Port Solinus

Redmane did not need to go far in the manor house before coming upon an open door to a rather massive library were Symir and the Lord of the manner were. It was a rather interesting site to behold as Symir with his mask covering his face held in one hand a dagger at the throat of the noble while in the other the diamond that was spoken about earlier. "I think business has been rather well for you. Though I am afraid that in the end there was very little you could have done to keep this away from my attention." Symir whispered just to then lead the fellow over to one of the far bookshelves. From what could be seen Symir had a sword still within its scabbard and a bow holstered along with a few strange looking arrows still in their quiver.

"You will not get away with this. Whoever you are I hope you realize that as soon as you take my Dia...." The noble was cut off as Symir quickly removed the blade from the mans neck and knocked him out cold with the but of the weapon. It was rather unprofessional of him to just knock the man out however it was necessary in order to get him to shut his mouth.

Redmane listened at the door before she heard a thud inside, she knocked, once more faking it "Uncle, is everything alright ?" She tried the handle, it was unlocked. Her sword she had hidden in a voidlike space. She entered the study. Her eyes caught sight of the Lord of the Manor on the ground with a nasty cut on his head. Well this was going to suck. She brought up her hand, snapping towards the door a silvery mist formed around her hand as the door locked with a strange pattern of a mandala appearing over it to keep it locked until she could figure out what happened.

She went to the Lord of the Manor and scented Symir all over the man. She helped the man up and carried him over to a bench and set him down on it gently. She never saw Symir, but she knew he was in the massive library. So she called out. "Let us talk. Its been a while old friend has it not ?" She faked the accent again really well. Acting like the exotic Countess he'd once seen. "I was expecting you to be helping with the setting up of the tables for the eating area. Not perusing the library of its common ore." Apparently where she was from, diamonds were common as water. It was platinum and mithril that were the real money makers on her world.

For all intents and purposes she appeared completely unarmed. And soaking wet.

Symir sat atop one of the book shelves looking down at the rather familiar sight just to then hold the diamond high into the air and admire it for what it truly was. This score was no ordinary rock but something more entirely as it shimmered ever so slightly in the new found light. "Talk? I do recall the last time you and I talked my lady your father almost had me killed. Though I do tend to find myself reliving those wonderful evenings we shared over fine wines and warm fires that it pains me to say it must not be so." Slowly Symir stood from his seat with such grace it was a fluid motion as he gave a mock bow to the lovely woman and pocked the diamond while sheathing his knife. "If it is any consolation prize I thought you to be dead. I suppose the years have been kind to you."

Slowly Symir began to walk down and across the bookshelf just to hop to the railing of the second floor and shimmy his way up and over only to take up a small towel that had been left behind by one of the staff when they were rushing about, tossing it down to Redmane, just to chuckle a bit as he watched her from his new found height. "You will catch your cold if you keep yourself standing soaking wet like that."

Redmane snickered, catching the towel without so much as a snap of her wrist. she dried around her face though did not bother with her clothing. After all, she was a cat, water was a fact of life to deal with. "Then it should please you that my father is not a thorn in my side anymore. I ousted him." She lied, she kept up appearances long enough though which made it seem pure truth.

"The years have indeed been kind" Redmane continued, moving closer to the stairs before stepping up them. Still speaking. "No, not dead. Not yet. Not for a very long time." She came to a halt at the top of the stairs and leaned on the railpost. She was indeed exotic, without her sword, hidden somewhere, she could easily summon it when needed.

She nodded towards where Symir had pocketed away the diamond. She felt something of a draft at the same time. "What importance is that stone ? It is so common at my home that you come here to steal it ?" She asked.

She smiled then and stood away from the rail and stepped closer to Symir. "It pains me a bit to say it, but, Elena and her brother were hoping to see you here this evening, but... as a thief, unexpected I must admit. but it would harm your friendship with them in more ways then one. It could sever ties with me. Though....." She felt the draft again, this time slightly stronger.

She turned to Symir, "Do you feel a draft ?"

