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Fantasy Immortuos

Lore
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And once again Isla's assumption was wrong. Said wolf was not intimidating at all. At that moment, she had actually started to like this world. People were deceivingly nice here. Back where she came from... Humans... were a lot more despicable than one would think. A split-second image of her mother appeared in her mind. Humans liked to pretend they were nice, but that was it. All pretend. The moment you turn your back, you'd be stabbed and badmouthed.

Granted that not everyone was like that and Isla believed that not everyone in this world had good intentions either. Last night was proof of that. When Diavel mentioned a nap, tilted her head in wonder. Ah, so even vampires needed their rest. "Sorry for being so much trouble," Isla starts, realizing that last night's events had probably weighed on Diavel a little, what with vampires from the other coven so brazenly hunting and wanting to feed in his land. "I hope you get some proper rest." She smiles at him, probably one of the first full ones since she came here.

Isla nods as well at his suggestion to explore with Rain or Greyback. She figured she would go with Greyback today to the market, and would look for Rain another day for a more in-depth exploration of the mansion... Another day, she ponders. As if something was telling her she wasn't going anywhere else anytime soon. She shakes the feeling off and turns to Greyback. "Um, actually, can I go with you to Paravel with the noon patrol? It would be nice to have some fresh air..." It would also be a good chance to talk to other humans. So far she hadn't met one in this world.

"...and the market sounds nice," Isla adds as an afterthought. She loved going grocery shopping. This was effectively the same thing. She wondered what kinds of things they had here, but was largely interested in buying some tea...except she didn't have money. That's okay, she thought. Fresh air and taking a look around was good enough.
 
While Diavel waved Isla goodbye as he headed upstairs to go to bed for the day, the werewolf watched in silence, eyes slightly narrowed as they followed the vampire's every movement.
Only when the door of Diavel's bedroom closed behind him did Sol look back to notice Isla standing behind him. It took him a moment, but when he finally managed to catch up, the grin creeping across his face looked almost like a challenge.
He playfully raised one eyebrow at Isla.
"You want to go with the patrol?"
Something about it seemed to amuse him way too much, but as a group of people approached, he needed to focus on them first. A man, who seemed to be the oldest of the group, probably in his fourties, crossed his arms defensively as his brown eyes glared daggers into Diavel's bedroom door through strands of curly, auburn hair.
"I wonder what his coven is doing all day. It's not like they are patrolling the area to keep it safe." His voice was oozing disdain.
A younger man with long, blonde hair, elbowed the moody guy in the side with a frown while the last of the group, a blue-eyed man with jet black hair and freckles littering his face, just rolled his eyes. "Don't let him hear you talk like that", he growled silently.

Sol just cleared his throat to make them all silence.
"Thorn, believe me, I share your opinion, but this is neither the right time, nor the right place to discuss this. We have a guest. She wants to go to Paravel with our patrol."
He motioned one hand towards Isla, and immediately, the faces of everyone except the one called Thorn lit up with excitement.
"Wow, guests are rare here", the blonde remarked, curiosity playing in his sapphire eyes. "My pleasure. I'm Aspen."
"And I'm Ash", the black-haired guy added with a smile as he lifted one hand for a greeting. "Grumpy's name is Thorn. Don't mind him, as long as you don't give him a real reason to hate you he's all bark and no bite."
"We'll see about that", the man scoffed, but no one seemed to mind his mood. Instead, Sol spoke up once more. "By the way, I heard how the Master introduced me as Greyback. Forget that. My name is Sol. We got two options now, either you and I walk to Paravel without the patrol. Or..." he morphed into the dark gray and red brindled wolf again "... You ride."
 
Isla did feel slightly scared stepping out of the mansion for the first time, but she figured some walking would cheer her up. Despite the dangers out there, and her suddenly trusting her safety to these huge wolves, she still wanted to go. So she nodded her head when Sol asked her again if she wanted to go with the noon patrol.

When the one called Thorn spoke up, Isla was slightly confused. Just a moment ago it seemed as if Sol was loyally making a report to Diavel... Now that Isla had heard that... Perhaps there were slightly more things in play here, but she decided not to ask and to get too involved in it. Besides, she was going home soon...

"Aspen," she repeated the name and tried to remember his features. Blonde hair, sapphire eyes. She moves her eyes towards the one with black hair, blue eyes "Ash," and final over to the oldest looking one, "Thorn," She smiles a little, still rather intimidated. "Nice to meet you, I'm Isla,"

As Sol morphed in front of her she took a step back at the sudden change. That was going to take some getting used to. But... Isla had to admit, his wolf form was enormous, but still endearing. She had always wanted a dog. Who didn't want a dog? So when she ignored Sol's question and instead started dreaming about patting his head, she wondered if Sol could tell what she was thinking about.

She imagined the fur coat to not be as soft as she thought it would be. Maybe it was dense and thick, like they were built to withstand harsh cold winds or even something way worse. None the less, it was still comforting to think about. She was only snapped out of her petting wonderland when Sol mentioned getting on his back and riding on him to Paravel.

Isla's hand stopped mid-air as she was about to touch Sol's head. "...What?" Ah, so that's how they travelled around here? Do people just ride on cryptids to get from place to place? Or was there some type of normal transportation like a carriage? "Ride... on you? Like a horse? Is that okay?" She asks, getting more curious by the second.

She ponders over it for a while, trying to weigh her options and in the end agrees to get on Sol, albeit clumsily, and try her hand out at something seemingly...crazy. Besides, he'd already morphed into his wolf form, might as well. "Hopefully I'm not too heavy..." She thinks out loud and was now overthinking about how heavy she was. How she was going to stay on. How fast were wolves? Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should've just said she wanted to take a nap as well.
 
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Sol just snickered silently at the sight of Isla apparently needing a moment to process his suggestion.
"Well, it's unusual", he admitted with a grin. "But horses can't keep up with our speed, let alone humans. So if you want to run with us - the alternatives for keeping up are limited. And don't worry, we're stronger than you think. Just hold on tight to my fur and duck."

Turning to the patrol, he flicked his left ear, like some kind of private signal, at least the whole group took off running the next second, swiftly avoiding trees in their way as they raced towards the city at a speed that proved the point Sol had made about horses not being able to keep up with them more than effectively.
At that speed they were quick to reach Paravel, where a pair of guards walking by eyed them suspiciously.
"Aren't you the White Lord's wolves?"
Thorn was growling under his breath while Sol transformed back into his humanoid form, steadying Isla with one hand on her back to make sure she wouldn't fall after the transformation caused her to slide off his back.
Meanwhile, Aspen had silenced the older Wolf by slapping his tail over his muzzle.

"We are", Sol confirmed with a bit of a sourly undertone. "We noticed some questionable vampire activities near the city this night, so the Duke ordered to have a patrol near Paravel at all times. To keep everyone safe, you see."
OH how he would've loved to replace one word or another with what he was really thinking, but with everything that was going on in Amalthea 1 and Diavel's own mansion, he couldn't afford to raise any kind of suspicion. As the guard seemed to be satisfied with his explanation, he turned to the others, still in their wolf forms.
"Alright, the Duke asked me to show our guest the town, so I'll leave the patrol up to you now. Aspen you're in command. Howl if anything happens."

Finally turning to Isla, his authority made space for an infectious mix of poise and excitement as he motioned towards the broad, cobbled street ahead. After leading straight ahead for several feet it opened into a wide marketplace lined with stores and colorful stalls and bustling with people, their chatter mixing with the sound of the enormous fountain in the middle of the plaza and the music of a group of bards.

"Well-welcome to Paravel", he said with a grin. "There's much to see the market, of course, as well as the piers, where you can go on a gondola ride... The magician's shop and Mazelinka's restaurant, down in the Devorak District... And if you like a good adventure and some... Morbid history lessons, there's also the abandoned infirmary out there on Scarlet Island."
He whispered the last part of his sentence like it was cursed, but the conspirational grin on his face gave him away.
"I'll jiat follow you wherever youd like to go."
 
Isla yelped and held on as tight as she could. She ended up closing her eyes for the whole roller coaster journey. One moment she was on Sol, the next she was suddenly standing next to him. She blinked her eyes a couple of times to get the light-headed feeling away. As the guards stare suspiciously at them and after Sol explains the situation to them, she waves to the other wolves going on patrol and finally turns to see the city.

It was.. very grand looking. Like something out of a story book. The stalls were modest and simple, unlike bazaars and markets back from where Isla came from, salespeople screaming from loudspeakers trying to one up their competition. This was quite peaceful. She could imagine herself just walking around aimlessly and looking around at everything. She smiles and takes a nice, deep breath. Finally, fresh air.

