The Garnet Answer

[Empyrean]

Closed.

((I will be putting Showstopper's posts from this quest in between my own posts, but I've distinguished which posts are his.))


(The following post was written by Showstopper)



Lights were hazy and Corin didn’t get much of a look at the man behind the porcelain mask. Still he kneeled before the man on his throne, saying nothing as he felt overwhelmed by the complete and utter power of the man who sat between the two flickering torches with a sinister smile beneath the mask.

“You have come here for one reason and one reason alone, Corin Rivfader,” the Enarlin mage said. “Just like you learned on that ship, your lesson was that there should be nothing that stops you from getting the power you seek.”

The hybrid nodded, licking his lips eagerly. “I am here to obey your command, master,” he said candidly, far too impressed by the majesty of the elf before him to say anything else.

“Good,” the Enarlin mage replied from behind his porcelain mask, getting up for a moment as he stepped towards his new pupil. “You will learn well as an apprentice for now, and then join the ranks of us mages when the time is right.”

Corin tried not to gulp at that, for he knew of rumors of sinister deeds by the Enarlin mages. Still, the hybrid had few options at this point, there was an untapped power of darkness that he had ignored for far too long; with incredibly grievous consequences. “I am here to do as you say, and as you say alone,” he replied, knowing exactly what he was promising as he said it. This wasn’t the first Enarlin mage he had met, having before learned basic tricks of shadowmancy at the hands of a bladesinger who secretly was a member of this dark order.

“Nyalmë was correct about you,” came the reply from the old master beneath the mask. He reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of parchment, on which was a map with three glowing points. “You must take that and find the three garnets marked on there… years ago creatures of great power had been sealed within them. Today, I am going to harness their power.”

Corin didn’t smile, despite how pleased he was. Even as an apprentice, before he had even been taught a single spell, he had been promised tangible power. Getting up from his kneeling position, Corin bowed his head and uttered his acceptance of the mission. “I will not fail,” he swore.

-x-

An hour later, Corin Rivfader stood on the bough of a ship leaving Anebrilith port, a litany of thoughts running through his mind. The garnets he was to fetch were supposed to have power, and the hybrid wondered if it was really in his interest to ever return with them. The Enarlin mages could teach him a vast number of spells, but even then, Corin was beginning to grow confident that he could seize the power he coveted so badly just on his own.

Perhaps he wouldn’t return to Lindequalmë with the gems, but instead keep them for himself. After all, it was he who was going to fetch them, so why would anyone else be entitled to a share of the profit? Either way, Corin Rivfader was to get those gems, and there would be no law or swordsman that would find a way to block his path.

[Empyrean]

Fourth level, second shift of the Empyrean Table….amazing.

She would never display the fact to the public, but Sanoë was thrilled with herself. She had been a visitor to Althanas for less than a day, and already she had found a new addition to her assortment of gemstones, small as it was. The discovery was a small garnet, about two-thirds the size of her palm, which was a good size nonetheless for a rare find.

For that was exactly what garnet was to a jeweler. Garnet came in an array of different colors, the most common ones being red and violet hues, and the rarest being those that changed from those hues to blue. But it was even more rare to a jeweler who applied magic to her wares. Garnet, when activated, provided a defensive magic barrier to the user.

As if that exhilarating fact wasn’t enough, the gemstone had been relatively easy to find. Sanoë had felt a tremor in the air, something that usually signaled the presence of an especially powerful stone in the area. She had set aside her opal bracelets in the middle of cleaning them in order to find out what this tremor was. After a long walk and quite a few frustrating minutes trying to detect the vibration, Sanoë had successfully extracted the stone from a large chunk of rock, but surprisingly enough, not with too much difficulty. The garnet was even polished, and rounded to the point that it could have been set in a piece of jewelry and no one would even know that it was still raw—that is, not yet completely carved into a traditional jewel form. That was pure luck, right there.

In her excitement, Sanoë hadn’t thought to find out if someone had placed the gemstone there for a reason, something that was very out of character for her. She was practical enough to know that a semi-polished stone was been in someone else’s hands at one point. But such an extraordinary stoke of luck shouldn’t be dulled by worry. Worry was troublesome, especially in new surroundings.

Thus far, Sanoë Teriades’ entrance into Althanas was a good one. The voyage from her hometown to the peninsula called Alian’s Thumb was satisfactory, the food passable, and she hadn’t vomited from seasickness, which would give anyone as prone to motion sickness as she a reason to celebrate. She’d even chanced a visit up on deck to observe what she could see of the mainland when the ship was close to arrival.

The day was overcast, leaving a gray blanket over both the water and the land, but that couldn’t have been the reason Alian’s Thumb looked so unimpressive. While speaking to the captain about the region’s background, he told her gravely and covertly of how most of Antioch, the mainland to which Alian’s Thumb was attached, had been almost completely corrupted by a man by the name of Morian, and how the Thumb was a refuge.

Looking at it again, the town seemed very small, both in capacity and in spirits. The faces and atmosphere were downcast when Sanoë departed the ship. Rather disconcerted by the gloomy prospect of staying there, she decided that when she was done with the town, she would go to Lavinya, where she knew many traders bought gemstones and brought them back to her city. Even it was just as dim as Alian’s Thumb, at least there would be work for her there, and her brother Eliot may have stopped there himself, if he was anything like Sanoë. And he was definitely of the same mind as his sister. Hopefully, that would make it easier to find him.

For now, Sanoë contented herself with examining the garnet with a concealed pleasure, tinkering with her tools as she looked for a way to extract its magic. She had set herself up in an uninhabited, somewhat secluded little area of grass near the port. It offered a bit of privacy, even with its proximity to the ships arriving from Anebrilith, and as Sanoë brushed the dark strands of hair obscuring her vision aside, she thought she was rather glad for it.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



Corin didn’t waste a single minute after he left the ship. Mindful of the incredible heat of that day in Antioch, the Enarlin apprentice immediately bought himself a rough cloak to keep the sun off of his body. The hybrid had never particularly cared much for the light and while he wasn’t crippled as a vampire would have been, he never particularly found it to be all that comfortable. Primarily, the sunlight would cause itches in his skin, like little pin pricks that kept popping up into his skin and devastating his mood. On a day like this, when power seemed so close to his finger tips, Corin was going to have none of it.

He paid little attention to anything going on in Alian’s Thumb as he moved through the city though, barely even acknowledging the dull cities as he mumbled something about having to make a point to leave through Lavinya. From his previous experiences in Larapool, he knew it not to be a particularly civilized place.

Sighing, he muttered a bit to himself, as he took a hard look again at the parchment, now surprised by what he saw. All three of the garnets had now ended up in Larapool. Surprised, the hybrid looked on the map with genuinely bated breath. He never would have expected that his job could have suddenly become that much easier. However, Corin knew what it meant, and while he might now be saving time on travel, his mission could have become that much harder.

If the garnets were moving, it meant someone else was looking for them. Moving quickly underneath the rough black cloak he had purchased, Corin increased his speed as he moved now, stealthily keeping to the limited shadows of decaying buildings while watching as the red blip nearest to him continued to move at footspeed.

“Someone has it,” Corin thought, reaching into his cloak to pull out an iron revolver, waiting for his moment to pounce when suddenly he spied a woman. She looked to be in her mid twenties, with a particularly noticeable demeanor about her. Most importantly though, Corin could tell she had the garnet. The blip on the map was positioned just so.

Quickly looking around, Corin decided that for the moment he might try a bit of bargaining before he were to take the gemstone by force. After all, for all he knew this woman knew nothing about the garnet’s true power, and a robbery in the middle of Antioch would cause far more trouble than it would be worth. Shaking his head, the hybrid put his gun back in its holster and made his way over gently, even deciding to brave the sunlight by taking off his hood. A manipulator of people like Corin was knew just how much first impressions counted, and he doubted that he could have a very good one from underneath a hood.

Wincing and squinting in the sunlight, the hybrid was grateful for the fact that the plume filigree withheld his true facial expressions from the woman before him. Using his limited abilities with telepathy, he could sense that he was dealing with a kind of person who approached the gemstone with the same sort of curiosity with which the hybrid had once approached his music.

Still, that was a different era, and there was little point for Corin to concern himself with what he could have had. With an exterior that seemed calm and congenial, he moved between the sunlight and the gemstone, knowing that would be the perfect way to attract attention. Then, after clearing his throat, Corin made his demand. “Say,” he said, wondering if he shouldn’t just take out his revolver and be done with it. “I didn’t think I’d be meeting many fellow gem collectors in Antioch. I don’t suppose that one is for sale?”

[Empyrean]

Sanoë kept no track of time as she sat fidgeting with the red garnet. It couldn’t have been too long, but the next time her attention turned to something other than the jewel, the overcast day had suddenly warmed up quite a bit, and her neck was starting to feel rather smothered by her hair. As dull and hardened as Alian’s Thumb was, it sure picked the most inopportune times to decide to up the temperature. Irritated by the indirect disturbance, Sanoë scooted backwards into the shade of a large shop that loomed behind the little grove, dragging her equipment alongside her, and set her focus squarely on the jewel in her lap.

She had managed to scrape off the rougher part of the semi-polished garnet with a chipping tool, but made sure to be careful not to crack the stone in two. Now that the outer shell was taken care, Sanoë looked at the center of the gem with a magnifying glass. The core was dark, so dark that Sanoë almost considered the idea that it contained something not part of its outer shell, but such an idea was preposterous. The stone had only been semi-polished upon discovery—if anything, there was another type of crystal that had formed inside the garnet. The possibility was highly unlikely, but still present.

It’s still better than what I could get in the market, Sanoë convinced herself. Traders only have the purified substances. Raw stuff like this has a lot more power.

Eliot had once informed her that she was entirely too fixated on gemstones and their magic. “You look at those things like men look at their newborn sons,” he’d persisted as she picked apart a chunk of lapis under a dusty lamplight. “I don’t know what you get so excited over.”

“Well, you wouldn’t,” muttered Sanoë in a monotone, not really listening to her brother, but admiring the different shades of royal blue filtering out of the gemstone in the light. “You find more interest in liquor.”

“That's different. These are rocks,” Eliot said pointedly, poking gingerly at one of the lapis stones.

Sanoë had smacked his hand away without so much as a semblance of tenderness. “Yes, Eliot. They’re shiny rocks. You’ve learned a lot.”

“One of these days, you’re going to look up from your desk and you’ll have aged fifty years,” announced her brother dramatically. “Children will peek into your windows and run away, screaming, ‘Crazy Gem Lady is awake!’”

Crazy Gem Lady, indeed, the jeweler thought now as she examined the garnet. That’s where I’m headed, at this rate. Even looking for Eliot can’t stop me.

Her theory was proved instantly, for as footsteps approached, treading audibly on the grass, she still did not look up; not until a nonchalant voice exclaimed, ““…didn’t think I’d be meeting many fellow gem collectors in Antioch. I don’t suppose that one is for sale?”

Sanoë’s sharp eyes scrutinized the speaker with sufficient astonishment. She had seen hybrids before, but never one of a furry sort. The man’s appearance was startlingly catlike, but not enough to take away from his more human features. She could tell that he was young, and looked friendly enough. The jeweler spent a few awkward moments taking in the odd spectacle until she caught herself staring, and her face melted back into her standard skeptical expression. Yes, wonderful job, Sanoë. Let’s offend the first person we meet in a foreign country.

“I suppose you could say gem collector,” she began indifferently. “But I’m interested in this for more supernatural purposes. And, no, I’m afraid I won’t be selling it.”

Well, it was the truth. She’d spent the time scrounging it out from within the rocks—never mind the ease with which she’d retrieved it—and there was no way she was giving it up when it had raw properties, and an unexplained but intriguing core. If she couldn’t unlock its magic, then she’d sell it in Lavinya. Stinginess couldn’t be tolerated in someone aiming to be any sort of businesswoman...or any sort of mage, for that matter.

Besides, there was something a little too odd about a man who proposed an offer so quickly. He was in too much of a hurry.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



Corin’s plume filigree was his biggest asset in a time like this, for otherwise his petulance would have easily betrayed him to this stranger, making him lose his cool and likely frighten the woman. The sun was getting to him, causing his ears to begin to tingle in pain as he attempted to reach a bargain, trying at his patience that much more. There was an incredible amount of power at stake here in Alian’s Thumb that day, and if necessary, Corin would have no remorse in killing anyone necessary for him to get what he wanted. He was a well intentioned person, and without power, he would be handicapped to do a single thing in a world full of so many more powerful, evil beings. Still memories of the clan war between Malice and the Grey Braves haunted his thoughts, especially as he remembered seeing Rainee Miyami crushed brutally by Hikari no Ashigaru at a time when he was powerless to help.

However, thanks to the façade that the relic gave him, Corin looked no different than anyone else to the random passer by, just another trader who had arrived in Antioch with only profitable intentions. The true secrets of what the hybrid was being forced to compromise for the sake of the safety of those he loved lay buried deep within him, at a level where absolutely no one would find them.

He had been a professional entertainer, a rock star and an idol for many. That left him with a wealth of experience when it came to pretending that he was something that he wasn’t. In fact, so much of his life had been spent between playing the different roles that were demanded of him, that many times Corin wasn’t exactly sure as to what defined him outside of his possessions and those he cared for. (Though to him, there wasn’t a particular difference between the two.) It took no effort for him to hide his newer changes from those close to him, and the seeming unlikelihood of them made the transition seem all that much more fantastic.

However, for far too long, along with being a great entertainer, Corin had put himself too highly upon a pedestal, where he held himself above the rest of the world. He had grown arrogant and righteous, justified in his actions merely by his own existence. As such, it was barely a transition now for him to put his own wants over the needs of others. Enarlin magic and garnets of power was merely a natural, but dangerous transition.

“Everything has a price…” Corin replied, his voice sounding eerily calm. “I’m sure we can negotiate.” Reaching into his cloak, the wealthy hybrid revealed not his revolver, but a rough little sack bulging with gold pieces of high denomination. Knowing he would have made an impression now, Corin continued, working with a lie. “My wife loves garnets deeply, and I have been searching for raw, pure stones like that for a while now. I can offer you other gems in exchange… I have a map that shows not just garnets but emeralds and diamonds as well… Give me that garnet and I’ll tell you of other precious stones… all of which I’m sure have supernatural powers.”

The last two words were said with a bit of uneasiness, for Corin couldn’t help but to wonder now if this stranger knew a few things about the nature of the garnets. In truth, he knew little about the gem stones, and if this woman was a sorceress of sorts in search of the same items, it would be an unexpected complication in a job that the new apprentice hoped would be easy.

Still, there was nothing he could do but to make his offer, and end it with a winning smile. “I am Corin,” he said, finally introducing himself with a warm smile. “And I’m sure here we can reach some kind of a deal…”

[Empyrean]

Well. Again, Sanoë was dumbfounded, but this time it was not over the man’s appearance.

Her first thought was not of the multitudes of materials she could purchase with that tempting bag of gold, nor of the prospect of a gem-tracking map, but of her skills as a businesswoman, or rather, lack thereof. Her adoptive mother had tried everything she could to teach Sanoë the finer points of negotiation, but until recently, Sanoë had never had the confidence to contradict a customer. Now that she had this self-assurance firmly in the palm of her hand, she had to put it into use, as measly as it was.

The man—Corin, as he had introduced himself—presumably, had on his person a wealth of gemstone material. There was, of course, the gold; a very alluring aspect, and it was even a hefty-looking bag. Then there was the map. He’d said himself that it revealed the location of gemstones, ones as rare and beautiful as diamond and emerald. If it shows him where to find stones of that caliber, she reasoned, then why on earth wouldn’t it show him the locations of other garnets? They’re not nearly as valuable as the others, and this one can’t be the only one in Antioch.

Besides that, there was the fact that the stone was already semi-polished when she had found it. He must have known, somehow; after all, Sanoë knew that the garnet had to have been in previous hands. If it were still a hunk of raw garnet, unexamined and unpurified, he wouldn’t have wanted it so badly. Even Sanoë wouldn’t have made an offer on the stone if she had been just a gem collector, as Corin claimed to be, without making sure it would at least be cleaned off. Raw gemstone was messy.

Although the finer points of this dilemma still floated uncertainly in her head, Sanoë could tell that this man knew something she didn’t.

That, or he thought he knew something else, while in fact he had no accurate knowledge of the magic contained in gemstones, least of all garnets, at all. Or….something.

God, this is giving me a headache.

“My name is Sanoë,” the jeweler said, looking up at the man with slight misgivings as she remembered something else; he had not given his surname, if he had one, and any man who intentionally concealed a part of his identity wanted it over with, quick.

Or, he did not want to leave any detectable traces of himself hanging in the air if something went wrong.

“I’d just like to know…” she said slowly, then realized it was straining her neck to keep staring so high up, and stood up quickly to give herself what little imposition she could claim over the man’s considerable height. The garnet was still clenched tightly in her left hand, her materials left forgotten on the grass. “I’d like to know, with all that wealth on you, why you want one half-polished gem rather than finding one yourself.”

And if there's truly a man that would go through the trouble of locating one garnet and offering a mountain of wealth for it on top of negotiating for his wife, thought Sanoë, not without a trace of acidity, then this is the first time I've met one.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



After hearing what amounted to a useless answer, Corin could have screamed. “This Sanoë, who does she think she is?” the hybrid thought impudently, the sun continuing to play games on the tips of his ears. “That she’s too good for gold, for emeralds, for even diamonds.” Lucky he had the plume filigree, desperation had begun to grip the Enarlin student, that the thought that he might not have his gem stone all because this sorceress had somehow beaten him to it.

However, the hybrid had one last bit of will power, a final idea that had occurred to him before he would have been compelled to pull out his revolver and finish off this stranger, be her one of great sorcery or just a girl with an attachment to garnet. Corin had been anxious at first to get started on this mission, but in truth, he really didn’t want to see anyone die. If it was a case where he had no option in order to satisfy his needs, the musician knew he would kill and not regret it. These garnets had become more now than mere gemstones, or even more than the power they represented. They were his first opportunity as an Enarlin apprentice, his chance to show his master his power (and perhaps even surpass him.)

“Well, I’ll explain it to you simply,” Corin said, his diction beginning to show a bit of the hostility that the plume filigree filtered out from his voice. “My wife is obsessed with garnet, not just any garnet, but rough, unpolished, untouched garnet until it comes into my hand. Like you should know- if you have any knowledge in these matters- that kind of garnet is hard to find outside of the Alerar mines, and that kind of a place is just trouble for anyone other than a dark elf.”

Taking a sigh as he caught his breath, Corin continued. He truly hoped now that he wouldn’t have to use his revolver, but as his frustrations continued to mount, he almost felt like he was going to be compelled to use it. Earlier, he had been drunk on the anticipation of power, but now, he had become frustrated, angered by how little his greed seemed to generate for him.

“I’m actually on a quest for such garnet,” he concluded. “And trust me, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my wife. If she wants precious gems, I go out and purchase a map that locates them. A map, I’ll give you when I’m done…”

Knowing now that he could no longer keep up his ruse of being a trader, for if he were to try, he would easily be caught in his lie. Altering his expression with the plume filigree so he now had a slightly more embarrassed façade, he confessed another, much more conceivable lie. “To be honest, I’m not really a trader of these stones,” he confessed. “I’m just trying to get this garnet for my wife… we’ve been married for seven years, and she is growing angrier and angrier with the fact that I don’t do much for her. So much so that she claimed that I married her only for her money….”

With that, Corin trailed off, the slick smile that would have normally appeared on his face fortunately concealed. After all, lies of altruism only got one so far, but selfishness was the kind of motive that all understood. All, that was, except for the complete and utter fools of the world. “Those altruistic bastards,” Corin thought with a chuckle as he made his final offer.

“So you see, garnets, uncut and untampered, they’re precious to me,” he said. “And in truth, I have no use for any other gem stones. I’m an adventurer by habit, not compulsion…”

For Sanoë’s own sake, Corin hoped that she would take the offer. If necessary, he had no qualms about using his revolver. Despite the people all around him, the hybrid was certain he could find his way out of jail with a bribe. The stone though, was something that he needed. Something that he was willing to even kill for if necessary.

[Empyrean]

While anyone else might have felt a twinge of guilt and empathy for the man, Sanoë was simple feeling more and more aggravated by the minute. The sun was high overhead, shedding light onto the peninsula that would have made it look a lot more impressive earlier, but now, just made an uncomfortable sheen of sweat develop on her neck and back.

Aside from that, Sanoë was at her best when she was alone, or in the least, in the company of people she liked; a category into which even her brother was allowed, but that Corin probably had no chance of fitting into. She could tell by his voice that he was feeling as harassed as she was, whether it was because of Sanoë herself, or Corin’s allegedly nagging wife. She could scrounge up only the tiniest dredge of understanding for such a situation, because the man had let his amiable demeanor slip enough to annoy Sanoë. If there was anything she couldn’t stand, the top of the list was being accused of ignorance.

Putting effort into a nonchalant answer was hard, and Sanoë couldn’t keep a sanctimonious lilt out her voice. “I do have knowledge in these matters, actually. But you’ll have to excuse me for not knowing the territory as you do. Antioch is new to me, not to mention Althanas itself.” If she had just risked sounding like an arrogant foreigner, she didn’t particularly care. She wanted nothing more than to sit down and continue figuring out the mysteries of this suddenly desirable garnet.

“I’m sorry for your situation,” she said, knowing that he would not be convinced by her half-hearted apology; for in truth, she wasn’t very sorry at all. Whatever kind of weird passion the woman had for uncut jewels was no problem of Sanoë’s. Of course, she couldn’t honestly say that her own fixation was too different from Corin’s wife. Hers was just on a much larger scale, and she went out and did her own dirty work.

And, of course, it was her job. This last factor kept her from feeling too much like a hypocrite, something she detested above all other disagreeable traits.

“…And your offer is tempting enough,” she admitted, chancing a look at the man’s cloak, hoping to see this wonderful map, but it in vain. She knew she was turning something down that many would gladly jump at the chance for, but she still couldn’t shake the intuition that if she gave up the garnet in favor of the gold and the map, she would have lost something valuable. There had to be an additional reason Corin wanted the garnet, otherwise she couldn’t have wanted to keep it so much.

There was the added fact, obviously, of Sanoë’s own selfishness. She wanted to unlock its magic, and if it worked correctly, the possibilities of combining it with her five other stones was almost more appealing than the thought of that gold in Corin’s bag.

If they had been children, Sanoë knew she would have been the one running in the opposite direction, yelling,”It’s mine, I found it first, finder’s, keepers!”

“…But it's my job to find gemstones, particularly those that are raw.” Which was a lie, but how would he ever know that the jewels exported from Lavinya and other areas were purified? “And my job includes unlocking the magic in gemstones. Garnet’s powers are of a sensitive nature, unless the one extracting them knows what they’re dealing with.

Anyway, I can find gemstone on my own. Even without your map.” Sanoë realized immediately that if this arrogance angered the man, things could progress very quickly in the direction of ugly, and her right hand lingered readily near one of the twin knives in her belt.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



By now, it had been far past the final straw for the Enarlin apprentice. He had used a phenomenal amount of patience up to that point, and now he was justified in taking further actions. After all, there was really no reason for him to tolerate any more of the pointless banter he had been subjecting himself to out of mercy for Sanoë. The skills he had with telepathy were sufficient to let him know that she was far too stubborn, brought beyond the point of being purely obstinate, that she was genuinely too stupid to accept what had been a completely reasonable offer. “Alright then,” Corin said evenly, looking around with eyes that radiated malevolently, surveying the area for any would be hero or samaritan who would intercede on Sanoë’s behalf. “If that’s the way you’d like to have it, I suppose I don’t really have a choice.”

With a hand that didn’t seem to be all that suspicious, Corin put the bag of gold back onto his belt, hidden by the large cloak as he grabbed now for his revolver. With a quick click, the hybrid now held it underneath his robe, shielding it from the sight of anyone other than himself and Sanoë.

“We tried doing this the simple way, but it seemed that you have no love for doing things that way,” he said candidly, licking his lips in anticipation of finally having the first of the three pieces of garnet in his hand. “Fact is, I want that, and since you’re not going to make a deal, you can hand it over now or let me kill you first…”

It was the first time that Corin had ever spoken those words, and it must have seemed quite a surreal sight for the sorceress he now had at the point of a gun. Intending to keep appearances up for all around him, the hybrid had maintained the congenial appearance that the plume filigree had afforded him. Thus, through smiling lips he now pointed the gun straight at Sanoë’s chest, waving it slightly as he kept his focus upon the sorceress’ hands.

“I can’t let her trick me,” Corin thought, as a sudden wave of paranoia hit him. “She’s a sorceress, she’s full of traps… I can’t let her get the best of me.” Suddenly, the hybrid’s mind was swept full not of all the things he could gain through fulfilling his mission for the Enarlin master, but of all the things he might lose through failure. His enormous wealth, his beloved Rainee and their daughter Mylie, everything that he had spent so much time to work for, all of it would be lost if Sanoë were to trick him.

“Quickly…” he demanded tersely, his tone now even beginning to betray him as he spoke. “Give me the damn garnet now…”

It wasn’t in Corin’s nature to play such a violent role, but if Sanoë insisted on playing the bratty little school girl, he was left with no other choice but to play the bully. Everything she did seemed to be mocking him, to the point where he knew he either had to stop her from claiming his stones, or teach her the consequences of withholding from a deal out of spite.

[Empyrean]

With the black mouth of a gun aimed directly at her chest and the threat of death hanging dangerously in the air, Sanoë found that she could no longer get by with mere ingenuity. Her heart seemed jump painfully, drop into her lower intestine, and wriggle back up again as Corin demanded that she give him the gemstone. There was obviously no chance of getting out of such a precarious situation unscathed now.

Although her chest constricted at the potential results of this assault and the vigor with which she suddenly despised Corin, she had to admit that the man was smart. Somehow he’d kept a majority of his wits about him even as he revealed his revolver. And not only that, but he’d kept it concealed from everyone save himself and Sanoë. And, of course, he'd kept up a charade for a rather long time, though it was clear that this exasperating wife of his was nothing more than a fib, and all of the tales he’d told previously were just as fictional.