There was indeed a draft but Symir ignored it as he first felt it when Redmane ascended the steps and even more so when she was as close as a moth that was attracted to the flickering of a candle flame. "My dear you speak as if I have not already taken into account my losses and gains from this little expedition. If it has not yet dawned upon you that in another hundred years or so things will change for the worse then why would it really matter if I lose a few friends here and there." Symir whispered as he slowly placed his left hand upon Redmane's cheek just to offer a warm smile while he drew a bit closer allowing for a gap to be made long enough for him to flick his right wrist allowing a single gold coin to drop and land between his right middle and pointer finger.

Again there was yet another draft though this time it was a bit more noticeable as Symir took a step back as if keeping his distance from Redmane allowing him to hold himself by the railing and look over at the scene he had created bellow. "You know I would almost say that I missed these moments between you and I if it were not for the fact that this entire situation could never be. You and I were never meant to be. As history tends to repeat itself I watched you drop off from the face of the world and yet here you are." The implication was considerably bold as Symir looked back at Redmane only to grimace slightly as memories of the foreign exotic lady he had once fallen for came rushing back in bloody waves of emotion and dread. The fair lady had plummeted from her window at the keep in Wer'Guawysvern and her body was found broken and battered upon the sandy dunes bellow. It was that gruesome day that every chain and event that had unfolded to this point to a reckoning of unimaginable proportions. Yet Symir swallowed his pride began to play with the golden coin allowing it to tumble betwixt his fingers as if he was playing a game while he waited for the fair lady to speak her mind once more.

"And yet" Redmane replied; "Here I stand. Thankfully the healers were able to mend my broken bones." She lied, she was never hurt personally.but since she had assumed the role of his old flame, she faked it quite well. It was not easy, but she figured it out, slowly. "You need no--**...." What the ?!

Then her ears hurt.

She cast her gaze around the vast library. Moving as she did so towards the stairs to go to the first floor as a sudden explosion of white energy shot past her. She whiped up a fast defense mandal like spell of pale red to absorb the energy but was still knocked back and down the steps, she rolled quickly to her feet and was about to cast her own spell when she stopped, what the hell was that ?

"EEEEEEEEEEEeeeee! Oy! Let go of my soulstone!!" A voice cried out as white energy shot towards Symir and a ghostly visage appeared at the railing. A woman no older then twenty five, stood, or seemed to stand, all any saw were ghostly wisps and nearly see through skin. The reason for the draft had arrived. And she looked very angry. Mostly because of the Lord of the Manor being knocked cold.

Symir could not beleive his eyes as he watched the events unfold and when the ghost appeared and made itself known there was little other choice but to act and escape with the prized jewel. "My beloved I'm afraid that our time has been cut short. This gem belongs to its new rightful owner and I must collect on my dews somehow." Symir jested slightly as he fell backwards and landed on the floor beneath him with a loud and thump allowing the wisps ball of energy to fly right over him allowing him enough time to roll off from the second floor and land like a cat on the landing bellow with great ease. The bow wielding thief dashed forward and tumbled over chairs and leaped tables as he forced his way to the window towards the southern side of the library only to nock an arrow against the string of his bow and take aim at the spectral being before him.

"Orn ibafarshan." Symir muttered in Draconic as his arrow began to shimmer and fly as he let it loose towards the spirit in hopes of disrupting it and forcing it to become dormant once more. He knew that his father would never be proud of him but if stealing this diamond was the only way to get him closer to his goals then so be it.

A flick of a spectral hand and a pane of ghostly glass covered the window. The arrow shot through the ghost. She did not slow down as she shot forwards towards the thief. The Lord of the Manor carried the soulstone with him at all times, mostly to protect what it carried, the strange ghostly being. Who was now defending as best she could her home. Which was now hot property. She floated a good half meter off the ground, human sized apparently. The red dressed woman at the foot of the stairs behind her as her attention was focused on Symir.

At the same moment that the ghost cast her spell, Redmane cast her own at Symir in order to try and protect him, unfortunately she miscast and struck at the window. Effectively locking the only path out of the library. Ah hell! Maybe the rain was getting to her. She drew her own bound bow. The spell she had been taught at the Vale where she grew up, it was pretty much a Magic Missile. She took aim at the ghostly creature.

