Where the wilds lead her... (Zenke)

As she stalked through a particularly dense part of the Vultani Jungle canopy, Miral Nerys had a lot to think about.

The events of the last few weeks had left an impression on her that she couldn't shake. It started with her ill-fated trip north, guiding some travelers up past Karcenak to the mountains just south of Kyrias. Why they wished to go that far north, Miral couldn't say. They did need help, however, and Miral's knowledge of the lands was such that she was one of the few who could conceivably help them. Money was not an issue, as Miral's long years spent in the wilds meant that she was adept at living off the land, but she once she heard that they were going to try and make the journey anyway, with or without a guide, Miral made her mind up to help.

That was her first mistake.

Once the travelers had gotten where they were going, Miral began the trip back south. She could have probably made it as far as Karcenak before needing rest, but she decided to stop short and take refuge in a village twenty-odd miles north of the city, intending to make the rest o f the journey in one go once rested.

That was her second mistake.

That night, Miral witnessed the sheer horror that could be displayed in today's world. Bandits had attacked the village during the night, pillaging what they could and killing any who stood up to them. Miral had tried to help, her bow accounting for a handful of bandits, but the true horror had yet to emerge. As she found herself cornered, a living nightmare stepped forward, butchering bandit and townsman alike with terrible power. The nightmare proceeded to kill until it came face-to-face with Miral. At that point, fear had taken complete control of her body as she stared up at this Massive Man, knowing what would come next. For over seven centuries, Miral had walked the continent and seen many things, beautiful and horrible. But not since Onyxus had Miral been gripped by such fear and horror as she felt when preparing to die at the hands of Massive Man.

That was her third mistake.

Miral was rescued from her imminent death by a young Heanta, who dragged her to safety. Miral Nerys, over seven-hundred-years-old, being rescued by a... child. Miral Nerys, a once-highly-respected warrior of the Eldross, was defeated without a fight, and was spared by the intervention of a child on her behalf. Miral Nerys had never been a particularly prideful or egotistical person, but she felt smaller than she had ever felt in her long life. As she swung from vine to a large branch and paused to watch the surroundings for a moment, Miral reflected on her journey from there, having escaped the clutches of Massive Man with her savior.

It didn't end there.

Miral and her savior took shelter on a tor after a while. The child introduced herself as the granddaughter of the legendary Ren the Hornless the mightiest Heanta warrior the world had seen. That fate would lead Vala to her, bravely fighting off bandits and Massive Man to rescue her from certain death, weighed heavily on her mind. In fact, the Hornless child would save Miral again, when they were assaulted by the very shadows themselves. Vala revealed that Massive Man was in fact a Heanta named Korroth, a feared name among her people. Another Heanta, this one named Knightfall, attacked them in their makeshift camp. He seemed to be able to move in and out of the shadows like an Icthy through water, and he nearly ended Miral's life himself before Vala's intervention. At least in this instance, Miral had attempted to defended herself. But she once again found herself at the mercy of another. When had seven-hundred-and-forty-three-year-old Miral Nerys become such a burden to others? Her constant thought was of her family, Kira and Artem. What would they think if they could see the shadow she had become?

After leaving Vala at Zendar, Miral needed to rest. At Vala's recommendation, she headed to Sunshield Hold, the only place that she would feel truly safe. There, she touched base with Shran, an Eldross that was a member of the Order. They spoke for a long time, before he was sent out on assignment. Still feeling uneasy, it wasn't until Miral encountered Kairi Thorne that she began to wean herself off her dark thoughts. Kairi was a child by Eldross standards, but she was a strong and experienced adult in Human terms who had fought her own demons over the years, so Miral found her thoughts to be both mature and comforting. Not one to linger in one place too long, Miral soon headed out, rested and refreshed. She thanked the Order and offered all of the money she had as compensation for sheltering her, put the payment was politely refused. Miral instead used the money to repair her gear and restock, before leaving for the only place she felt truly comfortable. The wild.

As Miral approached the area of the jungle that she had been heading for since she got here, she reflected again on her recent encounters and her path here in the Vultani Jungle, one of the wildest places on the continent. Her objective was a small creek in the south of the jungle, where Vultani Ligers were known to frequent. Miral had been enamored with the jungle feline for a long time, and whenever she was in doubt of herself she found that simply watching the ligers commune at this creek was a soothing experience. She arrived at the creek and waited in a tree overhang for any signs of activity.

Moment's after The ranger settled into her vigil she would see a blue Wyvern crashed down into the river hard. She was covered in wounds, the most prominent was severe gashes in her right leg that she struggled to stand on as she pushed herself from the waters. The Ligers watched intently as the Wyvern growled but moved towards the opposite shore and vanished into the jungle.




Hanging from the side of a cliff was could be very treacherous, as many a climber would note, but when that cliff happened to be floating high about the earth, things became more complicated. It was mostly the wind, which howled fiercely upwards, tearing at her clothing and threatening her hold on her kama. She found herself in a tricky spot, but Octavia Velerius was nothing if not mildly suicidal. There was no better view, the white haired asentari felt, than one viewed from the precipice of death.

But the dark skinned asentari wasn't out to dance with death for the fun of it. She had a bigger purpose, which was tucked into a little alcove in the island not far below her. A blue and green Wyvern, female smaller than the normal. She'd seen her a few days past, old wounds from an attack by another of her kind. She was an exile, alone. Octavia couldn't help but relate, with her own parents dead and gone. So she was going to extend an olive branch, and hopefully adopt the Wyvern.

Of course, her plan didn't work out as she'd intended. Before she reached the nest, a shadow passed over her, and a large bull swept past, letting out a powerful roar. She looked up to see a wild red, moments before it dived past her and the nest. Her blue seen the threat and dashed from nest and took off upwards, but the red Wyvern had reeled about swiftly and slammed her into the cliff face inches from Octavia who barely managed to swing away on the magical chain of her weapon. The blue Wyvern kicked the red and managed to flip around, clinging to the rocks.

The blue wyvern climbed upwards as the red tumbled, but soon regained its bearings. Activating her feather ability, Octavia threw herself upwards and fired several blasts of air from her feet. She soared up, then landed gently on the edge of the sky island next to the blue Wyvern who looked at her and growled, but instead of attacking she tried to take to the air and flee. The red Wyvern hit the blue in the back, slamming her into the ground. Jaws snapping, he tried to bite at the blue's neck. Blue managed roll again and buck him off wth a crash. The red hit the ground hard, his wing talons lashing out just as the blue wyvern took to the air, and he tore deep gashes into her leg. The blue limped away, and red rose to continue his assault.

