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Fantasy Divinity Unbound

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Holy name? One of the divines then? But from which pantheon? No, no. Priorities. Sebastian, dispite his curiosity at this once in a lifetime chance knew what he must ask.

"Then for our most pressing matters. Firstly, the demons corruption. It's a blight upon the land, the sea and our flesh. Is there any way to cleanse their taint? Short of amputation. Secondly, you said that you sensed the demons approach. Is there some phenomena that we would observe to prepare for their coming? Thirdly, we have observed that they possess a resistance to our magic and a resilience against our blades. Is there some vulnerability of theirs that we might exploit?" These questions were what Sebastian felt would be the most pertinent to what remained of the conference. But his fourth question was the most worrying. "Lastly, how do the demons gather information about our movements? Our gatherings? How and when to strike us where we are most vunerable?"

The Dragon's eyes fluttered slightly as it took in a strained breath, breathing out hot air enough to push Elena and Korose back a half-step each.

"About the abomination's properties and knowledge of your kind's exploits, I can only speculate that there are those in this world who seek to aid them in their conquest of this Realm. Find them, and you may find the answers you seek. As for their coming, I know not how you could prepare. My kind is able to sense their vile presence from birth. The closer they come to the Barrier Between Worlds, and the more powerful the individual attempting to breach it, the stronger that sensation becomes."

It took in a deep breath, sighing it out through its nose as blood began trickling out of the corner of its mouth.
 
Korose and Elena had both since recovered from the breath and had adjusted their positions. Elena moved more towards the Dragon's forehead as its head slightly rolled sideways, and Korose took a step to the same side to avoid being in the path of the breath. It was quite hot, and Korose's clothes even now felt warmer than normal. Elena placed her hands on the creature's forehead, which caused its eyes to roll up to meet hers.

"Child of Earth. By what power did you destroy the Demon? Was it Light Magic?"

"No. It was Mana converted into pure energy."

"Is that why your body has given out?"

"Yes."

"Can you recover?"

The Dragon's eyes slowly blinked, and it looked away from her towards Korose once again with Elena following its gaze. The Dragon then locked its telepathy on Korose, and Korose alone.

"The answer to the old one's question... Lies within you."

Explain. Korose thought in response.

"You can sense them... Because you... Harbor one of their own... within you."

I'm aware. What of it?

"Will you not volunteer your senses to save your world?"

I would be killed for the suggestion that such a being resides within my body, regardless of what benefits it may give me that could aid our world. I know because I've tried. And I paid a price for doing so... I like being alive.

"Then you only... Help them to achieve their goals... Such selfishness."

Mythical beast or not, I don't need to be lectured by the likes of you. I warned this city of what was coming and I'll help to fight them however I can. Don't pretend moral superiority with words like "selfishness" when you lock yourselves away from the world and only interfere when it's convenient for you.

The dragon growled, its lips pulling back in a snarl as its eyes hardened.

"Such arrogance... You know nothing of our race... Or why we do what we do."

I don't need to. Your actions do all the talking.

The Dragon's head came up slightly as its growl intensified, but Korose stood firm. The creature's eyes then snapped shut and a strained groan emerged from its throat as its head hit the ground once more. Its breathing became labored. And its eyes remained shut tight.

A small tremor shook the Earth, grasping everyone's attention. And shortly thereafter a soft breeze blew through the city. To Korose and Elena's ears, it was nothing but wispy breaths of air which vaguely resembled the sounds of someone whispering. But the Dragon's eyes opened instantly and its head shifted pushing Elena along for the ride as it looked out towards the ocean.

Turning its head back towards the others, the Dragon once again extended its telepathy to all in range.

"My Mother... She calls to you, mortals. Come to... Our home. Dragon's Cove... She waits... For you..."

The Dragon's head rolled to its side, and the light faded from its eyes as its final warm breath escaped its mouth in a plume of steam.

And all became silent.

Elena's lower lip trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks, and she placed her forehead against the Dragon's own while stroking the ridges above its eyes.

"May you rest in peace, sweet Child of Earth." She whispered.

Korose took a deep breath and sighed through his nose. Maybe he and this thing got off on the wrong foot because of... Obvious reasons. But he felt bad that his only communication with it had been so sour, and his fists tightened at his sides.
 
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The thief had made his way deeper back into the city before he finally caught the attention of a healing mage who agreed to help the sick child. Zagaroth watched as the mage worked. He didn't understand how it was possible to heal one's injuries with magic as he had lived a simple life without it. However the leg was patched up in front of his eyes. "He'll need a lot of sleep and rest but should survive" the mage told as Zagaroth thanked him.

Carrying the boy was really making him exhausted but he couldn't stop now. Not when he was so close. He thanked the mage once more before lifting the boy up once more and headed towards the slums. Seeing the destruction around him his heart was growing heavier by the minute. He was glad that the child was asleep, as he already feared the worst. Zagaroth reached the old shack and looked inside through a now broken window, the sight almost making him throw up as he quickly backed out. His face was pale as he had seen a ghost as he just stood there trying to gather himself. Seeing a corpse was one thing, but seeing a corpse of someone you knew and cared about was worse. He wasn't sure what to do now. He couldn't take the child with him, could he?

"Ex-excuse me" an old lady said with a shaggy voice as she approached them holding onto a walking cane. "Isn't that Millies child?"

Zagaroth simply nodded to the woman. The woman looked towards the shack.

"Is she….?" He shook his head. "And his brother…?" Again, he shook his head. "Oh dear…. Goddess bless their souls… Go to the church. Ask for Aurie to take care of the child. She's my granddaughter. I would take care of the child myself but I'm too old… Say Iara sent you."

Following the old woman's words as he had no better plan in mind. He found Aurie, a young woman who promised to care for the child as Zagaroth thanked her with a tired voice.

He looked around the church, seeing the priests trying to help people in need. He had never been religious but maybe he would have to rethink his values after the day's events. The thief left outside and just sat on the church's stairs. He closed his eyes as he needed a moment to himself and just think. "She waits for you" Zagaroth lifted his head up confused. What was it? He looked around him.

Who was it?
 
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The two observed the Dragon as it spoke to others individually, and some were more pleasant to observe then others. Aranaea in particular observed the one elf that appeared to be blind seem to have an intense glare off with the beast. Though she wondered, what private conversation so silent as to use his own thoughts did this man have would stir such a standoff? More importantly, what did he say to make it so mad? The poor thing was suffering enough!

She would’ve scolded him as much As she would scold Zaldir if he gave such an attitude!! however, any thoughts of voicing out angry scolding ceased when the Dragon’s condition worsened. Zaldir in alarm was about to ask what was wrong when the earth began to tremble again and Zaldir instinctively reached for his sword before it stopped, before he felt the small breeze following it. “What was that?” he said, marveling at the strange happening.

His question didn’t go unanswered as the Dragon spoke for the last time, telling everyone around it what it was. Apparently the Dragon’s Mother was calling out to them, inviting them to Dragon’s Cove. Then at last, due to it’s own wounds, the Dragon passed away. Zaldir looked at Aranaea. She looked back towards her brother, then toward the cart.

“Another clearance sale on magical weapons and armor to purchase a Ship?” she asked. “We might also have to leave the cart behind. And don’t you dare suggest we leave Ardyn behind. I won’t allow that. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity even for Elven lifetimes!”

“Well, yeah. We’ll just have to start somewhere by getting the funds for said ship. Ardyn we’ll discuss later after getting to know everyone else that got invited?“

“I am not sure of everyone’s intentions. Especially one who looked like he had a bit of a silent shouting match with the Dragon. But I swear if He does go, Mark my words Brother, I’ll find out what makes him tick.”

Aranaea eyed the elf who seemed to make the dragon angry as she spoke. This man really put a large question in her head. He must’ve said something in their silent conversation to put it off. But what was it? He was puzzle she wanted to solve!

Zaldir in the meantime walked until he felt close enough to the Dragon’s head to simply bow at the dragon. “Rest now. May the Gods send you to a better place then this world.” Zaldir said in Elvish, before switching back to common. “May we meet in another life, but not again in this one.” He then turned to the Elven woman who tended to the dragon in it’s last moments.

“Well, we’d best get to know each other if we’re going to end up traveling to Dragon’s Cove together. I’m Zaldir Kestal, and you are?”
 
Elena wiped her tears as she considered the Dragon's final words. And through her thoughts and sniffles, she barely registered Zaldir's greeting. However, the final phrase, "I’m Zaldir Kestal, and you are?” did break through the fog of her mind urging her to meet his gaze.

"Ah," she sniffled as she tried to quickly clean her face of the last remnants of her tears.

"... Elena." She finally said after having taken a moment to think.

