ear flicks over to the idle quiet at Bach and Cideeda glances over. With a bit embarrassment, she tries to nonchalantly play off her recent distracted moment. "Oh, um... Yes? Did you hit the target?"

Bach lifts an inquisitive eye brow, chuckles, and shakes his head. "Still figuring it out?"

Cideeda rolls her eyes at herself, crosses her arms, and shrugs her shoulders. "Well, I... I know I'll eventually get used to it all and this will seem like boring, trivial things to do. But, right now... I just find it SO AMAZING and COOL."

Bach catches Cideeda's contagious grin and laughs. "Don't worry, it never gets old. You just find new aspects to explore. Sort of like Legends of Nexus."

Cideeda pauses in thought, and curiously eyes Bach with a wary gaze. "You mean you find some new army you want to try out of curiosity, take the time to learn the rules, and then spend a ridiculous amount of money to get everything you need to put it together? While you may never even get a chance to test it out on the field?"

With a hesitant but agreeing nod, Bach sighs and shrugs his shoulders with his hands out to his sides. "Uh... Yeah, actually. But, it's still fun to explore it."

A giggle escapes Cideeda's smile and she retrieves a practice focus from her shorts pocket. As she holds it in her hand, a green glow gradually climbs up the encircling magical inscriptions on the wooden stick. "Still so much more to go..."

Bach quirks his brow and a sly smirk pulls at the corner of his mouth. He points to the practice focus and adopts a convincing tone while tapping on the back of his holstered plasma pistol. "You know, there's a number of other effects that can be imbued in those wands and focuses... I could easily alter that focus with one."

Cideeda's ears perk at the change in Bach's voice, and her brow arches over her emerald green eyes. "Really? Could you give me an example?"

Bach extends his hand out towards the distant steel plate target. A small few millimeter wide pellet of magical energy condenses the tip of his pointed finger. With a brief flicker of blue in Bach's eyes, the tiny orb flies off at the hanging metal, impacts enough to ring the steel softly, and puffs into a faint magical miasma. Cideeda's eyes refocus from the pellet upon Bach, and she presents a calculating smile with a brief glance to the holstered plasma pistol. "I think I MAY be interested in that. But, at what cost?"

With an exaggerated sigh, Bach hums in faux contemplation and gestures towards his plasma pistol. "Oh, a small price. Just a friendly shortcut to diagnosing the problems I'm having with this."

Cideeda dramatically acts out her playful deliberation via purposeful body language, nods carefully, and hands the magical focus to Bach. "I believe I can accept those terms."

Bach takes hold of the wooden stick and waits. Cideeda grins mischievously. "You've been counteracting your adjustments between the sights and the last accelerator stage. You should have gotten a laser bore sight to check the weapon sights... THEN, you should calibrate the accelerator stages."

Cideeda lets go of the magical focus, places her hands on her hips, and presents toothy grin to Bach with an amused pose. "I was curious how long you'd go back and forth, before you'd ask me for help."

Bach shakes his head, grumbles to himself, and sighs with embarrassment. "Gods dammit. Of course, it'd be something that simple. Oh well... Thank you."

After a loud snort, Cideeda laughs, combs her claws through her short mix of brown, white, tan, orange, and black hair, and flicks her long, tufted tail. "Don't feel too bad. I'm very impressed you got the rest of the stages aligned correctly so quickly."

Rolling his eyes at himself, Bach directs his gaze at the magical focus in his hands and a blue glow illuminates his face. "Okay. I won't feel too terrible about it then."

Cideeda steps closer and attentively watches magical flows twist, turn, and warp around the wooden stick in Bach's hands. Wonderment captures her completely and she stands fidgeting in anticipation. Minutes later, the magical flows settle and the focus rests down in Bach open palm. He presents the artifact to Cideeda with a proud grin, elaborate wave, and an embellishing voice. "Behold, your first specialty wand. It's a finely crafted Wand of Really Minor Mage Bolt!"

Cideeda maintains a tight smile in face of the corny, goofy display and shakes her head as she grasps onto the newly minted wand. "As if it wasn't obvious that you've played a few late nights at a tabletop."

Bach relaxes his shoulders, chuckles at himself, and smirks. "I know. Just couldn't resist."

He scans around the area and squints towards the front of the house. "Do we still have any cans or bottles in the recycling bin? The metal plates aren't bad targets, but there's just something about plinking cans and bottles that make this spell A LOT more fun to use."

Cideeda turns herself towards the front of the building and walks casually in the direction. "We should. It seems like the county collects the bins whenever they feel like it. I swear we need to call the landlord and ask what the deal is with that."

Bach follows behind Cideeda and surveys the tall grasses as they push a path through with their feet. "By the way, are we responsible for the lawn care or does the landlord do that?"

Cideeda stops in place, examines the overgrown lawn, scratches the back of her head, and uncertainly grimaces. "I actually don't know."

With a thoughtful hum, she directs plotting voice at Bach. "I think I might have to check to see if any of the people at Steve's shop have a lawn mower and want to make some money."

A sly smile emerges on Bach lips and he eyes Cideeda. "Make sure to ask the Legends of Nexus players."

Cideeda shines a toothy grin to Bach and chuckles darkly. "Oh, those are THE first ones I'm going to ask. Miniatures, paints, and rule books don't buy themselves."

-42-

Long rows of back to back benches stretch across the floor space of a clinic waiting area. Desk staff busily guide people through the forms and advise on the signature requirements. An older woman in neat, professional attire inspects a couple of clipboards upon a desk, each with a metal clip binding paperwork. Deedri promptly steps up next to the older woman, presents a proper stance, and dutifully hands over a clipboard. "Dr. Blackwell, it was as you advised. Though, it was a particularly advanced sinus infection. I felt he would be best served with a magical evacuation of sinus build up. It was... substantial... But, the he was VERY relieved. I prescribed some low-grade antibiotics, and recommended some over the counter nasal sprays."

Dr. Blackwell takes hold of the clipboard from Deedri, flips through the pages, and pauses as her eyes slightly widen at a note upon the page. "Oh. That IS a substantial amount."

Deedri awkwardly smiles and shrugs her shoulders. "It was quite colorful, too."

The stoic head doctor cracks an amused smirk and sighs with a shake of her head. She casts her gaze over the nearby clipboards, hovers a hand over the collection, and places it down upon one particular stack of paperwork. She lifts up the wooden back of the board and presents it to Deedri with a slight smile. "I believe you'll enjoy this one, especially after reading up on your medical school publications."

With a curious tilt of the head, Deedri grasps onto the clipboard, lowers her attention to the paperwork, and her eyes light up. She smiles graciously and nods with a slight bow to Dr. Blackwell. "Thank you, Dr. Blackwell."

Dr. Blackwell returns the nod and points Deedri towards a room door in the distance. As Deedri leaves, Dr. Blackwell focuses upon the files on the desk before her. Less than a minute later, Aristespha steps up with a clipboard in hand, attempts to neaten up her appearance with her free hand, and straightens up her posture. "Dr. Blackwell. It turns out the patient had a rash... extensively on and around the perineum. I performed some basic magical treatments to alleviate the more prominent symptoms and prescribed some topical ointments from the pharmacy."

A well-hidden sinister smirk creeps upon Dr. Blackwell's lips out of view of Aristepsha. She promptly picks up a case file, pivots to face Aristespha, and exchanges clipboards with her. "Excellent. Here is your next one."

Aristespha nods, scans over the first few pages, and the corners of her mouth contort slightly as her eyes reads the detailed notes of the patient's previous history.

Deedri stands outside the examination room door, takes a long breath in, and turns the handle. She steps through the open doorway and quickly scans the room. A tall, strong man with short dirty blonde hair turns in place to face Deedri with a hint of recognition. An evuukian woman with long golden brown hair and golden highlights upon her cheeks stands up from a wiping a the face of a four year old boy with dirty blonde hair and golden highlights on his cheeks. Deedri presents a happy tone and greets everyone. "Hello, I'm Mage Preeta."

The man reaches out a hand and smiles. "Nice, to meet you doctor. I'm Mason Anderson."

Deedri shakes his hand, and expresses a bit of embarrassment with bright smile. "I'm very flattered, but it's only mage. That's a few more years of schooling I need before I have that title."

She rolls her eyes at the topic and sighs lightly. "Quite a few doctors get particular about that title sometimes."

Mason laughs, shrugs awkwardly, and sighs. "Ah, sorry. Certainly showed my lack of upbringing there. Is doc okay?"

Deedri nods quickly with a laugh and turns to face the evuukian woman. "Of course."

The evuukian woman lifts an amused brow at Mason, giggles to herself, and accepts the handshake offered by Deedri. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Mage Preeta. My name is Lalyanpha and this is Mylo."

Deedri focuses her attention upon Mylo and waves her hand toward him. "Hello, Mylo."

Mylo glances up from playing with the toy wand in his hands, notices Deedri, and blankly blinks his brown, orange hinted eyes. He sits upon the examination table and happily returns the wave. "Hello. My name is Mylo. What's yours?"

Deedri flicks her ears forward and grins back at him. "I'm Mage Preeta, but my first name is Deedri."

Mylo accepts the answer happily and his attention returns to the toy wand. Lalyanpha sighs with a shake of her head and Mason shrugs. Deedri turns her gaze back to Mason and Lalyanpha. "So far, seems like normal four year old behavior. You are here for his yearly checkup and immunizations, if I'm correct."

Lalyanpha nods and points to her eyes with a bit of concern. "Yes, but we wanted to check on his eyes. He seems to see just fine, but a new orange coloration is showing through."

With a pondering expression, Deedri glances over to Mylo briefly before returning to face the parents. "And, you've noticed this recently?"

Both Mason and Lalyanpha nod in unison. Deedri steps over to an adjustable stool next to the examination table, sets the height, and takes a seat in front of Mylo. She thinks a moment, smirks thoughtfully, and lifts a finger up. With her eyes flickering to a glowing auburn, a rainbow point of color forms on the claw tip and she directs a playful tone to the child. "Mylo, look!"

Mylo lifts his head up, looks around briefly, and locks his full focus upon the tiny rainbow orb of color upon Deedri's finger tip. As he watches the colorful display, Deedri guides the illusion around and leads Mylo's eyes to gawk in awe. At opportune moments, she leans in quickly, squints at Mylo's face, carefully backs away, and directs the colorful glow to another position. After an examination, the rainbow upon Deedri's finger tip fades and Mylo directs his excitement to Deedri. "How did you do that!?"

Deedri smiles with a slight laugh and fake gestures out a spell. "Just a simple illusion spell. I see you have a wand. Can you do magic?"

Mylo immediately nods, fumbles to grip his wand, and begins to randomly wave it around. Colorful fading streams trail out from the wand's path in the air. Deedri momentarily eyes the wand as her mind itches with familiarity, but she glances over to Mason and Lalyanpha. "I would recommend seeing a specialist in genealogy genetics for confirmation, but I believe that it is just a different expression of his evuukian traits."

She quirks a quizzical brow at Lalyanpha. "Is there anyone in your family with orange eyes?"

Lalyanpha blinks in thought, and nods with a reserved smile holding back joy. "Yes. Yes, there is. My father."

Mason places his arm around Lalyanpha, gently pats her shoulder, and sighs, playfully rolling his eyes. "You know if you tell him this, he's just going to find a reason to come down again to see it for himself."

With sly grin and nudging lean into Mason, Lalyanpha chuckles to herself. "Oh dear. My father and mother will come down yet again and spend the weekend capturing our child's complete and utter attention. However shall we survive the peaceful moments together we rarely experience these days?"

Momentarily staring out distantly, Mason's brow contorts in thought and he slowly nods to an acceptance. "Well... So, whenever you want to tell him, go right ahead."

Lalyanpha's ponders a moment and directs a question to Deedri. "Could this have anything to do with magic use? Last visit my father was very excited with getting him started on a lot of my old magic focuses."

Deedri sways her head slightly from shoulder to shoulder indecisively and sighs with a tug to the corner of her mouth. "That would be very hard to determine at this point. It could be a possibility if there was a family history of a similar magically reactive biological trait. But, he's a bit young to be able to flow enough magical energy to trigger most known traits."

She returns to examining Mylo at brief convenient moments as he plays with the color vapor trails he draws in the air with his toy wand. After Deedri moves around a few times, Mylo stops waving the wand around and his eyes settle upon Deedri's furry tufted ears. "Why are your ears furry?"

Deedri smiles at Mylo, guides her fingers along her long, furry ear to the end tuft, and pulls the ear lower. "I'm a fvalian. We have furry ears, claws, and a tail."

The boy thinks blatantly about this and then curiously looks to Deedri. "Will I have a tail when I'm big?"

Slowly shaking her head with amusment, Deedri chuckles lightly. "No. Probably not. You will probably have long ears and skin colors like your mother. And, you will probably be as tall as your father. Maybe even taller."

Mylo's cocks his head to the side, his eyes piece together his next sentence, and a bit of excitement hops up on his face. "Will I grow horns like Nass?"

Deedri blinks in confusion, her minds replays the sentence, and she glances over to both Mason and Lalyanpha. "Who is... Nass?"

While Mason tries to match the name, Lalyanpha perks up and answers. "Oh, that's Mylo's friend from the park we visit. She is a little emin girl."

With a shakes of the head, Deedri presents a small smile to Mylo. "No. Probably no horns. Those usually show up early and I don't see any signs."

Mylo frowns downward with the revelation and pouts in his disappointment. Deedri grins with a giggle and cranes her to gaze at Mylo. "Horns aren't always good, Mylo. My friend, Tass, has them. As much as she likes them, she has trouble with them sometimes."

The little boy gazes up curiously at Deedri and blinks puzzled. "Really?"

Deedri soft chuckles as she sets up to a table nearby with some basic medical diagnostic instruments. "Oh yes! One time she didn't get much sleep one night and she walked around most the morning with part of a pillow stuck on her horn."

Mylo's eyes widen in amazement. "She didn't know?"

Shaking her head, Deedri rolls her eyes and prepares her stethoscope. "No. I had to tell her."

She continues the examination, amusing both child and parents with her stories of getting tails caught in doors, absentmindedly clawing up furniture, and insects flying into ears.

Bach stands with his arms crossed and projects a very unsure expression at Sotalia. Under the shade of the tree near the ranch style house, Sotalia lifts a prominent eyebrow with a grin and rests her hands on her hips. "Well, I think it's time for another session of flight training."

Apprehension floods Bach's body language and he forces a comment through an awkward smirk. "Right. Does it involve a harness, a floating disc, and swinging me into treetops? Because, I'm not exactly convinced that taught me anything... Apart from which trees had the nicest leaves to crash through."

Sotalia grits her teeth and averts her golden eyes momentarily as the wave of embarrassment passes through her posture. She recovers her confidence, carefully eyes Bach with a prying smile, and cocks her head inquistively to the side. "Okay. That was a bit over ambitious. But... Your attitude towards flying has changed from what I heard from your brother. Are you afraid of flying now? Because, it didn't sound like you used to be."

Bach twists his lips, cringes out his unease, and eventually releases a long sigh, relaxing his shoulders. "It's not the whole flying thing... It's the whole falling from great heights that's become far more of an issue."

Sotalia shifts her weight from leg to another with a sway of the hips, blinks at Bach in honest thought, and puzzles. "Okay?"

Releasing his arms to his sides, Bach shrugs and sneers lightly at his situation. "Well... Before, if the main flight spell failed for whatever reason, I had AT LEAST three other spells I could direct cast in moments to keep me from falling to my death. Now... I don't have any."

He draws in a long breath, rolls his eyes at himself, and fidgets his nerves out through his idle hands. "It takes A LOT of concentration and care to even liftoff. And, just a split second interruption is enough to get me falling too quickly to stop... nicely."

Sotalia's analyzing stare upon Bach softens to a genuinely concerned gaze. She pieces together the possibilities in her mind and empathetic frown appears on her face. Nodding her head, she steps forward to stand immediately in front of Bach, and dons an honest smile towards him. "Okay. Well, I truly apologize for the previous approach. I've gotten so used to having the same options for not falling, that I kind of forgotten what it's like not to have them."

Bach chuckles and rolls his eyes at himself. "It's cool. I didn't either until I couldn't use all my old spells. Puts it all into perspective."

A warm grin graces Sotalia's lips and she clears the stray dark red hairs in her eyes over her horns. "So, I think we need to try a different approach. Don't worry, it's FAR less intense and more controlled."

She speedily speaks incantations and quickly gestures a stream of motions with hands. Bach watches carefully and suspiciously eyes her. "Standard hover spell?"

Extending both her dual toned forearms out at waist level, Sotalia flips up her palms with a graceful flair and flits her brow at Bach with a smile. "Yes. Hover is much more tolerant to additional weight and has all the extra stabilization measures."

Bach glances down at Sotalia's arms and returns his uncertain gaze back to her. Sotalia flexes her fingers and reaches forward to Bach's arms. "Oh, come on. Hold onto my arms and I'll support underneath yours. It's what my sisters and I use to do all the time when practicing."

Bach nods slowly and moves his arms up. He grasps lightly around Sotalia's elbows, and rests his arms onto her awaiting palms. "Okay, I'll give it a try. Something slow and easy. I think I can get behind that."

After a few moments of Bach standing, Sotalia's hands playfully squeeze Bach's forearms and she patiently awaits with a grin. "Whenever you're ready, flyboy. Whatever height and speed you feel like."

Bach stares at his feet and a blue glow shines in his eyes. Moments later, the grass surrounding gently waves to a silent breeze, radiating outwards from Bach. Stray hairs upon Bach's head lift to an invisible upwards pull. Sotalia watches attentively, carefully examines the phenomena around her, and senses the magical flows stirring. Her focus returns to Bach as she feels the weight upon her arms briefly lessen. Bach's head and shoulders gradually rise up along with his upper body. The heels of his feet part from the surface the ground, and his whole body floats slowly up to hover centimeters clear of the dirt. Sotalia pushes off the grass and immediately matches Bach's height, her hands firmly supporting his shaky balance. Seconds of sustained flight later, she glances down at the ground and hoists a puzzled brow at Bach. "You can go higher if you want. I still have plenty of flight time left and you aren't shaking too badly."

Bach grimaces and his full attention remains purely towards the distance between his feet and the ground. "Uh... I'm okay. This is a pretty good height... for now..."

Sotalia rolls her eyes, shakes her head, and directs an incredulous stare at Bach. She searches the top of her mind and nods with a genuine smile. "Here's an idea to try. Have you tried closing your eyes and not focusing so much on what's below you?"

The blatant hesitation spills over into Bach's tone and he barely lifts his head to respond back to Sotalia. "Uh... Well, maybe I tried in the past. I don't know. After the first few flops... upon the ground... I never really tried much else."

Sotalia squeezes her long black nails into the thick of Bach's forearms and meets his perplexed gaze with a firm stare. "Let's try it."

Bach eyes drift downwards while he mulls over the concept. Sotalia pops an assertive hiss. "Stop. Looking. Down."

Bach snaps his head up and sees Sotalia's calm smile. "Okay."

Sotalia tilts her head to the side to gaze at Bach. "It'll be fine. You close your eyes and focus. I'll keep you from drifting or tilting."

A mischievous grin parts her mouth and her hands tightly grip onto Bach's arms. "And don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

She winks with a sly smile. "You still know too many spells that I don't."

Bach narrows his partly amused gaze at Sotalia, chuckles lightly, and closes his eyes with an accepting sigh. He straightens his posture, resettles his balance with Sotalia's support, and calms himself. Seconds pass and Bach steadies himself gradually, relying less upon Sotalia buffering his corrections. Sotalia flexes her fingers out to open her hands, briefly drops her palms slightly away from the underside of Bach's forearms, and pays attention to the stability. She replaces her hands underneath Bach's arms and waits. "See. You're doing really good. Now, try going up."

Bach draws a slow breath in, nods his head, and tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Alright. But, not too high."

Sotalia bites her lip and contorts a guilty grin. "Of course."

With a careful, gradual pace, the distance between the toes of Bach's shoes and the ground increases. Sotalia rises up in sync and keeps a steady hold of Bach's arms, providing a stable platform to buffer the occasional corrections of balance. She glances around at the nearing branches overhead and the opening between them that both her and Bach float into. Over two meters up with green leaves surrounding them, Bach's progress fades to a stop and Sotalia levels off in sync. Bach breathes in slowly and exhales carefully with an awkward smile. "I can't really judge, but we're not too high, right? Maybe a meter?"

Amusement fills Sotalia expression as she glances down and stifles a giggle. "Oh. At least."

Bach's head cocks to the side, his lips twist, and he opens his glowing blue eyes. He studies Sotalia's brightly smiling face and spots the branches and leaves surrounding him, much closer than before. His eyes widen and he begins to tilt his head down. Sotalia pops a firm, assertive hiss and commands. "Do not. Look. Down. You are doing just fine."

Sotalia's arms shudder from the shakes in Bach's balance and she feels Bach's grip around her elbows tighten. She directs a calm tone to Bach and firmly grips Bach's arms. "Look at me. I've still got you."

After a few unsteady moments, Bach regains stability and keeps his gaze upon Sotalia's face. "O-O-okay. I'm trying to not think about it. But, it's a bit hard to not think the situation and how high I- Uh... Ah... You mentioned your sisters?"

With a smile Sotalia nods and she speaks with a comforting tone. "Yes, I've got two of them. One younger and one older. I'm the middle child. The younger is Talelia, and the older one is Maelvia. Two years difference either way."

Bach nods, swallows down some of his nerves, and thinks a moment. "Are they mages like you?"

Sotalia laughs, shakes her head, and sighs. "Not exactly. Both picked up magic, but didn't do the whole adventuring thing. Maelvia is a research mage at a magical materials company. Talelia did the medical route and became an alchemical pharmacist."

Bach thinks a moment and smirks impressed. "Wow. Not a bad choice there."

Sotalia shrugs and chuckles. "I know. You should see her and her husband's house and the massive pool."

With a tense exhale, Bach searches his mind for another topic and avoids the urge to look down. "Your nieces and nephews?"

Sotalia's attention turns inwards and a genuine, warm smile graces her face. "Dellena, Taetala, and Merrick are Maelvia's. Then, there's Kalant and Sontaila, and a boy on the way for Talelia."

She pauses in thought, gazes right at Bach's face, and presents an appreciative grin. "By the way, they all LOVED the wands. Including my sisters. So, thank you very much for making them."

Bach's averts face away momentarily to work out the humble shyness and nervously laughs. "Ah, not a problem. I'm glad they liked them."

Sotalia's arm muscles tense as a bit more weight briefly rests upon her arms. Bach straightens his posture and continues surveying the tree tops. Sotalia quirks a brow. "Speaking of which, Kalant was curious if you could make a wand that shot projectiles."

Hoisting a suspicious eyebrow up, Bach aims a reserved stare at Sotalia. "Yes... But, well, how old is he?"

Sotalia sighs with a tinge of frustration and shakes her head. "Seven. I keep telling him he's just too young for anything powerful."

Bach twists his lips in contemplation and grumbles uncertain. "I have to agree. There might be something I could make. I'd need to test it... Don't want to be the one responsible for him shooting his eye out."

Sotalia nods in complete agreement, rolls her eyes, and grumbles. "Gods, I'd never hear the end of it from my sisters."

She feels Bach's wavering balance and weight upon her arms momentarily, and grins slyly as she watches him fail at playing off the fit. With a light chuckle, she pats the underside of Bach's arm with a her hand. "You ready to land?"

Bach pauses a moment as his mid-air stance shudders, grits his teeth sheepishly, and nods in resignation. "Yes. I'm about at my limit."

Honestly smiling, Sotalia gradually floats down and steadies Bach's descent. Bach's full weight presses into the soil below, and he stands rigidly with a slight wobble. Glancing down at the ground, he lets go of Sotalia, and eases himself down to a seat on the grass. Sotalia sits down nearby, reaches over to a belt of pouches in a nearbyequipment bag, and pulls out two small vials. She offers a container to Bach and rolls her eyes at herself. "Before you ask, I made sure the cherry flavoring was correct this time."

Veevi lifts up the training dagger in hand at the wooden post. Modoran stands off to the side, nearby in the backyard of the two-story house. He gazes down at his aetherphone, flips through a few evuukian news articles, and briefly watches Veevi clumsily strike at the training target. With sloppy form and awkward style, Veevi slams the blunted dagger upon the post and her hand bounces back from the force reflecting back. She growls and grumbles as she feels her wrist. Seconds later, she guides the loose pinks hairs back over her fuzzy, upright ears and trains mischievous stare upon Modoran. Displaying a sway her step, she approaches Modoran with a devious grin. "I'm sure that this is important training and it was... fun... yesterday. But..."

She slowly lifts her finger close to her mouth, bites playfully upon the sharp nail, and arches a suggestive eye with a flirty squirm to her posture. "I think I might learn much, MUCH more if our exercises were more... one ON one."

Modoran blinks in bewilderment, lifts his head up from his phone, and looks towards Veevi. He witnesses the sultry pace of Veevi as she hooks the tip of the training dagger down upon the collar of her tight-fitting shirt and stretches the opening to reveal the plentiful surface area of her tan, brown striped chest. Modoran's eyes widen and he quickly scans the area in worried thought while keeping a confident pose. After a few moments and with Veevi in immediate proximity, he flashes a sly grin, slowly nods, and puts away his phone. "I think I have an idea of what you want."

A spark of interest flickers in Veevi's eyes and she places her hands upon her hips with a sway. "Really?"

Modoran takes a step back, rolls his shoulders in a stretch, and smirk cunningly as he draws his training blade. "A simple exercise. Try to touch the blade upon my body. If you are successful, you choose how we do... training."

A sinister grin pulls across Veevi's lips and she narrows a determined stare upon Modoran. "Deal."

She sloppily lunges out with the blunted dagger first and stumbles off to the side on the ground as Modoran parries the attack. Deftly hopping away, Modoran maintains a relaxed, flexible stance and carefully examines every one of Veevi's actions. He stands a few meters away, smiles nonchalantly, and gestures for her next attack. "Good effort."

Veevi picks herself off the ground, snaps her head towards Modoran, and grits her teeth. Her eyes widen in a mix of shock and ire as she witnesses Modoran casually check his phone. She quickly scrambles back up to her feet, places her training blade forward, and charges. Seeing the last second feint from Veevi current attack, Modoran deflects her dagger and forces her momentum into a tumbling spin upon the backyard grass. He mumbles to himself, flexes his fingers, and steps away from Veevi, closer to the two-story house. Furiously blowing the stray pink bangs in her eyes, Veevi digs her fingers into the dirt, and watches Modoran calmly wander towards the corner of the back lot. He whistles loudly, plays with the phone, and keeps his dagger loosely in fingers at his side. Veevi slowly stands up, bearing her teeth, and steps closer to Modoran. She walks patiently towards Modoran and locks her full attention upon him, moving unaware of fresh foot prints in the grass that lead towards the house's sliding glass door. She closes the distance and her pink eyes flit wide the moment Modoran turns his back completely towards her. Her feet dig in and she sprints off. The few meters gap shrinks in seconds and she swipes out her blade to his exposed back. "GOT YOU-"

As the blunted dagger contacts Modoran's back, a triumphant grins ignites upon Veevi's face, but quickly dissipates... along with the form of Modoran. She leaps through cloudy imagery and the magical miasma puffs out into the passing wind. Veevi flops upon the grass, blinks in utter bewilderment, and flicks her ears towards the sound of the sliding glass door closing. She springs up off the ground, rushes over to the door, and tugs the handle hard. It doesn't move. Well inside, Modoran hums a smug tune to himself as he climbs up the stairs and listens to the shrill screams of a very angry half-fvalian.

In a small diagnostics room, Aristespha stands back up straight, carefully pulls off thin polymer gloves, and presses her foot on a pedal to the medical waste bin lid, depositing the gloves. "You may redress yourself and take a seat. That's all the examination I need to perform."

A young man dressed in the latest fashionable fads pulls up his pants, zips back up, and sits down upon the examination table with an anticipating stare towards Aristespha. "So, doc, is there something you can do? I mean he's been down and out all week. That's NEVER happened to me... ever..."

Aristespha picks up a clipboard, retrieves a pen from her coat front pocket, and clicks the tip out with a stoic gaze towards the paperwork before her. As she carefully writes upon the page, she glances over to the young man and maintains a stern stare. "Mr. Henderson, I have good news and bad news for you. Which would you like to hear to first?"

Henderson blinks blankly and gradually opens his mouth to reply with a slow twist of the head. "Uhh... How about the good news?"

With a perk of a scrutinizing eyebrow, Aristepsha calmly explains the situation. "Despite your gross misuse of a medical alchemical product, that you acquired through less than official means, which is typically used to stimulate localized blood flow with possibly dangerous side effects... You are only suffering the minor, temporary issues of said misuse. Since there's no signs of discoloration, swelling, redness, loss of sensation, and/or necrosis..."

She presents a smug smirk and amused face to Henderson. With a quiet sigh, she brightens her tone slightly. "You get to keep it. Sexual function of your penis should return in another week as your body stops overreacting to the remaining effects of the drug."

A wave of relief radiates through Henderson and he releases a long exhale, relaxing his shoulders. A short moment later, his eyes open wide when a thought smacks into the front his mind. "Oh, shit. A week?! Doc, is there anything you can give me to help me out until next week? I got a date in two days... And well... I want to be ready..."

Aristespha narrows an unamused glare at Henderson and chills her tone. "So, you are asking me to prescribe a drug to misuse... to remedy a situation you put yourself into by misusing a drug?"

The young man's eyes search his mind and he pieces together the logic to an embarrassed conclusion. "Oh... Yeah... Sorry..."

Twisting her mouth, Aristespha rolls her eyes with a shake of her head. She smiles calmly at Henderson with a supportive tint in her voice. "This is not medical advice, but a mere dating suggestion. Why not just have a night out doing the things your partner wants to do? Nice and relaxing. And will certainly earn you favor."

Henderson nods at the thought and idly scratches the hair of his goatee. "Robin did mention wanting to go downtown and the park marketplace."

After he agrees to the idea, he reminds himself of a prior statement and glances up to Aristespha. "Wait, you mentioned bad news. What's the bad news?"

Aristespha dons an amused grin and shrugs. "Whoever sold you that alchemical compound ripped you off completely. If it was as pure as he advertised, you'd be in the hospital wing deciding between prosthetic or regenerative replacement options."

Henderson's jaw drops in bewildered terror tempered with gracious acceptance of his strange luck.

At the dining table near the kitchen, Tassilda drones on technical about the detailed basics of magic energies and flow. She averts a lecturing gaze away from her single student, Veevi. While Tassilda, turns in her seat to search a bag for another tome to add to the pile in the middle of the table, Veevi narrows her eyes with a sinister smirk. She quietly mouths out a simple stream of incantations, and slowly gestures out a series of rough motions with her hands. She winces in concentration, points her finger at Tassilda, and cracks a mean smile. A plume of pink mist smokes out from her finger and drifts in near Tassilda's head. The cloud looms and holds its position. Tassilda finds the book, grips it firmly in hand, and resettles her self into her seat. Her head swings right into the awaiting trap of magical miasma and the vapor settles a bright pink hue onto her gray, patterned skin and black hair with a brilliant contrast. Veevi grins brightly and stiffens her posture pseudo studiously. Tassilda drops the new tome in front of Veevi and dryly lectures. "This particular book with go over the proper, proven methods of refining your control of magical flow and practical practice spells to aid your understanding of casting."

She pauses her explanation and notices the lack of overwhelming boredom radiating from Veevi. As she continues to examine the strangely attentive gaze from Veevi, her cheek twitches and her face contorts from a growing itch. As the seconds pass, Tassilda cocks her head to the side and glares suspiciously at Veevi, who keeps an attempt at innocence upon her face. The heavy footsteps of Trakenthin precede his entry into the room and he starts towards the refrigerator once he passes through the archway. He glances up from a book in his hands, notices Veevi, and nods towards Tassilda. With a brief slide, he abruptly halts his momentum and squints confused. Tassilda realizes Trakenthin's stare upon her and she contorts a wary glance at him. "What are you looking at?"

Trakenthin blinks, lifts his hand up, and gestures towards on side of his face. "Pink?"

Tassilda pauses in thought, her eyes widen in surprise, and her hand yanks out her aetherphone tapping through screens in one motion. She holds the device up, squints at the screen, and grits her teeth in a surge of anger as the front camera mirrors her face on the display. Spouting out a series of phrases in a very aggravated emin dialect, she slams her hands on the table and stands up with a furious glare at Veevi. "Where the fuck did you learn of that spell!? There's NO WAY you have the knowledge to have found it on your own!"

Veevi cackles out ill-humored laughter and lounges back in her chair at the table, admiring her results. Tassilda quickly gestures and growls out incantations. She directs the palm of her hand at the pink covered side of her head, flexes her long nailed fingers out, and releases a transparent wave of magical energy. The flow washes over her head and neutralizes the magical pigmentation into faint wisps of miasma that fade away. Veevi dons a contemptuous smile and narrows her pink eyes at Tassilda. "Well, of course I couldn't have found them on my own. I had to seek the help of a proper, proficient mage. One with demonstrable ability. One that DOESN'T need material components to do a fireball."

Tassilda glares down her light blue on black eyes, sneers incredulously at Veevi, and eyes out the back sliding glass window towards a distant ranch-style house. She tenses her hands repeatedly, popping a knuckle with each flex as she grits her teeth.

The doorknob to the bedroom door turns, and the door slowly opens to reveal a very exhausted Aristespha. Dretphi's voice bounces down the hallway. "Dinner will be ready in an hour."

Aristespha calls back. "Thank you."

As she closes the door, each step weighs heavy on her as she approaches the bed. Her shoulders slouch, head sways in long rolling stretches, and she yawns loudly. Standing at the side of her bed, she falls forward into the welcoming sheets with a muffled whump and a rush of air waves out from underneath the bed covers. Fumbling to grasp, she pulls out her silvery blue from the tight bun, crawls along the top of the bed to the pillows, and buries her face into the fluffy cushions. A long muffled groan resonates softly from Aristespha as she drags another pillow over her head. Sebastian's ethereal visage forms next to the bed and looks down upon the weary Aristespha. "So, how was work today, dear?"

Aristespha slowly rotates her head underneath the pillows and pulls back the top pillow enough to peer a violet eye out toward Sebastian with a trailing sigh. "What do you think, Sebastian?"

Sebastian kneels down next to the bed to Aristespha's eye level and smiles lovingly at her. "Any more rashes around people's junk today?"

Sliding the cushion on her head further back, Aristespha smiles slightly and chuckles softly. "Funny you should ask that..."

A chime rings out from Aristespha's pants pocket. She rolls over to her back, tosses a pillow off to the side, and reaches into her pants pocket for her aetherphone. Tapping through menus and sliding to the right screen, the body of an aethermail message appears on the screen. She quickly read through the lines of text and furrows her brow at the new information. Sebastian cranes his head over to peek and Aristespha tilts the phone to let him read. Aristespha sighs out a mixture of relief and frustration, and settles her head down. "It's from Nash. Looks like the Grand Library higher ups are trying to figure out how to deal with the Orth Ridge coverup and the likelihood that Isaac Huxley is Noxian."

Sebastian grimaces and drifts his ghostly form down to lay upon the bed next Aristespha. "They probably didn't expect one of their own to become a Dark Lord and go around trying to do... whatever he's trying to do..."

Aristespha eyes flit wide and she brings the down phone to focus upon the display in surprise. "What the- ? Isaac has had access to the library database systems- Wait, STILL!? Gods! He still has access?!"

She grits her teeth and narrows her disbelief at Nash's words on the screen. Sebastian searches through the lines of text to where Aristespha is at in the message. Aristespha puzzles momentarily and then grins sly. "Excellent! Nash is compiling usage logs for Isaac's accounts and he's going to send us copies of all the data he's pulled!"

Sebastian grins proudly and nods. "Good! Maybe we'll figure out exactly what he's plotting finally, dear. Maybe he'll be able to track where Noxian is by tracing the connections?"

Aristespha frowns briefly with a grumble. "He mentions that. Unfortunately, no recent accesses so all the tracking stuff is probably old, but Nash is sorting through it to create a timeline."

A sense of calm fills Aristespha's face and she smiles with an exhale. "And from what he's heard... They're going to keep our group hired on to pursue Noxian."

Sebastian smiles lovingly to Aristespha. "It's going to be okay. After you get your hours together, you'll have all kinds of research to do. We'll start figuring out his plans and where he's going next."

Aristespha closes her eyes, breathes contentedly, and absorbs the moment of silence. Minutes later, she cracks a devious violet eye towards Sebastian with an ill-humored smirk. "So, I'm curious... What part of smearing a dangerous alchemical cream on your penis sounds like a good idea?"

Sebastian blinks blankly and eyes over to Aristespha. "Uh... none of it?"

Rolling her eyes, Aristespha groans. "You'd think so."

Dretphi lifts her flow blade up, concentrates, and focuses her full attention upon the sword in her hands. Gradually, a red glow creeps through the worn passages embedded in the blade. As the wind blows through the shady tree above and rustles a chorus of leaves, Dretphi maintains her calm demeanor and fights to keep herself relaxed. Cideeda's voice carries around the corner of the ranch style house with another unfamiliar voice. Dretphi snaps out her trance, rests her sword down, and brushes platinum blonde braids out of the way as she glances over her shoulder. Cideeda steps out from around the corner of the house with a young, tall muscular teenager following behind her, scanning around the area. She waves towards the grassy area on the side of the house with the steel plate targets and shrugs. "I wouldn't worry too much about this area. Also, I'd avoid mowing anything near the targets."

The young teenager nods understandingly and notices the dents in the heavy plates. "Cool. Wow, looks like you guys are shooting some serious firepower out here."

Cideeda chuckles and shakes her head. "Nothing too crazy. If you find any spent brass or lead, it's all yours."

She steps forward towards the shady tree and waves towards Dretphi. "Hey, Dretphi! This is Dace. He's checking out the place out to see what it'd take to get the lawn together."

Dretphi greets Dace with a nod and gazes out to the backyard of tall grass. "Significant labor awaits you."

Dace stands in line with Cideeda and Dretphi, crosses his arms, and surveys the area. Seconds later, he deliberates internally before nodding in acceptance. "Aww, this isn't that bad. My tractor with side cutters can take care of this. It looks pretty smooth and I can finish it up with the zero turn mower."

He searches the area, squints his eyes at nearby forest, and turns to Cideeda. "You need that forest cleaned up? Could bring out my family's forestry mech and make short work it."

Cideeda shakes her head politely. "Not our problem. Just the lawn work for now."

Dace agrees to the scope of the work. Cideeda dons a reserved expression, crosses her arms, and casually mentions a number for the payment. With Cideeda watching carefully, Dace quickly replies with a slightly higher number. Cideeda pauses in thought a moment, grins slyly, and retrieves a plastic wrapped object from her shorts pocket. Between two claw tipped fingers, she holds up a large, blue black dragon scale within a plastic bag. Dace's attention snaps to the artifact. Cideeda smiles smugly and calmly explains. "How about this fine specimen of dragon scale to make up the difference?"

Cideeda presents the dragon scale into Dace's awaiting hands. Quickly scrutinizing the item, Dace smiles excitedly and reaches a hand out to Cideeda. "Hell yeah! I got a friend in college right now who'll freak out when send him a picture of this. It'll be worth it just to see the look on his face."

With a toothy grin, Cideeda firmly shakes Dace's hand and stretches her arms behind her back. "Excellent! Now, since you are here, are you in the market for artifacts and other items from ruins?"

Dace calmly shakes his head with a smile and nonchalantly shrugs. "Ah, nah. I'm more interested in making new stuff that's like the old stuff."

His focus shifts towards Dretphi's sword and he puzzles at blade. "Speaking which, where did you get that sword? That's the best looking replica flow blade I've ever seen."

Dretphi blinks, hoists the tip of the blade up to the sky, examines the blade, and directs a confused gaze towards Dace. "Replica?"

Dace stops his thoughts, squints at the blade, and hangs his jaw open as finds himself dumbfoundedly incorrect.

-43-

A television displays a daytime soap opera in the clinic's staff breakroom. A few medical staff lounge upon the weathered but comfortable couch, and many others occupy the chairs surrounding. Deedri stands in gathering and idly chats about subjects ranging from cases to some behind the scenes tidbits from the Next Adventurers of Nexus. Aristespha eyes the nearby mix of city and green space surrounding the clinic complex through large windows, and flips through her aetherphone. Deedri presents a delighted smile and answers a question from one of the doctors. "Oh, most interesting case so far... I think it would have to be the checkup I did for a half evuukian boy named Mylo."

Across the room Aristespha's long ears twitch and her violet eyes flit wide as her attention switches to Deedri's conversation. Deedri discusses vague basics about Mylo, focusing on his child antics than medical aspects. When the wall clock ticks over to noon, most of the crowd double-checks their own time keeping devices and politely disperse to resume work. Aristespha eyes over to Deedri and slowly approaches as Deedri finishes the last bit of coffee from a thick paper cup. Aristespha clears her throat and addresses Deedri. "Mage Preeta."

Deedri blinks and pivots to face Aristespha directly with a blank expression and neutral tone. "Yes, Mage Orienden?"

Aristespha assumes a professional demeanor with barely noticeable cracks in the facade over her personal curiosity. "I overheard you performed a checkup upon a half evuukian boy, by the name of Mylo?"

With a slow nod, Deedri responds flatly. "Yes. Check up and routine immunization."

A narrowing of Aristespha's eyes precedes her examining stare upon Deedri. "I have some questions to ask, if I may?"

Deedri nods calmly and presents a stoic exterior with hints of hesitation. "You may."

Aristespha proceeds to systematically launch a series of questions that grow gradually more probing into the case. Deedri responds appropriately and carefully in return, with her stare searching for the motive behind the inquiry. As Aristespha continues her inquisition, her tone subconsciously develops a sharp, overbearing edge. Each new inquiry incites a reflexive, minute cringe upon Deedri's face.

After a few minutes, Deedri grimaces briefly, breathes in deeply, and interjects into an elaborate, elegant explanation behind her logic and reasoning. Delving into her papers upon ancient genetic bio-modifications and ancestral genetics, she systematically explains in exacting detail and drives the conversation into Aristespha's stunned silence. Deedri maintains a firm stare upon Aristespha and perks an expectant brow. "Any further information you require, Mage Orienden?"

Embarrassment rushes up to fill Aristespha's face and she twists her lips to a frown. She shakes her head with a sigh and bows slightly towards Deedri. "No. Not at all... In fact, I should apologize."

Deedri's stare softens. Aristespha lifts her head up calmly. "I have obviously made some dreadfully and woefully inaccurate assumptions off of erroneous first impressions. I see that you are quite knowledgeable and were the best professional for that particular case. I apologize for acting so harshly upon such assumptions."

A slight smirk curls the corners of Deedri's mouth and she nods towards Aristespha. "Apology accepted."

Aristespha breathes easier and gazes at Deedri with a slight smile. "I believe I have actually read one of your papers before in the past. If I remember correctly, I found it very insightful."

Deedri smiles fully and rolls her eyes at herself. "Thank you. I hope it was one of my later papers, the earlier papers weren't my best work."

With a gentle chuckle, Aristespha shakes her head with shrug. "Do not worry. They never are. I still cringe when I even see the opening paragraph of some of my earliest work."

Deedri narrows her eyes thoughtfully and examines Aristespha's face, again hunting for a motive. "I have to ask, you seem really interested in Mylo's care. Any particular reason why?"

Aristespha blinks and a contemplation graces her face. "I ran into Mylokia at the convention and wanted to make sure he was doing okay. Talking to his parents, they were doing well, but... I could tell it had been difficult for them in the past with... the politics surrounding them."

Nodding understandingly, Deedri perks up with a satisfied tone. "I see. Well, little Mylo is a healthy boy. And from what I overheard, I think things are going a lot better for his parents. I believe the grandparents on his mother's side actually visited."

Surprise fills Aristespha face and fades to delight that relieves her mood and relaxes her shoulders. "That's wonderful to hear."

She thinks a moment, widens her eyes, and averts her gaze briefly from Deedri in a fit of embarrassment. "Oh, before I forget. I would like to also apologize about one comment I made towards you very early on... About your bell..."

Deedri pauses in thought, groans in annoyed disgust, and shakes her head with a wave of the hand. "It's okay. To be honest, I'm not that thrilled about it either. I'm so glad to not wear the thing for a while."

Aristespha quirks a curious eyebrow at Deedri. "Have you tried... misplacing it?"

With a long sigh, shoulder shrug, and her hands on her hips, Deedri grumbles with a defeated glance towards Aristespha. "SO many times. They either have a crew member dedicated to keeping track of it or they just ordered the things in bulk. I haven't figured out which yet."

Cideeda holds firmly onto her wand with both hands. She focuses upon a distant stabilized magical energy pedestal with an empty glass bottle upon it. With slow breaths and a concentrating grimace on her face, she aims the tip of the wand at the target. The inscriptions upon the wand glow green and the flow pulsates along the surface to condense upon the tip. A tiny sphere of magical energy forms at the end and vibrates in a holding position. Cideeda slightly relaxes her hand muscles with a twitch of a cheek under an emerald green eye, and the small magical bolt launches off towards the glass bottle. In seconds, it flies meters across the tall grasses of the backyard and bounces off the side of the bottle. The glass container wobbles in a rolling motion upon its bottom, before spinning off the edge of the platform, and falling towards the ground. Halfway down the pedestal, the bottle jerks back up and dangles, swinging from a thin filament of magical energy. Sotalia immediately cheers and excitedly hops near Cideeda. "You did it!  Amazing shot!"

Cideeda tries to keep a humble attitude in face of the claps from Bach and Dretphi, and the energetic thumbs up from Sebastian as he hovers nearby in his ethereal form. She rolls her eyes at herself and groans playfully. "Yes, it should be a good shot. It only took me over twenty times to hit the thing."

She glances at the target, closes one eye, and aims a wand point at platform, while her ears flick in response to the breeze. "So, I think I'll stick to the laser pistols for a little while longer."

Bach shrugs with a glint of blue in his eyes and curl of a finger at his side. "You'll get there. The hardest part is the launch with any unguided projectile. Even a little flux in the flow will send it off at the wrong angle."

The thin filament of magical energy draws the glass bottle back up to the platform. The container flips over upon the top and rights itself under the tension of the flow wire. It slides back into its previous position. Bach gestures towards the target and glances over to Cideeda. "Ready?"

Cideeda exhales out her tension, rolls her shoulders into a stretch, and relaxes her arms to the sides. She shakes her head and steps slowly towards the wooden plank picnic table bench. "Someone else can go for it. I'm actually feeling hungry and a little tired."

Sotalia nods towards Cideeda and steps up to the firing line with sly smirk. "Welcome to the best calorie burning exercises a girl could ever want. A few fireballs does wonders to counter a big dessert."

While walking towards the bench, Cideeda eyes Dretphi. When Sotalia pivots around to setup for a spell, Dretphi glances over to Cideeda and both roll their eyes in unison. Cideeda takes a seat upon the bench next to Dretphi, and exchange wry smirks. Sebastian thinks a moment and glances over to Bach. "Hey, bro, anything you can do to make it a bit more challenging?"

Bach ponders the notion and hums out his thoughts. "Maybe..."

Sotalia brushes back her dark red hair over her horns, steadies her stance, and lifts a finger towards the target with a dramatic flair. A small bolt of energy condenses in front of her long nailed fingertip, and she guides the orb in line with the glass bottle on the magical pedestal. Moments later, the magical projectile zips forward right at the center mass of the glass. A flicker of blue in Bach's eyes and a finger twitch later, the bottle suddenly slides along the pedestal out of the way of the energy bolt. With narrowing eyes, Sotalia directs an unamused stare at Bach and places her free hand indignantly upon her hip. "Cute."

She resumes her attention forward, prepares another similar bolt, and conceals a sly grin away from Bach. Squinting his glowing gaze at the energy orb in front of Sotalia's finger, Bach lifts a curious brow and a smile creeps across his mouth. Sotalia the releases the bolt and it streaks fast across the grassy backyard. The bottle shifts to the side, Sotalia's fingers flick, and the projectile adjusts its path. Bach flexes his fingers and shimmering threads pulse a signal down a track along the ground towards the pedestal. A rectangular barrier unfolds from underneath the pedestal and erects a small wall along the front face of the top platform. Sotalia's eyes widen and her upper lip snarls as she drives the bolt clear at the last moment. It flies wide out and starts to loop back into another approach. Sotalia momentarily glares at Bach, presents a competitive grin, and refocuses to steering the magical orb. With each pass the bolt attempts, the barrier flips around quickly to block passage and the projectile swings clear to ready another attack vector. Feverish minutes pass in the contest. Cideeda and Dretphi attentively watch upon the edges of their bench seats, while Sebastian hovers with full focus upon the fight. Sotalia grits her teeth in frustration, and pants as a few beads of sweat form on her brow from the combination of concentration and the sun above. She growls as her agitation rises with each failed attempt. Bach maintains a constant blue glow in eyes and his fingers flick and flex as pulses of magical energy flash down the thin magical control lines.

After the latest pass, the bolt swings wide and flies out for another attempt. Sotalia notices the faint shimmers of the magical control lines, dons a sinister grin, and gestures with the free hand from her hip as she mouths out an incantation. With a quick snap of the wrist, a directed pulse of magical energy warps out from her downwards aimed palm at the energy threads in the grass. The wave contacts the lines, disrupts the flow of energy, and dispels large gaps into the lines. Bach blinks in a moment of confusion, snaps his stare down at the broken lines, and mumbles a few curses. Sotalia curls a finger with a smug grin and sends the energy bolt right into the bottle, bouncing it clear off the pedestal. She spins around both hands on her hips, bows to the amusement of Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sebastian, and winks with a sly smile to Bach. "Again, cute. But... Fun."

Bach rolls his eyes and shrugs his shoulders. Sotalia pants, wipes the sweat off her brow, and gazes over to the hot tub gazebo. "Well, between that and the sun, I think I need nice long Saturday afternoon soak."