As much as it pained Octavia to do it, she had to intervene. She let out a sharp whistle as she fired a ball of energy at the Red wyvern before he could attack again, causing him to drop like a rock as it hit sqaure, and his weight suddenly doubled. This allowed the blue Wyvern to jump from the ledge and take flight, escaping red. Who turned his angry Gaze on Octavia. "Fuck." She said, as the Wyvern charged. Moment's before he hit her, a black Wyvern slammed into him, kicking him furiously with his back legs. The red Wyvern staggered away and before he could attack again, Octavia threw out a kama and caught it on the saddle of Galantus, Hargen's Wyvern he loaned her for the day.

She pulled herself up with the chain and grabbed onto Galantus' Reins. "Follow the blue." She said tugging him towards the escaping Wyvern's direction. Galantus obayed, diving down over the cliff as the red Wyvern regained his feet. She looked back to see him watching them as they dropped, but he turned his head and went to lick his wounds. Octavia and Galantus followed the blue Wyvern, who started to drop steadily, passing over the Lonerit mountains towards the Vultani Jungle. The blue was injured and her flight began to falter. Not long after she dropped faster and faster, and then Octavia lost sight of her as she crashed into the jungle.

Octavia eyed the jungle warily. It was a deadly place, and that Wyvern wouldn't last long. But she couldn't go traipsing around it with Galantus crashing about behind her. She edged him lower to the trees and patted him on the shoulder. "Return to the Eryie." She said, and followed the command with several whistles, before jumping off the back of Galantus. Activating Feather she dropped quickly, A kama in each hand, blades extended, and prepared for a rough entry. Just before she hit the trees she gave a double blast of gust with each hand to slow herself and push up, then dropped and threw out a Kama.

It caught on a branch and she swung. As the swing came to an end and she was mostly weightless, she flicked her wrist and freed her Kama, then let herself drop before catching another branch. She decended through the foliage and Landing on the edge of a creek she took a deep breath. She glanced around to look for signs of blue's landing, but there was nothing. And then she heard a growl and turned to see a large Vultani Liger glaring at her from about twenty feet away, as several others scattered. "Hello kitty." She said, stowing her weapons and lowering herself. She'd never dealt with Vultani Ligers, but that worked on Wyverns so hopefully it would accept her sign of deference and leave her be. She didn't want to attack any more beautiful creatures.

Miral was broken from her review of the past by movement below her. She spotted four ligers emerging from the undergrowth and moving to the creek to drink and rest. Creeping closer, Miral nodded to Inara, her closest friend and Animal Companion. The ocelot soundlessly accompanied the Eldross as she began her descent from the trees towards the gathering felines. There was a simplicity in the wilds that comforted Miral, and she needed that comfort more than ever. But it would have to wait. She was just reaching the lower branches of the tree she currently hid in, when a loud crash echoed through the jungle, alerting everything around. The ligers all looked up in alarm and scattered to the undergrowth as a more crashing heralded the appearance of a blue wyvern smashing through the trees. The large flier was clearly not in control of its descent as it hurtled over the creek and crashed in the distance. The ligers watched on warily from the underbrush as a single one, the leader of the group, moved forward to inspect the carnage.

Not two seconds later, the figure of a young woman landed beside the creek and looked around, only to be met with the stern gaze of the liger leader. The woman attempted to talk the liger down while stowing her weapons and lowering her stance. Miral knew ligers generally did not attack people unless angered, so she wasn't concerned on that front. However, she still felt the urge to find out what happened, and the arrivals of the woman and wyvern were too close together to be coincidental. In any case, the wyvern definitely had to have sustained a lot of damage from its ill-fated landing, so Miral decided that she needed to help in some way.

Leaping down gracefully from the tree and approached the liger. The feline turned to regard the new party, but Eldross' had a special connection to the wild which encompassed all of nature. It was just enough to calm certain animals, though it did not affect everything. Luckily, ligers were both intelligent and relatively peaceful, so Miral's presence was enough to take the liger off its guard enough for Miral to approach it and place a delicate hand on the beast's head and stroke its fur. She spoke to it, not breaking eye-contact for a second. "Be at peace. This will be my mission." The liger did not move, though its gaze seemed to soften. Miral then looked to the stranger. "Do not fear. This one will not attack you. What is your business here?" Miral lowered her and adopted her usual unassuming posture. "Are you here for the wyvern?"

Octavia held her position, green tailed curled around her, as the liger moved slightly closer. However, before it could decide to attack a woman dropped from a nearby tree and approached. Octavia and the liger eyed the stranger as she approached the Liger and assured the cat that she would handle the situation. She placed a hand on its face and stroked its chin, earning instant respect from Octavia as the creature's eyes softened. The woman turned to her, and Octavia took in her strange features. She resembled an eldari with her fine features, slight build and pointed ears, but she had deep green eyes which Octavia knew was not a common trait among Eldari.

As Octavia studied her, the woman watched back and assured her there was no need to fear the liger. Octavia nodded. "I'm not afraid." She said. She glanced at the liger again, admiring his strong form. She rose to her feet, slowly. "I'm more of a threat to him, though in his mind only. I'd never harm a Liger." She said softly. She looked back at the stranger and then towards the Creek. When she didn't continue right away, the stranger asked if it was about the Wyvern. She sensed a protective not in the womans voice, but she might have imagined it. "Yes. I'm not here to hurt her." Octavia said.

She scanned the area, scanned the area before remebering that she was talking to someone. "She's an outcast. I've been watching her for a few weeks, leaving her out food and trying to earn her trust. She was attacked by another Wyvern as I attempted to approach her, and She was injured." Octavia took a few steps along the creek as she spoke. "She must be very scared if she came here." Octavia said, mostly to herself. Looking over her shoulder at the woman, she asked. "Could you point me in her direction? Then I'll leave you and the ligers be." She said. Better not to drag others into danger when she could avoid it.

Miral's pulse slowed and she relaxed when the woman spoke. She seemed genuine in her refusal to harm the liger. The woman then acknowledged that she was indeed in the area to track the crashed wyvern. She scanned the area for a moment before revealing more information to Miral. It seemed that the woman had been trying to gain the wyvern's trust when it was attacked by another wyvern. The woman's concern for the wyvern seemed genuine, so Miral was content to accept her explanation. Judging by the woman's tail, Miral surmised that she was an Asentari, one of the Dragon-kin from nearby Edia, and while Miral had not experienced too much in the way of direct dealings with the Asentari, she was aware of their use of wyverns as companions and mounts. She looked to the woman and placed her staff on the ground, where it then transformed into the feline form of her companion, Inara.

"I believe you. You don't seem like a game hunter, and the ligers are happy enough to let you pass." Miral gestured to the creek, where the ligers had reemerged and begun to drink. Miral then looked around until Inara indicated that she had caught the scent of the wyvern. "I believe Inara located her. I will accompany you. I can help with your friend's injuries, but we must hurry." Miral drew her bow and gave the woman a concerned glance. "The forest is dangerous, even to wyverns." Miral looked to Inara and gently gave her a command. "Lead us to the fallen wyvern, quickly." Miral would follow her companion as she took off into the jungle. She looked to make sure the woman was also following. "May I ask your name, miss?"