The ghostly creature shot forwards then at Symir, with every swing of her ghostly limbs at his body a wisp of ice cold was left in her wake where she made contact. With each swing she spoke. "Give. Me. My. Soul. Stone. Ya. Little. Thief!!" Apparently the diamond was more then common ore where Redmane was from. It housed something important.

"I think not!" Symir roared out in frustration as things seemed to grow a bit more dire. His only means of escape was locked and being backed up against a wall was never a good idea, especially if the blows were as cold and chilling as they were. Quickly Symir tumbled off to the side barely avoiding a spectral hand just to find himself flicking his wrist and allowing three silver throwing knives to land gently into his palm which he tossed towards the ghost in question.

"You know it would be more helpful if we called upon the powers of Iomodia once more!" Symir shouted towards Redmane in hopes she could call down a spell from that lawful goddess in hopes of putting an end to this nonsense.

"I got a better idea!" Redmane said, she cast the Magic Missile, it missed and thankfully did no harm to the library wall. When the spirit creature came her way she b rought up a fast defense spell, the strange runes sprang in a circle from her wrists and took the brunt of the ghostly attack before the spirit turned back to Symir and struck at him repeatedly.

"Hold that diamond up!" She began to cast a spell that could cast out the soul trapped within. Since the soulstone was what held the spirit, something told her something was up. Something deadly wrong here. Which meant she had to cast out the trapped soul.

Ice formed a sickly deadly scar on the wall as the ghostly fingers struck against the dark paneling, leaving burn marks of dead rotting wood within seconds of the ice melting away. The fingers of the spirit were leaving trails of deadly energy behind them as they swept through the air. Her strikes halted for but a few seconds before they came on at Symir once again in a flurry of fast blows. However the ghostly creature, if that was what it was, seemed to be keeping Symir and Redmane in a single area of the library, away from the Lord of the Manor.

"Shit!" Symir let out a muffled shout as he felt one of the icy hands just inches away from his body tearing away at the sleeve of his shirt and revealing part of his arm and what appeared to be scales of some kind that were part of his flesh. With another quick tumble out of the reach of the ghostly visage Symir began to run towards the unconscious Lord of the Manor just to then raise the diamon up high above his head like he was instructed.

As soon as Symir raised up the diamond Redmane angled her cast and struck it from long off. The diamond for a scant moment glittered brilliant white as the missile connected solidly dead center. She never missed. Then her ears rang and the lights went completely out.

As soon as the diamond was held up out and the spirit sprang for it, the exact same instant it was hit in a brilliant flash of white light. An unearthly shriek sprang from everywhere around the two mortals as the spirit disappeared in an insant.

Two seconds after the brilliant whiteness cleared from their eyes the lights within t he library completly died. Even the candles. For long moments there was not a sound.

Suddenly from the other end of the expansive library through the shelves light of pale blue shimmered, flickering like fire. A growl was heard before it faded to a low heartbeat. Then the flickery strange light becan to move, closer to the pair. Thumping of footfalls, heavy footfalls were also heard. The strange sound of heavy breathing seemed to echo

Redmane then realised what just occured, what had just been woken. "Oh. Skat." She muttered softly. To Symir, who she knew was either lost in the dark or confused she threw another missile in his direction, over his head actually to light the way. Crying out simply "Run!" She took off in his direction. Fleeing from whatever was coming.

Symir had never encountered such magics like this in a long time and when things began to grow dark and the voice of Redmane's pleas to run hit him he was already up and moving right when he saw her pass him. "The Hells did you do?" Symir asked rather incredulously as he kept pace with her and began to draw an arrow from a quiver just under his arm and was about ready to notch it and fire off at the thing behind him soon if things did not seem to clear up.

Redmane ran down the length of the library to the door, but it was shut, and with the lights out she was unable to find the knob, had she used her skills she'd have spotted it to get them out. But her fear overcame everything else. In a hushed whisper since they were far enough away she said. "How was I supposed to know freeing that thing from the diamond you carry was a Maia ?!" She herself could not believe what she had freed from its prison. "Whatever this thing is, it is beyond us both. We have to get out of here"

The footsteps continued as the flickery purple blue ghostly light got closer and came to a halt at the place where the Lord of the Manor snoozed on the lounge chair. A hand touched the mans brow. Making sure he was safe. Now to deal with the thief. In an intant the purple blue ghostly light went out. And the spirit found them again. Reappearing, now almost completely corpreal. Her arms crossed. She stood between them and their path out. Pale lavender eyes stared at them both. She towered over the two. She pointed towards Symir. "You stole what had been my soulstone. yet...." She turned to Redmane, who stared shocked to silence. "... you freed me from it. I do not know if I should thank you or try to kill you."

