New Friends and New Missions! (Orgoth, definitely not Parry)

Nichol had overheard a conversation with Kairi Thorne. Some interesting activity was happening around some mountains to the south, just over the other side being the Asentari territory. He was done sitting there. After the meeting, and the promise to check it out personally, the young boy went in. And...told her that he was joining in. And that he could either come with her permission, or without it. But he was going, whether she liked it or not.

And so here they were, at the base of the mountains three days ride from Oleas City. Nichol was ahead of the group, scouting it out. So far, he'd seen traces of fighting...some dead bodies, all bandits. A few of which having the Red Fang insignia, but not all of them. The few camps he'd seen had been hit hard and fast, with barely any time to react. But based on footprints, some had been taken prisoner. The ones assaulting the bandits seemed to move in groups of four. He was on his way back, when he had a nagging feeling. Looking behind him, he saw it. It was subtle, but he could see it...he was being followed.

After moving a little closer to his group, Nickol took out his bow with an arrow, and swiftly turned and fired it at a clump of branches, forcing a blue haired kid slightly bigger than him to shoot out. The boy practically dived towards the human, and two clashed with sword and dagger.

Using a mix of acrobatics and the trees, the two engaged in an epic showdown of blades and athleticism. Eventually jumping down in front of Kairi Thorne and her small contingent...

Kairi nodded as the Order scout completed his report. As she suspected the reports of bandit activity in the mountains to the south were confirmed to be accurate. While bandit activity in and of itself was not too troubling, the reports of various faction insignias among the miscreants. This indicated that cast-offs and remnants from other bandit groups were joining up in the area. Kairi looked to the gate and thought for a moment. "We have no choice but to intervene. They pose a threat to our trade routes in the area. Inform the Knight-Commander that I will be setting out within the hour." The scout saluted before rushing towards the main keep. Kairi headed for the barracks to assemble her unit for the mission at hand. On the way, she ran into Nichol Shard, the strange young man from Crystal Isle. The young man had obviously overheard her conversation with the scout, as he stated his intention to go with her. She smiled and nodded. "I was actually just on my way to try and find you. Shran is away on assignment, so my unit needs a scout. Your timing couldn't be better. Grab your equipment, we leave within the hour."


Some days later, Kairi and her unit marched carefully through the forest that lined the base of the mountains in the area. Her people had strict orders not to venture past the mountains, as beyond them lay Asentari territory. Nichol had gone ahead to scout, with express orders to observe but not engage. The young man was still raw and eager though, so Kairi was ready for anything. Soon she heard movement in the trees nearby, and signaled to her small group to stop. Out of cover flew Nichol, engaged in combat with a kid slightly bigger but still around the same age as him. They exchanged blows with sword and dagger, until Kairi charged forward, gesturing to her people to surround the fight. "That's enough. Whoever you are, please stand down. We don't want to hurt you." She grasped her weapon, but did not unsheathe it. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The blue haired young man stopped, but turned to dart away back the way they came, throat glowing blue, only for another voice to sound, in Draconic. "Cease and stand down!" The people closest to the new voice turned to see a blond man with a sword and scythe on his back, clad in dark colors. Behind him was three others, halfways between relaxing their weapons and not so much. They were younger than the new voice, but considerably larger than the blue haired boy in front of them.

Rex winked at Kairi as he strode over confidently, Krad relaxing a bit, but with a cute tilt of his head. Even Nichol sheathed his sword, despite Krad still having his daggers out. Rex motioned for the young man to come closer. Curiousity piqued, Nichol came closer to just a few feet away from the two. The taller blond started to speak while pointing out certain things and seemed to be asking questions, the blue haired guy quietly answering them. Nichol liked quiet people.

After what appeared to be a scolding, the other boy put his daggers away. White clothing with brown trousers, gloves, a bow at his back with a quiver of only five arrows. The kid was picked up without effort by the larger man, who started to speak in the common tongue. "Hi Commander Thorne! Sorry about the mix up! This is Krad, he's my little brother figure! Watch him dance!" The man shook Krad to a made up tune, causing the other three of their group stifle some laugher. Krad, despite his stoic face, his eyes just spoke volumes. Like saying "this is what I have to deal with." The kid raised his foot and tried to slam it into his older brother's groin. Only for it to miss, and the boy bending in almost unnatural ways around the adult and jumping away. Only to have his shirt caught by an expanding scythe.

Rex, resting the scythe on his shoulder with Krad caught on it, started to speak up some more. "So, what brought you guys here, anyways? It's awfully close to our territory..."

"Bandit reports." Nichol quietly muttered as he went around Rex. Looking straight into yellow-green eyes, he spoke up. "My half-brother dotes on me too..." He reached up to try to help Krad. Only he was too short. Or the guy holding up his former opponent was too tall. Both boys started trying to each at each other to get down, but to no avail, causing a few snickers from both the entourage and Order.

"Oh, sorry, we've had a lot of Red Fang coming a little close for comfort. Mostly in the Vultani Jungle...probably the worst approach, though the mountains aren't much better with Kelari and wyverns stringing about. Any mixed groups were from survivors escaping and running into other groups. The smaller camps were being used to get some actual combat experience into the recruits. And to evaluate their teamwork skills. Only twelve students are out here. But there's also three teachers plus me...punishment from my little sidequest in helping rescue a certain damsel. Sorry to alarm you guys...should have known someone would notice and send word for you, so we could have warned you. Just so we don't make that mistake again, a major operation to drive the Red Fang out of the Jungle is under discussion as we speak..." Rex started to almost dance around Nichol as the boy tried to smack the back of his knees with a...crystal baton? Interesting...