She starts walking towards the centre of it all, towards the fountain where everyone seemed to gather. She curiously looks at the musical performance for a few minutes, before sauntering away towards various little stalls. There were all kinds of things from fruits and vegetables to tiny trinkets. She didn't mind the time, it didn't seem like it was too late yet anyway. Off a few paces away was the pier, she wasn't interested in that at the moment.

One particular stall caught her eye...or her nose. She knew the smell of tea leaves very well and she ended up gravitating towards it. The thing about people here was that they didn't seem to mind much that you lingered and looked at their goods. She didn't feel like she was in other people's way.

"Well I've never seen you around here before," There was an old man stationed at the tea stall. Although he was bald, he had a very nice smile on him, hunched over his cane and looking at Isla. "Oh... yes, I'm just... visiting," Isla responds with a small smile and continues looking. There was a great amount of variety, from green tea leaves to red, and some that she wasn't familiar with.

"Is that so?" The old man bellowed with laughter and slapped his stomach. "Well then choose whichever you want and I'll give you a fresh batch of tea leaves for free young lady," Isla gasped but hesitated, "Are you sure? You don't have to..." The old man laughed again and waved his hand, "Nonsense, all I ask in return is that you tell your friends to come visit my stall from time to time," The old man insists and in the end Isla ended up asking for the simple green tea leaves.

While the man was packing the tea leaves up, something in her peripheral vision glitters. She glances to her right, thinking that she saw something fly past her, but sees nothing. She blinks in confusion, passes it off as the light playing with her and waits patiently for the tea leaves. A few seconds later, the same thing happens, causing her to curiously look towards her right again. Still, she was unable to see anything.

"Come over, come visit us..."

Isla freezes in place and suddenly starts looking around her. Still nothing. She turns towards Sol who was patiently tailing her. Wondering if he could hear it, from the looks of it, it seemed like she was the only one imagining things.

"You're lost aren't you...? Come over here,"

No... She was definitely hearing it, as if it was right next to her ear and suddenly gone. She absent mindedly receives the tea leaves from the old man with a very clear "Thanks," but her eyes were still staring off.

"Here... Come over..."

Her legs start moving on their own, the paper bag of tea leaves clutched tightly in her hands.

"You want to go home, right...? I'll help you get home..."

It leads her to the pier. She couldn't quite describe the voice... It was a gentle yet very persuasive sound, almost as if it was reassuring her. Over at the pier she could see a vast expanse of sea. It was quite busy with boats and seamen offloading cargo as well as boxes of fish for the market. And yet all she could focus on was the voice.

"Do you see that...?"

Her eyes travel towards the sea, out over the horizon was an island. From here, it seemed to be covered in thick vegetation and she could see nothing more.

"Go over and I'll help you get home..."

Driven by the sheer need and desire to get home, she would've believed anyone who said she could go back to her own world... because frankly speaking, this one was great and all but... it just wasn't home. It was confusing and went against everything that she used to believe in. Part of her still wanted to believe this was just a very long dream, and she was just in a very deep sleep.

She turns to Sol and points at the island. "...Do you think we can go there?" As much of a selfish request it was, she still asked. This guy had basically become her baby sitter, running around following her as she went around town, and now to an island. She felt bad, but she told herself that perhaps she'd be out of everyone's hair soon. Sol and Diavel wouldn't have to worry about little old her anymore and get back to their usual routines.
 
Sol remained in the background, keeping a close eye and ear on their surroundings, as he followed Isla around, who was curiously discovering the marketplace.
The humans didn't notice, but his fine senses detected werewolves, hiding in the shadows and wearily watching the bustle of the city. Scouting every corner, every alley and street and piecing them together into a map of the hidden parts of the city.
If they wanted to successfully oppose those leeches keeping them as their personal slaves, they'd need every advantage they could get.
The vampire's were creatures of the night, they lived in the dark, but his people had made the shadows their home.

He was torn from his dark thoughts by Isla, asking him if they could go to the abandoned infirmary.
Somewhere under her natural scent, mixed with the disconcerting whiff of death, he could smell a hint of adrenaline.
He slightly tilted his head, amber eyes boring into hers.
"Curious human", he muttered under his breath.
Sure, the scent of death could have come from a corpse she'd had contact with, but that wasn't quite right. It wasn't sticking to her, she was emitting it in a way he'd never sensed before.
Vampires emitted a scent of death, too, undetectable for humans but clearly noticeable for vampires. It was different, though, the stench came from their rotting souls.
Corpses smelled like death. In this case it was the rotting body.
But this girl...
Neither her soul nor her body were rotting, that much he could tell, but still there was this scent. Like...
Like death had touched her?
And still she seemed to be very much alive.

What in all worlds had happened to her?
And why this connection to the infirmary?

He shook his head. Now he was making guesses, maybe she was just curious.
Nothing ever happens without a reason, he remembered his father's words.

Pushing his racing thoughts aside, he raised one eyebrow at Isla, his smirk almost challenging.
"It's said to be haunted", he commented the second after he had payed one of the boatmen to take them there.
The man nodded like he was trying to convince his guests to not go there. "That's right. It happened back when Duke Carden's father, Duke Daxten, was still ruling the land. Before the war and the rise of the White Lord."
Nodding, Sol sat down, staring ahead towards the island slowly coming closer.
"Right. Duke Daxten. Damn Leech. Wherever he would go, the scarlet beetles would follow him. And with them the red plague. First your eyes would turn red. Every vein visible as grayish-blue traces under skin like paper, you'd finally just waste away, coughing blood while your body's already rotting. There was no cure, so they sent the sick to this island, where they would be treated with painkillers until they'd die, and finally cremated. If you dig a little you'll find masses of charred bones. And the earth is black from all the ash. Very fertile ground, though..."

When the gondola arrived at the shore, Sol immediately shifted into his wolf form to be ready to defend himself and Isla in case anything would attack them.
Ghosts, ghouls, demons, vengeful spirits... The thought made his skin crawl and his fur bristle.

"We're there", he commented with a gravely voice. "And now?"
 
When the word haunted was mentioned, Isla was very much creeped out. Out of all the things that could surprise or scare her in this world. Ghosts and the mentions of haunting were probably the worst ones. She wasn't sure if she could handle that. When she listened to the story about the red plague, she shivered a little. It sounded horrid and cruel.

When they stepped out and onto the land Isla stood for a moment looking at the edge of the forest. She pondered about the story of Duke Daxten. Why did he do such a thing? Did he know that the red beetles carried such a bad disease? And if so, did he then do it to deliberately destroy humans? She frowned a little at the thought and her thoughts carried her towards Diavel.

Did he do such things as well? He didn't seem capable. He seemed very... welcoming. Almost strangely so. Perhaps... there were really a lot of dark things lurking behind everyone in this world. Just like that, she suddenly wanted out. And the voice came back to her just as she thought this.

Just follow the path, there's a way out. A way home.

On closer inspection there was a small opening through the trees. The beach itself... was actually quite clean. The forest on the other hand... the entrance was definitely menacing. Isla stood and hesitated, blinking at the narrow opening between the thick trees. She was starting to have second thoughts.

It's not too far, I promise...

Just with that she finds the will to take step after step, ducking through the small opening and finding out that it led to a much wider space. The trees inside didn't look as menacing and thick as the ones at the edges. They looked like they were taken care of. The ground she stepped on was grassy, but underneath it, if she looked closely, the soil was an unnatural gray colour. It was eerily quiet, not even the wind could be heard here. She looked behind her to check that Sol was still there before continuing.

The grass cushioned her steps and the trees that were standing on either side of her started to get further and further away the more she walked, until it opened up to a clearing. There was what Isla could only describe as a square three or two storey building covered in foliage. Vines running up the sides and branches coming out from the windows. One part of the roof had a tree sticking out of it. The strange thing was that... it didn't look as scary as Isla thought it would, and the reason was the flowers blooming on the ground.

She wasn't sure what species they were, but there was an assortment of blue, violet and pink flowers strewn across the vast clearing. They looked as if they...sparkled. Like morning dew had just dropped onto them, even though it was the afternoon.

"Finally, you came!"

Suddenly there was something flying around her head, a small being akin to a butterfly, but faster and more agile. It did loops and twirls and settled to hover right in front of her face.

"Huh..." it said in a very child-like voice. "You...You're not a soul!" It gasped and flew back, now giving Isla a decent view of just what it was flying around like a dart. Opaque wings fluttering behind it, pointed ears, brown hair and the dress it wore looked like an upside down green flower, pistils hanging off from it. It gasped when it saw Sol.