Dretphi glances back over to the house, lifts herself up, picks up her practice wand, and steps towards the ranch style house. "I need to prepare dinner."

Cideeda hops up on her feet, stretches out her back, and grins toothily. "Sounds good to me."

She pauses a moment and perks her ears towards the far corner of the property lot, in the direction of the two-story house. She puzzles a moment and starts to walk away. "Quiet over there today. Don't hear Tassilda or Veevi in a yelling match."

Sotalia snickers to herself as the group walks towards the ranch style house. From the thick, obscuring cover of the bushes along the perimeter of the forest, Tassilda squints her eyes and carefully watches. She focuses her full attention upon one person, Sotalia. Her light blue on black eyes track Sotalia as she breaks away from the group and progresses over towards the hot tub gazebo. As Sotalia enters into the structure and out of view, a dark grin parts Tassilda's lips and she aims a sinister stare upon the gazebo. Tapping a long, black nailed finger upon her lips, she ponders. A spark of inspiration lights up her eyes, a low chuckle escapes her mouth, and she slinks off back towards the two-story house.

Dr. Blackwell sorts through paperwork behind the general diagnostics office area. Examining documents and occasionally signing off on a form, she stares over the quiet waiting room, her idling desk staff, and a number of medical mages and doctors double-checking case files. A shrill chime erupts from a red phone upon the wall and an amber light brilliantly flashes. Dr. Blackwell steps quickly over, snatches the phone handset off the unit, and places the device to her ear with a stern expression. "Dr. Blackwell."

Her eyes follow the statements coming from the speaker and her expression shifts gravely. She quickly scans the area, spots both Deedri and Aristespha, and meets their alert gazes. "Mage Orienden. Mage Preeta. Rush to the ER immediately. You two have both training and experience with magical trauma. Alchemical accident in a home lab. Multiple people injured, the worst is coming via ambulance in the next few minutes. MOVE."

Aristespha and Deedri exchange glances, pause briefly, and then speed off in a fast walk out of the area and down the hall. Dr. Blackwell speaks into the handset. "Two adventurer medical mages are on their way."

During the rush down the main hallway of the clinic, both Deedri and Aristespha prepare themselves. They quickly speak fast incantations and gesture for the same set of protective spells. An auburn glow shines from Deedri's eyes and Aristespha's eyes ignite violet. As they enter the emergency bays, they quickly wash hands, cast disinfectant spells, and don both gloves and masks. They present themselves to the emergency room head doctor and get more detail about the situation. Moments later, fast opening automated doors retract clear to allow a swarm of emergency medical techs and paramedics around a gurney to pour into the area. Upon the medical stretcher, a young man lays unconscious. Slow streaks of crimson ooze out upon his red stained skin from numerous glass-shard filled wounds across his chest and abdomen. As the crowd closes in, Deedri winces as she sniffs the air and the powerful stench of an indeterminable alchemical cocktail floods the area. Aristespha eyes open wide as she immediately studies the state of the man coming into view.

The group of emergency medical techs and paramedics carefully transfer the patient into an awaiting medical table. Aristespha and Deedri enter the fray. Vitals, statuses, figures, stats, and more fly around in a maelstrom of activity. Both Deedri and Aristespha assert themselves into the process and take command. Aristespha directs her voice towards a paramedic maintaining his hands above the chest and abdomen of the patient. "How long have you been magically stabilizing?"

The paramedic maintains his stare at the injured man, breathes audibly, and only grants enough attention to the outside world to respond with the needed information. "Tw-Tw-Twenty... Minutes."

Urgency fills Aristespha's tone as she watches the paramedic's body tremble. She quickly starts a series of incantations and gestures, holds her hands above the paramedics, and calmly but sternly commands. "On three. Transfer stabilization."

She snaps her head to face an emergency tech and orders. "Catch him the second he releases."

The emergency tech nods. Aristespha calls out as her eyes shine brightly violet. "One. Two. Three!"

In one fluid motion, the paramedic with his last bits of consciousness backs away clear of the chaos and falls into the arms of the awaiting emergency tech, who carries him away. Visible flows of magical energy swirl around Aristespha's arms and radiate upon the body of the patient. Deedri quickly and systematically inspects the shards of glass embedded in the body of the man, squints towards strange discoloration,s and inspects the burns upon the body. "Improper glassware. Shards are too large. Chemical burns and excessive magical energy residue. Secondary reaction explosion."

Aristespha nods and focuses upon her stabilization spell with careful breaths. "Too many wounds to maintain this stabilization field effectively any more than half an hour. I can see other issues, but we need to make sure he doesn't bleed to death first once this field releases."

Deedri glances up to Aristespha and resolutely proposes a plan. "I'll perform magical encapsulated extraction of the foreign material. Trauma foam the cavities. We focus on the most threatening and work from there?"

With a firm nod, Aristespha confirms and confidently agrees. "I'll adjust the stabilization field as you fill. It'll extend the time I'm able to maintain it. Watch for active alchemical residue."

Deedri's hand reaches out and hovers near an embedded glass shard sparkling just under skin level of the wound near side of the chest. With a long breath in, she carefully lowers a stable finger down, and places her glove encased claw tip gently upon the hard, shiny fragment. With a brighter auburn flare in her eyes, a flow of magical energy slowly wraps around her finger, crosses onto the glass shard top via claw tip, and infiltrates into the wound. Seconds later, the flow slows and the field of magical energy condenses to a thin barrier. Deedri carefully and gradually pulls her finger away with firm tension. A few centimeter long, jagged sliver of glass slides out of the wound. The field of magic encases the razor sharp edges and contains tiny fragments within a matrix of energy. Glancing around quickly, Deedri spots a nearby nurse at the ready with metal tray and deposits the exorcised foreign material with a dispersal of the energies at her claw tip. "Thank you."

With series of hand gestures, Deedri instructs the nurse towards the cleared cavity and the same nurse applies a spray of foaming compound down into the wound. Aristespha gives Deedri a nod and slow exhale. "Excellent. Let's hope the rest are that simple."

She scans the sheer number of similar wounds upon the man, gathers her composure, and presents a confident air. Deedri glances to Aristespha with a resolute demeanor, flexes her fingers, and surveys for the next target. The emergency medical techs and paramedics fallback to make room for nurses, support staff, other medical mages, and doctors. Aristespha and Deedri work methodically and coordinate their efforts with care and precision. Deedri extracts glass shards into trays, Aristespha augments her stabilization fields to isolate harmful alchemical reside, and the both communicate with support staff. Nearly an hour later, the last glass shard hits a tray and a final tube of trauma foam expands into the cavity of a wound. Aristespha releases the stabilization field spell, carefully steps back from the table, and props herself up against a nearby wall. Deedri scans over the man, double-checks his current vitals, and clears away towards the same wall. Another team of medical staff fill in Aristespha and Deedri's spots, thank the two for their work, and prep the patient for the next stage of treatment.

Aristespha and Deedri both glance over to the attending head doctor. He acknowledges the two of them, surveys the area full of medical staff, and points them to a few chairs off to the side. Aristespha rocks herself forward off the wall, and walks to the cleaning station with Deedri. After clean up, the two sit down, receive potions from nursing staff, and await further instruction.

Cideeda swipes through screens full of text as she lays upon the living room couch and idly taps a claw tip upon her aetherphone display. "I can't believe all the pest extermination jobs out there."

Dretphi stretches her legs out onto the coffee table in front of the couch, settles back into couch opposite to Cideeda, and nods. "Seasonal problem. Pest become active. Mating. Breeding. Migration periods."

Relaxing in the extended recliner, Sotalia thumbs through lists of jobs on her aetherphone and twists her lips more with each title description she reads. "Bandit patrol, bandit patrol, whelp extermination... Oh gods, pig rat extermination..."

She shudders in her seat and quickly flips through a blur of jobs to put some virtual distance between her eyes and that posting. Bach glances over with a quizzical lift of a brow at Sotalia and gazes up at Sebastian floating over his shoulder. "There's a story there, I guess?"

Sebastian grits his teeth briefly and groans with a slight ghostly reverb as he momentarily averts his eyes away from Bach's aetherphone screen. "Yeah. You could say that, bro."

He shrugs with his hands out to the sides and scratches the back of his head. "Pig rats are some weird mutated creatures that look like the large, hairless blend of a pig and rat. They're fucking mean, have claws, and are nearly blind. But, they have a good sense of smell and just swarm anything they sense has magic. I don't know if they just like magic or if it just pisses them off."

Sotalia cringes, squirms in the recliner more, and shakes her head side to side, tensing her shoulders. "Oh gods! Stop talking about them! I HATE those things!"

A wry smirk cracks from the corner of Cideeda's mouth to reveal a toothy grin. "Aww, but they seemed to like you a lot."

Dretphi mutes an ill-humored smile, brushes a few platinum blonde braids back, and keeps her steely gray eyes upon her aetherphone. "Did not know that pig rats could climb trees. Chew through boot leather so quick."

Sotalia's expression sours and she grumbles to herself. "...I really liked those enchanted boots..."

Bach glances over his shoulder again to his ethereal brother. Sebastian rolls his eyes and mouths. "I'll tell you later."

Scrutinizing the list of jobs upon his aetherphone, Bach sighs in thought and tilts his head to the side. "It just seems like pest control or bandit patrol on the guild job board right now."

Sebastian nods and shrugs his shoulders. "Sunday is usually the leftovers from the week, since most governments and business only post during the work week. I'm not against a pest extermination job, but it's dirty work depending on the pest. And, we're not really large enough to handle any significant group of bandits nicely."

Dretphi glances towards Bach and comments with a thoughtful tone. "Undesirable situation overall. Prefer unique exploratory jobs."

Cideeda nods her head upon the couch pillow as she switches up her crossed legs. "Far better loot, too. And less trouble most of the time."

Sebastian lowers his head to peer close over Bach's shoulder at the aetherphone. "Also, most bandit groups tend to leave adventuring groups alone... Too much trouble for not enough reward. Unless... You have a known history with hunting bandits down. That kind of makes it personal with them."

A series of different chimes ring out in a chorus from the aetherphones in the room and a distant series of alerts echo down the hallway from Aristespha's room. Sebastian points a transparent finger at the indicator on Bach's phone. Bach presses the visual notification and a job listing draws up on the screen. Everyone else reacts similarly and simultaneously reads the new information. Sebastian cocks his head to the side and puzzles at the text. "Interesting. A direct bid posting... A search and rescue assignment... For a young evuukian teenager?"

He stands up straight, searches his mind with his eyes, and curiously overlooks the rest of the group. "When Aristespha is done with the clinic, we'll definitely discuss this job."

Upon the clinic break room couch, Deedri lifts her arms up, rubs around her eyes, and releases a long sigh.  "I still can't believe those people were that stupid to carelessly mix all those reagents they got off a random aethernet site."

Aristespha lifts a warm compress off her head, gazes over towards Deedri, and groans. "At least only two other people were nearby when the explosion happened. And, they weren't as bad as the first. I don't think I could do another stabilization field after that first one."

The two sit in the calming silence of the room as the evening sun weakly radiates a dusk light through the windows. Aristespha removes the compress completely, places it on the chair arm, and rotates her head towards Deedri. "So, where did you study?"

Deedri blinks open her eyes, sighs weakly, and shrugs off some embarrassment. "Just a small no name school. No where in comparison to where you probably went."

After a brief laugh, Aristespha snorts and shakes her head. "You'd be surprised. I'm the fifth child in the family. I went to budget adventuring school that I still got loans out for."

Genuine surprise appears on Deedri's face and she focuses her gaze upon Aristespha with honest curiosity. "Really? Wow, I... Um..."

A sly grin graces Aristespha's face and she expresses her amusement with a chuckle. "Oh, you thought that evuukian ruling houses were all ridiculously wealthy and all the children got the best of everything?"

Deedri pauses a moment, thinks out her next statement upon her face, and chooses to remain in quiet embarrassment. Aristespha briefly laughs loudly, looks up to the ceiling, and slowly shakes her head. "Gods, I wish that was the case. But, it isn't. Especially, when you are not the first two children. You might get lucky if you are the third. Otherwise, you never much hear about a house's children past the fourth. The resources tend to dry up at that point. The opportunities get REALLY slim."

She frowns slightly. "Honestly, I stumbled upon the big find that got me into the Grand Library. It was pure luck."

Deedri directs a comforting smile at Aristespha. "Well, even with luck you still have to know how to make use of it. It seems like you did."

Aristespha nods with an accepting smirk and lift of a brow at Deedri. "I hope so. I have to ask, what do you plan to do after the show?"

Deedri's eyes flit wide and she furrows her brow in thought with an unsure expression. "I... I don't really know. I certainly want to do more adventuring... with a more cohesive group. But, I don't know if I'll have any more applicable experience than what I started the show with. I don't think I've demonstrated and expanded my skills enough."

A serious, calm tone overtakes Aristespha's voice and she stares at Deedri. "You have today to me. You have the skills. The experience... Will come later in time. But, you DO have what it takes. I don't think you'll have any problem getting hired into a good group in the future. If you do..."

She tugs at the corner of her mouth, but eventually stretches out an honest smile. "I'm sure I can convince the rest of my group to let you intern with us until you find your own team."

Deedri eyes widen utter surprise. She tries to blink away the shock and only manages to wet her eyes a bit with each attempt. She turns her head to face up towards the ceiling, wipes the forming tears out of her eyes, and sniffs quickly to clear her voice. "Thank you. Really. I appreciate knowing that."

A relaxing silence wafts in the room again for minutes as the last bits of sunlight no longer compete with the break room's overhead lights. The two rest and collect their thoughts in the idle time. Minutes afterwards, the entry door opens and Dr. Blackwell walks through. Both Aristespha and Deedri begin to sit up to attention when Dr. Blackwell gestures them to resume their rest. Dr. Blackwell presents a mild smile and pans her gaze between them. "Excellent work, mages. I wanted to come down and personally update you. All the patients are stable and most servere are being treated by regenerative doctors."

Aristespha perks her brow and asks. "How is the paramedic fairing?"

Dr. Blackwell nods towards Aristespha with a professional, proper demeanor. "He'll be just fine. He's on mandatory sick leave tomorrow to recuperate."

She pauses a moment and her expression gradually softens. "I also wanted to state that you two have performed admirably in your duties here. I'll be certain to grant an hour bonus to your quotas. I'll need you to come in tomorrow for some paperwork, but you'll be able to rejoin your adventuring teams for now."

Presenting a proud smile, she gazes out the windows to the orange red glow of the horizon. "If you two ever need to work on your quotas again, feel free to contact me personally."

Both Aristespha and Deedri nod in appreciation. Dr. Blackwell steps closer to the windows and narrows her stare with a growing grin. She turns her head slightly back towards Aristespha and Deedri with a sly tint to her voice. "Now, I'm not one to encourage anyone's activities off the clock, but... There's a particular bar hidden across the way in the commercial district that I've heard is quite popular with many of the staff here."

She pivots around and walks to the door.  As she opens the door, she stops short of crossing out into the hall, and turns her head back with a smirk. "I wouldn't be surprised if a few deserving volunteers wander that way in the very near future to settle their nerves before going home for the night."

The door closes behind Dr. Blackwell. Deedri slowly rolls her head over towards Aristespha. "Umm, do you want to go find that bar?"

After a moment of deliberation, Aristespha tilts herself forward to her feet, cracks her neck, and stretches her back out. "Oh gods, yes."

Chad slowly turns the steering wheel of the black sport utility vehicle and guides it into another lane. Alone in the cab, he speaks out loud and maintains an uncertain, contemplative stare out the windshield. "I don't know, dad. Ratings are good. We have a cooperative contract setup for this week with a larger merc company. So, I guess things are doing good."

An older voice with an uplifting hint sounds out from Chad's aetherphone upon a dash mount. "Hey, that's great to hear. What group is it? I might have done business with them."

Chad rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and grumbles. "Of course you probably have been business with them."

An unapologetic response comes from the speakerphone. "That's kind of my business, son. So, come on. Who is it?"

With a slight begrudging groan giving way to a genuine appreciation, Chad responds. "The Chrome Crusaders."

The bright tone of Chad's father shines through into the cab of the vehicle. "Oh, awesome! They're a really good organization. I've sold a number of armor suits and rented a few of the big mechs to them."

After along pause, Chad briefly darts an anticipating glance to his phone and sighs. "If I need you to check in on the particular division I'm working with, I'll let you know."

Hints of embarrassment slip into Chad's father's voice. "Ah... Well... Dammit, son. You know I just want to help you out where I can."

A slight smile forms on Chad's face and he slowly nods while rotating the steering wheel. "I know, dad. Things are going, okay. Not great, but I think I can make it work."

Chad's father approaches the subject with a careful but supportive tone. "Hey, don't worry about it. Even your grandfather had a rough start to his adventuring career... And a lot of slumps, that I was around for."

With the awkward silence, Chad grimaces and waits. His father's voice continues. "As much as you don't want to hear it... You always can work at MERC with your old man for awhile. You network with a few people and you'll be off in your own group in no time. Know the offer is always there, son."

As the streetlights pulse light upon the dash and illuminate the front seats, Chad releases a long exhale, nods, and speaks appreciatively towards the aetherphone. "Thanks, dad. Really. Speaking of... Have you heard from granddad lately?"

A long groan echoes through the speakerphone and Chad's father grumbles in mild annoyance. "Not much since he stopped by a month ago and... borrowed... one the humvees off the lot for whatever quest he's on now. I think he was hunting down another mystical magic artifact."

Chad interest piques and his excitement infiltrates his response. "Really?! Did he say anything to you about it?!"

Chad's father drones, unamused through the speaker of the aetherphone. "No. Of course not. But... From what other equipment he... borrowed... I don't think he's going too far outside aether tower and radio range. So, he should receive anything you message to him. Might even answer his phone for once."

A mixture of emotions fight for space on Chad's face and he cautiously responds. "Well, I'll try to contact him and relay what he's doing to you."

A long sigh escapes Chad's father and sounds out from the other side of the connection. "It's okay. He's your grandfather. And he's always happy to hear from you and you should talk to him. Just... Just... Just don't fall into his... life philosophy? It works for him, but I think he's the only one it works for."

Chad rolls his eyes, flips the turn signal, and slows the vehicle to a stop at an empty lighted intersection. He thinks a moment, contorts his mouth, and finally replies. "I'll be careful, dad. I'm going to make it work."

A long pause later, Chad's father responds pleasantly. "I know you will. Speaking of making things work, how are things between you and Veevi?"

Chad blinks to attention after pondering the question, notices the lights changing to green, and drives the black sport utility vehicle into a long left turn. He uncertainly contemplates and snarls an unsure upper lip with a shoulder shrug. "It's... A thing?"

A hearty laugh echoes from the aetherphone on the dash mount. "Ah! No need to explain. I totally understand, son. Despite what you may think, your old man has had a few of those in his early years, too. You gotta have a few flings."

Chad shakes his head quickly, narrows his eyes incredulously ahead, and puzzles with a snort. "What?! You? No way!"

A sly chuckle resonates through the phone. "Hey, I've had my own exploits behind the scenes of the mercenary equipment trade. Even a few flings that I still keep in contact today. You know Lady Aaveradean? The nice woman who gave your first training sword?"

Chad eyes widen and he flutters his eyes in bewilderment. "You and her? Wha? I... Okay, you HAVE to be bullshitting me now dad."

Another laugh sounds out from the phone. "Hey, I wasn't too bad looking back in the day."

Chad presses the brakes and guides the vehicle into a parallel parking spot along the street dividing the clinic complex and nearby commercial district. He reaches for his phone, lifts it off the mount, and rolls his eyes in amusement. "Okay, dad. I'll talk to you later. I need to figure out where to pick Deedri up at."

Chad's father chuckles lightly and brightly answers. "Okay. Good luck finding your medical mage. I love you, son."

Chad smiles at the phone and nods. "Love you, too. Bye."

He presses the call end button on the screen of his phone and turns his attention to the evening activity in the area. As he focuses towards the clinic complex, he hears the tapping of claw tips upon the front passenger side window. He snaps his head around and watches Deedri wave with a relaxed smile. With a quick click of a button, the vehicle's door locks disengage. Deedri quickly opens the car door, hops into the front passenger seat, and faces Chad with a smirk. "Hey. Sorry about the late pick up. It's... Been a day."

Chad blinks utterly confused and slowly nods. Deedri hiccups and covers her mouth. Chad's bewilderment continues as Deedri loosely puts her seat belt on.

Veevi steps carefully along the carpeted hallway of the upper floor. She slinks around pass bedroom doors and gradually approaches the two doors at the end of the hallway belonging to Deedri and Modoran. Her eyes focus upon Modoran's bedroom door and a sinister smile creeps across her lips. As she closes in on the doorway, she adjusts her posture to shift her nightshirt into a more provocative position upon her body. Just as her hand hovers above the door knob to Modoran's door, wooden creaks from the steps echo down hall from the stairwell. A series of slow steps sound out and grow louder. Veevi searches around the area, straightens her stance, and dons an innocent demeanor as she slides a meter away from the door. Deedri arrives to the top of the stairs, yawns with a loose sway, and walks slowly towards her end of the hallway. Veevi squints her pink pupil eyes at Deedri and examines her posture, mannerisms, and body language. As Veevi's mind processes the information, a mischievous, evil smirk cracks from the corner of the mouth and her full attention locks onto Deedri. She slowly moves forwards to Deedri and greets her with a wave. "Hey. You're home really late."

Deedri glances over to Veevi, awkwardly returns the wave, and continues towards her bedroom. "Yes... It's been a day."

Veevi closes the distance between her and Deedri, and casually sniffs the air. A spark of inspiration lights her eyes and she presents a concerned look at Deedri with a sweet tinge. "Really? Anything you want to talk about? I can be a great listener."

Deedri slides her course away from Veevi, close to the wall leading to her bedroom door. "It's okay. Just a stressful day. I'll be fine. Just need to get to bed."

Veevi places her tan, brown-striped arm upon the wall in front of Deedri's and gazes at her with a smile. "Hey... It's okay. I'd like to hear about your day. It might help relieve some stress by sharing."

Deedri squirms and searches for an alternative route in between glances at Veevi's best convincing expression. Veevi eases closer, rests a gentle hand upon Deedri's shoulder, and lowers her voice to a soft whisper. "Listen. I've had a lot of crazy, stressful experiences. And, I've learned a thing or two about dealing with stress. And, I've learned that best ways are sharing with others..."

Veevi's long, short-hair tail snakes closer to Deedri's leg, and her free hand slips in the space between Deedri's arm and waist, under her medical duster, to rest upon her back of her pants. Donning a sultry grin, Veevi winks to Deedri and punctuates with a firm squeeze. "And... I've learned the best ways involve a bed..."

Deedri body stiffens, her expression blanks, and she closes her eyes. Veevi expectantly awaits a response. Deedri releases a long, irritation strained exhale, and opens her eyes ignite with auburn. In a fraction of a second, Veevi's confidence vaporizes as shock overtakes her completely and she releases a loud, reflexive yip. She instinctively lifts up on the balls of feet and drops her panicked, wide eyed stare down. Deedri's claws curl through Veevi's nightshirt and press sharply onto Veevi's soft skinned belly. Deedri swiftly marches towards the opposing wall of the hallway and guides Veevi along under near-piercing pain and the threat of puncture. With a solid thud upon the surface, Veevi lifts her hands away from Deedri and raises them up with a tremble. From behind the nearby door, Modoran's voice sounds out a confused quip in evuukian.

Deedri adjusts her spread finger grip of Veevi's belly and glares darkly right up into Veevi's eyes with an auburn glow illuminating her face "You. Just. Had. To. Push. It."

She squeezes her hold lightly and watches Veevi cringe and tense. "Let me make this clear. I've had a stressful day and want to go to bed. Alone. In fact, I really don't want anything to do with you in that particular way... EVER. And, before you start thinking... I've entertained a variety of relationships. So, when I say I don't want anything to do with you..."

She straightens her stance, pulls Veevi down, and glares through Veevi. "I. MEAN. YOU. Do you understand?"

Veevi rapidly nods her head a few times and remains silent from terror. Deedri maintains her stare and examines the very details of Veevi's face. Modoran's door opens and he cautiously leans out. He halts in utter bewilderment at the scene before him and quietly observes in awe. Deedri draws in a long breath and growls. "Good. Because... If you pester me with your pitiful attempts to bed me again... I will..."

The claws latched into Veevi's belly press harder into her soft tan skin and reach the near piercing point of her flesh but halt precisely short of it. Deedri grits her sharp teeth and narrows her brightly shining auburn eyes upon Veevi's horrified face. "Manually. Spay. You... Understand?"

Veevi nods her head quickly with a pleading tone. "Y-y-y-yes. U-u-u-u-nder-s-s-stood."

In a swift motion, Deedri releases her grip, steps away, and pivots in place. She stops her rotation when she sees Modoran gawking and relaxes her fury with a few long breaths to a much calmer, slightly embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry. It's- It's been a day."

Modoran blinks back to awareness, musters a comforting smirk, and nods in agreement. "Looks like it. Um, it's okay. I've had... Similar days?"

Deedri returns the nod, turns the rest of the way, and quickly slips through the door to her room. Modoran slowly swings his blank stare over. Standing with her knees touching and supporting most her weight against the wall, Veevi finally inspects her abdomen, finding no blood or broken skin. She slowly lifts her head up, pants unconsciously, and feels her pink flushed face. Resting hand upon her chest, she stares forward confused and contemplative, her mind vainly trying to evaluate the situation. She rolls herself away from Modoran along the wall, steadies herself on her feet, and sheepishly walks weak-kneed back towards her room. Modoran bounces his gaze between Veevi's retreat and Deedri's bedroom door, only managing mouth out evuukian phrases, absolutely perplexed.

-44-

Rays of morning sun slip through the blinds into the bedroom and scatter a glow upon the area. Sebastian's ethereal forms kneels next to the bed and he eases his voice into Aristespha's long ear. "Dear... Time to wake up. You turned off your alarm last night. Dear?"

A grumbling mumble sounds out from under the covers and Aristespha rolls her head purposefully away from Sebastian into a mass of blankets. Sebastian smirks with a lift of a brow, shakes his head, and drifts over Aristespha to the other side of the bed. He floats down upon the bed and grins widely at the face peeking out from bed sheets. "Well, it looks like SOMEONE had a little too much last-"

A pair violet eyes open to a dim glow and stare unamused at Sebastian. Aristespha growls weakly and averts her narrowing gaze away briefly. "I am fine. Sebastian."

Sebastian rolls his eyes playfully and slowly nods with a dramatic flair. "Of course you are, my dear."

Aristespha returns her gaze to Sebastian, sighs, and gradually removes the covers off herself. She stares up to the ceiling, rubs the temples of her head, and rolls herself to the edge of the bed. Her silvery blue hair drapes over her face and her hand reaches out to pat around the floor underneath the bed. Sebastian sinks through the mattress, searches briefly around, and gently calls out to Aristespha. "It's up against the wall near the bed post, dear."

Aristespha's hand slides sideways along the hardwood floor, bumps into metal box, and quickly grasps onto the top. She guides the container over just under her view, undoes the locking clasp, and flips the hinged lid open. With a few pokes into the assorted contents, she lifts up a single vial, pries the cork off with a bite, and tilts her head back to dump the clear fluid back into her mouth. Sebastian slips up from underneath the bed, stands up next to the side, and watches Aristespha cringe and cough. "Fine, are you?"

Slowly sitting up, Aristespha places the glass tube upon the nearby nightstand and narrows her eyes at Sebastian. "I'm fine... Now... Soon..."

She works the disgust from her face and shakes her head. Sebastian mutes his amusement and dons a plain smile. "It never tastes any better, does it?"

Aristespha sighs smirking, and shrugs her shoulders as she stretches her neck. "No. Generations of medical mages have yet to figure out how to counter that awful taste."

Sebastian lowers himself down to a seat upon the bed and eyes Aristespha. "So, you remember anything I told you last night. Or, do I need to-"

A violet eyed glare strikes Sebastian, but Aristespha eventually softens her gaze with a slow nod. "Yes. I wasn't... THAT far gone. There's a job about a missing evuukian teenager that was directly sent to our group from a guild ID we've never seen..."

Consciousness returns in full and Aristespha's hand reflexively reaches out to her aetherphone. She quickly taps a side button and the current date and time flashes up. A breath of relief escapes her mouth and she releases some tension. "Good. Didn't sleep in too much."

Her eyes squint down at the notification list and she quickly taps in her security code upon the display. She sorts through on screen menus and pours her full attention to a series of messages. Sebastian notices the quick change of focus and slides around to peer above her shoulder. "What's the matter, dear?"

Aristespha curiously scrolls through the messages and glances over to Sebastian quizzically. "Valavera sent me a few messages last night."

Sebastian blinks and scans the evuukian text upon Aristespha's aetherphone screen. "Is she okay? Please tell me she's not the missing teenager?"

Quickly shaking her head, Aristespha drags a finger tip up the aetherphone display and hovers over a section of text. "No. She's just fine, Sebastian. Beckerin took her along on a few side jobs on their way back and she's been at home for a few weeks. She says she knows the missing teenager and told her parents to hire us specifically to find her."

She slowly turns her head to gaze at Sebastian with mix of intrigue and concern upon her face. "Valavera says she has information about where the teenager might be and wants to talk to all of us over the phone because of how sensitive it is."

Sebastian cocks his head to the side, relaxes his ethereal form in thought, and twists his lips. "Did she mention anything else?"

Aristespha returns her stare to the aetherphone screen and searches the lines of evuukian text with a gradual shake of the head. "No. She's being vague about what she wants to tell us. I guess Beckerin probably advised her on how to phrase it all via a message. He's always been careful about anything written or recorded."

After a moment of pause, Sebastian's eyes widen as memories spring back to the front his mind and he sternly watches the display scroll. "It might be something about the Terra Priests."

Tassilda stands in the middle of the wrap around kitchen and inspects a number of glass tubes in wooden holders. She grasps onto one with a gloved hand, slides it up out of the frame, and holds it up against the light coming through the window. A faintly milky liquid swirls within the confines of the glass container. Examining the contents, Tassilda squints her light blue on black eyes and pulls a plotting smirk to the corner of her mouth. She lowers the tube over the larger basin of the kitchen sink, places her other hand around the glass and her hand, and closes her eyes. With slow breaths, she concentrates, straightens her posture, and calmly mouths out careful incantations. Moments later, gradual flows of magical energy glide along her arms and consolidate into a single trail that condenses into the open mouth of the glass tube. The cloudy fluid glows brightly as the magical power collects and small bubbles form upon the interior sides. Just when the concoction foams at the top, Tassilda opens her eyes, waves off the excess magical flow with one hand, and carefully inserts the glass container into another wooden holder at the bottom of the sink. She quickly checks her hands for overflow. After a few moments, she looks over to a series of black rubber stoppers and one white wax cork. A sinister spark lights her eyes and sharpens her smile when she focuses her attention upon the wax top.

An irregular series of creaks echo out from the stairs. A few seconds later, a groggy Deedri plods through the archway into the dining area, brushing the loose fabric of her pajamas on a wall corner and letting her tail lazily sway. As she walks closer towards the kitchen, she rubs her forehead with one hand and feels her grip on a small vial of clear liquid in the other. Tassilda breaks from her task and curiously watches Deedri sloppily navigate to the front of the refrigerator. Removing the hand from her head, Deedri opens the fridge door and side steps out of the swing path. She grasps onto a carton of orange juice inside, pulls it out swiftly, and keeps it at the ready. Tassilda cocks her head, lifts a confused eyebrow, and places her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"

Deedri blinks to attention, draws a long breath in, and sighs reluctantly. "Self medicating."

In a quick series of motions, she claws off the stopper in the vial, dumps the contents down her throat, folds the carton open, and quaffs a long pour of orange juice. Tassilda eyes' open wide as she continues to watch Deedri wince, squirm, and tense. Deedri drops the carton back down, breathes deeply, and slumps to full awareness. She glances down the nearly empty carton and bites her lip in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. It takes a lot of orange juice to counteract the bad taste."

Tassilda slowly nods, brushes her raven hair over her swirling horns, and presents a very amused grin. "I see. I was wondering what you were up to last night."

Deedri closes the fridge door, places the stopper back in the vial, and stands back to support herself on a nearby counter. "It was a rough day, so I stopped by a... place that many other clinic staff visit."

She glances over to Tassilda and notices the intrigue and curiosity swelling up on her face. "Uh, so um... What are you doing right now? Making potions? Um..."

Tassilda chuckles lightly, pivots to gaze up her project, and shrugs casually. "Oh, nothing too complicated. Just making a batch of dispelling charges."

Deedri focuses her stare upon the tubes of milky fluid, and nods. "I see. That's actually a good idea."

A smile pulls across Tassilda's lips and she turns back to face Deedri. "I figured. It'll be nice to have something to dispel those annoying little bits of magic without requiring our energies at the time."

She frowns momentarily and grumbles under her breath. "... and counteract any other cute tricks that Veevi happens to figure out without wasting valuable effort..."

Deedri's posture tenses upon hearing Veevi's name and she scans around the quickly. "Have you seen Veevi today?"

Tassilda's focus locks on to Deedri and she quirks a brow. "No. I believe she's still in HER room. For once. Why?"

Reluctantly, Deedri sighs and shakes her head. "I had a run in with her last night before getting to my room and... Well... I, um... Made sure she knew my claws weren't for show."

A proud smile graces Tassilda's face. She steps forward in front of Deedri, lifts her hands off her hips, places them on Deedri's shoulders, and looks Deedri in the eyes. "As you should. Someone of your talent should NEVER have to suffer grief from someone like that."

Deedri blinks to attention and dons a humble smile. "Thank you. I appreciate hearing that."

Tassilda releases Deedri, walks over to the kitchen sink, and directs her voice over a shoulder. "You shouldn't be afraid to stand up for yourself."

A bit of hesitation infiltrates Deedri's voice and she grits her teeth briefly. "I know. But, I'm bit worried what might happen because of how I stood up for myself..."

After a pause, Tassilda eases her head to face Deedri and dons a delightfully curious expression upon her gray toned face. "Really? However did you stand up for youself?"

Deedri quickly lifts the carton of orange juice and drinks, stalling for time, in front of the patient Tassilda.

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia sit at the dining room table, while Sebastian hovers overhead. Attentions focus upon the aetherphone resting upon the table. Valavera's voice sounds out from the speakerphone. "Okay, Uncle Becker told me to tell you all this over the phone and make sure there's no written record of it, because... Well..."

The unamused tone of Aristespha cuts through the idle air and she aims her glare at the aetherphone. "It's incriminating of you. We understand and it's okay. Just relay what you know, so we can help."

A nervous gasp escapes Valavera's side of the conversation and she sighs longly with acceptance. "Okay. Sorry. When I went out into the woods, I wasn't the only one that was put on the same type of assignment. My friend Faelatelia and I went out to a meet up with the guy from the group. We split up after we got our missions and I was in contact with her until... my phone broke."

Tension builds in her voice and concern leaks out into her cadence. "I... Well... When I got back home, I tried to contact her and find out what happened. I was hoping she was abandoned like me and had gone back home eventually. But... No one has seen her since we both left..."

Sebastian's ethereal form lowers slightly and he directs his question at the aetherphone. "Do you know where she was suppose to go for her assignment?"

Valavera perks up and promptly responds. "Yes! I told Uncle Becker and he even called in a favor from his friend Mavian. He scouted the area and found signs that someone had been there a while ago. But... Left..."

Cideeda raps a hand of claw tips upon the table top, twists a lip in though, and proposes a suggestion. "The guild mission brief has a huge, vague area that her aetherphone was last detected from a few distant radio towers. Were they able to get anything else from the phone that wasn't on the mission brief?"

Valavera focuses back upon the present and snaps out of her worry. "Oh, uh. Yes? Sort of? Uncle Becker contacted some people he knows at few of the aethernetwork companies. A lot of messages didn't get delivered to my phone, but they had records of them. There were a few from her..."

Aristespha speaks clearly, firmly at her phone, and interlocks her fingers together as she ponders. "What did they say?"

With a drift in her tone and hints of resignation, Valavera answers with a long sigh. "She got accepted into the group. She was given a location to go to, and was told to go there to get taken to the Terra Priest commune. That location is within the area they tracked her phone to."

Dretphi nods slowly, processes the information, and comments as she sorts through the implications. "It is a meeting point. For safety. Likely far from the final destination. Heavy forest does not allow useful vehicle transit. The commune could be within walking range. Unfortunately, could be hours, days of travel to reach."

Sotalia grumbles in frustration and slides the highlighted region around on a tablet upon the dining table in front of her. "Gods. So, even if we go to that spot, the real place could be ANYWHERE around here. Probably kilometers away. And, I bet they are keeping an eye on the whole area."

Releasing a groan as the possibilities form in her mind, Dretphi shakes her head. "Dangerous territory. Probably would be found if we perform a wide search. Ambushed if we get close. Wander for weeks uselessly. They may leave. Be gone before we get close."

Tapping a long finger nail upon the tablet display, Sotalia squints her golden eyes at the map, tosses back her dark red hair, and curls the corner of her mouth with a flit of a brow. "It'd be nice if we had a good overhead view with a good camera."

Bach blinks to attention, searches his mind, and glances around the table. "Huh, we might see if Kaleb and Lagi could do a fly over of the area."

Sebastian hovers over to stare at the tablet display and tilts his head to a side. "Not a bad idea, bro. But, that's A LOT of area to cover, especially if we want useful photography. Also, I'm pretty sure if there's anyone there, they'll get real suspicious of a dragon flying overhead for so long."

Aristespha narrows her eyes, taps her fingertips against each other in thought, and ponders. "So, we need more information to limit the search area..."

Dretphi flits her eyes wide and smirks with a tinge of hope in her voice. "We should contact Captain Hackle. He may have information. He may be able to get information."

Nodding slowly with a spark in his ethereal gaze, Sebastian smiles at Aristespha. "And, Hayes could be a good one to call up. With all the scouting and wandering the woods they've done in the area, they may have seen something that could help."

Aristespha gauges the growing agreement between Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia, and grants a reserved smile towards the gathering. "That sounds like the best course of action at the moment. If we can narrow the area enough, Kaleb and Lagi might be able to get us the information we need."

She sighs and aims her voice at her aetherphone. "Regardless, that's the best we can do at the moment. I wish we had more, but give us time, Valavera."

A happy peak shines from Valavera over the speakerphone. "Thank you! Just knowing someone is working on it is good to know. I just hope Faelatelia is okay... It's just... The more I read up about the Terra Priests..."

She continues with the heavy weight of worry in her voice. "The more... I don't think she'd want to be part of them."

Chad stands tall and proud at the head of the dining table in the two story house. Camera crew members wedge themselves into ideal positions and aim recording equipment at the gathering. Around the table Tassilda, Trakenthin, Deedri, Modoran, and Veevi sit and watch Chad expectantly. Veevi briefly glances away from Chad across the table to catch a glimpse of Deedri and quickly snaps her head away when Deedri's head moves slightly away from looking at Chad. Modoran darts his eyes briefly between Veevi and Deedri and subdues a grimace. Trakenthin stares ahead at Modoran until their eyes meet, and tilts his head quizzically to either side. Modoran shrugs his shoulders, and shakes his head slightly. Chad hems and addresses the group with a bold tone. "While we may have had some trouble in Hattan, we persevered and aided the town in its time of need. And, with a bit of time to recover and allowing Deedri to assist the Amaranth Valley clinic with her services, I believe we are ready for our next big mission."

He lifts up a tablet from the tabletop, taps a few on screen buttons, and spins it around to show to everyone at the table. "We will be providing assistance in patrolling a section of highway with..."

A bright, white grin shines forth from his smiling lips and he taps a finger up the display. "The Chrome Crusaders."

Trakenthin blinks hard, places his phone quickly down upon the table, and rotates his head to gawk at the tablet display. Genuine surprise fills Modoran's face and he squints to read the text within the confines of the tablet screen. Tassilda covers her mouth with a hand and stares at Chad with honest interest. Deedri tenses up in anticipation and keeps her excitement contained. Veevi slides close to Chad in the shot and smirks slyly to the cameras. Chad flips the tablet back around, presses a few buttons, and finishes with a swipe. "I've send the guild mission details to everyone. We'll be heading out soon, so take tomorrow to prepare. We'll be traveling for a week with a Chrome Crusader unit. While we should be fairly safe with such a renowned group, we don't want to disappoint. So, be ready."

He pauses a moment as various aetherphone alert chimes ring out. After gazing out at the reactions around the table, he pans a curious stare at the team. "So, any questions?"

Modoran slowly raises a hand, waits for acknowledgement from Chad, and cracks a partial grin. "So... Any chance we get to drive one of their mechs?"

Chad groans with a tinge of humor and shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. This particular division uses small personnel mech suits that are customized to the pilot. Powered armor suits and your average transport trucks."

Trakenthin lowers his hand back down to the table after the answer from Chad, and shrugs when Modoran glances over. "Same question."

Tassilda crosses her arms and scrutinizes Chad with a forming sneer. "What are they patrolling the highways for?"

With a tilt of his head, Chad grins at Tassilda. "Regular bandits that have been hassling commerce. Normal humanoids that are most likely to be affected by a whole host of charm and enchantment spells."

A sinister smile graces Tassilda's lips and she uncrosses her arms out onto the table, rapping her long nails upon the tabletop. "I see. This seems like a fitting mission for our team then."

Deedri gradually raises her hand and watches Chad grant a respectful nod towards her. "Will I need to focus on our medical needs or are we pooling resources for the length of the mission?"

Chad blinks in thought, twists his lips, and eventually draws a calming breath to a smile. "Well, I... don't know at the moment. The Chrome Crusader unit will have their own medical staff, but I think we'll assist each other regardless. So, I would say focus on our group's medical needs and prepare to assist if needed."

Deedri nods in acceptance of Chad's answer and glances around the table at everyone else. When her eyes pass over to Veevi, she witnesses the pink haired, half-fvalian momentarily freeze as the two make eye contact. After a few awkward moments, Veevi averts her gaze away shyly and focuses upon her aetherphone, settling back fully into her seat. Deedri blinks, squints her stare briefly at Veevi, and then puzzles to herself.

The bright moonlight from the night sky projects itself through the gaps between the slats of the window blinds. Modoran groggily stirs from sleep and puts forth his limited consciousness towards a series of noises coming from the hall. He tilts his head, aims his long ear at the door, and waits. Footsteps creak upon the hallway floor, and Modoran cracks open an alert eye at his bedroom entry. Shadows play underneath the doorway gap and fade away. Seconds later, a series of soft wooden steps faintly sound out to eventual silence. Modoran gathers enough awareness, slips out of bed, and cautiously slinks towards the door. He kneels down, lowers his head to the floor, and inspects the floor of the hallway for activity.

The careful search reveals no signs of anyone around. As he begins to lift his head up, his ears twitch in recognition of a familiar mechanical noise. He quickly cracks the door open, aims an ear out, and catches the unmistakable sound of the back sliding glass door closing downstairs. He pauses in thought, withdraws his head from the hallway, and seals his door. Gradually, he lifts up to his feet, wipes the sleep out of his eyes, and directs his attention towards the moonlit window blinds. He steps forth quietly, leans forward, and lifts an inconspicuous slat up. His eyes squint in the shine of the moonlight and scan down to the backyard below.

Movement captures his full focus and his stare locks onto at a figure moving across the lawn. A moment later, parts of his mind awaken and bewilderment fills his face as he recognizes the person. Tassilda searches the area around her and secures her tight black pants and long sleeve shirt. She darts along the perimeter of the backyard along a fence until she arrives at the corner of the plot. With a final inspection of the vicinity, she runs off diagonally away towards the distant ranch style house. Modoran blinks in confusion, opens his mouth to mutter something, and stops.

He releases the window blind slat, his eyes search his mind for a reason, and his hands clench. With a long sigh, Modoran holds his hands up in resignation, shakes his head slowly side to side, and closes his twisting mouth. He waves off the whole affair with both hands, continues to rock his head in defiance, and mutters a series of phrases in grumbling evuukian. At the edge of his bed, he whips up the covers, slips underneath the falling bed sheets, and secures his head firmly on a pillow. Pulling a long breath in, he sighs with a quiet trailing groan and rolls up into his sheets.

The afternoon sun lights up the grass around an old vertically propped log. Small shadows fill in the cracks of the decaying wood and darken large gouges into the core. A small hatchet sinks partially into the soft lumber and wedges itself by a corner of the blade edge. The thick, aged trunk rocks slightly against the smaller timbers supporting it, and settles back onto the ground. Sebastian crosses his arms, hums with an ethereal reverb, and twists his mouth in thought. "Not bad, bro. Getting the spin right for this distance is tricky at times."

Bach rolls his shoulders, cracks his neck, and swings out the tension in his arms around at his side. "I think I released it a bit early on that one."

He pauses a moment, glances over to Sebastian, and smirks curiously. "Still don't know what use ax throwing is going to get me."

Sebastian shrugs his shoulders, puts his hands out to the side, and grins nonchalantly. "You never know. I've been meaning to teach you anyway. Plus, can you think of anything else to do at the moment that beats throwing axes?"

Bach blinks, stares back at the log target, and walks forward with a satisfied smile. "You know, I really can't beat that logic right now."

Reaching the timber stand, he grips hold of the ax handle, yanks it clear, and feels out the balance of the tool. A solid thud sounds out from further down the side lawn as a heavy sac lands hard within the outer limits of a painted ring on the grass. A brief fit of frustration sneers Dretphi's upper lip and she places her hands on her hips. She studies the missed target with a contemplative stare. Cideeda reaches up to pat her on the shoulder and laughs encouragingly. "Don't worry, you're still beating me in weight and distance."

Dretphi sighs and shakes her head with a grumble. "Release felt wrong. Do not know what specifically."

Cideeda lifts up a smaller sac from the ground by its rope, idly swings it, and plants her feet wide. "Timing may have been off. Timing the release is always important."

She directs her focus forward at the circular grass target and narrows her emerald green eyes. With a few forceful revolutions, her arm circles the weighed bag up to speed. Seconds of concentration later, her hand opens up, the small sac sails up into the air at an arc, and plummets down from its apex. The bag solidly hits the earth near the center of the circle target. Dretphi glances over to the toothy grin of Cideeda, and nods in agreement.

The hot tub gazebo door opens slowly. Sotalia steps out with a towel wrapped around her head and another towel covering the bottom of her two piece bathing suit. She slowly walks around to the side yard of the house and stands with a slight squirm next to Sebastian. "How goes the practice?"

Sebastian shrugs with a simple smile and glances over to Sotalia. "It's practice. Throwing various things and seeing if we can get near the targets."

Bach arrives in front of Sebastian and Sotalia with ax at the side, and puzzles at Sotalia. "You're out of the water early today. Is the hot tub not working?"

Sotalia twists her lips, rolls her shoulders uneasily, and thinks about her situation. "No. It was working fine. Just felt a bit weird being in it today.  Couldn't quite figure out what was different."

Lifting a mock accusatory eyebrow at Sotalia, Bach dons a wry smile. "Maybe you've been abusing it a bit too much?"

As Sotalia opens her mouth to retort, she pauses, averts her eyes away in thought, and grumbles at herself with a sigh. "You might be right... Never had a hot tub this accessible. And, never really used one this much."

She bites her lower lip and waves her hand to the side. "What can I say, I'm bit of a glutton for relaxing in water. Got the habit from my family. We ALWAYS had either a pool, sauna, lake, or tub somewhere around our vacation spots."

Bach glances over to Sebastian and smirks with amusement. "About the only vacation spot our family took with a lake was one that no one wanted to go in. Well... Except Sebastian."

Sebastian groans ethereally and closes his eyes with an awkward sneer. "Once. Just once. Gods, I still shiver thinking about it."

The sliding glass door glides along its track and Aristespha excitedly steps out with a smile and tablet in hand. She quickly walks over to Bach, Sebastian, and Sotalia, and waves towards Cideeda and Dretphi. "I heard back from both Captain Hackle and Captain Hayes."

A hopeful grin presents itself upon Sebastian's face and he gestures towards Aristespha as Cideeda and Dretphi arrive nearby. "Good! What did they have to say?"

Aristespha takes a deep breath in as she mentally organizes her thoughts, and summarizes. "Okay. Captain Hackle checked with his sources and they have recent evidence of a Terra Priest group in that area. It's a long hike from the meeting point Valavera told us, but it's a far smaller area they could be in."

She adjusts the brightness of the tablet's display, and presents it out of the sun's glare to the group. Dretphi points out the digital map scale measurement in the corner of the screen and nods in agreement. "Yes. Significant difference. Workable area."

Bach nods in agreement and moves his finger in a few paths over the area. "No kidding. Kaleb and Lagi should easily be able to do a few passes over the area without drawing that much attention."

Sebastian leans his head close to the screen and glances over to Bach. "Especially, if he spaces the fly-overs with a few hours between each. And, maybe do them at early dawn or late dusk?"

Cideeda ponders the plans and grins as she plays it out in her mind. "Definitely should go around dawn and dusk. It'll just seem like a dragon traveling to and from another location. The lookouts will probably be different people at those times, too."

Sotalia adjusts the towel on her head, lifts a scrutinizing brow at the information, and puzzles with hints of irritation in her voice. "Wait... They know about this group and where it possibly is... And, they haven't dealt with it?!"

Aristespha groans and shakes her head with a similar sentiment. "I know. The only way I even got this information from Captain Hackle is letting him know about Faelatelia and the possibility of the Terra Priests being involved. It seems this specific group has kept to themselves rather than engaging in the usual activities the Terra Priests are infamous for."

She pulls her lips to the corner of her mouth with a brief grit of the teeth and sighs. "Since this group is also near the border between the GAA and Appaland territories, everyone has taken a wait and see approach. That might change depending on what we may or may not find."

