Walking forward, the clad gates of Aerios before him Mairjra sighs as he stood inline to enter the grand city built on the Dera waterfall. Warriors and mages across Terra all came together for this call to arms, though Mairjra knew that the men and woman standing besides him did not qualify to even stand near him. "All of them are weak" Mairjra thought to himself, the flow of mana around him was avrage no one stood out even the warriors shook as they stood in line, fear he smelled and only pity he felt for the ones around him. His eyes peaked open as the gatekeepers called for him, sighing and walking forward slowly he approached rolling his shoulder back "Stop!" the keepers commanded "You don't even look capable of taking on a normal fighter, how do you expect to fight the Dark Prince". Laughing hysterically "do you care to test my power" Mairjra said, and with that instant before he could even move he was surrounded, acting startled Mairjra dropped his sword allowing it to slice into his palm. "See..." Before the guard keeper could even finish his sentence, replicas of Mairjras blade were at the necks of his attackers motioning his hand down sending the blades into the feet of the men around him "oops, it seems like I dropped something" laughing again he continued forward as the gates open.

Even inside of the city lines of men and women lead out of Inns and Blacksmith shops, sighing once more walking up to the Inn making his way into the least populated one dropping a coin sack on the front desk sanching the key to his room out of the Innkeeps hand heading into the room upstairs. Throwing his blade on the bed relaxing, for he knew the summons wasn't for another day.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Several explosive cracks rent the air just outside of Aerios as the sun crested the horizon, bathing the world in radiant light. Birds evacuated their nests as powerful bursts of lightning and flame ripped apart the tree trunks of the small forest, uprooting them and sending them flying into the air before they fell to the ground in a burning heap. Then, as suddenly as the fires had begun, they stopped, their heat sucked away by some unnatural force and drawn to the shape that stood alone at the center of the clearing created by her destructive magic. The gigantic metal weapon encasing her right arm folded forward, collapsing into the simple shape of a six-sided metal rod, its extended central barrel sliding back into its center as the weapon reverted to a low powered state. Aeka unfolded her wings, spreading them wide into the air as she also stretched her arms, sighing in relief. She was so stiff. Carrying around a giant gun on your arm would do that to you, she supposed. Turning around, she smirked at a seemingly innocuous bush on the edge of the clearing behind her.

"So, are you bums impressed yet?" She called, grinning with pride as several shapes started with surprise and tumbled out into the open. A few poorly armored and equally poorly armed warrior-wannabes, in her estimate. They composed themselves as quickly as they could, and stood up.

"We were-" One began, but he was cut off by the cackling of the Larthos girl he had been spying on.

"You were watching me because you're on your way to Aerios and you think someone of my caliber would outdo you and steal your place among the ranks of the goody-two-shoes heroes assembling there, riiiiiiight?~" She declared in a sing-song voice, her words bearing no small amount of pride. She crossed her arms - or at least, did so as best she could while one of them was encased in a giant cannon.

"Wha...?! How did you.... Who are you?!" The man asked, taken aback. Aeka just laughed again.

"Who am I? Come on, you have to have heard of me! I'm the Soul Alchemist, Aeka Rynaos, the greatest magus ever to hail from the eastern lands!" The girl declared, puffing out her chest proudly.

"Not to burst your bubble, but we've never heard of anyone of that description," One of the warriors said nervously.

"What?! Oh, whatever. It's what I'd expect from clueless dolts like you," Aeka sighed, glowering with some irritation that she wasn't as widely recognized as she had thought.

"Someone's got a bit of an ego," One of them muttered.

"I can hear you perfectly well, you know!" Aeka called angrily. That shut the man up.

"Anyway, I don't know how you knew that, but that's exactly what we're here for. You may be powerful, but you can't seriously hope to match all of us. Get lost, little girl. Your big talk doesn't mean a thing when you're outnumbered twenty to one."

"Did I hear that right? Did you just call me 'little girl?'" Aeka asked, an eerie serenity coming over her as she spoke, clenching her teeth and giving her best composed face. The result was a horrifying mash-up of an vengeful sneer and a placid smile, an unnatural expression that had several of the prospective warriors quivering in their boots.

"That's what I said, little girl. Struck a nerve, did-" He didn't get any further, for, to his surprise, Aeka had somehow crossed the distance between them in a single bound. Laevatein's giant barrel was beginning to glow, causing the man to start back and reach for the sword sheathed at his waist. He was too slow. Much, much too slow.

"Spark Breaker," Aeka said with a terrifying cheerfulness, smiling placidly as she channeled all of her tranquil fury into the barrel of her oversized weapon.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Several more trees fell, but three of the Soul Alchemist's would-be attackers fell with them. Fires sprang up, and the others began to run.

"Arms Alchemy, Dismiss," Aeka chanted, causing the giant weapon on her arm to disappear. "Soul Manifestation - Double Soul Reinforcement," She continued. The eye embedded in her chest began to glow, and an eldritch golden light took form around her. The fires died out, their heat and light going to fuel the magus' power.

Screams rang out through the forest as Aeka suddenly blurred into view in front of them, cutting off their flight. They drew their weapons, hoping to match her. The Larthos girl simply grinned, giving a terrifying laugh as she took a step forward, spread her wings, and then...

In an instant, her fist was firmly planted in the gut of one of her assailants-turned-prey, sending him crashing into and falling on top of two of his comrades. His breastplate had been entirely torn through by the force of the impact, and he collided with his fellows as though he'd been shot out of a cannon. The three hit the ground and lay there motionless.

Aeka slid out of the way of two oncoming blades, causing them to meet each other where she had been. With a single flap of her wings, she had launched herself over them, flipping upside down through the air.

"Soul Manifestation - Arms Alchemy!" She chanted, her gigantic weapon springing into being on her upraised right arm. "Dual Spark Breaker!"

BANG. BANG.

Two orbs of gold light flashed out of the barrel, and, colliding with their helpless targets, sent them hurtling over the ground. They rolled several times, twitched once or twice, and then lay still. Just twelve more to go. Raising her weapon, she slammed it into the face of a man trying to slip off to her left. He dropped like a rock, and she moved on to her next target. Blocking three more sword strokes with Laevatein, she twisted her arm, sending the men's swords flying from their grasp. Launching herself forward, she clotheslined them on her metal-coated right arm, and all three of them fell. Just eight more left. Pivoting on the ball of her foot, she brought her weapon to bear on a man striking downward from directly behind her, blasting him with a weak spell and sending him dropping like a fly. Satisfied with this, she released Laevatein, once again using both souls at her disposal for reinforcement.

She bounded forward with enough force to crack the ground. Bringing up her feet, she slammed them into a man's face, and then spun herself, sending him violently whirling over the ground until he struck a tree, uprooting it through sheer momentum and ending his flight then and there. Landing, Aeka ducked a blow, sidestepped a second attack, and, catching one of her foes by his face, held him in front of her, dissuading his comrades from attacking. He flailed wildly, but in vain.

"Astral Flare - Gungnir!" Aeka chanted, releasing the powerful spell and sending four more enemies rolling across the ground, some of them on fire. There were only two targets left, both of whom cowered with nowhere to run. Mustering his courage and giving a feeble battlecry, one of her remaining foes raised his blade and attacked. Aeka simply raised her hands, clapping them down on the blade with enough force to shatter the rather rusted weapon.