"And... and... you brought a werewolf with you!" There were giggles all around, as if surround sound speakers played it. "Oh shut it!" The small thing in front of her said, hissing up at the trees. "Oh, no! Lady Lilium is gunna kill me! She's probably on her way now," It starts whining and flying around, but suddenly stops and starts talking to itself while looking at Isla curiously. All that time, Isla was gauging its size, thinking that the creature would fit just right in her hands if she were to pick it up. Like the size of her mobile phone at home.

"But... curious... Real curious... I thought you were a lost soul wandering around town... You sure did seem out of place... and your aura...Hm..." The little girl-looking flying thing looks at Sol and points at him. "Hey, you, fur man, where'd you get this human?" For such a small thing it had a rather feisty mouth.
 
He really didn't like any of this.
This island was creepy, the fact that they were walking over the ashes of thousands of dead people was creepy, that forest was creepy and there was still, after all this time, the faint scent of sickness rising from the ground as if it had settle in the island's very heart.
Another shudder ran down his spine as he reluctantly followed Isla into the forest. He definitely wasn't payed well enough for this.
Oh wait- he wasn't payed at all.
Why again did the Master care about this human enough to make one of his wolves her personal bodyguard?

What-
A sudden movement had startled him into baring his teeth, neck fur standing on end, just to notice a moment later that the movement... Came from a fairy?
Guardians of lost souls of the dead, some believed them to bring good lock, others called them a bad omen.
Werewolf souls weren't guided by fairies but the souls of their ancestors, so they barely ever got to encounter one and-

Had she just called him fur man?!
I don't like that little... Thing...

A deep growl rumbling in his chest he straightened into a less threatening pose, ears still flattened, however.
"My name is Sol, thank you very much, Insect-girl", he grumbled silently, but soon cocked his head in surprise. She sensed that aura, too?
"You're sensing it, too."
It clearly wasn't a question. The was no need to ask, she had basically just said it out loud. His gaze flicked from the fairy to Isla for a second, a quizzical expression on his face. "I was wondering about that. You... You smell dead. Well, not exactly dead, more like death touched you but you slipped out of its grip..."

Turning to the fairy he finally shifted back, figuring that he could defend himself well enough against this tiny creature, even in his human form. Insitoctively, he pushed himself between the fairy and the girl, shielding her with his shoulder as if to protect her.
"Get her? For Luna's sake, it's not like I own her, come on. She's a guest. From-..."
Right. Diavel never mentioned from where she actually came.
He turned his head, amber eyes seeking her face for answers. "Actually-... Where are you from?"
 
Isla listens in surprise at the mini conversation the two had. According to Sol, she smelled dead - - she tried not to be offended--and the little one said that she was a lost soul. She had no idea what they were talking about. As far as she was concerned she just somehow woke up in the middle of the forest and Diavel came to help her. She was still very much alive.

When Sol turned to look and ask about where she was from she didn't answer immediately. She wasn't sure if it was something believable or if she was supposed to tell them anything at all. "Well... I'm from--"

Suddenly there was a cracking sound. As if a tree split or a really loud firework went off. The little creature started flying around, panicking and then darted towards the trees to hide. The ground in front of them was breaking apart, and while it was, something started emerging from it. It was encased in vines, smoothly shooting out of the crack on the ground. As the vines started peeling away from the creature, it retreated back into the crack, and it started to close up.

There in all her glory was a human-sized fae folk. She was rather skinny, with pointed violet eyes and short lavender hair. Her attire looked identical to the little one's. A green dress that looked like an upside down flower. Everything about her was quite feminine... Except her facial features. Isla got a sense of authority just from her look.

"...Malum..." the creature's eyes darted towards the trees. "Is this the soul you brought back?" She looks past Sol and straight at Isla "It looks like you made a mistake, but no matter. I can see why you made such an error," but the creature's gaze falls back on Sol and her tone changes. "We don't usually show ourselves to uninvited visitors... We faery folk are secretive beings... Quite unfortunate that we have to do this to you, wolf," There was light laughter all around, little creatures looking like children peeking out from tree trunks and looking at them.

There was a significant change in the atmosphere. The creature's eyes shifted from the beautiful violet into a darker, black colour. First her iris, then it spread until there were no whites left in her eyes and they looked like black beads in her head. All around them, the other children-looking creatures now had beady black eyes and scowls on their faces. Isla instinctively moved closer to Sol in fear. Vines and roots shot up from all sides of them and blocked their view of the sky, turning the afternoon into an accelerated night. Adrenaline was ringing in Isla's ears until all at once, it seemed to stop.

The vines retreated, the sun was back, the creature had a peaceful demeanor again and the children-like creatures were now smiling again. There was silence. Until the one before them started talking again. "...It seems that Queen Terra would like me to excuse your intrusion," still staring at Sol. "Only because you are in the presence of the lost soul. My apologies, my name is Lilium, it seems we have a few things to talk about. The Queen has a few things to say," and yet there was no sign of a Queen anywhere. And Lilium, as if nothing had happened at all, just apologized in a non-chalant way.

Isla looks back behind her just to make sure there was a way out, but just as she thought the entrance had been closed off, there were suddenly trees behind them were the path had been.

"It will be quick, no harm will befall you, you have my word. Since you've found out about our presence here, we would like to discuss a few things with you," Lilium moves and points at the building behind her, "We have something that might help you,"
 
Unlike most people thought, werewolves were far from being creatures of the night. Yes, their vision in the dark was excellent, but the moonlight was their worst enemy.
Their eyes were unlike any other beings'; while able to see in the dark and as sharp as an Eagle's, they were extremely sensitive to moonlight. It was blinding, confusing and, during a full moon, caused hallucinations of their worst fears, to the point of their extreme emotional state causing them to shift into their Beast Form, an enormous, hunched creature somewhere between man and wolf, with claws like razor blades, teeth like daggers and packed with muscles like iron. A Werwolf in its normal Wolf Form was an adorable puppy compared to that.

And when the tall fairy suddenly attacked, clearly threatening his life, she was goddamn close to triggering Sol's Beast Form. He had already started to grow, black fur slowly breaking through his skin while his already sharp teeth grew into fangs.
His vision blurred into a rageful tunnel vision on his target- the fae.
When she normalized, so did he, but his blazing gaze never left her. One wrong movement and she'd lose her head; his teeth definitely were sharp enough to cleanly sever if from her shoulders.

With a snarl rumbling in his throat he stared the tiny creatures down like a threatened wolf. Which he very much was right now.
Damn leeches, damn fae, damn strange human girl.
"Thanks for dragging me into this", he growled with his gaze still nervously wandering around. It was clear that he was addressing Isla, though. But even though he clearly was pissed, he still stayed where he was, shielding her from the fae. Upon smelling her fear he reached out, firmly holding her hand to encourage and comfort her. He was just a wolf, after all, and they were one of the most social, loyal beings.
"Sol."
His voice was hoarse as he talked to the murderous fairy acting all peace, joy and pancakes. "Not wolf, not fur-man, nothing of that. Sol. I don't care about your half-hearted joke of an apology, Lilium. Say what you wanna say, but stay the hell away from us."

He scanned the old building with clear distrust written in his face. If he had a say in this he'd just go Beast, slaughter every single fucking fairy that would get into his way and get the hell of of here, but there still was that wondrous human by his side who'd most likely end up scarred for life if he'd follow through with that plan.
And a little red flag in the back of his mind for him that killing these little assholes wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.

He released a long, strained sigh as he looked from Isla to Lilium and back.
"I'll be right behind you if you wanna follow her. But if we survive this- you owe me one."
 
Lilium smiles. But it was the type of smile that made one uneasy. Isla was rattled by the whole thing. Not to mention it was clearly her fault for bringing them here without thinking. It was like a nightmare come true. The small laughter and little fae children disappeared one by one. Leaving only Sol, Isla and Lilium to talk. Isla is surprised at the calm and reassuring gesture that Sol provideds her by holding her hand. The effect was immediate, a wave of relief hitting her. She wasn't alone. Sol hadn't turned and ran off without her. And now she had two people to repay.

Lilium puts her hand down and closes her eyes solemnly. "Well, I don't blame your suspicion," she turns back to them. "I won't force you to go in, but I should say this," she offers a hand out as if in greeting "It seems that you are, in some way, still a lost soul. Most lost souls don't have a choice once they come here, they're turned into fae as soon as the opportunity arises. You however, are still of sound mind. Surprising. And your choice is?"