The Eldari like woman meet her gaze and tapped her staff upon the ground, where it transformed into a small Cat like creature. A lynx, if she remembered correctly. It dawned on Octavia that she stood in the presence of not an Eldari, but an Eldross. Though her face barely registered it, she felt awe at the woman's presence. Eldross were so Rare that no one on Edia had seen one, but they were well respected for their peaceful nature. She wondered how it had must have felt to watch from the sky islands as fires raged across their forest as the black dragon decimated their home and refuse to help against the monster. Dragons were wonderful, but cruel.

The eldross seemed to believe Octavia and stated as much, pointing out that the Ligers also accepted her as the few who had ran returned to drink in peace. Octavia watched the Lynx keenly as it sniffed the air and withing a few moments, caught the scent, and the woman told her that she would accompany her. Octavia didn't argue, not if the Eldross could heal. And there was no denying that dangers lurked out here. She'd yet to encounter a Vultani Basilisk, but there was still time. "I appreciate the help. Just be careful, she'll know my scent by now but she might lash out at you or your companion. I can tell you're good with animals but I know Wyverns, so maybe stay back a few feet until I can calm her." Assuming the Wyvern wasn't so scared she attacked Octavia too.

There was no need to check if she followed, as Octavia moved along beside the eldross carefully. She watched for any sign of the Wyvern as they moved through the foliage. The Eldross asked her her name. "Octavia Velerius. If you haven't guessed by the green scales and tail, I'm asentari. And you are?" She said, letting the woman introduce herself. Up ahead, she spotted smashed foliage and torn up ground, indicating the Wyvern had taken a hard turn into a less beaten path. She couldn't be to much farther. Octavia continued to follow Inara down the new path, watching the way ahead carefully. She had the distinct impression that something was watching them, but then she noticed claw marks in side of a rocky outcrop as the Lynx sniffed at them.

"Those are Wyvern claws. She's gone up. Erolath knows how she can climb." Octavia said quitely, looking up. But getting higher would be exactly what she wanted to do. Octavia pulled out her Kama and unfolded the blades. "We'll have to climb. The trees are tall enough to offer you an easier way, if you can't scale this cliff." Octavia said. She stopped talking as she swore she heard something, but there was no sign of anthing as she looked around.

Miral nodded at the Asentari's suggestion. If the wyvern had already acclimatized to her scent, then it did stand to reason that she would have a better chance of calming the creature down. She also introduced herself as Octavia Velerius, and as Miral had correctly surmised, she was an Asentari. She replied quietly, as if not wanting to be heard by anyone but her present company. "My name is Miral Nerys. I am an Eldross from Harodiel." As they hurried through the forest, they reached the first visual signs of the wyvern's passing. Smashed trees and foliage. Inara stopped for a moment, sniffing the air, before taking off into the brush. The ocelot soon led them to a small clearing at the base of a large rock outcropping. Miral looked at the claw marks that Octavia indicated on the face of the stone, reaching the same conclusion as the Asentari. She looked up and saw the trees that she was talking about. She nodded and gestured to Inara. "Go. I will follow." Miral stopped suddenly and looked around. She saw nothing, but she was aware that they were perhaps no longer alone in this part of the forest. She looked to Octavia and saw the same look of apprehension on her face as she deployed a pair of kama. "The wyvern will have attracted attention to itself. We should hurry. I will meet you up there."

With that, Miral swung herself up into the lowermost branches of the tree closest to the outcrop with preternatural grace. She may have lost a good lot of outright speed at her age, but she could still coordinate and maneuver in such conditions better than most adventurers a quarter of her age. She swung herself from branch to branch, ascending rapidly while keeping an eye on Octavia and Inara on the rock-face. Upon reaching the top, she took a deep breath before soaring across from the tree to the top of the cliff, softening her landing with a roll. She spotted a patch of red on a rock nearby, and moved warily over to it. She looked to Octavia. "I think this may belong to your friend. We should-" Miral's sentence was cut off by a roar, followed by some shouting nearby. Miral ran towards the source, returning Inara to staff form and nocking an arrow. She took cover behind a tree, and looked to a clearing, where the unmistakable form of a blue wyvern was struggling under a large net, surrounded by several humans. Though a fully healthy wyvern would have escaped easily, this one was clearly weakened by fatigue and blood loss. Miral looked to Octavia. "Poachers. They look Human."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miral Nerys. I have great respect for the eldross, you're skill with animals is admirable." She said. When it was time to climb, Octavia ran forward and jumped, driving the tip of her divinium Kama into the rock. It stuck easily, and she swung the other one, letting go and extending the enchanted chain. She scaled rapidly and easily, her time climbing the sides of the sky islands had given her all the experience she needed. She never used her weight decreasing ability when climbing unless she fell, or was close enough to the top to float herself over the top.

She reached the top before Miral but waited patiently. The eldross was agile enough to make Octavia wonder how old she was, but asking her about it seemed rude. Miral reached the top, where she landed with a roll. As they looked around, Miral pointed out a patch of blood, but before finishing her sentence they were cut off by a roar. Miral ran forward and took cover by a tree, her bow drawn. Octavia moved forwards as Miral told her that they were poachers, probably human. Octavia had to agree, she'd seen enough humans to recognize them. "I will handle this." She whispered, walking forward past Miral.

She stepped into the clearing, counting six poachers struggling with the net, a few more  nearby watching, and atleast three keeping watch on the forest with bows. There might be more nearby. As soon as she stepped out, the closer ones spotted her and turned. "Here, what's this?" One of the poachers with a very badly twisted nose asked his companion. "Its a girl.", his companion replied. "No shit, ya dumbass. I mean what's she doing here." Twisted nose asked. Several heads turned to look at her. "I'm going to ask you once to let that Wyvern go. She's injured, she needs help and you're upsetting." She said. twisted nose sneered. "What's it to you?"

One of the other poachers walked forward. "Hey she's got a tail. That's one a them asentari, I Recon." He said. Twisted nose nodded. "Right you are. You an asentari girl? Bet you'd fetch a nice price. Right lads, go get her." Octavia sighed. Poachers and slavers. lovely. "You're making a mistake." She said as the poachers pulled out clubs and maces. "Your all alone out here. I don't think so." He said. With a whistle, six of his poachers rushed towards Octavia. As they got close to her, she activated her Gravity well, causing the poachers and everything they were carrying to double in weight. The sudden change was to much for many of them and they collapsed to the ground, struggling to stand.

One made it to her but she side stepped him and wrapped her tail around his leg. She wrenched it from under him and he smashed into the ground. "I don't want to kill anyone, but if you force my hand I will. I'll give you one more warning, get lost, go home, find some honest work." She said. A man infront her started to push himself up, and she brough her foot down on his face, knocking him out. "You fucking little bitch!" Twisted nose screamed, but he didn't move, nor did the other poachers as they gathered around him. So far, no one else had come out of the wood work, but the men around her were likely to be down a while longer.

