Gialpha

Nyx's souless eyes seemed to darken more as she listened to the group mainly the woman... do you ever shut up? She wanted to ask but controlled herself for now...

" My name's Nyx by the way." Nyx said as she led on her steps barely making a sound. " Map says there is a goblin camp before the cave...I would suggest we sneak around it and go right for the prize...But the lady and the tin can don't seem the sneaking type..."

Nyx paused turning to the others "So any ideas you got? It could help to know what fighting skills we all have as well...Plan an attack based on that...I myself am skilled in stealth and magic."

Tikal gazed at Vanarak as if he was the most beautiful thing she was never going to see again. When he replied to her, she sighed dreamily while he was speaking. "Ya know.. I've never, safely, been this close to a subject before." She told him, her smile having dwindled to something more gentle and content. Then, after sighing again while her eyes drank him in, she hopped up onto her feet and beamed at him once more while placing her fists on her hips. "I'm Tikal! And you not shooing me away after this long means that we'll be fast friends! And if you don't mind at all, I'm going to make us inseparable!" Her wings hummed at the thought. Then she thought about the thought. "Well. Inseperable until I thoroughly study and document you."

Dropping down into a squat again, the human sized yet 5 foot tall Tikal summoned her Bestiary and with a wiggle of her fingers, opened it up to the two pages that were now a tribute to him and him alone. On one was where she'd drawn him in all of his intimidating glamour and the other was where she'd written down all she knew about him from first glance. There was a surprising amount of detail. "See?" She held the book at its base and over her facial features as she showed it to him, only leaving her eyes for him to see. "I've been working at this thing for half of my fairy life! It's my Bestiary, and you're my first major star!!" Her voice gained more excitement as she neared the end of her sentence. Once the word star was said, she snapped the book shut and dismissed it, causing it to vanish in a ripple of air.

There were probably things going on arohnd Tikal that deserved almost half as much attention as she was giving Vanarak. But right no1w she was a collector who'd found something she knew no one else had. So she had to devote all of her attention to it, and whatever it could mean for her.

Yevoc glanced over at the minotaur and the other fairy. They seemed to be otherwise occupied.
“Well, I guess it’s just you and me dragonfly.”
“Oh for fuck sake, my name is Ash!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m on my way up. Just warn me if the troll comes back.” Yevoc called up to him as he began to climb up the hill to the cave. As he reached the top he was able to see the others that Ash had mentioned earlier. He was no just slightly more cautious when he was able to make out that a Dark Elf seemed to be leading the group. While Dark Elves and Snow Elves didn’t really have anything against each other, Yevoc knew that Dark Elves were not to be trifled with.
“So should we wait for the other two?” Ash asked.
“I think they’re busy, I’m sure they’ll catch up, though, if they’re serious about killing the troll.”
“So what’s your plan, run into the village, swords swinging, freezing everything in sight until you can kill them?” Ash asked sarcastically.
“Well, it was more along the lines of killing and freezing as I go, but basically yeah that was it. Why? You got something better? I doubt you can do much damage with that dagger there, so a little magical backup might be nice.”

Kaldon picked up the hilt from the floor, sure to pick it up using his prosthetic arm. He could tell by the way he trailed off that he had a vision as well, most likely of a similar nature to the ones he had himself. He overheard the spooky-looking one say something about this not being over. He wasn’t terribly worried and he knew that the avian’s friends wouldn’t be able to track him well if he took to the air, and he was hardly the type to do his own dirty work. As he got to the door he briefly considered telling Brandie to cut them off, but he figured they had enough humiliation for the evening.

He walked outside and with a couple of flaps of his wings, he was high into the air. He wasn’t looking forward to where he was going. He hadn’t been there in years, not since the incident. Kaldon landed in the forest at the edge of the town, folded his wings close to his body and made the rest of his journey on foot. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was being followed, but he shook it off thinking there was no way those lackeys could have followed him. After about a mile of walking into the woods, he found his destination. It was a giant tree with a huge root system below. The root system was so massive that it had created a cave below the tree. However, nobody would have known this simply by looking at it. When Kaldon was a teenager he would visit the little ocean-side town every summer at his parents’ summer home. On one of these trips, he had discovered this cave and had set up a holographic projector that was powered by theta crystals which could power a small dwelling like this one, along with the projector, for several thousand years before degrading in power, he enjoyed having a place of his own. He walked right through the small entrance to the large cave by walking right between two big roots even though it looked like solid rock he was able to walk right through the hologram. Once inside the cave he turned on the lights.