Isla realizes she is being asked whether she would like to stay with them or leave. Her hand pulls away from Sol's and rests on his arm, right where it met his elbow, hiding away from her sight."... I'm fine here... " she responds. Lilium is silent for a moment before dropping her hand again. "Malum, go and retrieve the book," the same small flying fairy re-appears from behind one of the trees and starts to laugh nervously "Right away... Lady Lilium..." and flies in to the vine covered building. Both of Lilium's hands clasp together and fall to her front, regarding the pair of them.

"We don't usually associate with any other creature aside from ourselves, so you must understand our... Reaction," She grins. "but the Queen is kind, and we always believe in the notion of fate," Her eyes flicker towards Isla and then on Sol. "There must be a reason you were led here, and as an apology for the misunderstanding, the Queen would like to offer you a prized anthology of Nature's cures..."

As if on cue, Malum, the tiny flying fairy, struggling to keep the book in her tiny hands wobble-flies towards them and flings the book at Sol, who was still in front of Isla. "It is not an easy thing to explain, you see, but The Queen is old and her roots don't feel as much these days... Once upon a time, she would know any illness that befell this island and the neighbouring areas... These days, she mostly sleeps," Lilium takes a deep breath and continues. "But our Earth fae who occasionally visit town have found that a type of ailment has been making the rounds... It's unnatural and I'm afraid those creatures spreading it will start to pollute our grounds and people as well," She flicks a finger towards the book.

"It's an old book... Back from when this place was... an island of death. There are notes on it, scribbled by an unknown doctor or alchemist, whatever you might call them... It's a pity that we aren't well-versed in reading the human language and we refuse to use tools that humans do. Neither do we meddle beyond these grounds... So it's of no use to us," Lilium turns around and starts walking away, Malum curiously staring at Isla before following as well.

The forest behind them opens up with a light crackling and in an instant, it's as if the whole thing had not happened at all. Isla is still frozen in half-fear, listening and digesting everything, her hand still on Sol's arm. She breathes out a small sigh, "...I'm sorry, Sol, I didn't..." She clenches her teeth in regret, her other hand still gripping the bag of tea leaves that had somehow managed to survive. "I thought... They could help me get home, I just followed without thinking..."
 
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"Are they serious? Offering something that's of no value to them as an apology for attempting to murder us just so we will take care of that sickness because they are too damn arrogant to do so?!"
Sol's voice was trembling with suppressed rage, fists clenched till his pointy nails dug into his palms and made them bleed. If it wasn't for Isla standing right next to him-!

Her silent apology redirected his attention towards her, and the sight of how she basically was a mess of fear and regret made his inner pack animal whine in sympathy. He was a warrior, a fearless and strong second leader for his pack, a monster that would tear its claws through every enemy ahead without a second of hesitation, but seeing someone he cared about suffer was almost physically painful. He just was like that.

And so her reaction, the way she clearly wasn't alright, repressed his hate and anger and made him sigh silently as he calmingly rested a hand on her back and led her out of the forest. The sooner they'd leave this cursed place behind, the better.

Back on the gondola, he remained oddly silent;
So she smelled like death had touched her...
The fae called her a lost soul and had actually thought she was dead...
She kept talking about wanting to go home...

There were old legends that mentioned a multitude of worlds and how his folk's ancestors had originated in another world. According to the stories the humans of that world had started to hunt down everyone who was different, had burned them alive and tortured thousands of innocent people. Their ancestors had turned to their gods, who had separated their souls from their bodies so they could flee to another world. Then the gods had given them new bodies and the ability to become wolves, so they would be able to defend themselves.
Their gods had long disappeared, but the stories remained.

"We're there."
Sol looked up when the boatman spoke and thanked him with a nod before he scanned Isla's face like he was trying to find the answers to his question in her eyes.
"What has happened over there... Is more than weird. I want - need - answers. And you seem to be the key", he mumbled with a faint frown before he motioned towards a smaller alley, mostly ignored by the people walking by.
"Come on, I think a break would do both of us good."

After leading her down the alley and around a few corners for a couple of minutes, he finally pushed open the creaking, wooden door of a small pub.
The owner, a tall, lanky man with auburn hair and an eyepatch, waved at them with a wide grin.
"Sol! It's been a while! Lemme know if I can bring you something."
"Thanks bud."
After leading Isla to a table in the corner, he tiredly plopped down on a chair, head bent back with closed eyes and lips slightly parted, his fangs glinting in the dim light. He took a slow, deep breath before he finally bent forwards to scan Isla's face once more, blazing golden eyes watching her through strands of dark hair.
"Youre not from here", he noted. "Actually- you aren't even from this world, are you?"
He thoughtfully chewed his bottom lip. "No wonder you're unfamiliar with the dangers here."
At that moment he actually chuckled softly, a sounds that soon turned into unbelieving laughter. "Gods, what a day. Batshit insane! You sure kept me on my toes. You know, if we happen to spend another day together I'd be thankful if you wouldn't almost get us killed, hm?"
There was a teasing edge in his voice, but nothing malicious or angry.
"I'm really curious, though; what is like... Where you come from?"
 
Isla stayed silent after the whole ordeal. On the boat, she looks back at the island and starts to think that... Somehow, trouble just followed her everywhere she went. It's because she wasn't from here. Perhaps this world was not used to such an anomaly. All the better reason to go back home. There was nothing for her here and she had almost gotten Sol in trouble with all her gallavanting around without a care. Pretty soon she might get others in trouble too. Only when they stepped out of the boat did she attempt to talk but was beat to it by Sol himself. She frowns at the confusion he harbored on his face. All because of her. She nods, agreeing to herself more than him that she would tell him everything she knew. It was only fair.

She was still feeling quite... blank, when they entered the pub. The friendly greeting of the owner not doing anything for her. When they finally sat down and Sol exclaimed in a rather amused way that it had been such a crazy day, she started to feel slightly better. She rubs the back of her neck and averts her eyes from him embarrassingly, "... Yeah, sorry... This is the second time... I'm afraid if I stay here too long I'll get Diavel and you in some type of trouble again..." And so she tells him everything from the start, how she had woken up in the woods last night, the vampires of Carden's coven, meeting Diavel, planning to see the alchemist and then eventually, meeting Sol.

"Where I come from... It's nothing like this. We don't have wolves, vampires or the like just walking around living together. We're all humans, just getting by with our day to day work... But now that I think about it... Maybe we all just pretended to be humans... Maybe some of us weren't actually human..." the whole premise was messing with her head. If what she saw here in this world was true it meant that these creatures could live forever... And if so, perhaps they just evolved to blend in with the society she knew. "Um... But, anyway, it's all very different. The buildings... And we are kinda... Ruled by the internet... I mean-- the internet isn't a type of king or anything, we just... A lot of our time is spent on something called the internet... Or just technology in general... It probably doesn't make much sense to you... Oh, but we work too! And I guess... Working pretty much ruled my life over there too," she sighed a little at the thought. Her cycle of eat, sleep, work repeat was very much true. Frankly she didn't have a lot of friends back home because of how busy she was, just the occasional meetups and her relationship with her family wasn't something to boast about.

When she stops talking to take a break she remembers his hand and stares at the book that Malum threw at him earlier. "... Is your hand okay?" she noticed he had clenched his fist to the point of bleeding earlier but didn't have the mind to ask at that moment. She points at the book in his hand as well, "Do you think I could take a look at that?" it was the only thing they got out of the whole ordeal and she would be damned if it was useless. Maybe she could find something useful in it and at least do something for the people she had bothered during her short stay here.
 
Sol took a while to ponder over everything Isla had told him after he had handed her the book and showed her his hand. Thanks to his kind's natural healing factor, the small injuries were already almost gone.
Internet?
Technology?
What wondrous things was she talking about? He could tell she was trying her best to explain everything, but it still was all Greek to him. Well, except one thing, maybe...

Watching the flame of the candle on the table, he tried to find the right words to explain what he believed had happened to her.
As far as he could tell, never ever happened without a reason. In the end, everything made sense; even the dark times. And one thing was clear- this book might turn out to be a lifesaver.

"You sound like you see yourself as merely more than a problem for the people around you", he remarked carefully while internally praying to all gods that he wouldn't offend her or come off as weird. While he couldn't care less about slaughtering a vampire or two, he had a puppy side to him that wanted nothing more than peace. In the end, wasn't that what their entire underground revolution was about? All they wanted was to be free of chains and fear, be their own masters and live their own lives...