Miral nodded as Octavia told her that she would handle it. The Eldross noted the Humans watching the treeline, three archers in total. They were the only ones not actively watching Octavia, so they could be dealt with easier. Though Octavia carried herself like a competent and confident fighter, certainly more so than Miral herself, she knew that she had to help in some way to help even the odds. The wyvern was squirming uncomfortably on the ground beneath the net, and was the priority. Miral had already let her fear cost lives up north in that village. She would not hesitate again. Remaining unseen by the poachers, Miral stowed her bow and scaled the tree she had been taking cover behind. Once up in the canopy, she could see a path among the branches which would allow her to remain mobile enough to avoid detection while she enacted her plan. She took up a position directly above the nearest archer, drew her bow, and lined up her shot. Shouts of alarm drew her eye, and she saw some of the poachers around Octavia dropping to the ground, while the others struggled to remain on their feet. Miral knew her time had come.

With the fine precision her years of practice had afforded her, Miral loosed her first shot, her arrow puncturing the man through the top of his head. He dropped dead immediately, which alerted the closest of the other two archers. He approached to investigate the noise, but Miral was already on the move. Closing the distance to the second archer, Miral loosed another arrow into the back of the man's neck, sending him to the floor gasping through a stream of blood. The third archer heard the noise and yelled in alarm, but he was silenced quickly too with an arrow to the chest. Miral nocked another arrow and looked to the gathering near Octavia, hoping the distraction would give her time to turn the tables, and preparing to deal with her next target.

Twisted nose sneered at Octavia as she waited for him to approach. "Ye think Yer smart eh?" He asked. "We're not about to walk into whatever trick you've pulled." He looked at one of the men beside him. "Kill the Wyvern." He said. The poacher pulled out a knife and turned towards the Wyvern. Scales or no, a knife to the eye would be lethal. "You brought this on yourself." She said, activating feather, she jumped and used a double burst of gust to fly over the Poachers blocking her path and slammed into the man with the knife, knocking him from his feet. She hooked a Kama around his neck and pulled, tearing his throat open.

A paocher charged club swinging, and she lept over him slashing him across the back, Twisted nose tried to catch her from behind, but she kicked him in the ribs and he took a few steps back. The men who were down, the ones who were concious anyway started to rise, and Octavia got some distance. As she did she lashed out a Kama on the end of its chain and slashed up the netting holding the Wyvern down. Landing, she yanked the Kama back to her and took a leg out from under a poacher. Twisted nose lunged at her and she slashed, but he blocked it and moved out of the way as a poacher behind him rushed forward and tackled her. Normal human or not she currently didn't weight very much and he easily lifted her off her feet and slammed her into the ground.

He pinned her and tried to bring his club down on her head, but Octavia folder her Kama and blocked it. In its folded form the weapon made for a good axe, and Octavia had an easier time of swinging the second folded Kama into the side of the poacher's head. She pushed the poacher off, and twisted face replaced him as she jumped to her feet. He slammed his club into her shoulder before she could react and sent her sprawling to the ground. He was stronger and faster than she realised. Pushing herself up, twisted nose charged again, swinging his club overhead to smash her across the face. She raised her arm and blocked the blow, and was knocked back down with a crack.

He raised the weapon again, but before the blow fell Octavia heard a rope snap, and the next thing she knew she was staring up into the face of the greenblue wyvern. The club bounced uselessly off her scales, and the Wyvern roared in response. Flame flickered from her mouth as the Wyvern opened her maw and unleased a blast of flame that turned twisted nose into a scorched corpse. Then the blue Wyvern staggered away from her and collapsed to the ground. Octavia pushed herself to her feet, holding her arm close to her side and ran to they Wyvern's side. She didn't see the poacher stand up and heft a boar spear in his arm, aiming to skewer her.

Miral turned to see what Octavia's situation was. She had managed to fend off most of the poachers, though she got knocked to the ground by one of the others. Miral descended quickly to the ground and started towards the Asentari, who had managed to deal with the poacher that had knocked her down, when another man emerged from behind the wyvern and advanced towards her with a spear. Miral fired a shot at him, but the man knocked the arrow away and charged her. Dropping her bow, Miral gripped her staff and waited for the man to commit, which he did swiftly, thrusting forward in an attempt to impale the Eldross. But Miral was a step ahead in every sense. She used her Winds of the Wild ability to boost her speed and agility, and sidestepped the spear thrust with a suddenness that completely wrong-footed the poacher, leaving him vulnerable to Miral's follow-up as she spun and walloped the man over the head with all of the strength she had. The man slumped to the floor unconscious.

Miral then turned just as the wyvern suddenly broke free of its net and torched the man that had been barking out all of the orders. Miral froze in place, the display reminding her of another fire in another lifetime. The wyvern then keeled over, revealing Octavia. The Asentari was injured, cradling her arm. The Asentari ran over to the wyvern, and did not see the remaining poacher stand up, and advance towards Octavia's exposed back. Miral sprinted forward and leapt up, kicking herself off a tree and landing between the man and his target. She thrust her own weapon into the man's gut, causing him to double over and drop his spear. Miral then cracked him over the head, knocking him out cold. She looked around to make sure there were no more poachers before running over to Octavia. "Are you alright?"

Octavia seen the blur and spun as Miral landed between her and a poacher and clobbered him. Stupid. She left herself open. But as Miral turned to ask if she was ok, Octavia shook her head. "I'm fine, our skin stops blades but its no use against clubs. Eitherway, I doubt anything's broken." She said. She was embarresed to be caught out like that, but that human hadn't been normal. She turned around to look at the Wyvern who was breathing shallowly. "She needs help." Octavia said, stepping towards the wyvern slowly. The wyvern opened her eye and watched Octavia warily. "Shush.. Its ok. We're friends."

She took another step, and the Wyvern didn't bite off her head so she gently lay a hand on her snout and let her sniff her hands. The wyvern nuzzled her palm, then turned an eye to Miral. Octavia turned to Miral. "Come, she wants to meet you. Slowly. I think you know that though." Octavia waited for the eldross to approach, and showed her how to offer her hand. When the wyvern was acquainted, Octavia moved around her side to examine the wounds. The wound on her leg was deep. Her wings looked intact. If nothing was broken, she would atleast have some bruising from the crash.

"I don't have the skills or equipment to treat this.. Would it be to much of an assumtion to ask that you might be able to help? Just tell me what I need to do." She said, moving to join Miral.