She then searched in her bag, but her parchment was missing as well as her pencil. Lacking another option, she held out her hand and spelled out the message "I can understand you. But I cannot reply in your tongue."

Meanwhile Korose had taken a step forward and heaved a sigh through his nose as he patted the Dragon's neck a bit further down and away from the other two elves. Heated exchange or no, this creature deserved his respect for what it did for them all.

After a moment of silence in respect to the late Dragon Sebastian stood, turning his attention towards the rest of the Lord Wryms audience. Thanks to their interactions he now had two names with which to identify his new fellows. And an opportunity to assist with some of his relativity esoteric knowledge.

"Perhaps I may be able to be of some help here" Sebastian said with his jolly smile before switching to modern elvishes older, more antiquated sibling. "That is if you find my fluency to be acceptable miss."

Elena blinked in a double-take at Sebastian using hints of High Elven.

"You... You know High Elven?" She gasped.

Sebastian gave a chuckle at Elena's surprise. He was always pleased to make use of his academic persuits. Even so he had returned to the modern tongue for the convenience of the other members of the conversation.

"Indeed I do. History is a passion of mine you see. So the language became a necessary skill to work with old texts after a point. Learning to speak it however was more of a passion project for me. So please don't hesitate to allow me to be of assistance."

Zaldir merely blinked at the interacting two, feeling partially left out due to the language being spoken. ”So Wait, it’s Old Elven? No wonder I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Not many speak it anymore.” he said, trying to make heads or tails of the conversation. ”Not even my sister can speak that and she’s a bookworm studying for the Trials.”

”I heard that!” shouted Aranaea, who was busy tending to Ardyn to calm down the stallion of the events that unfolded. Attention said stallion welcomed Wholeheartedly. Zaldir however winced at being caught talking about his sister and rubbed his head sheepishly.

Aranaea however still eyed the other male elf from time to time, as if either scolding him silently or studying him to try and find anything at all off about him. But when she noted he too was giving respects, she relented on the former. ”Interesting. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in judging him from just an interaction alone.” She thought.

Sebastian took notice of Zaldir's discomfort and moved to redirect his attention.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Sebastian." Sebastian gave a subtle bow as he spoke. "You two mentioned getting a boat yes? The ship itself would be the easy part. The real trouble comes with getting a crew to man it. Those are no easy waters. And they are well avoided and with good reason. The Wyrm cove is quite heavily guard-" Sebastian stopped for a moment before he let out a hearty laugh as he realized the reason why the waters of the cove were so notorious.

"Of course it is well guarded. That's where their Holy Mother is! All these years. Ah. One mystery solved. Oh right." Sebastian cleared his throat before continuing on. "My apologies. But yes, the greater challenge will be convincing a crew to man the ship there. But your noble steed should be no problem. I am not certain about your cart however."

Elena glanced between the two men with an innocent blink.

"Well, sir Sebastian. If your fluency is really an offered service, it would save me the trouble of using the parchment and pencil. It would be much appreciated."

Sebastian nodded towards Elena. "Indeed, it is an open offer. I am happy to help. And I imagine it would be a fait bit more affordable then parchment to boot!"

”I can always get a new cart. Aranaea would kill me if I left Ardyn behind. He’s a Jerk, but to sis, he’s family. But, as a magic blacksmith I need to sell off some items off the cart, at relatively lower prices so I can get rid of them before getting rid of the cart and make sure important luggage sticks with us as well. But yeah, getting a crew for a ship is gonna be hard.” Zaldir affirmed. At least the old man was accommodating of letting Ardyn coming along. He then turned to Elena.

”It would be nice to at least have a decent leeway into the language barrier, Miss Elena, translator or otherwise. I must say, this is going to be an interesting adventure.”

Elena tilted her head and offered a quiet smile.

"I suppose the two harshest factors would be the place and time. Lau'sha isn't in the best condition after this. I imagine that purses will be tight for a time even with lowered prices. Then there is the time it will take to organize the voyage itself. You never want to rush one after all. I also need to check on the conference members and see who survived. Then I must share what I've learned and see if we can't piece things back together. And while we work it's not like the demons will simply leave us be in the meantime. Not a simple challenge."

Sebastian had to admit that thing weren't looking to be in their favor. But if they could pull the conference back together it would at least give them a logistical advantage that they would lack on their own. And it would help organize reconstruction efforts for cities like Lau'sha.

Elena could only nod as she looked around the group.

Korose, meanwhile, had walked up next to her which caught her off guard and made her jump with a tiny "Eep!"

Korose's head glanced towards her slightly, and then back to Sebastian.

"Securing a ship would be easiest in the region of Khallam. It's the human territory immediately to the Northwest. There's one oceanside city in particular, Wahton, which is famous for its fishing vessels. All of them are specially built to withstand the sea's harshest weather changes and waves."

After settling down following the jump scare, Elena perked up a bit.

"Are there any in the area who are brave enough to venture to the land of the Dragons?" She asked.

"I agree that Wahton should serve well for acquisitioning a ship. But as Miss Elena has asked, do the men of Wahton have the courage to crew the vassal? If their ships are built to face the worst the sea has to offer then I would hope their sailors would be set to match."

"If not then I may have a method to solve the problem. However one does not lease a ship without its crew. As such it would be a bit excessive of a solution if we do not need a ship for an extended period of time."

Korose turned towards the siblings.

"Do the two of you have any suggestions, or know of anyone who might be in the business of helping us reach the Cove?"

”Wahton is our best bet.” Zaldir agreed. ”As for men brave enough to reach the cove, that’s easy. Get a combined purse altogether we might attract someone who would make it their business to take us.”

”Zaldir, a coinpurse isn’t going to attract men who want to risk their necks. I think, but not entirely certain, that a Water magus who graduated from my Alma Mater the same time as me is making a living there. We could ask them to help get us to where we’re going. As for a crew, I’m sure there are taverns in Wahton practically filled with sea salts and young human bucks who want an opportunity to reach a place they may have had a brush getting too close to with once or twice.” Aranaea suggested, leaning onto Ardyn with a smirk on her face. ”Trick is is to sort out any who are too eager and any who are scared for their lives. We might have to scour said Taverns to build one from scratch if that happens.”

”Which again I say Naea, offer a decent commission. It’s how business wor-blep!” Zaldir’s statement was cut off by a swift slap across the face by the tail of a certain stallion. This left the young elf to glare at Ardyn who seemed to be almost smirking a horse’s smirk at the satisfaction of cutting him off.

Elena blinked innocently as Korose lowered his chin a bit.

"I may know of a ship and Captain. But I'm not sure if he'll be happy to see me. But something's better than nothing."

Elena glanced at Korose and she leaned over a bit while looking at the bottom of his bandanna. She could have sworn she saw the faintest red light beneath the fabric. But it wasn't there now. Was she seeing things?

"Well then, it appears that we have three leads of which we are free to pursue. We may speak to this captain of whom are friend is acquainted. Alternatively I can see to arranging a crew of my own to be orginized and transported to Wahton. Or perhaps the simplest option, we may request the governor of Wahton for their assistance in the matter. Regardless of which decision we make it will have to wait until we arrive at Wahton ourselves."

Sebastian felt it would be best to ascertain the circumstances of their destination before they mired themselves in the finer details, lest their plans be made in waste.
 
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Zagaroth watched as people moved in and out to church, his eyes moving onto the bell tower. "How many times will it chime for dead?" He wondered knowing there were more bodies than anyone could count. And people like Millie and himself, the invisible people of poverty, would never get to hear that bell chime as they crossed the border between the worlds of living and dead. He thought about his father, who Zagaroth himself had to bury. There were no bells, no people mourning his death in black clothes. There was only him, digging up a hole in a forest as the night fell down. "I bet she doesn't know either… If she'd even care."

Still watching the bell his thoughts went over to demons and dragons; of the tales he was told as a child. They were real, that much was clear now. But what other tales were real? The thief, quietly as always, got up and looked towards the sea. Would the answers to his questions lay behind that blue water?

He was slowly walking towards it, keeping himself partly hidden as he wasn't fully sure what he would see behind the destruction and fallen buildings. "But you're just a thief. A man born into the streets. What do you think you could even do?"

"What can I do….." he muttered quietly to himself.

"You just saved a life, son"

"A life…. One life…"

"A life that will last for years from now."

"But his family--" "Will watch over him."

Zagaroth was silent.

"Ya know I'm proud of you"

"Someone else wouldn't."

"We don't talk about her."

"I'm a failure."

"No."

"No? I can't even use magic. I'm just a thi---"

"No, son. I taught you to fight. Prove them wrong. We don't need magic."