Kaldon knew it would be a few days before Landon could get word out about needing an oracle. It would be even longer before he would know if there was even one still alive. He gathered some fire wood and got a small fire going in the fireplace. As he stood there warming himself he looked at the mantle. There, staring him right in the face, was a pain like a fire-dagger to the heart. It was just a simple photo in a small frame, a picture himself and another young man. The person in the picture was his former lover. He was another avian, with a golden shade of blonde hair, thinner and leaner than Kaldon. His skin was a light bronze. His name was Dylex Talon, they met during the great territory war. While Kaldon was in the bases designing weapons to gain the upper hand, Dylex was on the front lines using those same weapons. While in the mess hall one day, Dylex noticed that nobody would sit with Kaldon because he always seemed strange, a little too good at his work and always talking about it. Dylex loved finding out how things worked, especially the weapons he was using in the field. The two became fast friends, and soon after they became more than friends. After the war and Kaldon’s accident, Kaldon had the unpleasant task of telling Brandie that he couldn’t go through with their arranged marriage. She didn’t take it well and, until today, he had tried to avoid seeing her as much as possible. He and Dylex lived there in that cave for about a year, getting supplies from other nearby cities, before the two of them decided to go visit Dylex’s parents in Forestien. However, as they landed in the jungle where Dylex’s parents lived, the two were attacked by a pack of reptilian therians. Kaldon was knocked out first from behind and wasn’t able to do anything to help Dylex. He woke up in the hospital beaten and bruised. Dylex was not as lucky. He was beaten so severely that he had died from his injuries in the night. It was not clear why they were targeted, but all of their money was gone.

Now, as he stood there looking at the last thing he had to remind him of Dylex, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He replayed that night in his mind over and over, searching for anyway he could have saved him, but it didn’t change the fact that Dylex was gone. “I miss you, baby.” He whispered before he set the picture back on the mantle, kissed his fingers and pressed them to the lips of the picture. He turned to go to the bed in the bedroom area of the cave when he heard branches breaking outside. It sounded like something was hunting. He turned out the lights, not that anyone would have seen them, and peered out through the one-sided hologram looking into the night forest using his infrared heat-sensing vision, but saw no signs of anything larger than a raccoon. He brushed it off as nerves and went to bed.

Vanarak was regaining himself, He was still thoroughly surprised by the fact that this small Fae seemed so comfortable by his side. Even soldiers which have had their life saved by him rarely let down their guard when he was close.

Vanarak let out a small muffled laugh when she proclaimed that she had never been

Safely close to a subject before

. Safe, that's certainly not what people feel in his presence. She stood up, Vanarak's gaze still locked on her. Tikal, that was her name. Vanarak was extremely bad with names, But not this time, He would be sure to etch that name into his memory. Tikal continued her gentle rambling, Stating how they would quickly become friends, How they were about to be completely inseparable until her "study" was completed. Vanarak didn't care much for what her "study" might be, He honestly didn't mind Tikal's company and thus didn't really see anything wrong with what she was saying.

Suddenly sitting herself down again, expending her seemingly unending amount of energy. A short movement with her hands, Using her innate magic, Causing a large book to appear in her hands. The book was, Huge, Atleast compared to the Fae wielding it, Like one of those magic tomes that battles had been fought for. Holding it in a mildly cute manner, Like a child proud of her drawings, She showed it to him. Leaning in slightly, Vanarak's curiosity getting the best of him, He took a long glance over the pages detailing him. It was, Impressive, Worryingly so. One of the pages holding a picture of him, Was extremely, well detailed. The tiny text accompanying it, speculating about facts surrounding him. The amount of detail made a small alarm in the back of his head go off. "This is... Very detailed..."

With another small ripple of energy the book dispersed, Just as suddenly as it had appeared

Vanarak had still a hard time wrapping his head around it, Who was she? What is she even doing? He could have easily killed her. Was she incredibly brave or just stupid? But he disregarded the questions, It was nothing that he needed to know, Instead he allowed a small smirk to creep up on him. Lifting his hand of his axe, Softly poking Tikal directly between her eyes
"...But my fur isn't all that shiny like you have drawn it, It's only the snow"

Vanarak could clearly see out of the corners of his vision, It seemed the elf was going. He would need to catch up. But if he really wished to gain any speed then the arrows potruding out of his back would need to be dealt with first.

Excitement bubbled inside the Tamer Fae as she stared at her new devotion. In her head she barely listened to what he was saying, only made plans for the forseeable future. That practice soon ended when Tikal went cross-eyed trying to look at the finger that was suddenly at the center of her face. It made her turn off her buzzing brain to listen to his gently spoken words. "Haha! That wasn't meant to be shimmers! It was meant to be the clouds of snow you kicked up when you came charging up to that elf." She smiled, humming her amusement.

Then, Tikal blinked and the rest of the world came back into focus. Forest. Snow. Troll! Elf. Cousin! "Hey.." she stood up and began looking around. "Where did that elf go anyway.. oh." She looked up the hill just in time to see his leg vanish over the lip of a cave. She hummed curiously and quietly, her nearly transparent wings opening and closing just once. "They must be after that Troll King. How brave." She commended while turning to look at Vanarak again.

"Oh! What's your name by the way I what in the heavens!" She jumped and immediately scrabbled around to stand behind him, kicking up snow in her rush. "Oh! Oh no.. My highest apologies! You're such a rarity that I completely forgot about this!" She threw her arms out to gesture to the arrows sticking out of his back. "What a fluff brain I am.. I even sketched them on you.." she shook her head at her own ignorance. "Don't you worry though!" She brightened. "You will feel some pain. But it will be relieved as fast as it comes! Ready?"
And then she didn't wait for any signal that he was. She simply snatched out the first arrow and tossed it aside in the same motion. Then, by the time it hit the snow, she was drawing a circle around the entry wound with her finger. Vanarak should feel as if she were rubbing ice all around the shallow hole, which would soothe the throbbing he was sure to be feeling after she snatched out the arrows. Then, after soothing the immediate pain Tikal would set to work directing healing runes, that she made in the air with her fingers, around the wound that would treat any goblin concocted infection. She would do this until it stopped bleeding and the visible flesh, if any, was a healthy red again. She did this again and again after snatching out arrow after arrow. And all while humming softly.