But what to do now? She barely had time to think, but as her mind raced, she thought decidedly one thing; the garnet was not worth her life.

She was more frightened than she had ever been walking the streets alone at night, back home, as she watched as criminals murdered and robbed their fellows. Admittedly, it wasn’t a rare sight, and Sanoë had always felt a pang of remorse for the victims, but not enough to get her as alarmed as she was now. Being put into the perspective of the assaulted certainly did reverse those emotions.

Being Sanoë, however, she wanted answers, even in the face of a loaded revolver. If the hybrid before her didn’t want the garnet for someone else—namely, the imaginary wife—then why was he so desperate for it? And it was her garnet, she thought heatedly, her garnet that he would be running off with.

Still clenching the garnet, her right hand hovering above her short-hilted knife, she inhaled, slowly and haltingly, with one instruction above all in her head: Don’t panic. There is no creature on this earth who is fearless; just look at how desperate he’s starting to sound.

"Just who in the hell are you, anyway?” she blurted out. Ah, well. So much for planning. “A trader? A tortured husband? A criminal? Because, honestly, all three of your disguises seem to be mixing together….”

Stop it. You’re going to get yourself shot.

While inwardly chastising herself, Sanoë made sure not to let her fingers wrap themselves around the hilt of her knife too quickly. Corin was watching her hands almost feverishly. “You obviously want it for some arcane purpose, so far be it from me to understand what it is you’re trying to get at…”

Unceremoniously, she shoved the garnet at him with her left hand, her right trembling a little on the knife as she waited anxiously for any rapid eruption from the hybrid. “But I want to know what you’re going to do with this before you run off. And don’t be shoddy with it, I spent an hour carving out the excess crystal.”

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



With his free hand, Corin reached out and snatched the garnet, shoving it greedily into his pocket. There was a definite aura of relief escaping the hybrid, but it was only matched by his genuine disgust for Sanoë. “Now she wants to bargain?” Corin thought disgustedly. “Why should I give her a damn thing, I have the garnet, and I had to use my gun to do it.” Shaking his head, he began to back away now, figuring that he had no further business around there and that he needed to beat the strange sorceress to the other two gemstones.

However, almost immediately, Corin froze. He was going to have to finish the job off somehow, or else Sanoë would likely report him to the Larian Army. He had already given the woman his name, and with his distinct appearance he wouldn’t have been to difficult to find. Thus, there was only one option left, and Corin was going to take it. The hammer pulled back on his revolver, the hybrid prepared to press the trigger but then relented.

More out of guilt than mercy, Corin couldn’t shoot Sanoë. She had aggravated him to no end, but the hybrid knew that those he loved would have never wanted any more people than necessary to die. Unfortunately, Corin realized that it wasn’t necessary to shoot Sanoë. He could use the mystical jeweler, as long as now he could come up with a substantially better lie. Stories about gemstones as a hobby or even a desperate wife would no longer matter, he was going to have to confess to their magic power.

“Garnets, in the hands of some, contain healing powers,” he finally said. “You wouldn’t expect them to, but raw, untouched ones from Antioch are special. Many long years ago, when the Sibling gods left Antioch to start their own rivalry, they picked champions for their sides. Alian had given his champions three garnets that they never used, and I now hold one of them. These can cure any disease on the planet… much like the one that my wife now has.”

Corin did a considerably better job making up a convincing lie this time. With the first garnet in his pocket, the petulant hybrid’s mood had improved considerably. Actually giving Sanoë a genuine smile, Corin then took a quick look around and decided to fade away.

“There are other gems I have no need for,” he continued. “And if you wish, any of those I find in my journey I will return to you.”

In truth, Corin felt incredibly guilty about stealing the garnet, despite the fact like he felt like he was left with no other choice. He was not going to return it, but outside of that, he was willing to do something to make it up to Sanoë.

[Empyrean]

“You know, you’re kind of scary,” said Sanoë wryly, the irony in her voice amplified by her unmistakable relief as the gun was removed. “You go from bribery to death threats to seriousness and right back to bribery. All those moods, in a minute flat…you’re like a--uh. Nevermind."

Thankfully, Sanoë’s relief was brief enough to shut her up, as she realized that insulting Corin was still not the smartest move. Clearing her throat, she released her grip on the short-hilted knife at her side and picked up her equipment, stuffing the tools back into their customary pockets and sheaths on her belt. As she folded her coat over her arm, she considered this sudden turning of the tables.

So there were more garnets; she had been correct in her assumption, after all. But she still had her misgivings, and voiced her doubts to the hybrid. “This garnet legend of yours isn’t just a myth.…is it?” In case his ailing wife was real, Sanoë decided not to touch upon that sensitive—and questionable—subject. “Garnets typically render a defensive magic barrier, and the color-changing ones are a rarity, and sometimes contain elemental magic. But this healing power does sound believable….garnets are pretty fickle, after—“

Sanoë stopped when she felt a momentary flash of embarrassment. She spoke about gemstones as though they were almost human, but this sort of talk wasn’t considered unusual at home. Of course, she had been living with an intelligent jeweler for a mother, so of course her chatter was understood. Even Eliot, who was critical of her obsession, didn’t mind it so much after she had explained gemstone magic to him in full. If the nature of the magic hadn’t been real, Sanoë might not have considered herself practical at all.

But here she was, telling a stranger about the personality of a rock. And she’d thought he was crazy.

Narrowing her eyes at Corin so he wouldn’t notice the slight flush in her cheeks, the jeweler boldly asked, “How are you going to give me any gemstones? I’m not staying in Antioch, or any other region close to it. And even when I find who and what I’m looking for, I’m going straight home. I’ll never get the gemstones.

“I assume you’ll be looking for all three of these garnets, since you wanted that one so badly,” she continued, without allowing him a chance to speak. An idea had just occurred to her, and if she was going to persuade him, she needed to say it all together. “I knew at once that that particular garnet had some unnamed power residing in it….and the only way to guarantee that I get any valuable gems is to come along with you for a bit, since you seem to know so much about their nature.”

A part of her mind was protesting loudly, reminding her that despite his frequent personality changes, Corin was an irritating, not to mention violent, individual. But the more practical side of Sanoë had control of her voice at the moment. “I need to search this area for my brother, and I don’t know the terrain or the map. You, on the other hand, do, and I can promise you that I won’t be a burden when I help you find the garnets.” It was a bold offer, she thought, but it worked both ways, and practicality was more important than spite. Even when spite was putting up a very good fight against common sense.

[Zephyriah]

If there was such thing as a true Althanas villian, I was certainly it, merely because of the fact that I'd managed to encounter problems no matter where I dwelled. An ever going stream of dilemmas that lurked somewhere off in an unseen, unknown realm eagerly waiting to disrupt my life in the moment where I would begin tasting a bit of peace and tranquility. For whatever reason, the Thaynes that governed this planet refused to lift their weighty hands of punishment off of me, only delighting in me being forever on the run. Initially though, there wasn’t a thought in me that blamed the Thaynes for this, simply because I saw my hand in the dastardly deeds that I’d done. From the slaying of Saul, one of Rune’s priests, to the many other lives that I’ve taken, I was fully expecting severe, supernatural punishment of some kind for those actions. But being fully expectant of something and then having it actually fall into your lap were two completely different things; I was not prepared for what the unseen forces had in store for me.

This punishment, as I now know it to be, was simply the curse of loneliness and paranoia. Any one that I’d ever considered a comrade had abandoned me, either to handle whatever issues life threw at them, or to leak information on my whereabouts to someone lusting over the possibility of putting my head on a mantle. The realization of this at first did indeed hurt, but never would I allow anyone to see my pain, since pain shown was a result of weakness. Because of this, there wasn’t one person who I felt that I could seriously trust, especially after what I’d dealt with in Shanleh. Anyone that tried to get close to me was immediately pushed away. Disgruntle attitudes toward me from those individuals was a result of my callousness, but I felt that was a much better consequence versus having to kill them for betraying me in the future. However, as time progressed, I couldn’t help but to feel the sadness that came with this paranoia and loneliness. I truly wanted a place in which I could call home and not worry about those that I cared about stabbing me in the back. Unfortunately, every place that I settled did not allow for that.

Corone, the continent that I was born in should’ve been the only one, but with all of the nonsense that occurred in my home city of Rune, it would’ve been impossible to live peacefully there.

The next possibility could’ve been Alerar, considering the fact that the dark elven continent was my mother’s old stomping grounds. I’d once lived there for a time and served under Queen Valsharess as a member of the Kyorl (mainly because I was an enemy to the Raiaeran nation, and needed support), but over time, she proved to be one that was anything but trustworthy; my link of loyalty to her was soon severed afterwards.

Tired of any land that was even remotely connected to my bloodline or family, I journeyed far to Shanleh where I thought would be a nice place to live since mountainous areas were usually quiet. Things were favorable at first, but like always, people who I considered companions proved to be against me. Unfortunately, such a thing was revealed while I was in Haidia, so the underground world was also ruled out for possible living spots.

Feeling like the world's biggest outcast, one can only imagine the great amount of frustration all of this brought. Yes, Zephyriah Ablione, slayer of many, harbored feelings of insecurity and uneasiness, though I still never showed this in any public setting. However, in times of solitude, where the stars littered the night sky, tears of sorrow would dampen my face. In my moments of weakness, thoughts of killing myself did occur, for the desire of wanting to belong to a society was becoming greater and greater. Thankfully Tyranagogue, in all of its coldness would bring me out of this state of mind whenever I fell into it. Still, even though he was a great help during such times, he did not help in lessening my desire. But, what I was longing for had finally came when something within me told me to visit Antioch, a land that I’d never before traveled to.

Specifically, the part of Antioch that a ship from Radasanth had taken me too had been Larapool. It was by no means a squeaky clean place, as it was filled with criminals of all sorts. Yet despite this, it was governed surprisingly well; And how fortunate for one such as myself who’d lived the criminal life for far too long.

Now while I’d already established that this would be the place in which I would settle, finding actual residence did not come easy. In fact, it wouldn’t have come at all had fate not tossed me in the right place at the right time. It was one night that I was coming from the docks, a place that was well known for displaying the most beautiful sunsets, that I’d heard an elderly gentleman’s voice being overpowered by the voice’s of belligerent younger men. From my distance, some of the words sounded muffled, but I instantly knew that there was a problem brewing. And sure enough, the closer I got, the more I realized that my instincts had proved to be most reliable yet again.

Outside of a rickety old house on the edge of town, men dressed in velvet robes formed a semi-circle around the elderly fellow standing just outside of his front door. They kept demanding that he tell the secret of some special stone, but the old man continued denying that he knew anything about it. I couldn’t tell if he were actually telling the truth, but it apparently didn’t matter for the robed individuals struck the man firmly with rods that they had in their grasp. Shockingly, the man well advanced in years took the blows stoutly, but the look on his face read that he would not be able to endure such pain for too much longer. So, once again doing something uncharacteristic of me, I intervened, pushing all of the mages away from the elderly gentleman. They weren’t physically strong, but there was something about all of them that made my hair stand on end. Strangely, by the way they looked at me, it seemed that they felt the same thing from me, and instead of retaliating, they slowly backed up until they felt it safe to break out into a full sprint away from me.

When all of the commotion was over with, the old man expressed his thanks and even invited me into his home. He was so appreciative, that he offered me lodging for as long as I liked. It definitely was rare for one to do something like that upon initially meeting someone, but never would I be one to question it, especially after seeking a place to call home for as long as I have. I just hoped for this gentleman’s sake that he wouldn’t turn on me like so many other people had done. Otherwise, Tyranagogue would be tasting new blood.

[Zephyriah]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)

Corin had never thought that Sanoe would have wanted to accompany him, he had merely attempted a second bribe in order to placate the stranger and to keep her from going to the police. A bit confused by the offer, almost immediately the hybrid wanted to think trap. “Just kill her,” he told himself after a furtive glance. “You can’t afford to take risks like these, they’re going to end up being what takes what you love away…” Shaking his head, Corin realized he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t press the trigger that would bring down the weighty hammer of his revolver and end Sanoe’s life. It was out of no gesture of kindness though, but because the Enarlin apprentice genuinely wanted to avoid the guilt.

“Alright,” he said, shaking his head in a reaction of almost utter disbelief as to what he was saying. “As you wish.” It would be the only way now that he could make sure that Sanoe did not go to the Larian Army. Soon enough, when they were somewhere more remote, he would rid himself of the sorceress. By her own admission, she knew nothing of the land so Corin was more than certain that as long as he kept the map to himself, then there would be no problem.

However, there fact was Corin knew that he would have no way of getting rid of Sanoe until after he’d achieved his second stone. At that point, the hybrid was unsure as to what he would do. Of course, in truth, there were no gems that his map showed other than the three garnets. One of the beacons shone right at his position, and the other two were in Larapool. Biting his lip, Corin couldn’t help but to wonder if he was in a tough situation. One of them seemed to be stored in the water around the coast, the other in a monastery marked on the map as the order of the Vae Staves Mages. The hybrid was more than certain that they knew of the power that the garnet would posses, even better than he did.

At the very least, Corin knew that while Sanoe might have been some kind of a gem expert, when it came to the specifics of these three garnets, she knew very little. Smiling smugly, the hybrid now prepared to depart, keeping one suspicious eye on Sanoe as he began to head west.

“Move in front of me,” he insisted. “We’re heading to Larapool, towards the home of the Vae Stave Order.” Gesturing for her to obey him, Corin waited. It would be only on his terms that they forged any sort of a partnership.

[Empyrean]

(Bunnying approved.)

As Sanoë approached the city of Larapool, she felt an massive tremor in the air that had nothing to do with the presence of a gemstone.

She’d felt the beginnings of one as soon as they departed the despondent but peaceful margins of Alian’s Thumb. At first, it was only a minor tremble that she’d barely noticed - the ‘volume’ of magic was how Sanoë detected gemstones. They radiated a certain sort of energy, each aura different from the next, and she had only to follow the vibration until it was ‘loud’ enough to find. This particular tremor felt muted to Sanoë, as though someone had smothered the source of it.

However, as the time it took to get from the Thumb to Larapool progressed, the presence slowly made itself known, and by the time the infamous Haven of Infidels was in plain sight of Sanoë, the humming in her ears felt more like a deafening roar. There were so many tremors in the air, it was impossible to distinguish one from another. There was definitely magic here—Sanoë suspected it to be coming from this Vae Staves Order that Corin had directed her to. It was not gemstone magic; Sanoë could tell that right away, and if there was any gemstone magic in the air, it was indeed smothered by the overwhelming presence of what was evidently the work of the Vae Staves order. She knew that much by her conversation with the captain on the way to Alian’s Thumb, and from guessing the meaning behind Corin’s words. If this was where the next garnet was—the Vae Staves Order—then they obviously had dealings in magic, and a powerful magic at that.

But it was not just the Vae Staves magic emanating its way from Larapool’s interior; there was a palpable tension that could not have been missed as Sanoë and Corin entered the city. It was a tension that foreboded ill will, a dark note that rang in Sanoë’s ears and made a sudden coldness slither up her spine. There was malice at work in this city. She gripped the sides of her coat with both hands and pulled it tightly around her, but as indifferently as she could; fear displayed was fear mistaken as vulnerability.

However, she didn’t find any visible proof of the darkness she’d felt. The people in the city were clearly too busy to worry themselves over dark tremors in the air, and they nearly filled the streets and walks to the brim. A docking house and a building that was teeming with activity appeared to be the centers of commotion in the city. As darkened as the feel of the city seemed, it was obviously run very well. Sanoë did have to admit that she felt a twinge of familiarity and nostalgia when she saw all of the goings-on. It reminded her strongly of Arsal, where she’d lived for twenty-four years, and that notion, at least, was comforting in the midst of her uneasiness.

She glanced at Corin to see what he made of the surroundings, half in curiosity and half in disdain. He hadn’t made the trip to Larapool very easy orcomfortable. He’d hardly let her out of his sight, an action that was easily accomplished when he told her to walk in front of him most of the time. Sanoë was more annoyed by it than puzzled, although puzzlement did come with the irritation. To her, being instructed to do another’s bidding in such an authoritarian manner was almost as bad, if not worse, than nearly being gunned down. She had been her own boss since she was old enough to think so, even under the care of her adoptive mother. The nerve of him, she thought indignantly. Like I’m going to jump him or something. Honestly.He’s the one with the gun, not me. And paranoid, too….

Aside from wondering why in the hell she’d made her offer, she was realizing that if this garnet were indeed in possession of the Vae Staves Order, then they probably would not want to give theirs up, either, unless Corin had made some previous alliance with them. If there would be trouble trying to gain this garnet, wherever it was, Sanoë’s help must be enlisted in that area. She only hoped that whatever Corin had gotten himself into wasn’t dangerous enough to get someone killed, least of all herself.

With my luck, she thought, he’ll end up shooting me anyway. “If you’re planning on getting your garnet from this Order,” she began aloud, eyeing Corin doubtfully, “I hope you’ve thought of the fact that you’re going to have some trouble.”

She made sure not to say ‘we’; she didn’t want to be considered Corin’s accomplice in anything unless the rewards included her, although she doubted now that she would get any gemstones with his help. But she had to make the best of it while she was there, and so she scanned the insides of shops and business places, hoping, probably in vain, that she would find her brother within these darkened walls.

[Zephyriah]

{Two Weeks Later}

For the first time since I resided in Shanleh, I enjoyed the feeling of waking up without clutching my blade, or without being drenched due to the cold sweats from the night just passed. As always, it was a splendid feeling, especially when such pleasures came with hospitality on account of the people that’d given me shelter. The smell of a hearty breakfast always pleased me when Rebecca, the old man’s wife, would bring to my room a plate filled with food. Eggs and toast were always a part of the meal, but each day the third entrée would always change, whether it was oatmeal, pancakes, or turkey bacon; there were others, but those three were by far my favorite.

On this particular morning, things were running as planned, with me devouring the nourishment that Connor’s wife made over an open flame. However, old man Connor had come to my resting quarters about mid morning, with a sense of urgency and fear, much like what I received from him on the night that I saved him from the beating that those robed individuals were giving him. His foot tapped against the creaking wooden floor rapidly, which I quickly learned meant that something was troubling him. But never did he like to discuss any matter that he deemed serious in front of his wife, for he claimed that she was one that could not handle even the slightest bit of conflict well. Therefore, the signal that the fellow would use when wishing to speak with me private would be to wipe his brow three times; something that he did after I’d handed my dirty dishes to Rebecca.

“Excuse me madam,” I started off, showing her my pleasant smile. “I just wanted to say how wonderful your cooking is. Prior to coming here, it’d been a while since I last had a good home cooked meal. And because of what you’ve done for me, I can now go about my day with ample energy. Thank you so much Rebecca.”

“You’re very welcome Zephyriah. For as long as I can remember, my husband and I have provided lodging for young adventurers like yourself. It’s truly quite strange how all of you manage to find our house, coming from the far off places that you all do, but every time it happens, it just brings that much more joy to us,” The woman looked to be off in a starry world as she sighed, probably recalling all of the adventurer’s that she’d met in the past. But her reminiscence didn’t last long, for she suddenly snapped out of it and took one look at her sundial. “Ah, look at the time. Got other things to attend to right now. Anyway, I’m glad that you enjoyed your meal Zeph.”

When Connor saw his wife leave the room, he waited for her to walk some ten feet down the hallway before beginning to speak. “That’s the first time that I didn’t have to make up some excuse in order to talk with you!”

“Heh, yeah it is. But perhaps your wife sensed that there was something that you wished to speak with me about?” I laughed.

“Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a six sense for those kinds of things. I mean, she’s been with me for fifty five years now, so I know she know’s my ins and outs by now. Anyway, down to business. I know that this probably isn’t something that I should be asking of you, but in just these two short weeks, I feel like I can trust you with my most deepest secrets.”

“Deepest secrets,” I asked, nearly choking on the excess food that’d been caught between my teeth. “Why do you feel that way?”

“I don’t know….there’s just a strong sense of loyalty that I get when I look at you. Almost as if you’d do anything and risk anything to have people like that around you.”

There was nothing that I said at the moment, mainly because Connor was so accurate with his assessment of me. Never before in my life had anyone truly been able to evaluate me for who I really was. Many would simply look at my actions and assume that I was this heartless assailant, bent on nothing but taking the lives of others. It was refreshing to finally find someone who could see past all of that.
“I’m sorry if I’m embarrassing you Zephyriah, it’s just--”

“Oh no, it’s not that at all,” I quickly interrupted, assuring him that I was completely fine. “I’m just baffled at how right you are. Heh, but any more of this and I’d probably start feeling weird.”

“Haha, alright then, I’ll stop with all of that. Okay, so back to what I came here to tell you,” The old man paused, letting his laughter subside. “Zeph, remember those men that you saved me from two weeks ago? Well, they paid me an unexpected visit earlier this morning while I was fishing at the docks, demanding that I tell the secret to unlock the power of the ‘special stone’, or garnet. I once again denied it with every fiber of my being, and luckily did not receive a beating from them again. However, I have a feeling that they know that I’m lying.”

“Wait, you are,” I asked, assuming that the old man really didn’t know anything of this special stone that he was talking about. “Why is this stone worth getting beat over then? You seem to be living contently with your wife here, why get involved in what is obviously a messy situation?”

“Because this ‘messy situation’ will affect the lives of all of us if my pursuers learn the secret of the stone and unleash its power. They know that I’ve done extensive research in the past on the garnet gems. Hell, I am the reason why they know about it now. And even though I realized at the time, telling them about it was a mistake, I didn’t think that they would actually find one this quickly.”

“You keep mentioning these people, but just who are they?”

“The Vae Stave Mages. They are exiled casters of magic from the land of Corone. I was a faithful member for about thirty years. We did an assortment of things both good and evil. We treated common people like second class citizens when they didn’t deserve to be treated that way. After a while though, I started despising the life that I was leading and thus retired ten years ago. I couldn’t be apart of something like that any longer. Yet upon my exit from the organization, they started using my research to find the three garnet gems. I knew of there dealings since I still have many connections in the Vae Staves, so it wasn’t a surprise to me when I heard that they’d begun looking for them. However, I never expected them to have acquired one so quickly. This is why I need your help Zephyriah. I sense a great deal of power within you…..power that I’m confident can bring down the Staves, retrieve the garnet, and destroy it.”

“A gem with extraordinary power eh? Well I certainly can’t allow something like that to remain in existence,” Getting up from my desk, I took hold of Tyranagogue and strapped it to my back. “This task that you ask of me shall be done, especially since you’ve already done so much for me. I will retrieve the stone and destroy it. But after my job is done, I wish to know why you needed it done away with.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to just tell you now?”

“No, not at all,” I firmly stated, almost breaking into a shout. “If it is as powerful as you say, I might be tempted to keep it for myself. I’m already corrupt as it is. The last thing I need is to do something that will put me on yet another wanted list. So far I like Antioch, and it has no problems with me. I truly wish to keep it that way.”

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)


Corin had been mostly silent the whole time he and Sanoë had moved towards Miscera’ Trel Tower, barely doing more than grunting directions when they were needed. Words could be very dangerous in times like these, and as a man familiar with Althanian business, Corin knew that all too well. Little word choices, subtle hand gestures and even the rate at which a person breathed were all little indications of their true intentions, things that the hybrid couldn’t necessarily discern with the help of the Plume Filigree. “She’s quite nervous about this,” was what Corin had managed to gain by watching Sanoe as her eyes danced furtively into every last trite Antioch building with what was likely a desperate stare for help.

Corin refrained from snickering, but he had wanted to laugh at the naivete of the girl. There weren’t any heroes in Alian’s Thumb, the entire island was a wasteland so decrepit that even people like Damon Kaosi wouldn’t touch the place. Certainly, there would be no one coming to the aid of an impudent woman who had been too foolish to accept a good deal when she’d seen one coming.

However, now as they waited in the shadow of Miscera’ Trel tower, home of the Vae Stave Order, Corin bit his lip, knowing that Sanoë had said one thing that was true. Getting this second garnet would not be easy. For the first, it had not been all that difficult, all it took was a bit of forceful persuasion, a situation that Corin could have rectified much more easily if he hadn’t taken the effort to be kind and reimburse Sanoë for her trouble. Flashing a gun here wouldn’t solve any of his problems, leaving Corin with only one recourse left. He was going to lie.

“Trust me,” he said brusquely, his eyes carefully scanning the area to make sure there were no mages around him. “And don’t speak so loudly like that in public. This is a very magical era, with at least a hundred mages who know their craft better than you could ever imagine.”

In truth, Corin had only said that to demean Sanoë enough that the woman wouldn’t notice the fact that he had not given much of a satisfactory answer, if an answer at all. At the moment, he was buying time as he studied the building cautiously, analyzing every window, opening and the kinds of footholds that the building might possess. Ever since his incident with Prissy, Corin had been growing increasingly agile, and scaling the rough tiles that covered the multi turreted building wouldn’t be a matter of all that much difficulty for it. The roof itself was conducive to him moving along it, wide enough for him to walk there, but narrow enough that a normal human wouldn’t be able to follow. There were more than enough windows for him, and Corin was fairly certain that he would be able to move along the scaly surface of the building.

Unsheathing a dagger that would give him better traction (not to mention come in handy should a stranger come along) Corin suddenly stopped. With Sanoë there, he had ran into a potential problem. Even if willing, the hybrid doubted that she would be able to move with the same kind of agility on the surface of a building, irrelevant of how many holds the indented siding allowed for.

“I’ll have to get rid of her now,” Corin thought solemnly, cursing himself for his stupidity earlier. The mercy he had shown earlier had come back to haunt him now. In the centre of Larapool, there were few opportunities for the hybrid to dispose of Sanoë’s body, and Corin truly hated to leave loose ends. A murder would strike a wave of paranoia through the town, making his job that much more difficult.