Kairi stared at the blue-haired boy and was about to speak again before the telltale hiss of Draconic speech filled the air. Everyone turned to the source, and Kairi smiled when she saw the familiar blond hair Rex von Broven emerge from the tree-line. He greeted Kairi brightly and the Human gestured for her unit to stand down. "Rex? It's good to see you, young man." The blond young man introduced Nichol's attacker as Krad, seemingly a little-brother figure to Rex. The blue-haired boy was made to dance by Rex, before attempting to kick his minder in the groin. The attempt failed however, and Krad found himself hanging from Rex's scythe by his shirt. Rex then asked what brought them to that particular neck of the woods. Nichol quietly mumbled about bandit reports, and Kairi nodded. "Indeed. We received word from scouts about heavy bandit activity in the area, threatening the trade routes in the area." Nichol attempted to free Krad, but was too short to reach.

Rex explained that bandit encampments were actually being used for an Asentari training exercise, to give recruits combat experience and to evaluate teamwork skills. Rex noted that he was only there as punishment for diverting to rescue Aline Drexara from Karcenak. Kairi frowned. "They punished you... for rescuing Aline? Even though it was vital in stabilizing the region and preventing a war on Edia's doorstep? That is very confusing. Maybe it's different from the viewpoint of your people. Still..." Rex then went on to inform Kairi about a major operation was under discussion in Edia to try and drive the Red Fang out of the Vultani Jungle. Kairi nodded. "Well, that's good news at least. Though we will need to be ready to deal with them if they decide to simply move somewhere else." Kairi watched Nichol trying to hit Rex in the legs with a crystal baton, while Kairi looked on utterly baffled by the scene.

Rex laughed at the punishment comment. "I do this every so often anyways, the main point was that I should have waited for permission to continue instead of just going. Although the Primoris Rex agreed with my actions. So this so called punishment isn't really one, just a formality to get anyone off her back about it. Besides, I think it kind of calmed some of the teachers down when they heard I was helping oversee things. Plus I get to see Krad, and actually meet up with a cousin of mine. I didn't even realize he assisted in things like this..."

Nichol finally took a crystal whip and got Krad, wrapping around one of his arms. This allowed him to slide the other boy off, and land on top of his savior in a heap. The blue haired boy got up, helped Nichol up, and the two dusted each other off. The other three students were also a bit bewildered at this display. Krad moved over towards his classmates, who had cautiously walked up closer, much more relaxed.

"So yeah, that's the situation. Sorry again for the ruckus. There was a couple more camps around here that I was hoping to get before meeting up with the rest. Want to help? Might do the young ones some good fighting alongside someone else..." At this point, the tallest of the students, a young man with some damn good armor (clearly ancestral) and a huge axe sputtered and protested, speaking in Draconic. Rolling his eyes and sighing, Rex turned and addressed the young man. "She is a friend, and not just mine, but of the Republic's. It was her that found our missing people during the Contact War. And was one part of why we're at peace right now. And as you heard, she also helped in rescuing the other half that helped put the war to an end. Stop that pompous attitude. Besides, wouldn't kill you to speak in the common tongue, you do know it, right?" He scolded and taunted the student, making him get angry and embarrassed. The other two students smiled, while Krad remained stoic and gave his brother a thumbs up sign.

Turning back towards Kairi, Rex spoke some more. "And afterwards, you can accompany us to one of our border towns, rest, eat and drink to your fill, get resupplied, and be on your way if you so desire. You can help clear out the area, too, but that's probably a discussion for all the teachers and us. How about it?"

Kairi nodded when Rex explained fully why he had been apparently punished for his actions, and that he took teaching duty occasionally anyway, as it allowed him to see Krad and a cousin of his. "I see. Well that's not so bad." Kairi watched as Nichol used a crystal whip to free Krad, who landed on top of the young man with a thump. The two dusted each other off before Krad rejoined his classmates and Nichol returned to Kairi's side. Rex then explained that he had hit some of the camps in the area already, and asked if Kairi was interested in helping out with a couple more. She smiled warmly. "If I'd have known that the area was in such capable hands, I wouldn't have rushed out here. But we'd be happy to go with you, keep us sharp as well."

A young man from Rex's class, a tall student with elegant armor and a large axe, stepped up to his instructor suddenly. The student spoke in Draconic, but it was clear that he was far from happy with how things were proceeding. Rex turned to the young man in exasperation before explaining who Kairi was, mentioning her part in the end of the First Contact debacle, as well as the rescue of Aline Drexara. He finished by chiding the student for not speaking in the common tongue and for his pompous attitude. Kairi smiled disarmingly and held her hands out in a passive gesture. "Please, I do not wish to cause any trouble." Rex then reaffirmed his wish for Kairi's troupe to accompany them. She nodded and turned to her unit. "Alright then, change of plan. We'll work with Rex's unit to clear out some bandit camps." She then looked at Nichol. "You are welcome to head home if you'd like, though I suspect you'll want to stay and get to know your new friend." She then turned to Rex. "If there is nothing more, lead on Rex." She gestured for her unit to fall into line behind her as she followed Rex.

"I'll stay. I've been cooped up for far too long." Nichol was almost insulted at the prospect of going away. The comment certainly made a few people look his way. Rex turned to the girl on the team and nodded. She pulled out a map and sat down, allowing everyone to crowd around it. "So we're here now. The two camps we were hoping to assault are in close proximity to each other, closer than the others. This large one here has a wooden palisades wall. Nothing our elemental breath can't handle. and with Kory's rainstorm ability, we won't burn down the entire forest while we're at it. But we need to stop any messengers from warning that camp, and someone stopping any investigation, since if things go wrong, they'll hear the fighting."