"It's useless," She said simply. The man had just enough time to cry out in terror before the Soul Alchemist's began to rain blows upon his exposed torso, ripping apart his armor with nothing more than brute force and pummeling him into submission. After about twenty blows and a few broken ribs, he collapsed to the ground, whimpering and sobbing in agony. The last man tried to run away, but forgot to take his eyes away from the horrifying specter of devastation who had so easily taken out all of his comrades, and, tripping over a tree root, fell on his rear. He tried to crawl backward, but found his path blocked by the offending tree.

"N-no, please, don't kill me don't kill me...!" The man begged, looking up with terror as his implacable enemy approached with a slow, resolute step like the tread of the devil himself. Aeka just smiled.

"Relax. I'm not gonna kill any of you. If I was being serious, you all would have exploded in those first three shots. Actually, I'm really glad you guys came along when you did! I needed some practice for my audition in town!" She said cheerfully.

"Y...You're not? Oh, thank yo-" He stopped when his vision was suddenly blocked out, replaced with the dark, gaping maw of a giant cannon.

"I'm still gonna blow you up though. I've got a reputation to uphold, you see!" Aeka said, grinning. "And, between you and me, I just really like explosions."

As the man screamed in terror, the sides of Laevatein folded back, and a long barrel slowly slid from the darkness within. A giant ball of energy took form at the weapon's heart, and that magical power began to course up the barrel and condense at its tip, a gigantic orb of energy taking shape only inches from the would-be warrior's face. As he screamed in terror, Aeka finished charging her weapon, and, with a grin, said only one word.

"Goodnight!" She said cheerfully. Her triumphant grin was the last thing the man saw before a wave of energy coursed through his being. After the explosion had cleared, the man's charred, unconscious form twitched a few times, and then was still.

"Alrighty! Now I'm in the right mood. Time to head over to Aerios and see what sorts of munchkins are hanging around there and trying to get in," Aeka said to herself, grinning as Laevatein folded back up. She spread her wings and took flight, leaving behind a scene of chaos and carnage in her wake, and 20 unconscious men who would not be warriors.

.....

A few minutes later, the guards at the gate - having just replaced the shift before them prematurely, as they had apparently antagonized a powerful wizard and suffered crippling, if minor injuries - saw a small form clad in white approaching them. Aeka had folded her wings, and was practically skipping down the dusty bridge, beaming brightly. The guards stepped in her way, blocking her path.

"Hey, girl, sorry, but you're gonna have to take another path into the city. This entrance is reserved for the warriors responding to-" The man stopped as a gigantic weapon loomed before him, the light gleaming out of its dark maw like the fires of hell itself.

"Actually, I think you'll find that this is the right entrance for me. I'm here for the summons as well, you see! I may not look it, but I'm actually a powerful magician! I'm Aeka Rynaos, the Soul Alchemist, and I'll forgive you for not recognizing me. I'm usually much prettier, you see, but I've been training all morning and I guess I worked up a bit of a sweat!" The girl declared cheerily. The guard held up his hands and nervously stepped out of the way, not wanting to suffer the same fate as the last guards at that post.

"R-right..." He stammered nervously. "H-hey!" He called up to the men on the walls. "Open the gates. There's a... uh... warrior who wants in!"

As the gates opened before her, as though the very city was opening its arms to receive her, Aeka once more dismissed Laevatein and, crossing her arms in a satisfied manner, strode proudly beneath the arched portal and into Aerios itself. She walked with the regal bearing of a king returning from some great conquest - although really she was just a girl entering a city after blowing up a few jokers through abuse of powerful magic, but hey, who was counting? In her opinion, her pride was well earned. Today would be the day that her two greatest wishes finally came true. Finally, she would make a name for herself as a great and powerful wizard! Finally, people would respond with humility and reverence when she revealed that she was, in fact, the legendary Soul Alchemist! Finally, she would have something to do to alleviate her boredom! And best of all, it would even pay well! Her days of penny-saving and financial trouble would be over at last!

Sure, while being famous was all well and good, that wasn't her only reason for going on a crazy quest like this. Long story short, she was bored and short on cash, and this was the most convenient answer to both those problems. Becoming a celebrity was just a bonus on the side. In any case, this was her perfect chance, and she wasn't going to let it slip through her fingers!

Aeka Rynaos, it's your time to shine! Let's do this!

Removing his blade from the sheath, Mairjra wiped his own blood from the broad end of his long sword, "A perfect display of deception" he thought to himself staring into the now shined bloodless sword with a smile thrusting it into the air with a look of anger but calmness. Sighing he rose off of the bed throwing the blade in between the hay and silk bed, walking toward the door grabbing the key from out of his pocket locking the door slipping the key back into his pocket fixing his golden brown hair as he exits the Inn. Although he was tired from his adventures from across Terra, Mairjra did not feel like resting would be the best thing to do the town was busting open at the gates with new arrivals every second people that he didn't even think to pass through the gateway test. Walking by a particular girl, a Larthos a race rare to see in human cities because of the hole Dark Prince Crises. But as Mairjra passed her he felt a large source of mana and energy built up in her chest, with a second glance she was not to far off but fighting a possible ally wasn't worth it.

Walking ahead of the girl heading to the cities enchanter, making his way through the crowds in Aerios passing by another group feeling the heavy grasp of a large Nerion as he tossed Mairjra into the air. "Well starting a fight already" he clearly spoke as he gracefully landed, the throw wasn't well placed nor good so Mairjra had more than enough time to redirect his weight to land softly. Dashing towards the huge Nerion standing at 8'5 slamming his palm into his gut with little impact, widely opening his dark eyes yelling the name of the black magic spell aloud "Destruction", A dark ball of corrupted mana coursed its way into Mairjras hand pushing the Nerion back just a tad bit. Once again putting on a show, Mairjra frowned and acted as if the spell wouldn't work, as the Nerion thought he gained the upper hand swinging down his war hammer, Mairjra fell backwards snapping releasing the blast from the built up mana in the Nerions gut blasting a hole right through it. Smiling as he got back up firing the spell once more into the head of the downed beast to finish it off, continuing on his path.

Entering the enchanters shop, Mairjra smiled and greeted the women with a pleasant look motioning her towards him.

Speaking softly "Miss may I have a reenchantment on my ring please" he said eyeing the woman up and down, average he thought to himself just a normal commoner average size look and everything nothing about her appealed to him

Walking towards Mairjra she asked "What type of enchantment?" "mana storage" he promptly responded running his hand through his golden brown locks. Tossing her the ring and a sack of coins, Mairjra walked into the lounging area of the shop sitting until his enchantment was done

Veida grinned as her name was called by a guard standing by the gate to the glorious city of Aerios. She had her cousin, Mina, waiting within the city. Veida had arranged to stay with her for the necessary time period. 

She noticed how there was a pause between her names. "Veida... Cyrus!" There were some stares as she stepped up to the gatekeepers. 

"Aye," she answered, crossing her arms and leaning slightly to one side, an electric blue eyebrow raised. The gatekeepers gaped. Veida frowned. She noticed one of the gatekeepers wasn't looking at her face, but lower. 

With a growl of dissatisfaction, her hand flew to the pouch of water at her side. She drew out a stream, quick as a flash, wrapped around the man's neck, and turned it to ice. She made it constrict bit by bit, until his face turned an unsightly purple. 

"Don't let your eyes wander," she hissed. "Or I'll take em out." With that, she unfroze the water and drew it back into the pouch on her hip. The unfortunate gatekeeper fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. 

"Now then," she smiled somewhat deviously as she turned to the line of warriors. "Cyrus Firebrand reporting for duty," she called. "And ready to kick some ass!" Veida turned back to the guard who hadn't passed out. 