Looking at her, Corin bit his lip. “Maybe just knock her unconscious,” he figured. “I’ll be gone by then…” Still, that didn’t solve many of the Enarlin apprentice’s problems, and might have made some of them worse. When revived, Sanoë would know the name of the man who stole from the Vae Staves Order.

Letting out a sigh, Corin realized he didn’t know what to do, and it was only then that he uttered a phrase that betrayed his intentions.

“Well, Sanoë … can you climb?”

[Empyrean]

Can I what? Sanoë stared candidly at the hybrid next to her, seeing him for what he really was; not just a bothersome, aggressive man, but an absolute psychopath. If she hadn’t been so caught off guard, she might have made a quip out of the fact that she didn’t know which request was more insane; asking her to climb or asking her to trust him. The worst part was that she was mostly incapable of either one.

The act of climbing, while not quite as impossible as the first prospect, was difficult to grasp. Growing up in the city did not give one many opportunities to practice scaling walls. Sanoë was not like the children who lived in the countryside and became proficient at clambering up into trees and what not, although the city itself was like a jungle in some respects.

The jeweler—on one such occasion that she had hoped never to repeat—had once found herself in a situation that required a bit of fast thinking and an easy out. Fast thinking came without difficulty; the easy out did not. She’d finally noticed that the wall of the nearest shop had been eroded by the years to leave the wall full of chinks and small, missing sections. She managed to climb it successfully, but she thought that, perhaps, it was only the panic in her mind that drove her forward. Of course, that had been years ago, when she was deathly afraid of heights, and before she’d accomplished much gemstone magic.

But this was an entirely different situation. The wall was high, although almost as littered with crevices as the one many years ago, and windows as well. Although the task was starting to present itself in a simpler way, Sanoë was more concerned about what in the name of all that was good Corin was thinking.

He was obviously going to steal it, and Sanoë was not too surprised by the thought, since he’d already stolen one from her. But the jeweler was just one person; this was an entire coalition of experienced mages—Corin had said so himself. She didn’t particularly care that he was accustomed to breaking the law; hell, she didn’t even care anymore that he’d stolen her garnet and decided to spare her life in the interest of an easy escape. If he wanted to get himself in trouble, that was his problem. Sanoë, however, was more reluctant to get herself on a wanted poster her first day into the country.

The alternatives, though, were not appealing, either; she’d either stay on the street, in an unfamiliar city, with no idea how to get out of it, or she would be questioned if Corin were caught, because she’d be in the same place he’d gone up, waiting for him to come back down. Then again, as much as she hated the man, he was undeniably smart; he’d have to have a plan.

And she loathed the idea of Corin’s infuriatingly smug face if she refused to climb a wall. She’d always told herself not to get involved in a stupid act for the salvation of her pride, but her pride had grown rather strong and obstinate over the last few years.

Inhaling slowly, angry with herself for conceding, the jeweler looked up at the wall and said, “Yes, I can climb. Just…just give me a second.” Grumbling to herself, Sanoë buttoned her coat all the way down and pulled her hair back; if she was going to go through with a robbery, then she might as well make herself as anonymous as possible. Her clothing, especially, would draw too much attention.

She crouched on the ground and began to trace a large circle on the street. When she’d completed the outline of the Empyrean Table, her right forefinger and middle finger moved quickly in a few arcane motions and positions on the third level, undecipherable to most untrained in this brand of magic. When she touched it, the shape she’d traced on the ground glowed a bright, cerulean color. When she placed a tiger’s eye stone on the second shift of the third level, the Table flashed bright amber and outlined the stone, then faded as quickly as it had appeared. Tiger’s eyes are usually used for accuracy with archery and what not…but it’ll work with scaling a wall. At least I can keep up with Corin, she thought, setting the glowing stone in her pocket and reaching into her coat for one of the daggers.

Looking up at him as she drew the knife, Sanoë said blandly, “Go on up, I’ll follow you. Gotta find a good hold for the knife.” Of course, she also didn’t want to see that smug face when she started climbing.

[Zephyriah]

After leaving Connor’s house, a few hours had to be spent scrapping up information with regards to the Vae Staves and their headquarters. Information was abundant in the streets and easily accessible since a place governed by criminals had a market where anything on anyone could be discovered. This was indeed the challenging way to go about my objective, but I figured it was the right way. The old man had left out these particular details, probably in fear that giving me information on the Vae Staves could end up biting him in the backside. This was certainly possible, considering the fact that the Vae Staves were an organization adept in the usage of magic, and probably had members with some strange ability to know whenever one of their current or former members was speaking about their headquarters. But actually finding out the location of their headquarters, or Miscera’ Trel Tower was actually somewhat fun. People that I talked with had been kind enough to even tell me of ways that wouldn’t work when trying to infiltrate it. It was an odd thing to be talking about, but none of the ones that I spoke with had ever been successful in sneaking into the Tower. However, I knew that these fellows didn’t have the power that I had, so what was difficult for them, would be simple for me.

Due to the sheer size of the tower, it wasn’t hard to find by any means. It was very extravagant, and gave off an eerie kind of feeling that made me grow increasingly tense. I wasn’t a user of magic, but I could tell that something ominous was blanketing this establishment. However, I wouldn’t let this frighten me. If anything, the fools lingering inside should be frightened of me, and the power that I possess.

There were several guards posted around the entrance, which did cause me to take caution. However, it wasn’t anything serious to the point where I felt stealthy methods were necessary; it almost looked like a bunch of guys just relaxing on a set of stairs.
*So, how do you want to go about this task Zephyriah?*

“I don’t know, I was thinking that the smart choice would be to find a way in somehow without starting any trouble, but…..”

*But....?*

“But.....that would bore me to tears. My power greatly exceeds every single one of these mages, and I want to let them know that first hand.”

*Ah, excellent. I like where your head is at today.*

“Heh, it’s good to finally have your support….for once.”
So it was settled. Despite all of my better judgment, the garnet that Connor had asked me to obtain and destroy would be done in force. No, hiding in the shadows or tip toeing around. All would be done in a pure chaotic fashion.

Red electricity started to circulate around my arms as I pulled Tyranagogue from its scabbard, watching as its engravings started to glow crimson. For this occasion, I opened the Eye of War, letting the spirit of the Malebolge truly take part in this battle from the start. Then from my position, some thirty feet away from the entrance of the tower, I swung my blade down letting a screeching crimson crescent of energy speed towards the so called guards. My experience with the technique had become so great that it didn’t give the targeted mages enough time to counter, or to evade. Therefore, as a result, they were obliterated upon impact, along with the front entrance.

Through the sound of crumpling debris, one could hear the gasps of the inhabitants as some ran over to see what had happened. However, this would certainly be the last thing that they would observe, for with great haste, I dashed towards the onlookers with all intention to end their lives.

[Empyrean]

The following post was written by Showstopper)



Mildly surprised by Sanoe’s willigness to accompany him, Corin smiled. At the very least, this way he would be able to keep the woman under his eye that much longer. However, he balked at the idea of going first up the wall. Even with all the footholds that Miscera’Trel tower provided, it would have been far too easy for the sorceress to knock him off balance and onto the ground once they had begun to climb. Uneasily, Corin still agreed, figuring that at the very least, she would be the first one caught if they were to make a sound.

Still, he couldn’t shake the fact that she had attempted a spell right before the climb. Perhaps it was just a wish for good luck, or something else equally benign, but in truth Corin knew that he should have never given Sanoe the opportunity. More likely than not, it was a trap for him, especially giving the rest of her behavior. His mercy had allowed Sanoe to turn into a menace, and it was a problem that he would have to solve soon. However, given the fact that he was at the base of a hostile tower, he couldn’t afford to leap into action just yet. As much as he hated Sanoe, she would be accompanying him into Miscera’Trel tower.

“Just keep one eye on her,” he reminded himself, knowing that with his superior balance and agility he would be able to fall from a considerably larger height than he would have thought Sanoe would wait for. Plus, this was a sure fire way that he could make sure that he was the first to the garnet. Given the fuss she had created earlier, Corin didn’t want to bother getting into another negotiation with her.

As he drove his dagger into the scaly wall, Corin hesitated for one last bit. Giving Sanoe a quick look, an all too clever smile appeared on his face. “I don’t suppose I’ll have to kill her,” Corin realized, knowing that if he were to get the garnet, he would likely do something to attract the Vae Staves’ security to himself. After that point, it would be very simple for him to leave the less athletic, inexperienced Sanoe behind.

Suddenly, Corin’s ears perked up, as every last hair stood on end as if shocked by a violent blast of electricity. “Damnit,” he muttered, pulling his dagger out of the wall as he turned to see the Vae Stave sentries, involved in a battle against a crimson skinned elf. “Sanoe… what the hell is that?”

Almost immediately, Corin realized the foolishness of his question. In his initial panic, he had naturally assumed that the woman had called for them, though a minute’s thought reminded him of how foolish a thought it was. Be it a spell or even by shrieking, she never would have been able to control the crimson elf who seemed at ease, cutting through sentries like they were nothing more than butter.

“Follow him,” Corin replied candidly, as he now put the dagger back in its sheath and took off running, in pursuit of the crimson elf. Pulling out his gun, Corin couldn’t help but to smirk. Now, it seemed that his luck was beginning to turn. Out of the difficulty of his previous encounter, fate was finally beginning to play on his side.

Grateful, Corin waited, holding his revolver and pretending to take aim as he watched the battle, waiting for just the right moment to make his presence known. At this point, whether or not Sanoe followed him was of little consequence. He had his way into the building now, and he was certain it would be quick.

[Zephyriah]

There was a certain wave of tranquility that’d passed through me, seeing all the guards scatter about, fanning large clouds of dust from the debris that I’d been the cause of. Each one gripped whatever weapon they had tightly, almost as if for this specific occasion, they were not willing to use their magic to snuff out the one responsible for this aggressive act. I couldn’t blame them if this truly was the reason behind their weapon wielding, for it would always be more satisfying to beat an intruder over the head with a blunt object, versus conjuring up some spell and have it do away with the attacker. Yet it was too bad for them though, since the likely hood of them even severing a hair off of my body would be impossible. Already I’d downed over twenty men as they spun about confused in the clouded dirt. The fallen men’s comrades could only hear their allies let out death cries before they too were next.

Eventually, the smell of blood pouring from fresh wounds began to bother me, almost to the level that the Queen Valsharess of Alerar did. These fools weren’t even in the least bit challenging, and I in no way wanted my skills dulled on account of slaying weak opponents. So, I quietly entered the Miscera’ Trel Tower, shaking the excess blood off of Tyranagogue, readying it to once again act as a surgical tool upon anyone that happened to cross my path. Yet as expected, the interior was chaotic, with all kinds of people frantically running around. Some were panicked, and their jittery motions were proof of that. On the other hand, I saw men and women were looked to be very calm, simply giving stern directions and orders to those that assembled before them.

“Alright, we are in a level ten situation! Someone has attacked our great tower and the intruder must be found now,” A woman wearing a masked demanded. “I don’t care if it takes you all day, turn over ever stone and piece of furniture that you lay your eyes upon!”

The Vae Staves precious headquarters must’ve been a place that’d never before felt the heat of battle right at their front door, for despite the fact that there was some organization, many of the mages weren’t working as a team to search for me. Everyone was running their own way, knocking down shelves, kicking open doors, and looking through any closed quarter area that they could find. Somehow, they hadn’t yet discovered my location behind a bookcase, yet I knew that eventually someone would. However, Tyranagogue and I had already established that there would be no hiding; as of right now I was breaking that agreement.

So, emerging from my spot, I hopped high onto the top of it, looking below at the hasty fellows. It was only until a gentleman standing at the stop of a staircase had taken notice of him. And as expected, he called out to all of his companions, alerting them of my presence. A cold fear washed over them all as they quickly turned in the direction that the one that’d saw me pointed to. With my lavender eyes, I locked into all of theirs, grinning while soaking in all of the attention.

“Well it certainly took you all long enough,” I chuckled, crossing my arms. “All of you could’ve been dead by now! Fortunately for you all, I’ve been kind enough to let you all live….that is, for right now.”
There was much tension as they all listened to me speak. Those afraid mumbled underneath their breath, while the bolder individuals either cursed at me, or attempted to strike me down with their weapons. Naturally, I ignored those who felt more comfortable slandering me, as I knew that their use of profanity was their only true weapon against me; they could probably sense my power. But for the others, I simply evaded their attacks.

The next level of assault for them was to finally use their magic. Many began chanting strange words, which made me feel as if I were the sacrifice of some evil cult. Colorful energy formed all over the place, whether in the hands, or around the body of these mages. Growing concerned, I prepared myself for whatever they could throw at me.
*Zephyriah, relax. These mages are not that strong.* Tyranagogue said with a nonchalant attitude.

“How are you so certain?”

*From my travels with Kaosi, I’ve come to develop superior knowledge when it comes to feeling out the strength of magic. These men and women can’t possibly be nothing more than initiates into the field of magic. Mere beginners who think that just because they know how to make themselves glow, that they can actually do some damage.*

“Is that so….Well, I think its about time I kill their confidence.”

It wasn’t long before these novices were done with their spells. Electricity, fire, water, and air seemed to be the elements by which these people would attack me by. Unfortunately for them, it wouldn’t matter what element or property they chose. None of it mattered to me.

“Come! I dare you all to give me everything you’ve got!” I screamed, taunting them to cast their spells.
Furious, the mages projected their respective spells at me, letting out battle cries of all tones and volumes. Yet before they crashed into me, I quickly formed a red barrier around my body, negating the spells as they hit it.

All watching were baffled as to how this all happened, and from the look on their faces, I could tell they were starving for an answer of some sort. But I would not make the error of giving them one, just so that when they were behind close quarters, they could devise some plan by pass my barrier.

“Since I’m a nice guy, I won’t punish you all for that act of stupidity. Instead, I’ll simply ask you all a question that I demand one of you to answer,” I said, letting the barrier die down, seeing as how there wasn’t anyone preparing to cast another spell at this moment. “I’m aware that somewhere in this facility, you all house a special garnet gem. I ask that one of you bring it to me immediately. If you refuse, consider yourselves dead.”

Nobody seemed to be moving, but it was more out of fear than in pure defiance. Their wandering eyes and involuntary shaking had taken over, but it was getting to the point of annoyance.
“I’m not going to ask you all again! SOMEONE BETTER GO GET ME THAT GARNET!”

“For an infiltrator, you’re not very quiet.” A mage said, emerging from a room some three levels upward. His hair was pure white, as well as his close, and by the way he stood, he somehow snatched the attention of the weaklings below from me.

“And just who might you be? Perhaps you’re one of the higher ups of this sorry excuse for an organization!”

“You could say that. But such information won’t matter for you soon. You’ve caused a great deal of damage to this tower in an effort to steal the garnet from the Vae Staves. I know not how you found out that we in fact had it, but it is of little concern. I will put an end to your task by tearing you to pieces.”

“Well I hope your power greatly exceeds the others!!” I hollered, dashing up one of the spiral staircases towards the white haired mage, eager to gut him like I’d done many of his comrades.

[Empyrean]

“How the hell should I know?” snapped Sanoë, her voice going a few octaves higher in spite of her attempt to remain calm. The sudden electric shock had zipped up her back like something swift and scaly, and as she turned in the direction of the blast, large segments of the Tower crumbled from the entrance and added to the mounting chaos. The red-skinned elf—whose appearance was just as startling as Corin’s had been at first—seemed to have disappeared into the veil of dust surrounding the entrance of the citadel of the Vae Staves.

The mages and sentinels scattered about the Tower square were evidently not accustomed to an assault on their stronghold. Some robed in violet and masked, the mages were dressed in a way that implied power and discipline, but in truth, they seemed very bewildered. The shrieks coming from the injured sentries and shaken spectators did nothing to calm Sanoë’s own distress; her stomach was turning slightly at the sight and smell of blood in the streets; she hadn’t thought she was that queasy. Then again, she had hardly thought she was liable to do anything she’d done so far that day, yet here she was.

She swallowed hard to avoid vomiting from the smell, and then realized Corin had left her side and proceeded quickly and determinedly toward the entrance. Sanoë’s stomach gave another uneasy turn as she automatically followed, unbuttoning her coat a little as she went; the thing just wasn’t comfortable when buttoned all the way down. What does he think he’s doing now, Sanoë thought tersely, eyeing the back of the hybrid’s cloak as she caught up to him, her stride faster than she would have expected. The activation of the tiger’s eye seemed to have heightened her physical intensity a bit, and the reaction surprised her. The thought that she hadn’t done her research properly on the effects of the black-and-gold stone bothered her, but only made her desire for knowledge stronger.

The shroud of dust had not cleared up when Sanoë caught up with Corin, who’d stopped in his tracks, pointing his revolver at the midst of the battle. The jeweler stopped a few feet behind him, folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow at his unusual behavior. Oh, are you going to make yourself known as well? That’s brilliant, really, they’ll probably think you’re with that red-skinned— Sanoë’s train of thought came to an abrupt stop as she observed the scene again; it seemed every occupant of the Vae Staves Order was running around trying to locate the crimson-skinned intruder. The sentries had left their posts at the doors…

Mutely, Sanoë sheathed her knife, moved to Corin’s left, close to the entrance of the Tower, and said in a low tone to the hybrid, “Corin, if you’re looking for an opportunity to get the garnet from them, it’s now. They’ll be occupied for quite a while, but if they ever get this wrapped up, security will be strictly enforced later on, and you won’t even be able to sneak in. If they catch you now, all you’ll have to do is feign confusion.”

Wondering if he would get angry at her next move, but, at the same time, not really caring, Sanoë walked swiftly up the cracked steps, fast enough to look harried, but slow enough not to look suspicious. She gave Corin one cryptic look, slipped inside the entrance and moved immediately to the wall, hoping to look as anonymous as possible as she waited for Corin. No one seemed to notice. It was surprisingly easy, and strangely thrilling, to be breaking into such a revered dwelling.

But Sanoë shook that thought out of her head. Such things would come back to kick her in the ass, and it was dangerous to underestimate the power of irony.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)


Corin nodded briefly. He didn’t like to say it, but it seemed that Sanoe was right. He could have waited there and attempted to make an ally, or he could have gone on farther and got the gem. With a bemused smile on his face, he looked up towards Sanoe now with a greed that belied any sort of gratitude he might have had towards the woman. “That’s a good plan,” he said. “Wouldn’t have thought you’d have been thinking that hard.”

It was a surprising turn as far as Corin was concerned. Never had he really thought that his reluctant accomplice would be coming to his aid in a time like this, when she might have been able to have flitted away back into the population of Larapool. However, the hybrid was smart enough to know better than to take this kind of an opportunity for granted. The powerful red elf was moving up the stairs with confidence, and if he was successful, he would have blazed a trail straight to the gem. Miscera’ Trel tower was a large and complicated place, full of wide, spiraling stair cases and secret chutes, and while there may have been better ways to sneak through the tower, Corin was adamant about the way he was going to go.

All along, it had been Corin’s intention that he would let the red skinned elf blaze the trail for him, and that he would have to do nothing more than walk through the embers. It would be completely blame free, he would have achieve a second crystal now without having to take a single sacrifice, without hurting anybody. Had he not been there, the crimson warrior would have decimated the Vae Stave initiates just the same. It didn’t matter that they now lay bloodied on the floor, motionless eyes glassed over, or that they would never see their families or the ones that loved them again. Death for them was inevitable, something that ordinary people had no choice but to succumb.

Corin though, was never going to settle for being ordinary, and he was going to get the garnets to prove it. In the hands of one like Sanoe, they were mere gemstones, nothing more or nothing less. Whatever magic she could get from them was almost negligible when compared to what Corin would use them for. Licking his lips greedily then, he began to head up the staircase following after the red elf. Alarms now were going off at regular intervals, and there were all kinds of screams. All emotions seemed to mix together in the air, practically drowning Corin’s plume filigree in the opus of a rampage. Not nearly the kind of music that the one time showstopper had sought to play, but it was the kind of music now that he needed. Smiling, he held his distance merely a few steps behind the elf, gun ready as he waited, knowing that the battle should end quickly.

“Any day but now,” the white haired mage now said, preparing for the dark elf by raising his glowing staff in preparation. “This was not the day to attack Miscera’Trel-” His voice tapered off seeing Corin, as his tone suddenly changed. He repeated himself, now sounding more mournful than defiant. “Any day but now.”

It made no difference to Corin, as the hybrid arrogantly pulled back the hammer on his revolver, biding his time before he pressed the trigger. He had only eleven bullets on him, and six in the cylinder, so he would have to make good use of the chaos all around him. After all, as long as it was the dark elf’s doing, Corin remained blessed with impunity. All around him, there might have been chaos, it was not a chaos of his doing.

Corin only intended to profit from it.

[Zephyriah]

Anybody that knew me knew that I despised those who stalled in situations that were inevitable for them. This imbecile white mage, standing serenely at the top of a higher level was doing just that, even though one would not be able to tell by his solemn attitude. Yet such was what fools did when they wished not to show their weakness. They constructed a façade, which sole purpose was to birth uncertainty in the minds of their opponent. However, this man had been dealt a bad hand. Unfortunately for him he was up against the greatest threat to Althanas to have ever come into existence; he was up against Zephyriah Ablione.

Or, at least that was what I assumed prior to him casting a concerned glance passed me. The look in his eye hinted at caution that’d fallen upon him. However, seeing this angered me, since he should’ve had such a look upon first laying eyes on me! What was it that was making him feel this way all of a sudden? But shortly after turning around to look in the same direction as the mage, I saw that a feline man wielding a pistol had made his entrance. “What? This guy has caused that mage up there to worry!? HA! What a joke!” The fellow was in no shape or form anything to speak of, save for maybe the attire that he wore. But as for carrying the image of an actual battler, he was far below the mark.

Knowing that because of the men and women that I’d put to rest many of the other inhabitants of the tower had acquired a certain level of fear for me, I felt it safe to take my attention away from the remaining mages and lay my eyes upon this fool that had the nerve to stand in the same area as me. “Just…who do you think you are to be standing next to me, you filthy leech,” I harshly questioned, sizing him up despicably as I felt no strength emanating from this gentleman at all. “Are you an admirer of me? Did you hear that Zephyriah Ablione, Shanleh’s Hero and Raiaera’s enemy has come to such lands? Surely that can be the only reason why a weak man such as you is here!”

Unlike others in the past that I’d put on the spot, I truly desired to hear what this man had to say, for it just made absolutely no sense how he could strike more concern in the mage than I could. However, my focus was once again quickly drawn back to those defending against my invasion. “You should’ve never turned your back on me, drow!” The white haired mage yelled, clenching his teeth while trying to maintain control of some spell that he’d managed to conjure up within the short time that I’d taken my gaze off him. It was hard to tell just what kind of magical attack he was forming, yet not only for me, but also for Tyranagogue who claimed that he’d never seen such a technique before. From out of the mage’s hands though, he let loose spiraling black and white energy. All his comrades present immediately leaped out of the way, allowing it clear passage towards me, as it shot down towards me.

“Hmph! Let’s see how nimble this cat-like man is!”
Stepping over in front of the gun holding newcomer, I spread my arms and straddled my legs, giving the appearance as if I were trying to protect him. Yet within about five feet of the mage’s attack hitting me, I quickly kicked off of a nearby bookshelf, flinging myself high over the swirling energy, leading towards its caster.
His face now, was much like I expected it to be upon his first glance at me; full of fear. It seemed that whoever was responsible for their battle curriculum though, had not informed them that physical strength was of great importance. Before me, the man was petrified, extending his arms forward in some pathetic plea for mercy. But I gave no such thing especially to those that at one time felt that they could take me on. No, this fool was going to suffer the same fate as his companions.

“How…how…did you…..leap…over…”

“It doesn’t matter how I did that,” I responded, cutting him off in the middle of his question, knowing what he was about to ask. “What only matters is that you get right with whatever god you worship, so that when I send your soul back to him, you won’t be a total disgrace, as you are before me now.”

“P…Please…spare me! I have a family!” He said, backing up while soiling his garments.

“Tch! And I’m supposed to care!? If they were here, I’d kill them in front of you! Consider it a blessing that they’re safe in their homes and away from this madhouse that I’ve created,” Sheathing Tyranagogue, I grabbed the user of magic by the arm. “You don’t deserve to be killed by my blade, you spineless coward! Fall down far below and lay next to your comrades!”

Without any hesitation, I hauled the man over the railing, letting him get a healthy dose of fear before his neck snapped upon an awkward landing.

[Empyrean]

Sanoë’s adopted mother had once complained that nearly every young man in the city had turned to the criminal life. Upon hearing this bitter declaration, a younger Sanoë promptly dismissed the idea. It was an enormous exaggeration on Jora's part. The young jeweler could admit that, yes, many people had indeed lost any sense of morality they had once had. Most of the once-promising youth or Arsal had gone to seed, but there was no way that every young man was wielding his own power so recklessly. Sanoë was convinced that there were still decent people in the world. That was the power of teenage youth - overconfidence to a fault.

However, passage into the real world will not let one escape unmarked, and the jeweler was no exception. The majority of people Sanoë saw as she paved her way into adulthood had taken advantage of their power and used it hastily to achieve their own desires. She could see immediately that Althanas was not much different; only the nature of the criminal activity was displayed on a much more advanced, and uncanny, level. Here, the weak seemed to be as powerful as those with power back home, and here, the powerful had abilities, appearances, talents, and personalities beyond the imagination of one so used to seeing the powerful prevail, such as Sanoë.

She herself was by no means powerful. She had an unusual talent and a way of seeing the true nature of the being behind the façade, and that was all. She hated, absolutely hated such blatant displays of dominance, and she had seen more than her fair share of it today. She was no less guilty as charged; she was constantly trying to overpower Corin, but never in the more violent ways that he and this Zephyriah Ablione seemed to prefer. It sickened her even more than the ubiquitous stench of blood in Antioch that afternoon. ‘Filthy leech,’ ‘weak,’ ‘spineless coward?’ Was this what humanity was reduced to? Nothing but the scum of the earth, mere refuse in the path of those who exerted power ruthlessly, as if it were no more than a child’s plaything?