He smiled a small, tired smile before continuing. "But have you ever considered that you might not be the problem - but the solution? What I mean to say is- Without you, this book would still be on that island. If this is the key to prevent that illness from spreading, the reason these people will be safe- is you. Who knows? You might have saved my life today. My peoples' lives. And believe me, for that I'd never be able to thank you enough. Hey-"

He reached over the table with one eyebrow raised, the look in his eyes understanding but also a little challenging as his fingers rested on the cover of the book.
Gods, he really couldn't deal with someone that openly apologizing to him. He just wasn't used to it, normally his kind was just being kicked and commanded around with a naturalness that was sickening him to the core.

"Hey. It does you credit how you're trying to make the best of what has happened today. Just consider taking a little break, hm? I can imagine some time to get your mind off of everything that has been going on might do you good. Would you like seething to drink?"
 
As Sol's hand lands on the book cover, she looks up at him thoughtfully and finally sighs, her shoulders slumping down. He was right. Ever since last night she'd been on edge trying to figure out what was going on, just wanting to find a way back to a world that was familiar to her. She didn't notice it but the things here did add up to a lot of her stress. Sure she had to take it in stride, but that didn't mean that she was 100% ok with everything. She was just FORCED to be ok with it, not that she had any choice.

She pushes the book off to the side and places her bag of tea leaves on top of it. "Not the problem but the solution...?" She repeats what Sol exclaims as a whisper. Pondering on the thought. Yes, if she knew what she was doing she would definitely be a more... positive person. "I guess... It's because I don't really know what's happening around here and... It's just confusing... I'm expecting to be home by tonight if the alchemist can help me... but something tells me it's not gunna be easy so... That makes me uneasy too." She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, trying to sort through all the mess since last night.

She sighs a very long one but has a manageable smile on her face when she opens her eyes. "I am... kinda happy though. That I wasn't alone. You could've just left me but you didn't. Same for Diavel. So... I'll try my best to be part of whatever solution I can offer to you!" She nods enthusiastically when Sol asks if she wanted anything to drink, the only problem being she didn't know what they had here. "Ummm... Something fruity?" She suggests.

She lets herself lean back on the chair, the first time in a while that she has completely relaxed, and yet there was 1% of her that kept on going back to the idea that she was dead. Why did Sol and the fae folk think she was a soul... She was... clearly alive and well, right? Or did something happen? Perhaps the alchemist could help her figure that out. "Oh," she suddenly lets out without thinking, remembering something "Back there... you... got really angry huh?" She was referring to the fact that Sol had started to morph into something completely different, a form that she hadn't seen yet. "And... your wounds are gone," She was wondering if that was normal for all wolves, or if Sol had some type of special accelerated healing.
 
Sol clearly seemed to be a little uneasy when Isla commented on how he had started to morph into his Beast Form. Honestly he had hoped that she hadn't noticed, but as he had been standing right in front of her, well... she would've had to be blind to not see it. Avoiding her eyes, he just looked up at the ceiling as he scratched the back of his head with a hint of an awkward smile.
It was a state of ultimate strength and vulnerability at the same time. The last, most desperate defense of a Werwolf was blind attack, fueled by an all-consuming wrath.

"It's a Werwolf thing", he finally explained sheepishly. "I guess that's also the reason for the natural hate between vampires and werewolves... they are calculating, never lose their composure. They can literally shut down their emotions at will.
We, on the other hand... we have a sense of belonging that connects us all. No one would ever be left behind, but we tend to have a... hot temper. We are usually good at keeping it together, but situations like that trigger our killer instincts."
Sighing, he slightly shook his head before he waved at the man with the curly, auburn hair and the eyepatch.
"Something to drink, my friend?"
Sol nodded. "Do you remember the fruit mead they served at the summer festival? The one with the tiny floating flowers?"
Yulian just grinned widely. "Pasha's Tarske Forest mead? Coming right up!"
He hurried off with a swing to his steps, spreading an air of joy and ease.

Sol watched him for a moment, a small, good-natured smile on his face before he thoughtfully bit the knuckle of his left index finger.
What she had said about doubting that she manage to get back to her world that easily got him thinking... he would've loved to assure her that she'd be back home by tomorrow morning, but he was pretty sure that her suspicion was right.
"The last time someone traveled between the worlds, according to our legends, was when the gods separated the souls of our ancestors from their bodies and brought them here when they were fleeing from persecution by humans. I don't know if it helps you, in case you won't make it back to your world, but maybe something wants you to be here. Maybe something wanted to help you, or needs your help."
He shrugged a little.
"Either way. I don't know about Master Aurelius and his intentions, but if you happen to be stuck here you won't be alone. Always got good old Sol."

Chuckling, he leaned back in his chair and lifted his shoulders. "I mean, c'mon, I'm a dog, I'm nothing if not loyal."

That was when Yulian came with their drinks.
Two glass cups filled with a softly sparkling, golden liquid. Tiny, purple and white speckled flowers were floating around in it, occasionaly even out of it to drift around between something like white physalis lazily hanging in mid-air an inch or two above the glass, just to float back into the glass a moment later. It looked like a soft breeze was carrying them through the golden autumn sky.
It was easy to get lost in the weightless dance of the tiny flowers and Sol actually seemed to do so for a while.

When he finally looked up from his drink he had a certain hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"What do you miss the most about your world? Basically... if you'd turn out to be stuck here- what would help you feel more at home here? Sorry if this is too personal... just curious."
 
Isla tensed up a little at his reaction. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything, but it was done. Thankfully he didn't get angry. She had originally wanted to apologize for putting him in that situation, but she had a feeling that Sol would reprimand her again for apologizing so much. 'Not the problem but the solution...' she repeats in her head like a mantra. She listens diligently to his explanation of everything. How werewolves were different from vampires and how, according to their legend, this type of thing has happened before.

A bit like "fate" as the Earth fae had desrcibed it. In Isla's world, a lot of people did believe in fate and destiny and the like but... It wasn't such a concrete concept to her."Come to think of it, I don't know much about him, and I haven't talked to him a lot..." she responds when Diavel's name is mentioned. "Well... We'll see what happens tonight... If I'm stuck here then... I have to figure something out for myself," she decides. Trying to be positive she tried to think of it as moving to another country, except with all the creatures and strange happenings.

"Wow!" she couldn't help but blurt out when the drink was placed in front of them. It sparkled like gems and the flowers were beautiful. She took her time watching them float around, curiosity in her eyes. It was magical, sort of something that would come out of the Harry Potter movies, except this actually looked better. "It's almost too pretty to drink..." she mumbles to herself, still looking at the very Instagrammable drink.

Before she could take a sip Sol asks her a question that sends her into a few minutes of silent thought. What does she miss most about her world? Her small apartment? Her controlling parents? Her work that got her stressed and upset from time to time? Strangely, it was something that was familiar to her, no matter how difficult it had been back in her world... She just learned that it was the way that it is. She did like the fact that she had something to do every day. She liked that she was recognized at work for her contribution, not that she liked slaving away, but it was more about helping her company advance. And perhaps she did actually miss some of the ocassional people in her life. Faye, a co-worker, who was someone she always texted and complained about work. Her so called work wife. Her few friends since high school, no matter how busy they all were, still managed to at least meet every few months. Heck, even her family who would only ask her for money seemed like something that she missed now.

"I think it's just the familiarity of it all," she starts, staring at her drink. "The fact that I had a schedule, I knew what I needed to do, I knew I had people who I could go to... I think I'm a person who doesn't really take it well when... Something unexpected happens. I always go by the book so... This whole thing is quite a shock to me," Even back in her workplace she would get annoyed if a meeting was suddenly moved, or if the plan had somehow changed at the last minute. But flexibility was an important thing to have and she knew she had to work on it.

"No matter how bad or mundane it is... It's still home. I've been there my whole life," The comfort of her home was one thing, the thought of not being able to go back there and losing everything all at once was another. "... But, it's okay... Exploring this world is sort of... Fun too," she says carefully, thinking that it was strange for her to say that seeing as she nearly got killed twice.

She finally takes a sip of the drink, trying out the taste first. It tasted of pineapples and oranges with that little bit of tang, but the sweetness of the honey also pulled through. There was a floral taste to it as well, very subtle but also very refreshing. She drinks a bit more, before thanking Sol "It's refreshing! I feel a lot more alive now," and as an afterthought, in a joking way adds "even though everyone keeps telling me I'm dead,"

It seems that the sun was nearly setting. She wonders if Diavel would come out and meet her out at the town instead, but he probably didn't know where she would be. "Are you coming to the castle tomorrow too?" she innocently asks. Wondering why she even did so... Subconsciously perhaps she was expecting tonight not to go too well. "I can make you tea! Do you like tea? Maybe not... I'm not sure what wolves prefer to drink," Her rambling was proof that the drink had woken her up, or somehow cheered her up a bit. She at least wanted to do that tiny thing for Sol, seeing as he accompanied her for half the day.
 