"If you don't mind," she said in a mock-polite tone. The remaining gatekeeper sputtered, as if he meant to say something, but he thought better of it and opened the gate to Aerios. Without pausing or looking back, Veida Cyrus strode into the city. 

She was glad her cousin's home was not far from the gate. Veida wanted as little interaction with others as possible. The High Elf reached her destination in minutes. Mina was waiting outside to greet her. 

"Ve-" she was silenced by a look from Veida. She didn't want her name shouted into the streets. Mina nodded and guided her inside. 

"Welcome, welcome! How's the family?" her cousin asked. Veida waved the question away, suddenly overcome by the weariness of travel. 

"Eh, Mina, I'm a little tired."

"Oh! Yes, of course! I'll show you to the guest room..." Veida was led to a rather spacious, homely chamber. "I'll just let you rest then..." Mina left down the hall. 

Veida wasted no time throwing her bags on the floor, climbing into the bed and drifting off. 

Xandun Ironhide

Xandun squinted his eyes and straightened his back as he exited the wooden canopy of the smith’s forge area. He quickly cracked his neck from side to side, then continued carrying the large box toward the horse drawn buggy. The street was crowded, but it was easy for him to navigate as people quickly moved aside when they saw the hulking Nerion moving in their direction. When he reached the cart, he easily lifted the large crate and set it on top of the others then stepped toward the drivers seat.

“Was that the last one?” the Driver asked, nearly face to face with Xan from his position. Xan grunted in response, he knew this task was beneath him and didn’t care to converse with this weakling any more than was absolutely necessary. “Very well then.” The driver replied, tossing Xan a small purse filled with coins. “Tell Brakkis that I’ll be back next month.” The driver finished as he whipped the reins and the buggy began to move. As Xan turned around an headed back towards the blacksmith’s shop, he looked at the small bag. He wondered why they were so valuable here, it’s not like you could use them for anything.

“Here, take this for your work.” The blacksmith handed him back the tiny pouch, which now contained only a few coins. “And that tree limb you call an axe is laying against the wall near the entrance. Took me some time and some help to hold it, but it’s so sharp now you could shave the hairs off a spiders ass with it!” The burly man laughed. “That is, if you didn’t crush it first!” He looked up at Xan with a large grin. Xan frowned and turned around, heading for the exit.

A few moments later, he sat against the wall outside the building, inspecting his axe to make sure the smith didn’t enfeeble it in any way. “Damn Mire Born.” Xan cursed under his breath at his half brother. Not only had he just done a task far beneath him, but he was now forced to wait for the Mire Born like some infant who might wander into the swamp if not constantly led around. Xan cursed the misfortune of being in a life debt to his weakling half brother for the thousandth time as he flipped the axe head over to inspect the other side.


Davkul Mire

Davkul handed over the small bundle of white rabbit furs, then pointed out four large root-beets to the merchant. The sweaty man quickly handed the fist sized vegetables to Dav. After putting them in the satchel under his cloak, Dav tapped his index finger on the counter of the small stall as he had seen the two previous patrons before him do. The merchant nodded, then handed him a few coins. Dav stared at the coins for a moment, then looked up and eyed the merchant. Just as the two previous patrons before him had done. However, before he could extend his hand out to shake the merchant’s hand like the others, the sweaty man’s eyes widened in fear and he quickly threw a few more coins on the counter. Dav was perplexed for a moment, but quickly recovered and pocketed coins. He nodded to the merchant, the man nodded back, then Dav turned around and began making his way through the crowd.

As he walked through the crowd, he pulled one of the root-beets from his satchel and began to gnaw on it. The taste was earthy and bland, but the root was filling. It would be enough substance for the rest of the day. While he walked, he thought. Xan would likely be finished with the quick labor by the time Dav got back to the blacksmith. Hopefully the payment for Xan’s work and what Dav had gotten for the furs would be enough for a room at one of the inns, though he couldn’t be sure. Dav wasn’t yet used to this new trading system, currency, his mother had called it as she explained it to him before her sons had left for the capital of Aerios. He was still fuzzy on the value of the coins when it came to many things, so he had to be sure and watch how much those around him were paying for similar things. He wouldn’t know how much they needed until they tried to rent a room.

As he took a few last large bites of the root-beet, swallowing the chunks whole, a thought occurred to him. Perhaps he should go and check out a few of the different inns before he returned to his brother. He would be able to compare the prices that way. Also, he was refused because he didn’t have enough money, he wouldn’t have to deal with his brother’s anger at the refusal. Which Dav was sure he would take as an insult. Stopping for a moment, he looked around and spotted the nearest inn. The buildings were easy identified by their large and intricate signs meant to draw people’s attention. Not to mention the long line that led out of it.

At first he thought to simply wait his turn to get inside, however after a few moments of waiting he realized that it was not best to make his brother wait any longer than he had to. He was pretty sure that his brother would not disobey Dav’s direct instruction to wait for him until he had returned, as his life debt demanded. However, the one thing Dav was sure of was that his brother would get angrier the longer he took to return. Dav also knew the angrier his brother was, the more likely he was to do something rash just to vent his frustration. Which was something they could not afford at the moment.

Dav spotted a few men unloading boxes from a carriage and taking them around the side of the in. He quickly slipped out of line, and followed them. With so much going on, it was easy for him to keep his hood low and out of the prying eyes of anyone who cared what he was doing. All he needed to do was slip in the back side of the inn, hear what they were charging, then leave. Much more simple than sneaking in and out of his village as a child, when most were looking to put the hurt on the weak mire born.

Aeka sighed, glancing around. Wherever she looked, there were so many people! Clearly, she wasn't the only one who needed some incredible adventure to go on, for fame, fortune, and fun. The inns were packed full, but the Soul Alchemist doubted she could afford what they'd be charging anyway. That was going to make finding a place to sleep that wasn't already occupied by a few hundred dirty warriors... difficult.

"Move, little girl," The voice was cold, echoing in her ears as a cold hand placed itself on her shoulder, forcing her to the side. Quickly triggering her reinforcement ability, she stood her ground, pushing back against the strange person behind her. While she might have accommodated his request, had he asked nicely, he had gone and spoken the two words she hated the most.

Taking hold of the man's hand and forcibly prying it from her shoulder, she turned slowly around, a fury burning on her eyes that contradicted her almost unnervingly serene expression. She sized her enemy up - about six feet tall, lithe of build, carrying a pair of ornamented scimitars and wearing clothing encrusted with so much gold that it was a wonder he didn't live inside a vault to keep them from being stolen. Judging by his pointed ears, Aeka would say Elf, probably of High breeding and noble rank. Surprise seemed quite evident in his face, not to mention disgust and anger. Surely, he wasn't used to being touched by "commoners," or resisted by them. But, Aeka realized, he had started this whole mess, and it might have just been a blessing in disguise. With all of the other fights going on between prospective warriors, the city looked more like some kind of massive brawling arena than a civilized locale. That also meant nobody would notice if Aeka happened to commit a few minor crimes.

"Excuse me," She said quietly. "But did you just call me 'Little girl?'" Glaring upward at the man, she shoved his arm away. She noticed that as soon as it had left her clutches, it went to the hilt of one of his weapons. His other hand did the same. Clearly, he was looking for a fight.

"And what of it, girl?" The elf asked coldly, glaring down at her as though daring her to try something. She simply smiled back, but this simple gesture of apparent good-naturedness was greatly offset by the gleaming white aura that was beginning to form around her.