She was beginning to see what her brother had meant in his letter. “How much more foolish can we become?....Is humankind so unbelievably arrogant that the only way to achieve satisfaction is the spilling of blood….?”

I have to be careful, then, she decided, her innards giving a horrible twist as the red-skinned elf hurled the white-haired mage over the side of the railing, even after the man had begged for his life. The jeweler heard a nauseating thud, and her stomach threatened to upend, so she clapped her hand to her mouth, both in shock and revulsion. Clearly, this haughty Zephyriah Ablione wanted to put that fear into the mage’s comrades, and, clearly, it was working. A few of the other mages shrieked, and others were more successful in smothering their shock and objections. A few ran off in different directions.

Sanoë’s headache was beginning to mount; there were so many tremors and sensations in the air that it would be next to impossible, at this rate, to find out where the garnet was hidden. The darkness in the air was not only the product of Miscera’Trel Tower, but now of Corin and Zephyriah. Seeing as she had not yet been noticed by anyone, the jeweler moved quickly and quietly alongside the wall until she reached the railing where the mage had been just moments before, and looked over its side. The man was sprawled across the dark marble floor, at the foot of yet another unending, winding staircase, his extremities outstretched in such awkward positions that it gave him the look of some otherworldly creature.

Unable to stare at his still, fear-stricken face, Sanoë concentrated on pushing down the bile rising in her throat. It was too much at once, and it could not go on for much longer. She felt a momentary stab of hatred in her chest, hatred for Corin, for going to such lengths for a measly jewel, hatred for Zephyriah Ablione for his arrogant disregard for life, and hating herself for even thinking of coming to the City of Infidels.

But anxiety quicky overthrew hatred, for hatred will not remedy anything. Sanoë gulped frantically, turned away from the horrific sight, and looked over her shoulder at the scene behind her, which was not much better than that of the white-haired mage. If she couldn’t stop this, there would be another murder in the next few seconds, whether it was Corin, Zephyriah Ablione, or the remaining mages. It was a desolate scene, especially in the wide, darkened halls of the blood-ridden Tower. Any one of the aforementioned inhabitants was likely to kill her if she made the wrong move, and Sanoë was not going to die by her own stupidity.

As she looked for a way out of this predicament, her eyes traveled down the length of the hallway opposite this one, and a much darker tremor registered itself in the jeweler’s mind, causing a weird vibration that raised goosebumps along her arms. The garnet was there, somewhere in the hall’s dark recesses, and it was close.

She looked at Corin, hoping that he would understand her clandestine look again, and made the slightest nod in the direction of the garnet’s location. If he had any sense at all, he would go in that direction, and not have to kill anyone, but knowing Corin, he and the red-skinned swordsman would undoubtedly battle each other for the jewel. If that were the case, Sanoë decided, she could go unnoticed to find the garnet and simply bring it back to Corin, and get out of this once and for all.

She knew, however, that Corin was unlikely to trust her, even though she had no intention of keeping the garnet for herself. She would not again put herself into harm’s way, not even for the main attraction of her trade.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



Corin, had only just about overcome his surprise at the dark elf’s amazing athleticism by the time that he saw the mage fall straight over the railing. Wincing as he heard the thud, the hybrid tried not to look, but there was just something about it that compelled him. He wasn’t sure what it was, either the fact that he couldn’t have believed it until he saw it, or because his guilt wouldn’t relinquish until he saw the body, but either way Corin stared down at the blank eyes of the mage, feeling like they stared straight into him. The man’s hair, once white, now was tainted pink from the blood that still spilled out from the back of his fractured skull. Biting his lip, Corin turned away, breathing more rapidly in frustration.

“These people have to make it so hard!” he thought. “Wouldn’t they know that just these things have to happen. I need these garnets, I have a family to protect and an entire lifestyle to safeguard. With all the suffering Rainee’s been put through over the years… bandits, the abomination, how could any of them say that she deserves to be put through any more?”

He bit his lip, knowing that while his true motivations might remain enigmatic, that he was not the cold hearted person that Sanoe likely thought it was. Not that her opinion should have mattered, given how insolent she was; but Corin had spent far too long as a rock star, catering for everyone’s approval and acceptance. Still, he found it easy enough to justify that had the sorceress met him not now but at one of his concerts, then even Sanoe would have realized what a good person he was. At least, Corin found that this way he was better able to rationalize his decision to himself.

At that moment though, it was neither Sanoe nor the dead mage that was Corin’s greatest priority. Instead, he needed to check the power of the crimson elf. Completely unaware as to what the man’s intentions were, the Corin knew now that he would have to act quickly if he was going to solve the issue.

Darting forward, he fired a couple of quick shots from his gun to clear himself from the line of fire now, as he ducked straight into a small room where he thought the garnet would be. Completely ambivalent to the desires of the assassin now, Corin fired a shot straight into the air with a greedy leer on his face.

“D-d-don’t shoot,” a mage shouted, horrified by Corin’s actions. “Everything in here’s flammable….”

With a smirk, Corin nodded, knowing that the grey smoke billowing out of the pistol’s muzzle must have then been incredibly intimidating to this stranger. “I’ll fire again if you don’t give my your garnet…” he said, in a voice that suggested there would be no negotiation.

The mage just looked around nervously. Vials and beakers of flammable liquids were bound to ignite at any time, killing them both if he wasn’t careful.

“L-lets- lets just take this easy, right?” he said, holding out his hands to try and find some way to calm the gunman.

[Zephyriah]

That rush had returned in me. That same rush that flowed through me while warring in the mountains of Shanleh. It was a beautiful thing to once again feel this way, mainly because my mind had been littered with thoughts that suggested that I’d lost my fiery edge. Tyranagogue was a large contributor of these thoughts as he was always one to tell me that I was becoming soft or that I’d changed. But with the damage that I’d done right here within the wall of the Miscera’ Trel Tower, not he, nor anyone else in the world could use those two words in a sentence with my name.

However, it wasn’t enough for me to stop here. No, this feeling was much too good to simply curtail the adrenaline rush. More blood needed to be shed to satisfy my craving. So, upon running down the stairs I hacked down anyone that’s sought to oppose me. Each swing of the blade splattered blood on walls, furniture, and other things of the tower. But, I soon found that this mindless repetitive act was striking chords of boredom in me. “Tch! What a waste of energy on my part! I need a real opponent. I need someone that will…..challenge me,” Collecting several bodies and piling them up, I climbed atop the apex of this corpse hill and projected my voice through the halls of the lobby area. “Is there not one person here that is worth my time!? Are you cowards really going to let me steal the garnet so easily!?”

There wasn’t any answer to my question, for those that still had life left in them either fled, or were too wounded to carry on in battle. In this silence though, my ears caught the sound of footsteps. Quickly, my head jerked in that direction and I saw the tail end of the feline fellow’s garments as he ran down one of the tower’s corridors. This was something that I found amusing though, since at one time he stood behind me, battling valiantly, despite his pathetic looks. But now, he was fleeing. The man must’ve either gotten cold feet, too scared to do battle with me to determine who the ultimate battler was, or he was searching for something else….

And then it hit me.

“No….he couldn’t be after the…..!?”

Without wasting another second calling out mages who simply wanted to hide, I chased after the pistol gripping man as fast as I could. I thought for sure that I would catch up to him, since my speed was beyond impressive; it was god like. However, much to my astonishment, the cat warrior was gone by the time I turned the corner of the hallway. “Where did he run off to!?”
Yet my internal inquiry was answered upon hearing someone scream, “L-lets- lets just take this easy, right?”

In a small room, filled with liquid filled vials and other things, I saw the gunman pointing his revolver at a quivering mage. Taking this opportunity to interject myself into the straining situation, I pointed my blade at the back of the shooter’s head.

“Your plans have been exposed feline! I know that you’re after the garnet!! But that stone will be mine whether or not I get to it first, or pry it from your cold dead fingers!”

[Empyrean]

“Oh my God, you’re both idiots!” screeched Sanoë as soon as both Zephyriah and Corin had left the room, the look of revulsion on her face replaced by one of frustration. How ironic, that her one respite from the day’s horrors was spent feeling more like a babysitter than an accomplice! The two men had just decreased their—and Sanoë’s—chances for survival with gunshots and blades, and it didn’t look like they were planning on changing their course. Life was far, far too cruel.

The jeweler scowled heavily at the hallway they had disappeared into, her head pounding and her innards turning fiercely, listening with growing horror as the red-skinned warrior took out any who approached and declared his superiority before the blood-spattered walls and fleeing, frantic mages. She had managed to keep from completely losing her cool, but on the inside, Sanoë’s panic was increasing rapidly—something she always hid with an angry countenance. If she could not remain calm, it was better to look enraged than frightened, for then at least she had the benefit of control. Control was vital in this situation; it was obviously something that both Corin and Zephyriah had practiced, and had now gained the advantage with.

Drawing in a trembling breath, Sanoë examined the hall for any entering mages or warriors, and then turned in the direction of the entrance to the Tower. If she left now, what would become of her? What would become of the mages of Miscera’ Trel? The Tower had had an impression of blackness, malevolence, emanating from its core, but surely the mages didn’t deserve to die. Not this way, not as trophies to the red-skinned elf, or as casualties due to Corin’s revolver.

Even if she could walk away from the mess unscarred and blameless, could she be honest with herself and say that she could not have done a thing? No, she thought, that would have been a barefaced lie.

She ran up the stairs, her breath becoming more and more ragged at each landing—the agility provided by the tiger’s eye was beginning to wear off—until she caught a trace of heated conversation, coming from a room off to the right. Moving quietly, Sanoë saw the incandescent color glowing in vials and glasses before she saw the mage trapped by Corin, who, in turn, was trapped by Zephyriah.

Wonderful. You just had to pull out the weapons in a small room.

From the mage’s nervous prattle, she gathered that if one move were made, this room, and the people in it, would not survive the blast. Her chest constricting with apprehension, Sanoë walked slowly along the side of the wall toward the mage, and glared sharply at the two men. Control. “Don’t be stupid if you can help it. If either of you attempt a fight, the room will be obliterated, and so will you.” As soon as she was close enough, she looked back at the trembling mage. “You’ll have to reveal the garnet," she told him quietly. "They won’t hesitate to kill you. Just show it and this will all be over.” She’d tried to sound considerate, but it had come out as more of an edgy instruction. At least, she thought, she hadn't said specifically whom the garnet should be revealed to. By then she didn't care who had the garnet, although she would despise herself if, in the end, it was in the possession of the red-skinned warrior.

I’m gonna get shot for sure. Or impaled. There’s a lovely thought.

“Just move a bit out of the way,” she said hastily, moving back towards the door, so that if she did get shot or slashed at, at least the damage wouldn’t occur to the flammable vials, in which case death would be imminent. She looked straight into a mirror as she ducked her head out of the doorway and looked into the hall. Color was burning in the jeweler’s cheeks and the blue of her eyes was startlingly clear in the midst of the flush. She did not look like a person in control, and the sight made her wonder, suddenly, if Zephyriah had looked into the mirror and seen a victor, or a slayer...

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)


Corin looked around frustrated. He continued to hold his gun in position, irritated that both the dark skinned elf and Sanoe had interrupted him. As far as he was concerned, while they both may have wanted the garnet, he was the only one of the three who truly needed it. Knowing now that there was little chance of him working out any sort of a negotiation against the dark elf, he could already sense the almost vitriolic sense of retribution that flowed through the assassin’s veins, Corin had to think fast. His finger growing increasingly uneasy on the trigger, his circular thoughts were only interrupted by the panicking mage.

“Just- just here…” he said, his hands fumbling as he reached into a drawer and pulled out the crystal. “Don’t shoot, you’ll blow the entire tower…” Truly, the nervous mage now hoped at least one of the three who had emerged into his laboratory had that much of an appreciation for their lives. Anyone who would charge their way into Miscera’Trel tower wouldn’t be a particular bastion of sanity, and the mage couldn’t help but to worry that any jittery action would cause the gun to go off or the giant adamantine great sword to create a terrifying spark.

“Lets just be calm,” he said. “Please… this garnet is going for a good cause.”

“Lets just be calm,” Corin replied, his voice coming up in a snide, nasaly tone. “Don’t try and tell me what kind of causes you have. You don’t know me! You couldn’t even begin to imagine what I would need….”

The mage now nervously placed the garnet on a nearby table, right underneath a small beaker of a bubbling red acid. Almost immediately, Corin smiled a wicked smile, one that was easily belied by the plume filigree. If the dark elf intended to make this situation more difficult than it had to be, then Corin would make sure to take care of it. All it would take is for him to reach for the garnet and instead of getting the stone, fling acid into his enemy’s face.

All he needed to do in the meantime was get rid of the other two people. Sanoe could easily slip away with the gem stone in the melee, and the mage’s actions were unpredictable at best.

“Sanoe,” he commanded in a stone faced voice. “I want you to escort the mage out of here, take him somewhere out of sight and make sure that he doesn’t get out. If he gives you any trouble, then you’ll have to kill him.”

With a smile that seemed almost bemused at the situation, Corin turned towards the dark elf. “This warrior and I have something to discuss before this entire place explodes…” he said candidly.

[Zephyriah]

The more the tension in this tower escalated, the more precarious it seemed things became. The vials neatly stacked in rows on long oaken tables rattled as if some tremor far beneath the lands of Antioch were upon us. Books fell out shelves with each the vibrations of those running above on higher floors made. Their footsteps were heavy, which suggested to me that those determined to end the life of not only myself, but also this feline character were in search of us. I could just envision them now—robed men adept in both the arts of magic and swordplay, busting open doors, hoping to locate us.
“Tch! Let them come! They’ll have death delivered to them just like their comrades had!”

It was strange, but even though I certainly did not fear battling those that I knew were coming, I did fear failing this mission when I’d promised Connor that I would succeed in it. He was such a nice man, and the only one who I really trust. He and his wife had my best interests at heart, and the last thing I wanted to do was return to them unsuccessful. Therefore, I vowed that I would retrieve the gem and destroy it, even if the end result stripped me of my life. But first, something had to be done about all these individuals, apparently after the same thing as I.

The feline man was accompanied by an intelligent looking young woman. She was quite attractive, but I despised her ever moment my eyes took in her image, simply because beauty and intelligence always produced cunning, conniving attitudes. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she wanted the stone for her own purposes, due to the way the woman’s attention sharpened when her ally demanded that the garnet be revealed. In no way could she use physical force to steal the stone, but I knew that close attention had to be paid to the woman, for the second I turned my back on her would be the second the garnet would be stolen.

Yet listening to the gunman as he spoke to me caused my attention to divide. “Oh, we have something to discuss do we,” I responded, yet making sure that my blade remained steadily pointed at the back of the feline character’s head, in case he tried to do something tricky. “As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that we need to talk about is how you’re going to leave this place while I obtain the garnet! Other than that, we need not exchange words.”

[Empyrean]

“I am not killing anyone,” said Sanoë nastily, fixing Corin with a good, stern Evil Eye, “So don’t even ask. Calm down,” she said to the shuddering mage in a tone much more benign than what she used with Corin. If the catlike hybrid was still around after the entire ghastly ordeal, she would be sure to exchange a few words of scrupulous choice with him, and there would be cursing.…ohh, would there be cursing.

So what if I got myself into this mess, thought the jeweler morosely. Better that I get in the way and lessen the damage than never having had a chance to stop them at all.

But the pang of anxiety in her chest did not decrease as the red-skinned warrior began to argue with Corin—both men far too overconfident, thought Sanoë—nor when the jeweler’s eye was caught by the glint of scarlet beneath the vividly colored vials. Spangles of red were cast about the room like stars thrown into the midnight blue. What little light there was pouring in from the windows bounced off the angles of the garnet. For only the second time that day, Sanoë felt the familiar jolt of desire creeping in amongst the fear and panic. It was a beautiful jewel, polished to the last cranny, and while she could feel the malicious tremors stemming from its core, she understood, for just a brief moment, the origin of its allure.

“Go,” she said suddenly, pulling the mage roughly out the door as harshly as she could, for the man was still bigger than she was. The man protested weakly, perhaps split between losing the gemstone and giving in to abject terror, but Sanoë wanted desperately to leave the room. She had lost most of her appetite for acquiring the garnet as soon as Zephyriah had blasted his way into Miscera’Trel Tower, and now that she knew for certain that there was something wrong with it, she didn’t want the damn thing anymore.

“Get out of here,” she hissed at the mage as soon as they were out of earshot. “If I can’t keep them from fighting, there’s going to be hell let loose in Larapool…” But the man had already scrambled off in the opposite directions, his robes flailing and looking horribly out of place in the darkened, deserted hall; for all Sanoë knew, he could have been running off to send reinforcements to capture the three still remaining in the building. Time was running out in too many circumstances.

The jeweler ambled back down the hallway towards the vial room, hoping not to startle either of the two men into assault, and stood quietly on one side of the doorway. Before she was in plain sight, she clasped her opal bracelets back onto her wrists and touched the fading tiger's eye to both opals. Any injury she might--and probably would--receive might be dulled by the opals. A stupid move, she knew, would determine whether she died today, and she refused to die so one of these two could claim a cursed stone.

“If both of you are quite done defending your superiority complexes, I suggest you take your fight away from the flammable glasses. This is not a smart thing to be doing.” Neither was insulting the men with weaponry, she admitted to herself, but it was only a slight sense of dry humor that kept her panic from rising to the surface again.

On that note, it was truly a shame, Sanoë observed, that even today’s handsome faces spent their time being robbers, bullies, and murderers. Zephyriah, who had admittedly striking features despite his abnormally crimson skin, and Corin, who might have been charming if it hadn't been for his tendency to rob and irritate people, could be doing great things with their power.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



Corin now had no option but to ignore Sanoe. She was just reaching a point of unreasonability with which the hybrid could no longer cope. Laden with the stress of the situation, for a moment of frustration he contemplated shoving one of the potions around him down the throat of the impudent sorceress, just to find some way to shut her up. It was a thought he regretted the moment after, surprised a bit at his own hostility, but in the situation, he was completely legitimized. There had been a large number of deaths already in the Miscera’Trel tower, and with the things at stake, it would be hard to imagine that Sanoe’s life should have been regarded with anything more than cursory attention.

“Do what I tell you,” he hissed towards her, pointing towards Sanoe with a revolver that had been waved around a bit too easily given the situation. “Next time I tell you something, it isn’t up for debate…”

With that direct, the hybrid turned to face the crimson skinned elf, his eyes narrowing and the plume filigree augmenting his visage to make him seem even more dangerous and unstable that he looked already. “If you’d like to fight in a place where a single bullet… a single spark set off is going to set the entire world on fire, then you’re more than welcome. Without this garnet my life’s up in flames anyways.”

He spoke this without any sense of context, and only with feigned sincerity. He coveted the gem stone enough to hold people up at gun point and to even now threaten the possibilities for battle against a clearly more powerful enemy, but there were definite limits to how far the hybrid was going to go. Nothing was worth him losing his life, Rainee would have never forgave him if he did.

“Now, I’m going to say this once again,” Corin said, clutching the gemstone so tightly that it was digging into his palm and making it bleed. “I have no tolerance now for anything and I’m definitely not playing around…” He paused for a moment, letting the more subtle sound of flammable fluids gurgling all around in beakers make their point. “I’m leaving now with this garnet, or the whole place is going to end up on fire…”

[Zephyriah]

Despite the rattling of the vials containing flammable liquid, the gut wrenching cries of those finding their comrades slain, or even the sounds of the blaring tower alarm, I was surprisingly relatively calm, especially after getting entangled into this fiasco. In fact, there was a bit of joy that I experienced with all of these present challenges, for I was so used to men cowering before me, begging for my blade to not strip them of their pitiful lives. Yet this woman and this feline individual could not be considered weak, despite their apparent lack of physical strength. Both were clearly sharp and cunning people, for any non warriors that could not only remain calm in such an ugly situation, but also didn’t fear using a trump card of sabotage, genocide and suicide deserved respect. However, the atmosphere for acknowledging their intelligence wasn’t right! I was on the receiving end of this bad situation, and there was nothing that I could do, even though I knew the woman and the revolver user would not battle me head on; the cat fellow threatening to blow everything up gave him and his assailant power in a strange sense.

My mind though would not cease in trying to think up possible way to counter the adversary’s methods. Everything around me could be used to my benefit, whether it was using syringe needles as darts or science books as objects to knock this infiltrator off guard, so as to close the gap in between us that he was now slowly creating. But, what would making any of this difficult was the fact that in order for me to put any plans that I thought about into motion, I would have to dash towards these objects set on tables. Doing so would take up far too much time and in those few wasted moments, the feline man would easily be able to put a few bullets in my back as well as escape. Yet even though he had every physical advantage covered, he had nothing when it came to psychological advantages.

“So, you’re really willing to risk everything you have for the sake of that garnet? Hmph! A foolish man you are,” Smirking, I cautiously moved toward the thief, yet making sure that I didn’t get too close, so as to not startle his trigger finger. “Just by looking at you, I know for a fact that this is something that you are not comfortable doing. I see no battle scars….no marks of valiancy. You have a sweet subtle smell lingering……the scent of a loved one perhaps? Could it be that girl you‘re with? No, her scent is somewhat different….”

For a moment, I almost made the decision to lunge forward and kill this man. But despite my observations something in me would not allow for such carelessness. He might’ve had other things on his mind, but he wouldn’t have come and endangered his life over a stone if it wasn’t of great importance. “Argh, why do I have to deal with a crazy idiot at a time like this,” Just then, a loud thumping sound rang through the entire room, almost as if more and more mages were ushering from unknown places in search of us. However, the thumping had knocked two beakers out off of a table at a far off end of the room, causing each one to shatter and mix their liquids. Immediately, the combination of the red and blue liquids had turned to purple, and then to a midnight black. From here though, wooden tables that’d been touched by the fluid had busted into flames. The popping and crackling of the wood caused embers to cling onto other pieces of furniture, which in turn set them on fire.

“This is ridiculous. First I have to put up with your nonsense and now I have to deal with this,” I said to the gunman while turning towards the exit of the room. “I’ll let you hold onto my gemstone for now, but you better be fast and really good with that gun! Can’t have you dying here and losing MY garnet, now can we?”

And with that, I ran out the room, ready cut down anyone who got in way, for under no circumstances would I let the rapid spreading fires claim my life.

[Empyrean]

Everyone encounters a time in their lives in which they are confronted with a difficult decision: more specifically, what would they do in a life-threatening situation? Well, of course, one would be clear-headed and practical at the time he or she is being asked, and would answer with something like, “Naturally, I would take a deep breath, calm myself down, and look for the closest possible escape route, down which I would proceed in a calm but quick manner.”

But how many people would actually avoid the danger in a calm and sensible manner? Maybe one or two, possibly three? Jeopardy confounds the mind and fear inhibits the senses, and with this handicap, it is nearly impossible to act upon one’s statement. Therefore, one must curse aggressively and run like hell.

This was, of course, Sanoë’s original inclination, but there were too many factors in the way this time. She wouldn’t take a deep breath or even attempt to calm herself down, though, but in a world full of idiots, one must try and be well-versed in subject matter.

“Corin. Before we worry about dying outside, let’s take an indoors death into considera—“ A pungent odor reached her nostrils, and Sanoë doubled over, coughing violently as the stink invaded her throat. After a near-death experience, the sight of dead bodies, and exposure to magic chemicals, her insides couldn’t have been in very good shape. Damnit. Still bent over, Sanoë shouted a broken “Come on!’ through her hands and moved hastily out into the hallway, where she coughed repeatedly until her lungs felt wrecked. She was so breathless, she had to rest upon the floor for a moment.

Drawing an unsteady breath and standing up straight again, Sanoë barely needed to glance into the laboratory to know that in only a few minute’s time, it would be destroyed. Smoke of an odd, indiscernible color was spiraling out of the doorway and obscuring the windows, and the sound of a flame snapping and crackling into life was dwarfed only by that of shattering glass as more vials fell. And then, with a frightened jolt, the jeweler remembered Corin’s warning; a single spark set off is going to set the whole world on fire.

Without a word to the hybrid, Sanoë set off at a panicked run down the hallway in the direction she and Corin had originally come. There were still bodies lying on the floor, and though the jeweler felt a twinge of sickness in her stomach again as they caught her eye, she couldn't afford to trip over the lifeless limbs jutting out in her path. Out of the corner of Sanoë’s eye was a high window with the glass blown out from the earlier explosion; the sunset had been eclipsed by the walls of the city, and the first traces of blue night were starting to show. The City of Infidels was never quiet, but even what little relative peace it might have achieved in the stillness of night was destroyed in the wake of such chaos in the Tower.

Sanoë didn't even notice if, perhaps, Zephyriah had been running down an opposite corridor, or if he had even seen her as she darted down the hallways, but she sincerely hoped that she wouldn't catch any sort of glimpse of him until she was well out of Larapool. She would have prefered the same luck with Corin, but it was unlikely that she could outrun either one of them.

The jeweler skidded to a stop as she came to the doorways near the entrance. Rubble blocked a considerable portion of the doors, stone and splinters and cement, things that couldn’t be moved with bare hands. “Shit!” hissed Sanoë under her breath. Pulling one of her knives from its sheath for the second time, she called back up to Corin, although there was only a remote chance that he could hear her. “Corin—help me out, here!”

She drove the knife behind a chunk of what had once been part of the ceiling and tried to push it away from the pile, grunting loudly with her effort. She tried in vain to ignore the part of her mind that was waiting for the imminent explosion from the laboratory, and hating herself every moment for having snuck into the Tower.

[Empyrean]

(The following post was written by Showstopper)



“There are more gems if you come with me,” Corin said, figuring that there would be something that he might be able to give this dark elf in order to make him happy. If necessary, the hybrid would kill this newfound foe, but at the very least for the moment, he now provided Sanoë with someone else that she could worry about. Licking his lip, Corin knew now that he could balance the threat.