"I figure Krad can do that, along with the Nichol kid, you seem fast on your feet to keep up with Krad. I hate to lose him in the thick of it, but it can't be helped. With the Order having horses, they can move around to here and attack from the opposite side quickly. Just take extra care in not going across this line...you should see claw marks on the trees there." The big guy from earlier spoke in the common tongue this time.

"Drake territory. Green reptilian beasts. If you see a hint of blue, you run the hell away. Crag Drakes are no joke, even if they are solitary hunters compared to the normal ones." Rex explained the reasoning to Kairi and the rest, which got some nods, even if they didn't know what they were. Just that if an Asentari is warning them, there was likely good reason for it.

"Then we can rendezvous and march towards the camp, bust our way in and brute force through them. Which still leaves investigations from the larger camp before that..." There was a brief silence when all four of the students looked up at Rex.

"I trust Kairi will make sure you brats don't get killed. I'll keep prying eyes away. What do you think, Commander Thorne?" The students looked to her for her assessment.

Kairi watched as a young girl from Rex's recruits stepped forward with a map of the area and sat down with it so everyone could gather round to see. The girl then pointed out their current positions on the map, before briefing everyone on the locations and compositions of the camps they planned to attack. They young recruits seemed to have a pretty good plan, and contingencies of things went wrong. The big student who was dressed down by Rex earlier had recovered his voice and continued after the girl finished her briefing, stating what he wanted Kairi's unit to do. Nichol was to go with Krad to intercept any messengers that were sent to alert the other camp, while Kairi and her unit accompanied the remaining students to attack the camp. He then informed them to watch out for claw-marks on the trees and not to advance past them. Rex explained about the Drake threat in the area, especially Crag Drakes. A look of confusion crossed Kairi's features, but she nodded in acknowledgement. "I didn't think Drakes came this far from Edia. I trust your intel of the area though, so we'll be careful."

The student finished by stating that everyone would then rendezvous in the camp before engaging the large camp together. Kairi waited patiently for the end of the briefing, before offering her input. "The plan is a good one. I will just offer that we left our horses in a stables in a nearby village. The forest is too dense for our horses to be any good here." The students looked to Rex for confirmation and he assured them that KAiri would look after them. She was a little taken aback, as minding a class of students wasn't what she came here to do, but she was willing to proceed as any chance to forge good relations between Humans and Asentari was worth the trouble. She looked at Rex and smiled warmly. "Sounds good to me. We're ready when you are."

"Normally they don't, but part of why they moved so far away might be because of these camps we're clearing out. With any luck, they'll go back to their normal habitats after this." Rex answered the comment. Kairi noted the horse situation though.

"There's no village nearby, just the border town of Selendis. There is a clearing here with good cover to keep the horses. That forested area here is kind of thick I suppose..." It sounded like a grudging admission of his own incompetency. But no one said anything of it. He was learning after all.

Nodding, Rex motioned for Kairi to follow him a little away from the group. The one girl was putting up her map. "These guys aren't Red Fang. We may have ignored them until now, but they're still hardly worth the fight, barely trained enough to not go down by a single strike, but that's it. All of these students are second years. First years focus on combat skills, formations, and teamwork. They're well trained already. What they have now is further expansion of that, with tough trials, as the first part of their second year. They've been able to handle the small camps no problem, even without my interference. So I doubt you'll have to do much. Especially with your crew joining in the frey. I realize you didn't come here to look after students. But I do ask that you take a more hands off approach, only interfere in a fight if it looks like one of them will fall or be seriously injured. I'll make it up to you. Deal?"

Hopefully it was, then they would get into positions after a brief discussion on a timetable. Nichol would stick with Kairi's group until they were ready. Krad and the other boy managed to group up in a similar spot, overlooking the camp. They had two guards at the front, and a single watchtower in the middle. It wasn't large, only about twelve feet into the air. It also had three people in it, two armed with bows, and the last with a crossbow. There was another dozen and a half around. Of actual fighters at least. The rest...didn't look to be in too good of health. Slaves?

When it was time, the three remaining students bulldozed through the side without any attempt at stealth. The boy from earlier practically ran over a bandit, knocking him out. The girl with the map wielded two short swords and quickly got into a dual between two combatants. The last of the group, Kory, started to shoot at the watch tower, as she formed a bubble of some sort behind her, and sent it towards the supports. The two guards at the front rushed in to engage the most heavily armored of the group. Along with a couple of others. Only for Kairi's group to move in...

Rex told Kairi about his theory of why the Drakes were in the area. He surmised that the increased bandit activity drew some down from the mountains, and that if they clear the camps the creatures should return home soon after. Kairi nodded in understanding. "That does make sense. Hopefully you're right." The young man in the impressive armor then responded to her report on where she had left her unit's horses. It was clear that the young man wasn't too familiar with the geography on this side of the mountains. He knew about Selendis, the large town that sat on the border between Edia and the Free Lands, but he didn't know about the small village of Auron that sat to the north of the forest they currently stood in. She chose not to correct him as she did not want to embarass him in front of his peers.

Once everything was settled, Rex took Kairi aside and explained properly what they were up against. It turned out that the bandit reports had exaggerated the bandits' strength and numbers, though Rex did point out that his students were second years, which meant that they were well-trained by this point. Rex asked Kairi to refrain from getting involved with his students' fights, unless one of them was in severe danger. Kairi nodded. "I understand. I will keep an eye on them, but I will stay with my unit unless I'm needed." Rex finished by saying that he would make it up to her, and she smiled. "Don't worry about it. After Karcenak, we're even."