Vanarak continued his streak of being surprised, The small arrows weren't much. But without any of Vanarak's usual rage and bloodlust he had none of the immunity to pain. Through the entire process it would be seen how Vanarak was tensing his entire body, his hands tightly clenching the axe sprawled across his lap. One would think that he was trying to cope with the pain, But in reality he was trying his very best to remain calm. The smell of his own blood, It would perhaps had been overwhelming if it weren't for the gentle healing that Tikal was forcing on him. He cursed himself in his mind. These are just goblin arrows! They barely hurt! Why are you getting so worked up!? If one thing was clear, then it would definitely be how incredibly good Tikal was at what she was doing. The swift removal followed up by direct healing kept almost any blood from escaping, even the soft humming that was emanating from Tikal was almost, Soothing. It took a few arrows until Vanarak felt he had full control of himself. He visibly relaxed, The remaining arrows going without a hitch.

Throwing his head back, His right eye locating Tikal. "That's better, Thank you.." The last arrow being loosened from him, Not waiting for any of the pain relieving or magic runes he rose from the ground, Suprisingly quickly and agile for someone of his size. Taking one quick step forward, Like to test himself, and with a smile turning towards Tikal "...Now I hope you aren't afraid of blood or anything like that, Becuse if you are to study me, Vanarak the White Bull. Then you are going to get, a lot, of that."

A wide smile crossed Vanarak. He felt fired up, more so than usual. The arrows was out, The general low damage they caused in the first place being healed made Vanarak feel like he was completely on top again. With a a loud laugh he suddenly started running towards the stone wall leading to the cavern. He dived straight towards the wall, Gaining a suprising amount of air. The entire motion was quite terrifying as Vanarak swung his axe in a wide arc along with it, Plunging it deeply into the stone. A loud crash echoed from it. For a moment there was only dust until Vanarak yelled happily. "Keep up now Tikal, We are going to have some fun!" Releasing his left hand, and grabbing a nearby stone potruding from the wall, Vanarak used his right hand, Holding his, axe to swing upwards again, And then swinging himself up the wall. Repeating the motion, Loud crunching sounds being heard each time he swung his axe.

A small witty thought crossed Vanarak. He was going to make this really enjoyable

"FIRST ONE TO REACH THE TROLL KING GETS THE BOUNTY"

Vanarak's voice was cacophonous. Echoing up through the cavern and out across the forest, Even the goblins in the village would be able to hear it. It was a formal challenge, To everyone.

Drake shrugged with indifference at the noblegirl's question and gave a monotonous "Sure." He hadn't exactly looked hard at the Dark Elf's face. There was something about dark magic that gave him the creeps. He fought the urge to shiver, unsure if it was induced by the freezing cold or the thought of those dark, sunken eyes. Normally had he teamed up with just the Dark Elf there would be more conversation and displays of faked bravado as a means to keep her, and himself really, entertained or distracted. At least in a group of two others who looked ten times more trustworthy he could relax just slightly.

As they continued on Nyx, the map-holder and resident Dark Elf previously mentioned, walked in the lead and mentioned plans for a strategy. Drake wasn't exactly used to working with companions. It'd been two years since he could really say he had any companions. Then again, perhaps companion was a strong word. These were more like teammates. Yeah, temporary teammates. As soon as the troll was slain and reward collected they would all likely go their separate ways. Drake sighed silently, drifting his thoughts back over to the task at hand.

There was no doubt everyone present was an exceptional fighter. Two were nobility, and as much as he disliked the snobby aristocratic bastards in power, these two seemed alright. Nyx, with no surprise, was good with stealth and magic. Stealth. Stealth. Drake's eyes brightened up. "Nyx, you could go in and disrupt the enemy. Cause absolute chaos at their camp. I don't know if you can go invisible or anything, but if you can stealth in there and start wreaking havoc, it's bound to get the goblins' attention and draw out the troll." He realized how excited his tone was becoming and brought it down a little with a cough and nonchalant throat clearing.

He looked at the Avian. "Uhh... Sir Alexander," he said with no effort to hide the irony in his voice. "While they're distracted, you could fly up and in, make yourself a moving target in the sky, maybe do some hit and run."

Then he looked at Lailah. "And while those two distract the others, Miss No-" He caught himself. "Miss Telias and I can charge in from the front. Once the troll is drawn out and casualties have been inflicted upon the goblins we can collapse in on the troll." He grinned widely, his partially yellowing teeth showing. "Eh? How is that?" He stiffened at the sudden baritone shout that rang out across the forest and surrounding area. "Perhaps we ought to hurry as well."

"Teehee!" A giggle escaped Lailah's lips. She held a fist to the chin of her beaming face, in response to Alexander's answer. He had a far more tender disposition than she expected, like a giant teddy bear. In a suit of steel. With gallant eagle wings.

Nyx! It was good to know the dark elf's actual name, Lailah thought. But the fencer soon huffed and puffed at her comment, "I'll have you know, I was the fifth best sneak in my class!" a remark she delivered, while her suit of chain rustled with every step.

