Neptune

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. “Oh there is a lot of money to be found trading in alchemy ingredients, especially if you have the right connections. Most alchemists are found in Selil. That’s where the real money is at. The competition is fierce there, especially with the rarer ingredients. Some people will pay thousands of gold coins for something like a dragons eye. So, if you can get your hands on the right ingredients, there is a lot of money to be made. Mainly because the job of collecting them is so dangerous that only the really strong, or the really foolish go out to hunt them down.” Rayvenne told Luna, reaching out and stroking down Raeghan’s back. The bird ruffled his feathers a little but allowed the caress. Rayvenne then looked back up at the girls next comment, before raising her eyebrow. After a moment, she said, “Most wild dragons are feral, Luna. Diplomacy wouldn’t work on them. You would be very lucky to find a dragon that is intelligent enough to even understand your words, let alone be open for diplomacy. The only dragons I’ve ever encountered that meets those two criteria, are Eldyr Dragons and even then, they’re not completely dragons. So don’t get your hopes too high, Luna. Most dragons fall under the category of monster, or wild animal.” This girl was almost painfully optimistic. She seemed to think she could almost do anything, and had little idea as to the reality of the world that she lived in. Craethiel was a wild, untamed place filled with dangerous monsters. One could not expect to be so… naive. Rayvenne would feel envious of her, if it wasn’t for the fact that her attitude could get her into serious trouble. It made her wonder how Luna had survived this long. Still, she kept these thoughts to herself as technically Luna was her employer and Rayvenne was careful never to piss her employer off, unless she had some serious issues with them that violated her principles. She moved the hand that was stroking Raeghan to beside her leg, causing the raven to hop onto it. She then moved it up to her shoulder, transferring her friend to his new perch before she stood up in a single smooth, graceful movement, “We should perhaps get going. Did you need to visit Taiom, or can you wait until we get to Kalath which will have more buying options?” She looked over at Luna for her answer.

Location: Along with Ageon River, North of Rosayia Forest. As Natia explained the concept of their balance, Rowan was quiet as he listened carefully. It certainly was a little more complicated than what he was thinking. To him, the natural was merely the natural world such as the trees and grass, but she was talking about something completely different. He had no idea what this balance would be for his species, but he was one that believed that the Keza’s weren’t created by some deity so he doubted his species would follow this rule. Their current theory was that they were created by the Eldyrannth, especially since some of their very early records seemed to support that theory. So could he still had this balance thing she was talking about? For that matter, how could one tell their own balance, or the balance of others? So how would Natia know if her balance had been disrupted? Merely because of the consequences? Surely there was some other way she could balance herself out. So deep into his thoughts, he almost missed what she went on to say. At her questions as to why he didn’t just rape and sell her, he raised an eyebrow at her before he said in a rather mild tone, “Not everyone is willing to give up their morals for money, Natia. I’m not one to trade in forced slaves. That is beneath me.” His tone then became softer, “I could not in good conscious do something like that. Especially not with someone as sweet as yourself. I don’t think that you’re a burden, at all. In fact I am really enjoying your company. If I just sold you, then I would be missing out. To me, Natia, that is worth far more than the money I would make by selling you to be a slave.” He held her closer to him, kissing the top of her head before tucking it under his chin so that he could wrap his arms fully around her in a protective cuddle, “But, I can’t really do much to try and find your family right now. But I can keep an eye and ear out for you while I’m doing what I need to do.” He doubted that she could actually help him with what he was doing, as he was doing what he did best. Information gathering, and she didn’t have the kinds of connections that he had, not his natural talent of spying on people. But her company would be all the help he needed and he was quite happy with that. Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. An eyebrow raised at Luna’s assurance regarding the wagon. Perhaps she had some spell that took care of it and hid it from view when they were travelling paths that the wagon could not traverse. But, whether it was some spell, or she left it behind at a town, Rayvenne didn’t really care. As long as it would be no problem. Because there was no way she was going to try and help push a damn wagon through mountainous territory. She didn’t bother asking and merely remained silent as she finished her stew. Once it was finished, she set it aside and watched Raeghan who was pecking at the last few pieces of his own food. Her eyes moved back over to Luna as she went on about the monsters. Rayvenne tilted her head to the side with a small nod, “Yes, they are immensely useful. There are numerous species that reside within the mountains. With a good hunting expedition, you could come back with enough alchemy ingredients to last you a few years.” She said as Raeghan once again jumped up onto her knee now that he had finished with his food. He ruffled his feathers as he turned around to look at Luna again, “Quite likely. The same with the forest. It’s dangerous work, but well worth the effort. Such ingredients are worth a lot of money on the alchemy market.” “Yes. I’ve done it a few times myself. I hunt after the monsters that everyone else is too scared of even going near.” Rayvenne said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. It was actually quite profitable, but she preferred to avoid becoming just a hunter as it would confine her to the areas most populated by monsters and she liked to travel around the entire country.