Still, the most important issue was taken care of now. Corin shoved the garnet into a pocket in his robe before heading out of the tower. The first moment that Sanoe would occupy the dark elf enough to give enough security, the hybrid would go and look at his map and figure out where it was that he needed to be going.

“I don’t want to keep picking up another treacherous ally though every single place I go,” Corin thought snidely, especially if every one he met was going to be even more threatening than the last. Having ignored the jeweler for a while now, Corin suddenly noticed that she was calling out to him in need. For a moment, the hybrid thought that he shouldn’t just try and find a way to slide out from a higher window and leave Sanoe to what would be quite a deserving fate given her arrogance. However, Corin needed to balance against his threats, and he didn’t doubt for a moment that the dark elf would follow after him.

Anyways, this way if Corin managed somehow to make Sanoe think he was the less threatening of the two men after the garnet, she would also take his side. After all, Corin had promised her some spoils once they were done. Originally, Corin had said it purely as a lie, but now he figured that he just might have to make her happy.

“Here,” he said with a grunt, as he shoved his elbow straight into the mess of debris that had collected before the entrance. It didn’t budge. Corin shook his head, heaving out another frustrated sigh about everything he had to put through just to be able to defend his family. However, there was an opening about fifteen feet up in the air, and Corin figured that was the faster way out.

Looking at Sanoe, the hybrid then grabbed her up by her shins, slapped her over his back like she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes. Without saying another word, the hybrid then moved out from the opening, escaped up through the flames and then set the jeweler down.

“See,” he said, giving a smile that would have likely seemed as endearing only in a very eerie way. The thing was, that it looked so incredibly sincere that had it come from another person other than the hybrid that had put a gun to her head, it would have seemed almost congenial. “You’re safe now.”

Corin now watched in anticipation, hoping that the dark elf didn’t come out too. Knowing that it would be a good idea not to try and flee, the hybrid couldn’t help but feel eager about it.

[Zephyriah]

Hack, slash, kick! Slash, hack, punch! Kick, punch, hack! With all of these basic attacks, one would’ve assumed that I knew not another move. However, that was all that was needed when weaklings donning colorful robes and such, jumped in my way, serving as pitiful obstacles in a pathetic attempt to stop me from leaving their tower. Obviously none of them had taken the time that they had away from me to flee home and cherish what sense of family they had back there. These idiots were more focused on performing their duty, even if death was inevitable.

Certainly though, I didn’t have a problem giving them what they wanted. In fact, I still felt like an artist with an indescribable passion to paint the obsidian walls in red with my aesthetic tool. Much more satisfaction would’ve flourished in me though, had the carpet that stretched through all of the hallway floors wasn’t already red; my work could not be seen when blood was clashing up against such a bright color. Yet I suppose there wasn’t too much time to be concerned over minor issues like that when the building was turning to ashes with each passing moment.

Unlike any other time where I was somewhat connected to other people, I actually turned back in the midst of my slaughter fest to see if the woman and the feline man were following close behind. But much to my surprise, these cretins were nowhere in sight! “If he thinks he’s going to pull a fast one on me, he’s got another thing coming!” Screaming, I turned in the direction in which I’d come, anxiously searching for the one called Corin. Neither he nor his friend lingered around the room that’d been the cause of this inferno. Faintly, I could smell traces of the perfume the woman wore, but it mixed into too much with the smell of burning carcasses and mortar. Fortunately, not much effort was needed to find where those two had run off to.

At a section in the hallway there was an opening that looked too suspicious. It could’ve been caused by some desperate mage trying to escape, but it was highly unlikely. “If this guy escape through here, I’m gonna……”
An explosion from another area sped my hesitated progress, as I went through the hole following the path until it led me out of the tower. About fifty feet away, I saw both the woman and Corin, watching the burning building as if it were fireworks. Many brave men from all directions came with hoses, buckets of water, and anything else they could use to put out the conflagration. Using this as distraction though, I snuck up behind the woman and placed my sword to the back of her neck, much in the same way I’d done to Corin back inside.

“Don’t you dare move,” I said to the woman’s ear while looking at the feline male. “Now, I don’t know why you both tried leaving me inside to die, when I was actually trying to help you guys get out. That’s not very kind of you two. But do you know what I do to unkind, UNGRATEFUL people like you both? I cut them limb by limb! And since I have this lady here at my mercy, I think I’ll start with her.”

Reaching to snag the woman, I tightened my grip on Tyranagogue, getting ready to thrust the sword through her back once I grabbed hold of her. However, just as my fingers went to wrap around her neck, one side of the building separated from the other, falling down in our direction.

With haste, I ran as fast as I could away from the flaming part of the tower, jumping out of the way in order to ensure my own safety. Yet as for Corin and the woman, their fates were unknown to me. Regardless though of what happened to them, I just hoped Corin’s pouch was in tact so that I could reclaim what was rightfully mine.

[Empyrean]

Standing in disbelief among the carnage and remainder of a once majestic, if morbidly so, citadel, Sanoë felt something entirely new rising in her chest, constricting her throat, and making her eyes taper in an unattractive squint. It was a feeling she had felt only once in her life that she could remember vividly; a time when she was only a toddler and had passed from the only familiarity she had ever known into a stranger’s arms. It was a feeling she despised, because it reminded her of how human she was, and she would never be immune to the tendencies and failings of humanity, no matter how she tried.

She felt the need, horribly, to cry.

It was awful to feel so vulnerable, girlish, even. She didn’t want to hear sob stories, and she didn’t want an excuse to have one of her own to tell. She had spent too many long, mind-numbing days listening to customers’ sad tales of broken hearts and lost innocence, had used all of her effort to stand there, deadpan, as women cried and men stared broodingly at the ceiling, had become an expert at resisting the words, ‘Get over it.’ She was proud of having been impervious to those maddening faults. It was her skill, her nature to be practical! Why was it coming down around her now, of all times?

Guilt, of course. There was nothing like a side dish of guilt to go with one’s daily serving of chaos. I had a hand in doing it, Sanoë made herself admit. Along with feeling physically sick at the encompassing sight of bodies, she saw, in the middle of the blood soaking their clothing, what might have been--the lives that might have gone on. She saw, without the aid of an extraneous gemstone’s power, that those caught in the collapse on Larapool’s streets, even the mages with immoral intent, had died only trying to save their own lives or someone else’s. There had been fear in their hearts; it shone on their blank, dead eyes, on the faces of those running away now, it was in the white-haired mage’s quavering voice as he plunged to his death…

Grabbing the sides of her head with trembling fingers, Sanoë sat down on her heels and tried frantically to think. I can’t be like this, she decided, swallowing frequently to stem the flow of tears. It’s done with. I can’t do anything about it—I can’t run off and seek revenge. I’m not—I can't be—a hero. That’s not my job. Looking up at the crumbling building and its scattered inhabitants, she felt somewhat more relieved. It’s not entirely my fault, she realized, and stood up again with more of her usual vigor.

Still disconcerted, she looked over at Corin to avoid the gruesome spectacle in front of her and to see if it had had any effect on him. Apparently, it had not. He certainly hadn’t lost his cool when they were trying to escape—no, he’d even had the gull to pick the jeweler up, sling her over his shoulder headfirst, and carry her out. Of course, she had still had her wits about her, so she had replied with what response was due in such a situation: ‘Thank you. Don’t ever touch me again.’

In what would befall her next, however, she had no preconceptions or plans. As she stood there and watched the Tower deteriorate, she felt cold metal on her skin, accompanied by something damp. Her first inclination was to shrug the coldness off her neck, but she stopped and flinched as soon as she heard the voice behind the bloodied sword. Anxiety and anger mixed together as she listened to him, convinced that this time, she really would die, and she braced herself to move if he made any sudden movements. Thankfully—or unluckily, depending on one’s perspective—the Tower finally began to cave; it tilted dangerously toward them and the fear-stricken bystanders, leaned, and finally, with a cavernous groan, began to topple over—in their direction.

Sanoë’s relief at having the sword removed was only brief as she watched the half of the Tower falling in suspended time, it seemed. At once her brain caught her, and screamed to run. “Corin, come ON!” she shrieked once, and then began to run again, no thoughts of the hybrid in her mind except, I can’t be the hero.... She could be fast when she wanted to be, but there was still the danger of falling debris. Putting forth what remaining effort was left in her, she dove forward in a burst of speed as the final explosion hit her ears.

The jeweler tumbled into an alleyway one street away from the Tower, skinning her right knee through her pants, as the wall fell with a thunderous crash. She would have examined her knee more thoroughly--she could tell just from a quick glance that it was spotted with dirt and would soon bleed--but her eyes caught Zephyriah only feet away from the alley, and her mind filled itself with absolute fury. Standing up unsteadily, she advanced on him where he stood, the crashing and screeching in the background only fueling her temper.

“You!” she spat, stopping a few feet away, aware that the size of his sword was just that length, and could easily spill her guts if she came closer. “Don’t even think that you can talk to me about being ungrateful! You have no respect for life, how can you possibly think so highly of yourself?! Do you remember what you did in there?!” By now she was shrieking as she gestured angrily toward the collapsed fortress. “I don’t know what sort of shit runs through your head, but don’t spew it out at me!”

Sanoë thought briefly of punching or slapping him, but decided that such tactics would be overkill. She would save that opportunity for later.

[Zephyriah]

The Thaynes must’ve of had their gaze upon the land of Larapool this mid afternoon, amidst all of this destruction for the forces of nature which followed shortly after the sounds of intensified screaming, hastened footsteps, and undying flames was nothing other than cold rain. It was a wonder to behold, for it came not from heavenly, lily white clouds as in spring showers, but thick, dark, ominous gray clouds. Had I not known better, I would’ve thought that the lesser Thaynes of this land had orchestrated this beautiful massacre, only to have the unpleasantness of their work wash away with the storm brought forth.

Yes, a recap on all the events that’d transpired almost made me think that the fact that I did not possess a gem yet was of little importance. But with the emergence of this annoying woman, seemingly having followed me into an alleyway, she reminded me of everything that I’d yet to accomplish. What made matters worse though, was that she felt empowered to kill my brain cells with her foolish drivels of morality; her speeches of what was right and wrong in her eyes. Truly, such words though could only come from the mouth of one whose dainty hands never gripped a weapon, in order to survive. “Spare me your nonsense and keep your mouth shut woman,” I calmly said, taking an old rag of mine and wiping my blade clean with the aid of the rain. “You’ve seen some things that you aren’t used to seeing so you’re a tad emotional. That is perfectly understandable, but if you want to live to spit out children and see your breasts sag, you better lower your tone. That is the only warning I’m giving you.”

Larapool’s authorities were leaking out into surrounding streets with each passing second, heading to the fallen tower to see if there were any survivors. They were being good lap dogs so such an investigation was necessary. However, not only was it highly unlikely that many survived the crumbling of Miscera’ Trel, but also, I always did a job thoroughly, especially when it was given to me by those I greatly respected. But, the difficult component about any mission like this was the escape. I’d sought not to tarnish my reputation in Antioch, but after doing something like this, I knew that such a hope was lost.

“Alright, listen up woman. You’re in the thick of things now whether you like it or not. Whatever life you lived in this city is completely gone, so your best choice would be to come with me to friend’s house. But don’t get me wrong. I don’t really care about protecting you, but since you seem to have an infatuation with collecting stones,” Tapping her pocketed belt, a grin found its way across my face. “I’m sure there is much that you know that can be discussed with my friend, perhaps like what kind of power it actually holds.”
Opting to waste no further time in this alley, I slowly walked ahead, albeit it sneakily, trying my best to remain casual yet cautious in this chaotic environment. On top of that though, I had to keep a close eye on my new traveling partner since it was widely known that women resorted to crafty, creative measures of escape when completely overpowered by strapping men.

“I don’t wait too long for women, so you better start walking on pace with me!”

[Empyrean]

(Bunnying to the docks approved by Zephyriah.)


The mounting dam of frustration in the jeweler’s mind was just about threatening to crack open and overflow. The man gave her a torrent of grievances to add to her already impressive litany for the day. At each word he spoke, her mouth dropped lower and lower until it was practically hanging askew. Shut her mouth? A tad emotional? Spit out children? See her breasts sag?

Apparently, Zephyriah Whoever-He-Was had no idea how to talk to women, much less one like Sanoë. Sanoë was the boss. She was supposed to be the boss. The jeweler had never been spoken to so disrespectfully, not even by the rudest customer. What an embarrassment. Far more than twice that day, Sanoë had been taken out of her rightful place; she had been rerouted, instructed, aimed at, and swept off her feet—in the most unpleasant way. A cold pit formed in her stomach as the familiar anger began to sweep away common sense. “Excuse me?” she started, only to be interrupted by the sudden onslaught of officials running through the streets, and an ominous clap of thunder as rain began to dampen her clothes, already disgustingly saturated with sweat.

Larapool was a mess, rectified only by the tardy efforts of its militia. The rainstorm, at least, had been of some help in the officials’ labor in putting out the massive range of the fire. Multihued coils of smoke were still rising from the wreck the laboratory now was; the lab itself, it seemed, had been cleaved in two by the impact of the blast. The demolished Tower did not look quite so desolate and daunting now, not with its innards displayed to the public after such a destruction. In fact, it looked rather miserable, indeed—what had once been a focal point of the City of Infidels lay trashed and singed. Passersby were running for shelter from the rain, and the remaining members of the Vae Staves order were climbing awkwardly about the wreckage, looking for signs of any surviving mages or valuables. It made Sanoë sad to think that such an impressive building had been reduced to this rubble, and even sadder to see city officers and mages digging into the hallways still intact. What a pathetic attempt—even if Miscera’Trel were to be rebuilt, it could take years to duplicate its eerie majesty. The jeweler glared openly at the arrogant red-skinned elf, as though this fact was his fault.

Which it was, of course. It felt good to place the blame on someone else.

“I don’t live—” began Sanoë, about ready to put her previous idea of physical injury in effect as Zephyriah tapped her belt, but shut up as soon as she heard the rest of what he had to say. Was she really in that much more trouble than she’d thought? And who was this friend of Zephyriah’s who knew so much about the two garnets Corin had claimed?

If he were anything like Zephyriah, the jeweler had a feeling she didn’t want to meet him. But she certainly was interested in the source of this mess.

Corin. She suddenly remembered the hybrid, whom she had lost sight of in the collapse. She looked around, then, as if she might suddenly see him step out of the air into the alleyway, but there was no sign of him. What little pity she had, she felt now, thinking that even if Corin had survived the collapse, he would not have come after her. He would have gone back to his—probably—imaginary wife. Sanoë looked now at the elf again, watching him leave the alley. He’s right, as much as I hate to admit it. I don’t know any way out except with him.

She reconsidered, however, when he told her to keep up.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she responded furiously, following him anyway.

She didn’t want to follow behind him—she’d had enough of being commanded. She didn’t want to walk in front of him, either, and deal with the same tension as she had with Corin on the way to Larapool, and neither did she want to risk the elf’s intermittent tendency to point his sword at people’s backs. So she compromised by walking next to him—but with more than two feet’s distance between them, determined not to say a word to a man she despised even more than Corin himself.

----

The part of Larapool that Zephyriah led her to was a breath of fresh air compared to Miscera’Trel. Sanoë had held her breath—figuratively, of course—ever since they’d started walking away from the caved-in citadel. It had surprisingly easy to appear nonchalant, and now, as they approached Larapool’s docks, a shiver ran up Sanoë’s back again, but this time it was from relief rather than apprehension. She breathed in deeply—the pollution she knew so well in inner cities was lost here. By now, it was well into the late night, but the cover of darkness did not diminish the beauty of this almost country-ish side of Larapool. The water was magnificent under this midnight light, even with the moon nearly eclipsed by the thinning rain clouds.

A rickety-looking little house sat parallel to the water’s edge. A man sat outside in a wooden chair; an elderly sort of man that the jeweler would have expected to go to bed much earlier. Recognition—and a semblance of worry—spread across his wrinkled features as Zephyriah approached the house. She assumed the man to be Zephyriah’s ‘friend,' and much more pleasant-looking than she had imagined. Sanoë stepped ahead of Zephyriah to address the man, wanting very much to get back at the elf for what he'd done.

“Sir,” she began, with as dignified a tone as she could muster, “I’m sorry to intrude on your residence, and so late at night, but he will explain that for you,” she continued with a slight jerk of her head at Zephyriah. “My name is Sanoë Teriades. Forgive me for being forward.” She stretched the syllables of her name, preferring to tell a stranger her name rather than the red-skinned elf.

[Zephyriah]

The golden rule was utterly shattered by this stupid woman, at this juncture. In her foolishness, she opted to open her mouth, letting her untamed tongue utter introductions to Connor at an inappropriate time. She was fortunate to have the elderly man greet her kindly, especially since we were still on the run, evading persecution in any way possible. However, how long our luck would last was questionable. Larapool was known for being a city where word traveled fast, and if too much information was given away in an open setting, ones doom would come quick like a thief in the night, as there would surely be someone lurking in the dark corners of alleyways, eavesdropping. Some, to describe the city’s uncanny knack for spreading word have even suggested that perhaps the walls themselves had ears of their own, forever listening to the conversations taking place within its territory. I’d preferred to believe the former, even though the latter was more entertaining. “Ugh, yes, I’ll explain everything Connor,” I said, rolling my eyes, agitated that the night would most likely not permit Sanoe’s eyes to see my indignation. “Please forgive this idiot woman though for speaking too much. She obviously doesn’t know that any weasel could be tuning in to our conversation right now. There is much to discuss, but it would be better if we could talk inside.” Old man Connor chuckled, sensing the anxiety that not only ran through the jewel collecting female, but also me as well. He was an old soul that’d lived a long life filled with many joys and many hardships; there weren’t too many things that could disrupt this tranquil disposition.

The rocking chair had oddly been creating sounds rhythmically flowing in tune with the wind chimes hanging from the edge of his roof made. Melodies on quiet nights like these were always something that his wife enjoyed, so much so that it put her to bed like tales of a good bed time story falling on the receptive ears of a young child. Connor wished to keep his loving wife asleep, so instead of abruptly severing such sweet tunes, he gradually brought his rocking to a halt. Motioning for use to follow him in, I took the lead this time, making sure that the presumptuous woman did not do anything before me again. “Take your shoes off when you step into this house, don’t be a barbarian.” I whispered to Sanoe, upon looking down at her unappealing footwear.

It’d only been several days since I first left this house, yet everything seemed much older looking to me, as if it had aged a decade or so. Part of the reason could’ve been that the place wasn’t as tidy as usual. “Connor, is something wrong with the Mrs?” The old man knew what I meant by this, as he watched my eyes scan the disheveled magazines, clothes, and books throughout the living room.
“She’s been a bit tired of late, mainly because of the mage soldiers that keep coming by inquiring about the garnet. They’re very confrontational, and Rebecca isn’t like that.”

“They’re still coming around!?” I asked, yet quickly covered my mouth as I realized that my question had come out much too loud.

“Well, the last time they came by was about last week or so, just before I sent you off to Miscera’Trel. Speaking of that,” Connor pulled up three chairs, and sat down in one of them. He scooted closer to me and brought his already low voice to a whisper. “Did you destroy it? Did you destroy the garnet like I asked?”

“Heh, about that. I ran in to some difficulty. At the tower, I ran into this woman here and another cat like man. Apparently, they both had identical gems. I was on my way to getting both though, but that was before we had to evacuate a crumbling Miscera. The feline man was separated from us, obviously taking his stone with him. However,” My eyes set on Sanoe as the hand that’d killed many slowly slid down to Tyranagogue’s sheath. “We could get a stone right here and now. I’ll make it a painless kill. The Mrs. won’t even hear it.”

“No, Zephyriah. I’ll give the lady a chance to explain herself and tell me why she’s gone through such great lengths to get one of the garnets,” Connor then sat on a nearby chair and propped his legs up on a lamp stand. “You’re on.”

[Empyrean]

The temperate colors were the first things that Sanoë noticed when she entered the house, surprised by the inviting atmosphere in the unstable-looking home. Even the moonlight filtering in through the window didn’t diminish the warmth of this mild little house. Sanoë would have expected it to be far less peaceful, what with its position between the raucous Larapool and the hectic docks. The inside of the house was modestly furnished with plain—but comforting—looking furniture. Connor’s walls were not graced with the finery of inner-city housing, nor were his rooms as luxurious as the councilmen and socialites Sanoë had seen every day going in and out of in the Assembly House back home. In this feature she found the appeal—it reminded her strongly of her own house, which was even more modest and unfurnished than this one. But it was a home—and the same odd feeling lingered in the pit of her stomach as her eyes took in every detail. It was only when she sank down into a chair next to the two men that she realized how extraordinarily tired she was.

Rather than spouting off insults to Zephyriah again, the jeweler felt her cheeks growing hot as Zephyriah told her to take off her shoes. She hadn’t realized how presumptuous she’d been to confront the old man in front of his own house. She was usually much more respectful, particularly to her seniors, but pride had prompted her to outdo Zephyriah. But still, she shook the thought away like an old cobweb, admitted the slight she had committed, and convinced herself of her own blamelessness. She bent over in her chair and untied her boots, set them on the floor beside her chair, and tucked her feet under her robe and her chair as much as she could. It was a strange custom to remove one's footwear indoors, she thought. Where she was from, one did not take off his shoes in a stranger’s home, or in anyone’s home except his own—not unless the two were well-acquainted and didn’t care either way. She made a mental note to let Zephyriah know that whatever he might think barbaric was probably considered normal in her home. And how dare he tell her not to be barbaric!

As if he had read her mind, the red-skinned elf attempted to intimidate her again with that hefty sword of his. You and your “I’ll make it painless” and “Look at me, I can kill!” Sanoë thought sourly. She wondered just how a pleasant old man like Connor and an imbecile like Zephyriah could have been in on any sort of scheme together, but before she could ask, Connor intercepted Zephyriah's death threat with a request: explain.

She pursed her lips together before she could think of anything tactful to say. “First of all, I’ve had enough of your empty death threats,” she said quietly but firmly to Zephyriah with an irritated glance. “Secondly, I don’t have a garnet--not anymore, anyway, and I didn't go to any great lengths to get it for myself.

“I arrived in Alian’s Thumb this morning,” she began, trying to fight off the wave of exhaustion about to swallow her. “My brother Eliot sent his last letter to me a month ago, saying that he was here, but so far I’ve found no trace of him. I did, however, find a garnet almost as soon as I stepped off the ferry. I work as an apprentice to a jeweler, and part of my work involves locating raw gemstone by way of magic.” She had been tentative about explaining the details of the type of magic she dealt with to either of them, but the damage was done.

“I was working on polishing the garnet when a man named Corin asked me if it was for sale. He gave me no last name and kept trying to haggle, and his stories tended to change. I refused to sell, so he pulled a gun on me and took it. According to him, there were more garnets in Larapool, and he told me there would be other gemstones he could give me after he went there. Well…I wasn’t about to let him go off and leave a promise unfulfilled, so we went to Larapool immediately.” Sanoë refrained from mentioning the fact that she’d stupidly agreed to go with Corin. Better not to give Zephyriah more incentive to describe in excruciating detail how much of an idiot she was.

“When we got there…he basically said he planned to steal the thing. I didn't want to help him in any sort of robbery, but I figured he might force me into doing it. And I would have been lost in the city without a guide, so we were going to climb into Miscera’Trel when a certain imbecile blasted the building open.” Let him object to that, thought the jeweler. “Both Corin and Zephyriah were after the same thing, so there was a—an especially...big bit of conflict,” she finished lamely. Connor and Zephyriah may have been friends--something that still puzzled her--but she would rather the kind old man didn't hear the gruesome details of the elf's entry.

“Corin ended up claiming both garnets, and since those two were moronic enough not to notice the flammable vials, Miscera’Trel is now a mountain of debris, Corin may be dead, and thanks to both of them, I may be considered a fugitive. All of that chaos and I didn’t get a — a single thing.” She stopped herself before her tongue slipped too far. If shoes were considered impolite in the house, then curse words most definitely would be.

As Sanoë fiddled with the deep blue fabric of her robe, she felt something damp on her leg. Shifting the robe slightly, she could see the blood--still clotting--covering her knee and reddening the edges of the large hole in her pants. Further inspection revealed other little tears in her clothing, and several long scratches on her arms. The braids that usually kept the hair out of her face were almost completely undone. Repressing another string of curses, she looked back up at the expectant Connor.

“And I am rather tired of being threatened with an imminent doom today. That, I think,” concluded the jeweler in a tone denoting the absolute irony of the situation, “is quite enough for my first day in Althanas."

[Zephyriah]

Sanoe had left, leaving tension lingering in the stale, sea scented air of this house by the docks. Quietness dominated the atmosphere shortly after, with Connor and me simply staring at each other. Surprisingly, I was relaxed, not even upset in the least bit with the human’s statements. Perhaps if we were still back at the tower, in a hostile environment, things would’ve been different, since I wouldn’t have given the time needed to understanding her, like I’d just done. That’s not to say though, that after our few dialogues that I acquired this deeper knowledge about her. No, all that merely occurred was a scratching of the surface; a glimpse that showed me her toughness and straight forwardness.

“I like her,” Connor finally said, getting up from his seat and making his way into the kitchen where he made himself a cup of tea. “Want some?”

I kindly declined with a gentle wave of the hand. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I actually like her, but she is a great deal more tolerable than I’d originally thought. At first, she struck me as some regular annoying broad that lusted for perilous adventures. Any woman could venture into a hostile place such as that tower and make it out of there with the ability to still be able to put a sentence together deserves my respect.”

“Indeed. She has much of the qualities that my own precious Rebecca has,” A starry eyed look came upon the old man, as he looked out of his window and into the moonlight, taking a sip of his tea without any caution for its hot temperature; some how he didn’t burn his lip. “Zephyriah, you’re truly blessed to be at such a youthful age. Don’t waste your youth like I did.”