"Eh...," Lailah paused, glanced to the sky, and stroke her chin. "...O-out of....six, that is...," she whispered with substantial embarrassment.

Lailah was thankful when 'Nobody' came and expanded upon Nyx's plans. She looked between 'Nobody' and Nyx, then Alexander, as he provided each of them roles which played to their strengths. There was confidence in his voice. Bold. Clear. Assertive. She couldn't help but wonder...

When 'Nobody' gave her his orders, Lailah placed one hand on her hip, then made a fist with the other, and winked. "You've got it, Captain!" she replied, with glee to match his own enthusiasm. Her eyes widened slightly, however, at the sight of his teeth. One could argue that they matched the rest of his rugged looks, but...

There was a fine line between 'ruggedly handsome' and 'worryingly unhygienic'. A very fine line.

Still, it was not the time to discuss such matters. She could assist him with some toothpaste later. A deep roar in the distance alerted them of a not too distant trouble. Her mind back in the game, Lailah drew her thin silver blade, and pointed it to the sky.

"Comrades, for Gialpha, we FIGHT!"

The violent rumble of Ro-an's motorcycle rolled and settled to a guttural purr as he skidded to a stop a mile off from the treeline. He shut the engine off and peered into the wall of shadow before him just as Kaldon disappeared into the trees. It would be easier to tail him now, nothing more than tracks and scent trails, just like he was taught as a cub.

Sure, approaching in a motorbike was the last thing one would suggest in a stealth mission to tail someone but he was after an Avian and no amount of running, even on all fours would keep him in sight. Ro doubted the man was concerned enough to watch the traffic below anyways. He didn't know Kylin. He didn't know what a spiteful bastard he was.

"The man'll learn..." He muttered. Ro-an smirked to himself and climbed off of his bike. He tugged the gauntlets tied to his belt off and slid them onto his paws, clenching and unclenching his fists, ready for a fight just in case. He walked across the clearing separating the road from the trees and followed the light, hardly noticeable trail Kaldon had made beforehand.

"Follow him, and keep him here, whatever it takes" Kylin had ordered. No doubt he was planning to do some recon and research of his own. It was beyond him what it was he wanted with the Avian aside from putting him in his place, but Ro intended to do exactly as he was told.

Ro-an had arrived at the tree with the hologram. He slowed, crouched and narrowed his eyes just as the tip of the man's black wings phased through the false stone.

He waited...for ten minutes...then twenty, then his impatience got the better of him and he stood. As long as the man stayed there in Meadhold he could do as he pleased. Why the hell not see the man face to face. It was the honorable way to go about all this as opposed to sneaking around and ambushing. He rose to his feet, brushed dirt from his shins and strode boldly up to the facade. "Winged man, I know you're here, I'd like to speak to you face to face."

Alexander was pleasantly surprised by the human commoner's sound tactical mind compared to the dark elf, Nyx. Sneaking into the troll's cave would have likely ended with them being cornered by the goblin forces with no escape route. He much preferred the frontal approach as opposed to skulking around in the shadows.

The sky knight nodded in agreement as 'Nobody' outlined what he wanted Alexander to do. He was well aware of the man's tone as he said his name, but decided to let it slide for the time being. There were more important matters to attend to. His head briefly turned towards the sound of a distant roar. Yes... an enemy to fight, a sound plan, and brave comrades to fight alongside. Something that still made his blood sing even after all this time.

As Lailah raised her sword, so did he, hefting his greatsword aloft with one hand while his wings spread out to make his appearance all the more imposing.

"Onwards, to victory!" he called out. "This day shall be ours!"

He was more than ready for battle. All he needed was the signal to attack.

Nyx listened to the man he had a keen mind she liked that. And the girl she may never shut up but she had spirit. She almost smirked until she looked at the winged tin can... well he seemed to go along with the plan at least.

"Sounds like a good...." Nyx started before turning at a shout. "Well seems like charging in screaming is still all the rage." Nyx stated upon hearing the shout. "At least the fool will draw the goblins give us a chance to flank them I hope."

Nyx then drew her dagger "Well let's do this. Stay smart, stay alive.." she said then with a smirk added "See you in the village" before turning invisible and sneaking off toward the goblin liar.

Yevoc and Ash were startled by the thunderous sound of Vanarak’s proclamation. He turned to see Vanarak climbing into the entrance of the cave. He and Ash turned back to check if the goblins at the other end of the cave had heard the voice as well. He heard the garbled chatter of the native goblin language and the sound of tiny bare feet tapping on the cave floor.
“Damn it! The least that bull-headed son of bitch could have done is wait ‘til he was in the front before letting a battle cry loose.” Ash stated in a snarky tone.
“Hope you got some kind of magical attack strategy planned, because all I got is freezing and hacking.”
“I can hold my own, just watch where you point those ice beams. I don’t want to end up like that tree.”
As a large group of goblins came around the corner in the cave, Ash shrank down to fairy size. The goblins weren’t heavily armored, mostly animal skins and leather. Their weapons were primitive as well, spears, bows, and the occasional stone battle ax or club. While Yevoc had been trained for battle in many of the Elven fighting arts, he had never had to put them to use until now. He blasted the first waves few rows of goblins running at them while dodging the spears and arrows. He hacked into the frozen bodies with his blades and frozen body parts hit the floor of the cave and shattered. Other goblins he just hacked into with his nearly indestructible blades. Meanwhile, Ash took a more comical approach to battle. He would land on the face of a goblin and they would swat him with their weapons, but he’d fly away or poof onto another goblin until they were fighting themselves.
“Hey, big white bully, you mind giving us a hand?” Ash called out to Vanarak as he was still pulling himself up.