There was a surprising look of understanding settling on Sol's face as he listened silently to what Isla told him. The feeling of belonging somewhere, of having people and a place to go to and knowing to just belong. Oh how he could relate. Better than he could ever explain, and still, even though there was no way he could tell her the whole story or the entire truth, he wanted to tell her as much as he could, so she'd hopefully understand that she wasn't alone with her heavy feelings.

He blew into the lazily floating flowers and berries to send them tumbling through the air until they settled in mid-air between them, where they continued their calm dance, and took a long, slow sip of his mead.
It immediately sent him back to the summer festival in Tarske forest; Diavel had agreed to meet Duke Lucian there, for whatever business, and had taken him and a couple of other werewolves with him, just be on the safe side in case anything would happen.
Yulian and his younger sister Pasha had been there, too, selling their drinks and food. He'd spent some great time with the two, just linenimg to the stories of their adventures.

Focusing on the here and now again, Sol nodded slowly. "I think I understand better than you'd expect", he finally said. "I can't tell you everything, I'd put the life of hundreds of people at risk, but-... It took me many years of being held in chains and sold from one owner to another until I found something to call my home. And I'm sure, if even a slave like me can find a home in this world, so do you."

His expression hardened when he turned his head to look up at the slowly darkening sky through the window, while sorrow mixed into his gaze.
The world really was messed up, and this sickness starting to spread was just the tip of an enormous iceberg.

When Isla asked if he'd be at the mansion tomorrow, too, he turned back to smile at her widely, and while there still was a clear look of bitterness in his eyes, his smile was sincere.
"Well, as Master Aurelius literally owns me-" he chuckled. "- I'm there every day. We are all living in the vacant dungeons under the mansion, as the Master doesn't want us to spread our scent everywhere. Vampires and werewolves both have very fine noses, but unfortunately we literally stink like the depths of hell to each other. For me, the Master smells of rot and death. And to him, we smell like a wet dog."


When suddenly the door of the pub opened to a tall, pale man with sleek, snow white hair, Sol's eyes widened slightly before he immediately rose from his chair like a soldier facing his superior.
"Master Aurelius", he said simply and bowed deeply to the vampire. "I didn't expect you to come here."
Diavel's slate gray eye narrowed as he approached. An icy silence had settled over the previously lively chatter and music filling the air.
"Well. I originally waited for the two of you by the city gates, but I was a little surprised when a boatman passed by me. Guess what scents I caught sticking to him- Yours. Oh, and the scent of human ash. Care to explain?"
The werewolf frowned, staring ahead at the wall behind Diavel.
"We visited the infirmary, hoping to find information on the sickness."
The vampire's hand shot forward to grip Sol by his neck, pulling him in until their noses were almost touching. While Diavel could just hold his breath to avoid the scent of werewolf, Sol was forced to breathe in the disgusting scent of the vampire's rotting soul, making him gag in disgust.
"Didn't I tell you to make sure no harm will befall her? In what contortion of reality is wandering around on fae grounds a safe thing to do?!"
"I didn't know the legends are true, Master-"
"We will settle this later."
Everyone in the pub was avoiding to even look in Diavel's direction.
Turning to Isla, the coldness in the vampire's gaze immediately made space for a relieved expression. "Good to see you are unharmed. Well, time to go visit that Alchemist, don't you think? Ready when you are."
Sol was just staring holes into the back of Diavel's head, bitterness, hate and fear ewually written in his eyes.
 
Perhaps she was surprised at the information. Being with Sol for half of the day he seemed like such a free spirit but to know that he had such a deep sadness in him was distressing and it genuinely made her feel for him. She wasn't sure what exactly dungeons meant, but she hoped it wasn’t what she pictured it to be.

All of a sudden the sound of the pub door opening had Sol on his feet, standing straight and tense. She follows his gaze and sees Diavel there, strolling in as if he owned the place. The place got unnaturally quiet and she was shocked when Diavel seemingly lost his temper towards Sol. She was frozen in place at the accusation and felt infinitely bad that Sol had covered for her. None of that was his fault. His change in demeanor towards Isla confused her greatly as well.

It took her a moment to realize that he was addressing her. She sits in place and frowns a little, fumbling with her hands and glanced at Sol. She wouldn’t stand for that. In the workplace there was always someone getting in trouble for something that they didn’t do, and she hated that. Nervously she starts “Actually... It was my fault, I wanted to go there,” she peers up at Diavel’s face, wondering if he would snap at her too. “Sol stayed with me and protected me, so, I’m okay,” She stands up and refuses to meet Diavel’s gaze, turning to Sol with a slight wave. “I guess we’ll be going then, see you,” she gives Sol a half hearted smile despite the awkward situation and finally turns to meet Diavel’s gaze with a smile. Unaware of the deeper conflict between vampires and wolves.

”I’m ready! Sorry for causing so much trouble,” she says while grabbing her tea leaves and book. “I’ll tell you all about it later,” she promises. Thinking that it would be beneficial if Diavel knew the whole story too. “Lead the way,” after that whole ordeal, it seemed as if she gained a little step in her, feeling as if she could face anything now.
 
"Oh he will come with us", Diavel reminded Isla of the conversation from this morning. He had told Sol to accompany them on their way to the alchemist, or rather on a detour to show him the trace he had found of the sick-smelling vampire. If it was what he suspected, or rather feared, they all were in serious danger.
And as of that wasn't enough already, this stupid wolf hadn't even managed to do the one job he had today. What was so hard about keeping her safe?! She couldn't die again!
-... Again?
You know Alice's death is messing with your judgment, he could almost hear Rain's gentle voice scolding him.
"And, you see, you might have asked him to take you to the infirmary, but you don't know this world and its dangers. He does, though, and he could have stopped you. Could've told you it's too dangerous; which it is, as you probably saw."

He shot a death glare in Sol's direction who had shifted into his wolf for by now, ears flattened as he stared ahead at the wall next to him with a bitter gaze.
Typically vampire, to think that her safety justified passing over her free will and autonomy. Asshole.

When she said that she was ready to leave, Diavel nodded, before he held the entrance door open for her with a small, outdated bow. "Should I carry that for you?"
He pointed one finger at the paper bag and the book Isla was holding.
He clearly was from another time... The way he acted like a man from centuries ago sometimes would've looked forced in most cases, but when it came to him it somehow seemed... Perfectly natural.

As Sol walked past her on his way out of the pub, he took just a second to lightly touch her forearm with his fingertips and give her the faintest, thankful smile.
She had just spoken up for him. Had basically thrown herself in front of him to catch the metaphorical bullet fired by the vampire. Sure, among werewolves it was normal, they protected each other with their lives, but he absolutely wasn't used to it when it came to anyone else than his pack. He was just a slave in this world, but she treated him like a normal, free person.
What a curious girl...

Outside, he shifted headed straight down the main road, Diavel following with a sorrowful frown etched between his eyebrows.
After about twenty minutes of walking, he stopped at the edge of the forest, not too far outside Paravel.
"Here."
Diavel went down on one knee, eyes closed as he inhaled deeply. Sol was staring at the vampire's neck, but before he had the chance to imagine how his fangs would cleanly sever that head from his shoulders, Diavel stumbled back with wide eyes. Pictures flashed before his eyes and forced him to take a moment to pull himself together.
For a moment he actually seemed to forget the hate between him and the werewolf, at least he quickly grabbed Sol's arm to pull him away from a small puddle of unusually bright red blood he was inspecting.

The werewolf snarled deeply in suprise, but seeing Diavel's shocked gaze made him silence.
"Red Plague."
The expression settling on Sol's face mirrored Diavel's. He himself had never witnessed the sickness, he only knew it from the stories, as the last outbreak had been centuries ago, but if a vampire like Diavel reacted like that...
"No patrols.", the vampire mumbled, his voice unexpectedly...Vulnerable, almost. "Tell your pack to cancel all patrols, move out of the dungeons, the red beetles prefer to nest underground. Shut and seal the door leading down there. Take the guest wing, for all I care. Go! Take care of your pack and earn the people of Paravel!"

The werewolf's gaze nervously flicked between Diavel and Isla for a moment before he morphed into his wolf form and raced off.