Octavia regained her feet gingerly and insisted that she was fine, explaining that the Asentari possessed toughened skin that helps against blades, but less so against blunt trauma. The girl seemed to be ashamed to have been outmaneuvered by the Human that Miral had dispatched. Miral understood, but chose not to pursue that line of thought. Octavia turned to the wyvern and pointed out that she still needed to be helped. Miral nodded but let the Asentari approach first, so as to not alarm the creature. The wyvern eyed Octavia warily, but let her draw near and lay a hand on her snout. The creature sniffed at Octavia's hand, before turning to look at Miral. Octavia beckoned the Eldross over, and Miral obliged, approaching slowly and carefully. At the Asentari's instruction, Miral copied her motion and placed a small hand on the creature's snout, letting her sniff and get a read on the newcomer. Satisfied, the wyvern seemed to relax a little, and Miral inwardly sighed in relief.

Having put the creature somewhat at ease, Miral joined Octavia in surveying the creatures wounds. There were numerous minor bumps and bruises for certain, but the main ailment was a severe laceration on the creatures leg which had already bled profusely. Octavia turned to Miral and explained that she lacked the expertise to repair a wound this large, and asked for help. Miral nodded and let a rare smile trickle over her features. "I believe I can help. But it will take some time." Nature had nurtured and protected her for a long time, so Miral returned the favor whenever she could.

Miral placed her staff on the ground and it transformed into Inara, her faithful feline companion. The ocelot nodded as Miral delivered her request quickly. "Please watch over the area, Inara. Let me know if you see any trouble." The feline took off towards the treeline and vanished, with only Miral's telepathic link to her companion alerting her to her location. Miral then lowered her travel pack to the ground and reached in, producing a small pouch from it. She opened the pouch to reveal an assortment of herbs and salves. She looked at Octavia and held up a small vial. "I need you to apply this to the wound. It will be painful, but it will clean the wound. I will prepare something for the pain." Miral handed over the vial and set about gathering a pair of similarly sized rocks while Octavia applied the solution. She found some, and began powdering some herbs into a vial, before adding a trickle of water from her waterskin. She approached the wyvern again slowly, and handed the new vial to Octavia. "This will ease the pain. I need a moment to concentrate." Miral removed her gloves and began to settle her breathing. It had been a while since she had used her magic properly, so she needed a bit of extra focus. She looked at Octavia, her green eyes glowing slightly. "I'm going to use my magic to seal the wound. It will take a little longer than normal because it is such a deep wound." Miral kept eye contact with the wyvern as she gently placed both hands on the wound. "Be at peace, my friend. I will help." With that, Miral began her Wild Touch technique, and the wound began to slowly seal as a green light washed over it.

Miral assured her that she should be able to help and immediately went about doing so, giving Octavia instructions on what to do and how to help her, starting with a disinfectant salve. Octavia waited for Miral to hand her the tonic, because rubbing salve into a wyvern's wounds without warning or a bit of pain killer was a good way to lose one's head. The wyvern didn't seem to fussed by them, and drank the tonic without complaint. It was a good sign, because it showed she trusted them. Octavia then moved to her leg and looked the wyvern in the eyes. She pulled out a small flask containing spirit alcohol and rubbed it on her hands. "This might sting. Don't bite my head off." She said. The wyvern gave a huff as if to say "as if." and she began to gently spread the salve onto the wound.

The first touch caused the Wyvern to flinch, but she didn't snap, laying her head down and bearing with the pain. When Octavia was done Miral told her she was going to use magic to heal the wound. Octavia nodded and stepped back to let her work. How fortunate that she met a healer in these woods. That gift was rare in Edia, more common among the humans than asentari. It was, to say the least, fascinating to watch as the wound slowly repaired and stitched itself back together. The wyvern continued to hold still, watching Miral out of the corner of her eye, but there was no mistrust there. "Its strange to see a wyvern trust a non asentari so easily." Octavia said quietly. She smiled slightly at Miral, then she went and picked up her weapons off the ground as it seemed everything was for the moment going well.

Stowing her weapons, she moved over to the charred corpse of the poacher leader. While his clothes were destroyed, a blackened amulet hung around his neck. He pulled it off, and scrubbed away the soot. An emblem she was unfamiliar with was etched onto it, a red fang. Frowning she approached Miral. "Are you familiar with this emblem?" She asked. It seemed strange that poachers would risk the jungle. Ligers didn't make for good mounts, not unless their trust was earned, and the basilisks didn't think twice about eating anything that moved. Unless, they weren't here for the Vultani's animals, but what lay in the jungles beyond. It would have to be looked into.

For a while, Miral worked, channeling her energy into the wound. The gash began to stitch itself up, eventually being sealed without so much as a scar. The wyvern eyed her, but it seemed more like curiosity than concern. When the wound was healed, Miral took a deep breath and sank back onto her haunches. The healing magic always took a lot out of her, even more so now given the size of the wound. She took a moment to recover as Octavia commented on the strangeness of seeing a wyvern trust a non-Asentari. Miral rested a gentle hand on the wyvern's leg, where the wound used to be. "My race has always had a shared affinity for nature. While we cannot directly communicate with all creatures, there is an empathic link that exists. Strong feelings can be conveyed both ways. My people believe it was the work of Lia, the Goddess of Nature. She created the wildlife on Asmir, and she also created the Eldross. We believe that she engineered a special connection between us, though not all creatures are as accepting as your friend here." Miral smiled at the wyvern. "It is always an honor to help a child of Lia."

As Octavia moved to pick up her weapons, Miral went to retrieve her arrows from the poachers she had shot. She returned to the wyvern and Octavia showed her an amulet that the head poacher had been carrying. Miral looked at it in surprise. "It is a symbol of the Red Fang. They are a mercenary outfit originating in the Free Lands, mainly around Karem and Karcenak. They used to operate on their own, but in recent times they are allies of the Nyberrite Alliance." The Eldross looked around in confusion. "It is strange that they are in the jungle in such numbers. You should alert your people to this. Though I don't know what they could possibly want out here."

Miral eyes suddenly widened, and she looked towards the treeline. "Something is wrong. Inara has spotted more danger approaching." The ocelot bolted from the foliage and stopped in front of the Eldross. Poachers, at least twenty. From the west. Miral looked west and spotted movement in the distance. "There are around twenty poachers approaching from the west. They'll be here in a few moments." Miral looked to Octavia, her eyes wide with fear. "They will try to capture your friend again. Her wound is healed but she needs rest before she can fight. You need to get her out of here."

Octavia stroked the Wyvern's head while Miral worked and explained that her people, and many of the animals of asmir were made by the same god. She listened quietly to the sound of the Eldross' gentle voice and took in everything she said about the Goddess Lia and her creations and the connection she'd placed between Eldross and animals. Asentari didn't often put stock in gods, except Erolath, who had created both dragons and humans and thus, them, through the dragons, who hadn't stopped with just the Asentari. "Edia Wyverns were made by dragons, just like we were. Its why they are more trusting of Asentari, but still wild at heart. However having seen the Black Wyverns of the north first hand, I'd guess that your goddess created all Wyverns first." Octavia said. She gave the eldross a gentle smile. "Eldross might have more in common than many of my kind would believe. Linked through the Machinations of our gods and Makers."