"Winged man, I know you're here, I'd like to speak to you face to face." Kaldon heard a deep voice yelling from outside. How was that possible? How could he have avoided detection? He got out of bed, and poked his head out of the false rock. “Of course, I was just set to night vision, not x-ray. He was behind a fucking rock.” He muttered to himself as he saw the therian standing there. He noticed the gauntlets on the tiger’s paws that had been loosely tied on his belt at the bar.
“So, I’m assuming you’re here because of the incident at the bar?” Kaldon said as he walked out of the cave. He wasn’t exactly prepared for a fight, he’d taken his armor off, which made his cybernetic arm look incredibly out of place, he was wearing nothing but a pair of burgundy boxers as he walked out into the night. He was unarmed, but he knew that feline therians often lived by a code of honor and it wasn’t likely that he would attack an unarmed person.
“Look, I don’t know what that fledgling has on you, but my grievance is with him, not you. He took what was mine, I got it back and that should really be the end of it. Don’t you have some sort of moral code? You know I’m in the right here. Is his pride really so fragile that he would send you to fight me just to get the hilt back? Is his ego so easily bruised?” He took a few steps closer to the tiger. “So how about you come inside and tell me what’s really going on here? I don’t have anything to eat in there, but I could brew up some tea or something.”

"Right. Trolls."

With her hands folded and her arms resting on the polished wooden table, Juniper nodded in the 'I-really-don't-care' kind of way. In this small warmly lit chamber, the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of a wall clock and the cold, howling wind beyond the walls. The man seated opposite to her bit his lip nervously and hugged his arms tightly to his chest, waiting for her to go on.

"Listen, that's not what I came here to discuss," she said, staring sharply back into the averted gaze of the city rep.
"However, I assure you that it will be within your best interest to hear me out."

"We asked for your help and you agreed to it, what else could you possibly be here to discuss?" The man snapped back almost hesitantly, sweat dripping from his brow as a look of concern spread across his face. He wasn't used to dealing with noble types, but he certainly didn't want to piss one off. For now he held his tongue, though the message he'd been itching deliver was now crystal clear to the both of them.

At the other end of the table, Juniper reassessed the situation in her mind. Frostheim wasn't really a place for homebodies - a lot of travelers come through here following the trade route, but even among them only the toughest of the lot usually dared. The untamed winter valleys are not kind to those ill of body or dull of wit. Subzero temperatures, sudden blizzards, roads covered up by snow, slippery slopes, aggressive wildlife, trolls. . . the list of deathtraps in this place could go on and on.

"Your pest problem is probably being taken care of as we speak," Juniper finally said with a brief gesture of her hand. She unclipped a flask of water from her belt and took a drink, keeping her eye on him as she did so. As she screwed the cap back on, she continued, "Mobility is difficult in snowy terrain, so when trade stops it stops. Of course they're going to send a substantial force to secure the main trade route. What I want to know. . ." She clipped the flask back onto her belt and then produced a pen and a small map of the town from her bag. ". . . is where I can expect this motley crew of handy helpers to be showing up for their reward."

"And what do you need to know that for?" he asked as he put a hand to his chin, quizzically raising an eyebrow.

"There's something of value here in Frostheim, and the ones looking for it will raze it to the ground to get their hands on it. Your guards can only do so much to stop that - we need capable hands to drive them back, a 'wildcard,' let's say. It just so happens that these wildcards are away on bounty hunting business on your behalf, the perfect time for them to strike."

"Then we need to mobilize immediately-!" The man shouted as he slammed his hand into the table, but Juniper quickly shooshed him, ushering the panicked man back into his seat. The door cracked open a notch and a single green eye glared through - turning her head over her shoulder, Juniper furrowed her brow and gave a few dismissal waves toward the therian behind the door. It closed softly.

"Look, a full town alert is only going to mean that we lose the element of surprise," Juniper said in a hushed tone.
"They're more than prepared to take on whatever militia you have stationed here. Right now, the situation calls for a taskforce; if the people on your troll hunt are any good, they'll wrap this up before the enemy has time to mobilize themselves. Then, we'll intercept them with a surprise attack and push them back before they have a chance to lift a finger against Frostheim. If we're lucky, they won't have reinforcements to call in for at least a few days - we can use that time to secure the item they're hunting down and lead them away. Into a deathtrap, preferably."

The city rep slowly leaned back into his chair, exasperated and out of breath as if he were the one doing all the talking. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, rubbing his palms against his temples.

"Okay, okay. Just. . . one thing." He opened his eyes. "How exactly do you know all of this?"

"You'll find eyes and ears anywhere you like, for the right price," Juniper simply replied with a sly grin. The man didn't look any less worried. Taking her pen with a trembling hand, he circled the rendezvous point of the adventurers and slid both the pen and the map back toward her.

"I pray to the Maker that you know what you're doing," he said quietly.