Soon after, the attack commenced. The combined Asentari and Order forces advanced towards the camp like a rushing wave. Nichol joined Rex and Krad to run interference while Kairi's unit followed Rex's other students as they battered their way into the camp. The map girl was engaged in a duel with two bandits, another student created a bubble of something and proceeded to assault the supports of the watchtower. Kairi advanced in with her unit, and ordered them to secure the slaves. She watched their rears while keeping an eye on teh students as she promised. Everything seemed to be going fairly well so far. The students were indeed well-trained, and they were making handy work of the bandits.

Rex nodded. He didn't expect anything less. "I could argue that you didn't owe me anything for that. Shall we?"

Kory fired her bubble at the tower's supports, enveloping them, but nothing more. Until Blake, the student with the axe and armor, tossed a bandit into it, making the entire mass explode in ice, with a huge spike going up and destroying the canopy and anyone inside. It also caught one of the bandits dueling the map girl in the leg, allowing her to finish him off quickly and focus completely on her other opponent, soon overwhelming him.

A couple of bandits did try to leave, going into the forest and towards the larger camp. One would be found later with his throat slit, some frostbite around the wound, and the other with an arrow through the eye. But the rest, now being circled and between Kairi's group and the three students, just waited, almost like they were weighing their options.

There was only six of them left. And all six of them dropped their weapons. "Good choice." The map girl brought out bindings and started to tie them up. A couple of volunteers from Kiari's group helped out as well. There wasn't many slaves in the camp, only four of them. And all four stated that they were from Oleas city. "I see. Once we're done with the larger camp, we'll take you to Selendis to rest and stockpile some supplies. Or stay there for a few days while we finish things up and return with Commander Thorne, assuming it's fine by her?" The armored teenager looked at her questioningly.

Krad and Nichol joined them. As did a couple large dogs with wings. Kelit. Collared ones too. Followed by a Kellari with a small, young man riding it. "I met up with Rex just a second ago. I and my pets will keep these vermin from running while you guys finish things up." He was clearly irritated. Yellow-green eyes, blond hair (with a long ponytail), adorned with a cloak and top hat with celestial bodies, he was more of a mage than a fighter. But the three dog like pets seemed to have made up for it.

"That's Lucassius De von Breven. Rex's cousin and head librarian at the Academy. Don't mention his height or his general opinion of the Head Family, the von Brovens. I guess there's some family tension there, and he's just barely taller than Krad and seems sensitive about it..." The map girl whispered to Kairi.

Kairi watched with admiration as the students continued their rampage through the camp. Two of them made quick and devastating work of the main watchtower. Soon the camp had fallen, the remaining bandits retreating into the forest towards the other camp. In order to not interfere, Kairi ordered her group to help her to free any prisoners from the occupied camp. As it turned out, there were only four, and the last one was just being freed when Rex's crew returned with a group of captured bandits in tow. The four prisoners revealed that they were all in fact from Oleas. The young man with the impressive armor and axe offered to take them to Selendis, asking Kairi for permission. The Human stroked her chin before smiling warmly.

"I have a better idea, if you'll permit me. My troops and I can take them from here when the second camp is dealt with. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for staying out in the field too long. Once we're done here, we can take them to Auron. It's the village where we left our horses. They can rest there and any injured can use our horses." Kairi turned to the rescued prisoners. "If that's alright with you, that is." They nodded, and Kairi looked to the armored boy. "It's settled then. Some of my group will stay here to protect them while we continue on."

Just then, a pair of Kelit landed in the camp, followed by a Kelari with a small young man on its back. The young man told them that he had just been talking to Rex and he was going to look after things here while the rest of them finished off the other camp. Kairi glanced at Mina, the girl who had produced the map earlier, when she told her who exactly this young man was. Apparently, this was Rex's cousin Lucassius, and he wasn't a fan of his family or comments about his height. Kairi nodded appreciatively. "Understood, thank's for the warning." She then looked to the armored boy. "On your order, then."

"Technically, we already have...this was more Rex's idea to try to push us to the limit. So this really doesn't effect us either way. I'm fine with whatever you decide." Shortly afterward, Lucassius appeared. Mina explained things to Kairi, and deferred to Blake. Nodding, he spoke to everyone there. "Alright then, let's go meet Rex, then assault that last base."

The party passed the few that tried to warn the other base, but were killed, clearly by Nichol and Krad. They also passed a horse with a headless body. Clearly Rex's handy work. He was up in the trees with his scythe out and at the ready. They also found the head to the headless rider. Jumping down, Rex spoke up. "We better hit them fast and hard...Luca wasn't too happy about us going through with this...if Kairi's crew wasn't here, he'd have called us off. Blake, Mina, you two are up at the gates. They have two watchtowers."

"Leave one to me."

"And leave the other to me." Both of the smallest members quietly spoke. Kory, for her part, simply nodded and readied her bow.

When they got to the treeline at their camp, Mina and Blake leapt forward, throats glowing orange and yellow, unleashing twin blasts of fire. Blasting the gate down and setting a lot of things on fire, Kory used one of her spells to cast a small shower of rain over the area, putting out most of them. Blake and another few soldiers from Kairi's crew led the charge.

As promised, Nichol fired arrows into the watchtower on the left, nailing his targets. Moving up into it, he started firing at targets of opportunity. Krad, for his part, fired some of his arrows at the second watchtower. Which missed all of their targets, but managed to get their attention. The blue haired boy moved quickly up to the canopy and took out his targets with ease. Then he moved down to support anyone that needed it. Starting by slicing the back of a couple of bandits' ankles that were trying to take on Commander Thorne. Then he moved on to others, weaving around and sowing as much chaos as possible.

Rex stayed mostly back. He did waltz in, and stayed primarily behind the frontline, keeping an eye out. He was smiling a bit when Blake and two of Kairi's soldiers were working together to break the line. The trio even smiled at each other as they watched each other's backs. It was that kind of cooperation he was hoping to see. Particularly since it was his wish to see them and the Order of the Sun to be allies. Full fledged ones at that.