When Miral explained the symbol to her, Octavia frowned but gave a nod. "I was thinking the same." She said, then pocketed the trinket and stored the information Miral mentioned. She considered it further, when Miral looked up in alarm, and gave a warning. Octavia drew her weapons, her arm giving a twinge of pain as she did. Miral gave her exact numbers, and warned that they would try to capture the Wyvern again. "I know. That's not going to happen." They would not get passed her. "Take her and run Miral. I'll hold them off. Don't worry, I'm tougher than I look." She said, even though holding her stance caused her arm to ache. Another hit and it would be useless.

The Wyvern was looking between them, but then the sound of the approaching poachers reached her ears and she let out a low rumbling growl. She pushed herself to her feet and past Miral, then bumped her head into Octavia's shoulder, causing her to flinch in pain. The Wyvern eyed her, as if it knew she was bullshitting Miral, knew Octavia was in no state to fight, then lowed herself. An invitation. Octavia nodded, then climbed on. Reaching out a hand to Miral she said, "Come on, I'm not leaving you here and I don't think she will either." She would have to go back to upper Edia. The Wyvern wouldn't make it any further, and there wasn't anywhere safer to go, besides without reigns, the Wyvern was likely to go there anyway, and there was no garantee she'd listen to Octavia.

As soon as Miral was up, and everyone was accounted for the Wyvern took a running jump. With a mighty flap her her wings, she was up, and began to climb. She was tired, but the healing had done the trick and she barely struggled on the way home. They were more than halfway back a black speck appeared on the horizon, followed by two more brighter specks, and slowly grew larger and larger. It was Galantus, and he carried Hargan with him, a pair of scouts in toe. Galantus circled and pulled up slowly beside the blue Wyvern, who watched him warily. Octavia stroked her back gently and wispered to her. "He's friendly. He helped you earlier, remember?" The Wyvern remained calm, but still didn't drop her guard.

Octavia looked across the sky to Hargen, who nodded to her, then took the lead while the others hung back. "Follow him, girl." She said. She looked back over her shoulder at Miral, and shouted over the howling wind, "Feeling ok?" Then she turned her attention back to the black wyvern in front of her, as they flew back home. When they finally made it, Hargen's Wyvern led them to a secluded field not far from the Sky guard's Eryie. The blue wyvern lowered herself to the ground, allowing them to dismount, and as soon as she could she got behind Octavia, head low, watching Galantus and the other wyverns, who landed before them. Hargen dismounted and walked towards them. The other riders watched Miral with a mix of curiousity and wariness.

"I was enjoying a rather peaceful day in my garden until a giant black wyvern with no rider landed on my carrot patch. I though you were going to get a Wyvern, why did I find you coming back from the Vultani jungle with... A guest, in tow?" He said. Octavia frowned. "Things got a little out of hand." She said. "I can only imagine." Hargen said dryly. "Elaborate." Octavia sighed. "I'll explain later. I didn't have a choice in bringing my Guest here, we were attacked by poachers and I was hardly going to leave her behind." She said. Hargen nodded. "Figures... Well then, I want a full explanation later, but for now, what is your name, Eldross?" He asked Miral. The Wyvern behind nudged her head between the two women, and growled at his tone.

Once Miral answered, Hargen nodded and said, "On behalf of the Oculi Draconis, Welcome to Edia." He said. "As soon as I can, I'll find you transport home, until then you are my guest, and I give you permission to be here, witnessed by the riders behind me. This token proves it." He said, handing Miral his signet ring. Then with a sigh, "The trouble you bring me is unending girl. Go get you're Wyvern settled. Stay nearby please." He said, before returning to the Eryie with Galantus. The other riders took off and followed suite. When they were gone, Octavia turned to Miral. "Welcome to Edia indeed. I'm sorry about that, but don't worry. Hargen's a good man." She said. She looking at the Wyvern. "Speaking of which, you're safe now too. You can go home if you like, or stay with me. I've got plenty of food." She held up her palm and the Wyvern nudged it. Confirmation enough that she was staying.

Miral listened to Octavia speak about her knowledge of the Wyverns. Miral let a small smile creep onto her delicate features. Despite her tender years, Octavia seemed to be a very thoughtful and considered young woman, and it was refreshing to Miral. When Miral told her about the approaching enemies, Octavia attempted to act tough, telling Miral to try to get away with the wyvern. Miral raised an eyebrow. After all of that thoughtfulness, there was still a bit of youthful recklessness there too. "With all due respect, I know you are resilient, but that might be a bad idea." The Wyvern also seemed to sense that Octavia's plan was terrible, and moved forward to offer the Asentari passage away. Octavia accepted the offer and climbed aboard the creature, offering a hand up to Miral. The Eldross hesitated for a moment, but eventually clambered up as well, stowing Inara in her backpack and leaving her head poking out for comfort, and the wyvern took off with as much speed as she could muster.

It became clear that their destination was Upper Edia, and Miral stared at the approaching island with secret excitement and wonder. She had never been up to the famous Sky Islands, and given that her age and experience were considerable, it was a big moment to go somewhere completely new to her. However, she was also aware that she had never ridden a Wyvern before, and realized the possibility of falling to her death, so she clung to Octavia like a koala. She then saw another trio of Wyverns on their way to meet them. Octavia calmed her mount, who had gone on alert upon spotting the others. The new Wyverns escorted Octavia to a field on one of the islands, and they landed swiftly. Miral released her death grip on Octavia and hopped down quickly. She was a little shaky, but soon adjusted. and looked at Octavia apologetically. "Apologies. I have never been on the back of a Wyvern before." The rider of one of the other Wyverns approached and asked Octavia what had happened. Octavia briefly explained the gist of why Miral was there, at which point the man requested a full explanation later. He then turned to Miral and asked her to identify herself.

"My name is Miral Nerys, sir." The man immediately adopted a formal tone, welcoming Miral to Edia and offering his signet ring as proof of her permission to be there. She took the ring and bowed politely. "Thank you." The man then issued instructions to get her Wyvern settled and to stay nearby. They all left then, leaving Miral with Octavia and the Wyvern. Octavia turned to apologize to Miral, but the Eldross waved away the apology. "It is okay." She eyed the signet ring in her hand. "He could have easily turned me away immediately. I am grateful." She looked to the Wyvern and smile with gratitude. "To all of you." Miral retrieved Inara from her backpack and placed her on the ground. "Stay close." Inara nodded and walked over to the Wyvern, giving her snout a friendly nudge with her head. Miral turned to Octavia. "What should we do now?"