"Only one way to find out," Juniper said nonchalantly, procuring her belongings and exiting through the door with a final wave without looking back. And boy, what a thing to be looking forward to. If the shard really is here, anyway.

Son of a bitch, she can turn invisible.

Drake shrugged it off. At least she was on their side, but unfortunately they lost the initial element of surprise. "The little greenskins know someone is coming at least, and on the bright side we won't be alone in our charge either." The last bit being more of a reassurance to himself more than anyone else.

As they approached the cavern the sounds of battle became quite apparent. Ferocious roars, grunts of efforts, and screams of pain all mixed together to form a cacophonous menagerie. A few stray arrows landed on the cavern floor near the entrance just as the group arrived. "Well..." Drake looked from the arrows up to where the sounds were undoubtedly coming from. He looked to Alexander. "I suppose this is where we go in. See you in the skies, Avian." He turned to Lailah. "Let's go, Miss." The ex-sea dog unsheathed his sword and drew the dagger from his belt before marching in with steeled eyes and jaw set.

"Kylin has nothing but my loyalty, your grievance with him is also with me as should he decide to brawl with you it would be my fists to throw the punches. I didn't come here to attack you without reason or warning, only to make sure you don't fly away." He looked down at his hands and pulled his gauntlets off one after the other before tying them to his belt once more. He put up his empty palms as a show of disarm. "I would gladly accept your hospitality."

He lowered his head to step in being quite a bit larger in height and peered around Kaldon's living space. His gaze hesitating momentarily on the small potrait on the mantle. "Kylin doesn't put effort into anything that doesn't offer him gain. He's a thief but every pocket he dips his hands into has something of intrigue and worth inside it. I fully believe he can measure that worth simply by looking in the face of the man he steals from. When I met him...he'd taken everything I carried with me but what he was after was the iron loyalty of a Nafir tribesman. That was the value he saw in me. Your wallet and even that weapon piece probably held only a fraction of his intrigue. I don't know what it is."

"The fact that you got him to return most of what he stole from you-" Ro-an chuckled as he settled into a nearby seat, "That was actually rather amusing. The hilt....what is so special about it anyways?"

Lailah's smile disappeared, replaced by a straight, serious expression. Her eyes gleamed like cold steel, as she looked straight forward. "Yes, sir!" she replied boldly. Knees bent, sword arm readied. Lailah ventured forward by Nobody's side, her vibrant azure cape contrasting against his more muted colors. It seemed like the fighting had become quite wild ahead.

The sound of booming magic and cracking ice drove Lailah to instinctively slide against the cave walls. The fencer slightly peaked from behind a wall of rock, inspecting the melee that had broken out between a goblin pack, an elf, and an adorably tiny fairy.

Wait!

Lailah's eyes took notice.

That elf! The young girl did a double take, then turned to Sir Nobody and whispered in disbelief, "Captain! Am I delusional, or is that prince Yevoc of Polara himself?!"

Lailah gripped her sword tight. She had to restraint herself from charging forward and joining the fray, remembering the plan Drake had laid out for them. They needed to wait for Sir Alexander and Lady Nyx to draw out the troll.

Of course, that plan did not count on having the crown prince of Polara and his fairy concubine around.

"What should we do next, Captain?" The fencer asked her leader, glancing left and right. Her hand was as restless as her eyes, not letting go of her sword's hilt.

A thundering rumble alerted her of another presence, not far from the crown prince and his companion. Massive. Well-groomed. And with the largest axe she had ever seen. And by the fairy's words, it seemed that the three were allies.

"Look at the size of that thing....!" Lailah marveled, jaw hanging low. She had heard that Therians could become truly gigantic, but actually seeing one in person...!

Vanarak got up before Tikal could heal and clean the final arrow wound in his back. When he stood up so quickly, she abruptly stopped humming and stumbled backwards a bit. Wow~! Look at those rippling muscles! Her eyes rounded and gazed up at the bull. And then he peered down at her and she felt like she were a small child staring up at a king. It was such a tickly sparkly sensation! And then he was bouncing, running, and climbing. Tikal frantically poofed back into her fae size in order to keep up.

"C-careful now, Vanarak! You could.. open up.. yeah nevermind." She frowned as she watched the small holes on his back flex, stretch and begin to bleed again. As he climbed she kept her distance from his swinging arms and weapon but still fluttered close. She was like a tiny lantern behind and slightly above his shoulder. And like a lantern her wings were illuminating their ocean green color just slightly, it was so exciting to be so close to this rarity that was now hers to study! She had to release the energy somehow. When he bellowed out a challenge, she grinned but then worriedly looked up "That was really cool and all but I'm pretty sure you've just endangered my cousin and that elf." She nibbled her lower lip, her gaze lingering on the lip of the cave. Then she shook her head, summoned her book and began doing what she did best. She watched how Vanarak moved and huffed, documenting and hypothesizing every bit.

It was good work what she managed to get done before she heard the pair inside the cave call down to Vanarak. Dismissing her book, she flew ahead to peek in and see what was going on. And to see the sight of the goblins attacking just one elf and a tiny fairy made her a bit frantic. "U-uh..!" She tore her gaze away and descended back down to the bull that was closing in. "Faster now, Vanny! They're swamped up there!" She urged and encouraged him, making a wooshing motion with her arms.

