"You!"

There was no need to send word to Troy. Instead the tangled mess of a man who had been struggling to hold his own in the diplomatic proceedings saw the young faun in the white shift as she sped towards the library, away from the demon incursion. Briefly, her eyes flickered to him, but three weeks of fighting for survival and depending on naught but herself for a scholar who was magically inclined to mature and learn had had an effect. Barely did she let her anger rise this time, and instead just gave him a glare before she came to the library doors.

Troy stopped, confused, but also appalled, and it took him some moments before he decided in his panic to follow the girl, accusations on his lips. He floundered, gaped and watched other preoccupied people run to and fro before he battered through the double wooden doors himself.

"Now, young lady, just what have you been-"

"Spare me the lecture, old man," Celandine said sharply, already walking swiftly down an aisle of books. The library interior was full of them; rows upon rows of shelves that stretched to the ceiling bearing an entire country's abundance of history, culture and inventions. She paused before taking a sharp turn down another aisle, out of sight, and Troy groaned. He had gotten lost in here before, so akin was it to a labyrinth.

"You disappeared!" He tried, "abandoned us all here, not to say your mission. I knew you were not mature enough! You should have let me at the start-"

"Troy," she sighed, and it was her voice he had to follow this time as another sharp corner took her away from him. He growled and marched faster.

"What would your mother say, hmm? You've disappointed her, and I must say I respect her, but you-"

"You really are pathetic you know," Celandine came back with a note of irritation.

Then her voice seemed to stop. Troy passed a large brown section on 'treatises of the Jagged Mountains' before he came to find her present and settled. She had finished her apparent journey at a small brazier, one of many set into the dark wood of the maze-like structure. Beside the brazier was a pile of books, carefully stacked aside from the top couple which lay askew, and a crate with a cushion atop. Carefully Celandine set aside the cushion and set down her bag to begin rummaging through it. Troy watched - aghast, furious, fuming - as she tugged out the dark woollen clothes that still stank of waste and set them on the crate to dry.

Looking up at him she had a stoney face set with determination. "I've been away saving our sailors and finding a way out of here. I spent a couple of days in the library - here actually," she gestured to the makeshift reading corner, "I found key information regarding old routes in and out of this place, old tunnels and demons. Then I set out and saved those sailors we left in the village. Now-"

"What sailors?" Troy looked confused. "Village?"

"You're an awful leader," she rolled her eyes as she began to shift through the books, her eyes scanning the titles and authors. "When we first came to Alerar, Troy, the sailors and soldiers that brought us here, who were injured after the ship crash that you basically caused." She paused at one book and flipped open the cover. Those grey eyes sparkled with life and excitement before she continued. "Remember - we went through a remote village and I arranged for the injured to remain there and be a guard for any inconvenience, demons or otherwise. Anyway," she looked up at him as she closed the book and brought it to her chest. "I went back to that village, and saved their arses. What was left of their arses anyway. Now," she gestured back the way they had come. "Can you go back to the door and tell Umbra and whomever he brings with him that -"

"You don't order me around, little brat," Troy immaturely said, although he looked more awkward than that. He shifted his pace. Studying him up and down with pursed lips Celandine thought a moment and then grunted before setting off herself, still hugging the same book. "Come."

Marching forward she moved past him, leaving the fire burning and her clothes drying. She seemed full of determination, which was no surprise seeing what she had been through. Troy, however, still seemed in some doubt of her skills and thus it was he paused and let her get away from him before he realised he would end up lost again. And miss out on whatever important meeting was to happen now.

By the time they made it back to the library doors again they were flung wide open. Standing, gazing with those bright eyes and perfectly carved face was the handsome dark elf (also known as a drow, literature told) that had saved Celandine's life before.

Dumbfounded, caught off guard, she stopped, eyes widening as she felt a strong twinge in her chest. His short, cropped hair was dyed a rich crimson which matched the blood slowly dripping down from a small cut on his temple.

"Uh … hi," the much tinier girl said with surprise, having not expected to see him here.

But the curious pause was halted, for the warrior quickly stepped back, standing to attention as his commander - with the white dreadlocks and proud demeanor - and Umbra came in, each of them looking exhausted and the drow relieved.

"Hi!" Celandine said with a bit more enthusiasm this time, shaking herself. She smiled up to the Mercenary and this true mighty General who held his own easily. Behind her, puffing, Troy caught up with them.

"Greetings!" he said with some discipline he managed to cobble together.

"Hi," Celandine ignored him mostly. She kept her gaze firmly on Umbra and Raimneth, not wanting to be distracted by the other soldier. It was odd - she had never felt this way before about anyone, or their appearance.

Hold yourself together! she hissed to herself.

"Right, hi. Yes. I am Celandine, you must be the commander Raimneth," quickly she bowed. "We briefly met I think when we first came to Sanctuary. And then shortly after I disappeared. I can see the awkwardness there. But I had a reason."

Umbra quietly prompted her. "The demon general is dead. The warriors fled, as you said."

"Good, good. Yes - uh, yes, so - I have spent the last three weeks really finding a way in and out of this place that they do not know of. The demons I mean," she enthusiastically smiled. "And I happened to be able to learn more about the demons and their factions more. There isn't really one commander - it looks like actually they aren't as organised as an army. It's as if all are taking opportunity to flood your country with chaos, seeking what power and territory they can grab."