Sebastian lifts a curious brow to Aristespha as he stands back up straight. "What did Captain Hayes have to say?"

Aristespha briefly searches her mind and nods when she retrieves the thought. "Not as much as Captain Hackle. They've been focused on other things since Hattan. But, Captain Hayes mentioned some strange activity when they were following a group of weird zone animals away from Hattan that lead them far south of that area. Faint magical disturbances, odd spirit activity, and strange behavior from the normal wildlife."

She shrugs her shoulders and lowers the display to rest her arms. "They thought it may have been caused by the zone creatures, since that's not an uncommon occurrence."

Sebastian crosses his arms, gradually tilts his head side to side, and nods with a growing grin. "Okay. I'm thinking this is workable enough and should be worth going out to now."

Bach gives a thumbs up to his brother in agreement. "If we can hang out roughly nearby, Kaleb and Lagi might be able narrow it down for us. Then, we move fast, scout it out, and fall back. Then, figure out what we need to do further?"

Sebastian looks over to Bach with a proud smile. "That sounds like a good plan for now. I don't want risk too much, but have to get our own eyes on the area."

A sly toothy smile graces Cideeda lips and she places her hands on her hips with sway. "If they're really keeping to themselves, they might leave us alone so long we just look like lost adventurers chasing some bogus ruin to pilfer."

The group tosses around ideas and mulls over possible tactics between themselves. After a few minutes, Aristespha notices something out of the corner of her eye and she snaps her attention to a trail of dark red fluid running down the side of Sotalia's head. She narrows her eyes momentarily and opens them wide in surprise. "Sotalia? Did you injure your head?!"

Sotalia blinks to awareness, notices the finger point from Aristespha, and pats her fingers upon the dark red trail. After seeing the color, Sotalia quickly removes the towel from her head. From the unraveling towel wrap, locks of fiery orange, wavy hair fall to rest down upon Sotalia's shoulders. Sotalia unfolds the dark red soaked fabric before her in utter bewilderment and spots two spots of black in the mess. The rest of the group gawks in sheer confusion at the dark brown and tan, swept back horns upon Sotalia's fiery hair covered head. Bouncing her stare between the stained towel and the expressions of the rest of group, shock floods Sotalia's body. Her face pales, her stance stiffens, and her hands tremble. Without a further word, she snaps a pivot away from the group, and speeds off into the house.

A pair of golden, nervous eyes stare into the bathroom mirror reflection of a half-emin woman. Sotalia slowly raises her hand to her shoulder, and lifts a wavy lock of fiery orange hair up. She twirls the strands between her fingers, lets the hair slip out, and feels the minute amount of dark red residue. Her hands touch the dark brown and tan horns on her head, and follow their swept back path. With a long exhale, Sotalia lowers her arms, places her palms firmly upon the bathroom counter, and aims her head to stare down at the few dark red spatters in the sink. With a long, slow breath in, she raises her face up to stare at the person in the mirror. "It's been awhile..."

A series of knocks sound out from the bathroom door. Sotalia grimaces and yells firmly. "I'm FINE!"

Her confidence drains and the strength of her voice fades to a listless mumble. "Just give a few more minutes... or... more..."

A few familiar voices talk outside until Sebastian's ethereal tone rises up from the debate and resonates through the doorway. "It's okay. Just give her some time."

He speaks directly at the door. "Hey. I'm coming in."

Sotalia blinks hard, snaps her head towards the door, and swats at the ghostly visage of Sebastian. "Gods! Oh, will you fuck off!"

Cringing from the swipes of Sotalia's long nailed fingers through his form, Sebastian floats around to Sotalia's other side and maintains a concerned gaze upon her. "Sorry, Sol. Have to make sure you are okay."

Sotalia draws a long calming breathing in, relaxes her curling fingers, and places her hand back upon the edge of the bathroom counter. "I'm okay..."

Sebastian crosses his arms, lifts an inquisitive eyebrow, and stares unconvinced. Sotalia sighs out her frown and eyes the sink basin below. "For the most part. It's just... Gods..."

Drifting over closer to Sotalia, Sebastian cranes his head to meet her face. "It's okay, Sol. I'm here. Everyone is just worried and we just want to make sure you're okay.  You darted off on us and didn't seem well."

Sotalia nods her head and turns to Sebastian with a weak smile. "I... I know. It's just. Gods... A bunch of old memories of my stupid past self coming back all of the sudden. Ones I was happy to never think about. Never thought seeing myself like this would bring them back so strong."

Sebastian nods and speaks calmly with a supportive smirk. "Is this the same stupid past self that you always changed subject away from back when we first started out?"

A soft chuckle escapes Sotalia's mouth and she rolls her eyes at herself. "Yes, the very same. A really embarrassing stretch of my past that just gets harder to look at as I get older."

With a smile and shrug of the shoulders, Sebastian shakes his head. "Well, it always seemed like a touchy subject. I figured if it became relevant, we'd explore it then."

Sotalia pulls a long breath of air through her nose and exahles out her nerves. "And, here we are."

Sebastian nods and unfolds his arms out to the sides. "Yes. But, we don't need to go into full details right now. As long as you are okay, and know that we are all here for you, Sol."

A genuine smile graces Sotalia's lips and she wipes a build up of tears out of her eyes. "I know. I'll be fine, just processing a bunch of old baggage."

She grits her teeth, focuses her stare into the mirror, and shakes her head slowly. "Behold the face of a vain... arrogant... stupid... over-achieving... glory hungry... self-important... Bitch."

Sebastian hovers behind Sotalia, eases his face into the reflection of the mirror, and presents a reassuring smile. He stares at the mirror, glances over to Sotalia, and reassures. "I just see you, Sol. And that's all anyone else here will see."

The light glints off the tears welling in Sotalia's golden eyes and she bites her lower lip with a sniffle. Sebastian perks his brow, chuckles ethereally, and rolls his eyes at himself. "Anyway, you have nothing on the transparent, arrogant idiot that heroically got his dumb ass at the mercy of a lame magical sword, and almost dragged everyone else to destruction."

Sotalia fights to hold back a giggle. Sebastian simply shrugs his shoulders with a hands out to the sides. "Well, it's the truth. Everyone saw it."

Seconds of silence hang in the room and eventually Sotalia lifts a hand from the counter. She brushes her fingers through her fiery orange, wavy hair and laughs. "To think my hair used to be much longer than Aristespha's. I have always missed that."

Sebastian floats nearby and examines the bright locks upon Sotalia's head. "I always wondered if that dark red was your natural hair color or not. I just never found any clues otherwise to what else it would be."

Sotalia presses her finger tip upon her eyebrow, and drags out a dark red fluid from the orange follicles. She drops the residue into the sink and flashes a sly grin to Sebastian via the mirror. "What can I say? I was always very thorough in those regards."

She straightens up her posture, rolls her shoulders into a stretch, and breathes out some tension. "Okay. I'm going to wash off in the shower. Then..."

Pondering recent events and sorting through her memories, she hums. "I'm going to take a close look at that hot tub."

Isaac sorts through a stack of paperwork, taps it to order upon the restaurant table, and neatly lays it in front of Blesk. "It looks like a fine application to me. You most certainly will get some attention from a quite a number of people at the Grand Library with your magical photography experiments."

Blesk scratches the back of his head, combs through his wild, light blue hair, and smiles graciously. "Thank you so much. I would have never known about Dr. Malkav or even thought about sending some of my results to him."

A sly grin cracks across Isaac's face and he chuckles lightly. "Not a problem. Dr. Malkav is a good man. He'd most certainly be interested in your research and has a little pull on the application side of things. You'll most certainly still need to present a strong portfolio of your research, but every little bit helps."

Slowly grasping the application in his hands, Blesk carefully inserts the paperwork into a folder and packs it securely away in his satchel. "Of course. But, still... I feel a bit bad for not mentioning you in all of this. I mean, I wouldn't even be remotely as far along as I am without you."

Isaac holds up a hand and shakes his head with a smile. "Do not worry. I have unfortunately had some academic disagreements with a few on the admission board in the past, so it's best that my name doesn't taint your chances. Anyway, you have more than rewarded me with sharing your knowledge with me."

He glances over to a camera on the table top and taps his hand on the device. "I would never dreamed of being able to take this antique store find and breathe into it new life as a fine magical detection tool."

An honest grin spreads across Isaac's mouth and he bows slightly to Blesk. "I actually cannot wait to see what pictures I'll take with this. I just hope I'll be able to capture something astounding enough to repay you."

A humbling surge of emotion fills Blesk's expression and he shrugs with a bit of embarrassment. "Aw... It's nothing really. Just whatever copies of the pictures you take with a bit of documentation will help so much."

He looks towards Isaac and hints of sadness sneak into his tone. "I wish you could stay a little longer. We've done so much in a week, I can't fathom the possibilities if we had a solid month of time to research together."

Isaac points to Blesk with an encouraging smirk. "That drive there is why you need to get into the Grand Library. There are so many others that will support your efforts and help you bring your research to fruition."

Blesk nods slowly but shows reluctance. Isaac chuckles to himself with a nonchalant smile. "Don't worry. Once you get in, I'll be sure to contact you. But, for now, I need to resume my quest of sorts and see what progress I can make with my own research."

The hesitation disappears from Blesk's demeanor and he nods sympathically to Isaac. "I totally understand. It wouldn't be fair to keep you from your own projects. But, still... Thank you."

Lydia steps up to the side of the table and places down a sandwich and fries basket in front Blesk with her free hand. "Here you go."

Another basket rises into view from below the tabletop and slides up onto the surface in front of Isaac with a push of small hand. Isaac glances down at the sandwich and sides, and swings his delighted face over to meet the happy smile of the little girl next to Lydia. "Thank you very much, Leigh."

Lydia pats Leigh's head and nods to Isaac with a reserved smile. "I really hate to see my favorite customer leave. But... I can't keep you from making your living, otherwise you won't be able to be a customer. Just promise me you won't disappear for two months straight again will you?"

Isaac gazes warmly at Lydia and sighs with a chuckle. "I'll try... Really, I will."

-45-

Inside the garage of the ranch style house, the door to the kitchen swings open and Cideeda swiftly descends the few wooden stairs to the concrete floor. She secures her grip on two metal boxes by their handles and carries them at her sides. Dretphi stands next to the humvee, inspects the contents currently in the open rear cargo area, and checks off items on a paper list. Cideeda stops next to Dretphi, hoists up the painted steel containers briefly into view, and quizzically eyes Dretphi. "Ammo and batteries. In the back or the cab?"

Dretphi examines the dimensions of the boxes, glances over to the cargo area, and motions towards the front of the vehicle. "Cab. Keep it easy to access."

Cideeda nods with a smile, and swings her momentum forward around the back of the vehicle. "Sounds good to me."

She skillfully keeps her balance with the mass of the metal boxes and lifts them up through the open back passenger's door upon the cab floor. Bach turns his upper body, scoots over from the aisle, and meets Cideeda's gaze. "Where do you want ‘em?"

Cideeda points a claw tip over into the aisle area behind the front center console, switches her attention to the front of the far back bench seat, and circles out an area with a gesture. "One in the front and one in the back. I packed equal amounts of shells, bullets, and batteries in both. That way there's something we can use in either."

Sotalia slowly steps down the garage steps, shrugs both her shoulders, and slide the straps to satchels at her sides. She steps over to the back of the humvee and rests the bags upon the lip of the hatchway. "Here's the magical detection and test equipment."

Dretphi glances over, nods, and marks it down on the notepad in her hands. "Good. Should be room in the corner."

Aristespha walks down the stairs with Sebastian floating behind. She quickly crosses the distance between the kitchen door and garage opening, narrowing her eyes towards the back of the humvee. She moves to the other side of Sotalia in the hatchway of the vehicle, removes an emergency medical box off the inside side wall, and opens it up for inspection. "Let's see..."

She sifts through the contents, counts the number of items in the sections, and examines the quality of the supplies. "Okay. Not too terrible. But, these potions are looking old. Sotalia? Do you remember when we made this last batch?"

After waiting for a reply, Aristespha turns her head towards Sotalia and quirks a confused eyebrow. In the noon sun, Sotalia brushes her hands through her fiery orange, wavy hair and twirls the ends between her long nailed fingers with an indecisive sigh. Aristespha stands up, smirks at the distracted Sotalia, and chuckles lightly. "So, are you going to dye it back?"

Sotalia blinks back to awareness, pivots to meet the gazes of Aristespha, Dretphi, and Sebastian, and visibly mulls the idea over. "I don't know. I'm so used to it being dark red... But, now that the secret is out, the allure feels gone. I think I'll keep it, but that means I'll need to get my guild ID updated here soon."

Aristespha slowly nods in understanding and sighs. "Another thing I need to update before they send me a sternly worded warning notice."

Cideeda steps around from the side of the humvee, up to the group with Bach trailing behind. She reaches into her shorts pocket, retrieves her wallet, and parts it open to gaze at her ID picture. "I'm not far behind you. I've been meaning to get this picture redone."

Bach glances down to the image in Cideeda's wallet, stifles a snort, and attempts to play it off nonchalantly. "That's not THAT bad of a picture."

A pair of emerald green eyes stare up at Bach and Cideeda lifts an eye brow with a toothy grin. "Oh, just you wait. They were nice to you with your intern ID. But, I want to see what picture they take for your full guild ID."

Bach smiles awkwardly and shrugs his shoulders. "They can't all be that bad."

Dretphi shakes her head, retrieves her guild ID from her pocket, and presents it to Bach. "Beg to differ."

Aristespha smirks in amusement, pulls out a lanyard of various official cards and badges, and flips to her guild ID card. Sotalia rolls her eyes, bites her lip, and playfully resigns to the ambient social pressure. She retrieves her aetherphone from her yoga pants pocket, flips it over to the backside of the case, and slides out her guild ID to join the group presentation. Bach surveys the different pictures on the cards and slowly drops his jaw at the bad poses, terrible timing, and poor photography overall. "Wow... I just... Gods... Do they contract the same people who do the driver's licenses in High Alton?"

Sebastian remains quiet and idly floats nearby Aristespha, feigning interest elsewhere. An amused smile graces Aristespha's lips, and she winks at Sebastian and directs her voice to Bach. "Of course, if you want to see a real masterpiece of photography, I think I might be able to bring up the digital copy of Sebastian's guild ID photo..."

As Bach's interest starts to shift away, he notices a particular number on Sotalia's guild card. Below a finger conveniently hiding the birth date field on the ID, he immediately focuses his full attention on a measurement. "One hundred eighty three centimeters tall?"

He narrows his incredulous stare at Sotalia. His eyes shift between the top of her head and points of comparison from others in the group. Sotalia grins slyly at the attention, raises a hand well over her head, and slowly lowers a level palm downwards, just barely off to the side of her head. Eventually, she gradually rests her fingers upon the tallest crest of one of her horns and smiles proudly with her other hand on her hip. "Guild rules state that horns count for the purposes of your profile height as they are inflexible structures that are typically affixed to your person."

Bach blinks to his puzzlement as his mind processes the stipulation. Aristespha rolls her eyes dramatically, steps away towards the kitchen door, and shakes her head with twisting smirk. "Still such a shameless abuse of the definition of profile height."

Sotalia scoffs jokingly at Aristespha and winks at Bach with a humored tone in her voice. "Oh, is someone still sore they started disqualifying ear tips above the head?"

In the main kitchen area, Bach and Aristespha stand on either side of the large double basin sink. Aristespha carefully arranges a number of vials, tubes, and containers into particular groups and sorts through reagents and materials upon piles upon paper. She flips through a well worn book, stops at a particular page, and hands the tome over to Bach with a finger resting upon a particular section of text. "We need some more stamina potions. If you could start prepping one part, I'll work on the other part of the first stage. Consider it a refresher course in alchemy."

Bach grasps onto the book, scans over the text, and nods as he rests it upon the counter top nearby. "Sounds good to me."

Minutes go by as the two go through intricate processes. They cut, slice, and dice ingredients. They take turns getting vials and tubes, using the basins of the sink to fill and wash. Occasionally, Bach tilts the page of book into view of Aristespha, points out a few lines, and Aristespha calmly instructs clarifications to Bach. Aristespha lifts up a large copper, green speckled cauldron from the ground with assistance from Bach, and the two rest it upon a large electric hotplate on a floor stand. Bach eyes the large pot and glances over to Aristespha with a smirk. "Nothing like the classics, eh?"

Aristespha rolls her eyes with a twist in the corner of mouth and sighs humored with a shake of her head. "It was my great grandmother's before she gave it to me as an excuse to upgrade her home lab. As cliché as it is, it works wonderfully for cooking large volumes."

She kneels down, adjusts the knobs on the hotplate controls, and stands back up to smile at Bach. "The electric hotplate is my addition, though."

Bach nods in at the configuration and glances over to Aristespha quizzically. "Induction or radiant?"

A confident grin graces Aristespha's lips and she briefly assumes a proud stance. "Both."

With a momentarily impressed expression, Bach tilts his head to the side as he watches the indicator lights illuminate the surface of the hotplate and information text updates on a control console display. Under guidance from Aristespha, Bach repeats filling a large measuring cup from the sink faucet and emptying out into the cauldron. In between the additions of water, Aristespha introduces scoops of reagents and stirs the heating mixture. After the last pour of water and sprinkling of ingredients, Aristespha and Bach stand back to idly observe the slow bubbling and gradual changes of the concoction. Eventually, Aristespha's posture shifts slightly and she flexes the fingers at her sides. After a few moments, she eyes Bach with an astute tone. "I've been thinking. We should start investigating your abilities regarding your use of Elder energy and-"

A stern, sharp voice resonates out from Bach's mouth and matches his resolute stare at Aristespha. "No."

Aristespha blinks as she stumbles out of her sentence and gawks at Bach in bewilderment. "Um... I know you've been hesitant to use it before, but there could be great potential. With time and careful practice we might be able to-"

A stronger tone rises up from Bach and he narrows down a determined glare to Aristespha. "No."

As Aristespha processes the refusal, flits of emotion play out on her face and she tries to maintain her composure. She crosses her arms tightly, stiffens her stance, and her violet eyes shift to a cold stare. Her mouth twists and face contorts, containing her flashes of frustration and irritation. Bach briefly holds up a hand to get her attention, lowers it down while exhaling calmly, and explains with a careful, purposeful voice. "Listen, it's been a crazy ride and despite how imposed upon me a lot of this has been... I've actually found it extremely helpful. And a lot of it, I've needed to do anyway. But, I always found excuses to avoid doing it. But for THIS, I've thought about A LOT longer than you've had a chance to."

He concentrates his blue eyed stare right into Aristespha's violet eyes and sighs firmly, with apologetic tinges. "THIS is nothing I'm going to explore. I had really hoped to never use it ever again. Understand, I was prepared to live my life as a lame mage just to never risk tapping into THIS again.

With a slow tilt of the head to a shoulder, he angles his head to focus his gaze at Aristespha's fading stern demeanor. "Given what I've learned recently and what I've learned before... I think we're both thinking about the same possibilities... The same things that THIS could be used for."

Bach leans in close, darkens his tone, and solemnly speaks. "But, given what you've seen... How dangerous it was... How uncontrollable it was... How unpredictable it was... Do you honestly think that THIS is anything we should risk right now?"

Cracks of terror leak into his expression and trembles of fear infiltrates Bach's tone. "What ever control I tried barely worked... And... quickly fell apart. It took everything I had to push it back... It was a stupid risk to use it, but... I didn't want to find out what would happen if I didn't use it then."

Aristespha blankly gazes back at Bach and sorts through a torrent of emotion upon her face. After a few minutes, she drops her head down, relaxes her arms, breathes out her unease, and wipes the damp corners of her eyes. "You are right. Oh gods..."

She lifts her head back up, guides her silvery blue hair back over her shoulders and her long ears, and draws a long, remorseful breath in through her nose. "I sincerely apologize... I am truly sorry. I just... I've been in this mindset with the worst case of tunnel vision. I've been so oblivious. Just so single minded in..."

A genuine smile forms from the corner of Bach's mouth and he chuckles lightly. "Been trying to find any other answer than the one you got?"

Aristespha nods, rolls her eyes at herself, and smirks weakly. "Yes. I keep trying to figure out the quickest, easiest solution and... I keep on finding out that there just aren't any. I keep on hitting the same brick wall and trying everything against it. But, the situation has changed so much, that I'm not sure what to do anymore."

She eyes Bach with hint of unease coloring her face. "I'm obviously well outside the familiar at this point."

Bach stands back up straight, grins nonchalantly, and shrugs his shoulders with his hands out to the side. "Welcome to the club. Sometimes life scares you silly, drags you out of your comfort zone, and pushes you into a whole new situation."

Aristespha bites her lower lip, averts her eyes briefly away from Bach, and struggles to contend with the surge of embarrassment and shame. "Yeah. That is another thing I have been thinking about, too. If it's any value from me, I do truly appreciate how cooperative and helpful you've been to everyone. Despite how, insistent and demanding we... I... especially have been. I am sorry beyond my words for our initial proceedings."

Bach nods with an amused smile and laughs. "It does have value. I'm mostly over it by now. But, I think I'm allowed a few more snide remarks about it all. And really, I'm better off now than I was hoping to be. But, I would REALLY appreciate future efforts for my betterment to NOT involve kidnapping. I'm actually pretty open to most suggestions."

Pondering quietly a few thoughts, Aristespha quirks an inquiring brow at Bach and rests her hands on her sides. "I'm kind of curious now. If we decided to not bring you along, what would you have done? It didn't seem like you were in a good situation."

With a long trailing sigh, Bach grits his teeth as he thinks aloud. "I don't quite know. Sell off the furniture for another month's rent? Pawn off magic trinkets at that bar for food? But, that would have only gotten so far..."

He cringes and grumbles sadly. "Eventually, move back in with my parents...?"

Aristespha briefly twists her mouth to a frown and sighs understandingly. "That's never the option you want to undertake. I have sacrificed much to avoid that myself. So many minimum wage jobs."

Bach turns his attention to the rolling boil of the cauldron and awkwardly grins. "Yeah. So, oddly, being abducted was kind of a rough step in the right direction. Even if I had gotten away, I had NO IDEA what I was going to do next. Running only works so long as you have a place to run to."

With slow nod, Aristespha stirs a glass rod in the bubbling mixture and presents a genuine smile to Bach. "Well, I hope things are still taking similar rough steps in the right direction, despite the appearances."

She squints at the darkening color of the brew and points over towards the counter top as she continues a constant stir. "Okay, I think we're getting close. Could you help handle everything on the counter top, please? It really helps having someone else sort through and pass things along."

Bach steps over at the ready and hovers his hands over the collection of alchemical instruments. "Okay, what do I do?"

A glint of morning light reflects off the Flames of the Phoenix logo on the black sports utility vehicle as it rolls into a large clearing off the highway. In the open area of short grass and old gravel, light military vehicles warm in the rising sunlight while parked around large support vehicles. Within the encampment, people wander about and tend to their duties. Chad steers the vehicle closer to the core of the camp and searches the vicinity. Veevi, Tassilda, Deedri, Trakenthin, and Modoran look out the windows at the mercenary forces and the common themes of iconography. A logo of medieval helm upon a gear background and crossed swords with the words "Chrome Crusaders" shines upon vehicles, uniforms, and the powered armor suits. Chad slows the sports utility vehicle into an area that an officer designates. A few seconds later, other vans for the Next Adventurers of Nexus crew pull into other spots under the direction of uniformed man. Chad glances over to everyone in the cab and grins proudly. "Well, I think it's time we make our presence."

The group exits the vehicle and form roughly behind Chad as he walks forward towards the main part of the encampment. Veevi quickly assumes a spot right next to Chad, briefly sneaking a glance shyly behind at Deedri. Afterwards, she resumes her normal outgoing attitude towards Chad. Deedri and Tassilda amble behind to survey the area, while Trakenthin and Modoran trail long behind to gawk at the impressive equipment and vehicles. The Next Adventurers of Nexus crew attempt to disperse for the most ideal filming positions, but retreat back to less desirable positions under the unamused eyes of a few uniformed personnel and the stare of the helmet visor worn by power armored trooper. Eventually, the groups funnel into a central core of the camp. The aroma of breakfast food fills the air and the peaceful drone of casual conversation radiates over the small mess area. Chad searches around and squints towards a number of armored mech troopers. "Where is the CO?"

Deedri's ears twitch, flick towards a direction, and guide her head to face towards a noise. "Those are some really heavy footsteps."

From behind a long, tall utility truck, an imposing metal figure steps around the corner. With each step forward, thickly layered, plated boots sink firmly under the weigh into the mix of gravel and dirt. The heavy form moves with purposeful motion. Different sections of the technological suit work in unison and follow the will of the wearer. In stark contrast to the well-maintained sheen and superficial blemishes of the knightly metal body, a boldly grinning man's head rises out of the top of the breastplate. A breeze glides along the camp and blows the tips of graying, short black hair and the man narrows a brown eyed, curious gaze at Chad as he stops in front. "Chad Bosch, I assume?"

Chad tilts his head slightly up to meet the eyes of the power armored man and puts forth his hand to shake. "Senior Paladin Maxon, I assume?"

Senior Paladin Maxon nods with an amused smile. "Unfortunately for some."

He glances down at Chad's outstretched hand, smirks, and grasps it with a powered gauntlet hydraulically sounding out. "Interesting. Most hesitate shaking our hands when mech suited."

Chad smiles with a confident, bright white smile, and shakes Maxon's hand. "Well, I just know your particular model of suit has a limiter in the gauntlet to prevent accidental crushing of equipment... and personnel."

Maxon tightly grips Chad's hand and Chad responds in kind with a determined stare at Maxon. After a few seconds, both release their hands and a loud fit of laughter escapes Maxon. He shakes his head with a brilliant smile. "HA! I wondered if you were THAT Bosch's son. Know your father too well. Could never get that man to ever join us on a mission, though. But, to his credit he always loved hearing about it afterwards."

A frown sneaks out from the corners of Chad's mouth and he tries to maintain a neutral expression despite growing dissatisfaction. Maxon lifts a brow at Chad, grins slyly, and chuckles lightly. "But, since you are out adventuring, I think I'm going to assume you take more after that grandfather of yours."

Chad eyes flit wide and his mood brightens immediately back to a confident smile. "I'd like to think so, sir."

Maxon swings his armored arm out towards the tables, chairs, and huge tents in the core of the camp. "If you haven't had breakfast yet, please enjoy. We'll discuss our current mission and the most important details to you and your group. Make yourself at home."

Chad and Maxon walk towards a very prominent, decorated table under the largest, most elaborate tent in the middle of modest mess area. Veevi attempts to keep up with Chad and grace his side, but falls back. She settles to trailing behind him in the narrow aisles between tables and chairs. Modoran, Deedri, and Trakenthin follow the smells of food towards a line of people and the looming mist of cooking food. Tassilda pauses in thought and watches the activities of nearby mages applying enchantments upon equipment and armor.

From behind, she hears an eloquent, pleasantly flowing pronunciation of a particular dialect of Emin from a calm male voice. In her surprise, she momentarily blushes and quickly determines the source. With a slow pivot and a flattered smile growing on her lips, she faces a light power armored form standing at attention and her eyes quickly scan the suited figure. During the survey, she mentally notes the excellent points of physique peeking through the softer, flexible parts of the outfit and gradually shifts her attention upwards towards the helm. Tassilda's light blue on black eyes widen and she gawks at the prominent, black horns on the fully helmeted head of the man. After a few moments, the man pauses in thought, nods his head down at Tassilda, and gently asks. "My most sincere apologies, my dearest lady. I may have guessed the wrong Emin dialect and did not relay my intentions correctly. Do you require any assistance?"

Tassilda flutters her eyes, and grins with an enamored hint. "You did guess wrong, but I pleasantly understood. It is very surprising to hear that lovely dialect all the way out here. As for assistance..."

A sly curl appears in the corners of her mouth, her pose slides towards enticing, and she gestures towards the group lead by Chad and Maxon. "I wouldn't mind if someone knowledgeable could explain the layout of the camp as they escorted me towards my group."

She lifts quizzical eye brow and points a curious hand towards the light power armored man. He gradually straightens his posture and speaks. "My apologies again, my lady. I am Junior Paladin Daedrican. At your service."

Tassilda smiles contentedly, and awaits a response. Junior Paladin Daedrican bows slightly, swinging his arm out slowly towards the nearby aisle. "Your lead, my lady."

Tassilda nods graciously, turns away to step forward pass Junior Paladin Daedrican, suppresses a flash of giddiness on her face, mutes a spring in her step, and tries to hide a near reflexive bite of her lower lip.

The thick, forest canopy shields the overhead sun from fully reaching the mossy, vegetation covered floor. Underneath the perimeter of old, tall trees, evuukians walk upon worn paths between ancient stonework structures. Time and persistent nature barely allow the buildings to reveal themselves between breaks in the thick plant cover. Guards adorned in fanciful, nature inspired attire stand at attention in front of key entry points throughout the area. Evuukians dutifully travel towards destinations out beyond the clearing into the underbrush, foliage intricately woven in their clothing. With bows hanging from their shoulders, they inspect their quivers of arrows and depart stealthily from view. An evuukian woman purposefully steps across the open passages between the overgrown structures and approaches an isolated building far from the center of the encampment. During her walk, she keeps a covered tray level in front of her and surveys the pair of guards outside the only entry inside the lone structure. She stops, stares between both the stoic guardians with stern, turquoise eyes from her dark tan face, and throws her head back to shift her dark green braids. Squinting into the darkness past the doorway, she questions the two guards in evuukian with a curious, concerned tone.

The two sentries glance to each other and shake their heads at the woman. While one inspects around the corner into inside space, the other shrugs with a long sigh. He shakes his head and speaks a few answers back in evuukian, hints of similar concern rising from an initially stoic but fading cadence. The woman nods and steps through the doorway inside. Past the contrast of the outside light, dimly glowing crystals illuminate the interior hallway. The woman slowly moves to the end of the passage to a solitary metal door. She balances the covered tray on one hand, and slides the steel door to a rectangular window. Her eyes search the dark void inside and she gently calls out into the area. "Faelatelia?"

From one side of the small cell, a thin figure stirs, and a pair of vibrant sky blue eyes reflect the traces of light slipping into the room. A weak, meek voice barely peeps. "C-c-chelind-d-dia?"

Chelindia's eyes widen, a frown forms around her gritting teeth, and she checks the path behind her. Nothing resides in the hallway. Past the doorway into the bright outside, Chelindia sees only the outlines of guard shoulders and arms on either side of the exit. She returns her attention ahead, quietly undoes the large lock, and carefully opens the heavy metal door. The ambient hallway light reveals the stone details of the small windowless enclosure, the crude bathroom facilities, and a thin evuukian teenager shielding her eyes from the sudden change of brightness. Chelindia kneels down next to the rough cot which Faelatelia shakily sits up upon. Gazing with worry upon Faelatelia's unkempt chestnut hair and blue hinted face, Chelindia speaks softly with encouraging evuukian phrases and straightens up the teenager's worn clothing.

Faelatelia gradually draws in a long breath, releases a shaky sigh, and musters her strength. Chelindia searches around the area and finds an uncovered tray of barely eaten food. She gently places her hands upon young evuukian's shoulders and cranes her head to gaze into Faelatelia's eyes. In between sentences of comforting evuukian, Chelindia directs Faelatelia's attention to the old tray of food and then uncovers the fresh food brought in on the new tray. Faelatelia lowers her head down, averts her eyes from Chelindia, and defiantly spits out a series of evuukian curses. Chelindia waits patiently and meets the teary face of Faelatelia's as she lifts her head back up. A fit of sniffles and sobs prompts Chelindia to embrace the scared teenager, and Faelatelia hugs as tightly as she can manage in return. Chelindia whispers her concern and passes along hopeful words. After a few minutes of encouragement, the two release each other. Faelatelia slowly breathes in, exhales out her nerves, and stares at Chelindia with reservation but also renewed faith. Chelindia presents a warm smile, hoists the new tray of food and water upon Faelatelia's lap, and gently pats her shoulder.

She grasps onto the old tray, stands up straight, and walks out the doorway. She quickly searches the area just outside the cell, spots an illumination crystal in a nearby sconce, plucks in off the platform, and resettles it into a similar holder within the confines of the cell. With a smile and nod to an appreciative, hungry Faelatelia, she slowly closes the metal cell door. She engages the lock, but leaves the window open.

Chelindia exits the prison building with a nod to both guards, strides out across the area along a path, and travels towards the largest structure in the vicinity. As she nears the structure, her posture straightens, her demeanor stiffens, and her stare develops a cold calculated exterior. A young evuukian man crosses in front of her, notices which direction she's going, and promptly stands clear out of the way. He greets Chelindia with a salute and waits. Chelindia stops in front of the man, examines him briefly, and holds the old food tray to him. After he grabs hold of the tray, she points out another overgrown building, barks out a stern order, and departs without another word. The evuukian man quickly rushes off without a further question.

Stepping through the main entryway of the largest ancient structure, Chelindia passes a small squad in nature themed outfits reviewing written instructions and exchanging other relevant information. She navigates the tall, wide hallways and catches glimpses into the many rooms that branch off. Her eyes squint at the small makeshift armory of swords, bows, arrows, and light, natural armor. She pauses briefly to watch a few mages apply their craft to wands, staffs, and other magical implements. She walks pass the improvised barracks of bunk beds and a few idling evuukians. After a number of similar diversions, she arrives at the end of the hallway to a set of towering, open double doors. Entering into the cavernous room, she surveys a gathering of evuukians reading materials, sorting through paperwork, studying maps, and writing notes along her way to raised platform at the center of the room.

An evuukian woman with long, flowing, gray hair, and ivory skin struts proudly along the perimeter of the central platform. She slows her gait and pauses occasionally to observe the progress of the diligent evuukians before resuming her plotting pace. When Chelindia stops at the steps leading to the rostrum, the woman pivots to face Chelindia with dark crimson eyes. "Chelindia."

Chelindia bows, stands back up straight, and greets the woman respectfully. "Meredosia."

Meredosia smiles confidently and asks a question in evuukian. Chelindia nods and carefully follows up with a simple, quick explanation. She continues, shifts gradually into a pleading tone, and calmly gestures a series of points, mentioning Faelatelia by name with the proposal. After finishing her statement, she awaits a response. Meredosia narrows her stare at Chelindia, ponders dramatically in thought, and swiftly spins away. She ambles along the platform, loudly retorts with a stern tone, and glances over her shoulder at Chelindia with a sly grin. Meredosia plants her feet exactly upon the central point of the platform, grips a finely gloved hand around an ornate amulet, and proudly smiles as she pivots to stare at Chelindia. With a bold tone, she dons an explanatory cadence, articulates her thoughts out with a free hand, and quirks a smug brow. Chelindia sighs respectfully, bows her head down, and submits a tenuous agreement. Meredosia nods to Chelindia, softens her focused gaze, and speaks calmly with sincerity in her evuukian words.

Chelindia stands back up straight, presents a smile to Meredosia, and speaks a few requests. Meredosia thinks a moment, relays her acceptance, and presents a genuine smile. Chelindia respectfully turns away and walks towards the exit. Meredosia grips her amulet tightly, directs her focus to the center of the platform, and eyes the faint outlines of ancient script forming a faded circle below her. Before exiting into the hall, Chelindia glances briefly over her shoulder and watches Meredosia. A few fine, barely visible threads of white magical energy drift lightly around the elegant attire and ivory skin of the evuukian woman above the central point of the platform. Eventually, the strands of magic converge into the crystalline center of the amulet. Chelindia returns her attention toward the hallway ahead, and a frown creeps from the corners of her mouth as her eyes search inside her mind. Soon, uncertainty taints her expression despite attempts to maintain a stoic demeanor.

Behind her, Meredosia pridefully grins as the white light inside the amulet increases in brightness ever so minutely.

Cideeda wraps her claw tipped fingers around the steering wheel of the humvee, twists her grip, and grits her sharp teeth. "What the fuck is the hold up?! How long does it take to mobilize a convoy?! It's not THAT big of one."

Sotalia flips through the holographic menus of the holoplayer, sifts through the different musical track listings, and curls an intrigued brow at a particular band name. She looks over her seat at Bach with a sly smirk and giggles an amused tune. "Oh my gods. You have THEIR entire discography?"

Bach leans over into the aisle, squints ahead at the mid-air projections, and rolls his blue eyes. "Well, you know... They had a few good hits and their album stuff isn't all that bad. There's a few songs I like to listen when the right mood hits. What can I say?"

Studying Bach's honest review, Sotalia twists a smile and sighs out her genuine agreement. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I like them, too. I just never run into anyone else who has anything beyond their hits."

Sebastian's ghostly form hovers in the middle of the aisle of the cab and exudes his boredom through from his far stare out the windshield. Aristespha flips through menus on the tablet upon her lap and taps the sword at her side. "Sebastian, you should probably return to the sword for now."

With an ethereal sigh, Sebastian shrugs his shoulder and continues float in the aisle nonchalantly. "I don't think it really matters right now, dear. The guy they have watching the rear hasn't looked over to us for the past fifteen minutes or so."

Dretphi squints her eyes, searches through a side window, and scans the surfaces of the vehicles ahead. After a minute, she spots a small logo on the side of vehicle a few convoy slots ahead. "I see a Chrome Crusader emblem. On the side of that truck ahead."

Sebastian blinks, follows the path Dretphi's arm points out, and notices the same marking. "Huh. I wonder what they are doing around here. They usually stick to larger jobs."

An alert chime rings out from Aristespha's pocket. She retrieves her aetherphone, enters a security code, and swipes through the on-screen interface. Tapping on a new entry in the message list, her interest piques and an intrigued smile grows on her face. "Kaleb and Lagi just got into aether tower range and transmitting the high resolution pictures of their early morning fly over."

She lifts her tablet up, rests her phone on her lap, and presses a few prompts upon the larger screen of the device. Seconds later, an overhead view of a heavily forested area appears on the display. Sebastian, Bach, and Dretphi position themselves in the cab to get the best possible view as Aristespha presents the picture on the screen to them. Dretphi's eyes flit wide and she traces out curious areas with her finger. "Strange. Old trees in a circular perimeter. Grouping of canopy gaps in the center the perimeter. A right angle shape? That is not natural. Something is there."

Aristespha, Bach, and Sebastian investigate the details closer and arrive at similar suspicions. Sebastian grins proudly to Dretphi and nods. "I definitely agree. I think that's a spot Kaleb and Lagi should fly over a little closer later on tonight."

Cideeda returns her gaze forward, flexes her grip on the humvee's steering wheel, and grumbles. "Okay, I'm about ready to drive through the median. I'm sure we can get really close to where we need to be before nightfall... But, I'm not so sure, if we have to wait for these idiots to move. So, any objections?"

Aristespha perks her brow, twists a sly smirk on her mouth, and shrugs her shoulders. "They're not highway police or military authority, it's not like they can legally stop us. And, I'll be happy to file a few complaints to the guild."

Sotalia's head snaps to focus upon the uniformed guard as he finally turns around to face the humvee behind the stalled convoy. "Okay, I'm going to get this guy's attention and see what the hell the hold up is."

She quickly opens her door, stands up on humvee cab floor, and waves energetically to the lone guard. "HEY! You! Yes, you! Come over here!"

The man blinks to attention and quickly walks over towards the humvee. Sebastian's ethereal visage fades back into the sword at Aristespha's side. "Finally. See if we can get a hold of whoever is organizing this mess."

Sotalia continues a mix of gestures and verbal encouragement to get the man to speed up. As the uniformed man arrives next to Sotalia's door, she sits on the side of her seat and addresses the man through the open door with a charming lift to her voice. "Thank you so much for coming over here. I just have to ask, what exactly is the hold up?"

With an official enough tone, the man attempts to stand stoically at attention with his response. "We are preparing a sweep down the southern route past the upper coming intersection. There's been some unfortunate delays-"

Cideeda quickly glances back over to Dretphi. After a silent exchange of looks, Dretphi remembers an important piece of information. "We take the eastern route at this intersection."

Cideeda nods in agreement and flashes a determined toothy grin to the man with an assertive stare right through him. "Well! That just works out. We're not going your way after the intersection, so we can just go around you."

The man awkwardly pauses his speech with his mouth hanging open, and glances over to the convoy. "Uh, I don't know about that. I'd have to check with my superior."

Sotalia flashes a sly grin, guides her fiery orange, wavy hair back, adjusts her posture towards alluring, and aims her eager golden eyes upon the man. "May I ask whom your superior is?"

With a brief fit of hesitation, the rear guard gathers his wits enough to speak. "Uh... Yes... It's Sergeant Matterhorn."

Sotalia blinks in thought, searches her mind, and curiously quizzes. "Quincy Matterhorn?"

The man nods in recognition and slight confusion. "Yes, ma'am."

Sebastian ghostly voice sounds out from the sword. "Oh, no way..."

Sotalia draws a wide grin on her face, concentrates her golden eyes upon the man in front of her, and speaks with playfully evil amusement. "Could you ask him if he know anything about a... Duck in Knox?"

The guard cocks his head uncertainly to the side, reaches for his radio attached to his shirt pocket, and steps away. "I'll see about that..."

The man walks a few meters away, converses carefully to his radio, and pauses before clearly stating. "Something about a... Duck in Knox?"

The radio falls silent for many seconds, and then a voice replies to the man's surprise. Turning around, the man approach Sotalia's side of the humvee and looks to her, puzzled by the situation. "Um... Your group is cleared to travel along the left shoulder past the convoy. And, I've been informed to give you Sergeant Matterhorn's direct contact information."

Sotalia settles back into her seat, slowly closes the door, and smiles graciously with a flattering tinge to the rear guard. "Thank you, so much. We won't keep you any longer from your work and be on our way."

The man nods as Cideeda promptly puts the humvee into gear, and the vehicle rolls off towards the left shoulder of the road. He surveys the area, turns his attention towards his thoughts, and eventually keys up the radio on his walk back to the rear of the convoy. "Sir? Is there something I should know about... Uh..."

The voice on the other end of the radio immediately interrupts. "Not if you ever want to do anything besides rear guarding the scrap trucks in the future."

The rear guard loses interest in this particular mystery.

People idle around the front of the convoy between the camera crews vans, Chrome Crusader vehicles, and the Flames of the Phoenix black sports utility vehicle. Senior Paladin Maxon stands with Chad and dramatically explains the plan with exaggerated arm motions. Chad responds and demonstrates his own understanding with elaborate hand gestures. Veevi attempts to gain the attention of Chad by maintaining a spot at his side, while occasionally glancing over to Deedri. Modoran nonchalantly suns himself upon the rear seat of the Flames of the Phoenix ride via the sun roof. Trakenthin awaits outside, leans upon the side of the vehicle, and keeps a watch over the area. Deedri converses with a few Chrome Crusader medical mages. Tassilda stands near Junior Paladin Daedrican, and the two talk, with sections of the dialog switching into emin dialects.

Along the left shoulder of the highway, a humvee quickly rolls by the standing convoy. The Next Adventurers of Nexus crew aim recording equipment in response. Chrome Crusaders personnel briefly inspect the vehicle. A few look towards one particular officer, and promptly return to their duties when he signals them to allow it through. Deedri spots the humvee and happily waves towards the familiar faces of the group, keeping mindful of who else may be watching. Chad eyes the team with a competitive bright white smile obscuring his lack of amusement, while Maxon boldly greets the passing vehicle. Veevi energetically waves at the group, trying to pull any attention towards her. Trakenthin searches through windows of the moving humvee, finds the eyes of Dretphi glaring at him, and narrows a sneering stare right back at her. Modoran lifts himself up from the way back seat, notices the humvee, and returns back to sun bathing.

Tassilda pauses her conversation with Daedrican, casually pivots around, and immediately notices the fiery orange, wavy hair of Sotalia. Her light blue on black eyes widen in surprise, then her lips part a sly smile of sheer satisfaction. Sotalia focuses her full attention upon Tassilda and studies her every motion. When they are the closest to each other in passing, Tassilda flashes a sinister grin, slides her long nailed fingers under her long, raven hair, and fluffs it back dramatically over her shoulders. She reaches into her pocket, lifts up a small vial with a milky fluid inside, and waves towards Sotalia between her thumb and index finger with a smug wink. A hard cringe of recognition nearly closes Sotalia's eye. She frowns to gritting teeth, individually pops her knuckles on a hand, and mouths silent swears.

When the humvee passes the convoy and rides off back on the main part of the road, Daedrican puzzles at Tassilda. Inside a Next Adventurers of Nexus van, Samantha grins near manically, leans out the passenger's window, and calls out to Gerald. "Gods almighty, please tell me you got shots of that!"

Gerald lifts his arm up and gives a solid thumbs up, while he continues recording.

-46-

The thin, reddish glow from the setting sun fades across the sky into the growing dark blue night. Thick rows of trees border the sides of the gravel road. Off to the side in a worn alcove surrounded by thick underbrush, Cideeda lifts the hood of the humvee and casually inspects the engine compartment. She leans down to a toolbox on the grass next to her, opens the lid, and picks a few choice tools out from inside. Standing up with a contemplative gaze, she ponders and raps her free hand's claw tips upon the front of the vehicle. She purposefully places individual tools upon a quarterpanel, the powerplant turbine cover, and an access panel. Bach walks around from the passenger's side, scans over the scene, and lifts a curious brow to Cideeda. "So, I get lifting the hood up to make it look like we're adventurers with a broken down vehicle. But, what's with the tools everywhere?"

Cideeda places her hands on her hips, and reveals a sly grin on her face to Bach. "Oh, that's just to sell it better. It's one thing to see a hood up and think MAYBE the vehicle is broken down. But if it looks like someone frustrated tried to fix it, THAT sells the illusion."

Bach steps a few meters back towards the road, carefully looks over the presentation, and nods in agreement to Cideeda. "Oh yeah, that DOES make it more convincing."

He squints his eyes in thought, and pulls a smirk from the corner of his mouth. "Maybe roughed up service manual, face down off to the side?"

After glance over to the front of the vehicle, Cideeda nods with a scheming smile. "Oh, definitely. I'll see if I can position it... Angry."

Bach chuckles to himself and he pivots around to scan the vicinity. Midway through his slow spin, he spots Sotalia off to the side holding her aetherphone up in the air. She carefully sweeps the device side to side, judging the signal indicator on the screen before shifting again. Bach steps up to an annoyed Sotalia and watches the fluctuating bar graph on the display. "Any luck getting a good signal?"

Sotalia frowns with slight snarl of the upper lip and sighs as she rests her arm back to her side. "No. It seems to be about the same no matter where I aim. And, it's no faster at downloading the new images from Kaleb than what Aristespha is getting in the humvee."

She turns to Bach, shrugs her shoulders, and rolls her eyes. "Well, if nothing else, it's making us look like hapless adventurers to anyone watching."

Bach nods in agreement and warily eyes the dense forest beyond the clearing. "Hope so. Dretphi and my brother think we should be far enough away from any big patrols. And being close enough to the main roads, they'll probably only keep on eye on us."

Sotalia narrows her golden eyes out into the wilderness and crosses her arms. "That'll buy us only so much. I don't think they'll be very agreeable once we get closer."

Bach fights an uneasy grimace off his face and sighs, tensing his shoulders. "Yeah..."

A comforting smiles appears on Sotalia and she gazes over to Bach. "Nervous?"

Bach plainly meets Sotalia's look, blinks, and twists his lips. "Kinda scared, actually."

Sotalia nods, and bites her lip as she averts her eyes away briefly. "Well, let's just say you aren't the only one fighting some nerves. But, I think we'll handle it just fine."

Some comfort relaxes Bach's posture and he releases a long breath. After a few silent seconds, he glances over to Sotalia. "Question."

Sotalia glances back over to Bach, perks her brow, and guides her fiery orange, wavy hair behind shoulders. "Yes?"

Bach quizzically eyes Sotalia and carefully forms his inquiry with a respectful tone. "I was wondering what... Um... Irritated you when we drove past the convoy?"

After a long draw of air through her nose, Sotalia contorts her mouth, rolls her shoulders, and squirms momentarily. She stares at Bach, softens her gaze with a smile, and grumbles out her embarrassment. "Just being fucking angry at that Tassilda. She pretty much confirmed my suspicious about the whole hot tub thing."

Cocking his head to the side, Bach flits his eyes wide in surprise. "Oh! How did she do that?"

Sotalia tenses her arms, puffs up her chest, and sighs out her frustrations. "She waggled a vial of the same shape and size the of the vial that I found in the hot tub filter with that melted wax. Also, that smug look of hers left no room for doubt."

Bach grits his teeth briefly and tries to present some understanding. "Yeah. That would probably irk me, too. Sebastian has pulled some pranks on me that I'm still not quite over."

Sotalia debates the options on her face, glances over to Bach, and relaxes her arms. "Well... To be honest, I can deal with whole hair dye dispelling thing. It's-"

She pauses with a confused gaze to Bach, gestures a rolling hand in front of her, and pieces together her sentence. "As silly as it sounds... It's the whole... Experience of... Being reminded of the past again? Gods, there's a Grath word for it. Does that make sense?"

Bach stares into Sotalia's eyes and slowly nods in agreement. "Yes. I completely understand."

Sotalia smiles appreciatively, draws in a long breath, and exhales out her nerves. "Yeah. I guess you would."

She slowly pivots away and stares up to the starry night sky. A dull frown creeps from the corners of her mouth and regret tinges her voice. "Well, to save you the terrible details, I was quite the royal fucking know-it-all, arrogant bitch when I started adventuring. Fucked up my membership in a really nice group because of it and got my old guild stage name blacklisted. Hence, why I was taking small time escort missions to dangerous towns... ALONE."

Rolling her eyes at herself, she shakes her head and closes her eyes with a cringe. "Dyed, straightened, and cut the hair to try keep from being reminded of that past self."

Bach nods in agreement, glances over towards the humvee, and puts his hands in his pockets with an awkward smile. "Well, I know that's a hard thing to deal with. But, if nothing else..."