The Maiar then smiled as she became a bit more humanlike, her ears were pointed, her hair long and brilliant white. "Instead of choosing I will instead warn you. Try and steal from here again, and I will kill you. But, other then that, you are both welcome here, Symir." The Maiar said. Yes she remembered him. He had been there before. When he was casing the place to nab the diamond.

Symir nodded to Redmane and began to regret what he was about to do. It was a waste of precious resources and also a good trick or two would be relived as the thief had another way out of this yet. "Well now we both know I suppose." Symir muttered to Redmane and grimaced slightly as he produced a strange scroll that was hidden in one of his quivers. It was wrapped in a blue ribbon and upon a quick cut it began to unfurl itself revealing a strange language covered in runes that glowed as the strange light grew ever closer. "I think this might work but..." Symir was cut off as his eyes suddenly rose to the looming figure before the two and a bit of panic began to fill his heart. "Well shit."

Symir began grip onto the scroll tightly as he held his bow defensively as if shielding Redmane and himself from the creature before them. All the while it spoke Symir glanced down at the scroll and then began to think about the diamond he was carrying now.

The Maia smiled, the slackjawed assassin stared at the looming being. Clearly confused. "Yes" Spiritu said softly, almost kindly now. "I have seen you in this house on many occassions Symir. I wondered each time I saw you enter if you were to leave with my soulstone. Which, you still possess. Though, now quite empty. Amazing that it once housed a Maia like myself." It felt good to be freed of the stone. Very good.

For a long moment Redmane just stared, finally her mouth worked in tandem with her brain and she asked, more like stuttered "You, you're... thanking... us.... for..... letting you out ?" Well this was a weird, yet somewhat nice turn of events, this Maia was not out to kill them, but thanking them and asking they not steal anything. "What about the ore ?"

"It is useless to me now. You can keep it. One time it housed my soul, now thanks to you both it has been freed from that prison." The Maia replied. She turned to Symir, "I am in fact thankful that you did not kill the Lord of the Manor here. otherwise I'd be out for your blood. Thankfully you merely knocked him out. He will be fine now." Then she said out of the blue even though the pair were scared out of their minds at her arrival. "Would you mind staying for dinner ? I have a task to do, I should not be too long, but when he wakens could you inform him of what occured ?" She felt something, the slightest tug on the edge of her senses. Something was wrong.

As she spoke she seemed to shrink slightly now to be more level with the pair of mortals before her. Less imposing, yet still unearthly.

"I would imagine that I have been seen plenty of times in this home before." Symir offered as he looked upon the strange creature before him with a strange sense of awe and inspiration. It was almost out of place that this event would be happening, here of all places, and that none were the wiser besides Redmane and himself. "If the old man can not recall that I knocked him out I will stay a bit longer, and no later, I have to keep my end of the bargain for a friend."

"Good, do not worry, he wont recognise you as the one that knocked him out. His mind is not that good." With that the Maia smiled, with a nod she said, "Good, stay at least for another hour. You will know when it is time to leave." With that she disappeared and the lights in the room returned to normal.

As soon as the Maia was gone, Redmane let out the breath she was holding. She turned gfast on Symir and struck him hard across the face. A blow hard enough to send a grown man flying to the ground in a heap. She pointed at him, "That was for standing me up at the Operah tonight!" She hissed.

Then she seemed to calm. She turned and took a few paces then spoke, her back to Symir. "I was sent after you. A good trail you lead me on. I miss those days in the Gardens back home. A game of hunter. I miss it. But doing it in a city, a port city such as this. Makes it more fun still. But this..." She sighed and turned to face him. She pointed at the tear in his clothing, she saw the scales clearly. "What did your kind do to them ? Why does a Dwarf, want your head ? A fine turn of events. A bounty for your head, not alive but dead. If yoiu can conjure a fake head of your own cranium on your shoulders. Maybe I can fool my employer, but tell me this. Unless you want me to strike you again."