Flustered with her high energy levels, still stuck in the exhaustion of the short but meaningful battle the drow commander stared at her a moment before he nodded slowly, taking in her words.

"This would … fit with what we know of the demons. Yes."

"Yes, hence why they ran away so quickly." She let out a breath herself, seeming to need a solemn break. It was then she seemed to remember the book hugged to her chest. Glancing down at it she saw a small amount of stray waste material caught in the narrow folds of its binding.

"Apologies for my smell," she said quickly, letting herself breathe for a moment. "But I came through the sewer pipes. It is the only way in and out of this Sanctuary that none would usually think of and it leads directly into …" she coughed and straightened herself, glancing quickly back at Troy who was unexpectedly silent.

"The old mines," she grinned. "Did you know there is an entire labyrinth of ancient mines beneath the north and west of your land commander? Left over from an ancient race of dwarves who used to dominate these lands. Of course I'm talking about hundreds, thousands of years ago!" She addressed Raimneth. His eyes seemed to glow as he shook his head, taken aback.

"Well, the mines and natural geology. But routes nevertheless. Some that are hidden and caved in and flooded. There's clear sign of why the dwarves abandoned them, and there's loads of history there. So interesting. Forgotten about, in fact I think I discovered some fungi that -"

"Celandine," Umbra prompted her.

"Yes, sorry." Again, she steadied herself, let out a breath, then breathed in, chest rising and falling. "Sorry. Um well, basically I found a route. It's difficult but it's possible. I got to the village where we left the soldiers." She looked to Umbra, expecting them at least to remember them. The metallic helmet nodded. She ignored Troy in this. "Well they had been attacked a couple of times but they were not completely gone, thanks to one of their villagers being a master of stealth, so they had been hiding in cellars and basements cleverly concealed. Anyway," she paused, tapping the book with a finger. "Not this book, but another led me to know about the mines and tunnels. With the help of those who remained we forged a way to the shore and - well. There is a clear route to the western shore, more or less."

Beaming, proud of herself and her abilities she looked to each one of them. "So … we can escape. We can get your people out! We can -"

"No," Raimneth quietly said. He shook his head a little, pausing for thought.

Confused, both Celandine and the handsome drow looked at him. The brows of the soldier lowered. "Sir, but -"

"You said they went north as well, miss?" The commander asked. "The tunnels?"

"Yes," Celandine nodded. "So say the books but it's the path to the shore that is clear and we -"

Turning to Umbra, Raimneth fixed his eyes on the visor. "The dwarves of the Jagged Mountains are moving in the north."

There was a pause. Celandine was taken aback, frowning as her plan was tossed aside seemingly. She brought the book in her hands back to her chest, hiding its contents for now.

"You want us to go to them and tell them to stay away of course," Troy butted in. "Correct, they have no place here. You are a strong people who need no help." Bowing, he saluted badly to Raimneth. "I will go. I can succeed better than -"

"I take Celandine," Umbra grunted. "We'll find a route north to the dwarves and they will help to fight. You need reinforcements."

The commander dark elf was completely taken aback. Eyes narrowed he looked between the two men, disregarding the young faun who had brought such promising news for a moment, being given two vastly different options that were offered before he had spoken. Quietly, he growled a little, not especially liking all this change in pace and the emotional complications. After all, he had been prepared to die today, as had all his comrades.

"Sir," said the warrior from the door quietly. "If I may."

"Captain Vanimar," Raimneth nodded to him, allowing him to speak.

"If you allow it, I will go with the young girl and this noble knight," he nodded to Celandine and Umbra. A shiver ran down Celandine's spine as she remembered that 'noble' was what she had also called the mysterious mercenary. "We will go north, as suggested and try to find the camp of the dwarves. We will neither deter nor command them, but see what their wills are. If they do not come in peace to our country then …"

Raimneth cocked his head to the man, and then slowly smiled. "You speak with the interests of our kind, Vanimar. Indeed, go with them. You are lithe and strong and can aid. If all comes to failure and Sanctuary is taken over we will have a path through to the north so that I and the rest of the men might return to the Jagged Mountains. Then …" he nodded. "Seek their purpose. That is your responsibility and your mission."

He turned to Celandine. "Yours is to guide my warrior and use your skills already proven, young maiden, to get my man there. And I believe your friend here can go as he wills."

Troy grunted. "Yes, of course I can. I will -"

"I meant Umbra," Raimneth quickly frowned and looked to Troy. "You have work to do here, do you not? If there are potentially alliances to be made will you not be needed as a diplomat? And though the dwarves have gone there still are other delegates here."

Troy paused. He looked completely disheartened but the scholar couldn't find a way to hide her grin.

"Yes. If there's any of the dwarves we parlayed with before you'll need to inform them of all this." She gestured to him and out of the door. "Off you go, Diplomat Troy."

There was an awful, awkward pause. All eyes were on him. Troy anxiously moved from right to left foot, his face flushing. Celandine didn't know how Umbra felt from the fact their face was out of view, but she hoped … and suspected …

"Hmm?" Vanimar was the one to prompt it.

Held back sniggers. Mutters. It seemed the faun was not the only one who disfavoured the civil servant. Troy bowed his head to the one individual who truly held the ability to command in that room, the one he had already saluted to. With a growl he turned and without a further word he strode from the library.