He steps closer to the vehicle and directs his voice nonchalantly towards Sotalia. "I'd keep the hair. It looks really nice."

Sotalia maintains her stare up to stars and keeps her face away from Bach. Her cheeks blush, her eyes flutter, and she stumbles back to a semblance of her usual confidence. "Uh... Well, of course. Thank you..."

Morning light finds the sparse gaps in the thick overhead canopy and beams down upon the forest floor. Dretphi and Cideeda lead the group cautiously along a narrow, hard dirt game trail. Cideeda's furry ears flick around and meticulously scan the soundscape. Her emerald green eyes search distantly and she maintains a constant watch. Dretphi examines the trail ahead, inspects the condition of the underbrush bordering the path, and focuses her attention on the trunks of nearby trees. Glancing over shoulder, she directs a quiet voice back. "No signs of recent activity. The path is used regularly. We should be careful."

Behind Cideeda, Aristespha flexes her gloved fingers and asks ahead. "Should I cast the camouflage bubble again? I should be able to manage a quarter hour without much strain."

Cideeda briefly turns her head back and presents a comforting smile to Aristespha. "I don't hear anything right now."

She sniffs the air with her eyes closed, mentally sorts through the smells, and shakes her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Normal forest scents and everyone here."

Bach blinks blankly as a thought lodges itself in the front of his mind. He lifts up the visor of helmet, lowers his nose close to the collar of his duster, and vents some air from inside the garment. He satisfies his curiosity and pats his clothing back down. Cideeda smirks amused, flicks an ear away from Bach, and rolls her eyes. Sebastian's ethereal voice gently sounds out from the sword at Aristespha's side. "We should pace ourselves."

Sotalia eyes the scenery of the dense woods and twists her mouth in contemplation. "It would also be nice to make sure we don't trigger any magical detectors... Needlessly."

Aristespha nods, reaches to the side of her pack, and grips a fluid filled vial. She halts with an idea, leaves the container alone, and holds her hand back to Sotalia. "Grab hold of my hand, Sotalia."

Sotalia quirks her brow, cracks a small grin, and eyes Aristespha's hand. "Aw, getting a little scared and need me to hold your hand?"

With a dismissive snort, Aristespha grumbles playfully and gestures a gripping motion with her hand. "Why yes. And, someone's big reserve of magical energy would really make feel better right now."

Sotalia grabs hold of Aristespha's hand firmly and uncertainly asks. "Okay, so flow a little or a lot?"

Aristespha glances over her shoulder and smiles calmly. "A little. I figured I would save the potions and... Tap nearby resources."

With an amused nod, Sotalia keeps pace behind Aristespha and faint wisps of magical flow gently glide across the held hands. The group continues along the path. The air remains still in the dense buffer of trees. The only signs of wind rustle the leaves in the canopy far overhead.

A sharp, distant, wooden snap echoes out.

The group abruptly stops at the signal from Dretphi. Cideeda's ears hunt through the disruptive audio. She leans to the side around Dretphi, and squints her eyes ahead. Both her ears fix onto a distant point. Her eyes narrowing, she levels a point ahead. She gestures to her ears, directs everyone's attention ahead, and holds up two fingers to the group. Dretphi searches behind the group, motions towards a thick patch of undergrowth meters back, and crouches down. The team lower their profiles and backtrack next to the abundant ferns and brush. Bach searches for an easy entry, side steps wide off the path, and hides behind a flora coated log. Sotalia, Aristespha, and Cideeda follow and crowd tightly within thick, obscuring forest cover. Dretphi searches in front of her, grips her gauntlet around a small bush, and muscles it swiftly out of the ground. She brushes the dirt trail lightly with the small plant, and stirs up the forest floor off the path, leading away from the group. She replants the shrubbery with a purposeful tilt. Carefully, she creeps backwards down the path, keeps watch ahead, and joins the group in hiding.

Two young evuukian men amble along the game trail and gesture towards their nature themed attire. Despite the casual conversation, both maintain grips on the strings of their bows. As they approach closer, one points distantly down the path, slowly traces the route up to recently disturbed dirt, and aims his finger at the tilted bush. The other nods in agreement. Both ready their bows, retrieve arrows from their quivers, and nock them. The two step quietly forward and search the woods. One inspects the stirred dirt leading off the path, and surveys the underbrush leading away.

The other evuukian continues up the trail. As the man closes the distance to the thick undergrowth patch, Dretphi secures a tight grip on the combat knife at her side. Cideeda quietly raises a laser pistol barrel up and keeps a rough aim upon the man. Sotalia and Aristespha ready their hands in casting stances. Bach remains still, palm securely upon the ground and his eyes faintly glowing. A hair thin magical wire extends swiftly out from his hand, races underneath the forest floor debris, and flows towards the opposing underbrush.

The man uncomfortably close to the hidden group stops, turns his head towards the thick patch of undergrowth, abundant ferns, and flora coated log. He starts to squint his eyes into the dense obscuring forest cover.

An unseen force loudly zips along the ground meters from the tilted bush, rustling the brush and kicking up leafy debris. Both men snap to attention, lock full focus on the movement, take aim, and draw bowstrings. Flows of magical energy rush out from the arms of the men, wrap around the arrow, and enter into the bow. The two let loose their arrows.  Misty streaks trace behind the arrows as they rocket to the same target. Both missiles impact the ground with loud, powerful thuds. Moments later, small bursts of magical energy vent out from the arrow heads. The rustling of forest debris continues into a thick grove of ferns, leaves parting along the way. The men exchange eager, hungry grins, say one word in unison, nock new arrows, and rush off to chase.

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia collectively emit muted sighs of relief. Bach relaxes his body, glances over between Aristespha and Sotalia, and whispers a question. "What did they say?"

Aristespha quirks her brow and curiously narrows her eyes towards the distant evuukian men. "Lunch."

Bach smirks smugly and chuckles to himself. "Well... Hope they packed one."

Chelindia settles into the wide pocket in the middle a four-way trunk split of a tree. She seats herself onto the soft mossy covering, rests her back against a trunk, and secures her feet against branches. Tilting her head up, she stares at the noon sun peeking through leaves. Her dark tan fingers idly twirl her dark green braids, and the shifting light through the canopy glints off her turquoise eyes. A strong wind rocks Chelindia gently with the upper limbs of the tall, old oak. Chelindia closes her eyes, rubs her forehead, and grimaces as her mind wanders. Minutes pass, her face flits between emotions, and she sways her head side to side at each indecisive moment. Eventually, she grits her teeth, releases a long sigh, and opens her eyes into a regretful expression. With a distant stare, she feels the string of the bow hanging from a small branch nearby. A gust gently pushes the tree. Chelindia watches the finely crafted bow swing with the motion, and squints as an elegant inscription shines in the light. She stares at the writing, loses herself in deep thought, and frowns as the evuukian meaning sinks in. The world fades from her perception. She focuses upon the phrases and the simple signature at the end. Sadness bubbles up onto her face and she drops her head firmly upon the bark behind her. She gazes into the blue sky above, covers her face with her hands, and sighs deeply.

A group of voices below snaps her attention harshly back to the world around her, and she blinks back to awareness. She swiftly and quietly grasps her bow, lifts it free, and leans her head cautiously out from her hiding place. Peering down through the obscuring leaf and limb mass of the tree to the ground over thirty meters below, her eyes witness a group of people traverse a game trail. She notes the armor of the large figure in the lead, ear flicks of the fvalian, and the silvery blue hair of the evuukian woman. She cocks her head in confusion at the odd, fiery orange, wavy hair and brown horns of another woman, and lifts a brow at the tall, heavier man at the back. Chelindia snarls her upper lip, snorts, and pulls out a bulbous headed arrow from the quiver hanging off another small branch. She readies the bow, nocks the arrow, and aims high up through the leafy canopy. Drawing the string back, flows of magical energy spiral around the arrow and sink into the glowing ball tip. While adjusting her posture, the elegant inscription shines and flashes its meaning into Chelindia's eyes. She freezes right before release and uncertainty locks her grip tight on the bowstring. She summons her will, grits her teeth, regains her aim, and-

Sotalia's voice lands upon Chelindia's long, pointed evuukian ears. "...I hope Faelatelia..."

Chelindia's eyes shoot wide open and she relaxes the bowstring forward. She unnocks the arrow, ceases the magical flow, and holds it tightly as the magical energy gently vents out from the head. She kneels down, peers out from hiding, and focuses her long, pointed ears down below. Aristespha responds back to Sotalia. "I do hope she is okay. Even if she's part of the group, she may still be approachable. I hope we can talk some sense into her."

Bach rocks his head side to side in thought and gestures out a possibility. "She might be looking for a way out. A lot of these groups don't make it easy to leave once you get in. She could be playing the part because there's just no other good option available to her."

Cideeda flicks her ears around for a few moments, finds nothing unusual in the drone of the rustling leaves, and comments. "Understand that. Hope that's the case, because that's an easy job right there. Sneak close under the cover of darkness, get her, run back to the humvee, and just drive as fast as possible from here."

Dretphi inspects the trail ahead, and nods in agreement. "Simple. Effective. Minimal contact with hostiles."

Sebastian's ethereal voice resonates from the sword at Aristespha's side. "Gods, let's hope it's that simple. But, probably won't be. I'm not too sure what we should do if she's really into this whole Terra Priest thing."

Sotalia places her hands on her hips, twists her lips, and groans. "I really hope that girl isn't buying everything these people are selling."

Chelindia watches the group as they walk away. She blinks blankly and recovers her focus when the conversation fades into the background forest din. She stands up upon the pocket between the trunk split, guides the quiver over her shoulder, and places the bulbous tipped arrow back in. Tilting the bow into a beam of sunlight from above, her eyes read the inscription. She closes her eyes tightly, bows her head down, and firmly grips the bow. In moment of silence between waves of wind, she whispers out a gracious, appreciative evuukian phrase, and gazes at the writing on the bow with tears forming. After wiping her eyes, she secures the bow on herself, gestures along with a series of incantations, and silently runs along the long length of a thick branch leading towards the group. With faint flows of energy pulsing across her body, she leaps off, glides through the air, and lands silently onto the branch of the next tree. She resumes running without a sound through the tree onto the next.

Bach looks down at the mossy carpet around the base of the ancient, gigantic tree, and lowers himself to a seat upon the dark green ground. He lays against the trunk of the tree, flips up the visor of helmet, and breathes out his fatigue. "That was a tense hike to get here."

Aristespha sits down on a massive tree root, slides her pack off, and flips up the canvas top. She rummages around the contents, retrieves a number of colorful, fluid filled bottles, and presents them to group. "I have stamina potions for everyone. A few of each flavor."

Cideeda takes a container with a light purple liquid, reads the label, uncorks it, and drinks it with a smile. "Tarot root. Nice."

She settles down prone upon the ground, crawls up to the edge of the obscuring undergrowth, and retrieves a pair of binoculars from her small pack. "Now, we should still have an angle to spy into that huge clearing from here."

Dretphi eases up next to Cideeda with a bottle in hand, pulls out another set of binoculars out of her backpack, and lifts the visor up on her helmet. "I hope. This area seems undisturbed. Far enough away. Plenty of cover. Few options remain otherwise."

Sebastian's ethereal visage materializes sitting next to Aristepsha and he pans his gaze over the entire group. "Okay. So good so far. Now, let's see what we can find out from here. And most importantly, if Faelatelia is freely walking around the place."

Cideeda carefully twists a knob on the binoculars, slides herself over a bit, and aims the lenses through the heavy foliage. "Well, it's not much, but I can get a decent view of the open space between everything. See some people moving around between all those old buildings."

Contorting his mouth, Sebastian hums in thought and sighs. "It's a start. At least we can get an idea of how big this group is. And maybe, figure out a schedule for their patrols."

He holds his chin in thought and grumbles as he ponders out loud. "Dammit. It'd be nice to get a clear, full view of that area. But, we've had one close call already today. I think it'll be best to hang back for now."

Bach nods his head at Sebastian. He stops momentarily, quirks his brow, and presents an idea. "We could try that magical camera drone trick again. I still don't know how close I can get, but it won't be any of us getting close."

Cideeda lowers the binoculars, pats a small bag hanging off the back of her vest, and grins toothily to Bach. "I'm up for trying that. I haven't seen any Terra Priest using anything remotely technological. So, I REALLY DOUBT they'd notice a wireless video feed signal, even in their camp."

Sebastian relays his approval with a smile and tilts his head to side as he considers the option. "Not a bad idea, bro. That'll be a good one to try first."

He glances over to Sotalia sitting upon a partially buried rock and notices her constantly searching the trees above. "Something up, Sotalia?"

Sotalia crosses her arms, pulls the corner of her mouth, and drums her fingers. "I don't know. Keep thinking I'm feeling some really faint magic nearby. But, this forest already has a weird vibe to it. So, it's hard to tell."

Aristespha nods and closes her eyes. She opens a pair of glowing violet eyes and scans the immediate area slowly. "I've noticed a lot of leftover ambient traces from magical activity. Between the Terra Priests, certain types of plants, animals, and possible spirit activity-"

As her head lifts up to check the treetop, her eyes dart around to many points above. "Above us!-"

A firm, collected female voice fills the air around the group. "I would like to speak to you all. I believe we have similar goals. But first, how do you know of Faelatelia?"

Cideeda's ears search frantically for a source. Dretphi cautiously surveys locations up in the trees. Aristespha continues to watch with glowing violet eyes. Sotalia frowns with a sneering upper lip and softly growls her discomfort. Bach's eyes flicker to blue and he searches above, along with Aristespha. Sebastian crosses his arms, hums with a ghostly reverb, and sighs thoughtfully. A few seconds of silence later, he speaks with an explanatory tone. "We are here because of a guild quest directly sent to us. We are to find Faelatelia and exercise our discretion as to what to do once she is found. We think the mission came from her parents."

The woman's tone shifts sharply inquisitive and a direct question echoes down. "How do you know that?"

Sebastian checks the canopy above and turns slowly to scan the woods around him and the group. "We helped Faelatelia's friend from a similar situation. She recommend us to Faelatelia's parents to perform a similar task. Her name is Valavera."

As the voice above starts to respond, it halts abruptly to a lengthy silence. Moments later, the woman's cadence softens and she respectfully inquires. "Will you agree to a peaceful meeting?"

Sebastian checks the attitudes of Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. Aristespha nods slowly with hints of reservation. Bach agrees with a slight shrug of the shoulders. Cideeda twists her lips and sighs out her reluctant acceptance. Dretphi nods respectfully. "If she meant us harm, conversation would be counterproductive."

Sotalia glances over to meet Sebastian's quizzical look, grumbles, and gestures out her hesitant agreement. Sebastian unfolds his arms and presents a professional smile. "We agree. Let's see what we can do."

A minute later, the figure of Chelindia slips in to sight from behind a large tree. She carefully approaches the small clearing, and greets Sebastian a slight bow. "My name is Chelindia. I am the assistant to the leader of this Terra Priest commune, Meredosia. I know where Faelatelia is. And... I want to get her away from here."

Sebastian relays his understanding with a nod. Chelindia wanders her eyes over the group and lifts an inquiring brow. "May I see the guild job posting?"

Aristespha retrieves her aetherphone from a pocket, taps through a few menus, and presents the display of the device. Chelindia steps closer, leans her head forward, and squints her eyes as she reads the text. "Do you all have guild IDs?"

Everyone slides out cards, flips out wallets, and lifts lanyards to reveal guild identification. Sebastian smiles awkwardly and shrugs his shoulders. "I would, but my current condition doesn't allow it."

Chelindia nods awkwardly, draws in a long breath, and sighs graciously. "Thank you. To keep things short, Faelatelia tried to leave the group after going with Meredosia on a secret assignment that I do not know all the details of yet. Faelatelia ran away, but was captured at Meredosia's request. She is in a prison inside the building on the outskirts of the commune. I will assist you in your mission. I only ask we do so as carefully and quietly as possible."

Aristespha quirks a brow and narrows a curious stare at Chelindia. "Why do you want to help us to get her away from here?"

Chelindia pauses in thought, briefly indicates the internal conflict upon her face, and assumes a more wary demeanor. "I've known Meredosia since childhood. We joined the Terra Priests together a long time ago and I traveled here with her to form this new commune under the best of intentions. Unfortunately, something has changed. Things are not what they should be. I know there's much to be done about it. But, the first thing that needs to happen is to get an innocent girl far from the danger she is in..."

She lowers her head down, exhales out her nerves, and lifts up to gaze at the group pleadingly. "And... you are the best opportunity I have to do so... And, I fear the best I will have before the situation gets worse."

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia exchange a mix of concerned, reserved, and uncertain expressions. Sebastian mulls over the situation, gauges the feelings of the group, and dons a small grin towards Chelindia. "Let's talk more about this. I think we should explore this more."

Chelindia bows appreciatively and pulls a slight smile on her face. "Thank you so much. How about we discuss the patrol routes... And, where they are often NOT at night."

Dim lamps cast out circles of illumination upon the ground between the ancient, stonework structures encircling the area. Only the ambient sounds of the forest night fill the area with a few faint spots of moonlight slipping through the thick canopy of old trees. Two evuukian sentries stand outside the entryway of a building, isolated from the rest of the main encampment. They idly stare at the empty pathways in the vicinity. The light haired man groans out a long sigh and the dark haired guard commiserates with a slow series of grumbling nods.

From behind the cover of perimeter overgrowth, Chelindia points out the two evuukian men to Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. "Those are the only two guards active right now. Night patrols go much further out than during the day."

She shakes her head gradually and vents out her ambivalence. "It is so strange that I'm now thankful that Meredosia never listens to my security recommendations."

Sebastian's ghostly voice whispers out from the sword at Aristespha's side. "Do you think those two guards would cooperate with you and let us to get Faelatelia out of here?"

Chelindia lowers her head, sorts through the possibilities in her mind with her eyes, and bites her lower lip uncertainly. "I don't know for sure. They were part of the founding group with me. While not as vocal as I am, I don't think they like what's going on either. They are outstanding scouts and hunters, but have been relegated to this."

She glances over to weapons upon Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi and eyes magical items on Aristespha and Sotalia. With a pleading tone, she lowers her head down with an uneasy grimace. "They are good people, but I can't risk them performing their duties. I don't want them hurt."

A comforting tone emanates from the sword and Sebastian chuckles lightly. "Don't worry. We prefer keeping things alive whenever possible. We have plenty of options."

Sotalia lifts an inquisitive eyebrow and poses a question to Chelindia. "Would anyone or anything detect a directed, localized spell in the area?"

Chelindia blinks in though, shakes her head, and twits her lips. "No. Anyone with significant magical ability is part of Meredosia's inner circle and lives with her in the main building. Or... You are the three other founding mages that are probably too tired from enchanting arrows all day to notice anything right now. As for detection devices... Another ignored security suggestion of mine."

Aristespha and Sotalia exchange sly grins, and gesture the rest of the team into a huddle.

The dark haired evuukian sentry lifts his gaze upwards, watches the leaves gently sway, and catches glimpses of the moon in the late night sky. His mouth moves to form an elegant, thoughtful, and insightful series of sentences in evuukian... But no sound escapes his lips. He halts in surprise, attempts to call out to the other evuukian, and nothing audible leaves his mouth. Turning to face the other guard, he watches the light haired man vigorously rub the bases of his long, pointed ears in bewilderment. Both meet the other's confused stares, attempt to converse, and simultaneously realize the situation both are in. The moment they reach for their swords, both suddenly startle still. The two men slowly lift their hands up away from their weapons, straighten their postures, and awkwardly wait.

A gauntlet slides over the shoulder of the light haired guard and firmly grips over his mouth. Shame, unease, and irritation mix upon the man's face, but clear away to sympathetic terror as he gawks down towards the other sentry. The dark haired guard's hands nervously curl slightly and he attentively stares down. A hand of sharp, fvalian claw tips flex uncomfortably close and threaten a VERY sensitive lower region. The fvalian hand moves away enough point and direct the man backwards. The dark haired man nods with cooperative enthusiasm and follows instruction without trouble.

Cideeda and Dretphi guide their captives around the sides of the isolated building and out of sight. As they lead the evuukian sentries to the back of the structure with combat knife and laser pistol against their backs, Aristespha holds out an arm to each guard and watches them backpedal their heads into her awaiting hands. With violet glowing eyes, she secures her gloved grip on the back of their heads, and releases an enveloping flow of energy around their heads. The two evuukians yawn reflexively, close their eyes, and drop their heads in slumber. Drepthi, Cideeda, and Bach ease the men down to the ground and prop them up against the back side of the prison structure. Aristespha breathes out her strain and rolls her shoulders to stretch. "That should keep them docile for awhile."

Cideeda lifts up a pocket flap on her vest, pulls out large plastic cable ties, and hands out sets to Bach and Dretphi. Out from the thicker undergrowth, Chelindia and Sotalia walk up to the rest of the group. Sotalia grins triumphantly and interlocks her fingers to stretch her arms out. "It's been awhile since I used that silence spell."

Chelindia steps up, kneels down in front of the two guards, and smiles satisfied at their soft snores. "I must say I am impressed."

She stands back up, glances over to the group, and quietly walks to the corner of the building. "Okay, we should be quick. We have a few hour window before the first night patrol comes back."

Inside the dark cell, Faelatelia stirs in her sleep. Her ears twitch at the faint, muffled noises trickling into her room. A loud metallic scrape grinds out into the air through the door and startles her wide awake. The heavy metal door opens and Faelatelia squints her sky blue eyes against the sudden rush of light into the room. Chelindia steps through, smiles warmly to Faelatelia, and cracks a grin upon noticing a picked-clean food plate. "I'm glad you ate, you are going to need your strength tonight."

Faelatelia blinks bewildered at the choice of language Chelindia uses, and shields the light from her face. As her eyes adjust, she notices Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sotalia, and the ethereal Sebastian behind Chelindia.

Pulses of light scatter out into the forest as fireflies drift upon the gentle breezes sifting through the densely packed woods. Faint shimmers of magical light swirl along branches high up in the canopy. Tiny transparent forms flit into existence and disappear without trace. An ethereal fox slowly turns its head towards the top of a small hill, stares off distantly, and then nonchalantly fades away. Chelindia reaches the crest of the mound, surveys the vicinity, and relaxes her stance. "It should be clear from here. This land is home to many small spirits. We usually avoid sending patrols through and keep to the perimeter out of respect."

Dretphi nods and pans her head to survey the grove of vibrant plants covering the ground. "Is it safe to cross?"

Sitting upon the ground, Faelatelia finishes off a stamina potion, fights through her fatigue, and speaks with a meek voice. "Yes. The spirits here are peaceful. Most just ignore people."

After a few deep breaths, she stands up straight with help from Aristespha and Sotalia, and nods her appreciation. "I'm ready again. I'm sorry."

Sotalia smiles at the evuukian teenager and pats her shoulder. "It's okay. You've only been stuck in a prison cell for weeks."

The group slowly traverses down the hill, and cross a wide, rocky creek at the base. In the still spaces of the area, colorful flickers of life leave misty trails and disappear into the grasses. Shadowy outlines fade into existence, affix their attention upon the group, and blend into the night. Faelatelia smiles brightly and releases a happy sigh as she sees the activity around. Others watch in awe at the brief sightings of spirits that momentarily pay attention, and then resume their normal routines. The party walks along a worn dirt path through the active forest grove. Cideeda ears flick and her emerald eyes open wide. She snaps her head to a spot, and points a claw tip out. The team halts, drops low to the ground, and waits. Dretphi squints through her helmet visor, and confirms Cideeda's suspicions.

A dozen evuukians in dark, nature themed outfits crouch in wait behind an outcropping of rocks with bows at the ready and arrows nocked. Chelindia narrows her stare, cocks her head in confusion, and mumbles a question to herself in evuukian. Aristespha's eyes flick to glowing violet and Bach's illuminate blue. Dretphi directs the group's attention into the distance to two people sitting near a rainbow luminescent flower upon a brightly leafy plant. Glints of moonlight reflect off of tools, vials, and carrying cases near the two people. Sotalia quickly casts of spell quietly between her hands, holds her finger points together, and looks through the opening at the couple in the distance. "I think those are reagent hunters. Looks like they are collecting samples from a chromatic chrysanthemum?"

Cideeda's ears twitch. She tilts her head, focuses her hearing, and repeats a few phrases in evuukian. "What does that mean exactly? Because, I don't like the tone he used."

Aristespha, Chelindia, Faelatelia, and Sotalia react with shock. Sotalia grits her teeth, clenches her fists, and growls. "Gods, we need to warn them."

Chelindia frowns darkly, grips her bow tightly, and mutters angrily in evuukian as she shakes her head. Aristespha glances to Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi with a firm grip upon the sword at her side. "They're planning on shooting them."

Sebastian's ghostly visage forms prone underneath the fern coated forest floor off the path and he immediately stares out at the situation. "What?"

Chelindia continues to shake her head and contorts her face with surges of emotion. "This is NOT right. Not right at all. I don't know what is going on here. These are people Meredosia recruited."

She stiffens her upper lip, glares resolutely, reaches into her quiver, and retrieves the bulbous headed arrow. "I can't allow this happen. I can make a distraction, but you all need to get away from me before I use it-"

Sebastian interrupts with a scheming grin and glances over to the group. "Wait, what does that do?"

Glancing behind her, she lifts a brow at Sebastian. "Um, it's a magical signal flare. It will erupt in a bright light with a plume of smoke, a few seconds after firing. Unfortunately, at this range it will be long enough for them to run clear and figure out where it came from."

Bach trains his glowing blue eyes upon the ball headed arrow, grins mischievously, and holds his hand out. "Let me see that."

A sly smile parts Sebastian's lips and he winks to Chelindia. "Let me keep their attention for a bit then."

He glides along the forest floor away from the group, circles around wide, and silently flies towards the dozen evuukians in hiding. The leader starts whispering commands, gesturing out orders, and readies his bow. He grins menacingly as he nocks an arrow, stands up with the group, takes aim, and-

Sebastian's booming ghostly voice echoes out into the woods. "WHAT INTERLOPERS HAVE ENTERED MY SACRED GROVE?!"

The evuukians clumsily spin around, awkwardly point bows at the floating, brilliant visage of Sebastian above, and reflexively let loose arrows. The missiles zip and tumble through Sebastian's form. In the distance the couple frantically search the area and notice the bright ghost.

A man's voice spits out. "Holy shit! The fuck is that?!"

The other distant figure, scrambles to hastily pack up the equipment, and snaps back with a female cadence. "Let's not stick around and find out!"

The evuukian leader curses as the two reagent hunters sweep up their gear quickly and run off. He tries to call out orders in evuukian, but splits his attention with boisterous banter of Sebastian. Off in the middle of the team, Bach's eyes dim to normal levels and he passes the bulbous arrow carefully to Chelindia. "Okay. It's triggered upon impact now."

Chelindia warily eyes the arrow as she nocks it. With extra care, she readies her bow, draws the string back, and takes aim as flows of energy spiral into the arrow. Aristespha dons a short grin, grasps hold of the sword, and closes her eyes thoughtfully. Sebastian pauses his ramblings of forest spirit superiority and annoying, distracting flights around the evuukian crew. He laughs proudly, spreads his arms wide, and smiles manically. "Maybe you need a taste of my POWER! ... BEHOLD!"

Chelindia lets loose the arrow. From the center of the evuukian squad, a ten meter radius bubble of thick white smoke engulfs the area in under a second. Coughs, gags, and sneezes fill the air along with evuukian curses and complaints. Sebastian's ethereal form materializes next to Aristespha and floats with the group as they all escape. "Nicely done, bro. But, I thought there suppose to be a bright flash?"

Bach laughs while running and holds his finger up. "Wait for it."

The dome of dense mist erupts into a blinding, white light that beams out through the gaps between trees. Screams of furious, aggravated evuukian swears shatter the peace.

The humvee powerplant spins up to life as Cideeda checks the gauges and goes through her startup routine. Chelindia stands with the Aristespha, Bach, Dretphi, Faelatelia, Sebastian, and Sotalia. Faelatelia steps up, wraps her arms around Chelindia, and softly speaks thankful evuukian words between sobs. Chelindia embraces the teenager, pats her on the back, and releases her with a warm smile. The two exchange heartfelt goodbyes, and Chelindia wipes a tear from her eye before commanding the young one into the humvee. Faelatelia nods and follows Drepthi's guidance to lay down on the far back seat. Chelindia turns to the rest of the team and bows graciously. "I can never thank you enough. I could not have managed this myself and feared I would have caused more harm than good overall."

Sebastian nods with a proud smile. "Well, we should thank you, too. As much as I trust ourselves to get the job done, you saved us from a lot of trouble and unnecessary risk. I just hope we haven't stirred up the hornet's nest too much."

Chelindia chuckles and quirks her brow in amusement. "Actually, that may help my plans."

Sotalia crosses her arms and examines Chelindia's expression with hints of apprehension. "How so?"

Drawing a long breath in, Chelindia explains thoughtfully. "Well, I'm certain Meredosia will want Faelatelia captured again. And, seeing how all the outer patrols somehow missed spotting her... I might be able to convince her to allow me to take charge of a search party... Of my choosing."

A sly smile graces Chelindia's face and she places her hands on her hips. "Of course, I will pick a team made up of founding members of the commune. A good chance to break the rust off our skills and..."

She sighs calmly and lowers her head slightly. "An opportunity to talk about things freely."

Bach nods in agreement and scratches the back of his head. "Yeah. Seems like things aren't going the way you think they should."

Chelindia nods, crosses her arms, and bites her lip. "A lot has happened to give me many moments of pause and I don't think I'm alone. Most of us are older and wiser now. Also, seeing how Meredosia has twisted the principles of the Terra Priests and who she surround herself with... I think many of us will take our leave."

Aristespha lifts a quizzical brow at Chelindia and inquires respectfully. "What do you think will happen if you and your group leaves?"

A frown pulls heavily upon the mood of Chelindia and she shakes her head slowly, uncertainly. "I don't know. I used to consider Meredosia a sister by choice. As much as I hoped my constant presence by her side would keep her reasonable, and my suggestions would guide her back to the right path... I feel that situation beyond anything more I can do. And, I just can't follow her anymore."

Aristespha nods understandingly, steps over to the open door of the humvee, and rummages around for a pencil and paper. She pulls out her aetherphone, taps through the contact list, and writes out some information on a piece of paper. Holding the note out, she returns in front of Chelindia. "Here. I don't know what you plan to do after this, but this the contact info for Captain Hackle of the GAA and Captain Hayes of the Borderland Rangers. I don't know what assistance either could provide you, but one of them might be able to work something out for you and your group."

Chelindia apprehensively grasps onto the paper, examines the information hesitantly, but eventually stows the document in a pocket. "I'll consider it. A few members the founding group aren't welcomed by the law in a few regions. But, maybe something can be worked out."

She glances up to the night sky, bows to the group, and presents a sly smirk. "I need to get back. There's a search party I need to organize. I think we're going to avoid checking the roadways and search other remote passages to old, secluded outlooks that are nice and private."

The group shares a moment of amusement and Chelindia departs with a final wave to Faelatelia. She speaks a few incantations with gestures, flows energy down her body, and gracefully leaps up into the tree tops, off into the night.

-47-

A very early morning, ambient glow seeps in through the sliding glass door. The dim illumination barely lights up the outlines of the coffee table, recliner, and couch in the living room. An idle, quiet flow of air slips through vents of an air conditioning unit upon the upper part of wall. The soft drone from the machine provides a gentle acoustic backdrop. Minutes later the muffled sounds of a mechanical winch rattle from behind the kitchen door leading into the garage. Soon, sounds of equipment upon a solid floor resonate, before quickly spiking into the soundscape as Sotalia opens the kitchen door. She steps slowly across the tile floor, yawns, and drapes a heavy, armored cloak upon a dining chair back. "Oh, gods. That bed is going to feel so good."

She pulls the seat out, sits down, and places her foot upon her opposite thigh, working the boot off. Aristespha walks into the kitchen, waits near the door, and guides Faelatelia's drowsy self up. She leads the young evuukian teenager to the living room couch and helps her to a spot. "Have a seat for now. We'll figure out a nice place for you to sleep."

Faelatelia nods with a tired but appreciative smile, yawns with growing sleep in her eyes, and settles into the comfortable cushion. "Thank you. I really don't need much, as I have found out lately."

The motor unit of the garage door opener hums to life and slowly lowers the large, sectioned door down upon the concrete floor. Cideeda steps out from the garage, rubs her eyes, and places the humvee key fob upon the bar. She slips out from her open vest, hangs the garment upon a chair back, and reaches behind her back. "It is getting a lot warmer at night around here."

Bach steps into the dining area, pulls his helmet off, slides of his duster off onto the tabletop, and sits down in a chair. He loosens straps holding his kevlar vest, and starts to pry his feet out of the armored boots. "Well, it is May. Around these parts, it's usually the last nice month before it turns plain, nasty hot."

Cideeda pulls down the back zipper on her body suit, breathes out relief, and lightly fans some circulation through chest portion of the outfit via the collar. "Then again, we DID run through the woods for most the night. Anyway, I'm getting out of this. The humvee is locked up. We'll unload tomorrow- Well... later today, I mean. Gods, I'm tired."

She plods groggily through the archway into the hallway, and disappears through the doorway into her room. Moments later, a body suit flops into a pile upon the wooden floor outside her door, and pairs of toed boots and finger-less gloves land on top. Dretphi closes the kitchen door behind her, brushes off her damp, skin-tight tank top and shorts. "It will be laundry day... Today... Later."

Bach glances over to Faelatelia as she fights off another tempting moment to fall into the slumber, and smiles with a chuckle. "Faelatelia? If you want you can use my bed for the night. Honestly, I don't think I'll make it there at the rate, and the couch is a lot closer."

Dretphi eyes Bach with a reserved smirk and lifts an inquisitive brow. "Have you made it recently?"

After an idle stare ahead, Bach blinks back to awareness and his eyes search his mind. "Uh... Well... Uh..."

Faelatelia smiles weakly to both Bach and Dretphi, and laughs softly. "It's okay. After what I've been sleeping on for the past weeks, the back seat of the humvee was so nice."

Her attentions shift to the furniture underneath. She glides a hand over the cushions of the couch with a contended gaze. Aristespha twists her foot inside her boot, moves over next to the dining table, slides out a chair, and takes a seat. Loosening the laces on her long, finely crafted boots, she grumbles to herself and shakes her head with annoyance upon her face. "I checked these boots before leaving and tightened the laces correctly... Yet there's another damned rock in them."

Bach draws in a long, open mouthed breath and grimaces as sleep tries to take hold. He glances over to Aristespha and points to the sword at her side. "Is he asleep?"

Aristespha pauses, grips the handle of the sword, and closes her eyes momentarily. She snorts in amusement, smirks wryly, and rolls her eyes. "Oh, yes. I think Sebastian fell asleep halfway through the ride back."

With a shrug, Bach pulls off the last boot and shakes his head. "Long car rides always do that to him, even now I guess."

Dretphi taps Bach's shoulder and gently speaks. "I will get sheets for your bed. We will change them soon. Grant Faelatelia a-"

A snore sharply rises up from the background. Aristespha, Bach, Dretphi, and Sotalia aim their gazes upon the completely asleep Faelatelia upon the couch. She stirs momentarily to unconsciously grip the cushion underneath her head and back up against the couch back. Bach smirks and shrugs his shoulders. "Can't blame her there."

Dretphi smiles, sighs, and quietly steps along the floor into the hallway. "Blankets instead."

Aristespha retrieves her aetherphone, taps through the security code, and navigates the menus to a message list. She stands up, softly walks up in front of the television, holds her phone with both hands, and aims the back camera at the peacefully slumbering Faelatelia. With a light tap on the device's screen, a faint click sounds out, and Aristespha rights the phone back into her hand. Sotalia stretches out her arms, slides next to Aristespha, and quirks a curious brow. "Sending an update to the clients?"

Aristespha nods and continues to tap out a message. "Yes. I believe the parents and Valavera would be happy to know she is safe and back in civilization once again."

As Dretphi arrives from the hallway with folded blankets in her arms, Sotalia grins and winks at Aristespha. "Take a picture after we tuck her in and send that one. It'll look a lot better than her just passed out on our couch."

With examining gaze at Sotalia, Aristespha tilts her head to an agreeing nods and sighs. "It would definitely look more like a successful rescue..."

Sotalia smirks as she crosses her arms. "Rather than the aftermath of a party?"

Aristespha glances back over at Sotalia and twists her lips slightly. "Yes."

The warmly tinted morning light glides over the thick forest canopy and slips in through the gaps between the leaves. A slight gust of wind trickles down into the thick cover and finds passage through the wide highway divide between rows of trees. In a small clearing off to the side of the paved road, Senior Paladin Maxon stands in front of a crowd of Chrome Crusader personnel, along with Chad, Deedri, Modoran, Tassilda, Trakenthin, and Veevi. He straightens his posture, grins brightly and orates. "Okay. All present and accounted for, I believe. Today, we are going to search this stretch of road for any bandits. We've had many reports of bandits halting travelers and robbing them. And, our forward scouts have found signs of people camping out near the roads recently."

He glances over to Chad with a proud smile and nods. "It will a be standard search and capture, if possible. From the reports, these seem to be small time criminals that are just interested in easy profit and survival needs out here. So, I strongly recommend capture protocols be exercised first. Chances are a few of them are wanted alive by some law enforcement agency, and it would be nice to collect those for a mission bonus to everyone. Again, the Flames of Phoenix team will be joining us today and I have discussed with them appropriate assignments."

Looks exchange between the different groupings of Chrome Crusaders. Mixes of reluctance, reservation, and even anticipation arise out of the crowd. Maxon gazes over all, clears his throat, and lifts a brow with a smile. "Medical Mage Preeta will again join the medical squad and assist where needed. I'll leave it to our head doctor to decide any further decisions."

Deedri smiles with relief and waves back to a welcoming medical division. Maxon eyes Tassilda with a smirk. "Tassilda will accompany Junior Paladin Daedrican's search and capture group. They will hunt out the hiding spots that the scouts find and subdue any bandits."

Tassilda cracks sly, small grin and lifts an alluring eyebrow at Junior Paladin Daedrican, as he slightly bows to her. Maxon turns his attention to Modoran. "Modoran, you'll join the scouting teams. I think your skills will be best utilized there. Primary objective is to relay information. I'll leave it to the Captain to decide if you are allowed to engage targets of opportunity."

Modoran tilts his head to the side slightly, and nods nonchalantly in agreement. "I can't argue with that logic, sir."

With a quick shift of his gaze, Maxon grins at the armored Trakenthin and chuckles. "Trakenthin, you'll be joining our heavy hitters today as the special... Cargo... of the bait truck."

An eager grin draws across Trakenthin lips. He nods respectfully and glances over to a small squad power armored soldiers and confident mages in light protective suits. Focusing his attention to Chad and Veevi, Maxon laughs with smile and winks to the two. "Chad. Veevi. You'll be center of attention so to speak today. Both of you will be driving the bait truck and playing the part of simple traders just trying to get by in this hard economy. We'll make sure to equip you with our stealth... Safety... equipment."

Chad presents a bright white grin and poses proudly. Veevi places her hands on her hips, sways them to the side, and smiles with a sly, cunning attitude. Maxon straightens his posture and examines the gathering once more. "I've already briefed the team leaders with further instructions. You are all dismissed into your individual squads. Be ready to move out by zero eight hundred."

The noise of a door closing stirs Faelatelia. She groggily flutters her sky blue eyes, stares blankly half asleep, and darts her groggy gaze around her environment. She freezes in thought and relaxes as the recent memories awaken in her mind. Her hand feels the pillow underneath her head, grasps onto the blanket tucked around her, and slides upon the seat cushion. She tilts her head towards the sliding glass door leading out into the backyard and smiles happily at the bright sun overhead warming the green, grassy field. She combs her chestnut hair out of her vision, allows a sigh of relief to escape her mouth, and closes her eyes. Her long, blue hinted ears twitch when Aristespha firmly places a glass filled with a thick, orange blend upon the coffee table. Faelatelia opens her eyes wide, and pushes herself up to seat upon the couch. "Um... Uh... Morning."

Aristespha chuckles to herself and shakes her head with a smirk. "Afternoon, actually."

Faelatelia blinks and pieces together the timeline in her mind as a bit of embarrassment hints on her face. "Oh. I guess I haven't slept that good in a while."

With an understanding nod, Aristespha directs Faelatelia's attention to the filled glass. "I mixed some nutrition supplements into a fruit smoothie. Purely precautionary. I don't believe you've had the best meals to eat for some time."

Faelatelia nods quickly, reaches out for the beverage with a hungry gaze upon it, and enjoys long slips from the glass. She pauses a moment and glances back up to Aristespha. "Thank you."

Sotalia smiles towards Aristespha from her seat, lifts her own glass of the same orange blend off the dining table, and laughs. "Told you she'd like it."

Aristespha rolls her eyes and shakes her head in mild amusement. Faelatelia nods in agreement to Sotalia and continues to drink more. Sotalia returns her attention to bottom edges of her cloak, pinches her long, black fingernails onto a bur, and plucks the seed clear from the garment. She shakes her head as she deposits the spiky ball into nearby garbage can. "I've lost count on how many of these I've pulled off this thing. It must have been when we hid from that one patrol. Gods, there's another one!"

The kitchen door to the garage opens. Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi step through one after another with individual laundry baskets in hand. Sebastian floats in with them. The group notices Faelatelia awake upon the couch as they arrive around the dining table, and rest their baskets upon the dining table surface. Dretphi presents a friendly smile towards the awkward, evuukian teenager. "Did you sleep well?"

Faelatelia looks up at the tall, grath woman, thinks a moment with the smoothie in her hands, and eventually nods. "Yes. The best I've had in a long time."

Cideeda snickers, lifts an accusatory brow at Bach, and grins toothily. "Oh good. We were afraid that SOMEONE may have woken you up earlier."

Bach shrugs his shoulders, holds his hands up, and sighs slightly ashamed. "I was obviously not awake yet. I completely forgot someone was sleeping out here."

He scratches the back of his head, turns to face Faelatelia, and briefly averts his eyes with a bit of embarrassment. "If you got woken up by someone pouring a bowl of cereal loudly and complaining about not having enough milk, I apologize."

Faelatelia shakes her head and smiles appreciatively. "No. I only woke up just a few minutes ago."

Sebastian hovers over next to Aristespha and gazes at Faelatelia. "That's good to hear. Last night was really crazy. I'm just glad we all got clear of that mess before it got too bad."

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia agree unanimously in own ways while tending to laundry related chores. After a few moments, Sebastian crosses his arms and lifts an inquiring brow at Faelatelia. "After you wake up fully and get enough to eat, do you think you can answer a few questions for us? We heard from Chelindia why you were imprisoned, but we'd really like to hear your side of the story. If that's okay with you and you are comfortable with that."

Faelatelia finishes a long swig of the fruit smoothie, and emphatically nods in agreement. "Oh, yes! Of course. To be honest... There's something I've thought about on the ride back here and I believe I should tell you all."

Aristespha lifts a curious eyebrow and awaits a response. "Well, what would that be?"

Faelatelia lowers the glass back down upon the coffee table, lowers her head, and grimaces as she reflects. "I don't where to exactly start... But... Okay. Meredosia has been experimenting with some weird magical power. I don't quite understand what it is, exactly. But, I know she's using an odd amulet to store what she's been collecting from a strange circular platform. It's really old and has strange runes all over it."

Aristespha's full attention focuses upon the evuukian's words. Sebastian waits in anticipation. Bach halts midway through taking his duster out from the laundry basket and listens motionlessly with wide eyes. Dretphi and Cideeda exchange glances and silently recall memories of similar locations. Sotalia trains her golden eyes upon the evuukian teenager and reads her every move. Faelatelia draws a long breath and continues her explanation. "I don't know what the amulet is really capable of. But... I know where she got it from."

Aristespha narrows a concerned stare upon Faelatelia and calmly inquires with a supportive tone. "Chelindia told us you went on a secret assignment with Meredosia. Did she take you to the place she found the amulet then?"

Faelatelia nods with a growing frown and sighs nervously. "I never told Chelindia all the details of what happened. I was SO afraid of what she might do if she knew. There is something not right about that place. I could feel it. Meredosia wanted me to draw spirits in to bind them to animate constructs... That she wanted to imbue with that weird power of hers."

Hugging her arms, she draws the blanket over her shoulders tighter around her, grimaces, and momentarily shudders. "I told her I'd think about it... But... I was NEVER going to help her with that. Then, I got caught after I tried to escape. Thankfully, Chelindia and many of the older members were as nice as they could get away with to me, and always helped where they could."

She bites her lip and sighs sadly. "I hope they all get away. But..."

Aristespha kneels down in front of Faelatelia, places a supportive hand upon her shoulder, and presents a comforting smile to the nervous teenager. "But, what?"

Faelatelia shakes her head, draws in a long breath, and struggles with the uncertainty on her face. "I don't know what will happen if they leave. They kept Meredosia... In check? Balanced? They were the few that didn't blindly follow her and would question her when she got too extreme. Even if it meant they got practically demoted when they did so."

She searches mind and shakes her head slowly. "As much as the newer members thought they weren't proper Terra Priests because they questioned Meredosia so much. I always thought they followed principles better than anyone else. It's so weird and strange."

Sebastian nods thoughtfully and smiles proudly at Faelatelia. "We really appreciate you sharing that with us. I'm sure Chelindia and the others will be fine, if Chelindia is any example of what they are capable of."

He hovers down to a sitting position upon the coffee table, rests his arms in his lap, and explains with a genuine cadence. "As much as you have to do what you think is right, they have to too. Sometimes you just have to get yourself out of a bad situation before you can do anything else. You're not responsible for other people's decisions."

Faelatelia gazes over to Sebastian, nods understandingly, and sighs. "I know. I just feel uneasy about what might happen."

With a brief grit of his teeth, Sebastian ethereally exhales thoughtfully at the notion. "That's a normal thing to feel. But, we'll get together later on tonight and get all the details written down. Do you remember how to get to that place?"

With a weak smile, Faelatelia responds as she reaches out for the glass, and gulps down the remainder of the orange smoothie. "It's actually far south from the commune. I'll try to remember the exact route we took. But, we went up to the top of one of the mountains in the area into an ancient building. Sorry, but I don't know much more as we didn't go that far inside. Inside felt large? It seemed like there was space somewhere inside with how the air felt coming out."

Gently patting Faelatelia on the back, Aristespha retrieves her aetherphone, sorts through a contact list, and taps an entry. "Do not worry. We know a lot of people and have access to many resources. Anything you tell us with help out and we can let the right people know from there."

She eyes the progress of call on the phone, passes the device into Faelatelia's hands after she puts the glass back down, and smiles warmly. "I've informed your parents that you are here. You should talk to them and see how we should get you back to them."

A grim reluctance forms upon Faelatelia's face and she grits her teeth as phone call connects to a video mode. Aristespha stands up with a final squeeze on Faelatelia's shoulder. "But, I think you will want to talk to someone else first."

The aetherphone screen switches to a full video feed of Valavera's confused face and a background of teenager's bedroom. Faelatelia's sky blue eyes brighten and Valavera gasps in joyous shock. Faelatelia smiles with welling tears and blurts out a heartfelt phrase in evuukian. Valavera excitedly chimes back in the same dialect. The two teenagers chat away and catch up. The rest of the group exchange uncomfortable glances with each other and fight foreboding feelings as they process the new information.

Within the tall underbrush, Junior Paladin Daedrican, Tassilda, and three light armor Chrome Crusader troopers step silently up to clearing's edge. Tassilda stares ahead with her light blue on black eyes, and maintains watch within the middle of the team. She keeps her hands open at her sides, directed downwards. Despite armored boots impacting forest debris, no sound emerges. The squad stops meters away in the undergrowth behind three rough humans. Two stand and maintain idle observation of the nearby roadway, while one leans against the trunk of a large tree. Red bandannas flutter gently around their necks in the slight breeze, along with the frayed and tattered parts of their clothing.

When the group kneels down behind a thicket, Tassilda carefully gestures, and swings a hand ahead of her and the other above. She glances over to Daedrican and softly speaks. "The sound buffer is around us for now."

Daedrican nods his full helmet towards Tassilda and pans a visored gaze over the others. "Understood. We should be able to take them down without too much trouble. Unfortunately, scouts have reported another group may be alerted if they yell out for help."

He turns his head towards Tassilda and tilts horned helm inquiringly. "Is it possible to cast silence upon the area, my lady?"

Tassilda briefly smiles, but twists her lips into an apprehensive expression. "Yes. But, sudden silence will give us away."

One of the standing bandits yawns, shudders momentarily, and steadies his stance. Tassilda quirks her brow, draws a mischievous grin, and slyly eyes Daedrican. "I think I have an alternative, if you'd allow me to try it?"

Daedrican glances back to the three troopers and queries. "Any objections to some tactical experimentation?"

The three light armor soldiers exchange looks, and return no rejections to the idea. Tassilda nods appreciatively to the group and focuses her attention ahead. "Thank you. I'll need to drop the sound buffer, so I can free myself up. So, please, keep quiet for a little while longer as I cast a few spells."

Daedrican removes the baton off his belt, extends it with button press, and watches the end prongs spark. He inspects the three other Chrome Crusaders as he readies his polymer shield. "Everyone ready your stun batons and shields."

He inquisitively cocks of his fully covered head, glances to the three bandits, and directs his gaze at Tassilda. "So, what are these spells going to do?"

Tassilda smiles suggestively at Daedrican and winks. "Well, the results are simple enough..."

The older bandit leaning upon the tree rubs his back against the trunk, and rolls his head side to side to pops and cracks. He lifts a bored eyebrow at the two observing the highway through rows of trees and underbrush. "Anything yet?"

One bandit crosses his arms, shakes his head, and groans. "No. Nothing. Gods, I hope it's not another slow day."