The blond did have to defend himself on occasion. The slaves that bandits had quickly moved to a tent and stayed inside. One bandit in particular caught his eye with a strange looking, if roughed up young man. And that bandit had a rather ornate looking great sword. One that clearly didn't belong to him. So far, the guy had decided to stay seated, glaring at the scene before him.

Kairi nodded when the armored boy gave the order to rendezvous with Rex before heading for the next camp. They passed the remains of those that had tried to flee to the main camp, clear evidence that Rex and the two boys had done their job soundly. Kairi nodded to Rex as the young blond-haired man dropped down from a tree. He explained that his cousin was less than pleased with the students being out in the field so long, so they needed to finish the job swiftly. Kairi nodded respectfully. "We're with you. Just give the word." Rex issued his commands succinctly and concisely. Mina and Blake would deal with the gate, while Nichol and Krad would deal with the watchtowers. Kory nodded, appearing to already know her role before she was told. Kairi turned to her group. "Stay close to the students. We'll leave the freed prisoners with Lucassius. Just remember your training and you'll be fine."

Soon after, the attack began. Rex's students made impressively quick work of the camp's outer defenses, and she followed in behind her troops as they began to assault the camp's defenders. Kairi peeled off to the side and engaged a couple of troops who were attempting to flank the main unit. She parried their desperate attack before they suddenly collapsed to the ground as a blue-haired blur attacked low and disabled them at the ankles. Kairi moved forward alongside her troops, and she was gratified to see the seamless teamwork between her troops and the Asentari students. They were even beginning to enjoy themselves a little bit. Kairi called out to them encouragingly. "That's it, keep up that momentum." They soon approached the center of the camp, where it appeared that more slaves were being held. When they got there, the slavesmoved into a nearby tent for cover, while the remaining bandits engaged the combined Order and Academy forces. Kairi noted a single bandit that had remained seated, an ornate-looking greatsword in his possession. She swiftly moved up alongside Rex, seeing that he had noticed the seated bandit too. "We should be careful here, something's not right." She tightened her grip on her weapon as the battle progressed.

They were doing well so far. Kairi had shifted towards him and spoke about the seated bandit. "I wonder if that beaten up young man is the owner of the sword. Something's definitely off about them. Be careful, but let's start advancing slowly. It wouldn't surprise me if they go after the slaves, and with your skills, I'd rather you be able to get there and defend."

He started to close. Some of the bandits that had been focusing on the frontline noticed and backed off a bit. This just made the frontline even more aggressive. Things were winding down now, with just a few dozen left. No one on their side was particularly hurt, but they were getting tired, having been outnumbered. Rex realized that just them wouldn't have been enough in the first place.

The head guy stood up, grabbing the sword. The roughed up, blue haired man that could have been mistaken for Krad's real brother shimmied away. Rex saw something from behind the scene, making him wonder even more. None the less, he waltzed up in front of the line and the slowly backing bandits. The leader charged him with the greatsword. After a few blows, he was glowering at the weapon, like it had wronged him somehow.

Rex stayed on the defensive, blocking and pushing the blade back. Until the bandit jumped back. "What the hell, brat! What am I doing wrong!" Rex saw that the young man with shackles was grinning ear to ear. In an odd accent, he spoke. "Simple. You think I killed a fourth of your men with my sword's enchantments? No...those were my own powers. Pity you chose this life...you had potential..." The sound of wood shackles cracking, and then being flung off to the side by another pair of hands was heard. A jacket wearing guy with long grey hair, red eyes, no shirt, and a single sided greatsword hovering behind him stood up and walked towards the slave tent just a few steps. The roughed up man stood up and held out his hand. The bandit's sword was ripped out of his hands and into the stranger's.

Rex spoke at this point. "It appears you have been outmatched. Make the smart choice and surrender." The bandit looked between them all. Many of his own men started dropping their weapons. Slumping down, he spoke the magic words of surrender.

Shackling what remained, Rex nodded and motioned at Kairi towards the slave tent. She was far better with them than they were. The two greatsword wielders simply nodded and left without so much as a word. Away from Asentari territory at least. Though they did give the group a bow.

Back at the other camp, they collected their other prisoners. Luca was less than thrilled a the sheer number of them, but he just sighed and took position. They escorted everyone to Selendis, only parting with Kairi for her and her crew to get their horses and meet them there. The guards eyed them wearily, but let them through with directions to the inn. After getting rooms and going to the tavern, the twelve students waved at them. Blake and the other had already apparently retold the encounter and their own heroics, making sure to make the group bigger than it actually was. Nichol just joined Krad in the corner.

Rex waved at Kairi for her to join three other people. Luca was there, eating what looked like burnt chicken and rice. The other two teachers were both female and nodded at Kairi.

Rex agreed with Kairi that something wasn't quite right about what was going on, so they advanced slowly and carefully. The battle had begun to break up, with the bandits starting to fight ever more desperately as their numbers diminished. The combined Asentari and Order forces advanced inexorably towards their target. They had not sustained any casualties so far, but the effort was beginning to take its toll on them, given that they were outnumbered to begin with. Rex stepped up to the front of the line as Kairi took up her position just behind. The seated bandit also stepped forward, in contrast with his retreating troops. He charged Rex with his greatsword, and Kairi ordered the rest of the troops to halt while the Asentari prodigy dealt with the situation. After a quick exchange, the bandit leader began to complain at his weapon, as if he held it responsible for not being able to break through Rex's defenses. The young man in the chair began to speak with a strange accent. Apparently the young man had dealt a number of casualties to the bandits before being captured, and the bandit had incrrectly assumed that the source of the man's power was the sword, when it was the young man's own powers that had caused the damage.