"Well you see," She began. The Elf didn't have time to draw his swords before her doubly-reinforced fist collided with his chin, sending several teeth flying from his mouth as he was picked up by the force of the blow and sent spiraling into the air. Aeka was right behind him, flapping her wings powerfully enough to release a veritable whirlwind as she launched herself upward, slamming her knee into the man's groin and carrying him further into the air.

"I'm twenty years old...!" She shouted, punctuating this revelation by slamming both her fists into the man's face, sending his head shooting back and probably nearly breaking his neck. He cried out in agony, but was quickly silenced as Aeka continued her furious assault, grasping onto his shoulders and holding him in place as she drew back her head.

"You imbecilic...!" She cried, giving him a mighty headbutt and a shove and sending him flying downward into the ground.

"Arrogant...!" She continued, summoning Laevatein. The weapon unfolded, its barrel extending as it powered up.

"Birdbrain!" She finished, launching herself downward just as the man staggered to his feet. Again he went for his blades, and again he was cut off, this time by the impact of an electrified metal cannon to the chest, hoisting him into the air once again. As Aeka lined up her shot, she grinned, ripping the man's coinpurse from his belt as he flew upward.

"Go to hell," She hissed, the squealing of the cannon as it prepared to fire almost drowning out her voice. "I'll splatter your guts!"

And with that final cry of damnation, Aeka fired, a torrent of energy roaring into the sky and sending the man spiraling away. He would probably break through the roof of some building, somewhere, and then get yelled at to pay for the damage he had caused. And then he'd find that she'd stolen his money. She could just picture it. The perfect case of poetic justice.

Glancing around as she dismissed Laevatein, she noticed that the brawling around her had stopped. Most of the people in the area were giving her looks ranging between horrified disgust, terror, and admiration. Huh. For the life of her, she couldn't guess what had gotten into them.

"Err... Nothing to see here!" She reassured weakly, scratching her head to get rid of the itching sensation that was spreading from her face up to her pate. The crowd only gawked.

Hmm... Maybe it would be best to just leave now. Deciding on this as a course of action, Aeka triggered Double Soul Reinforcement and spread her wings. In a single bound, she took to the sky, launching herself away from the confused and shocked crowd that had surrounded her. Who'd have thought that blowing up a member of the High Elven nobility with powerful and unheard of magics in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded street could scare people so badly? Geez. These city types really needed to grow some backbone. And they thought they'd be able to fight against the Dark Prince! That was just sad.

Landing in a slightly less-crowded section of the street, she cut power to her Reinforcement magic, the celestial glow that had surrounded her fading away as the eye in her chest closed. She glanced around. Although a few people were giving her odd looks, there weren't all that many people in the area. Just some big blue dude with an axe and a couple of tradesmen.

Xandun Ironhide

Xandun sat with his back to the outer wall of the building waiting as patiently as he could for his half brother to return. When he had finished inspecting his axe, it had at first been quite annoying to sit still under the sun. However, fantasizing about crushing his weakling of a brother’s neck seemed to calm him down a bit. It also helped that many of the people who had been hanging around in the area quickly left after seeing the large brooding Nerion clutching his axe like he was ready to use it. As a cloud passed over head, Xan was blanketed in shade. Temporarily spared from the heat of the sun allowed him to relax a bit and he closed his eyes.

A few moments later his attention was drawn by a strange noise. His eyes flickered open just in time to see the Larthos land in the street, the sound he had heard being her wing beats. He eyed the winged humanoid curiously for a few moments. He had heard of the race, but had never seen it in person. He quickly decided that it was disappointing, though he wondered it’s left arm was some sort of weapon or if that was some kind of arm horn.

As he eyed the foreign features of the Larthos, particularly her wings, a extraordinary occurrence happened. An idea sprang into his head on how he could insure he would not have to wait for the Mire Born much longer. He felt for the nearly empty pouch of coins at his belt, the payment he had received for carrying those forty some crates for the blacksmith. Picking up his ax, he got to his feet and began to walk toward the Larthos.

“You! Bird kin!” he called out in his deep voice to the Larthos, getting her attention. “Find Mire Born for me.” He threw the coin purse at the Larthos as he barked the order. He crossed his arms, feeling smug in finding a solution to his waiting problem and feeling as though he had made a good trade by using those useless metal flakes as payment. “Oh!” He quickly figured that she would need to know who to look for. “He is small, like you, and them.” He pointed to the two tradesmen who were gawking at the sight. “He has a pale chest, like them, but a red face, not like them.” He thought for a moment, thinking of how else to describe his half brother. “He has infant horns…” he said showing a small distance between his thumb and index finger. “…but he is ashamed of them, and hides his head under a hood.”

Xan paused for another second, wracking his brain for any other important features. “He has no tail…” The large Nerion explained as he grabbed his tail and showed the Larthos for effect. “…and his mouth is like this.” Xan let go of his tail and bore his teeth, pulling his lips back as far as he could, trying to imitate his brothers lipless maw. He let go of his lips and thought for a moment. “Tell him that I am tired of waiting. Then bring him here.” He finished. Looking happy at solving his problem, he then turned away before letting the Larthos respond. He took a step back toward the wall where he was sitting, confident that he had solved his waiting problem. Because she could fly, Xan figured the Larthos would quickly find and retrieve his brother so that Xan wouldn't have to wait any longer.

She intercepted the call to arms letter that was to be sent to her homelands, the messenger had pleaded she spare his life, but it was something she couldn't risk. It was little effort to destroy the body, a simple Terra attack took care of that. Taking up the letter she read it and set fire to it to destroy it so no one else could find it. As the remaining singed remains lay on the ground now consumed by the fire Solar walked away with a purpose. The solemn expression a clear indication she held no remorse for the life she just wasted. Her destination now is the City of Aerios to which she'll present herself as the warrior for her homelands and none would be the wiser to question her. In the time that it took for her to reach the outskirts of Aerios already so much had happened at the gates that the choas that had ensued was still pending by the time Solar reached it. She did not respond to the kind 'hellos' from the locals as she briskly made her way towards the gates with her companion Zoba in tow. A loyal friend Zoba, he'd been with her since she found him abandoned as a cub. His performance was astounding for a puma and in time she was able to give him a form of immortality so that he'd be by her side longer then what human aging dictated.
Although at the time it had taken her substantial mana to perform the spell she achieved it and spent nearly a year recovering. As her feet carried her to the gates she was draped in a satin purple cloak, hiding her face from those around her but revealing enough for them to know she was female. A light tinkling sounded with each step as she drew closer to the gaurds at the gates, and judging by their stances a few things had occurred that the tension couldn't be cut with a knife. Before she could pass through a few guards stepped into line before her one, the leader, shouted.
"Stop" to which she did, a brow raised in question.
"I am here to answer the call of arms" her tone was soft and held no humor.
The guard eyed her from feet to covered head, "Remove your cloak and announce yourself or you'll not gain entry."
A smirk escaped her, but she made no sudden moves to remove the hood of her cloak, her eyes assessing them from beneath the hood. The guards tension rose and the smell of fear began wafting from their very pores and she smiled sinically before her hand slowly slipped free of the cloak and bending at the elbow she reached up and brushed the hood from her head. A brow still raised she motioned to Zoba to sit as she heard a low growl from the beast.