While Izanagi disappeared off to hunt for some meat, Daedrin set up the campfire and constructed a spit which he hung their cooking pot from. He took their sleeping bags from the horses and lay them down near the fire, closer to the protection of the tree but allowing them to benefit from the heat that the fire generated. He then returned to the fire and began to prepare their stew, pouring water into the pot from their own water supply. Luckily, he knew that there were several fresh water streams in the mountains that they could take advantage of. Certainly tastier than river water, that was for sure. As he was preparing them, he looked up as he could sense Izanagi returning. His red eyes lit up in appreciation at what his friend brought back, “Those are some fine fish you have there.” He commented with a grin as he took the fish and looked at them closer, “Certainly enough for the both of us.” He said before laying them down on a nearby rock. He finished what he was doing with the vegetables before picking up a flattish rock. He inspected it for a few moments before brushing it clean and putting it close to the fire to heat up. He then turned his attention to the fish, pulling out a dagger. At first, Daedrin used the blade of the knife to descale the fish as he knew that wouldn’t be particularly appetising. He then sliced the fish open, gutting it to remove the guts and other unpleasant organs that they wouldn’t want to eat. He then neatly sliced the flesh off, taking off as much of it as possible before slicing it up into smaller pieces. He placed them on the flat rock, giving them a slight sear on the surface before he threw them into the pot. Once he had finished all of the meat, he threw the rest of the ingredients into the pot and put the lid on, “A good fish stew. I haven’t had one in a long time.” He said before he picked up the leftovers of the fish and carrying it a distance from the camp. Using telekinesis, he dug out a small pit before burying the disgards. He then returned to the camp and washed his hands before taking a long drink from. He then returned to the fire and sat himself down, turning his red eyes towards the mountains as if drawn to them. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he felt a feeling of nostalgia rise up inside of him. Without even realising it, he started to speak, “I have a very special love for mountains, you know. I grew up in a mountainous valley, in a castle keep. It was a very peaceful place, and I feel quite privileged to have grown up there. It was so beautiful. The mountains were always capped with snow, no matter the time of year. And at the very bottom of the valley was the clearest lake you could have ever seen. So clear you could see the bottom of it, and all the fish that swam within it. And just beyond the valley was a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see… I rather miss it.” He let out a soft hum, not taking his eyes off of the mountain before he then added, “I will go back, one day. It won’t be for a very long time, though.”