As she spoke she stepped right up to him. "What did your father do to the dwarflord Jorn Gareif to warrant a deathmark on your head ? It might help you more then you think if you tell me, because I seemed to have been told only so much. Only to kill you, no questions asked. I took the job. But there is one thing I wont do. And that is if you can prove to me that you are innocent, you're safe with me."

She smiled then, "Do we have an accord ?" She asked, "If you take my deal, and tell me what you can, I wont kill you, and I will help you. Something about the dwarflord makes me wonder if taking the job was the right thing. But if I am to kill a dwarf, I will need to know everything I can of what happened between your family and his." She then held out a hand towards him, either to shake or slug him again.

The Maia was one thing. It was an unexpected risk that had been hinted at weeks ago when Symir had first scouted out the manor in hopes of an easy theft. Hell he had even thought that the other stories that were told to him were just superstitious nonsense and folklore created to keep those at bay from even laying a single hand on it, it had happened before, but what he was not prepared for was when Redmane had hit him across the face, sending his bow to the ground, and spoke of what was supposed to be considered a rather wonderful evening and of old times. Times that when they did occur were nothing of what was described and even more so was the evidence more fit when she spoke of a particular dwarf who had wanted his head.

"I might not be the best son or my fathers favorite but tell me something first." Symir began to rub the side of his jaw and looked up at the woman who he had thought he once knew only to realize the lies he had fed himself when he saw her first enter the port. "When is your blade going to be at my throat, assassin? Pretending to be a long lost love is one thing but it is pretty low to be doing it under the advice of that bastard dwarf." Symir smacked her hand away and stood himself upright as he began to move his jaw about and feel around with his tongue to see if she had knocked any of his teeth loose. "Inikhethadaternock had once razed Jorn' entire city state he had once controlled for all of its riches. From the finest works of arts to even the little things like taking prisoners for his own entertainment nothing was safe from the Lord of Wer'Guawysvern and to top it off I was the one who had infiltrated the stronghold that belonged to the dwarf." Symir stared at Redmane for a bit just to then turn his attention back to the still unconscious lord only to frown a bit. "You pretend to be someone who fell from that tower I broke into and you have gotten far. Do not think I will forgive you so easily assassin."

For a long moment she said nothing, regarding him carefully as he spoke, telling her of what occured. Finally she nodded. She had learned enough. "It wont be." She said, "Besides. He never told me about your long lost love. Elena did, she mistook me for her. Apparently Eagles Wings is a very helpful skill." A smirk wound its way onto her face. "Jorn merely wants your head, wants to show your father he means business. He never gave me any details, only to kill you. But now, after what you have told me. No. I wont do it. You are not the one I sought. Your father is the one I seek for he did the deed, he razed the lands of the Dwarflord. Not you. All you did was say of where the weak spot was. If that. No, you are innocent. My blades are not to harm the innocent. Yourself."

"Do you plan on killing me then ? Or do you want my help in getting to the truth of things." There was something rather, shady going on with the dwarflord. Most creatures dealt in hard curency, the dwarves though, they dealt in other stuff, information, secrecy. Magics as well. "I spared your life from my sword due to your word alone. I've been in his fortress with ease. The windows are always open. Perfect for an Eagle to fit through. I take it you want to get back at the Dwarf for a past deed. Given how you speak of him. Him choosing yourself to slay to show your father that he means business, he must be slumming it if you are not your fathers favored."

She crossed her arms. "It seems to me, that if your father is the one that took the lands from the drwarflord. It is the dwarflords own fault for letting you sneak in. I saw him personally, he is..... quite old. But, he uses magic of some form. Compared to the Sky journey, He is out of practise I think." She said.

Symir held his hand out to his bow and smirked as it flew to his grasp. "Well then assassin it seems we are at an interesting stand off. Jorn was the reason for my lost though I would not be able to touch him even if I tried and you are very mistaken about his fortress if you spoke of windows." Symir took a single step back and turn himself away from the woman just to then ponder something a bit as he slung his bow over his shoulder and into the strap that was designed for it. "Jorn is a Transmuter, a type of wizard who can affect the physical world around him and sometimes even things not so physical. It is in this very same way he had built up his wealth and was the reason why my father invaded his lands to take what he felt was rightfully his. Before I speak anymore I suggest you do your homework."