"I am Solorlinna Malthalthar."
A few of the men glanced between one another and stepped back, her eyes brushed over them and the sheer sight of them backing up had her amused.
"Lady Solarus," the lead guard gave a bow before he stepped aside, "Forgive me, you've not been to Aerios for many years."
waving the others to open the gates he walked beside her as they made their ways through the gates.
"I had things.....to attend to, but I've returned and will answer the call to arms. From what I've seen others are already here that will do nicely and others..." her eyes touched over someone they passed, "simply wont do. I look forward to meeting these individuals but for now I'll be in my quarters." she stopped abruptly and looked at the guard. "It is still mine?" the guard nodded.
"Yes Madame." With that she was led to a well upkept pub with rooming above and after paying found her room and settled in. Zoba settling on the end of the bed.

Aeka glanced around as she landed, looking to see exactly where she was as she let Laevatein vanish from her right arm and her reinforcement magic fade away. Just then, however, a deep, ringing voice and a heavy object bonking her on the side of the head tore her out of her reverie. Rubbing her head, she looked up to see exactly who had thrown... whatever it was at her. Well, the only person doing anything was the hulking, giant blue Nerion, and he was talking to someone he called "Bird Kin." It took her a moment to realize that he meant her. Well, while that technically wasn't far from the truth - after all, she did share the same bone structure and additional organs with several large avians - it was still rather insulting to be treated like some sort of subhuman errand girl. She might have lashed out at the massive cerulean warrior were it not for one realization - the object that had hit her in the head was a bag of coins. It wasn't a very large one, and Aeka had some money of her own thanks to her brief encounter with the nobleman on the next street over, but one could never have too much gold. Besides, what she had stolen would probably only pay for a month's food and quartering, and given that she was kind of unemployed, this was the closest thing to a source of honest income that she could get.

"I have a name, you know," Aeka said somewhat indignantly, snatching up the coinpurse where it lay at her feet, then adjusting her marvelously lined cape with a slightly put-off air. "Anyway, consider yourself lucky, big guy. I usually don't stop to help just anyone, but, you caught me at just the right time. I'll bring back this Miri-whatsit person for you just as soon as I can find him," She replied confidently, giving her trademark proud grin. This expression only lasted a split second, because a moment later, she was scratching her head in a somewhat unsure manner. "But, err..." She stammered, seeming a bit confused. "Do you at least know which direction he's in from here? It's kind of hard to scour the streets and check for anyone wearing a hood, especially with the city this crowded. If you knew what this guy was doing at the moment, it would be a lot easier than just flying around randomly and hoping I see some cloaked, red-faced, spiky-headed guy with a creepy grin."

Glancing over to his side as he reclined back in the soft seat on the chair, Mairjra snapped his gaze upon a beautifully enchanted black blade displayed in the shop. Never in his life has a blade of such craft been seen this close , even the years he spent with the Wood Elfs who were master blade forgers has Mairjra ever seen a magnificent sword. The blade was black, a dark blue stripe ran down the borad side of the sword with a curved tip the blades cutting force had to be great, the hilt obviously crafted from Dragons Bain. Yawning and getting out of the comfortable seat, making his way back to the counter gazing back at the long sword calling the shop-keep over "The black long sword, how much?" Mairjra asked, the blade fascinated him so much that it was a must, buy much better crafted than the blade that sat in the Inn.

She looked a little stunned from the question "um ugh...Father!" the shop keep called out making her way from the front to the back of the shop, her face turned red as soon as she left. Her father, a tall black haired High Elf stood tall, his long black hair ran down his upper back, Mairjra knew that he was a master enchanter as his eyes glowed blue, although for an High Elf he was more muscular than some laying his thick forearm on the table. "And you want what human" He spoke in a deep hardened voice, Mairjra could tell that the man was annoyed with something particularly being brought to the front by his daughter. "Well Elf. I want the sword you have on display, the one made from Dragons Bain" putting an exaggeration on the word elf, of all things to be called Mairjra hated being called just a human, thinking it was a form of resentment by other races due to the Dark Prince.

The High Elf laughed" First off, that sword undergoes harsh experimentation with my enchantments making it unpractical for you to use, second its 600 gold peices, also it drains mana from the environment around it unpractical for a magic user as yourself"

Glancing up dropping another sack of gold on the counter, "650, I'll feed it mana, and I feel the magic coming from the blade its fed for now, I'll teach it to not take my own mana" Mairjra said softly looking back over his shoulder. With a sigh the High Elf motioned Mairjra over, "Take it, she's all yours when ever your ready to activate the sword, call it by its name feior" Snaching the sword up into his hand, Mairjra waving the Elf away walking out the shop, starting his Travel back to the Inn.

Xandun Ironhide

Xandun stopped for a moment, thinking on what the Larthos had said. He was a little thrown off by her statement that she might have trouble finding his half brother. He had simply assumed that it she would have had an easy time finding him with her ability to fly above the crowded streets. “Where he was going?” Xandun turned around to face the Larthos as he wracked his brain for the information. “I’ll be back soon Xan, you should be finished by that time.” Xan didn‘t respond to his half brother as he lifted the first crate. “Just stay here until I return, I will be back with some food.” Xan remembered the scene.

“He went to get food.” Xan said as he nodded. “You will find him quickly Larthos, you can see a lot from the sky.” The large Nerion stated confidently. Despite the Larthos’ admittance of how hard it would be to spot a specific hooded figure, in Xan’s imagination it appeared quite easy. He then turned around once more and started over toward his sitting spot.

Davkul Mire

Dav counted the coins one last time as he walked through the busy street. All of the three inns he had been to were charging at least twice what he currently had. Finding for second time the same amount of currency, he slipped the coins back to their holding place beneath his cloak. Stopping for a moment, he scanned around once more for another inn. This time he found nothing, spotting no sign that he had yet investigated. Perhaps he needed a better view spot.

…….

Careful… Dav reminded himself as he crouched low to the sloped surface, keeping his hands low and taking steps only when he was sure of his footing. This first two parts had been easy. Slipping into the back alley between the buildings without drawing attention had yet again been simple. Then, scaling the outer wall of the structure had been much simpler than climbing the gnarled and knotted trees of the swamp. There, the footholds and branches grew random. Here, Dav could easily predict where his next grip would be by the relative pattern of the building. The roof however, was a different story.

The third story to be specific. This slanted surface provide nearly no place to grab onto and then, those few handholds were never more than an inch or two. The angle was just so that it couldn’t be climbed, nor easily walked on. So, he was crouching as low as he could and doing his best to keep his weight toward the up side of the incline. He moved slowly, doing his best to keep his footing. Meer feet away from his goal, the triangular edge of the rooftop, he knew he would be there soon as long as he kept patient and did not rush.

"Food, huh...? Well, there's a lot of places to eat around here, but... I'll see if I can't find this friend of yours," Aeka said resignedly. She could tell she wasn't going to get much more out of this Nerion. He didn't exactly seem to be the thoughtful type. Anyway, it was a source of quick cash, and cash was the thing she needed above all else. Grinning, she waved to the Nerion.

"Be back in a bit," She said cheerfully, spreading her wings wide, her celestial cloak jetting out behind her on the sudden rush of wind, painting her against a backdrop of spiraling stars. Bracing herself with a Double Soul Reinforcement spell, she flapped her wings and jumped, launching herself upward into the air. She shot off like a rocket, a storm of dust flying up where she had been as a single white shape blasted upward and into the skies over Aerios.

Well, best get a bird's eye view of things. Step one will be to search over the streets, especially restaurant and market areas, for shapes in black. I'll just have to work from there by investigating each and every figure that meets the description. Ah man, I'm so stiff!~ The Larthos thought, flicking her wing out slightly to causer her to rotate as she slowly ceased in her upward movement. Well, before she could do any of that, she would have to pick out the locations of major eateries. This was gonna be such a pain.