Before the fight could escalate further, the sound of wooden manacles being ripped apart could be heard, and another man emerged. The newcomer had long grey hair, and a single bladed greatsword of his own hovered behind him as he approached. The roughed-up young man called his own weapon to him, and the weapon duly fled the bandit leader's grip and returned to its master. Rex offered the bandit a last chance to surrender, and once it became apparent that he stood alone when his troops dropped their weapons, he too surrendered. The two greatsword wielders offered a simple bow before heading off into the Free Lands, while Rex shackled the remaining bandits. He nodded towards the slave tent, and Kairi took his meaning immediately. She sheathed her weapon as she entered the slave tent, and she bowed respectfully to the captives as she spoek softly. "My name is Kairi Thorne of the Order of the Sun. We're here to rescue you." She began to free the captives as her troops entered to assist.

Once back outside, they returned to the first camp to collect the rest of the captives and rescuees. Rex's cousin was not happy with the sheer number of prisoners and rescuees, but he fulfilled his role anyway, escorting the party back to Selendis. Kairi was instructed to return to Auron and retrieve her party's horses, before returning to Selendis to escort the rescuees to the Hold. It wasn't quite the plan that Kairi had suggested, but she did not want to question Rex's or Lucassius' authority in front of their students, so she did as she was asked.

Once they had rendezvoused in Selendis, Kairi was directed to the tavern where Rex and the other students had organized accomodation for everyone. Blake and the others had already rejoined the rest of their class and were regaling the tale of their triumphant adventure into the forest. Rex waved Kairi over to his table where he sat with his cousin and two women who looked like teachers, given they wore the same regalia as Lucassius. Kairi bowed respectfully to the teachers as she took her seat. Her troops were acquiring supplies for the trip back with the rescuees, so Kairi had a bit of time to kill. She smiled at Rex warmly. "So, I see your wards have become heroes in my absence."

"They're just bragging. All of them were earlier and giving them a hard time. Now they're just hyping up your own soldiers. Speaking of, thanks, Kairi. I don't think we would have been able to do much on our own against that camp without you guys." Rex rubbed the back of his head in mild shame. Luca snorted. The one woman with glasses just smiled politely. "You're a great fighter, and have some potential as a leader, but you need to better gauge your opponents strength relative to your own. I'm Morgan Keys, and this is Rosa von Targaryen." The other one nodded at Kairi.

"And you've met Lucassius." The blond one just waved due to having a mouth full of chicken and green beans. Rosa continued on. "We were initially going to skip the last big camp, but with your additional forces, we wondered if we could handle it." Taking out a map, it was one further north and sat literally on the border. She started with the intel. About seventy combatants, all human, and twenty slaves, at least a couple of which were Asentari that were recently taken. Nestled right up against a canyon. Instead of on top of it. It was a bit of a strange place to put a camp. Seven watchtowers as well. It would be a tough nut to crack. Sixteen people, even if four of them were highly capable fighters, wouldn't be enough.

"We'd like your opinion on this. Assuming you would like to assist us with this. If you don't, we understand. It would just be something the military would have to handle then."

Rex told Kairi that the students were just doing what students do, bragging to each other and exaggerating as much as possible. The Asentari also noted that it was highly likely that, had Kairi and her Order troops not turned up, Rex's student group would not have been able to take both camps. Kairi smiled. "Perhaps, though your kids acquitted themselves extremely well in any case." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and one of the female teachers offered her appraisal, noting that Rex was an extremely capable fighter and had huge potential as a leader, but he just needed to pick his fights better. Kairi smiled reassuringly at the young man. "Don't worry. All of that will come with experience." The teacher then introduced herself and her colleagues to Kairi, and the Human nodded respectfully to each of them, before introducing herself as well. "I am Kairi Thorne of the Order of the Sun. It is an honor to meet you."

Rosa then put forth a thought about hitting another bandit camp while Kairi and her troops were there. The woman produced a map and pointed out the location of the camp. It was almost on top of the border, which was strange in and of itself. Things got stranger when Rosa briefed Kairi on the intel they had gathered on the camp. It was in an odd location, being at the bottom of a canyon, and it was also heavily fortified, with seven watchtowers and at least seventy enemies. Keys asked for Kairi's opinion, but the Human was staring at the map with a thoughtful frown on her face. Her first instinct was to attack the camp, but they had already rescued many prisoners who needed to be brought home, and the manpower of the camp meant that Kairi's few troops would not be enough to help the students overcome it. She did not think it prudent to risk the students in such a dangerous operation. She looked at the teachers. "Hmm. With all due respect, I would let the armed forces take this operation. As much as I would like to take the camp, we have a lot of freed prisoners that we need to bring home. My troops are good but there are few of them, and while your students are extremely talented, that camp is still too much for us in my opinion."

Rex just beamed at the teachers. "All thanks to their training methods." He pointed at them, earning some major eye rolls, but both women smiled softly anyways. It was nice to be given some credit. Morgan had something to say about Kairi's comment. "That's true. And don't be down when you lose battles either. Even the Primoris Rex has lost a few times. Biggest thing is to bounce back stronger than ever." Morgan gave some advice to the young apprentice.

Both teachers nodded, then looked at Rex. Who pouted. But still paid both of them. "We made a bet. By the way, waitress! Anything our guests here buys is on the school!" The wait staff confirmed the order and happily provided food and drinks. Some even tried roasted Gargwa. Splitting it four to five ways, of course. The birds were huge.

"Anyways, we can't thank you enough for the help. I think after this, we'll be done for awhile. If we had some sigils, we'd invite you up to upper Edia if you so desired...but..."