The other bandit to the side props himself against a small tree, and checks the battered rifle in his hands. "Dammit. I don't know why we're still out here. Still think we should have gone somewhere else. Why does Red Hat want us to hunt here?"

Stretching his shoulders, the older bandit sighs and rolls his eyes. "I think he's just trying make up for what was stolen last week."

The young bandit leans away from the small tree and aims his voice back. "That whole situation is pretty fucked up. Robbers getting robbed... What the fuck..."

The bandit trio resume staring into the distance and view the gusts of wind blowing through the forest divide cut by the roadway. A barely noticeable, almost invisible wave of energy radiates over the area and fades away to transparency. The older bandit blinks a few times, eyes over to edges of his vision, and nonchalantly shrugs back into idle boredom.

Behind the protective barrier of Daedrican and the three troopers, Tassilda keeps one hand extended out, grins confidently, and slowly gestures with her free hand. With a faint light blue glow in her eyes, she eases an energy flow in front of her other hand. The wisps of magical power blend into the slow, transparent wave emanating from her open palm. Tassilda narrows her eyes in concentration and smiles eagerly.

The older bandit yawns loudly, rubs his eyes, and flexes neck. The young bandit snorts and laughs. "Aw, grandpa needs his afternoon nap?"

After a long irritated grumble, the older bandits lifts his head up against the trunk of the large tree behind him and blinks. "Meh, fuck you. I didn't get any sleep last night."

Fighting the reflexive contortions of his lips, the young bandit draws a lethargic breath in. "Damn. Well, to be honest, I didn't get any sleep either. All that weird fucking noise kept me awake."

The third bandit vainly tries to keep his mouth closed against the urge to yawn and grits his teeth as the submits. "Gods dammit, you two. Got me yawning now."

The older bandit's eyes close and his head tilts down upon his chest. The young bandit leans heavily upon the tree next to him. His eyes droop, and he lets his rifle hang by the strap over his shoulder. The third bandit's head sways slowly from one shoulder to the other and the rest of his body drifts. Moments later, a quiet wave of magical energy visibly warps over the clearing. The older bandit slides down the large tree trunk to a seat upon the roots. The younger bandit oozes down against the small tree, and sloppily slumps upon the ground. The third bandit stands motionless for a few seconds, and drops down to his knees with his arms still crossed. A second later, his balance surrenders to gravity and his upper body falls forward unceremoniously onto the forest floor. Puffs of air through his nostrils stir the dirt into the breeze, and soft snores barely peak out from the drone of rustling leaves.

Daedrican and the three soldiers step forth and survey the area. Tassilda arrives behind Daedrican, grins smugly, and confidently chimes. "They're in a deep sleep. You can talk and move them around. It'll be awhile before they wake up."

The tall, armored junior paladin shakes his head and astonishment tints his tone. "My lady, that was quite impressive. What was the process again?"

As the thoroughly amused light armor troops secure the slumbering bandits, Tassilda smiles happily and counts out the first step of the process upon her gray hand. "The first spell helped the flow of energy to establish a route to the targets."

She flicks up another black nailed finger, and curls a satisfied smirk from the corner of her lips. "Then, you have to gently trickle in a spell to put them in the right mindset and convince them that sleep is acceptable. The mind can easily will up a very powerful defense against magical suggestion and mental affects if the person is alert. At that point only concentrated, direct application can possibly get through that barrier."

With a smug grin, her eyes search into the reflective visor of Daedrican's helmet. She perks her brow and rests her hand upon her hip. "Finally, you spring the trap and release the full effects of the spell. And, you can see the results."

Daedrican nods in agreement, examines the progress with the bandits, and relaxes his shield and baton at his sides. "Well, I must admit, my lady, I feel a bit extraneous at the moment."

Tassilda dons a pleasant smile and presents her appreciation to Daedrican. "Oh, do NOT feel that way. Such magic is a delicate process that can be prone to folly. YOU and your team provided me with the protection I needed to fully dedicate myself to the task, to ensure success."

Daedrican cocks his helmeted head, chuckles, and nods to the other troopers. "Well, we appreciate your ability to make this significantly easier."

Tassilda poses approvingly.

Four men stand in the middle of the long stretch of highway between two forest borders. Three of the red bandanna wearing bandits aim barely serviceable rifles at the windshield of a large cargo truck. The fourth dons a conniving smile, waves a pointed finger at the two occupants of the vehicle, and maintains a firm grip upon a finely made sword at his side. He draws in a long breath and projects his voice with a commanding tone. "Okay! If you would please DISEMBARK your truck and STAND over here... We can make this quick, efficient, and mostly... Painless."

Both cab doors of the box truck open. Chad and Veevi in common, drab outfits climb down to the ground, lift their gloved hands up in the air, and walk in the front of the vehicle. Two bandits on the sides keep their rifle trained upon Chad and Veevi. The commanding bandit taps the handle of his sword, brushes the brim of the red fedora on his head, and lifts an inquisitive eyebrow at the two previous occupants of the vehicle. "Now, are you two going to tell me what you are hauling today?"

Chad presents a neutral expression and calmly speaks with a faint tremor in his voice. "Nothing. Really. Just dry goods, furniture, and some supplies."

Veevi stares resolutely at the hat wearing man and sneers her upper lip to reveal her teeth. The scrawny man, to the side of the red fedora bandit, glances over and eyes Veevi with a lecherous grin. "Hey, Red Hat! You want me to search them?"

Red Hat looks over briefly, nods in agreement, and crosses his arms in anticipation. "Mostly certainly, Rat, I'm curious what they may be carrying."

With an eager smile, Rat shoulders his rifle by the strap, walks around behind Chad, and pats him down. He quickly feels Chad's sleeves, checks the pockets of his hoodie and pants, and finds a bundle of paper money. He flips through the wad, quickly shows Red Hat, and stows it away. He runs his hands down Chad's pant legs, stands up, steps around in front of Chad, and glances at Chad's big belt buckle. "Hmm. Nice belt. Might take that later."

Chad narrows his glare at Rat and grumbles. "Uh, thanks?"

Growing an ear to ear grin, Rat steps around behind Veevi and performs a similar search of her person. Inspection times slow down drastically with extra attention paid to choice areas of Veevi's hoodie and shorts. Red Hat impatiently coughs loudly after long holds and pauses during the lengthy pat down. Veevi's ire boils upon her face with each passing second. Her tail fur puffs out more with each moment until she finally spits in the face of Rat when he leers up. "You'll feel your broken off hands in your ass if you keep that up!"

Wiping the thick phlegm off his face, Rat stumbles away cursing and scrambles for his rifle. "Argh! Ah, fuck you, damned pink bitch!"

The two bandits on he sides snort and laugh as the lecherous cretin stumbles back to his feet next to Red Hat. After a long, annoyed sigh, Red Hat shakes his head. "I take you didn't find anything... Rat?"

Rat retrieves the money from his pocket and hands it to his boss. "No, just this money."

Red Hat shrugs his shoulders, glances over to each side at the other two bandits, and points to the truck. "Okay. Briggs. Mort. Open up the back doors and check the cargo. If it's any good, let the rest know and get it hauled off."

Briggs and Mort nod to Red Hat and take a side of the truck each. As the two slowly step along, they pause midway down the length to kneel and survey the underside of the vehicle. They examine the mechanical aspects, pat a few places underneath, and tap parts of containers. Afterwards, they exchange glances and nod in satisfaction. Both stand up, resume walking, and reach the back double doors to the cargo compartment. Briggs undoes the locking mechanism and grabs the handle for one door. Mort takes hold of the other. In unison, the two lift the latches for their doors, and swing them open. Their heads turn to face into the cargo hold. Briggs and Mort freeze in place and gawk in pure shock.

The two only manage a few dumbfounded blinks before power armor gauntlets swiftly reach out, and clamp firm, threatening grips on each of their faces. Readied hydraulics straining dangerously close to their ears keeps them silent. Trakenthin stands stoically, points a finger at Briggs and Mort, motions to awaiting Chrome Crusader personnel with restraints, and gestures for silence with a finger to his lips. Briggs and Mort eye each other through the gaps between the mechanically enhanced hands, look at the two power armored paladins the hands belong to, and nod pleadingly to Trakenthin. Moments later, Briggs and Mort swiftly disappear inside the cargo hold of truck, and the doors slowly close back up.

Red Hat sighs and taps his foot. "Hmm. It's taking them some time. So, simple dry goods, furniture, and supplies? I wonder."

Chad shrugs his shoulders and maintains a stare at the bandit. His attentions briefly shift to an unseen source. He thinks moment, pulls a white toothed grin along his face, and aims an examining gaze at Red Hat. "Question. How well do you know how to use that sword?"

Lifting the brim of his red fedora up slightly, Red Hat quirks an intrigued brow at Chad, and cocks his head to the side. "Fairly well, I'd like to think."

Gripping one hand onto the other, Chad frees his fist from the glove along with his Stalwart Sword, readies the blade at the boss, and sneaks a firm press upon his belt buckle. "Want to find out?"

Rat leaps back in surprise, aims his rifle at Chad, and nervously blurts out. "Drop it or I'll shoot!"

With excitement igniting his eyes, Red Hat waves off his underling, draws his finely made blade, and grins brightly. "It's okay! I think this will be fun!"

Chad and Red Hat assume combat stances, Veevi side steps carefully away, and Rat maintains an uneasy watch. Chad narrows his analyzing stare at Red Hat. In return, Red Hat eyes Chad up and down, assessing every little detail. He smiles in sheer amusement and chuckles. "Oh my, whoever are you really? You actually know how to use that sword."

A triumphantly bright white, trademark smile graces Chad's face and he laughs out proudly. "Chad Bosch, leader of the Flames of the Phoenix."

Red Hat nods, bows slightly, and brushes the brim of his red fedora. "Pleased to meet you, I'm THE Red Hat. Shall we?"

The two stare intensely at each other, eyes watching every motion. Blades gradually reposition in response to the other. Postures shift and footings slide along the road surface to counteract the changes of the opponent. Long, tense moments tick slowly by until both suddenly tense their muscles. Chad and Red Hat lunge at each other to the clash of blades, and leap back to reevaluate their tactics. The two circle each other, pause, and swiftly approach. In a fast flurry of activity, both combatants unleash multiple strikes, expertly parry, solidly block, and continuously seek out openings to exploit. Minutes of deadlocks, equal exchanges, and dodges later, Chad and Red Hat maintain the duel and await the next assault from the other. Red Hat manically smiles and pants as he stares eagerly at Chad. "This has been quite exhilarating. It's been too long actually."

Chad grins confidently and laughs as he adjusts the angle of his blade. "The same. But, I think it will be decided soon."

Red Hat nods, tightens the grip upon his finely crafted sword, and tenses his muscles. A brief moment of still silence flits by. Both approach. Chad swings his sword slightly off. Red Hat dodges and expertly guides his blade towards an unguarded opening. A smile splits Chad's lips as he releases his blade, shifts his footing along with his body, and swings his arms to firmly grasp upon Red Hat's sword arm. With a strong pull and momentum, Chad forcefully drags the rest of the Red Hat's body along a powerful, disarming throw onto the roughly paved road. Both swords clatter along the surface and slide out of reach of both fighters. Red Hat lays upon the pavement, chuckles loudly as he gazes up into the blue sky above, and sits up with a dark grin. "Now, THAT was a proper gods damned fight! You have no idea how long I've yearned for such a battle."

He bows his head to Chad and smirks with a sinister tinge. "Pity, I'll only get to experience it ONCE from you."

Rat levels his rifle at Chad, aims, and freezes. He witnesses a number of red and green dots wander upon his body and gravitate to vital areas. As he realizes the surrounding sources, he moves his finger away from the trigger of his rifle, and raises his hand.

Veevi screams out angrily in a sharp spike of panic. "H-Hey! Pervert!"

Rat pivots in place with one hand up in the air to face Veevi. A bright green beam flashes out from the laser pistol in Veevi's gloveless hand and impacts into the crotch of Rat's pants. A chaotic, fiery burst of vaporized cloth, smoke, and reflected green light erupts out and the impact ripples out from the epicenter. Rat flops over onto the ground motionless. Seconds later, a panicked wail of pain echoes into the area as Rat scrambles to rip his pants open. He tears out an object, and flings a glowing, red-hot, dented metal athletic cup, and sends it scraping across the roadway. Rat rolls arounds with both hands securely cupping his groin and focuses on breathing against the odds.

Chad and Red Hat gawk in terrified horror and unconsciously guard the respective lower bits. A chorus of surprise sound out from the woods. Modoran voice briefly becomes audible. "Holy shit!"

Red Hat inspects the vicinity, sees an abundance Chrome Crusaders stepping out from hiding, and catches a glimpse of the laser pistol in Veevi's hand. He quickly raises his hands up into the air and calls out. "I. YIELD. Everyone! Dear gods... I surrender!"

In a walkway connecting tall, shelving lined rows of the massive store, Bach and Cideeda read the overhead Merc-Mart signs that outline the contents of each aisle. Bach stares above and directs his voice towards Cideeda. "Well, I'm glad Faelatelia is on her way back to her parents."

Stepping along the path, Cideeda weaves between advertising and demo stands. "Yeah, hope the parents cut her some slack. From what she said last night, she's been through enough."

She signals Bach to follow and glances over. "Okay, we ARE here to get you new clothes. But... there's another reason."

Bach furrows his brow and suspiciously eyes Cideeda. "Which is?"

Cideeda pauses, turns around to face Bach, and presents a toothy grin. "It's Sotalia's birthday tomorrow."

She resumes walking, surveys contents of a nearby counter, and turns at a pathway intersection. Bach thinks a moment and catches up. "Oh! Okay. So, what do we need to do?"

With a laugh, Cideeda shakes her head and nonchalantly stretches her arms over her head. "Nothing too crazy. We usually gift something practical and useful that you'd never get around buying for yourself. Or..."

A scheming grin graces her lips and she winks a Bach mischievously. "We get a FITTING gag gift."

Bach narrows his eyes ahead, sighs, and grumbles. "Oh. Great. I can just imagine the possibilities for me at this point."

Cideeda snickers, rolls her eyes, and smiles comfortingly to Bach. "Ah, it's all in good fun. And, you get whatever you want baked for you as long as we can put candles in it."

Nodding in acceptance, Bach scans the vicinity with renewed interest and examines a display of different types of socks. "Yeah, I guess that's a pretty nice deal. So, what does Sotalia get usually?"

Cideeda flips through a few pairs of toed socks, glances over to Bach, and smirks. "A big pan of chocolate brownies. Dretphi is taking care of it this year."

Bach inspects a few t-shirts upon a table, places them back, and expresses interest. "That sounds pretty good, especially if Dretphi is making them."

After a long sigh, Cideeda crosses her arms and plots. "We're cutting it a bit close with everything else that's been going on. Hopefully, if we can find a good gift today and you can keep her occupied enough during your Monday magical training sessions... We might be able to sneak this one in."

A scheming smile appears on Bach's face and he winks slyly to Cideeda. "Oh, I can keep her occupied. I'll randomly hint at some other spell I know."

Cideeda bows her head understandingly, reads the overhead aisle signs, and grimaces in frustration. "Gods, I'm just not seeing anything that sticks out."

Bach pivots in place and pans his stare. In the large, open space, rows of tables stand with assortments of merchandise. Bright yellow tags cover the normal price tags with phrase "Clearance" boldly printed. A spark of inspiration arcs in Bach's mind. He closes his eyes, reopens them to a glowing blue upon the sea of clearance items, and smirks. "How about a box of random, cheap magic crap?"

Cideeda pauses in thought, tilts her head to the side, and perks her furry ears in agreement with a toothy grin. "Gods, yes. I'll enable her habit this one time."

Aristespha brushes off the dining table and hoists up a large gift wrapped box onto the middle. Cideeda stands next to the open sliding glass door, glances out into the late afternoon lit backyard, and keeps a furry ear focused outside. Dretphi precisely guides a kitchen knife into the pan of brownies and divides the whole into equal squares. Sebastian awaits next to Cideeda and whispers over to her. "Anything yet?"

Cideeda shakes her head and smirks. "Nope. She's still in the gazebo and the hot tub is still bubbling."

Sebastian quirks his brow. "You think she fell asleep in there?"

Bach steps up next to Dretphi, examines the tray of chocolate baked goods, sorts through the candles in his hand, and looks out to the group overall. "Um... How many candles do I put on this?"

Dretphi glances over, smiles slightly, and places drink glasses down from the overhead cabinets onto the counter. "Twenty six."

Bach starts to accept the amount, pauses with a twist of the mouth, and dons a mildly confused expression. "Huh... Really? I mean, I, uh..."

Aristespha snorts into laughter, finishes arranging some place mats upon the tabletop, and rolls her eyes in humor. "Well, we have this accidental tradition that Sebastian started when he put down the wrong number candles. So, we all decided if we're going to put any number, it'll be the number of the youngest in the group."

Bach nods at the notion, quickly pokes more wax sticks into the brownie squares, and inquires. "So, who's the youngest?"

Dretphi smiles amused, pivots to the face Bach, and raps her fingers upon the counter. "Me. Could you not tell?"

Bach's eyes widen, and he slowly glances over at Dretphi. With an awkward smirk, he stumbles to a response. "Uh... Well..."

After watching Bach fumble about, Dretphi shakes her head with a happy chuckle. "Do not worry. I was joking."

Cideeda's ear flicks and she cranes her head out the opening in the sliding glass door. She snaps her head back inside and whispers loudly to the rest of he group. "She's coming out."

Dretphi sweeps up the pan immediately after Bach places the last candle, swiftly carries the tray over, and places it upon the table. Cideeda quietly slides the glass door shut. Aristespha quickly gestures out a fast incantation, flicks a flow of magic across the candles, and colored flames spring up upon each of the wicks. The group waits around the table.

A minute passes by and the door slides open. Sotalia steps through drying her fiery orange hair with a towel. As the towel lowers to drape over her shoulders, she guides her hair over her horns and gawks at team. Excitement overtakes her and she skips over to join them around the table. Everyone cheers out a happy birthday in their own languages. Sotalia smiles brightly, draws in a deep breath, and blows out the candles. After a few re-ignitions, a stubborn flame gets a dispelling tap of magical energy from a long nailed finger. Bach smiles inquisitively and crosses his arms. "So, how old are you today?"

Sotalia's lips part into an evil grin. She weaves her fingers together, rests her head on her hands, and props her elbows upon the table, while focusing a piercing gaze into Bach. "Well... How old do YOU think I am?"

Hints of hesitation trickle over Bach, and the counter question from Sotalia rattles his response. "Uh, well, I'm not really good at judging ages... But... Maybe late-"

Sotalia narrows her stare and mutes her smile. A brief twitch pauses Bach's voice. "... Twenties?"

A flattered grin appears on Sotalia's face and she sighs longingly. "Oh gods, I wish. Very nice of you to say, though."

With an appreciative tone, she rolls her eyes at herself and shrugs her shoulders. "I was born today, May nineteenth, twenty nine eighty one. Thirty six... years ago. Hence, the oldest of the group."

Sebastian motions for the gifted wrapped box. "It's just a number. You are most certainly young at heart. Anyway, gift time!"

The gathering at the table slides the large gift in front of Sotalia. After a thankful smile to Sebastian, Sotalia places hands on the side of the box. Her golden eyes lock onto the package, and she eagerly inspects the container. "What do you guys get me? I feel magic in here."

-48-

Piles of data cartridges line the front dash of the van, separated only by pages of notes. Samantha eases the front passenger seat back, and props her feet up on the edge of the open door window. Balancing the laptop on her stomach, she types into chat windows on her screen and leans her head over towards the aetherphone on the center console. "So, Howie, have you seen the video of our little, psycho starlet roasting that bandit's nuts?"

Howard's voice crackles through the aetherphone with a slight reverb. "Oh, yes. I sent that segment immediately to the editing team...  With priority. They're trying a few different takes on it. Hopefully, I'll get the results from marketing to figure out which one to use. I'm personally leaning towards the slow motion with dramatic music."

Gerald ejects a cartridge from a small computer, and plucks it out into a large sack on the cab floor. He slides into another data cartridge, taps an on-screen button, and sighs as the progress bar creeps along. "My vote is still on the freeze frame and color wash out effect. Holy hell. Even with the booster, the radio reception signal is crap out here."

Samantha groans as her eyes shift between all the conversations scrolling on her laptop. "Tell me about it. But, thanks to Deedri we had a good main focus for this last episode."

Shaking his head, Gerald snorts and continues to stare at the trickling upload meter. "Veevi had it coming. Just wish I had grabbed that footage myself with my camera. That hall camera isn't the best in the world."

A sly smirk graces Samantha's face and she darkly chuckles. "Oh, along with all the other clips of the two, it worked out just fine. Right, Howie?"

A long silence looms in the van as both Samantha and Gerald await a response. Samantha grabs the aetherphone, inspects the call status on the screen, and lifts a eyebrow. "Howie? Are you still there?"

The distant voice of Howard sounds out from the aetherphone's speaker and he ponders with an audible hum. "Yeah. I'm still here. Just thinking about something. There's something about these new clips that I can't put my finger on exactly. There's something different."

Samantha exchanges a curious glance with Gerald, and aims her voice at the phone. "What clips are you talking about?"

After idle thought and a few attempts at a sentence, Howard dons an inquisitive tone. "The recent clips with Veevi. When she looks over to Deedri... I don't think I've ever seen that expression on her before. What IS that? I don't remember seeing that look on anything from the other show."

Gerald settles back into the driver's seat, blinks in confusion, and presses a button on his nearby camera. "Wait, I think I know what you are talking about. Let me check something."

The attached camera monitor hops between different segments at the command of Gerald. A minute of hunting later, a shot of Veevi next to Chad appears on the screen. The clip slowly plays out and Veevi glances over towards Deedri, stares apprehensively, and briefly shows a frown before mustering her normal front. Gerald and Samantha cock their head inquistively and closely examine the video segment on repeat. Samantha rests her hand thoughtfully over her mouth. "That IS strange. Is she... No... Not her. There's no way she would... But..."

Furrowing a confused brow, Gerald alternates between examining the camera display and the surprise on Samantha's face. "I'm missing something here. What is going on?"

A rolling, dark laugh emanates from the aetherphone and Howard slides to a near devious giggle. "Oh... That's perfect. I had NOT considered that a possibility, but... That is just going to lead to whole new angles."

Samantha grins with a blatantly evil curl. "Don't you mean... Triangles?"

Howard and Samantha share synchronous cackles of devilish delight, while Gerald slowly processes the information to a shocked realization.

The morning sun warns the asphalt of the two lane road in front of the ranch style house. Distant rumbling grows louder with each passing second. Soon, a motorcycle rounds the curve into view. Upon the cruiser cycle, a tall, imposing figure leans into the turn and levels out the bike upon the straight away. Artificial muscles flex underneath a polymer outer skin in both of his advanced, cybernetic arms. The muscular man navigates the motorcycle closer to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle slows to a stop next to the mailbox at the mouth of the driveway. The helmeted head glances down at a mounted aetherphone and confirms the mailbox's number. Lifting his military boots off the pavement, the man eases the accelerator and rolls the vehicle in and parks next to the humvee. With a flick of the switch, he cuts the engine. Removing his helmet, he reveals an aged, hard-edged face wearing a calm smile. He rests his helmet down upon the bike and brushes off his lovingly worn, sleeveless jacket. Casually walking up to the door, he grants an admiring nod towards the humvee and stops solidly upon the front doormat. Quickly brushing his synthetic hand through his swept-back silvery gray hair, he shakes out some minor nerves and presses the door bell button.

A muffled tone rings from inside the house. Signs of life stir inside and the faint echoes resonate out to the imposing figure. He patiently waits, but leans slightly off the top of the landing to try to peek into a window. Close to a minute later, the rattle of door locks cues him to stand back up straight. The front door swings quickly open to show Sotalia in a form fitting workout outfit, holding a fanciful cup of coffee and glancing back behind her. "Yes, I'll warn him about the rocks, too..."

She snaps her head forward and finally examines the person in front of her. "Hey, I guess you're-"

Her sentence trails to a hard pause as she tilts her head to the side in surprise. Recognition of the man before her explodes in her mind and overflows upon her face. She fights a losing battle to maintain her composure. The grip upon her coffee cup unconsciously loosens, as her golden eyes gawk starstruck ahead. "C-c-commander Blaureiter?!"

The cups slips from her fingers and Commander Blaureiter's eyes lock onto the falling container. His cybernetic arm flexes forward with the rest of his body and he gracefully seizes the coffee still in mere fractions of a second. Sotalia reflexively startles at the silent swiftness and long dormant youthful admiration wins the battle over composure. She covers her mouth with both hands, fidgets energetically, and struggles to keep her pitch from climbing. "OH MY GODS! You're Commander Blaureiter! I- Uh- Um- Oh- Ah- Wow..."

Blaureiter bashfully chuckles, presents the recaptured coffee cup to Sotalia, and smiles graciously. "Yes. Well, I was once. Now, it's just Professor Blaureiter, officially. And well, it's mostly just Thomas these days."

As Sotalia regains situational awareness and grabs hold of her coffee cup, Thomas lifts an examining eyebrow. "If I'm correct, I believe you are, Sotalia?"

Looking up from the cup in her hands, a flush of pink floods Sotalia's face and she gazes shyly at Thomas. "Uh... Yes. You are correct. How did you know?"

A gentle smile graces Thomas's face and he shrugs his shoulders. "Well, you are the only one who meets the vibrant personality that Sebastian described in his aethermails to me."

He glances inside the house around Sotalia and notices the gathering group looking down towards the entry. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

Sotalia snaps her head back, remembers where she stands, and excitedly steps to the side. "OH! No! Of course not! Come in, sit down! Please!"

Thomas nods, taps any debris off his boots before entering, and eases heavy footsteps upon the hardwood floors. "Hello. Hope I'm not barging in."

Sebastian's ethereal form zips over to see Thomas, who blinks in surprise. "Professor Blaureiter! Holy shit! What are doing here?! It's great to see you!"

Thomas inspects Sebastian's ghostly visage and cocks his head curiously to the side. "It's good to see you, too, Sebastian. Despite the information I've heard, I think there's a lot more you can tell me about what has happened."

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian shrugs his shoulders and sighs. "Yeah. It's a story or two."

Bach snaps a delighted gaze up from his bowl of cereal towards Thomas, hops up from his chair. "Hey, Professor Blaureiter!"

He holds a hand out to shake as Thomas steps closer. After shaking hands, Thomas wraps his arms around Bach in a brief hug, and holds him at the shoulders. "I've been worried about you, Bach. I had promised myself to hunt you down after the semester was over if I didn't hear anything from you."

A sly smirk curls across Bach's mouth and he directs Thomas's attention over towards Sebastian with a grumbling, ill-humored tone. "Well, someone already beat you to it."

Thomas's eyes narrow upon Sebastian and he slowly crosses his powerful, cybernetic arms with an unamused glare. "Did he drag you into trouble again?"

Bach joins Thomas in the stare down of Sebastian. "Oh, both figuratively... And LITERALLY."

Aristespha sighs as she slumps her shoulders and rolls her eyes at herself. "In his defense, Professor Blaureiter, we weren't in the best of mindsets at that time. But, I'd like to think we're making progress in conducting ourselves better."

Thomas smiles and lowers himself into a chair around the table. "Well, I'd love to hear all about it."

At the doorway, Sotalia settles her excitement and gradually calms herself down. She closes the front door and exhales. After a long sip of coffee, she stills herself and mumbles. "Okay. Keep it together. Don't fangirl out here."

She glances down the entryway towards the living and cranes her head to catch a glimpse of Professor Thomas Blaureiter sitting and chatting with everyone else at the dining table. She closes her eyes, bites her lower lip, and excitedly fidgets with teen-aged glee.

Kaleb scratches the top of his blonde haired head and slides through another guild mission listing on the tablet. He lifts the device up from top of the unfinished table and squints at the next quest description. The sound of water rushing from a faucet abruptly halts and Shadeesa lifts a greasy frying pan out of the kitchen sink. She dumps a few plates of leftovers on the pan and hovers it over the sill of an open window. Moments later, Lagi's big green eyes rise up into view, his maw opens, and a long, large tongue lavishly licks cooking surface clean. Shadeesa waits until Lagi's last confirming sniff and inspects the empty frying pan before sinking it completely into the water. "Thank you, Lagi."

She dries her light gray hands upon a nearby towel and tosses her head of dark green hair back. "Now, you can help yourself to FIVE apples off the tree in the back."

Lagi nods his large head and begins to turns away. Shadeesa lifts a suspicious brow, narrows a stern stare at Lagi, and snaps her long nailed fingers. When Lagi's pauses to attention, she holds her hand out and flexes all her fingers. "FIVE apples. I counted twenty eight yesterday on that particular tree, so there better be twenty three left. Understood?"

Lagi nods his large head again slowly. Shadeesa shifts to warm smile, leans carefully out the window, and scratches Lagi's chin to his enjoyment. "If you need to fill up, there's a new drum of fryer grease from Draco-Burger under the carport."

A low, growling purr rumbles from Lagi and he quickly departs. He hungrily rushes along, bounding his huge four winged frame around the long brick house. Shadeesa giggles to herself as she undoes the apron around her prominent belly. She slowly walks towards the table, and guides her hair over her horns. Sitting down next to Kaleb, she rests her head on his shoulder and sighs. "Anything good in the guild listings?"

Kaleb leans his head snugly against Shadeesa's and hums in thought. "The usual batch of fly overs and survey jobs. Nothing that pays great, but if I can get a few more... Might be able to work a nice two day run to take care of a bunch in a row."

He taps his finger upon the map on the tabletop and traces out a penciled in path between a number of dots. Shadeesa nods and wraps an arm around his. "That doesn't look so bad. Looks like a busy few days, though."

Flitting his eyes wide open in reluctant acceptance of the situation, Kaleb draws a long breath in and sighs. "Yeah. But, it'll mean just two long days to get what we need for the week."

Shadeesa grumbles and rests a hand upon her belly. "Gods, I really need to pick up the pace on getting the veterinary clinic plan together. I don't want you and Lagi having to fly around all the time. Especially, when the baby arrives."

Kaleb slips his arm free from Shadeesa and wraps it around her. He turns his head, and kisses her on the cheek, while carefully avoiding a horn. "Don't worry about it. We're on track with the payments here. We've saved up quite a bit. And, you've got a few local, regular clients."

A long eye roll crosses Shadeesa's face and she lowers her head in disappointment while snuggling close to Kaleb. "Livestock. I'm fixing cows, pigs, and a few stubborn donkeys. What I wouldn't give to get on the preferred list for one of the weird zone reserves or a dragon rider company."

Kaleb rubs Shadeesa's arm and rests a free hand on her baby bump. "Hey, we have to start somewhere. You did get to treat a dire boar piglet and people keep asking me about Lagi's dedicated vet. You may get those calls yet."

Shadeesa sighs and relaxes a bit. "I guess. It'd still help if I had a dedicated place to practice and the all the proper equipment setup."

The two share a quiet moment as each takes turns sliding through job postings on the tablet. A few minutes later, an aetherphone chime rings out from between the two. Shadeesa blinks to attention, retrieves her aetherphone, and reads the caller info. "It's Aristespha."

Kaleb cocks his head to the side and lifts brow. "Might be Sebastian, too, since he can't use phones at the moment."

Shadeesa taps a button on the screen, and holds the device up to her ear. "Hello?"

A mixture of dialog between a number of voices sounds out from the speaker and Shadeesa's eyes light up. "REALLY?! He's there?! ... Why, of course, I think we can!"

She turns to gaze at Kaleb with a happy smile. "Professor Blaureiter is over there with Sebastian and Bach for a surprise visit. Do you think we can go over there?"

Kaleb blinks and presents a happy grin. "Sure. I don't believe we have anything planned today."

Shadeesa squirms happily and focuses back on the call. "We'll fly over there soon enough, it shouldn't be too long..."

A flash of concern washes over Kaleb and he cranes his head over to stare resolutely into Shadeesa's bright green on black eyes. As he shakes his head, Shadeesa quirks an incredulous brow and turns the aetherphone away from them. "What?"

Kaleb sighs, and lightly pats on Shadeesa's stomach. "You can't fly right now. We'll drive over and Lagi can follow us."

Shadeesa sneers her upper lip, with an indignant tone. "I'll be fine. It'll take an extra half hour or so driving-"

Moving his head close to hers, Kaleb watches the minute shifts of mood upon Shadeesa's gray, white freckled face and calmly speaks. "Remember what you said last time."

Shadeesa blinks and pauses in thought. She eases to a calm, appreciative smile and places the phone back on her ear with a tinge of embarrassment. "... Oh, no. Everything is fine. We'll just be driving over instead. I shouldn't be flying at the moment. ... Don't worry. Lagi is really good about following the car. ... See you all, soon."

After the call ends, Shadeesa gazes over to Kaleb, wraps her arms around him, and hugs him tightly. "Thank you for keeping me grounded. Sorry for being-"

A sly smirk pulls across Kaleb's lips. "Yourself?"

Shadeesa squints her eyes at Kaleb momentarily and then rolls her eyes at herself with a grumbling groan. Kaleb sways with Shadeesa in his arms and laughs. In the distant background through a large window facing the back yard, Lagi sits next to a large tree and carefully counts apples.

A large gathering involving Thomas Blaureiter, Shadeesa and Kaleb, and the rest of the team converse at and around the dining table. Recent and historical events rise up as topics and individuals retell their perspectives. In a lull of the exchange, Thomas glances over to Sotalia with a quizzical hint to his voice. "I apologize, but I have to ask, Sotalia. How do you know about me? You recognized me, but not immediately. And, I haven't gone by Commander in over fifteen years."

Sotalia's eyes open wide and she briefly grits her teeth. After a tense moment, she sighs with an embarrassed smile. "Well, I think you know how. I was a teenager back then."

Thomas lowers his head forward and chuckles out a wave of bashfulness. "I'm actually a bit surprised. Okay. Now, I have to ask... Which poster did you have?"

Sotalia blinks, averts her eyes momentarily, and bites her lip with a coy tone. "All three."

Thomas shudders his head and gawks at Sotalia in genuine surprise. Sotalia shrugs her shoulders and crosses her arms. "I have two sisters close to my age, so when I took an interest in dragons... We all took an... interest... in the man riding the biggest, baddest one out there."

She fidgets with a girlish glee and tries to contain her amusement. "When my sisters moved on to other things, I kept the all the posters."

Aristespha puzzles between Thomas and Sotalia. "I'm missing something here. Posters?"

The last word reaches the ears of everyone else and draws different reactions. Bach and Sebastian reflexively snort and squelch any further response. Shadeesa covers her mouth with a hand. And, Kaleb grins wide. "You'll have to ask Commander Blaureiter himself about that."

Dretphi and Cideeda exchange glances and then concentrate their collective attentions with everyone else upon Thomas. After a few seconds of gauging the crowd, Thomas groans with begrudging amusement. "Let me first say, when your job description on a contract says other duties as assigned... Make sure there's limits up on that."

He gazes up towards the ceiling with a distant, reminescent expression. "After the Southern Crux collapsed from all their internal problems... And the GAA and Appaland States absorbed the territories, the mercenary group I was part of lost its major government backer."

Thomas lowers his head down to meet the attention of everyone and shrugs his shoulders. "To be fair, they actually had a decent plan given the situation."

Aristespha crosses her arms, and tilts her head curiously to the side. "Which was?"

Gesturing his hands outwards dramatically, Thomas laughs with a mocking grin. "Marketing, of course!"

He rests his cybernetic hands upon the table and pantomimes his thoughts. "Simply put. If you ever wanted to receive your big end of contract retirement payout, you pretty much had to sign away your likeness rights and go along with their big scheme. And being five years away from the end of my contract, I decided to humor them."

He settles back in his chair and sighs. "So, pretty soon my old mercenary company worked out merchandising deals, sold rights to every entertainment medium along with some of us as actors, and... the few they deemed photogenic... Were marketed as the latest craze for teenagers."

Cideeda drums her claw tips upon the tabletop pondering and springs her emerald eyes open at a revelation. "Wait! Is that why all the different named heroes got released in Battles of Nexus?!"

Thomas nods in confirmation. "Yes. Once the idea got out, every group and government that could get away with it wanted a piece of that market."

Dretphi pauses in thought and arrives at a surprising realization. "I believe my mother had-... HAS a poster of you."

Sotalia sneaks a grin across her mouth and winks mischievously to Command Blaureiter. "My favorite was the swimsuit edition."

A strong blush of red washes over Thomas, before he's able to work it off his face. Mustering his composure, he laughs quietly with a gentle smile and faces shyly down at the table. "That's Albert's favorite, too."

Shadeesa smiles and reaches out to pat her hand on Thomas's. "How have you and Albert been? It's been a few months since we went up to High Alton with Lagi for your class."

Thomas chuckles lightly and shakes his head in good humor. "Oh, he's still wily as ever. I always have to make sure he keeps on the light side of his profession."

He pans a look over to Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. "He's a law professor, that specializes in patent law."

The four nod in understanding. Thomas crosses his synthetic arms and shrugs his shoulders. "He's currently out in Cali for a few weeks for a big conference. But, he specifically demanded I do something other than lounge around the house, since I'm not teaching summer courses. So, I decided to fire up the old motorcycle and travel down here from High Alton to see who I could see."

Bach gets up from his seat and glances towards the kitchen door leading to the garage. "I thought I recognized that rumble. I need to show you my ride, since you are here."

Thomas nods in agreement, slides his chair back, and stands up tall. "Sure. Need to get and move around a bit anyway."

Sotalia quickly rises from her seat, pulls her aetherphone out, and gingerly taps Thomas's shoulder. "Excuse Commander Blau- Um... Thomas. While I'm thinking about it, would you humor an old fan with a teen-aged wish to get a picture with you?"

A happy smile graces Thomas's face and he nods. "Of course."

He dons a mischievous grin, and steps clear of the table. "Stand over here."

Sotalia slides over next to Thomas and taps her aetherphone to the camera function. In a swift motion, Thomas kneels down, sweeps up Sotalia into his arms, and hoists her up. A squeak escapes the startled Sotalia and she blushes with a wide smile on her face. Anxiously giggling at the attention of everyone else in the room, she quickly addresses her appearance, aims the camera at her and Thomas, and presses an on-screen button. Sotalia wraps an arm around Thomas's neck, while he assumes a fashionably tough expression. After a bright flash, the picture appears on the aetherphone display. Thomas gently lowers Sotalia down to the to ground. Sotalia draws in a long breath and exhales out her nerves. "Thank you SO much. Sorry for being such a fan girl and all. I just never really expected to meet you in person."

Thomas rubs the back of his neck nonchalantly and chuckles. "You're just fine. Admittedly, it's all reminded me of my more youthful days. So, thank you."

The mischievous grin resumes upon Thomas's face and he inquisitively peeks over Sotalia's shoulder. "So, who are you sending that picture to?"

Sotalia bites her lip, and smirks with a sinister tinge. "Both my sisters. I can't wait to see how they react."

Thomas shakes his head in amusement and watches Sotalia quickly tap out a message. The door bell chimes out. Cideeda hops up from her seat and walks quickly to the front door. She opens up the entrance to reveal the tall, strong body of a red-headed teenager. "Hey, Dace. I'm guessing your schedule freed up enough to get to our yard."

Dace bring his focus back and gazes down at Cideeda. "Oh- OH, yeah! Sorry, it took so long to get out here. Everyone seemed to have something special that needed to be done with their yards... And... Speaking of special things with lawns... Um..."

His mind tries to assemble his thoughts and he apprehensively approaches the subject. "Okay. I just looked in the back yard and... Well... Uh..."

Cideeda scrutinizes the nervous uncertainty upon the teenager's face, thinks a moment, and then reflexively snorts in amusement. "OH! The dragon!"

A wave of relief washes over Dace and he breathes out his tension. "Okay! Cool! You know about the... Dragon- An actual dragon?"

With a nod, Cideeda grins toothily. "Yes, we do."

Dace combs his fingers through his short, red hair and tries to assume a collected attitude. "So, um. Do you want me to mow around the dragon? Is he bothered by loud machinery? Do I need to feed him?"

Cideeda snickers, shakes her head, and signals Dace to follow her inside. "It'll be fine. Just come inside real quick and we'll figure it out. Also, have you ever heard of Commander Blaureiter?"

Dace furrows an unamused brow and grumbles out past frustration. "Yeah, actually. Shallen keeps on using his Blaureiter and Night Terror combo unit to cheese out wins against my Red Gear mechs."

A dark chuckle escapes Cideeda and she leads Dace inside.

Squatting upon a branch, high up in an older oak tree, Modoran surveys the vicinity. After a few passes, he peers through a set of binoculars and stares down corridors between the trees. The drone from the rustling leaves in the breeze accompanies the minutes of inactivity. He lowers his hands and uncertainly twists his mouth. Aiming his gaze down to a trail down him, he shakes his head with a grimace. His attention shifts to an unseen source and he presses a finger upon a device in his long, dusky, bluish gray ears. "Modoran reporting. Nothing here. Saw some signs of foot traffic along a trail. But, whoever is probably long gone by now."

A few seconds after he lifts his finger from the ear piece, he nods his understandingly and taps it quickly. "Understood. I'll start moving towards the next sector in a few minutes. Just want to double-check the area."

He stares out into the forest and focuses his dark blue eyes at the occasional flit of motion from the local wildlife. Eventually, he slumps his shoulders, rolls his head around to stretch, and sighs. Slowly he unfolds his legs to balance upon the large branch and plods over to lean his back against the tree's trunk. As he closes his eyes and starts to relax, a distant snap twitches one of his ears. His eyes spring open and he presses into the contours of the trunk. A wary stare hunts around the area for the exact source.

Along the trail next to the large tree, over a dozen evuukians hike in a tight group. All carry packs of equipment, supplies, and other belongings as they navigate the terrain with ease. Their attire shares a similar uniform, natural theme, but lacks any obvious markings. Torn threads faintly outline unfaded spots upon clothing and scrapes obscure original markings on items. Chelindia glances over her shoulder and bows her head to two evuukian guards, light haired and dark haired. With an apologetic cadence, she speaks respectfully to the two in evuukian. She gradually presents an appreciative smile and gazes up to them. The two guards share a laugh, and both nonchalantly shrug back. Both mention Faelatelia's name in an inquiring tone. Chelindia nods, turns her head forward to gaze down the trail, and directs her voice back with a comforting, informing sentence of evuukian. Relief washes over the guards and they nod in agreement. Chelindia brushes back her dark green braids, draws a long breath in, and sighs to an uneasy expression upon her dark tan face. She verbally wanders in thought and occasionally glances around the group. A discussion grows between the large group, each individual thinking out loud and others commenting in return. As the calm debate continues, Captain Hayes, Captain Hackle, GAA, Borderland Rangers, and Perimeter Weird Zone stand out in contrast against the shared dialect of evuukian.

When the large team passes out of view over the crest of a small hill, Modoran releases himself from the tree trunk and slides down to a seat upon the branch. He blinks while his mind organizes the events witnessed and mulls the situation over. After some deliberation upon his face, he contorts his lips in an uncertain conclusion and presses his ear piece. "Captain, this is Modoran. Reporting... Strange... activity."

He listen to the reply, and concentrates on the his response when he keys the radio. "Large group of evuukians just passed by me a few minutes ago. I counted fourteen. If I hadn't overheard their conversation, I would identify them as Terra Priests."

Modoran furrows his brow as confusion seeps unto his face. "But, they were all talking as if they all... Well... Just quit and walked off the commune. They were debating what they were going to do next and brought up some names and organizations."

He hears a response over the radio, and reflexively shrugs his shoulders. "My sentiments exactly. I don't know what to make of it, really. I believe they're harmless and were heading south west from my current position. So, they'll be outside the operational zone in an hour or so."

With a grit of his teeth, Modoran grumbles and shakes his head. "But... If they are leaving the Terra Priests, that means there's a probably a commune somewhere around here. They didn't say anything to indicate where. I know we're out for bandits, but we might catch something else by accident."

Modoran stands back up, stretches his arms out, and quickly taps the radio after a minute. "That sounds like a plan to me. I'm going to continue on to the next area. That group will probably scare off any straggler bandits from coming this way. I'll report if I see anything else. Out."

He crosses arms, stares out into the forest, and gradually sways his head. He tosses his hands up in the air, mumbles out a few evuukian curses, and gestures out an incantation. Stepping off the branch, he glides down onto the ground and lands in a darkly obscuring mist that envelops him from sight.

Sotalia stands with her arms crossed and shakes her head in disbelief. Lagi resettles his head upon Thomas's lap and happily purrs a low rumble, and relaxes his wings out onto the freshly mowed field around the wooden plank picnic table. Thomas pets Lagi softly and stretches his legs out while seated on the end of the wooden bench. Sotalia sighs and reaches out to scratch underneath Lagi's chin. "I still can't believe this is The Night Terror's son."

Thomas laughs and smiles upon the attention soaking dragon. "Oh, I think he's turning out just fine. I'm certain Nachta would have raised him FAR differently, but I actually like this life for him better."

Sotalia stiffens her upper lip and fights a smirk at Lagi's begging gaze when she places her hand on her hip. "I- I mean, this IS the child of the Night Terror. The biggest, most powerful dragon to have flown in combat in recent memory. The dragon that bit off both your arms-"

Thomas averts his eyes, grits his teeth, and sheepishly remarks. "Actually, she only bit one off... Because, I was a stupid twenty something that didn't know what the hell I was doing."

Halting mid rant, Sotalia stares down and puzzles at Thomas. "Huh? I always heard she took both your arms? So... Um, how did you lose the other... If I may ask?"

Scratching the back of head, Thomas embarrasedly sighs. "You can blame marketing on that oversight. But, it was a farming accident. Trying to get my dad's heap of tractor working again. I was test driving it and hit a hidden sink hole on the road. Dumped me out first. Followed by the tractor flopping onto my arm with all the moving, hot bits. They may have been able to save some of it, but I just opted to pair up the cybernetics with reinforcement."

Sotalia blinks aghast and verbally stumbles to a response. "Uh... Wow... That sounds worse than Nachta biting it off."

Thomas breaks out laughter and smiles brightly. "Gods! I would have chosen her to chomp it off over that tractor in a heartbeat. I didn't realize she had bitten my arm off until after I tried to punch her with the missing arm."

He notices Sotalia utter bewilderment and sighs with a reminiscing grin. "You have to understand. Nachta had whole different mentality. She was proud, smart, and strong. She only respected those she felt were equals. That happened to be no one. Well... Until I showed back up and slugged her dizzy with the new arm. After that, we had an amazing partnership."

Sotalia closes her agape mouth and covers her astonishment with an admiring smile. "That's actually a lot cooler than the story they wrote for your bio."

Thomas massages the blue black scales between the white bony plates on Lagi's head and smiles. "Nachta was strange girl. Jealous, too. When she saw I lost my other arm to the tractor, she left her den, went to my father's farm, and melted the tractor to a puddle of slag. I still don't know how she knew where to find the thing."

Kaleb nervously smiles and shudders as memories rise up. "I still remember the few times you took me NEAR her enclosure. Gods, that red eyed glare."

A humored chuckle rises from Thomas and abruptly halts when a chime rings out from his inner jacket pocket. He retrieves his aetherphone, taps to the messages, and groans. "Oh gods, Albert."

Shadeesa leans close to Thomas and asks with a hint of concern. "Is everything okay?"

Thomas presents a smile over his frustration and nods. "Yes. Albert is just being his picky, over analyzing self again. We've talked about repainting the sun room. I'd just like A warm color. Albert... is trying divine the exact shade. And, conferring with me to the point I think my brain refuses to differentiate colors anymore."

He rotates his phone display out towards the gathering nearby. Sotalia, Shadeesa, and Kaleb squint and study the number of pictures highlighting extremely similar colors. The group deliberates and contort their faces in indecision. Sotalia glances around, grabs hold of Aristespha as she walks by, and directs her attention to the swatches. "Which color do you like better?"

Aristespha focuses her violet eyes upon the aetherphone screen, ponders in thought, and then incredulously stares at everyone. "Is this some kind of trick? They look almost the same to me."

Thomas sighs and shakes his head while he continues to pet Lagi.

Veevi stretches out upon the sleeping bag inside the large, tall tent. She combs through her pink hair and twitches her furry tail in idle thought. The tent flap unzips, and Chad steps through. He glances down at Veevi as she smiles slyly at him. "Don't get too comfortable, we still have individual interviews to record and a daily recap."

The half-fvalian girl sighs petulantly and narrows her pink pupil eyes. "I KNOW. Gods. I don't know what there's to talk about. Nothing happened Tuesday and nothing happened today. Not like Saturday."

She points her finger towards the top of the tent, curls her thumb, and audibly mouths out. "ZAP!"

Chad narrows his galre and tugs uncomfortably at the corner of his mouth, groaning. "I gave you that laser pistol to defend yourself. NOT to shoot surrendering people in the junk."

He briefly cringes and shudders reflexively. "Gods dammit, that hurt to WATCH. So, can you AVOID giving the medical staff anymore work in the future?"

Veevi rolls her eyes indignantly and sticks her tongue out at Chad. "Fucking fine then! It's not like the asshole didn't deserve it."

She wraps her arms around herself and presents a pitiful, endearing gaze to Chad with a meek cadence. "But, I am sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. After that amazing sword fight, I was just so worked up and saw him point that gun at you. I just wanted to help out."

Chad crosses his arms, and sighs with a smirk. "I agree he deserved it. But, fucking hell, try not to shoot anyone who has surrendered. I REALLY don't want the Flames of the Phoenix to get that type of reputation."

A seductive grin graces Veevi's lips, and she rolls over onto to her side. She glides her finger tips along the length of the sleeping bag next to hers and flicks her tail over her legs. "Keeping up appearances, hmm? Is that why there's two sleeping bags in here?"

A chuckle accompanies the smile upon Chad's face as he kneels down upon the sleeping bag. "Well... Not entirely. These two sleeping bags can be zipped up together."