Slowly, she folded her wings slightly, causing herself to begin falling. She stretched and flapped them every few moments, keeping control of her descent. Gently, she touched down on the edge of a narrow rooftop. Her balance was naturally quite good from flying, and due to her light build, the tiles on the roof supported her quite nicely. Kneeling, she glanced down over the edge of the building, toward the street below. Several shapes in black cloaks passed by, but most either had their hoods down due to the heat of the day or were simply entirely too large to be considered "Small, like her."

She sighed. What was she thinking? This was gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack! She should have just flown off with the Nerion's money and called it a day instead of trying her unskilled hand at honest employment. But now that she had begun, her pride wouldn't let her just give up so easily. Turning, she spread both her arms and wings, balancing her way along the edge of the roof toward the opposite side. Hopefully, she could glide across the way to the next street over, and continue her futile search there.

She was just about to hop across the street when she noticed something below her. Black cloak? Check. Hood up? Check. Red features only barely visible beneath said hood? Check. Creepy, lipless grin? Check. Oh, there was no way. She had just stumbled right into the person she was looking for, hadn't she? Either she was better than she thought at this, or her luck today was absolutely perfect. Well, wait! Why couldn't it be both?

"Oh. Hello," Aeka said, sounding slightly surprised. "You wouldn't happen to be Miray Borum... er... no, what did he say? More Burn? No, although that would make a pretty cool name. Mire Bum? No, that just sounds stupid... No, there's an easier solution to this!" The Larthos seemed to be talking more to herself at this point than to anyone else. Finally, the birdbrained alchemist seemed to settle on a solution, and, clapping her hands together, spoke once more to the almost certainly rather confused half-Nerion standing on the roof below her. "You wouldn't happen to know a big blue guy with an axe to grind, would you?" She asked, grinning at her own terrible pun.

Before entering the crowded Inn, looking up Mairjra could see the Larthos flying above the Inn, with a sigh he walked inside. Heading right to his room ignoring everyone in the Inn, pushing the door open throwing the newly bought blade on the hey bed. Closing the door locking it, then turning to the window seeing what looked like a Human and Nerion crossbreed. Obviously this man was a thief dressed in a black cloak covering most of his back and face, what other reason would he be scaling the side of the Inn. Thief's angered Mairjra, pathetic low lifes that can only gain a means of living by stealing from someone better off, although some thief's guilds give back to the people and children Mairjra still kept his closed view."What the hell are you doing over here" Mairjra called out in a pissed off tone snatching the newly bought long sword slicing down his palm, looking back up as he launches the sword through the window at the Nerion "Blade waltz" Mairjra whispered, sliding his body back while the black swords rose from the ground.

Davkul Mire

Dav froze as he thought he saw a giant bird land on the top of the roof. However, as he took another look at the creature, he quickly concluded that it was most definitely not a bird. He recognized that it’s features seemed to be consistent with that of a Larthos, a being that he had heard of but never seen before until now. He remained still as he watched the Larthos, not wanting to startle it as it seemed to be preoccupied with scanning the square below. He briefly considered trying to back down the roof before it noticed him. He wasn’t entirely sure if his actions at the moment were in line with the rules of the city. As he weighed his options, he thoughts were cut short as the Larthos turned around and started toward him.

As she made her way across the roof, he noticed that she seemed to be carrying some kind of weapon on her arm. Just as he was hoping that she would simply take off into the air without noticing him, he caught her eye. Dav stared at the Larthos as she greeted him and seemed to ask him if he was some person, of who’s name she seemed to have trouble remembering. She continued to jabber on for a moment, more talking to her self than Dav, before clapping her hands together as though she realized something. Then she asked him if she knew someone who sounded very similar to his half brother. The strange rhyming names she had said earlier suddenly made sense.

“Xandun” Dav said with a slight sigh as he looked down for a moment. He was surprised that his brother had sought out help, but he knew that things might have gone much worse. He looked back up at the Larthos. “mIre bOrn.” The mm and bu sounds were a little off, but could be understood. “That is who he sent you for, correct?” Dav asked though he was sure of the answer.

Before he caught the Larthos’ answer however, Dav was alerted by a muffled voice. Dav turned his head just in time to see a man through the window next to him wind up to launch a sword in his direction. Dav dove away from the window, avoiding the projectile as it shattered the glass outwards.

Dav hit the roof with his stomach, and began to tumble toward the edge. He tried to grab for a handhold, but couldn’t find one as he rolled swiftly towards the edge of the roof. As he neared the edge, he somehow got his arm under his cloak and grasped his dagger. Just before he flipped over the side, he buried the blade into the roof. He kept his grip as tight as he could, then his body jerked to a halt. However, the momentum great and the blade didn’t remain fully buried. Before Dav could catch his breath, the blade began slowly sliding out of the roof. Seeing this, his eyes widened and he began to frantically scramble his free hand to try and find a true hand hold.

(Just something you should know. Laevatein isn't constantly on Aeka's arm. It's only there when she summons it.)

"Yeah, that was it! Anyway, he wants you to-" The sound of an angry shout and breaking glass cut Aeka off and, to her surprise, a shower of blades peppered the rooftop where the man she'd been sent to fetch had just stood. Angrily, she glared across the way.

"Hey, what the hell's your problem?!" Aeka shouted, summoning Laevatein once again and aiming it directly at the man in the inn room across the way. Charging her power through it, a silver glow began to emanate from the barrel as she powered up a spell. Like hell she was going to let some random attacker - probably an assassin of some sort - kill the person she'd been sent to fetch! Not on her watch! Immediately, her weapon unfolded, and she ramped up its power to maximum.

"Astral Flare - Gungnir!" She chanted, casting her magic. A gigantic spear of celestial white flames tore forth from the giant weapon, ripping across the alleyway and rocketing right for the man's window. It didn't occur to her that she would probably blow up most of the inn, throwing around powerful magic at maximum strength, but right now, she was pissed off, and rightfully so, in her opinion.

Aeka might have followed this spell up with another - or five - but just then, the sound of cracking roof tiles got her attention. Turning, she saw the Mire Born fellow she'd been sent to find hanging precariously from the edge of the roof. Thinking quickly, she began channeling her father's soul in addition to her own, activating a reinforcement-type soul manifestation. "Grab my hand!" She shouted, reaching down with her free arm while keeping Laevatein trained on the building across the way, a Spark Breaker simmering in its barrel, ready to fire. If he took her arm, she'd be able to pull him up with ease. Such was the strength bestowed on her by her reinforcement magic.

She sighed. Did everything have to be solved by blowing someone away with Laevatein these days? There was a crowd gathering on the streets below, and, although they probably couldn't see her from there, if the inn exploded it would be kind of hard slipping away without anyone noticing.

"Hey, what the hell's your problem" the Larthos called out, calling upon a large cannon like weapon over her arm. The weapon was huge from Mairjras perspective it was weighed more than her entire body. As her wings fluttered, she kept her balance raising the weapon facing the Inn window, "Astreal Flare - Gungnir" she shouted firing a charged silver blast of heat and fire from the barrel of the cannon. Feeling the large amount of mana being built up and launched at him, "Veraion Reflect" Mairjra called out bracing himself for the intense fire and heat the spell produced. The shield formed a frontal cone around his body dropping to one knee as the flame rushed around the shield, "holy shit Mairjra" thought, "the destructive force of this spell is pretty high" .He knew that whom ever was attacking him knew alot of destructive magics, but with a high attack defending would be much harder, although thoughts of quickly ending the conflect with that spell came into mind.