For a short moment Zagaroth looked alarmed as his hand moved onto his belt. Thank god his father's dagger was still strapped onto his belt. The thief unsteahed the dagger as he watched and weighted it in his hand. With a quick flick of his wrist the dagger was thrown into the air.

"You choose the way father." Zagaroth whispered and watched as the dagger landed into the ground. Its tip pointing towards where the battle against Demon had taken place.

He nodded and picked it back up, heading to see what the world had decided for him. Arriving in the area with now dead dragon and few people around him, the thief stood in the shadows between two destroyed buildings. The dragon was larger than he had originally thought, and even after losing its life, it was a majestic and beautiful sight. He observed the people more closely and noticed the mute elf girl from earlier was also there. “ A lot of elves… Do elves have a special connection with dragons?” he wondered as he stayed hidden from their eyes.

As he listened to Sebastian make his final suggestions, his Pulse Vision alerted him to a presence. Slowly, Korose's head turned. And his 'gaze,' hidden behind the blindfold he wore, landed squarely on Zagaroth as he huddled between the buildings.

The thief almost startled. He wasn't used to being spotted and this time the one who turned to look directly at him seemed to be... blind? How was it possible? Zagaroth wasn't sure if the exhaustion was making him was seeing things. His eyes narrowed as he tried to focus his vision. No, that elf was definitely wearing a bandage around his eyes.

Korose's 'gaze' on Zag remained for a solid few seconds before he slowly returned his head to a neutral position facing Sebastian and the others.

Zagaroth took a few steps deeper into the shadows but his eyes never left the blind man. There was something suspicious about him.
 
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“Then it’s decided,” Aranaea said plainly. “Wahton shall be the staging point of our expedition to Dragon’s Cove. However, as Sebastian has said, some of the important leads can wait. There is some unfinished business here as well as the fact we might not all arrive there at the same time.”

“What do you suggest then sis?” Zaldir asked.

“A meeting place. We meet at a location in Wahton on a certain day, and we can make sure we have everything prepared for the journey ahead of us. Thus we can ensure any unfinished business, or anything else we need in order to get this expedition organized Is secure.”

Zaldir only nodded at what his sister was saying. If everyone got to Wahton on different days, it’d be nice to at least have an itinerary as far as the expedition to the cove was concerned. He looked towards some of the other companions joining him, noting for the first time the Blind Elf, who seemed to look around as if he heard something, but then turned to ‘look’ at the group.

Aranaea, simply leaned on Ardyn, waiting to hear any comments or concerns as far as her suggestion of a meeting place in Wahton.
 
After several minutes of deliberation it was agreed to that the party would meet at the Pot Point Docks on the Southern half of the city at noon in one week's time. Elena was then tended to by a Healing Mage while Korose turned towards the alleyway and began approaching.

Zagaroth had his eyes firmly on the blind elf approaching him. His hand slid quietly to his side close to his daggers. He didn't pull it out, but on the streets you could never be too careful.

The faintest sensation of a pulse struck Zag's body as Korose came to a stop a few paces away.

"Did you hear the Dragon's final words?" Korose asked quietly.

Narrowing his eyes with the pulse, the thief kept his expression as blank as possible.

"It was the dragon?" That was surprising, but also very valuable information. "I did."

Korose nodded.

"The Dragon's Mother resides in Dragon's Cove. Myself and the others who were with me have agreed to meet in Wahton, specifically the Pot Point Docks."

He cocked his head to one side.

"By chance do you know anyone in that area who could help put together a crew to sail to Dragon's Cove?"

Zagaroth thought for a while, thinking back to the travels he had had with his father. "Personally no. However.... I might be able to help other ways." he replied while watching the elf's reaction closely.

Korose remained silent for a moment, and nodded.

"Very well. We're meeting at the docks at noon in seven days. See you there."

Korose walked past Zag and disappeared around the corner.
 
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Zagaroth had arrived to Wahton early in order to find any useful information. It was the day before the meeting as he was leisurely walking around the middle class area of the city, thinking about his situation. The last few weeks of his life had really turned a new leaf in his book: from a thief to a refugee to joining this trip. And by some miracle he was still alive after two demon attacks. Miracle or skill in arts of hiding and quick escapes, he wasn't sure.

The area was very rural, with modest but spacious one-story homes. Their roofs were flat wooden shingles, overlapping from the top down, and the doorways were slightly elevated with one or two steps leading up to them.

Zagaroth was heading towards the docks as the sun was slowly setting. It was easy to find as the docks were visible from almost every major street. The roads were wide dirt roads and several horse-drawn carriages had already passed Zagaroth on his walk. "What better way to find information than the center of action." There was the smallest sly smile on the corner of his mouth as he entered a tavern closest to the docks.

The instant he walked through the tavern door Zag bore witness to a semi-full glass of mead being thrown across the room and into the wall from a far-side table.

"Wot kinda mead wazzat?!" Screamed the drunk patron.

"Sir, please. If you do that again I'll have to ask you to leave." Replied the host as he tried to settle the man down.

"Dat wuz worse den horse piss!" The dunkard shouted.

From the tavern bar a man waved at Zag.

"Heeeey! Zaggy! C'mere!"

It was George. A "friend" of Zag's in the local area who meandered between cities looking for good food and drinks when he wasn't spilling rumors and secrets to the underbelly of society.

The smile disappeared in the instant he heard the word "Zaggy". He walked to the host. "Two rums please. And give us a little time." He nodded towards George and slid a few coins extra to pay for the trouble of letting him stay. No matter how he felt of the man, his information hadn't let Zagaroth down.

Getting the drinks, the thief walked to George's table and placed a cup in front of him. He sat down on the opposite side and took a sip of his drink. "Been a while George."

"Heeeeeey... Zaggy. Been a while true, man!"

He gave Zag a clap on the back.

"So why'd ya ask me to meet ya here, bud?"

Zagaroth tried to stay as calm as possible. "You don't happen to know anyone crazy enough to sail to Dragon's cove?"

"Dra-" He nearly choked on his drink as he spit it all over the bar in front of himself.

"Dragon's Cove?!" He yelled.

"Shut up." Zagaroth said harshly knowing the whole tavern had already heard it. He could feel the glare of the host behind his back and slid them a few coins more for having to clean up after George. "At least I made some money before the attack"

George froze when Zag spoke like that, looking up at him from a slightly hunched position like a small animal curling up under the gaze of a predator.

"Okay, okay Zaggy. I gotcha. No talkin' bout it aloud. Got it."

Zagaroth lowered his voice. "You surely heard the stories of what happened in Lau'sha. I was there. And now a group is being formed to get to Dragon's Cove."

He sat up a bit straighter and leaned over, burping off to the side, and then back to Zag.

"Yeah. I heard what happn'd in Lau'sha. Not many people didn't hear. But-" Another belch. "But gettin' a group for Dragon's Cove? Why they goin' there? Nobody goes there. Them Dragons kill everything that comes anywhere near the place."

Zag rubbed his forehead slightly. "Look I know this sounds crazy but... Apparently the dragons... They can talk. And they told us to go there."

He left out an audible sigh as he leaned back on his chair and shook his head a little. "I don't even understand it myself. But..." He looked directly at George. "I have nothing to lose."

George blinked and took a final chug of his drink, emptying the glass.

"You say they told you to go there, eh? Well, it's yer funeral ol' buddy."

He coughed, belched, and coughed some more before turning to Zag with a serious, albeit very drunk, expression.

"I know someone who'll take ya all there. But he's a, uh... Difficult man to talk to. So when ye go to see him, don't do it in any alleys or places where you have open space behind you. He's a known backstabber when things don't go his way."

He checked the tavern to make sure nobody was listening and leaned in close to whisper.

"Go find a guy named Retchenson. He's always on the move. So you may have to ask around to find out where he is right now. But if ya find him, keep him in front of you and don't let anyone come up behind ya. Make yer point, and get out quick. Got it Zaggy?"

Zagaroth nodded, finished his drink and threw a couple coins on the table. "I'll tell you all the stories when I get back." With that he quickly disappeared out of the door.

* * *

It had taken Zagaroth a few hours of asking around and running back and forth on the streets but he had finally found it. With a lighter pouch of money he stood behind the door of an inn. The door which knocker was the statue of Goddess of Wealth. For a regular visitor it held no significance but for a thief it held it all.

He stepped inside being greeted by a completely normal sight of customers having their drinks, a traveler asking a room for the night and general chatter. However Zagaroth ignored the person behind the counter and walked towards a person sitting in the corner right of the door. The woman barely looked at Zagaroth as he spoke with a low voice. "I'm looking for Retchenson. I'm here for business."

The woman kept her gaze forward and pretended to yawn as she stood up and half leaned his direction, but never looking at him.