Veevi bites her lip, giggles with a squirm, and stretches herself out to highlight her figure. "Oh. Something we'll try out, tonight?"

Chad shrugs his shoulders as he sits down. "Maybe. It might be a bit difficult, since you're not exactly... Quiet."

A sharp nailed hand walks over to rest upon Chad's knee and Veevi smiles with a seducing lick of her lips. "Ooo, that sounds like a challenge. I'd like to attempt... Now."

Outside the tent with the Flames of the Phoenix logo and across the other side of the camp site, Trakenthin flips to the next page of his book. He calmly reads the paragraphs, relaxing against tree and propping his feet upon an equipment locker. Poring over the pages, his hazel eyes quickly scan over the text and traces of excitement rise upon face. As he eagerly reaches out to turn to the next page, he freezes. His head lifts up and aims his ears towards faint noises. He hunts around the campsite and settles upon the tent with the Flames of the Phoenix logo. Bewilderment flashes over to disgust when Trakenthin recognizes the sounds. He cringes, grips onto a heavy armored boot nearby, and readies for a throw. Moment pass and Trakenthin grits his teeth in defeat, and drops the boot. He grumbles grath curses under his breath as he stomps away from the developing din of carnal gymnastics.

Cideeda and Dace stand at the crest of a slope leading down from the picnic table into the open field. Dace traces out the forest border with a hand. "When I do a finishing pass around the edges, I can angle the cutter and trim up the bushes along way if you want."

Scratching a claw tip thoughtfully on her chin, Cideeda nods, and pinches out a small height. "Can you cut it short along the bushes, like you did the target field on the side of the house?"

Dace grins confidently and proudly places his hands on his sides. "Oh, of course. I can cut the grass to the centimeter on that mower."

He points towards the lone, worn, scorched, and chipped boulder in the middle of the field. The wind blows the trimmed grass surrounding the pile of rock chunks encircling the massive stone. He glances down to Cideeda and inquires. "You sure you don't want me to take care that huge rock? I won't charge that much."

Cideeda grins toothily at the teenager. "Won't be needed. Kind of like it there. It's perfect for target practice. So, it might not be a problem given time."

Thomas blinks at the mention of target practice and notices the Particle Power Blaster secured in the equipment satchel on the sunning Lagi. He side steps over, flips the cover of the bag, and places his hand on the huge pistol. With a wistful smile, he looks over his shoulder to Kaleb at the table. "Kaleb. Do mind if this old man catches up with an old friend?"

Kaleb gazes over, sees Thomas's hand on the blaster, and nods enthusiastically. "Hell yes, you can. I told you when you gave it to me, that you can always use it."

Thomas grins wide, swiftly draws the weapon clear of its holster, and remembers the feel of the blaster as he walks to the crest of the slope with Dace and Cideeda. He examines the control panel on the device and chuckles. "Up to thirty five percent power. Nicely done, Kaleb."

Kaleb puffs out his chest proudly and beams at his accomplishment. "Oh yeah. I've gotten up to fifty percent for single shots, but keep it there most of the time for convenience."

Shadeesa briefly glares over to Kaleb and reinforces her sentiment with a stern tone. "Also because someone nearly dislocated their shoulders when they accidentally burst fired it on that setting."

Kaleb shrugs off the embarrassment and weathers the stare from Shadeesa. Dace studies the device in Thomas's hand and blinks in astounded recognition. "Holy shit. That's YOUR Particle Power Blaster!"

He gestures towards the large pistol and smirks at Thomas. "Okay! I GOT to ask how powerful that thing really is. Because, my friend Shallen and I got into an argument about it and the stats in the game-"

A sinister grin parts Thomas's lips and he powers on the weapon with a quick twirl of the pistol grip. He flips the blaster around in his hand expertly and presents it to Dace with a sly smile. "Try it out. Brace yourself. Take aim. Squeeze your pinky around the lower grip safety and hold your thumb on the upper safety when you are ready to pull the trigger."

Dace takes hold of the pistol with both hands. He searches around for a spot, plants his feet, and raises the pistol up in line with the boulder. Thomas side steps behind Dace, keeps a steadying hand at the ready, and flashes his greatly amused grin to everyone else. Dace secures his grip, takes aim, and pulls the trigger. A bright orange bolt of charged matter loudly blasts out the muzzle of the pistol, streaks down to the boulder, and erupts into fiery cloud. The surprise force lifts Dace's muscled arms up, and tips him backwards onto the awaiting hand of Thomas. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Kaleb, Lagi, Sebastian, Shadeesa, and Sotalia react in a mix of amusement, surprise, and encouragement. Dace blinks in utter shock, gradually lowers his arms, and stares in awe at the particle pistol. "Holy shit! That's at thirty five percent?!"

Thomas chuckles confidently and holds his hand out. "Yes. Want to see what it can do at one hundred?"

Dace returns the pistol to Thomas, steps back a meter away, and awaits with renewed respect. Thomas flips the power level to full. An audible hum of power emanates from the blaster. Training his stare upon the distant boulder, Thomas plants his feet, braces his stance, and keeps a free arm out to balance himself. He raises the muzzle of the blaster up to the target.

A flurry of blue-white particle bolts stream out of the weapon, single shots follow triplet bursts. Each shot belches out flashes of ionized gas and billow out faint pressures waves upon the cut grass ahead. Thomas's cybernetics buffer the recoil masterfully and he makes minute adjustments in aim between shots and during bursts. Taking a few seconds to squint at the distant, smoldering boulder, he squeezes one last blast and dons a happy grin on face. "I think I still got it."

Plume of dust, smoke, and ionized air lifts away from the boulder in the breeze. Upon the large rock, a collection of purposefully placed holes glow a fading orange-red and resemble an dotted smiley face. The assembled group amuses at the display, between uncovering their ears and granting a healthy applause to spectacle. Cideeda glances over with a scheming grin to Bach. "I think we need setup the target range today. We have a new challenger."

Dace gawks in absolute awe, blinks back to awareness, and scratches the back of his head reflectively. "Damn. I think I owe Shallen an apology."

Thomas pats the shoulder of the teenager. "Don't worry. They've been debating how many dice my attacks should get for YEARS now. They'll try to fix it an errata. Then, unfix again in the next errata. Then... unfix the unfix? I try to stay out of those fights these days."

Dace nods in agreement. Cideeda rolls her eyes and sighs. "Gods, tell me about it."

-49-

Tassilda draws back her raven black hair over swirling horns and places her hands upon her hips. She narrows a stare at the cluttered cargo area of the black sports utility vehicle. After scanning the space, she spots a familiar bag, grips the draw string, and yanks it clear out of the mass. She flings the sack over her shoulder and steps confidently towards the camp site. Deedri sits upon a foldout stool, sorts through boxes of medical supplies, and taps out an inventory into a tablet. Tassilda stops next to Deedri, cranes her head around to watch, and smiles. "Quite the daily routine you have."

Deedri glances up, nods, and returns her attention to a kit of medical tools. "Yes. Just making sure it's where I remembered it, if nothing else. Yesterday was quiet, thankfully"

Tassilda sways her hips, glares over towards the tent with a bold Flames of the Phoenix logo upon it, and sneers. "Well, for the most part... Save for certain individuals' nightly activities."

Deedri briefly winces and sighs. She pinches her fingertips upon a paper bag and lifts it into view. "Do you want any cotton balls? They worked me to keep the noise bearable."

With a groan, Tassilda shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "No. While I do greatly appreciate the offer, I just wish they would take their nocturnal antics out into woods and leave us alone."

She briefly surveys the vicinity and notices the tall, strong, lightly armored figure of Junior Paladin Daedrican patrolling nearby. When Tassilda makes eye contact with the visor of his full helmet, Daedrican drops his head into a bow. A greatly amused grin grows on Tassilda's face and she struts enticingly out towards him with a sly smile. Meters away from the campsite, she steps right in front of Daedrician's path, perks a curious brow, and focuses her light blue on black eyes upon him. "Now whatever brings you here, Paladin?"

A light chuckle escapes the slight muffle of the helmet and Daedrican stands proudly. "Nothing terribly exciting, my lady. A very banal patrol around the inner perimeter, before I do a final outer perimeter sweep."

Tassilda dons an inquisitive smirk and her gazes wanders around Daedrican's light power armored figure. "They most certainly keep you very busy."

Daedrican nods with a muted shrug of the shoulders as he tracks Tassilda's interests. "It is something excepted of all junior paladins. With the rank comes responsibilities and duties. I am also expected to put forth the extra work to justify the armor."

Making brief eye to visor contact, Tassilda suppresses a brief flit of embarrassment and resumes controlling her composure to project confidence. "While on that very subject... I don' believe I've gotten a chance to see your face fully."

Daedrican tilts his helmeted head to the side, ponders a moment, and sighs respectfully. "I apologize, my lady. It's a bit of a policy for those on active duty to keep their helmet on, especially the head and visor components. There is allowance with the lower face mask."

He watches as Tassilda's suspicion twists her lips to an unconvinced, slight frown. "Interesting, it seems that policy certainly doesn't stop Senior Paladin Maxon."

Daedrican gently bows apologetically and straightens his posture. "Well, he is the Senior Paladin. And by his own admission, his hard head serves the task enough that it is rumored the helmet is completely redundant."

A smile graces Tassilda and she covers a giggle with a free hand. Daedrican relaxes his shoulders and nods his head down with tinges of embarrassment. "But truthfully, my lady... I'm still getting used to the suit and it's recommend to keep the helmet on as much as possible during the initial training phase."

Tassilda grins slyly, lifts an inquisitive brow, and glides her long, black nailed fingers upon her horns. "And, I'm assuming you don't want to be seen without horns on your head?"

Daedrican laughs and shakes his head gently. "Oh, there's a little story behind that."

Intrigue ignites Tassilda's curiosity and she gradually lifts her hand up, pointing towards the prominent black horns on Daedrican's helmeted head. "I certainly hope those don't belong to the previous owner of the armor."

Deadrican lowers his upper body forward and puts his horns within reach of Tassilda's hand. "Oh no, my lady. They are most certainly MINE."

Tassilda attempts to hide the eager bite of her lower lip and firmly feels a solid, long, smooth, keratinous protrusion from the helm. After a few seconds, she releases her grip and flushes out her excitement to a calmer demeanor before Daedrican lifts his visor obscured eyes back up. "So... How did your horns ever end up there?"

With a long sigh hinting pass annoyance, Daedrican places his hands on his sides. "Well, to use the power armor suit properly, I need to use the helmet that it was calibrated to. So, I decided to have my horns carefully sliced by one of our mages. I kept them in my footlocker, in hopes that maybe the engineers could eventually modify a helmet that might work with my horns after I had them reattached."

He raises his hand, grips a horn, turns it a quarter way, and slides it free of a precision mechanical mount. Slightly grumbling in a mix of amusement and begrudging respect, he inserts the horn back into the socket with a twist. "Engineering... Surprised me... With a more immediate solution. Which I've come to appreciate in a way."

Tassilda firmly covers her mouth and tries in vain to contain the reflexive snickers leaking out. She attempts to work the ill-humor free from her face and dons an apologetic smile as she gazes into Daedrican's visor. "I am terribly sorry. I don't mean to be rude. That seems endearing, in a strange way."

Daedrican slowly nods and sighs with a bright tint. "I'm pleased you see it that way. It took me a little longer to accept it myself."

He bows to Tassilda and glances down a path. "I hate to be rude myself, my lady, but need to resume my patrol... You are more than welcome to join me on the inner patrol."

Tassilda grins nonchalantly and nods in acceptance. "If you'll have me, Paladin. Just one moment."

She calmly pivots, strides over quickly to Deedri, and sets down her bag with a whisper. "Hey, could I leave this with you to-"

Deedri glances up from her chore, flashes a winking grin, and guides the sack next to her. "Go for it."

Tassilda backs from Deedri towards Daedrican, recovering her composure, and mouths. "Thank you!"

Daedrican gazes down at Tassilda at his side while they walk together and inquires. "Would it be too much trouble for you to indulge me in few particular dialects of Emin, my lady? There's a few I don't encounter a lot that I believe you seem elegantly fluent in."

Tassilda blinks in brief surprise and presents a delightful smile with a wink to Daedrican. "Only if you indulge me."

After a quiet laugh, Daedrican voices a gentle, smooth sentence of an emin dialect that leaves Tassilda fighting traces of blush on her cheeks.

In the mowed field behind the ranch style house, Sotalia hovers a meter above the ground and holds onto Bach's arms. Drifting around, she slides the floating Bach around her same level. "I think you're finally getting the hang of this."

Bach sways into balance and keeps his attention to the shadow below him from the noon sun peeking out from the clouds. He grimaces briefly and steadies himself with the support of Sotalia's arms. "I guess. It's not so bad at this height. We're close enough to the ground I'm able to keep myself up in the air a little differently."

Sotalia glances down and watches the grass wave against an unseen force. Her attention shifts to the circular area of pressed down blades directly beneath Bach and dons an inquisitive cadence. "Really? How is it different?"

With his focus upon the ground, Bach leans his weight to counter the force of Sotalia pulling him along. "Well, it's sort of how the hover disc spell works to keep the disc up. It creates a virtual ball of force that acts against the ground and disc. I've got something similar worked up for this height and it's a lot less draining."

Gradually steering Bach along, Sotalia searches around the top of her mind and hums in thought. "So... There's a limit to how high you can go due to the dynamics of maintaining the virtual force between you and the ground."

Bach gazes over to Sotalia and nonchalantly shrugs of his shoulders. "Yeah. It starts to get really hard to maintain after a few meters. I'm still having to propel myself to keep balanced on top, but it's a bit easier than normal flight. And, I'm at the mercy of the ground, since I'm practically rolling along it."

Sotalia blinks, eyes the picnic table, and then surveys the downwards slope leading into the rest of the field. As she examines the terrain, a smirk cracks out of the corner of her mouth, out of sight of Bach. She stops mid-air, releases Bach, and gradually pivots in place. "Well, since you seem to have a good hang of this. Let's make it a bit more... Challenging."

When she turns away from Bach, Sotalia quickly gestures her hands and quietly mouths out a series of incantations. Bach cocks his head curiously to the side, narrows his glowing blue eyes, and scans up and down Sotalia's figure suspiciously. Sotalia momentarily bobs down and rises back up, and a faint flow of energy swirls the air around her. Bach's eyes flit wide in surprise, and he slowly floats away. "Why did you just change up to a different flight spell?"

Sotalia rests her hands upon her hips, tosses her wavy, fiery orange hair hair back, and grins slyly with a glint in her golden eyes. "Oh, this spell offers a bit more mobility than the hover spell."

Bach warily drifts further away from Sotalia as she glides closer. "Why would you need more mobility right now?"

He barely catches the mischievous smile of Sotalia when she flies past him in a blur and traces the trail shaking of grass blades leading behind him. A pair of long, black nailed hands clamp securely down on his shoulders and twist him towards the picnic table. With a strong push from behind, Bach coasts above the ground and holds his hands out for balance. He snaps his head back and grits his teeth. "Okay! What the hell are you planning on doing now?!"

Sotalia giggles with an impish hint and steers Bach's body along. "Oh, nothing BAD. I just figured that if you can maintain this comfortably, I could ramp up the difficulty a LITTLE bit."

Bach glances ahead and then returns his uncertain stare back to Sotalia. "DEFINE a LITTLE bit."

Sotalia winks with a grin, cranes her head to the side, and nods ahead to the upcoming slope down into the field. "Well, just a gentle decline to start with."

Bach snaps his head forward and aims his full attention upon the terrain. Reflexively, he extends his arms out a bit more, adjusts his stance midair, and prepares. With a hint of a smile behind a nervous expression, Bach swiftly rides down the incline, maintains a steady height from the ground, and easily buffers the return to flat earth. Sotalia laughs excitedly as she flies behind and propels Bach forward. "OH, you've done this before! What are you so scared about?!"

Leaning into the turn as Sotalia directs him in around the large boulder in the field, Bach aims his voice back with hints of hesitation leaking out. "Well. I used to do similar WITH an actual hover disc below me! It handled the vertical and I did the horizontal. So, this is kind of different!"

The wind blows through Sotalia's fiery orange hair and she loudly sighs with an understanding tone. "Fair enough. Still, I think it'd be good practice to get used to horizontal movement. So, if you still want, I'll gently push you around the field a bit..."

Her golden eyes shift over to stare longingly at the grassy slope upwards. Bach glances back and then turns his gaze towards the incline. An adventurous grin parts his mouth and he flexes his fingers in anticipation. "Fuck it. I got it figured out enough for a few more minutes. Give me some speed. Gods, it's been too long since I banked a good turn off a ramp."

Sotalia shakes her head in surprise, brightly grins, and squeezes Bach's shoulders as she increases velocity. "That's more like it! Maybe even some launches up the slope afterwards?"

Bach laughs and snorts. "Ah, one thing at a time."

He examines the slope and traces a path up over the wooden outdoor furniture. "But... maybe sooner than later..."

A curious smile graces Sotalia's face as she follows Bach's focus. "Hmm, so there IS some truth to those stories Sebastian's has told about you two abusing hover discs."

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia sit around piles of maps, printouts, paperwork, notes, and tablets upon the dining table. Each slowly analyzes their section of the mass of information. Sebastian hovers overhead and sighs contemplatively. "Gods, plenty of places Noxian COULD go. But, nothing points to where he WOULD go next."

Bach settles into the back of his chair and rubs his eyes. "It always seems like we find where he has been. And admittedly, we STILL don't know what exactly he's trying to accomplish."

Resting a tablet down, Aristespha crosses her arms and plays with her silvery blue hair in thought. "I've gone over the list of things in the access history Nash provided. He's obviously looking into elder energy and information about its use. But... Nothing blatant about what he wants to actually use it for."

Sotalia twists her mouth as she props her head up with her hand and stares in frustration at loose leaf notes. She taps her finger idly and grumbles. "And for a supposed Dark Lord, he's been really quiet about his ultimate goal. Really bold about getting what he needs for it, though."

Gazing up at a holographically projected display, Cideeda drags a claw tip through the menu scroll bar and watches the list of data files roll on by. She pauses in thought and glances over to Dretphi. "Did you find anything that matches what Faelatelia described?"

Dretphi slides over a topographical map between her and Cideeda. Tracing a finger along one of a few penciled routes, she circles out a peak in the mountains. "Here. Seems the candidate. Route matches her travel description."

Cideeda squints her emerald green eyes, leans closer to the map, and follows the latitude and longitude lines to the outer frame. "Wait... I remember something really close to these coordinates..."

Aristespha stands up, balances herself over the table, and notes the point's coordinates on the map between Cideeda and Dretphi. "Let's see if the Grand Library system has anything in that area. Now that I'm thinking about it..."

The tablet pops up an entry form and Aristespha quickly types out the numbers. She sits back down, enters a series of search parameters, and focuses her attention fully upon the results from the query permutations. Bach searches his mind and his intrigue piques as he looks over to Cideeda. "Wait, we have a printout of all the strange coordinates from that research base Nash translated for us."

Cideeda's eyes widen in realization. "That's right..."

She swiftly pulls her knees underneath her in the chair and reaches over the table top to a heavily annotated printout. "I bet it's on there somewhere. That's probably where I remember it from."

As Cideeda flips through a page and drags a claw tip down rows of numeric data, the hunt pulls in the attention of the rest of the team. After a few pages, her finger halts under a line right underneath a set of nearly matching coordinates. "That's WAY too close to be coincidental."

A chime rings out from Aristespha's tablet and she lays it down next to the topographical map to show the group. She slides through snippets of relevant referenced material of the results on screen and presents the connection to the group. "There's no exact matches. But, I increased the tolerances and extended the search to the historical archives. That pulled up a number of articles that mention a lot of activity around the general area regarding a number of facilities."

She sighs and rolls her eyes with an annoyed tone. "Which, of course, conveniently have no official records that ever said exactly what went on there. Anything the Grand Library has on file is flagged as matching the common pattern for a forged cover record. So, nothing official is actually correct."

Sotalia groans and shakes her head with a commiserating sneer. "Well... So nice of them to keep it a surprise for us."

She pauses, backtracks the penciled route on the map, and points to the starting point. "I'm guessing this is where the Terra Priest commune is?"

Dretphi nods in confirmation. Floating above, Sebastian snaps his head downwards and squints below. He gradually drifts down until he's hovering roughly eye level to the rest of the team and moves an ethereal hand between the map and number list. Sudden surprise fades into curiosity upon his ghostly figure. "The commune location is on that list."

The rest of the group's attention shifts in unison towards a particular row of numbers. Cideeda sways her head between the map and list, and contorts her face. "Holy shit. It is. Okay... What the fuck IS this a list of?"

Sebastian glides back upright and lands next to the table on the hardwood floor. He holds his ethereal chin in his hand and searches his mind with a distant stare. "Okay... This is something. I think we really NEED to check out the place Faelatelia told us about. There's a lot more to that list from the research base. The Orth Ridge site being on it seemed plausible since it was a big place with a lot going on. And, it was actually the only big thing we knew of on there."

He crosses his arms and hums as he contemplates further. "But, a recent Terra Priest commune and some possible old ruins that have barely gotten anyone's attention over the many years that they have probably been there? That doesn't quite fit."

Dretphi lifts an eyebrow, tilts her head, and puzzles. "The commune was recent. The structures they used are old."

Bach angles the list for better viewing and scrutinizes the data. Sebastian steps next to Bach and cranes over to watch his analysis. "You got any thoughts on it, bro?"

With a defeated sigh, Bach shakes his head uncertainly. "There's something we're missing. Unfortunately, I think Noxian knows exactly what is it."

Aristespha frowns and dons an apologetic tone. "I wish I had more information. But, when Nash translated the coordinates from the data Cideeda uploaded, he checked the locations for anything. It seemed fairly random and he couldn't pick out a pattern that made any kind of sense."

She grimaces and grumbles. "Admittedly, there's a few areas in the Perimeter Weird Zone that would be suspect. But, there's far more in completely normal farmland and in populated cities that have never reported anything out of the ordinary."

Cideeda growls slightly as her frustration leaks out. "It's got to be the extra info in the data sets. But what exactly?"

Aristespha nods and swipes through a few menus on a tablet in front of her with a hopeful smile. "I'll send Nash and aethermail with what we've found out. Maybe they've made some progress on determining out what the system was recording at the research base."

Sebastian dons a grin, shrugs his shoulders with his hands out to the side. "Well, I think we have enough justification to pay this place a visit. And until we check it out for ourselves, I don't think we're going to make any headway on deciphering that data."

He gazes out to the group. "So, enjoy the weekend and head out Monday?"

Everyone else indicates their agreement. Sebastian smiles proudly and sighs ethereally. "Okay. Well, I think we'll ponder this some more tomorrow with our travel plans. Until then, I think we need to see what our... favorite show... has for us."

Sotalia slides her chair out, stretches her arms over her head, and smirks wryly. "That's right... We didn't get to see last week's episode. I need to watch the replay before the new one. I'm curious to see how much Veevi pushed her luck."

As others depart from the table, Dretphi notices Bach staring at a spot between the map and list. She walks over, cranes her head around, and queries. "Theories?"

Bach blinks back to awareness, glances over to Dretphi, and shrugs plainly. "Sure. Plenty."

A frown pulls down the corners of his mouth. "None I'm really happy about."

Dretphi pats Bach's shoulder and nods as she walks towards the popcorn air popper in the kitchen. "Understandable. Thoughts for another time. Let us enjoy popcorn now."

Inside the Amaranth's Wrath Game Emporium, customers wander between aisles of comic books, navigate tables of games, and hang out at glass displays to gawk at the latest trinkets. Three people stand around between the tabletops. A tall, muscular red-head teenager shrugs his shoulders and rolls his eyes. "So, yeah. Um, Shallen, you were fuckin' right. That blaster really is that powerful."

Shallen blinks his green eyes, scratches one of his long evuukian ears, and smiles with a hint of smugness. "I told you so. But, still, Dace. Damn... Wish you had called me or something. I would have helped you cut grass to see all that."

Furry ears drooping, a fvalian man firmly combs fingers of thick black claws through his wild white hair. He stares in disbelief at Dace with red on black eyes as he holds his hands out. "REALLY! Come on! You KNEW I was back in town from school. Seriously, my FAVORITE professor somehow drops in, AND is hanging out with one of THE dragons half of dragon fandom has been trying to get more information about!"

He narrows his eyes at Dace and frowns disappointingly. "And you don't even give me a call!?"

Dace shrugs nonchalantly and assumes a moderately apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, Tellerran. It's just I was busy trying to get the job done. I was already running late and had put off Cideeda's yard for a few days already. Then, I totally got caught up in the whole situation."

Tellerran slumps his shoulders, straightens his back with a long breath, and sighs with a perk of his ears. "Gods dammit. I can't really blame you on that one. I don't think I would have kept my cool enough to get any work done. I mean, I barely kept it together when Professor Blaureiter got Lagi to visit towards the end of the semester."

Reaching into his pants pocket, Dace pulls out two large blue black dragon scales and fans them out in front of Shallen and Tellerran. He grins smugly with a laugh. "Would freshly plucked dragon scales make up for it?"

Shallen and Tellerran each take a scale from Dace. Shallen nods and slips the scale into his shirt's front pocket. "Paid in full, man. But, I just read up the leaked copy of the latest errata's table of contents..."

Dace smirks and lifts a knowing brow. "Let me guess, they're trying to rebalance the blaster combo."

Shallen groans and shakes his head. "Gods, you know it. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I'll just have to find a new combo to work."

Dace watches the awe upon Tellerran's face. "Totally worth it to see your face, man. That one they let me pull off Lagi, since it was about fall off."

Tellerran carefully carries the dragon scale over to a table next to the group, flips open a binder, and meticulously slides it inside a protective plastic page. "Dude... Thanks... Wow... This looks better than any I've ever gotten from a convention."

He pauses a moment after carefully pressing the transparent layer down and cocks his head curiously towards Dace. "Did anyone say anything about Lagi's parents?"

Dace thinks a moment, scratches the back of his neck, and twists his mouth uncertainly. "Ah... No. Well, nothing I overheard. But, Lagi would NOT leave Blaureiter alone. Almost tackled him, curled up around him, and was purring all time. Also... That dragon ate A LOT of the grass I mowed."

Tellerran's interest piques and he quickly snatches a nearby mechanical pencil. After scribbling a few quick notes upon another paper page in the binder, he dons an eager smirk. "Interesting. Professor Blaureiter would never say anything about Lagi's lineage... I wonder..."

Shallen snorts and shakes his head of dark gray, slicked back hair dismissively. "Oh shit, do I sense another heated online debate in the future?"

Crossing his arms, Tellerran stands resolutely, flicks his furry ears, and narrows his eyes facetiously at other two. "Well, I can't fucking help it when someone wants to be wrong and post it everywhere they shouldn't."

The front door to Amaranth's Wrath opens and a tall, imposing figure steps in. Thomas surveys the shop proper and slowly steps towards the front desk. Steve sits with his full attention focused upon a small miniature in front of him. With a calm, precise hand, Steve lifts a fine, few hair brush and gently guides a tiny speck of paint along the minuscule detail of the plastic figure. Thomas stands in front of Steve across the front counter and nonchalantly asks. "Have you gotten in the latest issue of Red Gear Rising?"

Steve reflexive lifts his free hand to signal a wait gesture to Thomas and finishes the fine task. "Sorry, one second. Just need to get the hair highlights in there... And... There."

Thomas gazes down at the miniature and recognizes it after a few moments with an embarrassed smile. "Nicely painted there. But, I'll admit... There's A LOT more gray these days."

Steve lifts his head up, smiles at Thomas, and chuckles. "I know, but I'm going for the classic, first issue look. Okay, the latest issue of Red Gear Rising-"

Recognition dawns upon Steve and he compares the Commander Blaureiter figure to Thomas in front of him. "Holy hell... Commander Blaureiter... Um... Totally! We have a copy of the new Red Gear Rising. I'm okay with taking your money... But... I really rather take a few pictures and get some signatures. If that's okay with you."

Thomas grins with amusement and nods. "Sounds like a deal."

Dace pauses from the latest rules debate between Shallen and Tellerran, and waves towards Thomas. "Oh! Hey, Thomas!"

Thomas glances over and waves back. "Dace! Good to see you. Nice shop you all have in town."

Shallen halts his next sentence, pivots in place, and gawks at Thomas. Tellerran's red on black eyes widen and he eagerly questions Thomas. "Professor Blaureiter?! What are you doing here?"

Thomas scratches the back of his head of gray hair with a cybernetic arm. "Well... Since I'm down here to visit friends for a few weeks, I figured I'd find a place to make sure I don't fall behind on the Red Gear Rising series."

Tellerran blinks in stunned silence and ponders a response. Thomas sighs with a smirk and points to Tellerran. "By the way, I really liked your final paper for class. Really demonstrated a good handling of dragon biology and genetics. Thought, I'd avoid citing certain forums as resources in the future."

Tellerran nods blankly as Shallen recovers some of his composure. Dace nudges Shallen with a sly grin. "Hey, ask HIM about THE blaster."

A chorus of heavy footsteps from large, heavily armored solders stops at the perimeter of an elaborate camp. The team leader turns his helmeted head and nods to the team of other similarly suited Chrome Crusaders behind him. "That was a nice quiet outer patrol. I'm certain anyone in the area will think twice before getting close to the base. You are all relieved of duty for the rest of the Sunday afternoon."

The squad of heavy armor troopers divides up and disperses. Trakenthin watches the unit slowly scatter, straightens his stance in his suit of polymer plate, and nods towards the leader. "Captain. Thank you for allowing me to accompany."

The captain returns the sentiment and bows slightly to Trakenthin. "Thank you for offering to join us for another day. Not many in willingly tolerate us powered ruffians for these long patrols."

Trakenthin smirks under his clear face shield and proudly stands. "It was enjoyable."

The captain tilts his head to a side and crackles a laugh through his helmet's voice box. "Damn. You're brave one. After the final stretch of the operation tomorrow and Tuesday, feel free ride with us on the return. Now, go get that armor off. I'm sure you're soaked from the heat without a suit cooling system."

Trakenthin nods and calmly walks off into the Chrome Crusaders camp site. As he searches the area, he glances out the corner of his hazel eyes and watches a small Next Adventurers of Nexus recording crew tag along. A young male and female fvalian concentrate on getting video and audio, while an older man instructions the duo around. Trakenthin draws a long breath and quietly grumbles his annoyance. He continues to survey the vicinity and locks his attention upon familiar voices bickering. Sharply turning around the corner of a cargo truck, he spots the Flames of the Phoenix's black sports utility vehicle. He snaps his gaze towards the source of the argumentative yelling and sees Veevi and Tassilda. Veevi places her hands on her hips, leans forward at Tassilda, and petulantly mocks. "Do YOU not know the spells yourself?! Because it certainly takes you FOREVER to get to the point!"

Tassilda sneers indignantly and growls out her irritation. "Because I am TRYING to teach you REAL MAGIC. Not some discount store toy tricks that you picked up from that OLD WITCH!"

Veevi's ears lay back and her tail puffs out. She crosses her arms, tosses her pink hair back, and glares her pink eyes at Tassilda. "At the rate you do everything, I'll be an old witch before I get anything from you!"

A mean smile pulls across her lips and she averts her stare. "Speaking of toy tricks, did you bring enough copper powder for your fireballs?"

Tassilda cringes visibly despite her vain attempts to suppress. Her light blue on black eye twitches, her cheek muscles wince, and she grits her teeth. Trakenthin stands patiently and watches the camera crew trio dart off for the ideal angle of the tense stand off between Tassilda and Veevi. Cautiously, Trakenthin eases over into the small camp site and slips quietly into the large tent, distantly opposite of the Flames of the Phoenix branded tent. Resting his sword and shield to the side, he pulls off his helmet, unstraps free of his under armor, and slides off the equipment into a pile. With a long sigh of relief, he shakes some air underneath his sweat soaked underclothes and rests down upon a nicely made, custom bedroll. Staring blankly at the leaf shadows dancing on the tent top, Trakenthin zones out, ignoring the ambient sounds of Veevi and Tassilda verbally clashing.

Minutes later, he blinks back to awareness at the prompt of an electronic chime. His hand rummages around the mass of equipment and eventually retrieves his aetherphone. Holding the device above his head in view, he taps through the security prompt and navigates through a few menus. On the display, bit by bit, an aethernet site slowly trickles into existence. Trakenthin smiles at the title "Shayuri's Study" and scrolls down the page to the latest entry. He stops upon the picture heading the latest entry in the blog. The image shows a young, tall woman with piercing hazel eyes and long silvery hair, excitedly presenting a brand new book and brilliant grin on her tan face. Trakenthin smiles warmly and reads the paragraphs in delight.

At the bottom of the essay, Trakenthin stares at the comment button. His expression fades to uncertain apprehension. He taps the aethersite's menu and eyes the contact info option. The fingers on his free hand flex nervously and his face dons a frown. After seconds of visible deliberation, he clicks a button on the side of the phone, turns off the screen, and releases a long, doubt filled sigh. Trakenthin rests his aetherphone off to the side, runs his dark bronze fingers through his dirty blonde hair and shakes his head slowly.

The humvee shakes and bobs along the rough dirt path and barely passes through the openings between the trees in the thick forest. Cideeda leans out the driver's side window, stares far ahead at the route, and grimaces. "I think this is as far as we can go. This path seems to end ahead and the trees are too thick to even try squeeze this thing through."

Sebastian's ethereal form glides up between the front seats and surveys the scene ahead. He nods in confirmation and smiles understandingly. "Well, don't worry. You did great to get us this far."

He angles his head to scout out the windshield and his gaze follows the faint trail's end. He then stares distantly up the steady incline in the background until it disappears out of view in the mass of brush, trees, and canopy. Dretphi inspects a map, checks the readouts from a positioning application on her aetherphone, and examines the features of the area around the humvee. "We are at the mountain base. Good time. We have hours of daylight left."

Sebastian glances back with a proud smile and speaks to group. "So... Stop ahead, get the humvee turned around, and do a little exploring nearby?"

Everyone else shows their agreement as the vehicle rocks again over another dip in the dirt road. Cideeda grumbles and shifts her focus to a clearing ahead. "Sorry about that. It feels flat enough for a few meters, then there's another drop or bump. At least the clearing ahead looks large that we can get turned around easily."

Dretphi stares with suspicion and traces the strangely rectangular perimeter of the treeless, grassy opening as the humvee rolls in. With hard cuts of the steering wheel and a series of direction shifts, Cideeda navigates the large, old military vehicle gracefully and aim the humvee to face their path of origin. "That should do it. We'll be ready if we have to leave in a hurry. The capacitors are charged, so I'm going to give the powerplant a break."

A muffled, downwards pitching whine resonates faintly into the cab. Sebastian looks over to the group. "Okay, let's check out this clearing first and then we'll judge how we want to proceed. Ideally, I'd like to at least locate the entrance Faelatelia told us. But, if there's anything too crazy, we'll return here and figure it out."

As Sebastian zips up through the roof and floats overhead, doors open and the group disembarks. Minutes pass as Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia fan out a few meters from the humvee into the clearing. Dretphi stomps the ground with her heavy armored boot, ponders the sensations, and kneels down to inspect the soil. She digs into the earth with gauntlet covered hand and lifts up centimeters of rich, dark dirt. Attempting to go deeper, the plating on her gauntlet scrapes against a hard, rough layer of ancient asphalt. She ponders briefly, lowers her head close to the ground, and surveys the topology of the clearing. Standing up quickly, she calls out to the rest of the team. "This is an old parking lot."

Cideeda cocks her head, scratches her chin with a claw tip, and slowly lifts an inquisitive brow as she remembers more supporting evidence. "That explains why the road leading here was so odd. It's probably a paved road that's fallen apart and been covered with layers of dirt from runoff. I bet the drops are where chunks of asphalt are missing and the bumps are tree roots growing underneath."

Dretphi nods in agreement and points to either side of the path leading into the clearing. "No old trees near the edges. Only younger trees."

Sebastian hovers high above approaching the top of the tree canopy and calls down. "It certainly looks the part up here. I don't know if this is THE exact place, but it's certainly something."

Walking along the edge opposite to the entrance, Bach notices a strange pile of rough rocks. Leaning closer, he spots a scattering trail leading into the underbrush. Pulling aside a thin patch of long grasses, he reveals a heavily deteriorated pavement stairway. The top of the stairs meets remnants of a decorative stone path which leads distantly upwards into the woods. Bach turns back to face the rest of the group. "I think I found a path up the mountain."

Sebastian floats down next to Bach, scrutinizes the discovery, and nods. "Nice find, bro. That matches the type of path Faelatelia told us about."

Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia join Bach and Sebastain. Sotalia's golden eyes trace the sparse rock route and she rests her hands on her hips. "That's definitely going to be a hike up."

Dretphi shrugs and tilts her head towards Sotalia. "An inconvenience. We have traveled worse."

An uneasy frown curls the corners of Aristespha's mouth as she studies the area. She steps away from the group, draws in a deep breath, and blinks her eyes to a glowing violet. She pans a stare around into the forest surrounding the clearing and fails to settle her nerves. She carefully gestures, clearly voices a series of incantations, and finishes by throwing her hands out to the sides. A shimmering energy expands into a bubbling wave and swells out into the vicinity. As the pulse of magic fades and disperses with the distance, nothing more happens. Aristespha widens the surprise on her blue and gray hinted, ivory face. "There's absolutely no spirit activity nearby..."

Sotalia crosses her arms, firmly grips her elbows, and twists out the faint anxiety upon her face. "Oh gods dammit. Here I was hoping that tiny, weird feeling I was getting from the ambient magic flows was BECAUSE the spirits were messing with it. Great... Now, I'm uncomfortable with this place."

Bach glances over to Aristespha with an uncertain smile. "Well, we are still far from that one part of the forest that had a concentration of spirits. Maybe they don't wander this way often."

Aristespha grits her teeth briefly and sighs with a shake of head. "I thought about that, too. There's no signs they've been here in recently. That's a bad indicator when there's a huge hive in the area."

The unease in Bach guides his stare up the scattered stone path into the heavy woods of the mountain. Cideeda's furry ears droop and she groans as she anxiously picks her claws. "I guess it's my turn to add to the creepiness factor... But... This place sounds different from when we first got on the dirt road. I can hear wildlife, but it seems really far away. Nothing close by."

She grips her vest, flexes fingers, and scans the vicinity with apprehensive curl to her upper lip. "The air has an off smell, too. I don't know WHAT exactly, but it is different."

Dretphi bites her lower lip and sighs. As rest of the team's attention shifts her, she reluctantly adds to the growing suspicion of the region and explains an issue with a regretful tone. "I have not seen animal nests. This area has been undisturbed for a long time. There should be nests. There are NO animal nests. No old ones. No remnants. No animals to make the nests. This area is avoided."

She directs her gaze towards the entry path and works out her anxious expression gradually. "Stopped seeing game trails during transit. Few I saw did NOT lead this way."

Bach grumbles as he rolls out the tension in his shoulders. "Fucking hell. No wonder Faelatelia wanted nothing to do with ANYTHING involving this place. We haven't even gotten to the front fucking door and this place is weirding me out."

Sebastian shakes his head and crosses his ghostly arms. "No shit, bro. Gods, what the hell happened here? I think even the damned sword is on some kind of alert mode. Still trying to feel that one out."

Sotalia smirks at Bach and playfully rolls her eyes. "You know, the perimeter fence outside the Orth Ridge site with all the warnings felt more welcoming than this."

Bach snorts out some of his anxiety and dons a commiserating, humored smile. "I know, right? I guess it makes it less nerve wracking when you know people tried to dress the place up before they left."

Cideeda grins wryly and stretches out her body suit covered arms. "Yeah, at least you know there were actual survivors and they were well off enough to post warning signs."

After a few moments of silence, Dretphi shrugs her shoulders and tries out a hopeful smile. "I have not seen any dead animals. Believe that is positive."

The team agrees generally, but soon resumes staring at the task before them. Hesitation looms over the group in the eerie quiet of the strange clearing in the forest. A minute later, Aristespha coughs and twists her mouth in grim acceptance. "Okay... I don't think we are going to find any more good things about the situation standing here."

Sebastian nods, assumes a bold stance, and presents an adventurous grin to the party. "You're right, dear. Let's gear up for the hike, see where this path leads, and at least find the entrance. Depending on how much daylight have left, we'll see about exploring further."

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian contorts a reserved smile. "And, I'm not against just coming back down for the night and saving most the exploration for tomorrow. So, let's take our time getting up there.  No need to rush into this creepy mess."

Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia walk towards the humvee and start readying equipment. Bach continues to stand at the crumbling ruins of the concrete stairs and slowly exhales out his tension while staring at the stone strewn path. Sebastian slides next to Bach and quietly speaks in a comforting tone. "You okay, bro?"

Bach nods slowly and sighs. "As best as I can be. I don't know. I get the feeling this is going to be a strange one."

With a smirk, Sebastian tilts his head to the side and drops his arms to his sides "And that's different than anything we've done before? But... I know. I hate to go into this blind, but I don't think we have much choice."

Shaking his head, Bach glances over to Sebastian with a smile. "No, we really don't. I mean... We could just ignore it, but that doesn't really help us out. We need the information."

The brothers idly survey the scene before them, before returning to the humvee to prepare.

-50-

Silent beams of afternoon light cast through the thick canopy upon the rough incline. Crumbling chunks of ancient pavement collapse beneath Dretphi's heavy boots. Pausing to pat the ground under the thick soles, Dretphi feels the mix of materials in the loose layer of forest cover. "There used to be a walkway a... Very... long ago."

Cideeda nods, points a claw tip towards worn, rocky blocks framing a crumbling ramp, and gestures to the rusty ring indentations. "This place must of have been pretty significant and established. They even had concrete anchored metal handrails in place."

Sebastian drifts back down, floats along side of the group, and crosses his arms in thought. "Yeah. From what I've seen above, the width of the path is really consistent. Even with the twists and turns, you can see they regraded some sections."

Bach glances over to Sebastian and curiously quirks his brow. "Did you see the entrance, yet?"

Sebastian shakes his head and stares forward with a squint. "Not yet. Between all the small valleys, outcroppings, and leaves on these trees, I haven't gotten a clear view up there from here."

Reviewing paragraphs of notes upon a tablet, Aristespha ponders while idly tapping the screen bezel. She lifts stare from the screen and surveys the area. "I think we are getting close. From what Faelatelia described, we've passed the last major landmark she remembered seeing."

She slowly scans the trees and focuses her glowing violet eyes at different features in the surrounding scenery. "There's still no recent signs of spirits in the area and the ambient magic feels..."

With hands on her belt of pouches, Sotalia picks at the cover flap for a container and grimaces uneasily. "Weird. It's just off. Gods, I can't say why... Damn, it just feels odd. Just enough in the background I can't quite pick it out."

She looks over her shoulder at the downwards path behind the group, and stares in surprise at the distant difference in altitude. She grits her teeth and sighs. "Anyway, I hope the entrance is nearby. Because, it's not going to be a fun hike back in the dark from this high already."

Dretphi briefly turns her helmeted head back, twists her lips in deliberation, and nods uneasily to Sotalia. "In this situation. Yes. This forest is strange. It will be trying to travel at night."

The team climbs up the ruins of another set of ancient concrete stairs and follows the scattered remnants of a trail around an obscuring curve between two ridges. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia navigate a collapsed brick walled gorge, and exit out into a large, cracked pavement covered clearing. A set of partially opened, massive security doors reside opposite across the ruined courtyard from the team. Throughout the purposely engineered field, piles of debris lay in disarray. Mixed in with years of overgrowth, glimmers of shattered crystal bound by broken stone reflect the sun light. A breeze blows old leaves around the many incomplete, articulate, mechanical limbs with faded magical inscriptions. The wind shifts the vegetation and reveals broken stone and metal masses resembling midsections, upper bodies, heads, and hips. Aristespha gawks in awe at the scene and blinks back to awareness. "Oh my gods... These are all golem parts. Extremely old golem parts."

Bach slowly scans the area, releases an uneasy breath, and grits his teeth. "Yeah. Oh yeah. There's no doubt there. It's a practical junkyard here."

Cideeda squats down and focuses her investigative, emerald gaze upon a nearby fractured golem hand. "While I can't comment on the magic side of things... yet... None of these parts look like they're in that great of shape. These look worse than half the stuff my dad would turn away from his scrapyard."

She stands back up and points over to a bulky, rusted out golem torso. "I mean, that thing looks like it'd fall apart if you gave it a dirty look."

An uncomfortable grimace rises upon Bach's face and he narrows his stare out into the vicinity. "Still have to be careful. There could be some residual magic despite appearances. And at this point, it'd probably be completely unpredictable."

Aristespha slowly closes her eyes and opens them to a glowing violet. Bach blinks to a blue illumination. Sotalia glances at Bach and Aristespha, contorts her face in concentration, and squints out a golden light from her eyes. The three mages cautiously step forth and watch parts of the open courtyard in a slow scan. After a few tense minutes, Bach relaxes his posture with a relieved sigh. "Well, good news. I'm at least not seeing anything obviously active."

Aristespha nods, draws in a long breath, and rolls the tension out of her shoulders. "I can confirm. I do not see any leftover magical traces. Well... At the very least in anything out here."

Sotalia blinks her eyes a number of times as the golden glow flickers out. She flexes the facial muscles around her eyes and rubs her temples. "Oh good. I was worried I wasn't doing it right. Anyway, I haven't felt anything new. Just the same weird, eerie ambient feeling as before."

Dretphi leans towards the front of the group, cranes her helmeted head around towards mage trio in front, and quirks a curious brow under her full face visor. "Safe for exploration?"

Bach glances over, weighs the situation in his mind, and nods slowly. "It should be. I wouldn't poke anything too intact without checking it over first."

Sebastian drifts out in front of the team and glances to Aristespha with a reserved grin. "So, nothing I might accidentally set off, dear? Just want to be sure since this all looks like it used to be A LOT of magically reactive stuff."

With a calming tone, Aristespha presents a smile to Sebastian. "I don't believe there's anything out here that would react to you, Sebastian."

Mustering back his confidence, Sebastian floats out towards the middle of the decayed plaza. "Okay. So, let's keep to this area for now and see if we can find anything that can tell us what the actual hell went on here."

The group carefully spreads out across the area. Cideeda's intrigue leads her to a half assembled humanoid golem laid out upon the paved ground. She cautiously kneels down, cranes her gaze over into an opened compartment door, and focuses inside. After a few moments, she straightens her back in thought and waves Bach over. "Hey, Bach! Could you magically double-check this for me?"

Bach quickly steps over, aims his glowing stare at the partial golem, and shakes his head as his eyes dim back to normal. "Nothing active and nothing residual. So, no magic to worry about right now."

Cideeda flips up a pocket cover on her vest, pulls out a flashlight with a click, and shines it inside the construct. "Okay... This is really weird here."

Exploring the space within, she points a claw tip to a collection of strange anomalies and odd details. "It looks like parts scraped against each other... Those are definitely the work of someone who was having a hard time prying pieces out with a screwdriver there... And, there's not a lot weathering inside here."

Rapping her claws upon the mechanical hull of the golem, she turns her head towards Bach with wary smirk. "I think someone parted this thing out in the last few months."

Bach angles his head around the opening with Cideeda highlighting via flashlight. "Holy shit, you're right. That definitely seems like what happened. I don't know that much about golems... But... I don't think it should be this empty inside."

Cideeda sits down on the old pavement. She stretches her legs out, flicks her ears in thought, and uses her clawed fingers to comb through her short, multicolored hair. "Okay, I've been meaning to ask this. What's the exact purpose of binding a spirit to a golem? Because, these things look mechanically similar to some robots I've seen. Really, it looks like they could work on their own."

Scratching the back of his head of long brown hair, Bach twists his mouth unsure and ponders out loud. "Well, by default most golems operate very simply and follow really simple instructions. They need a fair amount of adjustments to keep in working order. And are really limited in what they can do magically."

He glances around the area, spots Aristespha, and waves her over. "You know, let's ask Aristespha. She'd know more."

Aristespha walks quickly over and curiously gazes at Bach and Cideeda. "Yes?"

Bach shrugs and asks. "You'd know this better than me. What are the reasons you'd bind a spirit to a golem. I know they do a lot, but I've forgotten the exact details."

Crossing her arms, Aristespha searches the top of her head and counts off with fingers on a gloved hand. "Okay... First, you get an intelligence of some kind controlling the major functions of the golem, this replaces the typical simplistic control spells and other devices people use. Second, the spirit typically learns to maintain the structure of the golem and some can enact repairs upon the physical components and magical constructs by themselves. Third, an advanced spirit can greatly improve what the golem is capable of magically. Unoccupied golems have very limited magical effects that are simple enchanted modules with limited power. As with magic, without a will or mind, no new magical flows can be manipulated."

She rests her hands on her hips and smiles at Cideeda. "That's the major reasons. There's a few other minor details, but it depends on the purpose of the golem."

Cideeda nods with interest sated and stretches her arms out behind her. "I see. So without a spirit, the golem is just a dumb, one trick drone that's prone falling apart."

Aristespha grins amusedly and snickers. "That's been my experience. Hence, why golems see limited use today when you have access to robotics and artificial intelligence."

Cideeda carefully examines the craftsmanship of the parted out golem's humanoid arm and her emerald green eyes spark with fascination. "That make sense. But, still there's a certain quality to this..."

Bach glances over to Aristespha with a smile and both watch Cideeda inspect the golem thoroughly.

Across the way, Dretphi steps slowly towards the tall, massive security doors, and carefully examines the opposing door edges. As she stares through the doorway into the darkness, her attention shifts down to the concrete floor around the door tracks. Her steely gray eyes trace many long scratches and deep gouges into the surface. She follows the trails through a path of cleared debris and disturbed forest refuse, and walks towards a thin section of overgrowth. With a firm grip upon draping ivy, she draws back the tattered, natural curtain, and reveals a worn path leading north. She pivots in place, waves with her free hand, and calls out. "I have found recent activity!"