Miral mentioned that Hargen could have turned her away, which was true. Or worse. They might have gotten lucky. Hargen was hard on Octavia, but he was also like family. Some would say he had a soft spot for her, though when she thought about the training he'd put her through, she wasn't inclined to agree. Miral told her she was grateful, and Octavia nodded. "I am too. I would have been in a whole lot more trouble if you hadn't been around." She said. She gave the Eldross a warm smile, as her small cat companion nudged the Wyvern's head with her snout. The wyvern flinched back at first, as if she'd just realised the cat was there, then sniffed her back and gave it a gentle nudge back.

Octavia started to walk. "We'll take.. Uh.." She looked over her shoulder at the wyvern who ambled behind them. "You need a name. How about, Saelie?" She asked. Her mother's Wyvern, who had been killed along with her mother in the contact war. The wyvern gave a head bob, and then turned to sniff at some flowers. Octavia smiled, "Saelie it is. We'll get her settled in the Eerie, and see about some food. Then I can show you around the city if you'd like?" Octavia said.

Miral returned the warm smile that Octavia offered as she explained that she might have been in more trouble had Miral not been there when Hargen confronted her. The wyvern jumped a bit when Inara nudged her, but then gently returned the nudge. Miral chuckled as the feline informed her of her satisfaction with the situation. "Well I'm glad you're happy." Octavia then began to address the next part of the plan, when she realized that she hadn't actually named the wyvern. She decided on Saelie, to which the wyvern responded favorably. Miral looked at Inara, and her feline nodded. The Eldross looked at the wyvern and smiled. "I agree. It is a beautiful name." Octavia told Miral that they would get Saelie settled in the Eyrie, then go and try find something to eat. Miral nodded, only then realizing that she was quite hungry indeed. "That sounds like a good plan. Thank you." Miral looked at Inara and grinned. "Seven-and-a-half centuries, and we can still see something new." The two followed after Octavia as the headed for the Eyrie.

The Eryie was located on an island floating above and to the left of the city, and was a network of caves and cliff side roosts for the Wyverns. They had landed in open ground not to far from the Eryie itself, and it was a short walk to reach it. The main entrance building which resembled a small fort with a large entrance was built overlooking the city across an expanse of open air, and there was a massive cavern below it where Riders launched from. There was a Kennels off to the left of the entrance, where they kept drakes. Octavia liked the drakes, but hadn't been as mad about them when she was younger as she was about Wyverns. Still, she Took Miral by the kennels to give let her see them.

Kennels was of course an understatement, since Drakes were more to the size of Horses with powerful limbs that carried them swiftly over the grounds, and they were given plenty of room to roam."I don't know if you've seen a Drake before. They're native to Edia, mainly down below." Octavia said. There presence caught the notice of a silvery grey Drake who came thundering over, before spotting Saelie and sliding to a halt. The Wyvern jumped back and looked worried. "Its alright, He's not going to hurt you." She said to Saelie, holding out a hand. The Wyvern moved no closer however.

She looked at Miral. "You can pet him if you like." She said to Miral, and moved to comfort the Wyvern. When they were done, she led the way towards the surface entrance of the Eryie. The gates were guarded by a pair of Asentari soldiers in light leather armor. Each bore a tall shield and spear, a gladius at their hip. They nodded to Octavia and eyed Miral suspiciously. "Rider Octavia. Who is the stranger?" One of the guards asked. "She's a guest of Caelus Hargen. I'm keeping her company until we Organise safe passage back to the freelands." Octavia explained. The soldiers looked at each other, then nodded. "Very Well, proceed."

She lead them inside, stopped briefly to organise food for Saelie with one of the handlers, and then headed down through wide tunnel that branched off. They eventually emerged in a roost, more than large enough to fit Sealie comfortably. The Far wall was open to the air, looking out over another Island. I could be closed off, but Octavia didn't want to upset Saelie by making her feel trapped, so she left it open. "Come settle down. You need food and rest." She said to the Wyvern, who plodded in carefully and sniffed around. She sat with a great huff. When food was brought in, she ate it quickly, then looked around for more. "I'll get you more." She said. "Now, wait here, and be good. We'll be back after I show Miral around." She said.

The Wyvern huffed, but reached out her head to nuzzle into Octavia's bust, then did the same to Miral. She lay her head down and went to sleep. She led Miral away. "So, what would you like to eat?" She asked leading Miral up to the messhall.

Miral couldn't help but be overawed at the spectacle of the Eyrie. Beyond the the front gate was a massive construct of passages and cliff-side perches for the various flyers, along with a large staging area where the assorted flyers of the Asentari military would gather and depart from. Beside the main entrance was another building that resembled a large collection of dog kennels, though as they drew closer it became apparent that the dogs the kennels were intended for were bigger than horses. Miral was about to wonder just what the inhabitants of such a structure could be, when one approached. Octavia explained that the creature was a Drake, flightless creatures that resembled smaller wingless Wyverns. The Drake approached boisterously, startling Saelie. Octavia told Miral she could pet the Drake if she wanted to, while the Asentari tried to get Saelie to relax.

Miral glanced nervously at Inara, and then studied the creature for a moment, before slowly extending her hand to touch the Drake's head softly. She was amazed when she attempted to read the Drake's mood and found that it was male and just as curious about her as she was about him. Though the scars of her past still gave her pause when dealing with the draconic species of the land, Miral found herself being put at ease a little here. Though she normally associated Dragons with destruction, Edia was a testament to the fact that despite sharing draconic bloodlines, the Asentari and their native creatures were just as varied and peaceful as the other races. "Astounding." Inara brushed against her leg and looked at her with pride. "I told it was possible. You can heal more than you think." Miral looked down at her faithful companion and smiled in relief. "Perhaps."

Octavia then led them over to the entrance building to Eyrie, guarded by a pair of severe looking guards armed with spears and large shields. They requested Miral's identity, and Octavia explained. Miral produced the ring that Hargen had given her, which appeased the guards, and they were admitted inside. While Octavia organized food for Saelie and a decent place to stay, Miral looked around and was even more amazed at the interior of the facility. The Eyrie was populated by Wyverns in a variety of sizes and colors, and Miral sensed absolutely no malice or evil in any of them. It was truly incredible. Saelie huffed but was eventually fed and settled in, and Octavia would find Miral staring out of the gap in the wall that overlooked another island. Her attention was brought back when Saelie nuzzled into her chest. Miral smiled as the Wyvern then lay down and went to sleep. "Goodnight, Lady Saelie."

Octavia then moved onto the topic of food for themselves. Miral suddenly realized how hungry she was. Inara looked at her with relief. "I was wondering when you'd remember that we have to eat too." Miral raised an eyebrow at her Companion, before looking at Octavia. "I don't eat meat, but otherwise anything will do. Thank you for your hospitality. I will endeavor to not be a burden to you." She followed Octavia to the mess hall, Inara walking alongside her.