Diavel was still staring at the blood. Even when he straightened up to continue on their way to the alchemist, he seemed off and distracted. "Gods help us all..."
 
"Oh," she simply says glancing back at Sol, a distant memory in her mind replays in her head.

"Isla, the boss says you've been taking frequent sick leaves lately,"
"Yeah... not feeling well these days" mentally, she wanted to say. But kept it to herself.
"Well, she said you can take the rest of the day off. It's Friday anyway and you've done all your deadlines,"
"Really?" Isla looks at her team leader in surprise.
"Yeah, take a break. I say go before she changes her mind," Derek smirked, a middle aged man in his early 30s.
Her first internship was a weird one, but one that she thoroughly enjoyed and would never forget. The boss, a very old lady in her late 50s had somewhat of a weird temper and frequent mood swings. She could be scolding them one day but letting them off early the other.
"Old lady squeezes us till we can't work anymore but she does care about our well-being...Sometimes," Derek adds.
And that was the concept that stuck with Isla for a long time, because her next workplace didn't care about anyone's well-being at all.

She transitions back to the present with a very slight frown. She didn't know how much that moment impacted her until now. She didn't know if it was because Sol looked so vulnerable at the moment, or because she knew that he might have been tired from all the patrolling and strolling around with her --not to mention fighting off fae--, that she just automatically assumed he would be given a rest. But, it seems like, a wolf's job never ended. She still had much to learn about the hierarchies of this world.

Plus, with Diavel around, Sol seemed to be such a small and meek thing. No matter. Isla thought. She wasn't going to treat Sol any differently. When Diavel mentions about Sol knowing that it was dangerous she couldn't really say anything back, or rather, she realized now that Diavel was just overly concerned for her well-being. She chose to lightly smile and keep her mouth shut. Likewise when Sol passed by her and touched her arm, she looks up at him curiously, but doesn't say anything and returns the quick smile.

When she finally walks out of the pub she shakes her head at Diavel's offer but thanks him. "It's okay! I can handle this much. Thanks," If she couldn't even carry these two things she was afraid she'd get used to being spoiled, and she had a feeling that Diavel might be quite good at spoiling people that he liked... which struck her as a little odd because she hadn't even been in this world for 24 hours and yet Diavel... had been quite nice to her. Because she was a lady? Helpless? She imagines that it would be the same situation if anyone other than her had happened to be attacked by vampires from other covens. Perhaps he was naturally nice and gentlemanly... and protective. She adds to her thoughts, thinking back on how he lost his temper towards Sol because of the "dangers" he put her in.

As they walked towards the source of the scent she can't help but smile a little at their pace. She knew they were walking at this pace only because of her. The two of them obviously had other, faster means to get there. But again, she didn't say sorry nor did she apologize for slowing them down. Somehow, she knew both Sol and Diavel would just tell her not to apologize.

She watches for a moment as Diavel inspects the place, wondering what kind of supernatural power he was using now. She was alarmed when she saw the look on his face, something that seemed so out of place on his facial features. It looked as if Sol was surprised too. The whole thing happened so fast that Isla didn't have time to react, and Diavel just continued on to what Isla guessed was the way towards the alchemist.

"Hold on," She says in slight panic and confusion, suddenly tugging and holding on to Diavel's sleeve to stop him from walking. "What happened?" She asks, glancing over to the puddle of what seemed to be blood --made her queasy, and reminded her why she couldn't be a doctor or a vet-- and back at him. "Is this a good time? I mean, is it serious?" She couldn't NOT have answers after the brief scene that just transpired, specially when he tells Sol to evacuate his kind from the dungeons. "Is it contagious? Should I be worried?"
 
Diavel stopped dead in his tracks when he felt Isla tugging on his sleeve, asking him to wait.
He wanted to avoid looking at her, so he stared ahead into the darkness, but the panic in her voice sent his mind back into a time long gone.

"Wait, hold on. Diavel, Sweetheart. Slow it down, I- you want to kill Daxten? I agree that his methods are questionable, but- do you think this is a good idea? You could cause a war..."

He shook his head to get her voice and her face out of his head, but to no avail; she was standing right here in front of him.
No, this isn't Alice!
It seemed to take a couple of second until his heart really caught up with the fact that Isla just looked like Alice, at least there was a warmth and compassion in his gaze, for just a moment, that could've melted the polar caps. Soon enough, it made space for a mix of sorrow and understanding, though.
He'd just have to constantly remind himself that Isla wasn't Alice. But perhaps the key to getting her back.
No, stop!
She wouldn't have wanted that. She wouldn't want someone else to die for her...

This inner conflict would tear him apart one day... One more reason to hope that the alchemist would be able to send her back where she came from as quickly as possible. For their both sake.

"Come", he just said softly. "I'll explain on the way..."

He made sure to have her walk on his left side, where he couldn't see her because of his blind eye. Maybe that would make it easier.
The silent little voice in the back of his mind just laughed sarcastically.
As if.

"About 730 years ago", he started hesitantly, "this sickness has appeared for the first time, in a small village far away in Sigrid. Back in the days, Duke Daxten, Carden's father, was ruling. Or, well, not ruling, that is. His one priority was power, everything else was unimportant. Vampires and humans were slaughtering each other, he didn't care. And then, one day, red beetles started to appear out of the ground. Giant swarms of them, they were everywhere. And they brought the red plague, a sickness that nature could've never designed. It was unnatural, more like a curse. It befell the humans living in Sigrid, if I had to guess Daxten had made a deal with the devil and offered human souls as a payment."

Shaking his head, he closed his eyes for a moment. This whole similarity with Alice made him want to open up, to just blurt everything out and hopefully lose some of the emotional weight on his shoulders, but could he?
On the other hand... She'd be back home very soon and he'd never see her again. What harm would be done if someone living in a different world knew this story?

"The red plague didn't just kill people, it... It destroyed them, from the inside out. Wiped out entire villages, ours included. And then the beetles and the red plague disappeared from one day to the next. Three hundred years later, though, it broke out again, and it was even worse than the first time. In a little over a year it had decimated the human population of Naphuron, an entire, big land, to a couple of hundred. So yes. This is bad. Really bad. It spreads quickly and this time it seems to infect vampires, too. There is no cure and dying from it is... Probably the most painful thing you will ever experience."

His fingers almost automatically flew to the mask covering almost half of his face as he felt the sting again, how the sickness had made his skin rot and his blood turn into poison.

"The more important it is to stop it before it can spread. I need to get this under control, at all cost."
 
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Within the small moments that Isla and Diavel spent together she had noticed that there was always this fleeting look of tenderness on his face. This was one of those times. As soon as she saw it, it was gone, leaving her to wonder if it was just her imagination, and she certainly thought it was. Isla listened in horror, trying to digest the information he divulged. The way and the tone he talked about it seemed like he was opening a fresh wound, and she understood.

For something to wipe out villages, it must have been a terrifying thing. A painful death is one of the things that Isla was afraid of, to have it so close to her and them worried her more than it scared her. "There's no cure? And you? Would you be affected by it? You'll be ok right? The people in town are they--" She stopped asking, catching herself on a stupid question 'Are they going to be ok?' Clearly not, if it started to spread again.

Something at the back of her mind stirs, the words Diavel uses sparking it to come forward. "It was unnatural, more like a curse. It befell the humans living in Sigrid..." Isla's pace slows down and her memory searches for something that she couldn't quite grasp. She continued walking alongside Diavel until it hit her.

"It's unnatural and I'm afraid those creatures spreading it will start to pollute our grounds and people as well,"

Isla connected the dots and could feel a lump on her throat. Suddenly the book she was carrying around with her seemed heavier than it was earlier. Was there something in this book that could help them? The timing was uncanny and the words of Lilium kept repeating in her head. Unconsciously, she hugs the book to her chest and ruminates about it while walking. She hadn't seen the inside, and now she wished that she did. Now wasn't the right time to do this... maybe she could look at it later on... Later on, when? When she was back home? If so, then should she hand the book to Diavel and let him handle things from here?

I can't do it. She thinks to herself while walking. She hadn't known these people for a day and yet something at the back of her mind wouldn't let her abandon them at such a crucial time. She doubted her own ability to help them. What could she do? Someone who wasn't even from here? If they couldn't solve the red plague all those years ago why should she bother now?

"but the Queen is kind, and we always believe in the notion of fate... There must be a reason you were led here,"

"Have you ever considered that you might not be the problem - but the solution?"