Nyx looked on at the battle before her. A snow elf a giant bull man and two fairies soon joined by her own group. She then noticed the goblin mage preparing to cast a spell at the already engaged snow elf...He would have never seen the spell coming...But the goblin never got the spell off as a dagger appeared in its neck followed by the dark elf holding it.
The goblins around turned to face Nyx but too late as shadowy beams shot from her fingers turning them to ash. Another jumped at Nyx with it's spear only to hit air as Nyx teleported behind him sinking her dagger into his skull.
Nyx began to laugh darkly as another goblin felt the sting of her shadow bolt. She was clearly enjoying this.

Vanarak was chuckling, heavily as he hefted himself over the cliff entering the cavern. A quicke glance was certainly not what was needed to take in the entire situation. Several people had joined the fight, One of them spewing forth black magic like a chimney while laughing madly, He liked her. The tunnel itself was small and pretty cramped, Especially with the goblins flowing like an river through it. They had a strange dedication, Almost crushing themself trying to reach their enemies. That troll was definitely one of it's kind.

But Vanarak hadn't stopped smiling for a second. Not even at the sudden, "Vanny" He shook the name quickly. Vanarak could feel that familiar heat bubbling inside him, Hopefully he would be able to keep himself from losing grip completely. So before that, he needed to share some expertise around bloodthirsty beasts. He started that same, slow jog as he used to run up the snowcovered hill, Slowly gaining speed. Gripping his axe with both hands he yelled out before reaching the goblins Elf! That troll is smart, He won't attack unless he knows he is going to win! We will need to reach him... A dangerous glint appeared in Vanarak's eyes as the stench of blood reached him "...So you people better dodge"

He had just reached the goblins when that was uttered, Now at a high speed he changed the grip on his axe, Placing his right hand way too far up the handle and his left way too low on the handle. It would be very impractical to swing this way, But that was not his intention. Lowering his axe into the same height as an average goblin Vanarak engaged a wild charge straight into them, Using his axe like a plow. None of the goblins possesed even a fragment of the strength that would be needed to stop him. He was heading straight through the cavern, Determined to reach the end. With the goblins piling up against his handle wildy swinging towards him and the ones who fell of crushed by his hooves Vanarak only started losing himself more, A faint last thought hitting him. "Hopefully the others actually dodged"

Kaldon wasn’t entirely sure why he trusted this tiger all of a sudden. Maybe it was the fact that he took off the gauntlets, maybe it was that he did in fact have a code of honor. Whatever the reason he knew that this guy wasn’t here for violence.

As the Tiger spoke of Kylin and the way he picked out his targets, Kaldon couldn’t help but wonder what it was about himself that intrigued Kylin, was it the cybernetics, the rare black wings or just his thirst for fun and adventure? Kaldon went about trying to figure out what kind of tea to make and found some mandarin flavored herbal tea in a glass jar in the pantry before he got the water on the stove.
“So your boss, Kylin, he wants you to keep me from flying off, huh?” He said as he briefly sat down. “I guess he’s coming back to get the hilt. Well, I got a couple days before Landon will have any word on an oracle, so I can wait.” He got back up to check the water, it was almost boiling. “He is a thief, and a damn good one too if he was able to steal the loyalty of a Nafir tiger. I’m sure he went about taking it in the most honorable way.” He rolled his eyes with sarcasm. “As for what he sees in me, or what he wants from me, who knows? Although, I guess if he comes back here and still wants the hilt, we’ll have to fight each other. I suppose it’s only fair that you know what you’re fighting for.” He poured the water over the tea filters and the scent of oranges filled the air. He set the cups and pot on a tray and brought it out to the coffee table. “Sorry I don’t have any sugar or honey, I haven’t been here in like eight years and I haven’t had a chance to go shopping.” He sat down again. “Okay, about the hilt. To be honest, I’m not a hundred percent sure what it is, but it has some freaky power to give visions, disturbing chaotic visions that seem to be from the future. Here, try it yourself. I’m pretty sure Kylin had one when he gave me back the thing.” He chuckled as he grabbed the hilt from a small satchel under his chair with his cybernetic arm and tossed it to Ro-an. His eyes glazed over as he was hit with the vision. He took it back from him with his cyber arm. “All cultures have legends, I’m not sure what the Nafir have or anything, but from what I’ve been told every era has come to an end in the same way. A force of evil comes to power, there’s a war or battle, and then a force of good defeats it. Every era has ended this way except for one, the third era. Back before technology had advanced to the level of magic, the most powerful users of the darkest forms of magic got together with the mutual goal of destroying the world and rebuilding it in their own image. They created a sword and imbued it with their powers. They were going to rip a whole into the underworld with it and destroy the world with an army of undead. However, none of them could agree on who was worthy enough to wield the weapon and this lead to a battle between themselves which ended with all of them killing each other and shattering the blade in the process. The wise men of the time scattered the shards and pieces of the blade all over Gialpha and buried them. Each piece is said to be infused with a different form of vile magic power. I believe this is the hilt of that blade and that it possesses the power of vile prophecy.” He sipped his tea and sighed. “So, if this is what Kylin wants, and it’s not just a weird thing for my cybernetics, I’ll give it to him. However, keep in mind that this thing will attract evil. He’ll probably sell it to the highest bidder if he doesn’t get killed by some vile person who actually knows what it is, and you’ll have to live with the guilt of letting it all happen. Or you and your crew could help me find a way to destroy it. Of course that’s if it actually is the hilt of the blade, that’s why I need to talk to an oracle, to find out if it’s the real deal or just some cursed sword hilt.”