Miral nodded and said she didn't eat meat but would eat just about anything else. Octavia smiled. "That's fine. We have as varied a diet as humans, so meat isn't the only thing on our menu." She said, leading Miral towards the messhall in the upper area of the fort. Food was usually set out for breakfast lunch and dinner, but the kitchen took requests, and were used to Octavia showing up randomly in search of food. One of the kitchen hands took her and Miral's order, giving Miral a curious but welcoming smile, and returned with the food in hand a while later. Octavia picked up her plate after thanking the woman. "Come on, I want to show you the city." She said, eating some of the salad as they walked.

Octavia lead Miral to a spiral staircase and upwards, exiting onto a wide wooden roof surrounded by crenelations. She always found the old human style of construction amusing. This fort would probably never serve as the building's intended purpose, since Edia wasn't exactly easy to invade with ground forces, and other flying creatures could simply go straight to the city. Octavia led Miral to the edge that looked down over the Island the bulk of Eapara city rested on, and started to point out various aspects of the city. The most noticeable building was the senate house, a large building of marble Pillars that dominated the centre of the island with a large open garden surrounding it. It was a public garden, where people could go to relax and hear news of the goings on in the senate house. A market square sat on each entrance to  the garden, and shops were spread out. A fortress sat to the north of the Senate house, where the Primoris Rex and the rest of the Oculi were housed. The rest of the city was made up of dwellings of Various sizes, some up to five stories high and catering to several families, and several smaller public gardens.

There was also a large Arena, to the east of the Oculi fortress, that hosted duels and war games. The city webbed out from the centre, and there was a few other islands visible, connected by stone bridges, that held more housing or shops. Outside the bounds of the city, scattered around, were several villa houses.  She pointed to one in particular, though she didn't know why exactly. "That's my Grandfather's house. He's a noble born. He disowned my mother for loving a human." Octavia had only encountered him once, the day of her mother's funeral ceremony, and he'd only had nasty words to say about her and her father. She'd never spoken to anyone about him. Except Darius. She starred towards the house, a look of sadness on her face.

Miral followed Octavia inside the mess hall, where they were attended to by a kitchen hand who seemed a little confused by Miral's presence, though she still offered a warm smile, which the Eldross returned as she ordered her food. When the food was ready, Miral and Octavia picked it up and thanked the kitchen hand for looking after them. The lady even offered a few slices of fish to Inara, which the ocelot was all to happy to accept. Miral bowed politely to her. "Inara is very happy. Thank you." Octavia suggested that they eat and walk, as she wanted to show Miral the sights of the city. Miral nodded eating a piece of kale and offering a slice of her own kipper to Inara as they walked.

The view from the top of the parapet of the fort they had entered was magnificent. Octavia identified the buildings for her and they stood for a while, eating and taking in the view. Octavia then pointed to one of the large houses, identifying it as her grandfather's house. She then told Miral about how her grandfather had disowned Octavia's mother for loving a Human. Miral pondered this for a moment, before turning to Octavia with a sorrowful look on her face. "I am sorry to hear that. Is that kind of attitude normal for your people? Or was your grandfather unusually cruel?" She was curious, but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries as she continued to eat. Inara walked over to Octavia and sat next to her, staring over the view too.

Octavia sighed and nodded. "It's typical of the older nobility. We were once ruled by a single king and his nobles, but the last hundred fifty years saw a big shift in our politcal systems." She said. Not getting into the details of that she said, "Asentari live on average 600 years, so the older nobility still remember those days, and haven't changed much. They're stuck up, selfish and misogynistic." She explained. "My.. Ex was one. He acted like a prick when we first met, but grew out of it. Might have been because I beat the snot out of him in the arena." Octavia smiled. "Or because he found out about what happened between his aunt and grandfather." She sighed and marveled at just how much she was talking. She looked over at Miral and smiled.

There was footsteps on the roof, and Octavia turned around to see Hargan approaching. He nodded politely to Miral. "Octavia, the Primoris Rex want's to speak to you. Both of you. There's been an update on the freelands situation." He said. Octavia raised her eyebrows. "What's happened. Why does she want Miral?" She asked. "Aline Drexara's been kidnapped by the Red Fang. Come on, the Primoris will explain. And curiousity, perhaps? Or maybe a request for extra help. We're only sending you to assist Rex." Octavia frowned, but nodded, and followed him down into the heart of the Eerie to his office.

Alura stood at the edge of Hargen's desk. There was a map on it, currently, showing Rex's planned route. Along with the letter he had left them. Upon the arrival of the two people she wanted to see, the Primoris Rex returned the salute to both Hargen and Octavia. The six foot five woman went into a parade rest stance. And first spoke to Miral. "Greetings. I'm Primoris Rex Alura Wanderweich. Thank you for your assistance with Ms. Velerius. But we have another matter to attend to. Rex's update on the situation with Aline Drexara.

Ms. Velerius, I'd like you to go assist him. I'm assuming Mr. Hargen had already told you that Aline had been kidnapped by the Red Fang, the same poachers that you encountered earlier today. He's currently accompanied by Bethany Merciallus, Darius's aunt, Commander Kairi Thorne, yes the one that helped with the Contact War, and one of a Lina Hargrave's Hounds, an Undari named Arilia. It was Ms. Hargrave's two subordinates that kidnapped Lady Drexara, but Rex had since made a deal with her. Assassinate the ruler of Karcenak, a Heanta named Juresh, and she'll let them and Lady Drexara go without resistance. That is also the same city that she is being kept anyways.

His logic on getting involved is sound...if such a malevolent group got control of the closest and strongest main freeland city to us, it would make us far too nervous, to the point that we'll conquer the city to make sure it will not be used against us. Mondolin would not take kindly to this. For as much faith as I have in Commander Thorne's and Rex's abilities, I'm unsure of the other two let alone that Ms. Hargrave will keep to her word.

The reason I bring this up with our guest is that you will need to go home eventually. Ms. Velerius can drop you off on her way to reinforce my apprentice. Or you can assist in getting Lady Drexara back. The choice is yours, just know that we cannot give you anything in return for your assistance aside from our gratitude. Lady Drexara is too much of a stabilizing presence to be allowed to be kidnapped for long...on Mr. Hargen's desk here is a map, and Rex's planned route to Karcenak. Ms. Hargrave claim she will open the door to them if they made it there in three days. So you don't have much time.

Your mission is to rendezvous with Rex and Commander Thorne before they reach Karcenak, assist in any way to kill Juresh and rescue Aline. And bring her back to Edaria safely. Then make sure my apprentice returns home without any more distractions. I would go myself, but that has complications of its own. When can you depart?" Hargen had told her Octavia had just tamed a wyvern. And encountered poachers. Hopefully they can leave by mid-day tomorrow, but a sinking feeling told her that it may be the day after tomorrow. That would be cutting it damn close to their time frame.

Shade and the Cordus Rex had convinced her, in a rather heated argument, to rely on someone of a lesser rank to do this. Shade was back in the city, likely trying to relax his muscles, and her second in command was likely recovering, draped across the couch in their shared office.