"We don't have any. Though we wouldn't be surprised if you got one anyways. Your interference in the Contact War won you at the very least a deep respect from us. Some recent reports does get filtered to us, so we also know about your assistance with rescuing Lady Drexara as well."

"Hey, she wasn't the only one th-"

"Shut it." Luca told Rex before he could even finish. While the bigger blond slumped in disappointment, the smaller one continued his meal. The two elder teachers looked at each other with concern. A bit of an awkward silence settled on the group. Until Rex excused himself.

That earned Luca a pair of glares. The librarian just stared back, confused. "Give the boy a chance. He was a bit on the care free side, but abided by the rules, and generally friendly towards everyone. There's no reason to treat him like that."

"Well, except Kronos, but those two were always at each other's throats..."

"Yeah I don't care. You haven't met his father. You don't know anything about our family or anything. So leave it. I don't dive into your personal lives, don't go digging into mine." With that, Luca grabbed his meal, told the waitress he was eating outside, and left.

"Ugh...men..." Rosa sighed heavily as she facepalmed.

Kairi finished sharing her opinion on the prospect of taking on the big camp that the teachers suggested. As much as she wanted to do something about it now, she had people under her command to worry about, as well as the students and the already-freed prisoners. Rex beamed and made a cheeky claim about the students' training methods, to which Kairi smiled warmly. "Of course." Morgan then piped up and agreed with Kairi's appraisal of the would-be plan, telling a disappointed Rex that it wasn't the defeats that would define him but how he recovered from them. A prior bet was then resolved when Rex handed money to the two women, before Rosa called to the waitress and told her that the students' tab was to be charged to the school.

Morgan then moved the topic on to Kairi's own contribution to the training operation, thanking her profusely, before expressing regret that they didn't have any way to grant Kairi access to Upper Edia. The Human shook her head and smiled. "You give me too much credit." She gestured to Rex and the students. "I essentially just observed, and helped out a little here and there. Rex and his students were the real stars of the show." Lucassius then offered that she would probably be invited up sooner rather than later, her involvement in the First Contact debacle resulting in her gaining a favorable standing with the Asentari hierarchy. Kairi smiled thoughtfully. "There were many who made the ceasefire possible. I couldn't ask for favorable treatment for that. It was just the right thing to do."

Lucassius also mentioned the rescue of Aline as well, which made Rex pipe up and state his own involvement in the operation too, before he was cut off by a strange outburst from Lucassius. Kairi was taken aback for a moment, but then nodded in agreement. "That is true. Rex's help was invaluable in completing the mission. He was an extremely valuable member of the team." Rex then excused himself, seemingly out of embarrassment, and the two female teachers turned on Lucassius immediately, defending Rex. However, Lucassius was having none of it, dismissing their arguments with clear coldness and disdain.

Kairi had no doubt that there had to be a reason behind this behavior, but she found herself inwardly developing a dislike for Lucassius De Von Breven. The man then took his food and went outside in a display of petulance that was somewhat unbecoming of one who was expected to teach others. Kairi considered her next words carefully. She knew it was not her place to interfere in the affairs of others, especially in the hierarchy of another nation. However, she owed it to Rex to try and at least understand what was happening. She looked at the two women, and spoke quietly. "I realize that it is not my place to get involved, but is this a common occurence where Rex is concerned? I understand if it is family business, but I do consider Rex to be a good friend and ally, so I would like to know what is going on, if I may." Kairi waited patiently, gauging their reactions to see if she had overreached.

Luca didn't really care what Kairi thought. The two women just sighed. Morgan was the one that spoke. "Honestly, we don't know. It's a well known fact that Luca does not have a favorable opinion of the head family. You would think, given their ages, that they would be good friends or something...Luca is older by only a decade and a half. At least on good terms. But you're better off asking Rex himself."

"While Luca is young, the youngest of our staff, do not mistake his placement. He is the librarian at a combat school. He knows his magic and Arcane arts, and he knows how to wield his spear satisfactory enough. The previous head librarian recommended the lad. And with good reason.

Anyways, Krad and Nichol snuck out just a minute ago. I would imagine if you find your man, you'll find Krad, and he'll likely tell you where to find Rex. Good luck." Rosa gave Kairi an encouraging nod.

Nichol and Krad would be found on the rooftop tracing the stars and speaking quietly to each other. If Kairi knew Nichol as well as she probably did at this point, she would find them here. After asking Krad, the boy would just get up and lead them. Rex would be found just on the edge of town, in one of the towers, sitting down. Contemplating and peaceful. The scene could be made into a painting and be elegant. After leading her to him, Krad and Nichol would back off, though still nearby...

Kairi listened to the two women as they explained the general situation with regards to Lucassius and his relationship with Rex's family, though they didn't seem to know too much. They did emphasize that Luca was appointed to his role as head librarian at the behest of his predecessor, due in no small part to the young man's prodigious magical talent. The two women then both explained that the best person to ask about it would be Rex himself, and Kairi nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. I don't think Lucassius is in the most... approachable... mood right now." In truth, her limited interactions with Lucassius De Von Breven had left a curious impression with her. He had been curt and stand-offish with the other teachers, and downright rude to Rex. Kairi had to believe that there was a gentler soul beneath that abrasive exterior, but she would have to find out from Rex. Kairi nodded to the teachers and excused herself from the teachers politely.