She snickered then "He was unable to affect me. Good for an illusionist. For battle though. not so much. the Sky Journey is more fun, and also harder then one thinks." She said.

"He has windows to his room. At the top of a tower. Overlooking a valley of miners. It was the only way I was able to get to him the first time. When he gave me this job however it was in a pub." Redmane said.

"I must admit however." She continued, "You are not exactly what I expected. However... those scales. I assume those are a result of something.... that you were to do ?" She said, nodding towards the scales. She did not know, nor did she exepct to see or meet a dragon.

"That must be Mistpeak summit then, or one of many more mining operations, he holds offices in small towns so that he may view the results of what they bring up personally." Symir sighed a bit as he turned to look at Redmane. "His true home is deep in a mountain that not only is secluded but houses a rather strange airship, one made of stone, and it is massive." Symir was about to say more but found himself very flabbergasted at the mention of his scales. He had almost forgotten about his torn shirt and for a moment he was willing to walk among the people of the city without a single care in the world. "My father is a sand dragon. He mated with my mother and I was born a crossbreed, a half dragon, I am a freak of nature and these scales are my mark of shame."

"Compared to yourself I am more of a disgrace since taking the first Sky Journey." Redmane replied. Seconds later there was a cry of an eagle and she had disappeared from sight and sound before reappearing up on the railing of the second level of the library. "Before this I was a normal Jellicle Assassini" She said softly, almost as if lost in memory.

She smiled and with a soft chuckle said "I do not let it hold me back, if others look down on me, then so be it. I am a killer, trained all my life for it, since I was old enough to hold a sword or any kind of weapon, I trained with it. And look at me now!" She dropped lightly from the railing to the floor in front of Symir. "A killer tried and true, unique. Different, yet, deadly. And beautiful."

"There is nothing wrong with showing your shame, you know of it, but the more that one hides it, the more the shame feels when it is revealed. I do not look down on you. I respect you. you are truthful to me. I can sense you are shamed as well due to your bloodlines. But that does not matter to me. What does matter is why you wanted that ore. Best not let Uncle see you holding that when he wakes." She glanced in the old mans direction.

“The Varden have proved themselves.”

“They did more than that. They protected the city.”

“What a generous bunch- going out of their way to defend the unknown. Solinus has a natural appeal like that, I guess.”
The voices of secret commentators had shared their thoughts and opinions amongst one another. Solinus City could shine as the greatest star even more so with the right guardian. Observed in a glorious fashion, the Varden contracted themselves as the prime candidate for such a commitment. But, what would their decision be? The Varden, which appeared to be such an esteemed conglomerate, could very well retract from Solinus and her lovely dependence.


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As the dusk prevailed, the city remained untouched by this trespasser, and all trespassers so far. The crystal-berg illuminated the sea, still. Its strange presence only preceded by its fame as a mystical spectacle viewed by the citizens from afar. Every city had their spires of attraction: Wing City, home to Sol Tower, Van Leugen, home to the incredulous Master Rail, and now Solinus, home to the sinking and rising Crystallum.

A shimmering black drop from afar, the hovering vehicle, which had approached the Crystallum before, had zoomed through the various streets and avenues within the city. The passenger, Terrence Wolf, would act as the liaison to the organization. His attention was on the small screen of his cellular device. For the whole drive he read over the text of information he was allowed to communicate with the Varden representatives. Unbeknownst to Terrence, and George the driver, he was being monitored and surveyed.

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Point of meeting was Solinus City’s spaceport: Under development, it had not yet been officially named, although it would function readily for small shuttles. The runway lights blinked in the distance to assist in the alignment of the visiting craft. Shuttle technicians were on standby to service the craft, if need be.

The black Cadillac was parked at the base of the port, adjacent to the runway grounds. It awaited the arrival of the Varden representatives. Terrence himself made the effort to stand outside of the car; he harbored a cautious standard of living. However, the vehicle was kept running.