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Sebastian and Sotalia gather around Dretphi's discovery and collectively investigate it. Dretphi ponders a moment. "This is recent. Purposeful. Many people have used. Transporting significant cargo."

Sebastian bites his lip contemplatively, crosses his arms, and ethereally sighs. "That's not a good a sign."

Bach briefly grits his teeth as regretfully informs Sebastian. "That's not the only thing. Cideeda found a golem that looks like it's been parted out."

Cideeda nods and rests her hands on her hips. "Pretty thoroughly, too. From all the tool marks I saw, they took their time and struggled to get everything they could out of it."

Aristespha sidesteps to see the fresher trail and visually plots the route. She cocks her head to the side as her memory prompts her to retrieve a tablet from her backpack. "Where does this lead..."

After a few seconds of locating their position on the map, she orientates herself and notices the rough direction the path goes with a unamused sigh. "Oh gods dammit. It looks like it's going towards the commune."

Flexing her fingers and staring annoyed into the dark void between the entry doors, Sotalia groans. "Great. Looks like they found an easier route for hauling off whatever they were looting. I bet that Meredosia bitch decided to change up plans once Faelatelia tried to escape."

Aristespha shakes her head slowly and agrees in tone. "If she couldn't convince someone to bring spirits here, she'd bring what's here to the spirits. I'm not really happy about the possibilities. Gods, I just hope they're incompetent enough to only be unsuccessful at anything they're trying."

Sebastian's ghostly visage assumes a stern stance and he lays out the situation. "Okay. As much as I'd hope we would find the place and save the rest for tomorrow, I really think we need to delve a little deeper on this one today. We HAVE to at least find out what was taken, so we know what to be on the lookout for."

Dretphi firmly nods. "Agreed. We may need to inform authorities."

Bach sighs to an uneasy grin. "Yeah. I'd like to know what a splinter group of a bunch of crazy extremists got from here."

Sotalia rolls her eyes and shakes her head with a grumble. "Oh, I'm certain it's nothing they should have their hands on. Nothing worse than crazy with crazy things."

Aristespha and Cideeda indicate similar sentiments with uncomfortable frowns. Sebastian floats over towards the large security doors, stands confidently, and glances back over to the team with a grin. "Okay. Let's form up and explore this place a bit more. I'm sure we'll find some answers..."

He deflates to an awkward smile and shrug of his shoulders. "Whether we like it or not."

The group shares sardonically tinged chuckles and snickers, before forming up and entering into the dark void between the massive sliding doors.

Daedrican walks along an old, mossy cobblestone road, aims his fully helmeted head to his left, and waves at a pair of lightly armored Chrome Crusader troopers along another parallel walkway. As he resumes facing ahead, Tassilda slinks up in pace next to him. She smiles confidently and perks a sly brow. "It is certainly a nice change of pace to clear out this rest area. Nice, pleasant walks through lovely scenery."

A calm chuckle leaves Daedrican and he glances over to Tassilda. "I agree, my lady. But, I recommend being careful still. The main areas of the rest stop receive some maintenance, but the outer park leaves quite a bit to be desired."

Tassilda grins with a slow shrug of her shoulders and gazes out into the tall grasses of the nearby fields. "Yes. I suppose. But, I'm certain there's not much out here that would cause a problem for..."

She flashes a suggestive smirk at Daedrican and punctuates it with a sway. "You."

A long, amused sigh escapes Daedrican and he shakes his head. "Oh, you might be surprised. I've had a few troubling moments with the most unlikely enemies."

Intrigue piques Tassilda's attention and she focuses an inquisitive, light blue on black gaze upon Daedrican. "Oh? Really? Tell me one."

With a laugh, Daedrican rocks his head momentarily back and relates a bit of embarrassment. "Zone Parrots."

Tassilda nearly missteps and blinks in confusion at Daedrican. She guides a raven lock of hair over her swirling horns and bites her lip. She hooks a finger and tugs uncertainly upon a horn. "Zone Parrots? Those wonderfully colorful birds that have beautiful songs?"

Daedrican sighs and shakes his head. "Yes. I'm afraid so. They have an annoying habit of sneaking into tents and vehicles when it is cold at night. Once comfortable, they get VERY territorial. Which leads to rude awakenings by claws and bites. I've had the misfortune of being forced out of my tent to escape the wrath of one."

Tilting his head, his obscuring visor faces Tassilda and a competitive hint tints his voice. "So, what has been the most troublesome combatant for you so far, my lady?"

Tassilda blinks and averts her gaze away momentarily as a flush reddens her gray cheeks. She bites her lower lip and eventually mumbles out a coy response. "Slimes."

She holds a finger up to Daedrican and dons a more affirmative tone. "Because... They are absolutely frustrating things. They are resilient to anything short of the right amount of force. After which, they are annoyingly... splatter prone."

Tassilda searches her mind and proposes another question to Daedrican with a happy smile. "I'm a bit curious, why did you ever join up with the Chrome Crusaders?"

Daedrican ponders a while, gently rocking his head side to side contemplatively. "After school, I decided I wanted to travel and experience the world for a bit. While I don't come from a small town, I had never left the area. The Chrome Crusaders seemed to be a well established group with principles I could agree with. And... They happened to be in the area when I was running out of money."

He cranes his head at Tassilda and asks with genuine curiosity. "So, my lady, why did you sign up with the Next Adventurers of Nexus?"

A wide eyed stare overtakes Tassilda's expression and she fights to regain her composure. She resettles her confidence and eventually approaches an answer. "Well, similar reasons to you. I would like to make a name for myself. Either join a good organization, or maybe form my own group. But, that requires you to have a great deal of experience and recognition. And..."

Embarrassed pink colors her face and she briefly grits her teeth. "One of the audition events just happened to be nearby when my finances were not the best. I was facing the possibility of having to move back in with my mother."

As Daedrican warmly chuckles with an understanding nod, a sly smirk graces Tassilda's lips and she narrows an inquiring stare at him. "Another question. You're not some kind of heroic orphan are you?"

Daedrican laughs and shakes his head. "Oh, no. I have a lovely mother and proud father still together after many renewals of their marriage contract. And, I have a younger brother and sister."

He tilts his head to side and watches Tassilda as the two continue their walk along the cobblestone path. "So, what family do you have, my lady?"

A faint wave of unease passes through Tassilda's body and she suppresses an overall cringe. Seconds later, she sighs and speaks with a staid tone. "I have a wonderful mother and a father. They did not choose to renew their marriage contract when I was six. I lived with my mother, while my father remarried. As for siblings, I have a younger... half... sister."

With slight shift of his stance, Daedrican inquires with a bright tone. "I'm certain she's quite the lady, if she's of relation to you."

Tassilda stares ahead distantly as her attention drifts elsewhere. Gradually, a warm smile lightens her expression and she states happily. "That she is."

Daedrican nods and cocks his helmeted head curiously. "Pardon for jumping order, but who got you interested in the study of magic?"

Tassilda blinks back to awareness and resumes her confident exterior. "Oh! My mother. She's an amazing mage and she wasn't about to have a daughter who strayed from that path. Thankfully, I thoroughly enjoyed the practice after she pushed me to learn the basics. Admittedly, I hate to think what would have become of me if I hadn't."

A commiserating sigh escapes Daedrican and he nods. "I know how that can be. It took my own mother a few attempts to get me on a good path. Well, at least one that'd result in a career that paid well."

He elequently speaks an emin colloquialism in his dialect. Tassilda relays nearly the same exact pharse in her dialect. Daedrican laughs. "Of course that saying always stays the same."

Tassilda smiles contentedly at Daedrican.

Wind blows small flecks of debris across the rough path through the passage of trees, and smooths the loose layer of dirt. Walking by himself, a figure nonchalantly travels down the trail. After securing his backpack, Isaac grabs hold of his blue scarf waving wildly in the wind and loops the slack around his neck. As the breeze settles, he gazes up into the green canopy and guides wisps of white hair out of his gray eyes. An intrigued smile appears on his face and he lifts up the old camera hanging by a strap around his neck towards the treetops. Pressing a button, a mechanical click sounds out and Isaac ratchets a small crank to a stopping point.

While distracted, his heavy leather boot steps into a deep depression in the road and Isaac stumbles awkwardly. Recovering his balance, he glances down at the ground, pauses, cocks his head to the side, and squints in surprise. Inside the worn pot hole, a clear impression of a large, tire track contrasts the weathered soil bordering. Isaac kneels down, carefully feels out the impression with his leather gloved fingers, and slowly raises his direly inquisitive stare ahead. His eyes dart between other signs of recent travel and he gradually stands back up. He sidesteps swiftly off the road and out of sight.

Continuing forward, he moves slowly through the thicker undergrowth and quickly through open patches. With each minute, unease tenses his body and sharpens his caution. Minutes later, Isaac arrives at the perimeter of the rectangular clearing and stealthily peers through the vegetation. His suspicion piques the moment his stare locks onto the parked humvee. A flit of shock washes over Isaac's face. Processing the situation, Isaac firmly slides his blue scarf over his face and wraps another loop of slack around.

Noxian stands up, steps out into the strange clearing, and postures sternly. With an assertive demeanor, he moves close to the humvee and glares upon the area. His search for recent activity finds two sets of heavy tracks, two sets of lighter boot prints, and the faintest outline of feet with toe claw marks. Noxian traces the tracks and settles his stare upon an ancient set of stairs through the disturbed vegetation. He walks over slowly and visually follows the rough trail up the tall incline leading up the mountain. Standing silently, Noxian crosses his arms and lowers his head in thought.

The eerie silence of the forest looms over. He blinks to attention and notices the sensory absence. He lifts his head back up and examines the surrounding scenery. A dim glow emits from his gray eyes and he squints out into the distance around him. With each pause to focus upon a section of the woods, Noxian's discomfort grows more visible in his body language. After a few passes, the illumination from his eyes dims to normal and he stares resolutely up the incline. He cinches up the strap of his camera, tightens the harness of his backpack, and moves up the stairs. Noxian thoughtfully gazes ahead, draws in a long, determined breath, and sighs with hints of irritation and regret. The blue scarf waves in the wind during the hike up the mountain.

A bright, illuminating orb glides up towards the high, rocky ceiling above stone and metal walkways. Spots from flashlights dart around the dome of the cavernous area. Natural and carved sections blend together and reinforcement structures divide the grand space. Down upon the floor, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia search out into the dark chamber. Sotalia holds up a brightly glowing orb above her head and flexes her fingers as threads of magical flow condense upwards from her palm. The light beams out further and the visible perimeter expands. Cideeda and Dretphi direct flashlights to a number of curious, shady outlines and cautiously watch the still objects. Bach flicks out blue orbs of light and tags distance objects and walls in the murky shade. As Sebastian drifts up above the group and squints out into the dim details, Aristespha rests the beam of a flashlight upon a nearby control console surrounded by protective metal tube cage. "What would that go to?"

Cideeda glances over, judges the purpose of the device, and aims her attention above. After a few moments of searching, she finds a large hook hanging from a crane assembly. "It probably controls that overhead crane system. That seems really heavy duty."

The collection of light sources highlight the outlines of partially constructed golems and parts. Each new shape seizes the attention of the group until the next freshly illuminated artifact. Cideeda's trepidation gives way to awe and she studies a nearby bay of support structures, tools, and parts. "They must have made golems here. Well, they at least assembled them. You have parts, tools, and assembly bays. I would guess this is a full shop here."

Aristespha nods in full agreement and focuses her curiosity to small building in the middle of the large open area. "You are absolutely correct. This had to have been a secret assembly plant. Though, I still have some serious questions about the location and construction."

Dretphi glances over to Aristespha, directs a light upon the rocky ceiling above, and gestures an armored gauntlet towards the ceiling. "Natural cavern. Signs of excavation. Some reinforcement. Some work. Convenient to build upon."

Her mouth twists in partial dissatisfaction behind her face visor. "Still a strange choice for such a purpose. Space, yes. Hidden, indeed."

Cideeda gradually nods and gazes wide eyed at a large arm of hybridized mechanics and magic secured upon a stout platform. "Yeah. Thinking about that... How the hell do you even get something this large up the path we took? Especially without someone figuring out what you are doing up here?"

Sotalia smirks and sighs with a grumble. "You would think something like this would have gotten a bit more attention than a few off hand mentions. Too be fair, with a little bit of magic, you could hide moving a few big things."

She slowly pivots and incredulously waves her hands out at the surrounding masses of parts and constructs. "But all THIS?"

Bach glances over in agreement and sends another light orb to another dark spot at the edge of view. "Yeah. I mean working golems move on their own. So you'd just need visual transparency spells and the cover of night to move one out of here."

Pausing in thought, he shrugs as a distant memory rises to the surface. "And honestly, you don't even need nightfall. A good fog, some heavy rain, or a good snow would be plenty to make it really hard to spot anything clearly from a distance with even little obfuscation magic."

A sly grin graces Sebastian's ghostly visage as he float down next to Bach. He lightly chuckles and softly directs his voice to Bach. "Funny the useful things we learned from our... past exploits..."

Bach suppresses a grin, rolls his eyes at himself, and whispers. "Yeah..."

The two brothers reminisce momentarily before inquisitive and scrutinizing looks focus upon them. Sebastian coughs with an ethereal echo and musters up his composure. Bach rotates his glance through the stares, stiffens his posture, and resumes his previous thought. "Uh... But... Hauling all these parts up here, that'd be really rough even with magic."

Sebastian dons a more serious expression and surveys the illuminated area. "That is a good point. This is a nightmare of logistics."

Cideeda nods, crosses her arms, and taps her toe claws on a foot as she thinks. "There's not just truck loads of materials up here. We're talking multiple convoys. You might be able to pull something like that off NOW if you are really, really careful. But, not if you had any civilization paying attention to this place when it was active."

Aristespha rests a hand on her hip and draws a long breath in as she puzzles. "Yes. That is the confusing part of all this. This is a large scale operation in a logistically problematic place. That doesn't make sense."

Sebastian quirks a brow with a comforting smile to Aristespha. "Probably something more to this place, dear?"

With a bit of comfort, Aristespha smirks in amusement and sighs. "Yes, Sebastian."

She focuses ahead to a small building in the middle of the large open area and narrows a stare upon it. "Sebastian, could you scout that building out? I think we need to investigate it."

Sotalia gestures her hand to the light orb above, and focuses some of the light ahead. "Now that you mention it, that is weird. Why would have an enclosed building in an already enclosed space? I haven't seen anything other buildings around."

Dretphi furrows her brow with a slight frown. "Containment."

A silent, wary acceptance of the possibilities spreads throughout the group. Moments later, Sebastian sighs, dons a brave stance, and grins back to the group. "Well, can't leave it alone now. I'll go ahead and see if I find anything... Or, something tries to find me."

He flies ahead and coasts his ghostly visage near the small building. As he circles around the exterior, he glides close to the occasional window and peers in. Flying around the to side opposite of the group, he spots a scattered mess of debris and broken containers piled around a compromised sliding metal door. He peeks in through the doorway, and assesses the entry. Even in the very dim ambient light, the flickers of gouges and reflections of bent metal around the lock highlight the demise of the door. Sebastian hums ethereally, jets off into view of the team, and waves them on over. As the group moves up, Dretphi's eyes catch more scratches upon the floor and points out the developing trail. "Something was moved."

Illuminating the ground with a flashlight, she notices the disruptions of the dust upon the floor, impressions of shoes, and hand prints. "These are recent. Similar to outside."

The team gathers around Sebastian and collectively survey the hastily created piles of refuse. Cideeda snarls her upper lip and rolls her eyes at the defeated metal door. "Fucking amateurs. They were so lucky no one bothered to trap that thing or there wasn't anything inside there they needed to seal back in."

Bach and Aristespha's eyes glow blue and violet, respectively, and examine the mounds of broken equipment. Sotalia leans closer to get a better view of an item in a pile and cocks her head in surprise. "Wait, those are alchemical containers and... magical isolation chambers?"

She taps Aristespha's shoulder and points a long-nailed finger to the end of an elaborate device sticking out of a haphazard stack. "Is THAT a recrystallizer? It looks like one."

Aristespha glowing violet eyes widen and she slowly nods in bewilderment. "Yes. It is... That's interesting. Why would they have such a thing here? It would make sense if you were creating magical energy cells, but that would require raw materials."

Cideeda shifts her attention, and shines a light onto a nearby collection of shadowy outlines. Her furry ears perk in surprise as the illumination reveals rows of industrial lathes, presses, mills, hammers, and other equipment. She blinks in astonishment as her mind pieces together the information and forms a conclusion. "They weren't just assembling golems... They MADE the parts here."

Bach crosses his arms, blinks his eyes to normal, and verbally ponders. "But, if I remember correctly, most golems require specific materials with certain magical conductivity and capacitance properties that aren't easy to find. Unless..."

Dretphi stoically peers down the main walkway, to a massive tunnel archway, and into the dark void obscuring the full depth of the passage. "That is why they choose this place."

Exchanging a confirming glance with Dretphi, Bach stares ahead, forms a glowing blue orb in his hand, and releases it down the tunnel. Gliding down the hall, it casts a light upon the floor and reveals sets of light boot prints in the dust. The group attentively watch the trail continue towards the tunnel archway. At the mouth of the entry, sets of huge, exact paw prints litter the tunnel floor and calmly mix with the light boot prints. Despite the very distant detail, Cideeda stares warily and nervously at the floor beneath the floating, glowing orb until it sticks to a distant doorway. "O-o-okay... Something REALLY big has been here."

Sebastian drifts ahead of the group and locates where the light boot prints branch from more recent activity. Dretphi steps carefully next to Sebastian, kneels down, and inspects the tracks. "These are not as recent. One person. A set going ahead. Another returning."

Aristespha draws a sharp breath in and growls out. "Meredosia. It was probably her when she first found this place."

Sotalia grimaces with a bit of fear and contorts her face warily. "Okay, so what the fuck do those other tracks belong to?"

Uncertainly and worry grip Aristespha, and she sighs out her nerves to regain some composure. "I don't know exactly. Faelatelia never got this far in. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a golem given everything we have seen. But, I don't know for sure."

Sebastian stares off at the distant blue orb upon the doors at the end of the tunnel and breathes out his worry. "Okay. I think we've explored enough today. We don't need to take any unneeded risks at this point. It looks like the big whatever hasn't gone past the archway and Meredosia's tracks are old. And, we've got a decent idea what the Terra Priests have taken."

He glides away and coasts back towards the distant, dimming glow of sunlight leaking through the gap between the heavy entry doors. "Let's call it a day. We'll hike down, secure the camp, and rest for the night. And... Try to figure out how to proceed tomorrow."

He pauses and pivots with his arms out towards the group. "Any questions? Objections?"

The group does not contest, agrees, and follows up behind Sebastian. As the team heads out, a powerful force presses against the heavy double doors at the end of the tunnel. Air jets out through every crack and the pressure pushes open a gap between the join of the two doors. An eerie, faint light seeps out into the tunnel way. The wave of air rushes out and blows over the team. Sotalia immediately freezes in place as her entire body tenses sharply. "What the fuck..."

Cideeda shudders reflexively. Dretphi visibly feels a chill down her spine. Aristespha stiffens her posture. Sebastian's forms wavers briefly as he startles. Bach halts in place and slowly turns around. The group exchanges awkwardness and shift their collective focus to the new strange light. Sebastian sighs, bows his head down, and grumbles. "Well... Change of plans everyone..."

Sebastian's ghostly form phases through one of the two large doors. He pauses in awe and gawks. Eventually, he regains his senses and directs his astonished voice through the wide gap between the doors. "You HAVE to see this."

Dretphi and Cideeda slip in first and instinctively take cover positions behind nearby crates and rock structures. As they search the immediate area for threats, the scenery captures their full amazement. Aristespha, Bach, and Sotalia slink through and stop as they behold the area with glowing eyes. Bach's jaw hangs open and he blinks in bewilderment. "What is this place?"

In front of the team resides a deep, dark hole beneath a natural cavern dome. An ambient light paints the space in a dim blend of hued sources from a starry field of crystalline formations above. Surrounding the over hundred meter wide mouth of the pit, aged flood lamps flicker light upon the huge, carved outer perimeter of rock floor. Massive girders of synthetic materials jutting from anchor points support a twenty meter wide platform structure above the center of the hole. A single arching bridge connects the structure to the outer rim. Disappearing into the dark, deep depths, a series of thick, metallic cables sway almost imperceptibly as a breezes rises up the pit. As the air pressure escapes through the gap between the doors, Sotalia shudders and briefly cringes. "Okay, so I think we've found the source of that weird feeling. Now, what the hell is it?"

Aristespha scans her gaze upwards and shakes her head in disbelief. "I... I don't know. It could be many things at this point..."

She focuses her analyzing, violet glowing stare at the hole and center structure, and sorts through the possibilities. Sotalia aims her gold illuminated squint down, spots a small blue tinted crystal, and kneels down. She carefully cranes her head to examine it, thinks about it, and reaches a cautious hand out. With a bit of concentration, a gentle flow of magical energy swirls around her forearm and eases to the crystal. The artifact lights up softly and slides under the control of Sotalia's finger movements. Recognition dawns upon her face and she glances up to the rest of the team. "Gods... They DID get their raw materials here. This feels like it has the right properties."

Bach cranes his head over Sotalia's shoulder and nods as his blue lighted gaze garners the same information. "Yeah..."

He pans his stare to the ancient, heavy machinery parked around the perimeter and the industrial safety railing encircling the hole. "I'm guessing this whole place was some kind of mining, refinement, and production operation for golems."

Cideeda steps out from behind a rusty container box, and cautiously approaches the lip of the pit. She stops at the guard rail, reaches into a vest pocket, and retrieves a small device. With a click of button, a red dot appears faintly upon the distant, opposite side of the hole with faint shimmers of red outlining a laser beam path. Cideeda moves the dot downwards until she aims well into the black void below. After another click, she steps away from the pit's edge, and inspects the reading on the laser range finder. She pivots around and returns to the group with wide emerald green eyes. "That pit is OVER three hundred meters deep. I can't get an exact number as the range finder only goes TO three hundred."

Dretphi blinks in surprise at the number and surveys the route around the perimeter. "There must have been valuable deposits. It is not trivial to go that deep."

Sebastian hovers in place, strokes his hand over his chin, and sorts through a theory. "This actually makes sense when you put all this together. Having a mine out here is useless if you want to keep a low profile. Having a refinement plant is pointless if you don't want to be found out. And, having a golem assembly plant out here would a lot of attract attention. But..."

He slowly spins around to the team and waves his arms out with a facetious smirk. "If you have the entire production chain in one spot, then... The whole system is FAR easier to conceal."

Sotalia picks up the crystal chunk, places it in a pouch, and stands back up with a wry grin. "Also, if anyone did figure out what you were doing, I doubt they'd really want to cause you too much trouble."

Aristespha rests her hands on her hips, tosses back her silvery blue hair, and groans. "A golem army tends to have that effect."

Rising concern colors Sebastian's expression and he looks to Dretphi. "Before we do anything more here... Dretphi, is there any sign of those big tracks here?"

Dretphi searches the area, steps out to signs of wear on the perimeter pathway, and drops to a knee. She thoroughly investigates the spot, visually traces routes clockwise and counterclockwise around the pit, and twists her face in frustration. After a few seconds of deliberation, she glances back to the group. "Something large has been here. I can not tell when. The air flow. The environment. Traces disturbed recently. Repeatedly in the past. Hard to discern."

Sebastian nods understandingly and presents an appreciative smile to Dretphi. "Thank you. I was afraid of that."

He floats towards the edge of the pit and glances over to Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. "Okay. Gods... I think we're pushing our luck enough as it is."

Bach perks his brow, points towards the center structure, and shrugs his shoulders. "You know, I think that platform is about the only thing worth checking out here. Maybe you can do a quick flyover to see if it's worth the fuss?"

Cideeda nods in agreement, and frowns uneasily. "That sounds good to me. I don't see anything that really sticks out on the perimeter. It just seems like typical mining equipment. So, if there's nothing up on the platform, I'm good with going home."

Dretphi gestures towards a number of shady tunnels splintering off from a few points along the perimeter. "Days could be spent here. Many possible routes to explore. Significant chances for danger. May not be worth it."

Sotalia crosses her arms with a humored grin. "Well, if I was self-righteous bitch looking for the most important thing in this place, I'd cross the bridge and see what's over there."

Aristespha smiles to Sebastian and dons a lighter tone. "That works for me. If there's anything, we'll literally and figuratively cross that bridge. I'll be content with compiling this report from comfort of the living room couch."

Gliding away from the group, Sebastian shines a happy grin and gives a thumbs up. He spins himself around and jets across the deep, dark pit. Seconds later, his ethereal form flies above the central platform and drops swiftly out of sight from the low perspective. The rest of the team waits patiently. A minute later, Sebastian's visage reforms next to Aristespha. He sighs reluctantly to the team, slowly nods his head, and grits his teeth. "Yeah. We need to check it out. There's a circular, rune covered dais that looks just like the others we've been finding. And, there's other strange artifacts and documents."

A silent, determined agreement passes through the team. Sebastian musters an appreciative smile and leads the way. Minutes later, the team quickly crosses the bridge to the platform structure.  They gather around a circular dais of hybrid materials with uniquely familiar rune carvings. Nearby, a divided wooden box of decayed, broken amulets catches the attention of Sotalia as she notices an empty spot in the packaging. "I bet this is where Meredosia got her amulet that Faelatelia mentioned."

Aristespha irritably taps her foot and balls her fists frustration. "Gods damn that woman. This explains a lot about Faelatelia's and Chelindia's stories about Meredosia. She's gotten something she has no idea about."

Sebastian hovers nearby and slowly shakes his head. "Well, that's DEFINITELY not a good sign. I hate to think what she's planning. Oh well, we'll have to contend with that another time. Let's grab up what we can and get out of here."

The group splits up quickly. Dretphi packs up documents and items. Aristespha and Bach quickly scan the area with mage sight. Sotalia walks around and takes photos with her aetherphone. Sebastian hovers around the structure and investigates the heavy equipment below. Cideeda starts to the examine a control console when her ears perk towards a single source. She freezes, slowly turns her head to face the direction of a low, thumping noise. "Hold up! I hear something."

The team stops their activities and watch as mechanical beast of stone, metal, and magic stomps out from a branch tunnel onto the perimeter. Walking on all fours, a dire wolf shaped golem slowly travels the outer rim walkway, the green glow from its magical energies illuminate the immediate vicinity. As Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia settle into hiding behind equipment, structures, and containers, the dire wolf golem pauses. It lifts its head, stares towards the center platform, and stops. A bright white light erupts in its eyes and thin streams of white energy scatter across surface channels in its body and condense to particular parts. Bach tremors in wide eyed fear as he witnesses the magical activity with his mage sight. The sword at Aristespha's side vibrates and Sebastian's visage warps.

"ACTIVE. ENERGY. DETECTED."

-51-

Spines of metal mesh inlay upon crystal speckled stone rattle along the back of dire wolf golem when it stomps heavily upon the hole perimeter. The thunderous noise echoes within the cavernous chamber and a stale repeat reflects up, distantly from the dark pit. A green glow radiates out from the lupine construct and bright white highlights pulse a surface maze of channels. Its two meter tall and wide, nearly five meter long quadraped frame of stone, metal, and crystal impacts the outer walkway surface solidly. From the central platform over the dark abyss, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia watch the approach and peer from impromptu hiding spots with dread upon their faces. Aristespha ducks down behind a storage crate, calms her breathing to focus, and carefully gestures out an incantation. A faint layer of magical flow just above her skin ripples briefly to opacity and fades. Sotalia glances over, drops down, and performs similar motions with worry looming. "Good idea. Whew... Check the mage barrier."

Cideeda's ears flick down with each loud footstep and she watches Aristespha and Sotalia enviously. "Whenever I'm able, one of you NEEDS to teach me THAT."

Bach kneels down behind another container, rests the forehead of his helmet head on the metal side, and sighs anxiously. While readjusting the strap underneath his chin, he smirks weakly at Cideeda. "Will definitely do so. But..."

He clenches a shaking hand into a fist, grimaces, and peers just above the top of the storage box with a wary stare at the golem. "Even that might not help much with this thing. It's got an Elder Energy core in it somewhere."

Aristespha nods solemnly and grits her teeth. "The damned sword is always accurate in that regard."

Sebastian raises his head high enough to view the creature and frowns sternly. "Okay. Let's see if we can get clear of this thing. This is not something we want to fight here."

Scanning the bridge connecting the platform to the perimeter walkway, Dretphi grumbles in frustration, shakes her head, and directs her voice towards the rest of the team. "I do NOT advise crossing the bridge. Presently. Golem approaching opposing side. Exposed on the bridge. In direct danger on perimeter."

Sotalia stares right at the entry doors to the chamber and cracks a grin. "Maybe we could fly over? We'd have to ferry over Cideeda and Dretphi, and assist Bach, but it's not that far."

Bach hesitates briefly, but musters his resolve. "That's actually not a bad idea, if we are careful."

Puzzling under her face visor, Dretphi mulls over the concept to a reserved acceptance. "Possible solution. Time our transit. Allow the golem upon the bridge. Lengthen its route."

A devious smiles graces Cideeda's mouth and she perks her ears and brow. "Especially, if we leave behind a wad of breaching charges to shake it up when we all get on the outer perimeter."

Aristespha reluctantly sighs and twist her lips in thought. "The problem is that this golem is a machine of war. I would not be surprised if it had counter measures or ranged capabilities."

Sebastian smiles reassuringly to Aristespha and nods in agreement. "That is something we need to make sure of, dear."

He searches the area and analyzes the architecture. "Especially, since I can't find a route that wouldn't put us in line of sight of that thing. Okay. Let me test it to see if and how it reacts to me."

Hovering to the edge of the platform, Sebastian zooms out above the hole and flies straight towards the exit. The dire wolf golem halts its progress and waits. Its head stiffly sweeps at the platform. The moment Sebastian appears in view, the creature's head locks onto the target. Back spines flip forward and crackle as arcs of magical energy flow into them. Inscriptions glow green and white energy condenses upon the very sharp tips. Seconds later, a barrage of energy bolts project from the spines. The projectiles fly in straight out before sharply turning to rocket into Sebastian's predicted flight path. A swarm of white-tipped, green bolts saturates Sebastian's aerial position. A few direct hits later, Sebastian's visage dissipates, and the assault promptly halts. Sebastian reforms next to Aristespha in wide-eyed surprise and sighs ethereally to the rest of the group. "Well... That proved a point I didn't want to."

His ghostly form shudders and he furrows his brow with an uneasy grimace. "Also, those bolts... felt... weird when they hit me."

The dire wolf continues it's slow, mechanical march towards the connecting bridge's entry point. Cideeda slinks over to thicker cover near the outer ring of the platform and draws out both her laser pistols. She carefully studies the construct's simplistic movement forward as it steps onto the bridge deck. Dretphi slides over large crates and containers, fashions a protective barrier, and kneels behind it. Readying her sub machine gun, she focuses her attention upon the golem. After seconds of the creation rigidly walking upon the bridge, she glances over to Cideeda with a quizzical tone. "It operates simplistically. Does not have high cognitive function?"

Cideeda blinks in thought and narrows a scrutinizing stare at the golem. "Now that you mention it... It really acts like it doesn't have much going on in the thinking department. It knows something is here, but hasn't done anything apart from shooting at Sebastian when it got line of sight on him."

Carefully keeping a low profile, Aristespha steps up behind a line of crates, peers out with glowing violet eyes, and cautiously gestures out incantations. With a swift flick of her gloved hand, a small wave of energy radiates out down the length of bridge, through the golem, and dissipates into the distant cavern wall. Aristespha blinks her eyes to normal, glances over to the rest of the team, and dons a hopeful smirk. "There is no spirit bound to it. So, a control system is operating it. I can't tell if it's a spell or some other device from here, but I don't think it's very advanced."

A sly smirk cracks upon Cideeda's face and her ears perk with her scheming expression. "If it's a simple program, then maybe we can work within the logic to give us the advantage. Maybe... Get it locked it up in a routine and keep it there."

Dretphi nods in agreement but sighs reservedly. "We need to know the program. Worth the risk to determine."

The heavy steps of the dire wolf golem resonate out upon midsection of the bridge, and the entire central platform structure vibrates. Debris and junk rattles off the edge of the platform into the dark abyss below. The team instinctively secures themselves upon solid structures. A collective tension looms over and refreshes with each platform shaking stomp. Bach cranes his gaze briefly over the edge into the blackness of the pit and nervously smiles with a tinge of resolve. "Gods, if we could knock that thing off the bridge..."

Sebastian snaps his attention over to Bach with a growing grin. "Hey... That's... Actually an idea worth trying."

Pondering a few moments, Bach slowly nods and lifts an intrigued brow. "You know... As heavy as that thing is to shake this place, I bet it can't fly at all. Even if it survives the landing, we'll be out of here before it has a chance to get to us."

A bold smile appears on Sebastian's face and he addresses the rest of the group. "I think it's worth giving it a shot. Any suggestions?"

Cideeda searches through her vest pockets, retrieves a collection of small explosive packs, and a remote detonator kit. She presents them with an eager, toothy grin. "I don't think this will get it off the bridge, but it'll throw it off balance for sure. And yes, these shouldn't harm the bridge too much out in the open."

Sotalia intertwines her fingers, stretches her arms out, and smiles slyly. "I think I can lighten the load with a strong telekinesis spell. Just need it to stay still for a moment."

Aristespha chuckles confidently and lifts an amused eyebrow. "I can provide that. It might not last long with something this powerful, but you've worked within those constraints before."

Sebastian glances over to Dretphi and points towards the lumbering magical construction. "You up for helping me distract the thing, Dretphi? Hopefully, it'll stay focused on me, but it might be good to have someone else split its attention."

Dretphi nods with a determined smirk and inspects her sub machine gun. "I am curious how resilient it is."

Panning his gaze between everyone else, Bach thinks and nods with an offer. "I've got something that might help keep it immobilized and maybe help get it over the edge."

Sebastian looks over the group proudly and stirs up his ethereal form. "Okay, wait until it is shooting at me. Dretphi, shoot at it. Aristespha and Bach, lock it down. Sotalia, lighten it into the air as much as possible. Cideeda, toss the explosives under it. After that, everyone shield themselves and we blow the charges."

After receiving confirmations all around, Sebastian jets off into the air, his form flaming a bit brighter. Immediately upon sighting Sebastian, the golem halts its march and snaps its spines into firing positions. As Sebastian flies erratically through the air, the construct unleashes barrage after barrage of green, white-tipped bolts at his flight path. Stray projectiles impact the cavern ceiling above and powerfully erupt into magical miasma. The energies expand outwards and the crystalline specks in the stone flash brighter briefly. Dretphi pops up from cover, steadies her sub machine gun upon a sturdy metal container top, and pulses out bursts of fire from the weapon. Sparks spray out from the surface of the metal and stone creature's body as bullets bounce off. Solid impacts fracture tiny stone bits off and lightly dent the metal exterior. A gout of white magical flow jets out from direct hit on an inscribed channel. The golem shudders momentarily and ceases firing magical bolts. Aristespha stands up from behind a crates, throws her arms forward, and releases a transparent wall of energy forward. It glides down the bridge and envelopes the war machine in an immobilizing wrap of magical flow. She stands firmly and grimaces in pose.

Bach lifts up his hands, and flings out a magical cable from each palm. The woven lines of blue and green strands arc through the air, and coast upon the lupine golem. A visible pulse of energy travels down the lines to the ends and triggers webs of threads to rapidly wrap around the limbs and body of the mechanical beast. Bach contorts his face as the golem flexes individual joints against the tension of the magical mesh.

Sotalia stands confidently, quickly chants out an incantation, and finishes her gestures with a dramatic throw of her hand forward. A nearly invisible column extends out, contacts the golem, and surrounds it in energy. Gritting her teeth, Sotalia plants her feet and her body strains as the magical flows spiral around her. The torso of the dire wolf lifts up and the weigh upon its legs dramatically lessens.

Cideeda balls the explosive material up, hops up to her feet, gauges the distance with her emerald eyes, and swings her arm back. With powerful underarm toss, she sends the pliable mass sailing over the bridge deck. It lands with a solid thud upon the metal walkway plating, underneath the chest of the golem. A red blinking glow radiates through the deformed explosive clay next to a prominent, protruding antenna. Cideeda drops into hiding and flips off the cover on the remote control. Dretphi ducks down and keeps her weapon trained. Aristespha releases her spell, quickly gestures, and wraps her hands around the flow streaming from Sotalia to the golem, injecting a boost of energy into the mix. Bach releases his ends of the magical cables, slides down in front of Aristespha and Sotalia, and throws up a golden barrier, anchoring it into the ground. Sebastian gazes down and shouts. "NOW!"

Cideeda quickly clicks the detonator three times. A powerful, concussive blast erupts under the golem and kicks the construct up into the air. Sotalia grins wildly with a manic, golden glow in her eyes as her arms shift the magical flow and the dire wolf drifts towards the side edge of the bridge.

"ENERGY. SURGE. DETECTED."

A brilliant white energy powerfully surges and arcs across the surface of the golem. The blue and green magical mesh binding the body violently snaps to shreds. The aura of transparent energy around it sparks and crackles to opacity. The magic explodes into a chaotic miasma that vents away from the golem. Sotalia's arms lose hold of the fizzling spell, and Aristespha catches Sotalia when she stumbles for balance. The dire wolf falls downwards, partially over the side, but rights itself. It crashes on the bridge frame supports and crushes thick metal guard railing. The green glowing front claws of the metal and stone beast sink firmly into the deck. It swiftly tears up onto the bridge surface, ripping metal plating effortlessly as it stands back up. Pausing a moment, it stares ahead with a white haze emanating from the eyes, and digs claws into the deck.

Flows of magic across the golem flare brightly and the construct launches itself forward. The platform shakes violently under the thunderous charge. Aristespha and Sotalia pull each other out of the way and dive off towards one side of the platform. Bach scrambles out from behind his golden, transparent barrier and rushes over towards Cideeda and Dretphi as they fall back from the rampage path. The golem drops its shoulder low and slams into the makeshift barricade. The golden shield shatters into fragments, wooden crates splinter apart, and dented, metal storage containers roll through the air. Sebastian hovers above, fights back his terror, and searches the falling debris. He releases a relieved, ethereal sigh when he spots Aristespha and Sotalia hiding on one side of the platform, and Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi keeping low profiles behind cover on the opposite. The magical monstrosity plants its feet securely onto the reinforced metal floor and slowly sweeps a hunting glare side to side. Seconds later, it lowers its head and opens its razor toothed maw fully open. A hum accompanies the condensing energy flowing into its mouth and the green glow pulsating brighter by the second. Sebastian blinks in surprise, points at the golem, and alerts everyone below. "Look out! It's charging up an attack of some kind!"

Five pairs of eyes peer out from behind cover at the situation before them. Aristespha's glowing violet eyes widen in fright. "That's some kind of directed thermal projection spell! Take cover!"

Bach narrows his blue illuminated eyes and contends with a conflicting mixture of fear, annoyance, and disgust. "Oh, gods fucking dammit! Of course! It breathes fire! Why would it do anything else?!"

Aristespha ducks down, quickly gestures out a spell, and holds her hands out in front of her while a transparent bubble of energy spreads around her and Sotalia. After a few fast incantations, Sotalia places her hands upon the barrier near Aristespha's and shouts out towards Back with a dry grin. "Like what?! Frost breath?"

Bach kneels down, holds his arms out, and rolls his eyes with smirk. "Gods forbid people who took time to build a walking weapon to look like a giant wolf stick to some kind of theme."

He concentrates, closes his eyes, and steadies himself. A fast growing hexagonal grid expands out into an intricate dome that envelopes Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi. As the brief time passes, new layers laminate upon the current shell, individual cells fill in with finer meshes, and the fibers of flow anchor into the flooring beneath. Bach glances back to Cideeda and Dretphi. "Keep towards the front, I'll focus protection there."

Silence interrupts the moment. A roar of bright orange and green streaked flames blasts out from the jaws of the dire wolf and floods the vicinity. The torrent of fire torches out in a continuous, all encompassing jet. Seconds pass slowly within the magical barriers splitting the raging river of unyielding, supreme heat. Wooden crates disintegrate into fiery specks that drift off the central platform and disappear into the void below. The distant darkness snuffs out the light of the embers. Metal containers deform under bright orange white glows, and molten globs spatter protective bubbles, falling to rattle across the platform floor. Aristespha cringes and Sotalia strains against the onslaught as they both flow more energy to maintain their protective, multi-layered field. Bach keeps his hands in place as the flames wash over the protective dome. He releases slow, calculated breaths as sweat drips down his visor covered face. Cideeda stays behind Bach, slides her feet closer to the center of the enclosed circle of floor within, and winces silently as the heat from the floor penetrates her thinly soled shoes. Dretphi eases down onto her polymer and barrier protected knee plating, and sweeps Cideeda securely up into her lap. Cideeda lifts her feet clear of the floor, and sighs with a greatly appreciative smile to Dretphi. "Thank you!"

The flames stop. The green magical light dims to a dark flicker inside the mouth of the dire wolf golem and it snaps its maw shut. Straightening its posture, it secures its footing, and cautiously pans its watchful stare across the area. Waves of heat radiate off the scorched reinforced platform floor. Scraps of wood and other flammable materials smolder with gouts of fire igniting from the gases. Dull, red orange glows fade to tempered shades on many of the metallic surfaces. A chorus of pops and snaps fill the background din. Sebastian's visage reforms next to Aristespha and Sotalia. He fails to hide his worry and concern when examining them. Aristespha summons a calming smile to Sebastian. Sotalia wipes the sweat off her brow and gives a smirking thumbs up. Sebastian snaps his attention over towards Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi. Bach nods back to Sebastian and Cideeda and Dretphi wave from inside a fading dome.

Bach's voice echoes softly over Aristespha's aetherphone from inside her pocket. "So... What's the plan now?"

Aristespha pulls her aetherphone out, lifts it close to the middle of herself, Sebastian, and Sotalia. "Good question."

Sotalia sneaks a brief peek around edge of a partially melted container and retracts back to Aristespha and Sebastian. "It doesn't look like it's going anywhere. It's like it's waiting for something."

Cideeda ponders out loud over the radio. "If it is running on a rough program... I'd guess it's waiting for any signs of activity. If I was to program something like this, I'd have it wait first, and THEN go in to confirm that the targets have been eliminated."

Twisting his mouth in indecision, Sebastian grumbles in thought. "So more than likely, even if we try to wait this thing out, it'll come forward and search for us."

Opposite across the platform, Dretphi nods her helmeted head solemnly. "I concur..."

She furrows her brow, blinks as a recent memory arrives at the front of her mind, and an intrigued tone brightens her voice. "During the attack. I hit an inscription directly. Energy erupted out. The golem faltered."

Bach glances over his shoulder, ponders the event, and confirms. "Yeah. I saw that energy burst. It must have damaged a flow channel on it."

Across the radio channel, Aristespha's interest piques and she thoughtfully replies. "That is an ancient golem without a spirit bound to it. It has not received proper maintenance in many, many years. So, it may be far more degraded than it looks."

An amused smirk graces Bach's face. "So... Just throwing this out here... We should shoot it a lot... At the same time?"

He glances over towards Sebastian and shrugs with his hands out to the sides. Sebastian darts his eyes around his mind and returns a similar gesture. Aristespha hums in thought and squints around the corner of cover briefly. "If we target flow channels, we could disable many of the more dangerous aspects. If we are lucky, we may be able to temporarily disable it enough to get around it and make a run for it."

Sebastian nods in agreement. "Sounds like the best plan we've got at the moment, dear."

Across the way, Dretphi sighs and shakes her head. "Unfortunately. My weapon did not do significant damage."

An irritated frown overtakes her expression and she quietly growls. "Again... The appropriate weapon is not with me."

Bach pivots in place and gazes at Dretphi and Cideeda with a hopeful smirk. "I might be able to fix that."

Both Cideeda and Dretphi focus upon Bach. Holding his hands out, Bach starts an explanation. "I've thought about the whole weapon enchantment idea and I might have something simple and quick for your weapons. Fair warning... They won't last long and may not work that well-"

His explanation ends abruptly when he hears the safety engage and feels the full weigh of Dretphi's sub machine in his hands. Blinking in surprise, he glance up to the eager smile of Dretphi and concentrates upon the weapon in his hands. With a slow exhale, he closes his eyes. Faint multi-colored magical flows creep along the casing of the gun. Coils of magical energy condense upon the length of the barrel and channel intricate patterns upon the forward and rear grips. Almost a minute later, Bach reopens his blue glowing eyes and presents the device back to Dretphi. "Okay. Simple projectile accelerator in the barrel. You'll have to direct your flow into it to keep it going."

Dretphi graciously lifts her sub machine gun up from Bach's hand with a thankful, warm smile and readies it. As Bach faces Cideeda, a pair of clawed hands deposit a laser pistol in each of Bach's open palms. He nods and focuses. Meshing patterns encapsulate the hand grips of the pistols and threads of magic sink inside the device. Only faint glows from the vents hint to the processes happening within the weapons. Bach gives the laser pistols back to Cideeda and sighs uncertainty. "For you, photon amplifiers help energize the beams with what you flow into them. Again... I don't know how well it will work in this short of time and-"

Bach feels a familiar, soft five claw tip squeeze on his upper arm and looks up. Cideeda grins toothily and winks to Bach. "Perfect time to test."

An appreciative smile appears Bach's face and morphs into a bold grin as he draws his transforming plasma pistol out. Sebastian nods across the way to magically armed Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi. He smirks proudly to Aristespha and Sotalia. "Okay. I think that side is covered."

Fluttering her darkened sclera eyes, Sotalia chuckles, flexes her long nailed fingers, and rolls her shoulders in a stretch. "If it's made of metal and stone, I think I'll see how it likes the cold. So, if anyone sees frost, shoot it. Let's see how brittle it can get."

Aristespha nods with a smile to Sebastian and readies her stance. "I'll see if I can disrupt enough around the jaw. We don't need another fire attack like that."

Sebastian directs his ghostly voice to Aristespha's aetherphone. "Everyone get ready. I'll get its initial attention, then light it up."

The dire wolf scans its head side to side. During the sweep, it slows at two points, one on either side of the platform. Sebastian rises up through the platform floor immediately in front of the construct and jets upwards into the air. The golem backs up, lifts up its head, and flips spines at him. Dretphi pops up from cover, crimson flows filling the channels leading to the barrel of her sub machine gun. She unleashes volleys of accelerated, high velocity rounds. The recoil surprises her, and leaves a delighted, enthusiastic grin upon her face. Cideeda takes her aim and fires blue laser beams at the golem. The beams color shift towards violet when she focuses her energies. Bach leans out from cover and unleases charged bolts of plasma. Sotalia quickly gestures, points a finger at the golem, and streams concentrated, cold rays upon choice sections. Potent, precise beams of energy from Aristespha powerfully impact the maw of the war machine. The furious flurry beams, bolts, projectiles, frost, and energy rattle the golem. Molten flecks of metal splatter upon the platform floor. Fragments of stone clatter on the metallic surface. Arcs of disrupted magical energy spark out with plumes of miasma spewing from breaks in flow channels. Frosted parts shatter violently with well placed shots, and the metal and stone beast stumbles around.

Weathering the unyielding onslaught, the mechanical dire wolf slams down its front claws, braces itself, and flings its jaws wide open to a bright green cloud venting out. A precise beam of magical energy lands right inside and stuns the construct. Volleys of frost, plasma, photons, and high-velocity mass race into the mouth of the golem before loud crashing from within slams its maw catastrophically shut. It wanders backwards and trails smokey magical energy sizzle out from the dented gaps in its jaws. As the dire wolf exposes its side, Sotalia steadies her stance, raises both hands forward, and concentrates a potent frost ray right upon the belly of the beast. The column of cold squarely impacts and freezes over the midsection armor, billowing out clouds of vapor. Dretphi braces her sub machine gun against herself tightly, powerfully flows a brilliant wave of magical energy to the barrel, and flips the mode switch to full auto. A torrent of automatic fire tears into the frozen middle plate, and shatters the armor into fragments. Rounds fly through the new opening and ricochet loudly inside, until an explosion blows out the belly of the mechanical beast. The golem flings its fractured glare towards Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi's position and charges haphazardly forward.

Bach scrambles clear of the oncoming golem. Cideeda scrapes her claws upon the floor and launches herself away. Dretphi spins into a dodge as the construct crashes through mostly melted containers. In the chaos, the beast claws wildly and thrashes about. A tail swipe catches the sub machine gun and strips it out of Dretphi's hands as she dives away. She repeatedly rolls from the golem, rights herself upon her feet, and stands up. Quickly drawing her machete from her back, she readies herself. The dire wolf searches around and aims its glare upon Aristespha and Sotalia. Miasma steams through the cracks and sparks drop out through the holes in its body. Claws dig into the platform floor and its aims itself at Aristespha and Sotalia. A series of loud heavy boots clang out and a machete solidly scrapes the side of the construct's head. Dretphi runs off to the opposite edge of the platform, stomps loudly, and yells a challenge to it in venomous Grath. When the golem's attention shifts fully to Dretphi, Aristespha and Sotalia scramble off. They spot Bach and Cideeda waving them over, and slide behind cover. Sebastian jets over next to Dretphi. The dire wolf stands firm, cautiously lining up a charge at Dretphi, but it often diverts attention to Sebastian. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, and Sotalia watch the showdown. Shuddering briefly, Sotalia directs her confusion at the golem and points a finger to a white glow within the creation's blown out frame. "Good fucking gods! The armor around the belly came completely off- Is that a power cell?!"

A determined grin parts her lips and she holds up a palm as magical flow condenses into a tight ball of fire. "OH... If I'm feeling this right, that's got to be holding that Elder energy. Take this!"