Clenching his fist in anger connecting his mind to the 10 blades that attacked the suspected thief sending five of them toward the Larthos, swinging one behind them swinging it into her back and the other four attacking from the front. While spearing the other five toward the other man, as his opposes spell ended he got off of his knee snatching a spare blade off of the floor jumping out of the window targeting the Larthos "Destrution" Mairjra yelled firing the blast of chaotic mana out of his palm while the blades surrounded her.

Charging more chaotic magic sending into the area behind them preparing a much more destrutive spell, Mairjra knew the ins and outs of fighting against other mages he had never encountered one with such powerful magics with large affects. Most Elfs had very pinpoint attacks rather than over a large area, Mairjras shielding spell would not be able to handle such a strain from these attacks repeatedly. His face was blank as he free fell backwards looking up to the Larthos

Veida was awakened by a faint yelling and the unmistakable sounds of a fight. She was up in an instant, rushing over to the window, which had a view of the buildings across the street. On the roof of one, a fight had broken out. Veida turned around and rushed out of the room, running her hands through her short electric blue hair. 

"Mina! Be right back!" she called to her cousin. No response. 

Out the door she ran, dodging a few people on the street as she made her way to the building. It was an inn. People walked in and out casually, only a few glancing up at the scuffle on the rooftop. Veida pushed past them and into the alley next to it. 

Not wanting to be seen, she continued until she was behind the building. Veida opened her water skin and drew out two equal streams, which she froze into spikes. 

The building wasn't too tall; it would only take a moment to heave herself up there and investigate the action. Veida licked her lips and stabbed one of the spikes into the wall. Not too hard; people on the inside wouldn't see. But it was stable. Next spike. She placed her foot against the wall and stabbed the first spike up higher. This was how she made her way up to the rooftop. It didn't take long, like she'd thought. 

Moments later, she was on the roof, the water back in its pouch. She took a second to observe the scene. Looked like a good fight if she'd ever seen one. She had, of course. 

Veida summarized the scene. Blades, Larthos, rugged-looking guy, and... Nerion? It looked more human than most. She mentally shrugged it off. Now then...

"'Ey! What in the holy hell's going on up here?"

Davkul Mire

Dav watched as the Larthos above him materialized some sort of weapon on he arm, then a flash of light erupted from it. The flash flew out of his field of vision, then he heard a large explosion. Dav was frozen for a moment, never having seen such a display. However as his makeshift dagger handhold slipped a little further out of the roof, he was quickly draw out of his awe.

Then, yelling for him to grab her hand, the Larthos reached out for him. He reached as far as he could, trying to swing himself up towards her by pulling on the dagger. As the dagger slipped out, he managed to move up the roof a bit and grabbed for her hand. However, as his arm swung through the air, he felt three sharp pains in his back and he missed his grab. He let go of the dagger in his other hand.

Dav suddenly found himself pinned to the roof by three blades. One in his right shoulder, one in the center left of his back and one just above his right hip. Two of the five had missed and implied the roof near him, but the other three had defiantly done damage. As he looked up toward the Larthos, he saw the other five disembodied blades begin to surround her. He tried to warn her, but instead of making a noise he coughed up a spurt of blood onto the roof in front of him. Then his vision swam and voices drowned out, he lost focus on the world around him.

This is bad. He said to himself as the world slowed around him due to the massive amounts of adrenaline which his body had released. If I don’t do something I’m going to die. The Larthos can’t help me, she dealing with the man. I need to heal myself. I can use the plant life in my pouch. No, that won’t work, I still have these things stuck in me. They must be more of those swords that were around the Larthos. I can dispel them with wards. The blood in front of me, I can use it to draw them. He thrust his hands towards the large bloodstain in front of his face. Wait. He warned himself as his hands reached the stain. Their the only things keeping me up here.

He heard another explosion near him. No choice. He thought, then wiped his right index finger on the stain and immediately drew a ward on the top of his left hand. He bent his arm back down, then swiped his left hand across his back. The three blades in his back dispelled, as well as one that had been stuck in the roof just to the left of his torso. Then he began to slide down toward the edge of the roof.

To Aeka's surprise, her attack didn't even seem to slow her enemy down, his many blades erupting from the midst of her flames and shooting straight toward her. Thinking quickly, the Soul Alchemist channeled her magic to the very tip of Laevatein's gargantuan barrel, forming a makeshift blade of energy. Slashing it across the path of the oncoming swords, she cut through their mana and scattered them in pieces of the earth below. Raising her weapon, she was just preparing to fire when she heard something behind her - the cracking of roof tiles. On top of this, a breeze was ruffling her feathers - a breeze moving counter to the direction of the natural wind. That meant... A projectile! Behind her! Flinging herself to the side, she managed to evade the fatal surprise attack by mere inches, its blade cutting across her sleeve but doing little real harm besides a scratch. The contact was so brief as to be inconsequential, so the Alchemist had a great deal of hope that even if the blade were cursed, or some such, she had likely gotten off unscathed by her opponent's mana. However, watching the blade as it flew showed her that there was a greater problem. Her enemy had now fired off yet another attack, this one looking to be made from some sort of weird energy. Well, her Spark Breaker had been somewhat weakened by contact with an opposing mana field, but she still had enough power left to defend herself. Raising her weapon, she lined up a shot on both the flying blade and the oncoming destruction spell. Leaping into the air, she fired Laevatein, letting the kick of the weapon carry her flipping backward, just out of range of the two attacks as they collided, her own spell exploding in a blanket of flames and shattering the last sword to bits whilst also breaking apart her enemy's spell, neutralizing itself in the process. These flames would hopefully conceal her from the view of the person who had just come to investigate while she made her getaway with her injured target.

The force of her backward flight had just carried her off the edge of the roof by the time her backflip had completed. Spreading her wings at this exact instant, she dismissed Laevatein, converting her soul back to a reinforcement-type manifestation as she stopped in mid-air, winding her arms beneath Mire's shoulders, thereby allowing her to securely pick him up without knocking him off the building. She secured her grip just in time, for the flames would be scattering any second now, once again exposing them to view. With a single, powerful flap of her wings, she launched both of them violently upward.

"Hang on tight! While I'm sure running off like this goes against some sort of tenet of honor of yours, or something, I'd really rather not stick around until the authorities show up and arrest me for trying to blow up a crowded inn with powerful magic," The Alchemist said, grinning sheepishly as her long, dark hair fluttered about in the wind, she leveled out their flight, settling for gliding through the air toward where she'd gotten involved in this whole mess, carrying her charge below her.

"Geez. I guess you've made some enemies already, haven't you?" Aeka noted.

"'Ey! What in the holy hell's going on up here?" A young looking girl with electric blue hair spoke

Mairjra laughed slightly as the Larthos was able to defend herself from the flurry of attacks, she cleverly dealt with the blades quickly but the Nerion wasn't so lucky, being impaled by the swords. While the smoke created from her defensive attack blinded him for awhile Mairjra knew that they would attempt to make an escape, however that being the case he would allow them to leave with their life. He also came to the conclusion that the Larthos would attempt to save the dying Nerion, so catching them really would not be a problem but the considerable implications of the two kills would end up harming his main quest. Slamming into the ground from the impact, looking up toward the roof as the smoke cleared the Larthos carried the suspected thief in hand flying back then away from the roof tops. Spiting out blood gripping his blade standing up, by the time he arose a crowed of people gathered around the sight of combat, darting his eyes toward the Inn-keeper that stared him down "I shall pay for the repairs" Mairjra spoke jumping up and casting destruction once again toward the ground to propel him up on the roof.