"Wait here." She instructed.

She disappeared up the stairs in the back leading to the second floor, and returned a few minutes later while whispering in his ear.

"Leave any weapons with the man outside room 16. It's on your left towards the end of the hall."

With that, she sat back down and continued to pretend not to care about the world.

Zagaroth simply nodded at the woman's instructions and walked up the stairs. Having to leave his weapons didn't sit well with him, but he didn't have much choice. "Just go straight to business and watch your back."

He walked to the door 16, nodded at the man and gave the daggers that were visible on his belt to him.

"Make it quick." The man said with a deep, sharp tone.

As the door was opened, Zag could see a man sitting on the bed towards the left side of the room. His feet were stretched out straight, his back against the wall with the pillow supporting him, and he was reading a book. He had long brown hair falling to his shoulders, and a pair of piercing blue eyes that shifted from the words on the page up to meet Zag's eyes.

"Haven't seen you around before." He muttered as his eyes returned to the book.

Zagaroth stayed close to the door leaning his back against the wall next to it. "I'm here for business. Looking for someone willing to sail to Dragon's Cove." He kept his tone calm and neutral.

The man glanced up at Zag once again, never moving a single other part of his body than his eyes.

"... You have a death wish?" He asked calmly.

"Deathwish or not, I have nothing to lose." He stated just as calmly. He wasn't going to let the man intimidate himself.

"Hmm."

He returned his eyes to the pages.

"Maybe you don't. But if you want to sail, that means you need others to actually get there. Do you think they have nothing to lose? Who are you?" He asked calmly as he turned the page.

"It's their choice to join or not. I won't force anyone." He watched the man closely. "My name is Zagaroth. Zagaroth Danyell."

As he scanned the page, he paused.

"Danyell... Danyell... It doesn't ring a bell, but it kinda does at the same time."

Glancing up at Zag again, and placing the book on his lap and closing it, he took a breath.

"So You want a crew to take you to Dragon's Cove, and you don't care if they join or not. You're an interesting one. I'll give you that."

Placing the book down, he stood up and walked up to Zag.

"Not many would dare those waters. But if you ask around the docks for "Ragewave," you may have yourself a Captain."

He tried to walk around Zag, but he was too close to the door. So all he could do was pace while scanning the Thief before walking back to the bed, laying back down, and opening the book again.

Zagaroth felt the nervousness inside him as Retchenson walked closer and observed him. He did his best to keep calm expression on his face even if his muscles tensed ready to pull one of his hidden throwing knives out.

"This encounter never occurred. Got it?"

Zagaroth nodded. "I already forgot it." As he opened the door he slipped out of it quickly still keeping his eyes on the man for every moment until closing the door behind him.
 
With the rendezvous point decided and everyone going their own ways Sebastian gave his farewells and began to tend to his own responsibilities. Taking his first step on his now long list of tasks he made his way to the good General Fordhas.

"Why hello there yet again! My good sir I believe I have some news of import for you and his highness King Fehran to mull over. However I will need to speak to the King about a number of things regarding the current situation. That said, shall I give you the report here or would you rather wait until we can speak to King Fehran?"

The General finished a conversation with some of his men, and turned to Sebastian.

"The King is being sheltered for his own safety right now, and won't return until I give the all-clear. As for the current situation, I am fit to respond to any questions you have."

"I see. Well then, as you should be well informed this will pose little trouble. First I shall start with the Lord Wryms..."

Sebastian told General Fordhas about most of what they had learned from the Dragons. That the demon that had attacked Lau'sha had been the strongest yet. That they would likely intervene again should another of similar power arrive. That they had been called to the Dragon cove. And eveything in between. The only things Sebastian left out of his report was that a divine in particular had invited them and that said divine was likely living in the cove. It would be easier to guard their home if it was not known that anything of value was there at all.

"For the second matter I would like to ask King Fehran to continue to participate in the conference. This very attack proves the value of the conference. To organize help for the city and to root out demon conspirators. The attack only happened because the meeting was so public. If we gather quickly we can continue the discussions without a significant risk of further demon interference."

The General listened intently to Sebastian's words, but as they wound down the General took a deep breath and could only solemnly nod.

"I will inform the King of your request, but I can make no guarantees. With that blast of Darkness following the Royals to their homelands, who can say even if this kind of meeting will happen again... Perhaps your experience differs, but in my own most politicians are cowards who would rather avoid this situation at the earliest opportunity. Not to speak for them all, but most of the time I've seen them it's been such that 'if they attacked it once, they'll attack it again.' That kind of thing."

He took a moment to acknowledge and dismiss another guard who said the last of those who survived the goop had been freed.

"Hopefully we can make this happen again. But I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"You are likely correct. There will be those afraid to return. But we are speaking about royalty. I should hope that they are made of sterner stuff than common politicians. That or we could poke their pride. If enough rulers appear then those on the fence will be encouraged to do as well lest they lose face amoungst the other kingdoms."

The General remained skeptical.

"Well, do your best, Sir. I'm afraid when it comes to Lau'Sha, however, we will be focusing on reconstruction for quite some time. If there is to be another such meeting, it will not take place here."

"Indeed. Though it would prove quite beneficial to Lau'sha to continue the discussions all the same. Organizing aid for those harmed was one of the major points on the docket. With that said, I must bid you farewell. We will be quite busy in next while and it would behoove me to keep working. Remember to rest when you can lest you run yourself ragged."

With his parting words said Sebastian reconvened with his men and had them prepare for their journey home. For his own preparations he returned to the inn he had been staying at to collect his belongings before making the trip home by way of teleportation. It was a form of transportation made most efficient by making as many stops as you can along your journey as the costs rise exponentially with distance. Amidst one of these stops he sent a letter to Khallem's capital of Tahlshire requesting an audience with it's ruler King Ahllem.

When he had finally arrived to his estate he had left his belongings packed upon his bed before meeting with his steward. After requesting the man to prepare for Sebastian's upcoming travels and promising to return on the marrow he made his final trip for the day to meet with his King. He was overjoyed to learn of their survival and no less amused to find the Queen insisting that they were growing too old for such excitement. Sebastian made his report on the events that followed after their escape and entrusted the reorganization of the conference in Grahams hands. To wrap up the bulk of his responsibilities he exchanged anchor points with another transportation mage in service to the crown before settling in to assist Graham for the rest of the evening. After a warm bath and a good meal Sebastian elected to spend the night in a guest room on account of his fatigue.

Sebastian returned to his home in the early morning the next day. It was not long before he was greeted by his siblings and their families. He informed them of the events that had unfolded in Lau'sha before they gathered for their morning meal with the children. After said meal he spent the remaining time before his departure playing with his great grand nieces and nephews as well as parting out gifts he had acquired from Lau'sha during the festivities. Alas it inevitably became time to say farewell to his family. Sebastian promised to continue writing and to bring the young ones plenty more gifts from his travels.

Sebastian made his series of teleportations to Khallams capital of Tahlshire to meet with its King. He was back in his usual attire save one observeable point of difference from his time in Lau'sha, that being the addition of his bow. While he was no expert in the art he was still quite proficient in its use. It was a masterwork piece custom made for his stature and weighed to his strength. Sebastian had not been fully equipped during his time in Lau'sha. With the likelihood of seeing further battle in the time to come he felt it would be appropriate to be better prepared to face it. That said, unless he was required to go on some hunting trip to secure support from King Ahllem his war bow was best left unstrung for the time being.

Upon his arrival he was swiftly led to his meeting with King Ahllem. After the formalities were done they were quickly dropped from then onwards. Sebastian gave his report and requested their assistance to the Dragons cove. On this point he was given a letter of introduction to the governor of Wahton. For his next point he began to negotiate for assistance to be sent to Lau'sha. This was a considerably difficult task as he was a third party diplomat who could promise nothing on behalf of Lau'sha. Khallam was not unsympathetic to Lau'sha's plight but they had their own concerns to see to. Sebastian stressed that the reason the demons attacked the conference was to stop people from forming a united front against them. If nothing else then helping one another would be one step towards fighting the demons as they were inclined to see people standing divided. He urged them to join in a second calling of the conference. One that would be announced after it was completed to prevent its attack. They agreed, and Sebastian made his way to Wahton by horseback.

After using the letter of introduction to meet with the governor arrangements were swiftly made for Sebastian's stay in Wahton. During the time leading up to the meeting with his fellow invitees he made preparations for their lodging and had informed the guards to greet them upon their arrival. He had prepared the necessary supplies and had secured six water mages by the time of the meeting. He even found a suitable ship for sale, but was hesitant to purchase it as he had not gotten a crew to man it and would prefer to hire a crew with a ship of their own. All in all he was quite satisfied with his efforts by the day of the meeting.
 