Alexander followed his group towards the caves, noting with some concern that the cavern's ceiling would limit his ability to fly. He would still be able to fight just as well on the ground, it would simply be more difficult moving quickly among the battleground. But it seemed that they were not the only fighters. The sounds echoing from the cave indicated that the battle was already well underway, the goblins locked in combat with a fairy, a white bull Theiran, and a snow elf.

And not just any snow elf, at that. Unless he was very much mistaken, that elf was none other than the Prince of Polara. All the more reason to lend them his aid!

"CHAAAAAARGE!" he roared, dashing forward with wings spread and sword drawn. The sky knight pressed a button on the hilt with his thumb, and the edge of the blade began to glow with the pale blue light of magic. While Nyx created a distraction, Alexander slammed into the goblin horde like a tsunami, each swing of his magic-enhanced greatsword bisecting several goblins at once. With his powered armour, his movements were more fluid than those of someone wearing normal full plate.

Noticing the Theiran preparing to charge, Alexander kept his distance. It appeared that the white bull was a berserker. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him, he carved his own bloody path in the barbarian's wake, allowing his more fragile comrades to press on.

Drake's brows furrowed in annoyance at the noblegirl's continued use of the term "Captain" towards him. He quickly stuffed it down when she pointed out the apparent crowned prince of the region they were in. Three nobles in one afternoon now? Geez...

He was just about to answer the second question when the sound of pounding hooves on stone and a subsequent roar met their ears. In an instant, a large white bull Therian barreled past and charged directly into the many goblins near the adjacent lip of the cavern. All he could do was allow his jaw to drop to the cavern floor below as the beast passed by and began cleaving greenskins in two with ease. He shook himself out of his daze and was about to agree when the avian, Alexander, yelled "Charge!" and ran right in, apparently deeply inspired by the Therian.

The ex-pirate took a deep breath, looking nervously from the entrance from which they came to the combat that lie ahead of them. It had been forever since he'd been involved in an all out melee. Well... more like two years, but any time spent in an alcoholic daze can feel like eternity. Drake briskly undid his winter jacket and shrugged it off onto the ground. Although the insulated warmth was comfortable, comfort didn't always equate maneuverability, something often necessary for survival in a fight. Besides, he was too anxious to feel the quickly encroaching cold or the instant goosebumps that rose along his arms and neck.

Drake took up his arms and sighed. "Fuck," he breathed. He cast a side glance to Lailah and said "Let's go, Princess." Gripping his weapons ever so tightly, the Corsair began a light jog towards the fray before breaking out into a full sprint. Within seconds he was at the forefront of the fighting and took up the right flank of the bull Therian, slashing and stabbing his way into the green masses.

Yevoc turned as he heard the young lady you recognized him. He was a little bit surprised and she seemed to be a tiny bit confused. While he was indeed a prince of Polara, he was the last in line after nine other siblings and he was only the prince of the Snow Elves, while the Nordics and the other races native to Polara had their own Royal families and governments. However, now was not the time to dwell on such topics as he was fighting for his life. He turned to see a dark elf stab a goblin mage who was about to cast a spell on him. He nodded and gave a smile in appreciation. He quickly turned back to hacking, slashing and freezing the goblins as he tried to work his way out through the back of the cave. “Elf! That troll is smart. He won't attack unless he knows he is going to win! We will need to reach him...” Vanarak called out to him. Yevoc knew the troll would be controlling the goblins from the center of the village. “...So you people better dodge." He turned to look behind him only to see Vanarak lowering his ax to goblin height and start running in his direction. He didn’t have much room to maneuver on either side of the cave. He could only think of one option to get out of the way. He tossed his swords into the ceiling of the cave then jumped high into the air grabbed onto them and held himself against the roof of the cave while Vanarak rampaged through the cave. He dropped down after he passed by and pulled the swords out as he did. He quickly followed behind Vanarak until he reached the end of the cave.

The village was small with only a few crude huts and fire pits. It looked like the majority of the goblins had already been sent into the cave and the ice troll was in a throne at the center of the village. He ran into the village slashing the and freezing as many of the remaining goblins as he could, knowing the others would be coming out of the cave soon. He figured if he could get rid of them, by the time the others got out they could all go after the troll at the same time. As he got a good look at the troll he noticed something odd. His eyes were glowing a deep shade of purple. This gave some merit to Ash’s theory about someone else controlling it.
“Oh shit, Ash.” He gasped realizing that he hadn’t seen him since Vanarak came trampling through the cave. He turned to the cave just in time to see the glowing blue ball of light come out and grow to human size. “Oh yeah, that’s definitely an enchantment controlling him. Strongest enchantment I’ve ever felt.” He said as he was hit by the vibes from whatever was controlling the troll.
“Can you break the enchantment?” Yevoc asked as he sliced the head off a goblin that came running at him with a crude stone sword drawn.
“If the enchanted item were here, I might have a chance, but all I can do now is trace the enchantment to the item. But hell, judging by the vibes, Sketchy back there would probably have to help me.”