Gently landing upon the roof top with a angry look written across his face, walking toward the blue haired girl throwing his blade into the roof extending his hand "Mairjra is my name, and if your wondering whats happening a thief attempted to break into my room" Mairjra spoke with excellence and poise standing tall, "and you are?" he attempted to keep a noble's figure through out the talk but that failed quickly as he smiled briefly. Nice hair he thought, a more built body than from what he has seen, but the part that hooked him the most was that the young lady standing in front of him was an Elf, one that still smelled of the forest in which he spent many years of his life. Still wondering why would a High Elf stay so close to the wood land forest, shaking his head as the many questions ran through his head wondering what family was she from, and most of all why was she in this city. Aerios was where the call to arms was held, the Elf didn't look like she could handle the ranks of the Dark Prince, sighing he awaited her response.

Veida almost smiled slightly at the man. She took his hand and shook it gently, using her other hand to brush a strand of hair from her face. "Hello Mairjra," Nice name, she thought. "My name is Veida Cyrus." She was slightly impressed with his posture; it reminded Veida of her parents and how they acted around fellow prominent mages. She wasn't expecting to meet such a person. He held his head high, and his back was straight as if he himself was born into nobility, though Veida knew it was unlikely. He looked too... rugged. But Veida was still sure that he had some likable qualities. He'd already proved himself to be a hell of a fighter. He would be a good contribution to the cause of defeating the dark prince. 

"Theif, huh? Well, looks like you took care of that problem pretty well."

"Well yes, but he isn't quite dead yet... but whatever if you wish we may continue this conversation somewhere that is more fitting." Mairjra spoke once more grabbing his blade out of the roof top, jumping off of the side of the building landing gracefully. The Elf interested him well enough for him to carry on a conversation with, but once again he would be on the move, the guards wouldn't over look the mass destruction that he had caused. "Head to the enchanters shop on the other edge of the town, meet me their" Mairjra yelled taking off into the other direction. Turning around the next corner slamming his hand into the first guard that tried to grab him, flipping over the next one sprinting across the town then launching himself over a small brick wall.

Even with the noble status, being taken by the city guards wouldn't be helpful to his cause. So instead of showing his face Mairjra took to the allay ways and kept his head down, taking a longer path to a get to the enchanters shop. But Mairjra was glad with the encounter today, he got a feeling for fighting against someone else with magic a task he hasn't completed in years, although his opposition was sloppy he carried a sign of respect for how she combated against him. He hoped he would get to cross her path again in combat, she was a capable fighter and really damn strong for a woman but he expected nothing less from a Larthos. They were a powerful race one that was adept in magics, but today was his first fight with one Mairjra was happy with how today went. The mana hungry sword he bought, pulled the mana from the surrounding area including Mairjra he only knew that releasing the blade would improve its battle capability.

Keeping his cloak up darting into the enchanters shop, waving hello to the Shop-Keeper "Is my ring finished" Mairjra asked trying to keep a conversation until the Elf arrived, both the human girl from before and the High Elf were no where around instead a new shop keep stood in place fetching the ring.

Veida sighed as she watched the man, Mairjra, jump off the roof. She didn't need to look to know that he'd be attacked by guards any second. She shrugged. She had faith that the man wouldn't get caught. However, she'd be disappointed if that happened. Nonetheless, she wasn't worried. Veida turned and jumped nimbly down the back of the inn. She landed almost silently, on the tips of her toes, even though there was no need to. It was just a habit of hers.

Now then, she thought. The enchanter's shop. He said the other edge of town, right? She shrugged again and, shoving her hands in her pockets, strode briskly down the streets. She turned a corner every now and then, hoping she'd end up at the right place. After minutes of walking, she ended up outside the door of a building. It clearly said "Enchanter" on it, but she fretted. What if there were more than one? What if she was in the completely wrong place? What if he's waiting?

She frowned and strode inside, confident. Veida smiled with relief when she saw Mairjra inside. Walking up to him, she waved slighlty. "Made it."

Davkul Mire

Dav saw the tip of a red trail of blood come into sight below his chin as he began to slide down the roof. He began to reach for the satchel beneath his cloak. Have to heal myself before I hit the ground. He his mind urged his body to move faster, as he had reached the lip of the roof and was now falling. Not enough time! He yelled in his head as he fumbled with the pouch that held what he needed to heal his wounds. He tried best to relax his body for the soon to come impact with the ground. However, it never came.

Instead, Dav suddenly felt himself being jerked rapidly up unto the air, which knocked what little air he had left out of his lungs and along with it another spurt of blood. He closed his eyes, and tired to focus. Blocking everything he stuffed his hand into the satchel and touched the three beet-roots that he had previously purchased. He then began channeling the mana of it’s life into his body, slapping his free hand against his chest and he felt the energy flow into his body. The three scraps of plant life quickly disintegrated, but he had gotten what he needed. The wound in the right side of his chest and most of the internal damage of the one above his low hip were flash healed as his flesh knitted back to working order. He let out a loud gasp for air as he filled his lungs. Then he opened his eyes.

Looking down from this height sent Dav through vertigo and he nearly vomited. As his head swam from the height and recently recovered wounds, he was aware that there was someone above him speaking. Though he wasn’t able to focus enough to understand them. He was unsure of what to make of the strange scene before him, but as he took a few more breaths his mind caught up with what had happened. The Larthos. He concluded, guessing that she must had saved him from hitting the ground.

Though they were now gliding smoothly, Dav’s head was still fuzzy and he felt as though he might vomit. Also, the pain from the puncture wound in his right shoulder told him he had not yet been fully healed and was likely still loosing blood. “pLease…” He started in short breaths, turning his head to the side in hope that the Larthos would hear him. “..land…I am…injured.”

"Believe me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't have taken off carrying a load like you in the first place. As it is, I can barely keep us in the air," The Alchemist said, sounding rather strained. Even with a double soul reinforcement, it was nonetheless difficult to support so much weight against the forces of gravity with Aeka's rather small wings. Despite this, she was at least managing to keep them from spiraling uncontrollably downward, although it was still rather painful to stay aloft.

"We can land once we've gotten far enough away from the inn. Then we- Oh, hey, look down there! It's that big blue guy who hired me!" Aeka grinned, folding her wings slightly and causing them to begin descending rather rapidly. The occasional fluttering kept them from falling too fast, and soon, they had touched down.

"Hey! Big guy!" Aeka called, waving as she unhanded her charge, still keeping a hand on his shoulder to support him. After all, he'd lost a lot of blood, and although he seemed to possess some kind of healing magic, he might have difficulty standing. "Sorry it took me so long to get him," she apologized. "Some arcanist with a stick up his ass thought he was a thief and tried to kill us both with magic swords, so we had to fight him off." She didn't add that they had technically run away. She knew Nerions to be an honor-bound race, and was a touch too proud to admit to losing, especially when she'd doubtless be derided and mocked for it. And anyway, she hadn't lost, just been forced to run because Miri-whatsit had nearly gotten himself killed and she had to get him out of there. It wasn't a defeat, just a tactical early departure from the battle, leaving it to be settled another day. Yes, it was perfectly reasonable and nothing to be embarrassed about.

She still wasn't going to tell anyone about it, though.