Following the dispersal of individuals from the site, Elena thanked the Healing Mage who tended to her leg and made her way to the nearby stables at the edge of the city to retrieve her horse. It was an Elvish White Mare and had been with her since the beginning of her 400 year long memory.

”Are you well, Rithyi? I’m sorry if you were frightened by what happened,” she cooed while petting the mare’s neck.

Rithyi shook her head with a grunt and used her nose to gently nudge Elena’s stomach which earned a giggle.

”The Mother of Dragon kind calls to us, my dearest friend. Let us be away to Wahton.”

Elena hoisted herself into the saddle, and the two were away to Wahton.

Korose, meanwhile, had vanished from sight almost immediately after the arrangements were agreed to. Sinking into the shadows beneath his feet as everyone’s backs were turned, he had spirited himself away to the tree line of the forests beyond the plains just outside of Lau’sha. Such a leap was quite the feat, even for him. But after a few deep breaths he was ready to move.

But not to Wahton. He had another destination in mind.

It took two full days, but Korose managed to use his Shadowfare magic, in combination with his own incredible stamina while jogging, to reach a city on the border known as Phelthreem. It was your average town with nothing terribly special to write home about waiting there… Unless you were part of the local Assassin’s Guild.

Their hideaway was in plain sight in a brothel, of all places. The door was marked with a runic door knocker in a shape resembling a teardrop forming at the base of a crescent. It was, however, symbolic of a drop of blood dripping from the bottom of one’s heart. A fitting symbol for their kind.

Korose entered the building and everything immediately went quiet. Even the everyday patrons who weren’t affiliated stopped their conversations to look at this most strange sight of an elf wearing a blindfold but walking without any sort of assistance. Korose made his way to the stairs in the back, walked up and to the room at the far end of the hall on the right side, and entered despite the guard outside leering at him the whole way.

Upon entry, Korose stood silent as a cloaked figure looking out the window in the back turned to face him. The man wore a gray beard down to the center of his chest, holding a smoking pipe in one hand and supporting his weight via a cane in the other.

“I presume you come for guidance?” The old man croaked.

”No. I come for payment.”

“Payment for…”

”An advance. I’m going to Wahton to help find a ship and crew for Dragon’s Cove.”

The old man nearly dropped his pipe.

”You know of the incident in Lau’sha, and the Dragons which appeared. Do you not?”

“… Yes.”

”Before it died, one of the Dragons spoke of its Mother calling to the mortal races to come to Dragon’s Cove.”

“Is that what the singing was about?”

”You… Heard that?”

“As far as we understand, everyone heard it. But none knew what it was, where it came from, or why it was heard. But this seems to make some modicum of sense as you explain.”

”As I said, she calls to us. I’m going to go to Dragon’s Cove. And I need money to acquire the services of a ship and crew to get there.”

The old man turned to look out the window.

“I presume there is a trade you’re willing to accept in exchange?”

”I will sacrifice an equivalent amount from future assignments until it is paid.”

“… Very well. How much do you think you will need?”

”Standard fare for a ship and crew to sail from this side of the world to the other is 20 Gold. I will need at least 50 to ensure I have enough to set the crew’s minds at ease.”

“Hmm. That’s no insubstantial amount of money, Demon.”

Korose’s hands quietly clenched into fists as his jaw set a little harder.

“Very well. I approve this loan.”

The old man scribbled something on parchment and handed it to Korose.

“You know where to go.”

”Indeed.”

The old man held firm as Korose tried to accept it from him.

“I’ve had far too many loans attempt to remain unpaid, Demon… Don’t become the next.”

He let go of the parchment, and Korose calmly tucked it into his pocket and left the room. Walking downstairs, he flashed the parchment to the receptionist who opened a vertical door in the desktop for him to walk through. Entering a door behind the from desk, he turned right and walked down a flight of stairs and knocked on a metal door. A sliding view port opened, and a pair of steely brown eyes glared at him before closing the view and opening the door with a loud, long creaking sound that hurt Korose’s ears.

“Whaddya want, Demon?”

Korose handed the parchment to the man, and he slammed his fist into the door.

“WHY IS THE OLD MAN GIVING YA SO MUCH?!”

”Business.”

The man grumbled and mumbled to himself as he closed and locked the door in Korose’s face. A few moments later the view port opened and a pouch with 50 Gold coins was pushed through into Korose’s waiting hands.

“Ya don’t deserve it, ya freak. Now get lost!”

The view port was slammed shut, and Korose’s jaw tightened.

… Feeling out the shadows beneath the man on the other side of the now locked metal door, Korose flicked his index finger down towards the floor, and the sound of a “YEEEOW!!!” was heard on the other side. Korose smirked and walked upstairs and out of the building with his money on his hip.

And finally, the day had arrived. Korose had arrived in Wahton two days early by way of his Shadowfare magic, and spent much of his time simply waiting and resting. And on the day of, he stood near the edge of the docks with an alleyway to his back as he kept watch for the rest of those who’d agreed to meet began to arrive.

Elena, meanwhile, had arrived at the city gates and was interviewed by the guards upon arrival. Using her parchment and a new pencil she'd acquired on the way, she managed to communicate with them well enough to establish that she was here to meet with Sebastian and the others who'd been summoned here for the departure to Dragon's Cove. One guard agreed to accompany her on her way to the meeting place as a guide and bodyguard.

The morning of the meeting, having snuck into the city the old fashioned way, Zagaroth had spend around the docks seeing what more he could learn about the man called Ragewave. He had also kept his eyes open for another person; the "blind" elf. Having waited for his arrival, he eventually saw him standing at the docks. Silently the thief made his way to an alleyway behind him and leaned against a wall watching him.

Korose sent out another quick pulse to observe Elena's progress, as she seemed to be having trouble finding her way through the crowds to find Sebastian who was waiting with a handful of other mages and individuals ready to join whatever crew they found.

But that pulse alerted him to a nearby presence. One behind him...

Slowly, Korose's head turned to the right. Not all the way around. But far enough to alert a certain someone that he knew he was there.

Zagaroth shook his head slightly as he walked closer to the man. He kept his head low as he approached the other man, stopping next to him.

"Even for a blind person your hearing is exceptional." He spoke with a low voice as he was facing the ocean, but was watching the elf from the corner of his eye.

Korose huffed softly through his nose.

"Were you able to find anything about a ship or crew?"

"There is a captain called Ragewave in this city. He might be your best bet." Zagaroth stated calmly.

Korose's face contorted into a clear and deeper than usual frown.

"Ragewave," he muttered. "I've heard the name. Is that really the only one you could find?"

"Just mentioning Dragon's Cove scares people away. You're free to go find someone else instead."

Korose's head turned slightly more toward Zag.

"Ragewave is insane." He said rather sternly.

He returned his gaze towards the docks where Sebastian waited with his entourage with Elena finally seeming to take notice of him.

"... But I guess that's what we need, isn't it?" He muttered with a sigh.

"Everyone in this town are insane" he muttered thinking about George and then spoke louder. "I haven't found him yet. Besides I have nothing to bring into negotiation table."

Korose took a deep breath.

"Fine. Let's go tell the others."

Zagaroth simply nodded, then glancing over at the elf.

"You might fool the others, but I'm keeping my eye on you."

A tiny smirk appeared on Korose's lips.

"Sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."

With that the two walked out from the alleyway. As she scanned the crowd, Elena caught sight of Korose and Zag. Korose's blindfold was unmistakable despite how brief her time around him had been, as well as his poise and posture for one who was blind. Trotting over, she waved at Zag before giving a little gasp as she recognized him. The guard accompanying her, meanwhile, was quite wary of the pair and kept one hand on his belt near the hilt of his sword just in case. Bringing out her parchment and a new pencil, she scribbled on the page "Hello again! I'm so glad to see you made it out of Lau'sha in one piece!"

Korose observed this behavior via a pulse, which Elena sensed immediately with a bit of a start as she looked a bit more closely at Korose. Putting the thoughts out of her mind, she joined the two as they made their way over to Sebastian and his entourage.
 
The week between the events of Lau’sha and the arrival to Wahton was interesting for the Kestal siblings to say the least. After selling off much of Zaldir‘s supply of various things he had crafted, thus giving their horse less weight on the cart when they traveled, and then using some of the profits to resupply on what they considered important, Aranaea and Zaldir made their way to Wahton, coming to an agreement they‘d ditch the cart when they arrived at the docks as To transfer their luggage.

Although during the trip, Zaldir made the notion to ask his sister a question.

“Why not just shrink our personal luggage with your alchemy? To a pocket size so that we won’t have to worry to much on that regard.” As he asked this question Aranaea rolled her eyes.