She lobs a bright orb of blue flame at the golem. The fireball zips right at the cylindrical, white light radiating cell... and dissipates to a fading cloud. Sotalia blinks in utter bewilderment and Cideeda lines up her laser pistol and gently squeezes the trigger. The weapon projects a blue-violet laser that refracts into a harmless scatter within centimeters of the energy cell. Bach squints with glowing blue eyes at the golem and grimaces with a grit of his teeth. "It's definitely charged with elder energy. It's radiating a tiny amount around it."

Aristespha twists her mouth and growls in frustration. "Just enough to keep a disruptive barrier around it against magics and energy weaponry."

Bach nods, stares at the cell inside golem's chest cavity, and cocks his head to the side. "It may not be protected from physical attacks, especially at that main connection. The field doesn't seem that strong there."

Listening to the radio across the way, Dretphi focuses her glare at the white glowing module within the golem's broken midsection. Stern determination washes over her face and she calmly calls out. "I think I can hit it. Should I try?"

Bach blanks to the echo of Dretphi's voice over the air and radio, and blinks to Aristespha, Cideeda, and Sotalia. He musters his resolve and nods. "Yes. Aim for the junction between the cell and cables. Get clear and over to us regardless."

Dretphi cracks a small grin, tightens the grip on her machete, and eyes Sebastian's visage. "Keep its attention. I am attacking."

Sebastian nods, flares up his form to a flaming brilliance, and charges at the golem. "HEY! WATCH ME! YOU STONE COLD BITCH!"

The head of the construct snaps to process Sebastian, and loses track of Dretphi as she charges forth. Swiftly sprinting to the construct, Dretphi swings her large blade and guides the powerful thrust of the weapon's tip right at the join between power cell and cable. A shower of sparks erupts as the machete's edge grinds firmly into the junction. Magical miasma sprays out as the blade scrapes against connection when Dretphi pulls out of the golem on her escape. The creature shudders momentarily but continues to lumber around shakily. Dretphi dashes across the platform and slides behind cover near the rest of the group. She presses her back against a pile of debris and shakes her head in anger and disappointment. "Sorry. Could not impart the required force."

The golem stomps heavily, slowly towards the far edge of the platform. Each thunderous step shakes the entire structure. Clouds of smoke billow out, parts rattle loudly, internals spark brightly, and the war machine closes in on Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. Sebastian's form reappears next to Aristespha and he poorly masks his worry with a smirk. "Okay! It's no longer really paying attention to me and I think it's had enough of our shit at this point."

Sotalia peeks out and barely contains her fear. "Uh... Um... So... Maybe we can fly to the perimeter. I can carry Dretphi. Aristespha you get Cideeda. Bach, try your best and keep near Aristespha?"

Aristespha swallows hard and attempts to calm her thoughts. "Magic attacks dissipate. And energy gets deflected... What to do... What to do..."

Bach observes the fright and panic seeping out of everyone. He searches the area and catches the glint of a familiar gun barrel. The weapon rests meters away, past the mechanical beast and near the platform edge. He lifts his hand up, aims his palm at the precariously positioned weapon, and focuses his blue glowing eyes. A woven magical energy cable launches from the condensed energy in Bach's hand, glides to its target, and latches on. With a hard yank, Dretphi's sub machine gun hops clear of rubble, bounces swiftly along the floor, and slides right next to Dretphi. Silence halts the team. Sebastian cranes his head around to puzzle at Bach. "What are you thinking, bro?"

Bach blinks in thought, draws a long breath in, and explains. "Really, really high speed projectiles. I overcharge the holy hell out of what I put on there and Dretphi takes the shot. We just need an opening."

A proud grin graces Sebastian's face and he nods in complete agreement. "Okay. Quick plan. Cideeda and I draw its attention. Aristespha and Sotalia, hold it for the shot. Bach and Dretphi... Make the shot."

The golem halts meters away from the last blockade of rubble and debris. It lowers its head, digs in its claws, and-

Sebastian flies up from the floor at it, waving his arms menacingly. The construct ignores the nuisance and-

Twin beams of blue-purple light carves across it's side. The dire wolf swings its head over to watch Cideeda sprinting between cover and pulsing laser blasts. The metal and stone dire wolf attempts to return focus ahead, and struggles against a wave of energy enveloping it. An unseen force wrestles, slides, and grinds it gradually against the platform floor. The massive body pivots and reveals a clear view to the power cell within the midsection. The power cell brightens.

"ENERGY. SURGE. DETECTED."

Dretphi lays her weight against the sub machine gun upon a metal container and lines up the shot. Bach closes his eyes as he carefully places his hands under the weapon, and floods a bright flow of magical energy into the gun's barrel. The golem rotates a few more degrees. A wave of white energy erupts from the power cell and coats the surface of the war machine. Spells upon it fizzle to its freedom. Dretphi pulls the trigger.

A visible streak instantly traces from the barrel of Dretphi's gun right through the obliterated junction between power cell and cable. In the fractions of second, faint shock rings form around the vapor trail, Dretphi rides the gun's recoil backwards onto the floor, and Bach reflexively hits the deck. The construct steadies from the impact, but freeze. It stands motionless. The white energy dissipates into the air and the green flows throughout its body stop. Dire wolf golem collapses into a heap of stone and metal pieces upon the middle of the central platform.

Dretphi stares upwards in pure astonishment and slowly sits up. She rolls her shoulder, glances down at the red heat radiating off her gun's barrel, and secures the holding strap onto her armor. Sebastian's ethereal forms drifts cautiously up to the quiet remains of the golem. He hovers around the still pile, and releases a long, relieved sigh. "I think it's fucking down for the count!"

Aristespha seats herself down, rests her back against a container fused to the platform floor, and tries to breath easy. Cideeda plops herself on a pile of debris and recollects her thoughts. Bach tilts his helmeted head against a metal panel and slowly calms himself. Sotalia stands triumphantly, grins proudly, and tosses her fiery orange, wavy hair back over her shoulders. "Now THAT was a fight. But..."

She gestures towards the cavern exit, awkwardly smiles with tilt of the head, and sheepishly raises a hand up. "I think I'm done for the day. Anyone else?"

Hands rise up from the rest of the team in complete agreement. Sotalia exhales, steps out from behind a partially melted container, and nonchalantly walks over to Bach and Dretphi. She freezes mid step, snaps her head in wide-eyed terror at the golem pile, and screams out. "I-I FEEL S-SOMETHING! LOOK OUT-"

A sharp shrill screech pierces the cavern air and a massive shock wave of green energy explodes out from underneath the former construct. The powerful tide bubbles out swiftly and launches parts in all directions. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi reflexively dive down behind nearby cover. In the mere moments available, Sotalia braces herself and her close magical barrier flashes visibly around her. The expanding field of force kicks her up into the air. As she attempts to balance herself mid flight, a stone armor plate crashes into the thick barrier around her head and deflects off. The protective shell holds. Sotalia's dizzy expression fades to unconsciousness and she limply tumbles high in the air... pass the edge of the platform.

Bach tilts his head up and watches Sotalia start to fall from the apex of her arc. Widening his panicked eyes, a brilliant blue glow flashes out. He throws his hands forward and a maelstrom of magical flow swirls along his arms. Woven strands of blue and green launch out from each palm, jet through the air, and latch onto Sotalia's shoulders. A weave of supportive fibers wrap a mesh harness around Sotalia's body. As Sotalia falls out of view and the magical cables drape over the platform edge, Bach clenches onto each cable and plants his feet.

The slack snaps tight and the full force yanks Bach forward off his feet. Bach's helmeted head slams violently, visor first, against the reinforced metal plating of the floor. The lines drag him harshly across the rough rubble. His armor scrapes against the platform surface, and he bounces off piles of debris. Bach grinds to a halt, his upper body between the melted remains of two guardrail support posts and his arms hanging over the platform edge. He painfully grimaces, focuses through the daze, and gazes down through the crackled, golden barrier on his visor into the dark void below him. In his locked grip, two taut, several meter long cables support an unconscious, gently swinging Sotalia in a magically woven blue and green harness above the black abyss. Tension spikes with the silence and Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sebastian snap to full awareness of the situation. Sebastian yells out in a panic. "BACH!? SOTALIA?! ARE YOU TWO OKAY?!"

He jets over to his brothers side and fearfully looks below. Joy erupts on Sebastian's face and he hovers to peer into Bach's helmet. "Bro, you okay?!"

Bach stifles a cough and groans. "Yeah. I got her. The lines are stable. Just need a moment and to clear my head... And I'll get her up."

Sebastian energetically waves everyone else over and nods to Bach. "Hang in there, bro. EVERYONE, GET OVER HERE-"

A cacophony of metal stress resonates throughout the entire platform and the structure beneath. A second of abrupt silence shatters into rumbling cracks of rocks around an anchor point and twisting whines of support structure collapsing. The entire central platform sharply pitches. Cideeda briefly slides but reflexively sinks her claws into floor plating gaps. Aristespha scrambles for a grip, dodging flaming remnants of wood crates. Dretphi bounds over, snatches up Aristespha, and clamps onto a section of intact guardrail. Bach drops over the edge to Sebastian's absolute horror.

The wind rushes around Bach. The pit walls blend into the darkness below and contrast only with the blue and green cables leading to Sotalia. Terror rattles Bach's thoughts and panicked chaos freezes him in the moment. The edges of the pit rise higher and Bach stares distantly stunned. Cutting through the fearful deadlock, a familiar spark ignites a torrent in the back of mind and impulses. A wave of determination overwhelms Bach. Gritting his teeth, his eyes flash bright blue and he clamps onto the magical cables in his hands. The lines snap taut and a flurry of retracting magical flow reels Sotalia swiftly into Bach's arms. Securing Sotalia with his arms under her shoulders in a tight hug, Bach focuses within. Moments later, Bach and Sotalia's descent slows to a standstill. Bach lifts his head up, opens his bright blue eyes, and flashes a brave grin. The two ascend upwards and swiftly gain altitude. Sebastian spots his brother's eyes distantly below and cheers down. "YES! HOLY SHIT! THAT'S IT, BRO! KEEP IT UP! Aristespha will be there as soon as we get Dretphi and Cideeda on the bridge off this thing!"

Bach blasts his way up with Sotalia in his arms. He continues to gain altitude, but the rate... slows. Bach pants as the ascent speed sharply decreases. Progress stops and Bach strains painfully to maintain flight. The glow in his eyes dims gradually and he sinks slightly down every second. Bach glances at the unconscious Sotalia, and shakes her around. "WAKE UP! Gods dammit, Sotalia! WAKE THE FUCK UP! I can't maintain enough lift for both of us! Come on... Wake up, cast a spell... Please wake up..."

Sebastian stares with grave concern as he realizes the grim the situation forming below him. "BACH! HOLD ON!"

The air rises up around Bach as the illumination in his eyes dims further and the descent into the black pit speeds up. Desperation overtakes Bach. He looks into Sotalia's face... And winces with tears in his eyes. "Gods... Dammit..."

Bach frowns, cringes, and cries out. "No..."

He draws a deep breath in, renews his embrace of Sotalia, and closes his eyes firmly. Gritting his teeth, pain radiates the entirely Bach's body and he reopens his blue eyes resolutely. Within the dimming blue glows in his eyes, pinpoints of white flash out. A wave of white magical energy spirals into jets of downwards flow over him. The embedded crystals in the cavernous ceiling flicker brightly along with flashes of light deep down in the unending pit. Distant repetitious, mechanical clicks echo out into the chamber. Electrical lighting dims out along the perimeter. Sebastian's visage warps and distorts.

"PREVIOUS. FLOW. DETECTED."

Bach stops mid air and firmly holds his position. Faint swirling white flows shape beneath him and he ascends up with Sotalia in his arms. Seconds later, Sotalia stirs. She blinks and groggily looks around. Her golden eyes spring wide open as her awareness returns. The dark abyss below spooks her and she reflexively wraps her arms tightly around Bach. She shivers uncomfortably, glances at the energy flows near her, and realizes Bach's hold of her. Craning her head around, she peers into Bach's helmet, and notices the distant, strained determination on his face. Bach breathes cautiously and shakily, and trickles of fear crack his resolve. Sotalia presents calm tone in contrast to her overwhelming concern. "How are you doing, Bach?"

Bach barely manages an audible response through strained breaths and visble twinges. Sotalia stretches her arms out, gestures out a spell, and carefully speaks an incantation. As flows of magic support her body in flight, she gently eases out from Bach's grasp. "I'm okay. Don't worry."

Bach manages an unsteady nod and sways as the flows of energy thin. Sotalia swiftly slips her arms under Bach's shoulders and tightly holds him close. She gently speaks into the ear vent of his helmet. "It's okay. I got you."

Managing a loose wrap around Sotalia, Bach's eyes dim back to normal and he nearly collapses in her arms, but keeps conscious against obvious exhaustion. Sotalia lifts Bach up towards safety of the connecting bridge. As they fly up, Sotalia nestles her head upon Bach's shoulder against his helmeted head, tightens her embrace, and sniffs. "Thank you."

Bach weakly chuckles with a tired, happy tone. "You're welcome... Thank you, too..."

Sebastian zips next to Sotalia and directs her towards the bridge exit onto the perimeter. Aristespha flies over, supports Bach opposite of Sotalia, and the two ferry him to an awaiting Dretphi and Cideeda. The team reunites upon the perimeter walkway. Sotalia and Aristespha land with Bach. Aristespha guides Bach down and steps over to remove her small backpack of medical supplies. Sotalia follows down to seat next to Bach. She wraps an arm firmly around Bach's waist and keeps her other hand tightly holding his upper arm. Sebastian keeps watch and stares suspiciously at the cavern exit before inspecting other areas. Cideeda kneels down, gently claws Bach's arm to get his attention, and undoes the straps to his helmet. "Hey, you okay under there?"

As the Cideeda pulls the helmet off, Bach cracks a smile and lifts his head up. "Yeah... Just a bit... tired... right now..."

Dretphi drops to her knees, removes her helmet, and directs her nervous worry at both Sotalia and Bach. "O-Okay?"

Sotalia gazes with her golden pupil and almost black sclera eyes at Dretphi, nods uncertainly, and contorts her face to hide forming tears. Dretphi's expression softens and she wraps her arms around both Sotalia and Bach. Tearful sniffs sound out from Sotalia and Dretphi gently rubs her on the back comfortingly. Bach softly snores.

-52-

The humvee rolls into a spot upon the worn, pavement of an old service station parking lot. The noon sun above heats up the rooftop solar panels of the main building in the middle of encircling fuel pump awnings. A faint breeze hardly moves even a few blades of grass in the empty fields near the lone stop along the long highway. When the vehicle stops, the powerplant inside the humvee spins down and a door opens. Sotalia hops out, dashes in a rigid jog around the side of the main structure, and swiftly pushes through the front glass storefront doors. Cideeda calmly exits the cab, shakes her head with a roll of the eyes, and shrugs as she casually walks to the entrance. Aristespha steps out of the vehicle, slides her seat up, and clears the way for Dretphi to climb out. Dretphi nods appreciatively and catches up to Cideeda at the store doors. Aristespha slides her seat back, and curiously observes Bach.

Silently staring out the window to the scenic fields and trees around, Bach sighs softly and maintains an inner distance to the world around him. Aristespha steps up into the humvee, sits down in her seat, and stares inquisitively at Bach. "What's on your mind, Bach?"

Bach blinks a few times, turns his head slightly towards Aristespha, and awkwardly stumbles on his words. "Uh... Well... Nothing really... Just enjoying the scenery, I guess."

Aristespha lift her eyebrow unconvinced and seeks a better reason with a stare. Sebastian's ghostly form appears in the aisle between Aristespha and Bach, and levels a questioning glance at Bach. "Oh, bullshit, bro. You've been spacing out the whole ride back since the morning. Something heavy is sitting on your brain. What is it?"

After a brief squirm in his seat, Bach hesitantly gazes over the Sebastian and Aristespha. "I don't know. It's well... I... I've just been thinking about yesterday. And really thinking about... Well... What am I?"

Sebastian cocks his head in puzzlement and blinks out his confusion. "Okay? Um. In what context are we asking that question?"

Bach crosses his arms uncomfortably, rolls his shoulders, and draws a nervous breath in. "Well, in the context of me using elder energy from whatever source it comes from for me. Last I checked, people who tend to use that type of magic haven't been viewed favorably for a really long time."

He glances away briefly and mutters to himself. "Especially, if the puppet shows are to believed."

Sebastian smiles proudly and speaks with a comforting voice. "You saved the life our friend. I saw you struggle and try your fucking damnedest to do everything else possible. You had no other option and did what you felt was the right thing to do. I don't think anyone will fault you for that."

He glances over to Aristespha and back to Bach. "I'm pretty sure anyone that same situation would have done the same thing, bro."

Bach grimaces uneasily and averts his eyes away as he examines his thoughts. "Yeah. I mean... I know I made the right choice and all."

He unfolds his arms, grits his teeth, sways his head as he rakes both hands through his head of longer, brown hair. "But... I still worry what thinking that way could eventually lead to. I mean how many Dark Lords before were honestly justified in what they did initially and still felt fully that way when they went off the deep end?  And never knew it?"

Sebastian ethereal eyes widen in concerned shock. He slides around to face Bach from the center console, and cranes his head around to make eye contact with his brother. "You are NOT a Dark Lord. DO NOT put that on yourself."

Aristespha reaches her arm out, firmly grips onto Bach's shoulder, and stares sternly compassionate into his worried blue eyes. "You have to understand that term is not some kind of official classification. It's a term that was born out of fear and the desires for manipulation. Ultimately, it's nothing more than a convenient branding the ignorant masses use, and the media and governments encourage."

Bach lowers his head and contorts his mouth as mumbles. "Even so... It seems to have been really appropriate a bunch of times in the past."

After a long sigh, Aristespha's gaze softens and a gentle tone colors her voice. "Bach. Just because you have access to Elder energy does not make you a Dark Lord. Or even destined to become one."

Presenting a sincere smile, Sebastian nods in agreement with Aristespha and angles his head to meet his brother's eyes. "Yeah. And if I got the score right, you've annihilated two Nightmare Geists and saved Sotalia's life with that power. I think you are far from any infamous Dark Lords at this point, bro."

Bach lifts his head up, musters a halfhearted smile, and sighs in reserved acceptance. "I'd like to think that, too."

He stares poignantly at the sword at Aristespha's side and fights back the hints of dread bubbling onto his face. "I don't know. In a weird way, it seemed a lot easier and safer for everyone to just live my life as a lame mage. If I don't use that energy... I can't become something that would require... a special sword to take down."

Aristespha and Sebastian trace the path of Bach's stare to the sword. Sebastian briefly frowns. Aristespha pats her hand on Bach's shoulder and calmly explains. "There's been no properly done research that has shown that Elder Energy has any effect on the minds of its users. If fact many at the Grand Library believe most the infamous Dark Lords had serious prior issues before they came into their power."

Sebastian grins reassuringly to Bach and nods with Aristespha's statement. "Exactly! You have the power and you avoid using it as much as possible. That sets you apart from a lot of people."

Bach summons up a full smile towards his brother and shrugs his shoulders. "I guess. But, as much as I'd like to not use it at all... It might be best to get some idea of what exactly I have. If only just to not accidentally fuck things up."

Aristespha leans an analyzing expression towards Bach and confidently smirks. "I most certainly can help you with that. If you want. The Grand Library has done plenty of research in related fields of study and I might be to contact an expert or two, discreetly. I promise we'll take it slow and careful."

Drawing in a long breath, Bach exhales out his nerves, relaxes into his seat, and nods appreciatively at Aristespha. "That sounds pretty good. Maybe in a few weeks? Still a little shaken up right now."

With a final few pats, Aristespha smiles kindly and glances over to the store corner. "Of course. I think we all need a rest before anything else."

She watches Sotalia round the corner of the building with a large coffee cup in one hand and collection of sweeteners, creamer cups, and seasoning packets in the other. She slides down off her seat onto the pavement near the humvee and places her hands on her hips. "I think I might need something to drink anyway. You want anything, Bach?"

Bach thinks moment, and searches his desires. "Um. I guess a milk tea-"

He pats his stomach and becomes conscious of his figure. "Uh, the unsweetened kind."

Sebastian glances over, perk his brow, and rolls his eyes. "Oh, live a little, bro. You've been doing damn good about getting in shape anyway."

As Sebastian fades back towards the sword, Bach sighs playfully with a tinge of sarcasm. "Okay, the regular kind. Live a little dangerously today."

Aristespha laughs, nods, and walks towards the storefront entrance. She pauses after an off step, feels her leather booted foot around on the pavement, and mutters Evuukian curses under breath as she adjusts her pace. Bach leans his head side to side, stretches his body out in the seat, and feels the stiffness in his neck. The front passenger door opens and Sotalia places her large cup of coffee in a center console drink holder. After dumping an assortment of extras in the beverage, she glances over to Bach rolling the tension out of his shoulders, and smirks. "Maybe you should walk around and move, instead of sitting motionless staring out the window for hours?"

Bach rolls his eyes at himself, and reaches for his door handle. "Probably not a bad idea."

He carefully steps down from the humvee, walks out, and places his hands on his lower back. With a slow, careful motion, he leans backwards and stretches his spine, while brief grimaces appear on his face. Bach stares out into the tree perimeter around a grassy field. Sotalia moves up to his side and gazes over. "How are you doing?"

Bach blinks back to awareness, meets Sotalia's golden eyes and darkened sclera, and attempts to nonchalantly shrug. "Well, I'm still pretty sore and got bruises all over. But, I'm okay enough at the moment."

Sotalia gradually nods with an amused smirk, and lifts a curious brow. "Hey, question. How much do you remember after I woke up?"

Searching his mind, Bach mentally pieces together events and twists his mouth thoughtfully. "Ah, well, most of it. I think. Why?"

A genuine, gentle smile graces Sotalia's lips and her expression softens as she brushes back her fiery orange, wavy hair over her horns. "I wanted to make sure you heard me on our way back up. I know you risked a lot to save me. From what I saw and... felt."

Shyly averting his gaze, Bach chuckles awkwardly and scratches the back of his head. "Ah, well, it was nothing, really."

He cringes briefly and groans at himself. "Oh gods, I can't believe I just said that."

A giggle escapes Sotalia and she shakes her head slowly. "Don't worry. You'll say plenty worse ones soon enough."

She side steps in front of Bach and concentrates her gaze upon him. "I can only imagine what a monumental pain in the ass it was to save me, from everything Sebastian told me..."

A few moments of silence fill the air between the two. Sotalia reaches her arms out, slips them underneath Bach's, and leads him into a hug. Bach leans down and wraps his arms around Sotalia in return. Sotalia nestles her head upon Bach's shoulder, presses her horned head close to his, and squeezes him. Bach smiles with a happy sigh. Sotalia angles her head and directs a gentle, grateful whisper into Bach's ear. "Thank you again..."

She tightens her embrace. "For being my hero."

Bach blue eyes widen in stunned silence and fight vainly against the welling of tears. Sotalia feels Bach's attempts to stifle his sniffles, quietly closes her watery eyes, and softly rubs his back comfortingly.

Ambient dusk light illuminates the clearing under a reddening evening sky. Within the confines of a large encampment, Chrome Crusader personnel, and Next Adventurers of Nexus crew mingle between tables of festive foods. Samantha directs Gerald's camera aim in between bites of a sandwich. Deedri converses with a gathering of medical team members. A bravado filled Chad and energetic Maxon exchange tales to the enjoyment of those around. Veevi attempts to garner some attention with her additions to diminishing returns. Between her antics, she sneaks peeks towards Deedri. Trakenthin sits quietly at the corner of a table, slowly scrolls through a familiar aethersite on his aetherphone, and occasionally glances up to watch the activity. Modoran nonchalantly strolls through the area, casually spots a card game, and smoothly slips into an open spot at the table.

Next to a rough entry gate to the area, Tassilda casually sits upon a wooden perimeter fence with her legs crossed. She idly picks at the aged lumber with her long finger nails and sighs with a tinge of boredom as she observes the festivities. Tossing back her raven black her over swirling horns, she settles her balance upon the timber beam and stretches body slowly in her form revealing blouse and dress. A tall emin man steps up to her side behind the fence and speaks with a clear, calm voice. "My lady. Whatever are you doing all the way out here?"

Tassilda's interest piques as Daedrican's tone reaches her ears and she smiles with delight. "After all the excitement this week, I fancied a little peace."

Daedrican rests his dark gray hands upon the wooden fence rail and taps the lumber with his naturally long, thick black finger nails. "That I can understand. It has been an interesting patrol."

Sneaking a glance, Tassilda's light blue on black eyes follow Daedrican's strong arms to the rest of his physique. She quickly notices the lack of armor and distracts herself with his tight fitting shirt and athletic shorts. "Um. Yes. It certainly has been. I do hope our group hasn't proven too burdensome in your team's efforts."

She musters some semblance of composure and calmly aims her head towards the center of the encampment, while her eyes attempt to examine Daedrican out the corners. Daedrican chuckles lightly and slowly shakes his head. "Not at all, my lady. You all seem quite capable, each in your own ways. But I must say, I'm especially impressed with the skill you demonstrated."

Tassilda blushes slightly and tries to discreetly work the color in her face to normal. "You are ever so kind, Paladin."

Daedrican cracks a grin upon his face and scratches his masculine jawline. "Only Junior Paladin... Well, for now."

Resuming her stealthy analysis, Tassilda ponders as she swaps the crossing of her legs. "I have to ask, do the Chrome Crusaders usually have end of mission parties like this?"

Distantly surveying the plates of food, gaming, and mingling, Daedrican shrugs his square shoulders. "Our division does at least. Maxon implemented such events to keep morale up during long quests. It helps to relieve some stress before the return trek back."

He stretches his back out, gazes down towards Tassilda with a pleasant smile. "While we certainly cleared out the path here, we still need to be on guard on the way back. So, a break to release some tension is appreciated by everyone and allows everyone to focus afterwards."

Tassilda slowly turns her head with a slight twist of her body and faces Daedrican. She watches the distant lights reflect off his long, straight silver hair. A few locks slip over the cleanly cut bases of his thick, black horns and drape down upon his pointed dark gray ears. A suggestive smile grows upon Tassilda's lips as her eyes trace the shape his high cheek bones and square jaw. Finally below silver eyebrows upon a dark gray, evenly toned skin, she focuses her gaze into Daedrican's eyes. His golden pupil and white sclera eyes.

Her expression blanks abruptly as her mind processes the shocking deviation of her expectations. Daedrican curiously perks his eyebrow and tilts his head slightly to the side, allowing a few silver strands to shift upon his muscular chest. "Anything wrong, my lady?"

Tassilda's posture stiffens and she directs her empty stare forward at the encampment rigidly. After a few seconds, her mind remembers to respond to Daedrican with a deadpan cadence. "Um. No. Nothing is wrong. I just realized I'm quite famished."

Daedrican nods and points over to a specific table with large pans of sliced meat and cooked vegetables. "If I may suggest, the venison the scouting team hunted a few days ago is delicious."

Tassilda nods slowly as a mix of emotions wander through her psyche. Despite brief twitches and a trend to grimace, she maintains her neutral composure. "That sounds lovely right now."

She slides awkwardly down off the wooden fence rail and walks uncomfortably to the festivities. "If you'll pardon me. I'd like to partake in the food... and... see what the rest of the my party is doing. Um... Goodnight."

As Tassilda continues to meander towards the center of the encampment, Daedrican crosses his arms, cocks his head, and puzzles to himself. "Good night, my lady."

Tassilda pauses a moment at Daedrican's response and awkwardly resumes her egress. Daedrican smirks with amusement and mutters to himself intrigued. "Interesting."

Heavy mats cover the entire surface of the dining table. Cideeda carefully probes her claw tips through boxes of spare electronic parts and inspects the splayed out components of her laser pistols upon a blue rubber pad. She grumbles in frustrated fvalian and picks tiny pieces off a controller board into a nearby garbage can. Dretphi removes the barrel out of her sub machine gun, shines a flashlight down the bore, and inspects its condition. Her steely gray eyes narrow in annoyance and she groans a few choice words in grath. She places the separated barrel down on a heavy cloth pad and reaches a hand into a metal case filled with mechanical parts. With a wince, she pauses a moment, adjusts the cold pack wrapped around her shoulder, and gently flexes the joint.

Bach steps through the hallway archway into the median between the dining and living areas of the large room. After a long yawn, he shifts his focus over to the dining table with Cideeda and Dretphi sitting opposite to each other. He notices familiar weapons in pieces upon the table, approaches curiously, and presents a confident tone. "Well, so how did everything hold out?"

Cideeda lifts her head up, meets Dretphi's glance across the table, and smirks out of view of Bach. She sneaks a wink and Dretphi lifts an amused brow. Both Cideeda and Dretphi slowly turn their heads in unison, sternly stare at Bach, and remain silent. A shallow wave of nervous anxiety washes over Bach. He examines their expressions carefully and verbally stumbles about the situation. "Uh... Okay... So, I guess there were problems... Correct?"

Maintaining a serious tone, Cideeda picks up an electronically encased crystalline tube and holds it over to Bach. "You could say that."

Bach sits down at the end of the table next to Dretphi and Cideeda. He takes the component from Cideeda, and carefully inspects the device. He rolls the tube in his hands, and inspects a number of blackened spots in the crystal, melted power contacts, and discolorations on electronic board. He grits his teeth and hints of embarrassment trickle in his voice. "Oh. Yeah. That doesn't look good at all."

Dretphi offers the barrel section from her sub machine gun. Bach gives Cideeda back the crystalline part, grabs the metal part from Dretphi, and examines it. After a few seconds of searching the exterior for issues, he eyes down the bore and puzzles at the interior. He thinks about the physics of the device and searches his mind for the exact summation of his suspicions. "This looks too smooth. Shouldn't there be-"

Dretphi stares coldly. "Rifling."

Bach nods slowly and returns the piece to Dretphi. He bites his lip, sighs, and lowers his head a bit ashamed. "Ah shit. Sorry about that. It was an emergency situation and-"

He feels a familiar five claw points gently squeeze on his arm and Cideeda meet his gaze with a toothy grin. "Oh, don't worry. We're just fucking with you. You have nothing to apologize for."

Dretphi lightly pats Bach's shoulder and warmly smiles at him. "No complaints."

She momentarily averts her eyes with a hint of color in her cheeks. "It was exhilarating to fire."

Bach relaxes and snorts out laugh, shaking his head. "Damn. You had me going. But, it still looks like those parts are done for."

Cideeda nods quickly with a shrug of the shoulders. "Oh yeah. That laser tube is no better than a laser pointer at this rate. But, it's not the first time I've changed out a laser tube."

She rolls her eyes at herself and grumbles. "And well, it won't be the last.  But, this was the best use of a tube I've ever had."

Dretphi flips open the lid to a wooden, rectangular box and removes a fresh barrel in a cloth wrap. She unrolls the fabric, examines the replacement part, and smiles to Bach. "Ammunition for this gun is potent. Not gentle to barrels. They need to be changed. Periodically."

She glances down at the old barrel, quirks her brow, and twists the corner of her mouth. "Happened early on this barrel."

Shrugging her acceptance, she glances over to Bach and smiles. "A worthy sacrifice.  Thank you for your help."

Bach drums his fingers on the table top in thought and puzzles over the non-functional parts. "Well, back to drawing board on those enchantments. I'll try to figure out something a little less destructive on the equipment."

Cideeda nods in agreement while she locks replacement components into her laser pistols. Her emerald green eyes gaze prospectively to Bach and a sly smirk graces her face. "Definitely work on those enchantments... But... I actually have something I'd like to look into more with your help, if you can."

Lifting his head up from closely watching Cideeda and Dretphi's projects on the table, he glances inquisitively to Cideeda. "Um, sure. What would that be?"

Cideeda grins toothily as her long tail brushes purposely along the top edges of a box filled with old tools, raw materials, and crystal infused metal and stone mechanical parts.

Sotalia searches through the laundry hamper on her bed with one hand and keeps the aetherphone on her ear with the another. She picks up a shirt, inspects it briefly, and tosses it into a pile of others. Pausing a moment as her focus shifts to the person on the other side of the conversation, she smiles and sighs her relief. "The trip went okay. We got some really good information we're sorting through right now. Aristespha is going to call up her contacts at the Grand Library and see what they can provide."

She waits a moment, listens to the response, and squirms uncomfortably a bit. "Well, it got a... little... hectic and crazy. But nothing we couldn't handle, of course."

Sorting through the contents of the clothes basket, she flips out a few undergarments into respective spots upon the bed and puzzles a moment. "Huh? Oh, yes."

A gentle smile warms upon her face and she nods slowly as she stares inside herself a moment. "He really came through for everyone... and me."

After few seconds of silence, Sotalia's golden eyes flit wide and surprise reddens her face. "Mother! Really?! Gods, you know how I don't like to have conversations about THAT part of my life with you!"

Twinges of irritation distort Sotalia's demeanor and she grits her teeth as she rolls her shoulders. "That was different! It was just the two of us years ago. And, it was just a really nice fling that ended with us still being great friends today... Mother? Can we NOT have this conversation right now?"

She exhales apologetically and resumes a smile with calm tone. "I'm sorry. I love you. It just been quite the week. And gods, it's only Wednesday."

A laugh escapes her mouth and she rolls her eyes in amusement. "OH! You've got to send me pictures and videos of that. That reminds me, if you talk to Maelvia and Talelia before I do, let them know I'm about to send another care package for the little ones."

Sotalia grins and stands proudly with a chuckle. "Oh, you know Aunt Sotalia is not going to let them go without."

With a few nods, she shrugs nonchalantly and rolls her eyes with a smirk. "If father is in the shop, he can call me later. Otherwise, he'll be absolutely distracted the five to ten minutes he manages to stay on the call. There's no use expecting a meaningful conversation from him when he's got a project waiting for him in the shop."

She lifts up the laundry hamper, dumps out a few pairs of yoga pants on to bed, and dons a happy smile when she glances at the aetherphone upon her ear. "I love you, too. ... I'll take care, I promise. ... Bye."

The phone displays the end of call screen and flicks back to the main desktop. Sotalia slides the device into the side pocket of her shorts and surveys the assortment of clothing upon her bedspread. Her gaze mulls over a starting point. She side steps, and picks up her belt of pouches near the head of the bed. Flipping open each pouch after another, she inspects the contents and snaps the flap back shut. She halts as her eyes narrow to the dim illumination radiating out of a particular pouch. Pinching onto an object inside, she removes a small, blue tinted crystal with a faint glow. She ponders the artifact, searches her recent memory, and a spark of recognition lights up her face. Her attentions fall upon the small crystal as she places her belt of pouches back down. Glancing around her room and cautiously eyeing the doorway, she kneels down next to her bed and reaches a free hand underneath.

With a bit of effort, she slides out a finely crafted wooden box, gestures a quick incantation, and lifts the lid open as a faint wave of magical miasma dissipates from the exterior. Inside the normal container, trinkets, baubles, and knickknacks of questionable magic potency fill the interior. A golden disc, a jar of golden fragments, a translucent green plate, a coil of magical cable, a stabilized energy spoon, a practice wand, and a neatly folded mesh of blue and green magical fibers contrast the other contents of the chest. Sotalia opens a pouch on her belt, retrieves a cleaning clothing, and wraps the dimly glowing crystal inside. She places the bundle inside the box and admires the collection.

Her curiosity guides her attention towards the magical cable and she inspects the length in her hands. She loses herself in examining it closely, pulling it as hard as she can, and observing the fluctuations in the stabilized flows. Her mind ponders and contemplates the properties. As her investigations subside, her interest wanders over to the folded mesh.

She lifts and unfolds the blue and green weave of fibers into a rough garment that matches her figure very closely. After comparing the diameters of the pair of cut magical cables at the shoulders, she rotates the magical mesh, and holds it next to and over her body. A sensually amused smirk creeps from the corner of her mouth. Part of her mind abruptly reminds her of surroundings with a hard blink, and she quickly glances around her room with a hint of pink in her cheeks. Folding the magical mesh neatly back into the chest, she closes the lid, casts a quick spell, and slides the container back under the bed. With an awkward smile, she stands back up and resumes sorting her laundry.

Trakenthin's tall, muscular frame walks pass the border of the forest clearing and into the middle of a small circle of tents. He kneels down, unloads the bundle of firewood out of his arms, and starts arranging the small logs within a rough fire pit. Towards the edge of the site, Samantha stands next to Gerald and waves her hand across the area. "Okay, I want you to get a good shot of the camp setup and then see if you can get a few bits of what everyone else is doing."

Gerald resettles the camera on his shoulder and nods as she adjusts the lenses. "Sounds good to me. It's been pretty uneventful after that last bandit encounter."

Samantha examines the ongoing call information on her phone, shrugs her shoulders, and snorts mildly disappointed. "I know. Still, we could use some filler footage between the main segments. But, I really do hope good things are coming... Any good news, Howie?"

A voice sounds out from the aetherphone speaker and Howie ponders out loud with plotting cadence. "Yes... Actually. I have a few options for interesting missions for our adventurers to go on. I'll send over the quest descriptions. And, I'd like to get some input from the crews on those."

A sly smiles widens on Samantha mouth and a happy tinge lightens her tone. "Oh, I can't wait. I think the crews wouldn't mind a little bit of action. Or, at least something entertaining to film."

Gerald groans with a long roll of his eyes and shakes his head. "Well, let's not get too crazy here. I think there's some beauty to simple and boring. I'd also prefer anything I can record from a distance. I do have telephoto lenses for a reason."

Howard chuckles, dripping with dry amusement. "Oh, why Gerald! I've always thought your best work came from some of your most daring moments."

Gritting his teeth with an upper lip sneer, Gerald loudly grumbles and aims his camera towards Tassilda and Veevi. "Just because it DOES, doesn't mean it SHOULD."

A sigh of faux disappointment resonates from Samantha's aetherphone and Howard's relays his understanding. "Very true. That's why I want everyone to review the possible missions and figure out what you all are up for recording. Regardless, I think we can spin anything from those for an episode or two. I'm certain all of you will find those perfect moments for me."

Samantha's eyes flash with a sinister glint and a dark giggle slips from her. "Oh, you know us too well, Howie."

Howard hums to himself and the sounds of paperwork and keyboard clacks echo from the other side of the teleconference. "Oh, I do. One more thing before I go... I might have a surprise for Trakenthin. Well, once my inside sources confirm all the difficult little details. It's proven a bit hard due to certain complexities of houses."

Both Samantha and Gerald gaze at the aetherphone and exchange curious glances.

In an open area next to the camp site, Tassilda groans loudly while crossing her arms, and berates Veevi in a harsh lecture. "You CAN'T cast that spell yet! How do you expect to summon up destructive energies without knowing the basics of proper insulation and protective spell elements?!"

Veevi tosses back her pink hair defiantly, grips her hips to an obstinate pose, and petulantly pouts. "You keep making this whole magic thing hard! Practice this, practice that! And there's NOTHING that's related to the FUN spells!"

Tassilda narrows her eyes at Veevi, sneers her upper lip, and commands. "Once you can demonstrate a basic flow barrier, you will be taught a safe practice spell befitting of your ability. Until then, you practice what I've shown you!"

Veevi grits her teeth to reveal her pointy canines, holds hands out close together, and curls her sharp nailed fingers around a center point. "Once I demonstrate MY ability, huh?! Let me show you what I can do!"

Tassilda hoists a dismissive brow, and scrutinizes the faint thread thin flows of energy streaming down Veevi's arms and condensing in between her hands. Her eyes flit wide and she raises a finger at Veevi with an assertive, demanding tone. "STOP. RIGHT. NOW! You are going to hurt yourself trying to cast something like that!"

A rebellious grin spreads on Veevi's face and she strains to flow more into the red-orange centimeter wide sphere of energy in between her palms. When Tassilda steps forward and starts to reach her hands out, the miniature ball shakes and quivers. A brilliant flash of orange illuminates the area when a bubble of fire billows out from the space between Veevi's hands and dissipates quickly into the air. Tassilda stops in place and awaits Veevi's reaction with obvious concern. Trakenthin snaps his head up from building the camp fire and searches for the source of the sudden light. Chad stirs in his Flames of the Phoenix branded tent and mutters loudly. "The fuck was that?!"

Veevi remains still and only manages to blinks her pink eyes. She slowly lowers her stare at her hands and carefully rotates her palms into view. Studying the reddening skin, she becomes acutely aware of her fresh, painful experience. "... ... Ow ow owowow!!"

Vigorously animated, she cringes, squirms, whines, and tears up. Her puffed out tail flails in a clueless panic. Tassilda attempts to seize Veevi in place, but only manages to direct Veevi towards Chad as he emerges from his tent. Chad snaps a glance to the frantic Veevi and aims an accusatory glare at Tassilda. "What the hell happened?!"

Tassilda turns her nose up, firmly places her hands at her hips, and growls back. "You should ask HER what she did to HERSELF!"

Chad groans in frustration, pinches the bridge of his nose, and sighs out his irritation. "Gods dammit. Not now. First things first..."

He searches the immediate vicinity, quickly pulls his aetherphone out, and taps in a few commands as it keys up the radio. "Deedri?"

Veevi freezes mid panic and her posture stiffens. Deedri's voice crackles over the phone. "Yes! What happened? I think I heard Veevi crying?"

Chad rolls his eyes and nods. "Yes. That was her. Something happen when she was practicing magic. Could you come over, please? I think she burned her hands."

Deedri replies immediately. "I'm on my way! I'm not far!"

Worry infiltrates Veevi's expression and she dons a teeth gritting grin. "U-u-u-uh, I'll be okay. I just need to wrap them up for a little while. I'll be fine... Really!"

Puzzling at the sudden attitude change, Chad places a hand upon Veevi's shoulder and leads her towards to an unfolded camping chair. "Deedri will be the judge of that. Just sit for now, and calm down."

Deedri rushes out from forest brush and scans the area. Trakenthin catches her glance and immediately points out Veevi in the chair. In a single fluid motion, Deedri tosses off her apron filled with freshly picked herbs, snatches up the large first aid kit next to her tent, and dashes over to Chad, Tassilda, and Veevi. With calm, neutral demeanor, Deedri stares directly at Veevi and her eyes systematically analyze her condition. Her full attention locks onto Veevi's hands and her auburn eyes illuminate. "Mild first degree burns from a magical source. From between the hands, I guess. Okay."

Deedri kneels down in front of Veevi, opens up the first aid kit, and begins the treatment. Chad pats Veevi's shoulder and looks down to Deedri appreciatively. "Thank you, Deedri."

As Deedri grants nod and resumes her task, Chad motions Tassilda over and away, towards the black sports utility vehicle nearby. Midway through the walk, he glances over with an annoyed sigh. "Okay. What exactly happened?"

Veevi remains still, cooperative, and quiet while Deedri treats her. She averts her eyes away and suppresses her flinches. Deedri cleans the burns, applies an ointment, and casts a spell. For each of Veevi's hands, she places hers around and flows of magical energy radiate into the wounds. Veevi's discomfort from pain gradually subsides and she no longer winces with every motion of her fingers. Minutes later, Deedri finishes wrapping up Veevi's hands with a thin protective bandage. "You were lucky. The application should keep the swelling down, help heal any damaged tissue, and keep the pain dulled. I'll need to do another treatment to help facilitate healing, but that will be before you go to bed tonight."

Veevi respectfully nods and meekly replies. "Yes, I understand. Um, thank you. And... Uh..."

Deedri pauses a moment and inquisitively stares at Veevi. After a few failed attempts to start the sentence, Veevi quietly apologizes with authentic, sincere tone. "I just wanted to say... I'm really sorry for how I... treated you before."

Deedri's expression blanks and she blinks bewildered. She regains her composure and assembles enough of her thoughts to respond. "Well, I will accept your apology. But, I'd suggest you treat people with a bit more respect in the future."

Veevi's pink eyes look to her thoughts. Moments of introspection play blatantly out upon her face and eventually she nods with a genuine smile to Deedri. As Deedri stands back up, Veevi hops back up, bows respectfully to Deedri, and walks over to Chad and Tassilda. As she steps closer to the discussion between the two, she dons a smug smirk, presents her typical prideful demeanor, and assumes an assertive posture. She quickly slips next to Chad and sparks the debate into an argument.

Deedri stares in utter confusion and slowly scans around the area. She halts her gaze upon Modoran leaning against a tree close by. She cocks her head to the side, droops her furry ears, contorts her perplexed face at him. "Did you... see that?"

Modoran nods slowly, shrugs his shoulders with his hands out to the side, and grimaces uncertainly. "Yes. And, gods, I wish I knew what to make of it."

Deedri sighs, shakes her head, and kneels down to reassemble her kit. Modoran steps on over, squats down next to her, and attempts to assist. Trakenthin rolls his eyes away from the fresh squabble and focuses upon lighting a camp fire.

Dim evening light sneaks through the closed window blinds of a nicely decorated inn room. Finely crafted wooden details encompass the lodging with well made bed, table, chairs, and other furniture. Isaac sorts through a number of drying pictures on folded towels upon the bed. He examines one photograph of himself and closely inspects the prismatic aura with intermixed streaks of white threading through. He scans over another collection of images. Pausing to focus upon each photograph, he studies weathered golem parts in a courtyard, heavy manufacturing equipment in a large dark area, debris surrounding a ransacked building, the massive central platform structure over a deep pit, and colorful speckles of twilight covering a tall cavern ceiling. Faint, hazy hues of color cloud around objects in the pictures but barely stand out from the rest of the scenery.

Isaac lifts up his picture, holds it next to another row of photographs, and analyzes them attentively. Examining individual, distantly magnified pictures of Aristespha, Dretphi, and Sotalia, he pauses thoughtfully and focuses upon Cideeda's image. He moves Cideeda's photo above Sotalia's and closely studies the similar prismatic auras evident along with Aristespha and Dretphi. "Fascinating... That makes sense now... But, before she never..."

He glances to an image of Sebastian and his muted aura, and stares at the picture of Bach with a prismatic aura indiscernible from the others. Isaac tilts his head to the side, puzzles out dissatisfaction, and grumbles to himself. He taps upon a photograph of the dire wolf golem and traces his finger along the green aura with specks white. A series of electronic chirps chime out from a wristwatch on the table and he turns around to turn off the alarm. Upon the table top, a dark red, translucent field boxes in a series of trays, alchemical containers, magically enhanced photography equipment, and rolls of film. Isaac reaches his hand into the magical area, grasps a pair of tongs, and fishes out a blank piece of slick paper from the first tray of fluid. With great care, he lowers the sheet into a middle tub and settles the material into an alchemical bath. As he carefully watches the sheet soak in the solution, a knock sounds out from the door and a man's voice amicably calls from the other side. "Hope I'm not bothering you Mr. Huxley, but dinner is about ready. The wife cooked something special for all us tonight. She's bribing you for more of your stories."

Isaac startles momentarily, regains a happy demanor, and raises his delighted tone. "Oh, I will most certainly be down in a few more minutes, Goff. I just need to finish up with the last part of a research task."

From the door Goff chuckles. "Understand. The wife was curious if there's any photos you could show us. I told her I'd ask you, Mr. Huxley. But, I know academic research is serious business, so I understand if you can't."

Thinking a moment, Isaac surveys the photographs out on the bed, sets aside the images of scenery, and glances over to an unsealed, addressed envelope. He smiles kindly and directs his voice towards the door. "I mostly certainly have a number I can share. And, would love to take a few photographs while I'm here, too."

An appreciative laugh sounds out from Goff. "Not a problem. A little advertising wouldn't hurt, even if it's just academic. Thank you, Mr. Huxley."

Isaac rolls his eyes with an amused smirk and shakes his head. "You may call me Isaac, Goff. Do not let the white hair fool you, I'm not THAT old."

Goff's humored tone grows audibly distant as he responds. "Sound good, Isaac. Come on down when you are ready."

As Goff's footsteps disappear into the background din of the inn, Isaac smiles and chuckles quietly to himself. He turns his attention towards the middle tray and his gray eyes spring wide open. He squints through the dark red magical field and futilely searches out the details of the developing picture. His impatience manifests into eager fidgets. He grasps the tongs, hovers the tool in wait above the alchemical bath, and eyes the digits of the countdown running on the wristwatch. After muttering a tense count, he lifts up the image covered sheet, transfers it over to the final tray, and settles it into the mix. Quickly gesturing out an incantation, Isaac holds his hand over the solution and releases flows of energy into the bath. The paper briefly glows, the fluid bubbles faintly, and the picture stops changing.

Isaac resets the wristwatch and focuses his full attention to the new image of Bach flying upwards with an unconscious Sotalia in his arms. His eyes search through the discoloring haze of the dark red magical field and he grits his teeth in anxious anticipation. The minutes creep slowly by and Isaac tightly grips the table top in between impatient taps of his feet and glances to the counting down digits of the wristwatch. A chime rings out, the tongs gently lift up the picture, and Isaac quickly summons a flow of magic. With a quick motion, he swipes his energized hand over the paper, repels the solution back into the tray, and removes the excess liquid off the sheet. Without sparing another moment, Isaac retrieves his picture from the bed, removes the fresh photograph from the dark red containment field, and grins expectantly as he compares the two.

His expression blanks. His eyes widen. His jaw drops. He blinks in sheer bewilderment and tilts his head in astonishment. Putting both pictures into the grip of one hand, he traces a finger along Bach's aura. The image of Isaac showcases a prismatic aura with threads of white weaving into the flows. The photograph of Bach and Sotalia shows a typical prismatic aura around Sotalia. But, the picture also reveals the faint prismatic outer shell of Bach's aura and the bright pure white the inner aura radiating out from him. Isaac remains speechless and wanders over to a seat on a nearby chair. He squints as his mind attempts to piece together an understanding. Eventually, he recollects his composure, draws a deep breath in, and sighs out his expectations.

As he stares at the photo of Bach, he calms down and musters up a mood swirling with wonder, confusion, and eagerness. "How?"

Timeline

March 3017

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May 3017

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