“What do you mean?” I asked hesitantly.

“Look, I’m not trying to judge you or anything, but you should evaluate your life, and what you’re doing with it. A man will always reap what he sows.” Connor spoke no more of the issue, giving me a look as if trusting that I knew what he meant. Strangely I did, but I didn’t let him know that. However, it did make me think about my actions. All of the families that I’d made husbandless and fatherless; there inevitable pain hadn’t even crossed my mind. How would I feel if a loved one of mine was murdered at the hands of some blood lusting barbarian, brandishing his sword with no care at all? What if that person killed was my own mother?

I didn’t want to think about what I’d do to that person, nor did I want to think about someone else having hateful, vengeful feelings towards me.

“Old man, I think I’m going to get some rest. God knows I need it.”

“Hey, let the lady have the bed in the guest room. You sleep on the floor.”

“Are you serious?” The solemnity of Connor’s face though told me quite clearly that he was. Grinning, I bid the good elderly gentlemen farewell and proceeded to go to the guess room where I could gather my things and relocate. But as I made my way up the stairs, listening to the quiet creaks of the wooden steps, I heard a collection of voices coming from the outside. The volume at which my ears picked up these foreign sounds suggested to me that they were approximately fifteen feet or so away from this humble domicile. Normally, something like this wouldn’t have bothered me, but their low tones were belligerent, and the clanking of metal on them could be heard.

“No............soldiers!” I immediately ran back into the kitchen area, where Connor was finishing up his tea. He immediately sensed my uneasiness.

“You look like you need a bed time story to put you to sleep.”

“This isn’t the time for joking! We’ve got to get out of here now! Soldiers are approaching!” To verify my claims, the old man stealthily moved up towards the window, pressing his body to the wall, seeing the men advancing.
“Hmm, there’s about twenty of them. Never had this many come to visit me,” Reaching into a cabinet directly below the sink, Connor pulled flintlock pistol. “I guess its time to repay them for all the times they wrongfully trespassed on my property.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t have time to play the ‘hero’ old man! You have to get Rebecca out of here,” I pushed him in the direction of his wife’s resting quarters. “Get going!”

“Wait, Zephyriah, wait! There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Whatever it is, make it quick! You don’t have that much time!”

“The last garnet…..I know where it is. Because I know of the immense power that they have collectively, I had entrusted one of them to King Bantor of the Khorians. Go to Khoria and ask for the garnet. Tell him I sent you.”

“Alright, I’ll take care of that. Now go and wake up Rebecca and get out of here!”

The old man finally did as I asked. The Mrs. was quite groggy, not knowing what was going on. But with three loud bangs on the door, she’d become fully alert. “Connor! Sir Connor, open up! We have some questions to ask you regarding a red elf and a female human,” When there was no response, they banged another three times, only louder. “Sir Connor, we know you’re in there! This is the last time we’re going to be polite! Either you open up, or we’ll force our way in!”

They possessed more patience than I’d originally thought, for they waited about half a minute before armored elbows started shattering windows. Rebecca screamed at the alarming sound, yet Connor stayed calm and focused on getting his wife out of the backdoor. I wanted to follow and offer protection, but the old man demanded that I provide cover for Sanoe; he said that he would do fine in protecting his woman and that it was my duty to do the same for mine. I certainly passed off that comment, but did follow his instructions and found the jeweler.

“Hey, pick up your crap and let’s go,” I was tempted to grab her wrist and drag her along, but refrained from doing so out of respect for her. “Things might get tough so I hope you’re used to my ways by now. If not, then you soon will be.”

[Empyrean]

(Bunnying approved.)

The jeweler had vacated the room in the space of five seconds after finishing her little speech, but not quickly enough to miss the expressions on the men’s faces. Feeling vaguely victorious and not really knowing why, she allowed herself a small smile as she moved through the sitting room in the back. Quite honestly, she hadn’t left out of anger. The room had suddenly felt too small, the air too stale; that was all. She felt suddenly as though it took too much effort to draw breath into her lungs, and stepped swiftly outside when she saw the cherrywood door and the thin screen door behind it.

Sanoë breathed in the salt and wind of the docks before she had time to examine Connor’s backyard. Althanas itself might have left something to be desired on the subject of morality and the human consciousness, but when it came to the outdoors, no continent was more blessed. What little grass there was by the Antioch docks almost looked as though it had been rained upon recently, or was that merely the effect of a bright half-moon and stars? Whatever it was, it looked brilliant in the late night hours. The sea itself was a masterpiece, a vast, silvery ring around Antioch that reminded her strongly of an opal disc, or the flattened piece of lapis still sitting atop her desk at home, unfinished.

A sudden image rose up of Jora the night before Sanoë had departed Arsal, the city she had never left before yesterday. Jora, round and stern and wise and tender all at once. Eliot, always the idiot, offering her a pint of ale (which she continually and staunchly refused), but an affectionate one all the same. Too often, Sanoë had shrugged off their displays of warmth toward her, unsure of how to accept them. She felt like a fool when she couldn’t properly reciprocate everything Jora had given her, but Jora had always understood. Eliot too, though not quite as well.

And then, harshly, violently, arose in her mind what she'd seen in Miscera’Trel, the mages, the majestic tower itself; the white-haired leader, Corin, Zephyriah; each one more distinct than the last, and each one a stark reminder of what she had witnessed and what made the world as unforgiving as it was. All those people….

Sanoë folded her arms, and then drew in a shuddering breath, feeling the awful sting beneath her eyelids coming up again. She blinked hard and held her head up to stem the flow before it started. She hated that stupid feeling; it wasn’t her at all! She despised silly sentiments without reasons. She felt more frustrated than ever but was unable to rage loudly for fear of waking up Connor’s wife. “Shit. I hate this, I hate this…” She aimed a low kick at the stone step beneath Connor’s back door.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten that she was shoeless, and shrieked aloud as she hopped up and down on one foot. Obscenities, this time more creative than before, tumbled out of her mouth once again as she sat down to nurse her toe and put on her boots, which she’d grabbed before leaving the living room. Damn it, that hurts….I need a day off. A day just to sleep. I’m sick of this little escapade.

Her bitter monologue was interrupted by a strange, ominous sound; the shifting of metal on metal, the clicking of pistols, the clattering of swords. And the loud voices demanding something of Zephyriah’s friend, Connor, wasn’t it? Only the voices were calling him “Sir Connor.”

An anxious chill danced up her spine, and when her boots were on, she stood up slowly and stood still, listening to what snippets of dialogue she could catch. “…open up! We have some questions…..elf and a female human. Sir Connor….this is the last time we’re going to be….up….we’ll force our way in!”

And then her heart felt as though it had dropped into her stomach when she heard the breaking of glass and the shriek of a woman, an older woman. “Damn it,” breathed the jeweler, plastering herself to the brick wall of Connor’s house. She was vulnerable out here.

Zephyriah suddenly came out the back door, alarming Sanoë. “Hey, get your crap and let’s go.”

Despite the situation, annoyance still flared in Sanoë’s mind. “Oh, are you going to kill me on the road? And where are we go—” Thought he interrupted her, she balked a little at his next words. She didn’t want to get used to his ways, least of all soon….what was going on?

At the sound of a shot ringing out in the night, she bolted at the same time Zephyriah did, her entire body erupting in goosebumps, expecting to be shot in the back at any second. Even while running, Sanoë could hear what was happening in Connor’s sitting room. “I heard voices, other than yours!” insisted the louder voice angrily, most likely belonging to the soldiers’ captain. Connor made some indistinct reply, sounding a lot more docile than Sanoë herself would have been in his situation. The older woman she’d heard screaming was pleading—Sanoë couldn’t stand the fear in her voice, knowing that it only increased her own. She chanced a look back as she and Zephyriah rounded a corner.

The old woman stumbled outside where Sanoë had been only seconds earlier. Connor stood in front of her, aiming and firing two swift shots at the limbs of the soldiers rather than their chests. The jeweler had to admire the old man’s surprising skill, but she did not have long to admire. She ducked behind the side of a building on the docks before the soldiers could spot her gawping at them, but peeked around the side.

“CONNOR!!” the old woman cried as her husband crumpled to the ground. The jeweler had mistaken the shot for one fired at the soldiers, and watched in obvious horror as the soldiers—those who were uninjured, anyway—seized the old woman and her husband’s crooked body, dragging both around the outside of the disheveled house and out of sight. Whatever gruesome things they were going to do with the two of them, Sanoë didn’t want to know.

“He’s gone,” she said blankly, more to herself than Zephyriah. She looked at him with panic still etched into her expression. The realization hit her hard, then--their one bastion was dead, and they were in deep, deep trouble. “We should be helping her. They didn’t deserve this, they didn’t do anything—we should have helped her!” Before she knew what she was doing, she took hold of the elf’s shoulder with her right hand, feeling not at all like herself. “They know who we are now. What in hell’s name are we supposed to do?”

For what was probably the first time in her adult life, she didn’t know.

[Zephyriah]

With each inhalation and exhalation, my feet slapped against the ground repetitively. Arms pumped just as hard, allowing me a more powerful and effective stride as I led Sanoe away from Connor’s shack. However, she wasn’t nearly as fast as I was, and thus causing my head to turn towards her and glance in a continual fashion in order to make sure that she was within distance. For the most part she was, but I could tell that her slower pace was in part due to her concern for the old man and his wife. Admittedly, my thoughts rested in the same realm of concern as hers did, but under no circumstances could I let them dominate and dictate my every action. Even when the gunshot slashed through the air, causing all nearby birds to flap their wings and disperse, I couldn’t be my normal self and let revenge take hold; Connor gave me instructions and I would see to it that they were carried out.

The docks were quite long and there were many shops that could provide us temporary asylum in their short alleys. Instinctively, I dashed for one while taking hold of Sanoe’s hand and pulling her into the safety of the shadows. This though did not produce any bit of content in me since I wanted to get to Khoria as fast as possible while sparing my blade any more of human’s crimson liquid in the process. But in all of my anxiety something of great importance came to my attention; something that frightened me more than any mage squadron.

“It’s location. I don’t know Khoria’s location!” My eyes rested nervously on Sanoe. Her pale face splashed with the faint rays of the moonlight and the darkness of the shadows didn’t allow me to truly get a read on how she felt about this. Not that I was concentrating too heavily on her features, but usually when looking at someone, I was always able to tell how they were feeling.

Perhaps though, my own fear was blocking me. Could it have been that I was losing my edge? The brave soul that set me as an elite warrior above the rest of Althanas so called warriors? These foreign feelings occasionally stealthily invaded and attacked me, raising all sorts of doubts and terrors within my mind. But always, the realization of who I really was and who many knew me as would prevail.

“Get it together Zephyriah! Calm down and just think for a second.” I lowered my head, letting more of the alley’s shadows wash over my face, while I tried to reestablish a mental state of tranquility. Several minutes of turmoil went by before I finally relaxed and thought of a solution to this dilemma. “I got it,” I said, turning towards Sanoe. “Hey woman, since you’re an expert jeweler, or so you claim, I need you to tell me how we can find the last garnet. You somehow managed to find one of them before, so do whatever it is that you did the first time so that we can find the last garnet. Since it’s in Khoria, I figure that if you can locate the last gem, then we’ll know how to locate the place.”

[Empyrean]

The location of what? Of Khoria? What in the hell is Khoria? Isn’t there anything helpful you could possibly say other than the name of some goddamned country? Where in the hell is Khoria?!

The fear was too much. It was destroying her practicality and dispersing it amongst the birds.

The jeweler exhaled heavily, as though she were releasing a hundred burdens along with her breath. It had only been one day since she’d last seen Jora, one day since she’d been in Arsal; a day and a half since she’d last eaten or slept or been in the company of people whose characters didn’t run toward the occupations of murderer, robber, or militant.

She wasn’t sure whether she missed the company or the sleep more.

She ran her white, trembling fingers through her hair—which had finally come completely out of its braids and lay messily about her shoulders—and resisted the impulse to shriek. Normally, she was good at keeping her flaring emotions under wraps, working at her problems in her head like a child trying desperately to solve a large picture puzzle. This time, however, there was no time to pick at every detail. There were too many pros and cons and ups and downs and god knows what else; she had to try to push every horrifying image out what had happened—and what might happen—out of her head. The scattered shouts of Larapool soldiers sounded not too far away. She felt sick to her stomach.

Even the red elf next to her seemed to be getting uncharacteristically nervous. For a moment, Sanoë was relieved of her own edginess by marveling at this bewildering new development. While it was comforting to know that someone else was in the same emotional dilemma, it was unnerving to see the arrogant Zephyriah losing his confidence.

Fortunately, his lapse in character didn’t last long, for he seemed to calm down and collect his thoughts; unfortunately, the solution came rather unpleasantly. “Do you hear yourself?” snapped the frustrated young woman. “What is it with you all here? Do you always just issue orders like it’s nothing?” She threw her hands up and groaned in a forcibly restrained sort of way; the soldiers had not yet left the vicinity. She turned again and looked irritably at the red elf out of the corners of her eyes. “There’s no other way out of here than through this Khoria, I assume. I don’t know any other way. So I’ll look for the stupid garnet—but until you give me my name back and stop calling me ‘woman,’ I’m going to ignore the fact that your name is Zephyriah. So you can get used to it just like me, boy.”

It gave Sanoë a sort of vindictive pleasure to deliver a verbal blow to Zephyriah as she walked carefully out of the alley, but the frustration lingered. She realized then that she had never before said his name, a name that felt alien on her tongue, and had not heard him use hers, either. The idea only added more bitterness to her mood, though she was finally able to deal with spite rather than panic. She wasn’t entirely sure that he was younger than her, or young enough to deserve the title of ‘boy,’ but he acted uncannily like her younger brother.

There were no soldiers in the immediate area, but Sanoë still ducked behind the other buildings on the dock. Her dirty coat blended oddly well with the gray-black grime spattered across the alley walls that she stopped by; she had a clear view of the ocean, and was not too far away from the red elf.

Dropping down to sit on her heels, the jeweler drew a hasty circle on the sandy concrete, and another inside it, then traced the inner circle with her index and middle fingers. The circle began to glow, a soft blue color that, hopefully, wouldn’t draw too much attention. Drawing the lapis lazuli from the many-pocketed belt once again, she dropped it into the third shift of the first level and watched that particular section smolder with red-white light, and then dissipate into the mellow cerulean blue. That would clear her mind a little—she couldn’t think of anything she needed more at the moment.

Sanoë picked the lapis up abruptly from its spot in the Empyrean Table, her fingers warmed by the power radiating from the stone, and put it back into a pocket on her belt, but continued to watch the circles. The Table was feeling out the ground around it, just as she had instructed, but as the spangles of blue and white light danced around the darkened alley, she realized that the Table seemed to be unsure of its decision. The most activity—symbolized by the light emanating from the circles—seemed to be in the northeast corner.

The jeweler’s light blue eyes followed the slowly-forming trail of white and blue lines jumping across the surface of the docks, past the buildings, onto the sand….into the bay? Her eyebrows arched in confusion. Garnet was not native to the water. Maybe it’s caught a tremor all the way across to the rest of the peninsula…. But no, that wasn’t right, either; the stream of light ended just past the docks, where the shallow water and deep water met. Looking back at Zephyriah, she gestured toward the water and whispered, “There’s something out there, but I’m not sure what. You’d better come with me.”

With that, she made her way from one dock house to the next, using the cover of night as much as she could. She could still hear the frantic commands being issued by the commander, and they were getting closer. It didn’t help that the night sky was beginning to vanish in anticipation of the coming morning sky. All too aware of the diminishing amount of time left before they were caught, Sanoë kicked off her boots as soon as she stepped onto the sand, wrapped the bottom half of her robe around her waist, and rolled her pants up to just above her knees. She knew she looked ridiculous (and felt almost naked without the jeweler’s robe around her ankles), but in these dire circumstances, she made herself forget such trivial details.

Shivering at the shocking cold of the Antioch bay around her feet, the jeweler waded into the water, trying frantically to keep her clothing from getting wet and hating everything at the same time. When she had reached the spot that the Table had singled out, the water now sloshing around her knees, she made the same gestures she had used to activate the Table in the alley. The effect was the same—or, it was, until the Table formed its two circles in the water. The spot in which she stood glowed with the same white light—then seemed to spark, falter, and zigzag like a wild electrical current. The circles disappeared, and the entire bay in front of the docks began to show the same eerie white light. Something beneath her feet—no, the very ground itself — began to shudder.

She stumbled backwards a little, part of her robe dampening. She told her feet to move, but there she stood, rooted to the sand and stuck like an idiot without the knowledge of how to begin swimming. She stared at Zephyriah, puzzled and alarmed at the same time. “What’s going on..? What isthis?”

[Zephyriah]

I don’t know why, but upon seeing turbulent waters engulf the woman by activation of the strange white light, panic set in me, and I lunged forward to save her. My hand latched onto several strands of hair, but momentum was in no way in my favor, for the violent ocean had ensnared me as well, pulling me down into the aqua deep. Our world, filled with the colors of the docks and various surrounding establishments had not remained so vibrant, for our eyes were subject to witnessing an eerie blue of all creatures of the sea. Whitish blue bubbles were the extent at which the hue of the aquatic environment would change. Perhaps it was because of the speed at which we were being tugged that this was happening; the answers could not be found in my mind. However, that was the least of my worries. Despite all of my talk about getting to Khoria, I too had no idea where it was, or what kind of people lived down there since this after all was my first venture to Antioch. Anxiousness brewed in me just as it brewed in the woman.

Or rather, Sanoe. Yes, that is the name that she wished to be called by and rightfully so. She’d done nothing wrong to deserve the type of attitude that I’d been giving her. In fact, she had proved to be more useful than the feline fellow was for the brief time that he was in my presence. He had only wished to escape with the garnet and leave the rest of us in that cursed tower to burn until our melted remains fused with the earth. However, Sanoe set aside her fury and frustration and actually talked us out of destroying each other; a commendable act indeed, especially for one having to deal with me for an extended period of time. One thing did strike an unsettling chord in me though. Those drawings that she made on the ground resembled signs that my father had shown me in a book when I was just a boy. He would say, “Damnable witches dabble in such despicable crafts! Zephyriah, you will one day take my seat of power, and along with exterminating the foul beasts of our surrounding area, you are to exterminate those possessing the dark arts.” I was just a young, battle hungry trainee at the time and didn’t quite understand what my father had meant. Now, it all makes sense, but I’m not so sure I’m willing to carry out that age old order.

The rough, invisible force eventually eased its fury and tossed us in an open plain; something that would be the underwater equivalent of Corone’s countryside. The only difference here was that some fifty feet north of our position was a gate that seemed to stretch across the plains for miles. Oddly, we were held by gravity and could breathe; two things that were illogical underwater. Yet once again, this was a phenomenon that I could not comprehend.
“Is this the place…..Sanoe? Is this….Khoria?” I asked, honoring her request to be called by her actual name. However, before she could answer, two guards glided our way from the gates. They were strange individuals, for they had a human form but possessed scales and fins.

“Who are you two and how did you get down here!?”

I clearly didn’t know the answer, but I opted to speak up first before their impatience propelled them to become physical.

“Uh, we came from Antioch. We are looking for a precious stone that belongs to our friend and—”

“What precious stone!?” One of the merman soldiers interrupted, stepping closer with his pike.

“A garnet.”

By the look on the faces of the guards, I wondered if it was wise of me to tell them the truth. Their faces contorted slightly as they stared at us in rage. Hastily, one of them charged at me and knocked me down, burying my face in the surface of the deep. Both my hands were forcibly crossed behind my back and bounded by the soldier as he dragged me to wherever it is that he desired to take me. By this awkward position that I was in, I couldn’t see what was going on with Sanoe. Normally I wouldn’t have cared, but for some reason I found myself growing increasingly furious. Was I perhaps growing soft?

[Empyrean]

Mercifully, the world had stopped spinning. But Sanoë still felt like she was going to be sick.

She remembered a feeling of being embedded in the bedrock beneath the sand of the Antioch bay, being unable to move. She remembered seeing Zephyriah running toward her, his hand outstretched, and then she was pulled down under the waves, but much deeper than a bay was supposed to be…

But she couldn’t remember having seen the likes of such a world before.

As though someone had grabbed hold of her ankles and pulled hard, the jeweler’s body was propelled downward into the deep. She felt as though she were suspended in time – even normal bodily functions like breathing and blinking seemed to cease. She couldn’t feel anything other than the tension of pressure against all sides of her body, her arms thrashing wildly to try and reach the surface, couldn’t see anything other than darkness with a hint of blue, sometimes interrupted by blue-hued creatures zipping by.

Just when she thought her lungs would split open from lack of air, Sanoë was thrust forward, as though she were spat out by the indiscernible force that had forced her down into the ocean. Her body rolled onto the sand, and there she lay, breathing hard and cradling her head in her hands as she waited for her vision to stop swimming and her stomach to stop protesting. She heard Zephyriah asking her something from a few feet away, but the jeweler only moaned irritably and lifted her head.

She opened her eyes. From behind strands of her disheveled hair, Sanoë could see more sand, stretching for a long distance and sloping gently past craggy cliffs and reefs. Above her, there were miles and miles of blue – not just the dark she remembered, but fields of light blue, ocean blue, royal blue all merged together. Black, pearly gates went the length of the horizon, behind which stood a tall, white city. The colorful things she’d seen before swam every which way – thousands and thousands of sea creatures.

She sat at the bottom of the ocean, sitting in water but held by gravity and breathing air.

Her mind reeling at the prospect, Sanoë drew in a shuddering breath and waved her fingers experimentally in front of her face. They moved normally, though it felt as though they had slowed down a bit, like her fingers were sifting through flour. Her mouth slowly fell open in awe as she imagined her next letter to Jora: “Jora, you’ll never believe me, but I can breathe underwater.”

She heard struggling. She sat up too fast, her body swaying as it tried to adjust to slowed motion. Two men had overtaken Zephyriah, and one was busy tying his hands with thin rope. The other had crossed over to Sanoë in the blink of an eye and dragged her upright.

“Get off me,” she heard herself snapping. Zephyriah was obviously trying not to give up without a fight – she could see him trying to look back at her. “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded of the soldier binding her wrists. He shoved her forward, but Sanoë found new strength to speak in her anger. “He didn’t do anything to you, where are you taking us?”

Her captors ignored her all the way to the gates.

------------------------------

They were mermen, and their people were the race of the ocean, as Sanoë soon learned. The men and women of Khoria moved as though they were gliding, walking as though they were on ice and could move a few inches further in one step. Their skin was pale and tinted blue, more pearly than sickly-looking, made brighter by their vivid robes and dresses. Scales ran up their legs and arms and necks, and tiny fins stood along their joints. Their hair was dark and streaked with white, their eyes so varied in color that Sanoë imagined she was looking at a pair of jewels every time she looked into someone’s eyes.

She certainly had enough opportunities. The inhabitants of Khoria-city certainly weren’t all that used to outside visitors (which had been made obvious before, of course), and stared shamelessly as the two Khorian guards dragged Zephyriah and Sanoë through the crowded streets. Whispers made their way to Sanoë’s ears, some in her language, others in a foreign, rippling tongue she couldn’t understand. Her body was still adjusting itself to the new environment, but Sanoë had enough strength to try and retain her dignity as their captors led them toward an enormous set of marble stairs.

The palace before them seemed to be made entirely of marble – or rather, white and multihued coral, like most of the buildings standing tall around Khoria. It was more elegant than any government house Sanoë had ever seen, and hardly as daunting. In fact, it brightened up the already exotic surroundings.

However, Sanoë felt nothing but anxiety, and a lingering anger, as the Khorian guards shoved their hostages up the wide steps.

------------------------------

“This is bullshit,” she said candidly as soon as the doors closed on them. The guards were surely just outside the stylishly-carved doors, but that didn’t stop the jeweler from spewing her frustration.

“We get pulled down into the middle of nowhere with no idea how it happened, and they arrest us! And now we’re supposed to wait for someone to tell us what idiots we are for daring to come to his city? What the hell happened to democracy, honestly? God…”

She sat forcefully into a navy blue, embroidered chair, folding her arms angrily. She didn’t know precisely what else to say to Zephyriah other than diatribes of politics and fairness. He’d obviously tried to save her back in Antioch, and had failed, and after finding a new outlet for her anger, Sanoë couldn’t exactly hate the red-skinned elf. All she could do was stare at her hands, painfully aware of her disheveled hair and torn clothing. Her boots were still sitting on the beach near Larapool.

She heard footsteps just then, and a double set of doors swung open to admit a tall, muscular Khorian.

He would have been portly if it weren’t for the muscles, but all the same, he was a captivating man. Across his broad chest was a plated sort of armor made of what looked awfully like bones, artfully arranged alongside shells. His robes were just as vivid as the ones the commoners wore, but embroidered with an expensive-looking trim and a few gemstones that Sanoë recognized. He wore his dark, graying hair long and looked at the two people in his office with bright blue eyes.

“Well now!” he said in a booming, almost jovial voice that made Sanoë jump. “It’s certainly been a while since we had visitors of such interesting….stock,” he finished wryly, eyeing Zephyriah’s red skin and tapered ears. “I’m sure my men have told you what to expect…so what exactly brings you here?”

[Zephyriah]

Any warrior would say that the one thing that they despised more than anything was being held captive. It was degrading, and gave an extreme amount of power to the abductors, who reveled in the fact that they could inject uncertainty in their prisoners as to whether or not they would make it out of their grasp alive. Such was obviously the situation with regards to Sanoe and I, for we were unjustly seized and brought before the leader of the Khorians. That all too familiar urge the slay my seizers and this hideous gray-haired fool in front of me was growing rapidly. It would've been a simple task due to the fact that for some strange reason (or maybe they were just stupid) they hadn't disarmed me. Surely they didn't know who I was! I, Zephyriah Ablione the master swordsman hailing from the Rune, Corone could in no way be matched when it came to swordplay! These scaly monsters swam around with their pikes and other ridiculous weapons as if they were adequately equipped to deal with a threat such as myself. Indeed they would find out that I wasn't just the average warrior.