“Because dear brother, it’s a waste of Mana and I’d get tired out doing it for everything, we‘ve been over this. Plus, I wouldn’t get the size of my clothing right.“ At this Zaldir heaved a sigh towards Aranaea.

“I know that second answer is a lame excuse but come on, you didn’t have to say that. plus, it’s only a box of clothing, my Magic Smithing kit, and of course our food supplies.”

Ardyn had to put up with more of the Elven siblings banter as he pulled the cart and moved at a fast pace. The days came and went and finally, within the week, the siblings plus horse arrived in Wahton. Imagine their surprise at the reception of the guards as well as a guided direction to lodgings in town after they explained why they were here in town. As they went on their way they saw three out of the four people, and thus made their way to follow them.

“Hey you guys! You made it!” Zaldir called out as they edged closer to them.

“Good to see you all arrived in one piece, I trust everyone had an okay journey here? During the journey I tried to contact my Water Magus friend but it seems he was summoned for business in this town. Something tells me I’ll be seeing him very soon though.” Aranaea said, explaining the majority of her time during the shared travel with her younger brother, before lowering her voice to a soft mutter. “If I do, First things first, payback for my hair...”

“I wonder why we got a nice reception coming in here. Courtesy of one of the others maybe?“ Zaldir thought. Ardyn on the other hand, was glad that soon he’d be relieved of that rickety old cart once and for all! The Stallion preferred saddles much more then carts anyway, so long as his favorite of the two siblings was on it. Which sibling that was, well, the horse could not say.
 
Seeing as everyone had arrived, with a number of guests included, it appeared that they were nearly set to begin their meeting. It seemed however that there was some tensions between Elena's escort and Korose. Sebastian had not received word that Korose had gotten into trouble with the law of Wahton, or that he had even arrived at all. Perhaps it was an innocent mistake, but the fact that Korose had a guest of his own to introduce made Sebastian wonder just how long he had been in Wahton. And if his suspicions were correct then those were skills that may be of use in the future.

"Why hello there. I see that everyone has arrived in good health. Allow me to welcome you to Wahton. Amongst the greatest ports of Khallam. I have taken the liberty of preparing lodging for everyone and should anyone like to rest I would be happy to guide you there." His greeting said, all along with a warm smile and a gentle and jolly tone Sebastian then turned to address the guard.

"And I must thank you my good sir, for lending your assistance to my guests. It is very much appreciated." Reaching out to shake hands Sebastian turned the man's attention firmly onto himself. "Ah, but if I may impose upon you once more I would be ever so grateful. As I stated all of my guests have arrived you see. Would you be so kind as to tell your fellows that they need no longer keep watch for me? You are all busy enough as it is. I wouldn't want to waste their effort on a task already completed."

Once the man was gone Sebastian returned his attention to his guests. "Now then, I'm afraid I must apologize. For you see I am one room short of my promise, as I am not acquainted with your guest sir Korose. Would you do the honors of introducing him, and your purpose in doing so?"
 
... Fuck. I never bothered to ask his name.

Korose turned his head towards Zag.

"Go ahead. Introduce yourself."

Zagaroth glanced at Korose. "Smart move." he thought as the elf told him to introduce himself. "I'm Zagaroth Danyell. I was in Wahton as well."

Elena nodded and turned to Sebastian.

"Zagaroth helped a wounded child back in Lau'sha."

Korose returned his head to a forward position.

"Zagaroth has informed me that he found a tip about a Captain who could help us. But it's not one I'm happy about given his... Eccentric nature."

Korose's upper lip curled in disgust.

"We're looking for Ragewave. For those unfamiliar, he used to be a noble in this city until his insane behavior drove the King to seize his family's lands and fortune. But clearly he still calls this place home. And if he's here, we need to find him since he's the only one crazy enough to take us to Dragon's Cove."

Elena glanced to Korose with a tilt of her head.

"'Ragewave'?" She asked aloud.

Zag shot Elena a surprised look. She can TALK?! He thought.

Is that a real name? She thought.
 
“Well, more the merrier I say.” Zaldir says after the introduction of Zagaroth. “I was wondering if anyone else got an invite.“

Aranaea regarded Zagaroth with a nod as she listened to the contribution he had laid before them. Apparently, the young human had a tip about a Captain, a former noble who, for all intents and purposes, was utterly insane and lost it all. Still, like Korose said, he might he just the sort they needed to get to the Cove. As such the sapphire haired elf shrugged. “Worth a shot at finding this Rageweave if he can remain sane long enough to hear a proposal.“ She said, noting the look of disgust Korose was making about the Potential Captain. “Of course I should also suggest we pick who actually goes to see this man. We don't want to startle or agitate his sanity further then it must be by now.“

When Elena asked aloud of the name of the man they’re looking For Zaldir looked at her. Half shrugging he simply said, “Probably a nickname, or a Title given to him, Miss Elena. Probably due to his eccentricities. If that’s the case, he’s probably got quite the nasty temper. Let’s hope he reserves that for only those who actually make him mad.” He heard tales about some Sea Captains on the seas with ruthless, nasty tempers on the high seas. Though he half wondered if his friends at the academy were all pulling his leg at the time. There’s only one way to find out now.
 
"Indeed, for if not then it might be in our best interests to take the time and bring a crew in." Sebastian nodded sagely as he replied to Zaldir. "Though I would prefer someone local for several reasons, I believe we need to know more of the man before we decide upon our negotiators. What he did to fall from grace or in what ways he is considered ecsentric and insane for instance. For this I would first turn to you sir Korose, as you seem to have some manner of relationship to this ragewave, however strained. Would you be so kind as to share what you know of the man, and whether or not your presence would be beneficial during the negotiations"
 
Korose grunted in disdain.

"I had the pleasure of meeting the man only once before. And it was an encounter I regret due to the mental stress it put me under in such a short time."

Elena subtly cocked her head to the side as she observed Korose.

"He has a strong voice." She whispered, more to herself than anyone else as she kept her eyes locked on his mouth and lips.

"The man was standing on a sealed box of fish at the edge of the market shouting at the top of his lungs about great secrets that he'd discovered at sea, and how they were going to revolutionize world of magic once harnessed. The market is not zoned for public speaking, so the guards were quick to come for him. He tried to remain on his perch but was dragged off and thrown into the alleyways."

Elena's face shifted to one of concern. Though exactly for whom or what was anyone's guess.

"He tried to return to that spot to continue his speech several times. And as a spectator, of sorts, I'd had enough after the sixth attempt. I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the docks to hear him out, and evidently one soul was enough to hear his message. He proceeded to ramble on, directly in my face, for almost half an hour about these great secrets he'd discovered which had something to do with ancient texts beneath the sea which, at least he claims, depict new methods for harnessing and processing Mana which he then claimed would change the face of magic forever. But in between all of that great secret nonsense he was spouting off random observations and questions which came out of nowhere like, "I wonder what the Moonlit Warbler eats in the evening before it retires to its nest." These random interjections of nothing made the entire thing incredibly hard to follow."

He made a "tch" sound.

"As for his main points about Mana, I'm no Master mage but I remember my teachings very well. Humanoid bodies can only process Mana one way. And it's the way we're taught. So you can imagine how overjoyed I was when saying so launched him into a new rant about how green I was, and how little I knew of the magical world and how important his discoveries truly were. Not to mention all of the wild hand gestures and physical contact he kept making... He seemed to have a slight obsession with patting me on the back during all this. And I don't care for it."

Korose crossed his arms and turned his head towards Elena who promptly blinked with slightly wider eyes while wondering if this was a coincidence, or if he was actually looking at her in some way. Korose then returned his head to a neutral position facing Sebastian.

"Apologies for the length of the tale. But there was much to cover."
 
“Much to cover is a bit of an understatement. But it was enough to tell that this Ragewave fella sounds insane. With a capital ’I’.” Zaldir says, “A person with that much delusion is surely not too beneficial, in my opinion.”

“Congratulations Zaldir, you just nominated yourself for the non-negotiator list, and has To feed Ardyn for this evening.“ Aranaea states with an almost disappointed deadpan tone, causing her brother to look at her in shock. In her listening to the story she had to Admit, Ragewave did indeed sound strange, but if he was competent as a Captain, he’d be sorely needed. “Outlandish and impossible as it may sound, perhaps someone willing to ‘listen’ to his ludicrous theory ought to be present for this meeting. But we also need someone who can help Ragewave focus on the discussion at hand, that is possibly captaining the voyage. Which means, an academic like Mr. Sebastian or myself should be enough to whet his appetite to intrigue his desire to share his wild theories, in turn, Korose or someone else can try to get him focus on making a deal with us.”