Once outside, Kairi looked around for a moment. In truth, despite Nichol being in the Order for a decent amount of time now, the young man was so introverted and averse to conversation that Kairi still didn't know too much about the enigmatic young man. Even so, she did note that he did have a predilection for hanging out in high places. She turned and looked up, smiling knowingly. Krad and Nichol were on the roof of the tavern, gazing up at the stars. Kairi slowly brought herself up to the rooftop, and gently spoke to the two boys. "I'm sorry to disturb you gents, but I was told you might know where young master Rex is." The blue-haired boy got up and began to lead Kairi and Nichol to a watchtower on the edge of town. Kairi nodded to Krad and climbed up into the tower, taking a seat opposite Rex, fixing her blue eyes on the Asentari. "Hey Rex. Is everything alright?"

Rex looked out at the landscape when he heard someone sit opposite him. Looking over, he saw that it was Kairi. And she asked if everything was alright. Sighing heavily, he rested his head on his elbow and hand. "I...don't know how to deal with Luca. Sure, Kronos and I were at each other's throats a lot, even semi-hostile towards each other in most circumstances. But never outright rude, stand offish, let alone blatantly hostile and dismissive.

I think he kind of projects my father onto me...like we're similar or something stupid like that. My donor...wasn't a good man. I don't ever remember him saying anything good about the two side families, and always berating them. He treated them horribly, their children just as much. Of course, they tried to keep them away from him, but family functions and galas still brought their own set of problems.

Beyond just letting time and my own behavior show him otherwise, I don't know what to do. I fully intend on claiming my birthright as the von Broven head after this. But I don't know if Leon and Kruger are going to act the same or if they're going give me a chance. I've no doubts that I will make mistakes...but...I don't know. Leon is the oldest by far, having been there when our little incident with the Mercialluses came to be and fell through. His daughter is the oldest of the next generation. I guess I can only hope that maybe they'll be cautiously optimistic about me. I can't believe that they'll fully accept me, given everything my father put them through. But...I certainly hope that they wouldn't be so openly hostile like Luca is..."

It was at this point he actually blushed and looked sheepish. "Sorry...I didn't mean to unload like that..." He rubbed the back his head and looked back at the moonlit lands. Rex really didn't mean to spill his guts out like that...

Kairi watched the young man carefully as Rex sighed before coming to a decision to talk to her, and he told her a lot. She listened intently as the Asentari admitted what Kairi had suspected when she witnessed his interaction with Lucassius De Von Breven. The young man was not happy with his treatment, and in truth he had every right not to be. The so-called head librarian of the Asentari academy had not treated his kin fairly or properly, and she fully sympathized with Rex's plight. He went on to tell her how even his rival had at least treated him respect, even if they didn't always get along, but Lucassius was a different matter. Kairi absorbed this information and noted it well. She had encountered Kronos Lohengrin before, and she agreed that even though they were on opposite sides in those events, he had still treated her with respect and honor, even risking his own life in Yoniva Town in order to repay his debt to her for sparing his life earlier. She made some mental notes before nodding to Rex to continue.

Rex then explained that he was in line to take over as head of his family, after his father's death. The young man explained that his father had been a truly horrid man, bringing the von Broven name into disrepute with his treatment of the offshoots of his family. Rex planned to take his place at the head of the table, but he was worried about what reception he would get from his kin. He was not sure if they would treat him fairly or simply regard him as an extension of his problematic father, and thus shun him. Lucassius had made his stance very clear, but it was the others in the families that Rex was less sure about. Rex was unsure what to do, especially about Lucassius. Kairi pondered the problem for long moments, trying to figure out what she would do in his place. All Rex wanted was a chance to prove himself, but given the looming shadow of his father, he wasn't sure if he'd even get that. He then blushed a little and apologized for dumping all of that on her, but she shook her head and smiled. "No, don't worry about that. I consider you a friend, and so I will do my best to be that for you now." She gave what she had heard another once over in her mind, before regarding Rex with a thoughtful expression.

"Okay, I'm going to preface this by making it clear that I know very little about your people and how their family units work. However, I believe there are enough similarities with Humans that I can try to offer something. From what you've told me, the shadowof your father looms over you. I understand that. It sounds like a tough legacy to overcome. But I do truly believe that you will overcome it. I've not known you for that long, but from what I've seen you are a kind, capable and honorable young man. Any family should be honored to have you at the head of the table. I don't believe it will be much of an issue to prove that to your family and peers. After all, from what I've learned from my encounters with Alura Wanderweich, the Primoris Rex wouldn't have you as her apprentice if she didn't think you were worthy." Kairi paused to let her words sink in before she continued.

"As long as you stay true to yourself and just do your best like you always do, the pieces will fall into place quicker than you think." Kairi looked towards the tavern where she could see Lucassius eating his meal around the side of the building. That situation will require some addressing though, she thought. "As for Lucassius, it is not my place to interject in other nations affairs, especially family issues. But if you'd like, I am willing to talk with your cousin. I will refrain from addressing your family problems, but I will instead just give him my own appraisal of you and your character, as a partner in the recent Red Fang operation. Only if you want. I do not wish to overstep if you are uncomfortable with that level of involvement." In truth, Kairi was not looking forward to the prospect of dealing with Lucassius, but if it would help her young friend with his future role, then she was willing to try.

Kairi gave him a thoughtful expression before responding. He couldn't help his own small smile. "Based on a book recommendation from Lilian Toral, we have more in common with Mondolin than I think either side will be willing to admit. I'd like to think Alura saw something in me when I answered her question after she killed the man...as she says, I am my own person. As much of a people pleaser as I am, I cannot let it bother me if someone refuses to see me for who I am. Thanks Kairi."

He looked over at Luca, eating with his pups. Well, he called them pups, but both of Luca's Kelit and his Kelari were fully grown. "I'll leave that decision to you. At worse, he'll tell you to mind your own business. Just...try not to upset his pups...they're very protective of him..."

If she did decide to talk to Luca, the young man would simply eye her with curiosity.