Somehow those voices found their way back to her. She kept quiet and decided to see what the alchemist had to say before getting too into her head and stressing out again. The two of them walked for what seemed like a while, but maybe because she was too into her own world that it felt like ages. The house was made of stone and it was quaint, like the houses you would see on the outskirts of England or the rural part of it. It did seem advanced compared to the other houses but it also seemed very normal and homely.

They knocked on the door, it took a few seconds before someone answered it, and that someone was coughing and sputtering and swung the door open. Isla was yet again surprised. He was not what she thought an alchemist would look like. He was...young, or at least he looked young, just like how Diavel looked young. The only thing that made him look old was the scruffy beard on him. He wore a monocle on his left eye and he was wearing leather gloves. The smell that wafted out from the place was a burning, chemical-ish smell.

Snell was considered a strange addition to the town, though alchemists in general were rather strange and always in their own world. He was no different. He liked to talk about the stars in the sky and how time worked, something that was not understood by a lot of people. Snell squinted his eyes at his two visitors, took off his monocle, cleaned it with a rather unclean looking rag, put it on again and stared at Diavel. "...Lord Aurelius, what a surprise," Snell said in an unconvincing act of trying to sound surprised. "To what do I owe this visit? Perhaps you're now interested in being a subject to my most recent studies?" As if suddenly realizing that Diavel was a powerful being that could decimate him in seconds flat he quickly added, "Or perhaps not, I was merely testing your sense of humor," with a very awkward laugh.
 
"If this is going to spread like it did the last time... No one's gonna be okay."
Diavel didn't say anything before and after this short reply, apparently lost in thoughts.
The first time the red beetles had brought the sickness, it had almost killed him.
The second time, it had almost wiped out an entire country.
And now, that it reappeared for the third time, with a new ability to infect vampires, as it seemed...
Honestly he didn't want to imagine what destruction it would cause this time. It almost seemed like, every time this curse surfaced again, it grew more and more dangerous.

He'd been so lost in thoughts that he didn't even notice that they had arrived until he almost ran straight into the door, only stopping when his nose tip barely touched the wood. He blinked a couple of times, surprised by his own inattention, but just when he had made a step back and wanted to smooth some folds out of his dark gray coat, he found himself gave to face with the alchemist; one of the strangest people he'd ever encountered. And he had encountered many strange people in his seven and a half centuries of living, mind you.

The biting stench of acid- or whatever other substances he was keeping in there- made him instinctively read back his head and turn away, leaning against the wall with one hand while he suppressed the urge to gag.
Normally he was thankful for his extraordinary senses, but dear gods-... Right now he would've preferred to have no nose at all. It felt like the fumes were driving nails into his sinuses.
He'd just... Hold his breath as much as possible. Luckily breathing was optional for him, for to talk, well... Necessary.

Turning to the alchemist- who somewhat reminded him of a hyena... Not particularly dangerous, but still... Untrustworthy, in a shady, backstabber kind of way.

Diavel did nothing to hide his obvious distrust as he turned back to face the man-and the stench- with a disdainfully raised eyebrow. If there was one thing he despised it was exactly what this man was doing right now- hiding behind a bootlicker facade like a coward.
"There's no sense of humor I'd be aware of having", he said wryly. To those who didn't know him this probably even seemed to be true, but knowing him a little better one could tell that this statement was his own kind of dry, deadpan humor. Plus, he just vastly enjoyed letting this man run face-first into a metaphorical brick wall.

"May we come in? Thank you."
He took a moment to tie his long hair up in a messy bun to avoid it falling into any questionable... Substances and unbuttoned his coat to lay it down on a bench standing next to the house, to prevent the scents from transferring into the fabric of his favorite piece of clothing. Honestly it felt... Weird, to walk around without it, he was almost always wearing it, and running around in just a simple, short-sleeved shirt... It was almost unnatural for him. He wasn't aware of it, but if it wasn't for the cording at the collar it would've looked like a regular Henley t-shirt. Right now he actually almost would've fitted into the modern world.

Pushing past the the alchemist with a bit of a tortured huff, he distrustful looked around.
I'm not even gonna start trying to identify what all this is.

"So... Sir. Eh... We are here to ask what you know about people traveling between worlds. And how to send someone back to the world they came from."
 
Isla took his complete silence and distraction as a bad sign. She was distracted and lost in thought as well, but seeing him disoriented was slightly worrying. When the door opened, it seemed that he had an adverse reaction to it and clearly didn't like something. It hit her when she smelled the chemicals and she remembered what Sol said about vampires and wolves sense of smell.

"A-Are you okay?" She carefully asked, wondering if there was anything she could do for him. He was here after all because of her. When they were invited in and he started to put up his hair in a bun, as well as take off his coat, that was really the first time Isla had taken a good look at someone in this world. She was too caught up in being lost and stressed that she hadn't really realized the details of Diavel's facial features.

Him putting up his hair like that accented them even more. What he did to his hair was essentially called a man-bun in her world, she wasn't particularly fond of them but on Diavel, it was regal. It added to the look of sophistication, grace and manliness that he already had and when he took off the coat to reveal that he was merely in a shirt, it hit Isla a little differently only because it was something familiar and everyday to her.

Jesus Christ... She thought to herself when she felt the unmistakable urge to stare at him, she pried her eyes away and tucked strands of loose hair on her right side behind her ear--something that she did when she was feeling slightly embarrassed and she hated it when she caught herself doing it cause it was just so so girly-- she let out a silent, short huff to herself and instead started unconsciously drumming her fingers against the book on her chest to distract herself from the image of him in her mind.

Inside, there were... several things strewn on the floor and she wasn't quite sure what they were. Metal parts, it looked like and... other things. She tried not to step on them and when Diavel asked the alchemist the question about other worlds, she perked up and listened.

Snell had welcomed them eagerly, "Oh come in, come in, just don't touch anything, we don't know what might happen if you do that," he laughed heartily, seemingly enjoying the idea of things randomly blowing up but when Diavel mentioned other worlds, Snell himself nearly tripped on a piece of metal, it rattling loudly as he accidentally struck it with the tip of his shoe. "I beg your pardon?" Snell says and instantly turns around towards them again. "Other worlds? Send someone back? And who might we be talking abou--" until his eyes landed on Isla.

Isla straightened up and had the urge to scoot closer to Diavel, only because Snell was giving her quite a good staring. "Oh, yes, yes, yes, of course!" and as if like a giddy girl --giddier than Isla had secretly been earlier-- he bridged the space between himself and her, things rattling around as he just kicked them out of his way. "I've never seen you before, I don't think! And you do have a different aura about you," He starts looking her up and down and half-reaches out in an attempt to try and touch her hair, heck anything, he just wanted to feel the difference of an other-worlder, however weird that may sound. But he retracted his hand back at the last second before it really touched her hair, his glance towards Diavel told Isla that perhaps he had caught himself doing something improper just in time.

Snell would never touch a guest of Lord Aurelius but he was oh-so tempted with the information that he nearly crossed the line. "There are legends about people like you," Snell smiled at her, but Isla felt like he wasn't really smiling at her but at the thought of her. "The soul separating from the body, getting lost in the in-between of life and death, perhaps it led you here, souls are lured into worlds for lots of different reasons, my friends," he ranted, fumbling his hands together like a mad scientist. "There are a lot of reasons why you might be here, young lady, perhaps you lacked something in your other world, were you in some kind of danger? Perhaps as a last attempt to save you, your soul separated at the right moment,"

"As for how to get back, I'm afraid that's quite a mystery, if not, then everyone would be in and out of different worlds all the time, don't you agree?" Well... Isla thought. He wasn't wrong about that. It didn't seem like there was anyone from the modern world walking around in this world and vice versa in her world. "Oh but this is a great, great opportunity Lord Aurelius. The mystery of travelling through other worlds could be discovered...by ME!" Snell bellowed with loud laughter.

"Perhaps you'll let her stay for a while more? I can just run a series of simple tests, nothing too rigorous, just small, teensy tiny examinations. And by the end of it, young lady, I assure you you'll be back home," Snell looked at both of them expectantly, he was quite serious with his offer but mostly directed the offer at her. He knew how to play into people's minds, adding that last sentence there. Isla sure as hell was not comfortable staying with this guy but hell... she didn't know how valid his claims were but judging by his demeanor and...trinkets at home. It was not going to be a series of simple tests.

"So... You don't know how to get me home, right?" Isla asked, the question cutting to Snell's core. "Yet! Young lady, the keyword is yet," She shifted uncomfortably in her place. If this was not something known then she doubted a few "tests" on her would help anything.
 
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