Zaldir leaned against Ardyn and looked at the Stallion. “Looks like Sis just sidelined me Ardyn ol’buddy pal of mine.“ He says. The Horse simple took a breath that almost sounded akin to a raspberry, making the younger sibling glare at the Horse.

“Why do I put up with you?” He mutters low to himself.
 
"Well said miss Aranaea. For indeed, I would like to volunteer to meet with this Ragewave. Negotiation is a requirement of my chosen vocation and I believe I have the patience to handle his eccentricities."

Patience indeed, for Sebastian held no hopes that the man would have any revelations that would change the fundamentals of magic and little more that he had truly found lost texts laying in the deep. Even so, if they were to hire Ragewave then Sebastian intended to discuss these "great secrets" for himself.

"However we may want to investigate his fall from grace further. While he may not have the wherewithal to hold his more outlandish claims to himself I doubt that they alone would be enough to revoke him of his position." Though his delusions were the likely source of Ragewave's fall, Sebastian was more cautious of the kind of actions the man would undertake in pursuit of them.
 
While listening to the conversation, the thief pinched the bridge of his nose. These mages and academic high-and-mighties were getting on his nerves. They wanted a Captain crazy enough to take them to Dragon’s Cove and when one was literally in front of their noses, they still demanded more. He knew for certainty that no normal human being would go on that journey. After all he was as close to “normal” as one could get in his mind. However he kept his expression as blank as possible.

“I know a few people here who might know more about him.” He said in a neutral tone, not wanting to give away anything more than needed for this crew.

Korose glanced over his shoulder to Zag, paused a moment, and then back to Sebastian and the others.

"I'll go with Zagaroth to meet these people and find out what I can. You all should focus on finding Ragewave. He's known for moving about at a rapid clip. So make sure if you do find him that you don't lose sight of him."

Not waiting for a reply, he jerked his head to Zag to get moving and the two of them made their way over to a side-street to begin their search for more information.

Zagaroth glanced at Korose. He wasn't happy about him tagging along, but didn't say anything as he followed the elf to the street. For now it was better not to make others suspicious.

He wondered if he could lose him by just running away, but his instincts told him otherwise. While Zagaroth wasn't known for casual chatting, he wanted to know more about his ”blind” companion. Without turning to look at him, Zagaroth spoke with a calm tone.

”You wanted to get away from there quick.”

Korose huffed through his nose.

"I'm not a people person."

"And still you tagged along."

"Because I want to question whoever you got your information from."

"If he agrees to meet you." He kept his tone neutral while making his way towards the thieves guild.

"He will."

"So full of himself." Zagaroth stayed quiet, as he walked through the alleys until he got to the inn.

Stepping in, he glanced at Korose. "Why don't you buy us drinks while waiting." He smirked.

Korose made a "hmph" sound and walked straight for the stairs at the back of the room completely ignoring the woman who stood up as she noticed him moving in that direction.

"Hey!" She barked, then looking at Zag. "Is that a friend of yours?!" She growled, hand on a dagger at her hip.

"A friend? No." He stated calmly as he watched the woman and Korose.

The girl dashed out in front of Korose as he made it to the base of the stairs, arms out and blocking his path.

"You don't go up there without a summoning!" She growled.

The inn had gone quiet in response to this event. But thankfully there weren't any "normal" patrons present. Everyone was part of the inn staff, and knew better than to interfere.

"Out of my way."

The woman tried to move to push Korose, but she was stopped short of touching him as she felt something wrapping around her. Glancing down, she saw the very shadow she was casting on the floor was snaking up her legs, around her torso, and her arms to hold her in place.

"What?-... What's this?!"

Korose walked a step to her side, leaning in close and growling in her ear... "Never attempt to stand in my way again."

Korose then made his way up the stairs, releasing the shadow hold on the woman only as he rounded the turn and was out of sight.

"Great. What a fucking moron." Zagaroth muttered under his breath as he walked towards the woman. But he had been right about being suspicious of him. Whatever magic the man had just used, didn't seem anything a normal person would do.

"My apologies. I see what I can do to to keep your employer safe." Zagaroth said quickly, feeling partially responsible as he dashed after Korose. Heading up the stairs he pulled one of his daggers out.

At the top of the stairs and the end of the hallway leading to the room Zag had visited previously, the guard was still on duty. And it looked like the same guy from before too.

The instant the man spied Korose, he turned his body to block the hallway entirely as he drew his own daggers.

"Not a step further." He said calmly.

"If he's here, I'm talking to him."

The man raised both daggers in response, and seemed prepared for a fight.

Zagaroth caught up with them stepping in front of Korose glaring at him. "Couldn't wait a fucking minute to let me do the talking, could you?"

"Talking with anyone except our target's a waste of time."

Zagaroth was getting even more irritated as he took a step closer to Korose, and with a quick movement of his hand attempted to pull off his blindfold.

Korose emitted a pulse of energy, and Zag froze the same as the woman from downstairs with his own shadow stopping him just one finger's length away from the blindfold.

"Don't even think about it." He said calmly.

Stepping around Zag and facing the guard, he addressed him with a calm but sharp tone.

"I'll give you thirty seconds to let him know he has guests. After that, stay out of our way."

From behind the door came a knock.

"Let them in already!" Came a muffled shout.

The guard snarled at Korose, but sheathed his daggers and stood aside. Korose freed Zag from his Shadowfare grip, but kept the shadows ready in case he tried it again.

Zagaroth wasn't surprised of Korose using the same trick on him as he had seen him use on the woman. However the sensation still caused him to take a sharp breath.

Annoyed the thief followed Korose in the familiar room as he stood on the side, leaning his back on the wall and crossing his arms. He gave a slight nod at Retchenson while glaring the elf behind him.

Retchenson stood behind his desk with his arms crossed. And as he gave Korose a once over, he frowned deeply.

"I didn't expect to ever see the likes of you."

"The living seldom do."

Retchenson's eyes narrowed.

"Was that a threat?"

"Tell me what you know of Ragewave."

"... You didn't answer my question."

"My statement speaks for itself. Make of it what you will. Now tell me what you know about him."

Retchenson glanced over at Zag, his frown deepening.

"You and I had an agreement that our previous conversation never took place, did we not?" He growled.

Zagaroth took a mental note of Retchenson's words to Korose.

"And I was going to leave it at that. But these morons were not satisfied."

"I don't care what "these morons" means!" He yelled. "When I say we never met or spoke, I mean that's it... You broke our agreement. So what's to stop me from killing you right here and now?"

"Me."

Retchenson's eyes snapped to Korose.

"I don't care what you are. You bleed the same as any other. So give me one good reason not to have you both gutted like fish and tossed in the garbage outside."

Korose's body tensed and the entire room went dark as walls of living shadows extended out from beneath Korose completely blocking the light from the windows, as well as any light leaking through the cracks in floor and wall boards, as well as the door which the guard was trying to open but couldn't.

In the now darkened room, Korose all but disappeared with his all-black ensemble and the room's temperature immediately dropped a few degrees.

"Is this supposed to scare me?!" Retchenson barked.

Being threatened, Zagaroth gritted his teeth. This was not going as planned. But soon his irritation turned into surprised as Korose was suddenly seemingly protecting him. For whatever reason it was, Zagaroth had no clue.

His thoughts didn't last long as the room around them went black. Zagaroth was used to darkness of the night but this was different as he felt chills down his back. "What the hell is he?"

Glad about the wall behind his back, Zagaroth took a dagger in both of his hands. Unsure who was the enemy, he tightened his grip.

Retchenson could be heard swinging at least one arm around in the darkness. Likely gripping a dagger and trying to hit whoever came nearest to him.

"Show yourself!"

The temperature dropped another few degrees before a sickening "crunch" could be heard followed immediately by a shriek from Retchenson.

The lights suddenly returned to the room as all the shadows dissipated, and Korose was now behind Retchenson whose right arm at the wrist was in Korose's vice-like grip. It was clearly visible that the radial and ulna bones in the forearm were firmly pinched together with the flesh wrinkled and deformed under Korose's fingers.

Retchenson had dropped his dagger under the grip which forced his hand open, and Korose forced him to sit down in his chair as he let go of him.

"I'll only ask one more time. What do you know about Ragewave?"

Korose gestured for Zag to approach, but kept his focus on Retchenson.

The sickening noise made him swallow. He could only stare the town of them for a moment before Korose waved him closer. Slowly, still staying at the edge of the room to not let his back open, he approached them.

Korose gave Retchenson's wrist a quick jerk to aggravate the injury slightly.

"Ragewave was a noble, now he's not!"

"I know that much. How did it happen?"

"Fuck if I know."

"Take care how you phrase your answer to my question."