But, upon the Khorian leader opening his mouth, I found that my anger was simmering. He spoke with excitement, as if he weren't dealing with prisoners, but with friends that he hadn't seen in a long time. Had I not known any better, I would've anticipated the fellow lunging over the table to give both Sanoe and I a heart warming hug. Truly I was caught off guard by this individual's reaction, which in turn prompted me to inquire of his behavior as well as our current situation. "Its amazing that you're offering us the opportunity to explain ourselves," I said, ripping my arms from the uncomfortable clutches of one of the mermen captains that'd obviously been afforded the duty of protecting the Khorian King at all times. He'd sought to regain control, but the gray haired leader waved him off calmly. "We were told to come here by a certain friend of mine by the name of Connor. I'd met him recently, but we grew very close in a short amount of time. He asked me to do him a favor which was to retrieve these special garnets from the hands of the Vae Stave Mages of Larapool, Antioch. However, during our....'adventure' there, we'd only managed to acquire two of them. The mages as I'm sure you can imagine, weren't too pleased with us breaking into their tower and pilfering their prized possessions, so they tracked Sanoe and I, and found us Connor's house. Much transpired at that kind man's house, but the end result was that he and his wife were killed. He informed us that you possessed the final garnet and said if we came here and asked for it, you'd give it to us."

The leader of the Khorians had closed his eyes as if in deep mediation before opening them once again to address us. There was no hiding the fact that he was deeply hurt by the news I'd relayed, for his hands began shaking, and a saddening look appeared on his face. He rose from his chair and moved several feet to the left of his position, come to a coral file cabinet. Pulling the handle of the top drawer, he reach inside, only to take out the last remaining garnet. It seemed to sparkle more so than the other two that we had, as if it'd been sanctified and made pure in a time long passed. "Connor was a very dear friend of mine, and the only human who I trusted my life with," The merman fellow paused to gather himself before continuing. "I will be more than happy to give you two the garnet, but only under one condition."

Once those last five words fled his lips, an involuntary sigh escaped my mouth, for I knew that 'under one condition' usually meant that some near impossible, life threatening task had to be performed. "What do we have to do........." I replied apathetically.

"Oh, its rather simple actually. See, Ulroy Aquaslasher, my top General in the Khorian Army has asked for my daughter's hand in marriage. Naturally I replied favorably seeing how on countless occasions he'd valiantly protected my people from enemies. When I told my daughter Sylvia she was ecstatic, for it turned out that she always had a secret crush on him. This of course made arrangements all the more easier, since I didn't have to apply any fatherly tactics of coercion to get her to accept General Aquaslasher's proposal. Everything was going so smoothly that is until.......a rumor began to spread around the city." It was strange, but the leader's face was turning a bright blue color. Instinctively, I clenched my fist, unsure as to what was happening, but quickly lowered his head in shame. "Is that how mermen blush?"

"I'm sorry you two, this is rather embarrassing for me to talk about, but I really need your help. Some idiot has spread a rumor that my precious Sylvia had slept with him some few nights prior, and its been the talk of the town. Reporters and such have been trying to get in contact with me, no doubt to ask me stupid questions like, 'How will this affect the soon-to-be-marriage between your daughter and General Aquaslasher?' They already know how it will affect the marriage! It won't happen if my Sylvia's name isn't cleared! Ulroy has already told me that doesn't desire to be with a woman who cannot remain faithful to him. And ever since Sylvia heard those comments, she's been doing nothing but crying in her room. Please you two....help me!"

I turned to Sanoe, and then back to the Khorian leader, with a countenance of utter bafflement. This individual was near breaking down into tears in front of us over this petty issue between his daughter and her future husband. The sight was actually quite unsettling for me, since I'd never seen a leader of any city or country behave in the manner that this fellow was behaving. "Pull yourself together," I scowled, not being able to take this sight of weakness any longer. "You're the Khorian leader, and this is how you act!? Pathetic! You might as well roll over and die you disgusting weakling!"

"Hey, how dare you talk to King Bantor that way!!" One of the mermen soldiers yelled, seeking to raise his pike to my neck. However, before anything violence could take place, the King leapt over the table and separated the both of us.

"Stop! This is about my daughter! I will not have violence in my chambers," The fool was now officially sobbing. "Please you two....you have to help me clear my daughter's name. This is all I ask from you."

"How are we supposed to do that!? What, do you want me to find the guy that'd been spreading these rumors and bring his head to you?"

"No, no, no. It would be much too difficult to find out who had spread the rumor. This is Khoria my good man. Gossip runs rampant here. What I need you to do is.......is........"

"Spit it out!!!" I screamed.

"I need you to pose as the guy that'd spread the rumor about sleeping with my daughter!!"

"..................................."

"And I need your friend here to pose as...........your true lover so that the General will accept my daughter's hand in marriage once again after realizing that my daughter sleeping with someone out of wedlock was entirely false!"

".................................................. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!!??!?!?!!!!! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE EVEN ASKING ME TO DO!!!!?!?!!?!? THIS IS BY FAR WORSE THAN ANY BATTLE, ANY WAR THAT I COULD'VE EVER TAKEN PART IN!!! SURELY THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS!!!!!!"

"I'm sorry, but it's either that or no garnet. Please though, for the sake of my daughter, do consider doing this. I mean, you both are from the surface world so it would be believable..........right?"

[Empyrean]

Sanoë’s pride had been tested that day.

It had been tested when she was forced to return something that had rightfully belonged to her, even though it turned out to be something dangerous. It had been tested when Corin had asked her to scale the side of Miscera’Trel Tower and help him steal the garnet. It had been tested when her only option was to follow a man she hated, when all she wanted to do was strangle him.

She would have preferred any of that, anything compared to what King Bantor had just asked her to do. This was a test of her pride that she was sure to fail.

“Hell no, it wouldn’t be believable!” answered Sanoë at once, shoving herself out of her seat to stand next to Zephyriah, her pale hands balled into angry fists. “And you,” she snapped suddenly at the irate, red-skinned elf. “Stop your screaming before you get yourself decapitated.” She jerked her head at the aggravated-looking merman standing just behind Zephyriah, looking about ready to shove his pike down the elf’s throat.

She couldn’t blame him, at first, but from there his yelling had just gotten silly. Zephyriah’s ferocity at Bantor’s request was not only ridiculous and overdone, it made him far less intimidating. As much as she hated the idea too, Sanoë almost wanted to laugh hysterically at the red elf’s furious response. This was worse than battle, worse than waging war? He sounded to her like a schoolboy afraid of catching a girl’s ‘germs.’

And if it wasn’t because of the reputation he might obtain as a result of posing as the boisterous man King Bantor described, was it what he actually had to do? Acting like Sanoë’s…lover?

She cringed in revulsion. Pretending to be someone’s lover was bad enough. Pretending to be Zephyriah’s lover would be horrible beyond comparison. Their personalities clashed like no other, and Sanoë was quite sure that because she usually couldn’t stand him, King Bantor’s request would be next to impossible.

Not to mention disgusting.

“I can understand you both disliking the idea—“ started Bantor.

“Disliking!” cried the jeweler incredulously. Of all the words he could pick!

“—but think about it,” he continued, undaunted. “Compared to everything else you’ve said you had to do, wouldn’t this be much simpler?” he tried to persuade them. His blue eyes were pleading, but Sanoë was no more sympathetic than she had been when King Bantor had started this whole deal.

“No. No, it wouldn’t be much simpler, it would be much harder,” answered the jeweler, crossing her arms and glaring at the King. “At least before all we had to do was run, most of the time....you don’t know what we’ve been through today – what I’ve been through, actually, he’s probably enjoyed most of it—“

“If not for me or my daughter,” said Bantor slowly, opening his palm again to reveal the garnet, “Then do it for Connor.”

Sanoë fell silent, thinking bitterly, Oh, no, don’t even think of pulling this guilt trip bullshit…

“If what you say is true, and his last wish was for you two to have this garnet, I want dearly to fulfill it, but I cannot just give it away and betray his trust. Even if he is gone…” The King’s hand trembled slightly, but he swallowed hard and continued. “I know he would still want his work done. You knew him, too. I only ask that you do this one thing for me! This task is worth doing to grant him a last wish, isn’t it?”

“….” Sanoë put her face in her hands, inhaling deeply. Her head was still throbbing, and knowing that the King was right only made it worse. “God….fine,” she said finally groaning loudly and running her hand through her hair. “But you cannot go back on your word—“

“Of course not!” replied King Bantor, ecstatic that she had finally relented.

“—or I swear to God, I will tear off your arms and feed them to you,” she finished heatedly, pointing her finger at him for emphasis. The second guard grunted something and jabbed slightly at her shoulder with his pike, telling her to cease her threats, but Sanoë ignored him, only repeating in her head, I can’t believe I’m doing this… She gave Zephyriah a look that clearly said, We didn't come all this way for nothing, so shut up.

“I assure you, you will not have to,” answered the King, looking taken aback. “Although I’m not entirely sure how that would be possible….I don’t need you to show me!” he added at the fierce look on Sanoë’s face. “You two look like you’ve been in and out of Death’s clutches, so I’ll give you a little time to clean up, and you can be on your way to General Aquaslasher’s –“

“We have to walk there?” interrupted the jeweler wearily.

“I will give you an escort. It’s a short distance from the Palace,” insisted King Bantor, making a movement with his hand to the guards, who went back to the enormous doors, holding them open. “Just go to Ulroy, act like you're madly in love, make sure he knows that my Sylvia was never and will never be involved with anyone but him. My servants will help you with whatever you need before you go. You may want to ask them to provide you with new clothing for now. It won’t do if the General thinks you just dropped in from the surface – after all, the rumor has been spreading for a while.”

“We did just drop in,” Sanoë objected, taking a few steps toward the door before asking, “Why can’t General Ulroy just believe his wife-to-be? What kind of marriage will that be, where a man can’t even trust his own wife because he believes a stupid rumor?”

The King looked at her for a moment before answering, as though he were truly considering it. “I told you, gossip spreads quickly here. There have been instances where rumors were not believed, and we regretted it." He looked back at the garnet then, as if reminding himself of its late donor. "When you meet Ulroy, remember to be convincing!” he added cheerfully, placing the garnet on his desk, his smile not quite reaching his blue eyes. “Ulroy can read a liar’s face like a book.”

Sanoë scoffed in disgust, turning to Zephyriah, expecting him to object violently to the proposal at any second, and feeling that she would not blame him for it if he did. After all she had experienced that day, she wanted nothing more than to isolate herself in a room somewhere and sleep the hours away. If it hadn't been for Zephyriah, she wouldn't be in half the trouble she was in. But every time she wanted to quit, she thought of what she had yet to accomplish. If she had gotten this far, no way in hell would she give up now, not when they were so close to destroying the thing that had cost so many lives back in Larapool, the garnet that had gotten the jeweler into so much trouble. If she had to act like a fool to put her mind at ease, then so be it.

She thought, then, that if she were to be subjected to this ridiculous, embarrassing business, she would at least have a little bit of fun torturing her 'lover' with it.

“After you…” she began, gesturing for him to go ahead of her and smiling sarcastically. “Honey.”

[Zephyriah]

It was times like these that I wished that I’d already acquired a sweetheart to call my own. If such were the case, I could’ve proudly stood before Sanoe as well as Bantor, proclaiming my everlasting love to the woman of my life, while stating that my faithfulness was what prevented me from taking part in this rouse. However, lying about that would certainly be something that the human woman or the Khorian king would not buy, due to the nature of my character. A bloody man confessing that he had a good woman waiting back home in Corone? Ha! Hardly. The fabrication made me chuckle as it passed through my mind. “Heh, the woman that can handle me deserves all the treasures in the world.”

The jeweler was enjoying this to no end. Her grins and smiles confused me, having me wonder if whether or not she was being sarcastic or if my rough image and brutish ways turned her on. Having endured everything that she endured back in Larapool, it would not be surprising if she craved stout warriors. She’d witnessed me slay countless men, and still she hadn’t fled from my presence in fear that she would end up like my previous victims. “Ugh…human infatuations,” I sighed in reaction to Sanoe calling me 'honey'. “How I grow tired of them.” Flirtatious comments like that were nothing new to me though, for back in Rune, woman constantly approached me in similar ways. Yet all of them were nothing but weak, insignificant pieces of trash. Whiny estrogen flesh bags that tried to latch on to perfect specimens like myself. But, my philosophy has always been that non-human women were the only kinds of females that were worthy of my attention since mostly likely the men of their race were as tough on them as they were on the sons.

The tension of the situation was overwhelming me to the point where I seriously considered aborting this mission and passing up obtaining the final garnet. However, I was a man of my word when it came to fulfilling the promises I’d made to close friends. Connor was such an ally where even in his death, I wanted to do what he asked me as if he were alive and watching my every move. So, I figured (finally) that I’d go along with this. “They want me to play this stupid game huh? Fine. I’ll play. I’ll put on a performance that they’ll never forget.”

“I am quite grateful to have found a lovely lady like yourself, Sanoe,” I gently mentioned while approaching the human jeweler. “It’s uncommon that a….fine woman like yourself would allow a man to walk through a door before you. Truly you are an rare….gem.” By this point I was staring deep into her eyes; close enough to her where if she were listening closely, she would be able to hear my heartbeat. Knowing that a million thoughts had to be rushing through her head, I pulled away, decreasing the tension in the air that was already butter thick. “I’ll see you again momentarily….baby. I’m going to go get changed into some sharper threads, so that I’ll be even more irresistible than I already am,” With that said, I firmly grabbed Sanoe’s bottom, just before giving it a quick, yet stinging tap at the end. “Within the next hour, we’ll leave for General Aquaslasher’s residence. Make sure that you’re sexiness stays in top form….my love.”

[Empyrean]

Sanoë was left speechless. She hadn’t expected Zephyriah to start playing his part. And she certainly hadn’t been anticipating his strange enthusiasm, but here he was, rattling off every idiotic pet name he could think of. He was overdoing it for sure.

And worst of all, he couldn’t even wait until they’d left the room, no – he had to start the spiel while they were still in the presence of King Bantor and his two guards. The embarrassed young woman could hear the Khorian King chuckling back at his desk, her face reddening with every second, relieved once Zephyriah had backed off a little. She couldn’t stand such proximity, least of all with the impertinent red elf. She realized, then, that he was trying to outdo her. Oh, for God’s sake….I say one sarcastic thing, and he gets competitive. Oh, as soon as we get out of here, I am going to murder him. And she was indeed all set to kill the red elf – her hands were bunched into fists at the sight of that stupid smirk on his face.

And then he grabbed her ass.

Sanoë’s mouth fell open. She didn’t even hear what he said after that – she was too busy picturing what Zephyriah might look like with a scalpel sticking out of his forehead. She had never been treated so disrespectfully – so bawdily – before. The jeweler had gotten coarse comments before – working even in a small jewelry store still didn’t make her immune to lewd male customers – but at least they never tried to feel her up.

Who gives a damn if we need to get the garnet, she thought angrily, hating the sound of King Bantor’s uncensored laughing in the background. That was uncalled for. That was….that was…. Instead of trying to decide exactly how many levels of vulgarity this had surpassed, the jeweler followed the red elf, who by then was heading the hallway outside King Bantor’s office. The guards had disappeared somehow, no doubt to alert Bantor’s servants of their impending guests, leaving Sanoë to deal with the cheeky red elf.

She doubled her stride and shoved past him until she was face to face with the man. Her face still pink from humiliation, she stared him down with livid blue eyes. “I don’t care how badly we need to get this garnet. I don’t care how smart you think you are, or that you think you’re so much better than everyone else, okay? You’re not better than me, and you have no right to do what you did. Acting or not.” She leaned back, a little more satisfied, but still exceptionally pissed off.

She turned around to find one of the guards again, and then glanced back over her shoulder, her expression still incensed. “And tone it down. No one’s going to take you seriously with an act like that.” With that, Sanoë stalked down the elaborately decorated, marble and coral hallway, looking for someone to give her a set of Khorian clothing and to distract her from her still-brimming anger. She would be damned if she let him outdo her, and what was more, she didn’t have to act like a complete idiot to do it.

-----------------------------------

Ugh… Sanoë inwardly groaned as the young Khorian woman before her held up a scanty-looking dress. She made sure to keep her successive complaints as minimal as possible to avoid upsetting the girl, but it became harder and harder every time she looked at her options.

The girl who had ushered her to a guest room in the enormous Khorian palace was as pale and scaly as the rest, but less imposing. She couldn’t have stood over five feet, but she was still rather full-figured for someone her size. She peered around the tall garment she held up, her blonde hair pulled back into a bun and her eyes agitated. “This one neither, miss?”

“Uh…” The jeweler hadn’t realized her dislike was so evident in her face, but now she scowled slightly. After everything she’d been through that day, and what she had left to go through, she felt ridiculous sitting in an elegant bedroom discussing fashion with a girl barely a day over sixteen. She would have been mortified to tell Jora just what her search for her half-brother had amounted to thus far. “It’s kind of…it’s…skimpy.”

The girl released a frustrated breath, but managed to keep her expression limited to courteous patience. “I’m almost out of dresses,” she said, sounding dismayed as she disappeared into the large closet on the left.

“Just something simple. That’s all I want.” So I can get this over with and get the hell out of here.

“This, then?” The jeweler heard metal clinking together as the girl removed another outfit from the racks and displayed it for her. It was better, though not by much. Either way, she was sick of sitting there and going through clothing like a socialite. She never had been a clotheshorse.

“I’ll take that one.”

----------------------------------------

It seemed only like a few minutes later that Sanoë waited just inside the large coral doors of the palace, peering outside at the wide, white steps. There were fewer people out, and the sky above them – the sea – was darker, somehow, and the jeweler deciphered that evening was falling upon the Khorian kingdom.

Well, all the better for her. She was already apprehensive enough about going into public in this getup. The simplest dress the girl had was a long, royal blue robe that left the tops of her shoulders bare, allowing Sanoë to wonder how on earth it managed to stay on in the first place. It had long sleeves and went down to her ankles, at least, so she looked a little more modest than she felt. At least whoever made it had chosen nice, tiny stones to decorate the edges.

She waited with two guards in the main Hall, her arms crossed as she blew her finally tame hair out of her face. The sooner we get this over with, the better.

[Zephyriah]

After being served a large helping of indignation from the hot-tempered Sanoe, and then being led to a dressing room, I sifted through various outfits, trying to find clothing that would surely mask my warrior appearance. The process didn’t take too long, but was quite incessant nonetheless. But when I finally laid eyes upon a certain outfit, I knew that the time to display the greatest showing of acting ability had come, especially after I put the clothes on. Donning a kingly red robe consisting of a puffy white fur collar, along with a pinstripe black suit underneath, I knew that attractiveness had elevated to an entirely new level. My irresistible features were already too much for women to handle, and it would only amplify more so with what I was wearing now.

“Maybe I should change into something less sexy.” I snickered, truly getting into character as I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror of my dressing room. Once officially pleased with the final product, I made my way out, nodding to the Khorian gentlemen that’d provided me with these garments. They responded kindly, which was surely a smart thing to do for if they even hinted in the slightest bit that I did not look as good as I thought, then lives might’ve been lost.

Coming to the corridor leading to the outside courtyard area of the underwater palace, I saw Sanoe waiting patiently for her man. Most astonishingly, she was looking quite beautiful in her dress. I’d always thought she was a little strange looking, but seeing her like this was beginning to change my opinion of her. “You’re looking quite stunning milady,” I uttered, walking closely by her, inspecting her lustfully as a lover would do to his mate. “However, you’re not quite as stunning as me.” Stopping, I pulled out a sheet of paper that had the Khorian Kingdom official stamp on it; it was given to me by one of the soldiers.

“These are directions to General Aquaslasher’s abode. From what I’ve heard, he’s not one to spend nights outside of his residence, so we should be able to meet with him tonight if we’re lucky. But we’re going to have to act as a couple the entire way there just so that if there are people who happen to see us, they won’t catch on to our act.” Extending my hand, I waited for Sanoe to take hold of it. “Well, are you coming?”

[Empyrean]

“Stunning? You look like a pimp who got locked in a backstage dressing room,” Sanoë hissed under her breath, her tone a mix of embarrassment and indignant bewilderment at the sight of Zephyriah’s “outfit.” There were only a few people outside the palace now, just past the gates of the courtyard where they stood, but the jeweler could practically feel eyes roaming all over her in the bizarre spectacle taking place just outside King Bantor’s palace. Though she was obviously angry, she had a little trouble stifling a laugh, and even more trouble covering up the red flush crawling up her face. Zephyriah’s proximity seemed to bring her endless discomfort. And underneath that ridiculous king’s robe, the suit didn’t look all that bad on the red elf.

Oh, for god’s sake, that’s not attractive. That’s just you trying to see through the cloud of stupid in front of you, remarked the part of her brain responsible for skepticism and practicality.

“What, we can’t just walk like normal people?” she asked to distract herself. Immediately, the jeweler realized the irony of her statement: even without their current surroundings and situation, they were hardly normal people. In addition to that, Sanoë had noticed that as she walked, she seemed to almost glide. She breathed and spoke as naturally as though she were on land, but when she walked and moved her hands about, she could feel something slowing them down slightly, as though they filtered through flour. Looking up, she could see the sky – the sea – darkening to as deep a blue as it could reach without being entirely black. The soft light coming from hundreds of lamps along the Khorian streets lit up the white city, giving it the appearance of glowing.

She wasn’t sure what sort of enchantment it was, but she certainly was grateful for it.

Sanoë stared at Zephyriah’s hand, the red pigment of the skin still somewhat alarming, and glanced briefly at the two Khorian guards waiting for them. Both had solemn expressions – or at least, tried to. One was smothering an amused grin as he observed the red elf’s robe.

“Fine,” Sanoë said in answer, gritting her teeth as she slipped her hand into Zephyriah’s outstretched one. “But you just remember this is temporary. I’m doing this for Connor and so we can get the hell out of here and back onto solid ground.” As she began to walk, the soldiers took Zephyriah’s map and conferred with each other over the directions as they walked solidly in front of the jeweler and her make-believe lover.

It seemed only too soon that the group of four left the shelter of King Bantor’s courtyard, for within a few minutes, they were walking along Khoria’s main avenue, an impressive boardwalk made of flat, smooth white stones paved into the ocean floor. The businesses on both sides were remarkably large, most made from coral and the same smooth stones that made up the ground they walked on. Several shopkeepers were still closing up, but Sanoë and Zephyriah weren’t the only ones taking an evening stroll. There were quite a few Khorians still out and about, from lower-class merchants to nobles, and the strange, humanlike creatures stared and twittered and whispered behind their hands to their friends at the four people heading toward General Ulroy Aquaslasher’s estate. Most of them were laughing quietly.

I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe he’s wearing that. Thank god I’m never going to have to show my face here again.

Sanoë tried her best to school her mortified expression into one of vacancy and content, ignoring the whispers but turning red all the same. She turned slightly to Zephyriah and, out of the corner of her mouth, muttered, “As soon as we get there, you’re getting rid of that stupid robe. No argument.”

------------------------------

The General lived in a stately manor a few minutes away from the Palace itself. His home was structured in a way very similar to the Palace’s architecture as well, enormous and white and utterly intimidating. The ocean floor rolled in little hills around the estate, peppered with underwater gardens and military statues.

Even Sanoë, in her increasing anxiety, had to take in the vastness of the grand manor. One of the soldiers in their escort walked curtly and businesslike to the front door of the house, knocking loudly enough for the sound to echo back into town. From the bottom of the flat marble steps, Sanoë could hear his short introduction, and her throat seemed to dry up on the spot from her nervousness.

“Please inform General Aquaslasher that he has two visitors who require his attention as soon as possible.”


(Bunny approved.)

[Zephyriah]

Standing at the bottom of General Aquaslasher's majestic stairway, awaiting some word allowing us to advance forward and enter Ulroy's domain, I found myself rather nervous, as if the entire story that we constructed wasn't fabricated. My heart began to race, my breaths shortened, and my fingers involuntarily caressed the sheath of my blade. Such things only happened when I sensed danger in some fashion, and as a form of defense, prepared myself before it was too late. But for some reason I couldn't fully bring myself to withdraw my sword. Perhaps it was being within the presence of Sanoe. Did I feel sorry for the trouble I'd caused her? Some thoughts that blazed a trail through my mind suggested so, but I wasn't quite ready to yield to such thoughts. Instead, I focused in on the possibility that it might've been the uncertainty as to what kind of person this Aquaslasher was. So far, I'd only heard about how great he was, and how due to his prowess as a warrior, he'd saved Khoria. With such credentials usually came arrogance. "If there is any bit of haughtiness found in this fellow, I swear, I'm going to kill him on spot." I whispered to Sanoe, already pondering of the blood of a merman spilling. It was true that I was indeed aware of my brashness and pompousness, but it bothered me to see other people who were like me. Only I could be such a way! Anyone else seeking to challenge my uniqueness would only fail.

After waiting for much longer that I'd anticipated, one of the guards ran down the steps toward us saying that we'd received word from Aquaslasher via his servants that he was granting us permission to enter his abode. I led the way, this time forcibly taking Sanoe's hand, unlike what'd I had done upon us departing from the King's palace. There was no doubt in my mind that the jeweler would be opposed to this, but it would only be yet another one of many things that displeased her, such as the robe that I donned.