Retchenson's shadow slithered up the side of the desk and worked its way into a conical point like a javelin, aimed right at Retchenson's chest.

"Nobody knows exactly why he lost his title and everything! It was just seized and he was on the street! If you want to know the details you need to find and ask him!"

Korose let go of Retchenson, and the shadow spear slimmed down immensely until it was no wider than a pencil before being jammed into Rechenston's shoulder to pin him to the chair which caused him to scream in pain.

The door burst open and the guard attempted to assault Zag first, but was stopped as his shadow suddenly wrapped him up and pinned him to the ceiling.

"We're leaving." Korose said calmly to Zag as he gestured toward the now open door.

Zagaroth barely had time to react before the guard was stopped by Korose. He guickly followed him out of the door and let out a sigh. The thief knew he could never show his face in the guild, or even the city again as that would be a deathwish.

Downstairs, the woman kept a wary eye on Korose as they walked outside. And as they stood outside the door, Korose glanced towards Zag.

"You've never seen Shadowfare magic, have you?"

"So that's what it's called. He thought in his mind, but out loud he simple replied "No, I have not."

"The shadows of the world are my eyes, my shield, and my sword when need be. That's why I can navigate the world around me without a cane or other form of assistance."

Zagaroth nodded but then glanced at him. He was certain that wasn't the full truth but it wasn't a good time to prey into it any more for now. "Still, some patience wouldn't hurt you."

"I'll try some patience when I know I have the time to afford it."

There was a slight chuckle as Zagaroth shook his head. That elf was impossible to deal with.
 
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“I suppose this means the four of us have to go look for him.“ Aranaea says with a sigh as she looks at Zaldir, “Zaldir, keep your cynical mouth closed when we find him.” At this, the younger of the two siblings rolled his eyes. As if he had a choice after being taken off the negotiator list. Ardyn gave another huff as if laughing at Zaldir’s expense. The young elven smith glaring at the horse in turn as he began to unhitch Ardyn from the cart so that Aranaea could use him to ride around to help the others in the search for Ragewave, once she managed to get the saddle she made the day before via her alchemy onto the stubborn stallion.

“At least I can keep up without you lugging around the luggage.” Zaldir says to Ardyn in Elvish, as he then moved the cart towards the Inn everyone was staying at. Once that was done he rejoined the group, dusting his sleeves. “Hope you’re happy you darn horse.”

With that the siblings now looked more prepared for the searching Wahton for Ragewave, wherever he might turn up. This was a big town, so Zaldir had a feeling it’d take awhile. But on the other hand, it can‘t be as hard as wherever Korose and Zagaroth ran off to do surely.
 
"Well then, before we begin to scour the city perhaps we should confirm that our quarry is even in port at this time. As we are looking to hire not one man but a captain with both a ship and crew then it would stand to reason that we could find said ship if they are indeed in Wahton. As such I suggest that we request the assistance of the harbormaster for this matter." In addition to confirming Ragewave's presence in the city the harbormaster was sure to know more of him one way or the other. Whether the information helped them find Ragewave or in their upcoming negotiations Sebastian wanted to be as prepared as possible before they made their final decision.

"They may even be able to point us in the right direction. Or we might chance upon him there. And if the good captain can not be found at the docks then perhaps he is to be found with a warm meal and a cool drink. Or, amoung a crowd to evangelize his beliefs. Regardless, it seems to be a good place to start."

Sebastian, ever the gentleman, offered to lead Ardyn through the city for Aranaea. Having noticed Zaldir's rivalry with the steed Sebastian spoke in Elvish to appease his pride. "It would be improper for me not to offer. And would it not show your lady's true nobility to rest upon such a proud stallion lead by an honorable knight?"
 
Upon hearing Sebastian’s suggestions, Aranaea nodded her head as she listened to Zaldir‘s muttering as she got the saddle onto Ardyn. She chuckled lightly before listening to Sebastian trying to appease the slightly fun rivalry Zaldir had with the horse. At the compliment of being called a Lady caused Aranaea to laugh at Zaldir’s reaction.

Which in the case for the young elf was confused sputtering, as well as a very confused look at the use of words. Did this man just give him what he heard at his school was known as the ‘Double Talk?’ Of course this look only sent Aranaea into another fit of laughter. “Oh my goodness, Zaldir are you alright? You look flustered. I accept your kind hospitality and assistance of leading Ardyn through the city, Sir Sebastian. Do excuse the confusion of my younger brother. He was trained at his academy more as a blacksmith then an academic. He also has a love/hate relationship with Ardyn, as he brought up this Proud Stallion when it was born. In fact, I dare say Ardyn exhibits the finer qualities of his owner. Wouldn’t you agree Zal-Dear?“

“No. . . don’t say my name like that please.“ Zaldir said despairingly as he with a now thoroughly embarrassed look on his face, moved to stay in pace with Elena and her horse. “Let’s get to the port and check to see if our elusive man is there.” With that he simply decided to stay quiet for the next few minutes.
 
Elena remained on her horse taking in the sights which she could still see of the city through the buildings to the group's right as they continued along the docks. The two were almost different worlds. The docks, save one section of stone slab ground nearest the city buildings, were comprised entirely of a very ashen colored wood she'd never seen before. Having lived almost all of the life she could remember in the forested region of Hahlleim to the North, one would think she'd have seen it before. Given she didn't recognize it, she guessed it was not native to Hahlleim and that it was likely only found in this region, or at least this more Southern part of the Northeastern hemisphere of the world.

Either way, it was quite striking against the relatively dark woods used in the construction of the homes and businesses nearest the docks. They looked to be a darker oak wood given the color and patterning in the grain. But then again she wasn't exactly close, so she could have been wrong in her assessment.

As they continued on the docks they saw more and more ships in port. The first was quite small. A dingy, at best. Likely only for local fishing or traveling along the coast rather than oceanic travel. The second was quite a bit larger. A moderately sized galley fitted with around 8 ore openings on each side. Many ships that they passed were around the same size Elena spotted one by its enormous mast that had to be at least three to four times the size. It was immense. And as they drew closer Elena found herself looking straight up in order to see the crow's nest atop the main mast. The outer hull of the ship was ornately carved and painted with a rather large carving of what Elena could only presume was a Goddess of some kind on the front given how fine the details were. Even from her horse and a good distance away, she could see tiny wrinkles in the cheeks around her smile, and the smallest folds of the dress covering her which melted into the wood around the base of her. It had to be either a vessel of a noble with money, or some kind of royal vessel. Perhaps it was for the King of this land?

Ahead, the docks were lined with small and very modest market stands with people selling fish they just caught, wares they had just traded for such as exotic silks and other clothing related items, etc. And a good number of people all around forced the group to have their horses walk in a straight line to avoid making the horses too uncomfortable. Elena's horse had already come to several sudden stops, shaking its head and grunted in displeasure as it was cut off by people darting too and fro in front of and around it. Elena cooed and gently stroked its neck to calm it and keep it moving.

Finding one man among all of this wasn't going to be easy unless he began demonstrating the behavior Korose had described to make himself stand out. But so far, no signs.
 
Zaldir kept apace with the group as Aranaea rode on Ardyn, and looked around the Docks they found themselves approaching to search for Ragewave. He looked up at the ships as they seemed to be larger at each one he looked at. This made him wonder how big was the one they intended to take to Dragon’s Cove. “Surely it can’t be that big. Counting the crew, myself, and the others- Oh. Okay I think threre is need of elbow room Somewhere. Speaking of Elbow room...“

At this thought, he took note of the Market and how they had to have the horses go single file. Ardyn, being that he was the Horse of a magic smith, knew how to keep focused on going in such lines... but even he had his patience and tolerance. But as his more favorite of the two siblings was riding on him, he knew Aranaea would give the horse scritches behind the ear, and soft reassuring neck rubs.

In fact, she was doing the latter as she looked around. So far, no Ragewave. She looked for a man shouting his ideals from an empty box. No Ragewave. She looked about every which way she recalled Korose had told them to look. No Ragewave. “Hm, it’d seem he’s not out and about so far. Perhaps we’ll have to scour every bar and tavern close to the docks to find him. Especially if we cannot find him.” She said to the group, rubbing on the stallion’s Mane. She still tried to look around to see if they’d get lucky, but she at this point didn’t count on Ragewave doing the routine Korose said. Perhaps the blind elf was wrong? No, he probably wasn’t. More then likely Ragewave was getting drunk somewhere or is actually passed out drunk in a blasted Alleyway. The only way to find out was to keep looking. For now, she supposed, she could enjoy the sights of the port, as well as the magnificence of the ships docked currently, and ponder which one was indeed theirs, like her brother was doing.
 
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