Once inside the General's domicile, we were led through a grand white hall, decorated with pearls and sapphires. A massive picture of what was probably Ulroy, hung over the double doors to his abode. The attractiveness of this place did intrigue me, since it somewhat reminded me of the old temple back in Rune. I wanted to explore more of it, but the servants leading us turned the opposite way in which I wanted to go, at every "fork". Eventually we came to a aquamarine colored door, adorned with diamonds around the frames. Faint blue light fled from the space underneath, foreshadowing beauty within. One of the servants grasped the knob and opened the door slowly, as if expecting something to take place. "It's alright. You may enter." A voice called out, which in turn gave the servants the authority to push the door wide open, revealing the contents of the room to us. It wasn't quite what I expected, yet only because it was set up to make one reminisce of a time in which they were most relaxed in their favorite room. Comfortable looking couches were present, along with soft seaweed looking rugs. Tables and bureaus were in plain view, leaving me to believe that this room was used not only leisurely, but also for business purposes.

"Have a seat.....now." The stocky merman wasted no time; I complied, doing as he ordered.

"General Ulroy Aquaslasher, it is a pleasure to m--"

"Save it," He curtly responded, remaining still as he sat about ten feet away at his desk with arms folded. "I care not for your formalities or pleasantries. The only reason why I've allowed this audience is because King Bantor asked me too. You've defiled my wife, knowing that she was engaged to me!"

Seeing the fury building up in the General made this rouse tougher to play, despite the fact that I had absolutely nothing to do with this situation. "But sir, there is a reason for that," I instinctively uttered. I was quite shocked at the hint of fear and cowardice in my tone, almost as if I were in some way pleading for my life. Had I learned how to emulate that mannerism after having been faced with so many individuals begging me to spare their lives? "You see, I can't help it that the ladies love me! I mean, had I known at the time that Bantor's daughter was your fiancee, I wouldn't have come within her with a one hundred feet of her! But, she looked like she had a lot to drink when I met her at the tavern, as did I and you know....we started talking and.....one thing led to another.....you know......"

"How dare you say those things before me!?" Aquaslasher roared, driving his fist straight through his desk. "I didn't bring you here so that I could hear about your night of passion with my fiancee!!!"

"You didn't let me finish," I exclaimed, putting my hands up in fear, now fully into character. "That one thing which led to another is not what you think! I admit, I tried to get with Princess Sylvia, but she would have none of it. Even with all of my charm and persistence, she shut me down.....making herself the first lady in HISTORY, that EVER rejected me! Naturally, you could understand how hurt I was by this. And in my anger, I lied by spreading the rumor that I slept with the Princess. But that was in the past. Since then I've met my new lover here," Putting my arm around Sanoe, I pulled her closer to me. "We're thinking about getting married some time in the future."

Ulroy seemed to calm down a little bit after this, but it was not a substantial decrease. In fact, he was still very much on guard, gazing upon me with distrusting eyes. "It is only natural that scum like you would try to save his own neck. Prove to me that you're not lying! Prove to me that I need not worry about you trying to seduce my lovely Sylvia!!"

"What? I just told you that my lover and I are thinking about getting married! That should be proof enough!"

"Talk is cheap. SHOW me the love that you have for her! SHOW me that I don't have to worry about you ever trying to get with my fiancee ever again!!" The General now had a sly grin on his face, twiddling his fingers in anticipation. Now I was growing nervous. Things were not going as I'd hoped they would. I believed that a simple showing of fear and affection on my part would be enough to convince Ulroy, but he was much more thick skinned than I'd realized. Looking at Sanoe, I tightened my jaw before revealing a nervous smile.
"You want to see the love that I have for my lover!? Then pay attention! Never again will you witness a couple with more love than the love that my lover and I have for each other!" Then without any further hesitation, I grabbed the jeweler by the waist with both arms and leaned in, pressing my lips against hers with an uncomfortable mix of force, lust, and awkwardness. My eyes were closed, and I did not think. There was no time to think, for if any of this appeared phony then the both of us would not receive the garnet from Bantor. And if we didn't receive the garnet, then we would be dishonoring Connor, and certainly that was something that the two of us could agree on not being an option.

[Empyrean]

Though she caught glimpses of the majestic manor in which the General lived, Sanoë had no time to admire it, as much as she wanted to. The urgency with which she and the red elf were led through the place did nothing to soothe her fractured nerves – if anything, it only put the jeweler more on edge. General Ulroy was clearly not a patient man, and that was bad news for them. She became more and more aware that it had been quite a while since she’d last eaten or slept. It was overwhelming to think that little more than a day ago, the only thing she’d been worried about was paying a man for a ride on a ship, or trying to decide just how many stones she could fit into an expensive bracelet. After getting more than one opportunity to feel what it was like to truly fear for her life, such things seemed inconsequential.

Even with the sheer size of the house to impress her, Sanoë felt that it was all too soon that she and Zephyriah were sitting on a rather squishy sofa in front of one of the most stone-faced men the jeweler had ever met. He was short for a man of military stock, which reminded Sanoë of the somewhat blustering king who’d sent them on this ridiculous errand. Except where King Bantor was portly, General Ulroy Aquaslasher was muscular, his blue-tinged skin hardened by what must have been several years of training (judging by the numerous gold and silver badges on his military uniform.) The contours of his face were chiseled like stone, his hair a dark blonde and his eyes a calculating dark color. Yet even with such a gritty, battle-worn demeanor, he couldn’t have been a day over thirty, at the most.

Why is it that all the dangerous people I’ve met so far are my age? the jeweler wondered. She shifted uncomfortably on the sofa as General Ulroy grilled Zephyriah, even jumped when the General drove his fist right down into the hard material of his desk. Holy shit.... I don’t get it. Why is Sylvia so hung up on this guy? The jeweler couldn’t imagine a less likely prospect for a husband, military aptitude notwithstanding. There was the amazing house, of course, but how could any woman stand the stony demeanor and indomitable temper? The man was like Zephyriah with a bit more muscle and a lot less crimson pigment in his skin.

Of course, thought the jeweler with a hint of disgust, some women like that kind of man. The overprotective type. Says a lot about her stamina….

Without warning, she felt a hand wrap around her shoulders and pull her over.

“We’re thinking about getting married some time in the future,” Zephyriah was saying, his acting eerily convincing. Sanoë had to fight to keep her face from going red and her hand from going in the direction of the red elf’s face. Instead, she rested her arm around Zephyriah’s shoulder and attempted a giddy smile. Though she was relieved she wasn’t being forced to spit out some nonsense about her “lover,” Sanoë was a little irked that she was being left out of the conversation. Men never changed. It appeared that even down here, they loved to hear the sound of their own voices.

As it turned out, Sanoë didn’t have to complain about being left out. Within the next few seconds, she was very much involved. The one person she would prefer to keep a hundred feet away was suddenly all over her, his hands in a tight grip that prevented a lot of movement on her part, and his mouth suddenly assaulting her own. She could feel her cheeks bypassing red and going straight to maroon as heat flooded down her body in a torrent, but she was more focused on making as if to strangle the red elf who’d just invaded her personal space times ten.

You have an audience. You’re here for a reason.

She could feel the General’s eyes on them, and she thought of what they’d hoped to accomplish by this, of Connor. Oh, great time to think of the old man, Sanoë. Don’t struggle. She was as tense as a coil about to spring, and tried as much as she could to relax.

This will all be over soon.

Instead of reaching for the red elf’s throat as her manners had taught her to, she draped her arms around his neck and, simultaneously hating herself, leaned into the kiss. Zephyriah, she thought cruelly, wasn’t much of a kisser, but then how could he be in this situation? That’s not how you do it, idiot, she thought, as though the elf could hear her, and Sanoë decided she could put on as much of an absurd show as Zephyriah could. She’d seen those idiotic socialites back home with their current flirts, out in public even, and she had her own experience to draw from. She made it look more ardent than forceful, more intimate than timid.

Sanoë pulled away, keeping that fake, vapid smile on her face and looking directly to the General – she didn’t want to have to look back at Zephyriah. “That good enough for you, General Ulroy?” she asked in a voice that was not quite her own; one that was beguiling and coy at once. The very socialites she detested so had often been customers at Jora’s jewelry shop for their own vain desires, and the jeweler did love to imitate them on more than one occasion.

“You don’t need to worry about your Sylvia,” she continued in the same mesmeric tone, draping one arm around Zephyriah’s shoulders. “My man knows I’ve got him wrapped around my finger,” said Sanoë, making sure to add a bit of officious tone and, just for effect, tracing the line of the elf’s jaw with her forefinger, smiling impishly.

She hated acting so coy in front of someone who probably had some manners of his own, but she did like the idea of paying Zephyriah back. There was still a large part of her that wanted revenge for everything Zephyriah had done, from killing needlessly to getting her into King Bantor’s deal, and she could think of no better way than to embarrass him in front of a fellow warrior.

Of course, she still found herself avoiding Zephyriah’s eyes. After such a humiliating episode, how could she not?

[Zephyriah]

Aside from already being embarrassed due to the jeweler's witty and sly responses, heavier shame compounded on me upon witnessing the Khorian general throw his head back in uproarious laughter. His cackling filled the entire room, seeming to reverberate annoyingly. My heart began to beat at a faster pace which instinctively caused me to press my right hand to the left part of my chest. "Boy, I feel sorry for you," The merman soldier said, still laughing, but not at his initial volume. "Men who have women that control them are in for a long life of suffering and hardship! I can see it now.....you'll be slaving over a stove with a head wrap and an apron, cooking five meals a day for her and your children! Hahaha.....nothing short of slave labor my friend!!" Coming closer, Aquaslasher rested his heavy hand firmly on my shoulder, forcing my body to slump before I could regain balance. "Heh, to think that a wimp like you could ever have my Sylvia.....I was delirious!" Yet again, Ulroy's incessant cachinnating consumed the room, but this time it was worse than before simply because of the fact that he was just two feet away from me.

"That's funny General Aquaslasher," I began speaking, letting out a slight chuckle in an effort to commence defending my manhood. "My woman knows that I run things. It's just that......"

"Bahaha!! There is no need to play tough with me! Just admit that you're a cowardly man who lets women run his life!" He said, rudely interrupting me. "But anyway, I've seen enough. Truly I don't have to worry about you coming for my Sylvia again, since your woman has such a firm grasp on you. However, I thank you both for taking the time to come here to clear things up, even though initially I didn't want to do this. Heh, in fact, I wanted to kill you!" There was an awkward silence immediately after Aquaslasher said that. The gentle waters outside of the general's estate could be heard sloshing about outside of his window. At this point, I could feel the rage within me building, devouring the shame in me that'd once taken up residence. I was about to reach for my blade and take this idiot out, but I'd realized that I'd left "Tyranagogue" back at King Bantor's palace. "This fool has no idea how lucky he is......"

"Anyway," Aquaslasher started up again, clearing his throat. "You two should get back to the palace. I'm sure that Bantor would love to know that this matter is resolved. The both of you........take care in all of your travels."
Clapping his hands, two servants immediately rushed into the room, receiving orders to escort us out of his abode. My anger was still stirring, but the more I coerced myself to think of the reasons for which I even accepted this task, the more I calmed down. In no way was I even apart of this fiasco, but to save the King grief and keep the relationship of his daughter and his top general in tact, I complied. Thankfully though, this errand was over and Sanoe and I could receive what we deserved.

* * *

- King Bantor's Palace -

When we entered the palace and were led to the King's throne room, a nervous Bantor was found pacing back and forth, looking to be on the brink of depression and insanity. The subtle sound of the door squeaking alarmed him, and like a mouse aware of the presence of a predator, he shot his eyes towards us in terror. "Sanoe! Zephyriah! How did it go?" He hollered, rushing towards us, grasping our hands. "Please tell me it went okay! Does the General still want to be with my sweet, sweet Sylvia!? TELL ME....PLE....."

"Well shut up already and I'll tell you!" I screamed, irritated by the King's worrisome behavior, but still indignant over how Sanoe had embarrassed me in front of Ulroy Aquaslasher. "Look, Sanoe and I did what you asked. Everything is cleared up and the General's love for your daughter has not changed. Life in your world is peachy. Now, give us the garnet like you promised.

"Oh, thank you two! Thank you so much!!" The King brought us together, squeezing us in a hug that was most uncomfortable, especially since mermen had a peculiar scent to them when within close proximity. After expressing his joy though, Bantor walked to his throne chair and pulled out a box from underneath it. Motioning for us to come to him, I stepped forward, pushing Sanoe behind me. A childish move indeed, but I didn't want her actually thinking that she was superior to me in any way. Opening the box, the Khorian King revealed the last garnet in all of its sparkling glory. "I've been holding this for Connor all of these years. Never did I know why he wanted me to hold on to it, but I knew that there was something very ominous about the garnets. My old friend was a private person and didn't like to talk about things like this in great detail. But he'd come through for me many times in the past so the least I could do was hold onto something of his. Anyway, I have other business to attend to so take this," He handed the gem to me, upon closing the box. "Sanoe....Zephyriah....you two are welcome to Khoria at anytime. I know you two have extremely busy lives, but please do visit whenever you get the chance." And with that, Bantor bid us farewell and exited the throne room, leaving just Sanoe and I, along with some of the palace servants and soldiers within these quarters.

"Back when Connor was alive, he told me about these garnets and asked me to destroy them. He said that if the three were brought together and one knew of their secret, then it would cause great suffering for many people. I wouldn't have gone through everything in this mission that I'd gone through had he not taken me into his home and treated me well. This was something that very few people in my life had ever done, so to those people that show me kindness......my loyalty lies with them," Placing the garnet on the ground, I lifted up my foot and stomped as hard as I could on the gem, crushing it instantly.
"You're a jeweler who quite possibly might know whatever secrets there are to the garnets. If such were the case, and you used these garnets in a way that Connor wouldn't want anyone to use them, I'd have to hunt you down and kill you.......not because of the death that would fall upon many due to the gems.....but simply because I would feel a need to uphold my loyalty to Connor even though he's deceased. However, our mission is accomplished and Connor can rest easily. As for you Sanoe....you were indeed a thorn in my side, but if truth be told, you're an extraordinary lady. Keep that toughness that you have.......it will enable you to deal with heartless jerks like me." Saying no more, I was about to make my leave when a soldier came up to me, holding my weapon along with my original attire. He mentioned that there was a ship prepared for me a few miles east of the palace. Nodding, I grabbed my things and proceeded following this fellow to the ship. However, before leaving the throne room, I turned back towards Sanoe and grinned. "It was a pleasure doing business with you.........honey!!"

* * *

When we got on the ship, I was shocked at how small it was, considering the fact that most ships that transported people to various places were much bigger. This ship had the King's insignia on it, which suggested that this was one of his personal vessels. "Zephyriah, where would you like me to take you?" The captain, who'd warmly welcomed me onto the ship, asked. Rubbing my chin, I pondered for a bit, unsure as to where I wanted to go.

"Eh, take me to Corone." I'd surprised myself upon saying this, since within my home continent, enemies lurked. However, even with all of the problems I'd encountered in the past there, Corone was still my home and from time to time a desire to dwell there would form within me.

Nodding, the captain started up his vessel and took off. Knowing that the journey to Corone would be long, I went down to one of the bedrooms to rest. Since sleeping was something that I did very little of on this entire adventure, I figured that now would be the best time to get caught up on that. After all, my life was one big drama, and trouble was bound to find me sooner, rather than later. I might as well be prepared for it.

[Empyrean]

Victory.

The thought of it was fresh in Sanoë’s mind all the way from General Aquaslasher’s home to the Palace. She had lost most of her red-faced chagrin from the performance she’d been forced to put on, though it still took effort to look at her “lover” without blushing. She swore to herself that she would never again be forced into a charade of that magnitude, for now she understood Zephyriah’s words. It had indeed been worse than the thought of partaking in battle. Not that Sanoë could agree from personal experience.

But as they approached the Palace, she felt vindicated. She’d helped carry out the wishes of a deceased man and had therefore reclaimed her title of being blameless. And not only had she gotten the chance to outdo Zephyriah, but she’d taken it, used it to her full advantage, and enjoyed it. No, relished it. Sanoë had nearly had to bite her lip to keep a loud peal of laughter from escaping when General Ulroy heartily described Zephyriah in a rather domestic, submissive position. She could picture it, too, and it was funny. After what she’d gone through, she couldn’t believe she was finding something so petty to be so hilarious. Perhaps she was getting a little delirious.

But he’d deserved it! He’d wholly deserved the numerous verbal beatings he took from the general, who, despite his brassy (and admittedly frightening) exterior, was starting to gain Sanoë’s favor. Anyone who could make Zephyriah deny what was clearly his dominant instinct – killing people – and actually make him tremble with fear was the jeweler’s new favorite person. Admittedly, every now and then he showed traces of human feeling and that made her want to give him a chance. Of course, she mostly dismissed it as the effects of her more womanly side trying to break free of her usual icy efficiency.

Neither of them was perfect, the jeweler thought as she, the red elf, and their two guards climbed the majestic steps into Bantor’s palace, but at least Sanoë wasn’t hell-bent on destroying every opposition that came her way. He might not be a monster, but he was too close to being one for Sanoë’s comfort. Her level of comfort had already been assaulted enough with that embarrassing display back at the General’s home.

Oh, but he was such an ass!

-----------------------------------------------------------

I’m never going to get used to this guy….

Sanoë forcefully yanked her hand out of King Bantor’s sweaty grip. Sweat was bad enough on someone else – the fact that he was a merman only made it feel more disgusting. Yet she couldn’t resist a slight grin when Zephyriah began his screaming ritual, barking at the Khorian King. Some things would never change.

Her momentary glee screeched to a stop when she was smothered by the King’s portly, fishy body in a hug, which she thankfully escaped before things could get any more uncomfortable. She managed to ignore Zephyriah’s little shoving ahead of her, but not without a little more irritation to add to the mountain of grievances the red elf had built up in Sanoë’s mind.

Jerk.

But after the King left them in his private quarters, the garnet in hand, she couldn’t think of any other names to call him. The instant the gemstone was smashed beneath Zephyriah’s shoe, leaving behind a messy, crimson pile of residue, Sanoë felt her heart skip a beat – it was over. The ordeal was over and she was free.

“Keep that toughness that you have....it will enable you to deal with heartless jerks like me."

She looked up, eyeing Zephyriah with a critical eye. She’d hear snitches of his speech, but only that – somehow the red grains of the garnet had transfixed her until now. Now, she glared after the red elf as he exited the room, scoffing at his parting line and watching until he was entirely gone. There were a million things she had wanted to say to him; mostly things that were not at all nice, reprimands for his behavior and a few parting insults she would have been flinging in an instant.

But she was alone in the room now, and far too tired.

-------------------------------------------

Sanoë’s arms went limp within an instant when she saw the bed in front of her. Sighing hugely in appreciation for King Bantor, she stretched out her arms, walked forth as though in a daze, and collapsed onto the bed, facedown in the soft linens. Almost as soon as Zephyriah had left the room, she’d been approached by one of Bantor’s guards, who informed her that King Bantor had provided the two foreigners with two of his finest private vessels.

“Why two ships?” she remembered asking.

The guard had lost his militaristic stare for just a moment as he struggled not to chuckle. “Well….after seeing the interaction between you and the elf, His Highness thought it best to keep you separate after such tribulations.”

Well, he was probably right, the jeweler had thought with a private smile to herself. King Bantor, whatever his faults, was a smart man.

The vessel on which Sanoë had been placed was indeed a fine ship. It had no sails, for it needed none (being underwater, of course) and was equipped with only the best extravagances. It included a set of quarters below deck for Sanoë, who requested to be taken back to Antioch for her shoes, and then to head to the nearest island that wasn’t Antioch. She wasn’t going to make it any easier for the Miscera’Trel guards to find out where she was. She couldn’t handle any more running.

Sanoë exhaled into the pillow and turned to recline on her side, strands of dark hair floating and wavering slightly in slow motion (even as the ship soared into the depths of the ocean, heading for the surface, the enchantment didn’t fail). She’d been given her old clothes back, but she dressed only in her undershirt and pants, feeling hot and bothered.

In the spirit of feeling victorious, she’d decided to shove this adventure away from her immediate memory. It was logged away, a chapter in her life that never should have happened. She had things to do. She was no closer to finding Eliot than she had been yesterday. Now she slowly began to drift back to the person she’d been when first crossing the sea into Althanas just a few days ago, though she knew she’d been changed. Despite the loss of what little innocence and faith she’d thought she had before seeing the raw depravity of murder several times over, Sanoë felt that she had beaten the forces against her.

But people had still died. They were gone in seconds flat, and even if they weren’t superhuman, they were still people. They were nothing more than factions in the background to Zephyriah and Corin, but to Sanoë, they were as real as the red elf or the feline hybrid. The effect of so many deaths of regular people didn’t pertain so much to a tug at the jeweler’s heartstrings as it did to the terrifying thought that accompanied:

That could have been me. So easily could that have been me.

Feeling the irritating sting of tears beneath her eyelids, the jeweler sniffed heavily and snapped her eyes shut, waiting for sleep to come and hoping that bad dreams would not follow.



((None of us has requested any spoils from this quest.))

[Elrundir]

Judgment Day

Sorry about the delay on this one, guys. Life just loves throwing itself at you with everything it can, don't you think? I do apologize if any (read: all) of this is kind of lengthy. That’s reason 2 why it took so long: I’m a complete windbag. :p Hopefully it's a bag of wind you'll profit a little bit from. Anyway, without further ado...

Introduction – 7

Overall I enjoyed the intro to this quest. Showstopper set the creepy, mysterious tone (although the whole “jewels sealing away beasts of great power” motif seems a bit overdone), while Sanoë seemed to get involved purely by chance – an element that worked really well. Zephyriah’s introduction seemed unusually long-winded and about half of it was previous historical details, which are nice, but could be trimmed down to improve flow of the post and the quest.

Setting – 7

Quite good on the whole, although there were some points where it seemed slightly unclear as to just what the setting was like. For example, at the mage tower, it sometimes seemed like it was a medieval type setting, while at others it almost seemed like it was described as a little more modern.

Character – 9

I feel this was done very well indeed. Sanoë took the cake in this department by far – I absolutely adore the character and her reactions to the things that happened. She kept true to her dominating personality, and yet at the same time her reactions to the mass slaughter of the mages and other such horrors (especially considering she was a victim of circumstance in this case) felt very real and organic. Zephyriah also kept true to his arrogant personality. You could sense that he’s not just an evil bastard who hates everyone, but that there are people he does respect.

Dialogue – 7

Not bad. I will say one thing: the parts where the character recapped their adventures to various NPCs are really unnecessary and hurt the flow of the quest. All that talking can be summed up by the cleaner “She told him the story of her journey inside the tower,” etc etc, things like that. The flow isn’t disrupted that way and the reader isn’t reading the whole story twice. I did enjoy Sanoë’s and Corin’s dialogue, otherwise. Zephyriah’s could use improvement; some of it seemed corny and didn’t flow well, and the part where the King of Khoria described his plan to Zeph and Sanoë was extremely abrasive – there were far, far too many ellipses, exclamation marks, question marks, and bolding there. That seems like a Writing Style thing, but the reason I'm mentioning this in Dialogue is because I feel that dialogue really does suffer from stuff like that.

Strategy – 5

Good, but nothing really special here. Neither group’s plan to infiltrate the mage tower was particularly cutting-edge - they made sense considering the situation, don’t get me wrong, but none of the characters seemed to show any extreme ingenuity on their own part.

Rising Action – 7

There wasn’t a whole lot of the story that really caught hold of me and dragged me in for more. I gave it a slightly above-average score because the growing tensions between Corin and Sanoë near the beginning were neatly done. The buildup in the mage tower was also quite nice, as was the flight from the soldiers as they assaulted Connor’s home. Not spectacular, but this category did benefit from the good interactions between your characters.

Climax – 5

In my opinion this category suffered from a lack of Corin. I realize this isn’t either of your faults (which is why I didn’t lower the score more), but the fact that he just disappeared in the destruction of the tower, with the two garnets, makes the reader think… “huh?” Then it’s like the entire focus of the hunt for the gems has shifted. It’s not a terrible thing, but it’s not what I expected. It took away any chance of the epic showdown (particularly between Corin and Zeph) that everything seemed to be building up to.

Conclusion – 6

All circumstances considered, not bad. Again this suffers from Showstopper’s disappearance, regardless of the reason. At the beginning of the quest the reader expects something to happen with these three garnets – but by the end, one is destroyed and the remaining adventurers part ways. As well, the last part of the quest with Khoria and the little game of make-believe is completely disjointed from the rest of the quest. It’s like a happy lollipop thrown into the bowl of blood and knives that the rest of the quest had been so far. It’s a happy ending, and not bad in its own right (I like the tension/camaraderie/friendship/hatred brew between Sanoë and Zephyriah), but at the same time not what everything led up to.

Writing Style – 7

Empyrean definitely shone here. Aside from a few, very minor grammatical errors that I would probably have to read the thread again to point out to you, your writing was stellar. Showstopper’s structure, at few times, was a little difficult to follow, but for the most part this was about as minor as Empyrean’s and thus it was enjoyable to read.

This is one area where Zephyriah could improve, though. Watch out for grammatical or syntax errors, particularly involving commas and double-negatives; you’d be surprised at how much a single misplaced comma can disrupt the flow of a sentence. I also noticed a couple of times when you used redundancies like “more easier” or “most deepest” – watch out for those too! As well, try not to make your sentences too long and flowery. Sometimes it came off as a distinct attempt to make them longer, when really what they needed was to be tightened up. I’ll provide one example chosen as I saw it: “as they quickly turned in the direction that the one that’d saw me pointed to” could be changed to something like, “as they quickly turned in my direction.” It's not as long, it's not as flowery, but it doesn't force your mind to actively work at deciphering what you're saying.

Wild Card – 7

I do feel the need to bump up this quest’s score because despite areas that can use some improvement, it was a nice little quest overall.

Total Score: 67/100

A solid effort by everyone. Too bad Showstopper didn’t hang around for the whole thing, but what can you do? I would especially like to commend Empyrean. Your presence in this quest was a great asset, and I think you did a fantastic job.

Empyrean gains 1,100 EXP and a gift of 300 gold from King Bantor!
Zephyriah gains 3,804 EXP and a gift of 300 gold from King Bantor!

[Cyrus the virus]

EXP added, both of you leveled up, I believe!