Zack couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips as he heard the waver in her voice as she practically pleaded with him to be gentle. Ultimately, he had no desire to be gentle with her. But by the time he got to that point, she would be in no position to be begging him to stop. Now that she was tied up, he felt like he could do anything to her. The feeling of having this power over her, knowing that she was helpless to his whims was thrilling. He could simply walk out, leave her like this. Or even just throw her out on the street like this. While the thought was amusing, it wasn’t what he wanted. He had an aching erection and it was demanding to be satisfied by using her body. But first, he wanted to make sure that she was ready. Not because it would minimise the pain for her, but for himself. He hooked a finger into the ropes tying her arms and pulled her backwards slowly so that she wouldn’t trip. He sat down on the bed before moving his hands around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. His hands then moved down to her thighs, taking them firmly and spreading them so that her legs fell down on either side of his thighs. Due to the fact that his legs were longer than her own, it would make it hard for her to close her legs on him. He leaned down, kissing the skin of her shoulder almost tenderly before he smirked against her as his left hand came up and cupped her breast, groping it gently before he allowed his fingers to run over the nipple. He then gently took it between his forefinger and thumb and pinched it a little before rolling it around to create enough pressure to make it pleasurable. He kissed his way up her neck until his lips were beside her ear, “Sometimes it’s not always about pleasuring the client. Sometimes they like to pleasure you.” He told her softly. His right hand moved from her thigh to between her legs. He ghosted his fingers over her pussy, feeling that right now she was dry. Considering how scared she was, it didn’t surprise him. Zack shifted his fingers until they were lightly pressed against her clit, before he applied more pressure to it before he began to rotate in slow circles. He knew with someone this tense, immediately going in full throttle was a bad idea. He needed to work her up to that point. It not only got her wet, but might also relax her. In her ear, he told her, “If you feel like moaning, don’t hold back. I want to hear them.” While sometimes he liked women trying to be quiet, he didn’t want this one to be. He wanted to hear all the lewd noises from such an innocent looking girl as he defiled her completely and made her into a woman.

I do agree that it's a good idea ^^

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Rayvenne paused when Luna said that cooking and alchemy had similar concepts to one another. She had to admit that the bunny girl was quite right. They did share numerous qualities with one another, such as requiring a specific method, ingredient amounts and cooking times to get the result that was desired. Anything that deviated too much from the norm, and it would create something entirely different. Perhaps even ruin it all together. So she quietly agreed to that with a slight nod as she spooned more of the stew into her mouth and chewed on it. At Luna’s next question, Rayvenne’s eyebrow raised a little but she didn’t say anything at first as she still had her mouth full of food. When she swallowed, she said, “I doubt it would take much effort to lure out bandits. With a wagon, and only a singular guard - a female guard at that - you would no doubt be thought of as an easy target. At the moment we’re neat Lake Ryomar… there is the village of Taiom over the river but that’s just a village. It won’t attract much attention from bandits. However, if we continue to travel along the river towards Lake Kelrak, we will be able to cross the bridge to Kalath. The bridge is an idea spot to be ambushed by bandits. It’s considered a bit of a weak spot, as the guards don’t patrol that far from the town. Plus we can make sure that we are stocked on supplies before we head to the mountains. It would be a good idea to leave your wagon there as well. Enutpen’s Glory is not a very smooth mountain range. Wagons are impossible up there.” Raeghan lifted his beak from his bowl and said, “She’s right. The mountains are treacherous, even in the best of weather. The quickest way to move around is with a horse.” “Of course, that’s not mentioning all the monsters in the mountain ranges. Dragons aren’t the only being that inhabit the mountains. You have other monsters like mountain trolls. Not the easiest to beat, but I can handle them. Hopefully we won’t have to venture too far in to find what you’re after.” Rayvenne said, adding to what Raeghan said before eating another spoonful.

Donovan frowned at the contents that showed on this new OS and after a few minutes of hesitation, he opened up the video and allowed it to play. His eyebrows shot up when he saw that it had a representative from the Consortium and one of the high ranking officials of the Authority’s Security Force. It looked as if it cost a lot of money to produce, and had the air of authenticity. Now he wasn’t entirely sure what to think. He had assumed it was something that had been created by some hacker. If it was, then this was a very high effort hack but he wasn’t sure if they could create a video such as this, using the images of other people. He concentrated on the contents of the video and listened as they explained the functions of this Hero OS and demonstrated them, causing his eyebrows to raise a little. He rather liked the sound of this Geo-Location and ‘Map’ capabilities as it showed threats in real time, a feature that Donovan thought of as immensely useful especially in his capacity as a police officer. This ‘App store’ was interesting as well, and Donovan made a mental note to have a look at it later. He continued listening as the video went on the speak about the Game Images and instructed him on how to use them. Despite how complex the technology was, it sounded pretty easy to use although Donovan still had his doubts about this. When the video ended, Donovan sat there for a few moments, feeling quite confused. Where had this sprung from? He had not heard of this particular update being publicly talked about. He had kept an eye on the news, as he often did, and he didn’t remember anything about a Hero OS. The only thing that he could remember being spoken about a defense program was that last year, the Consortium had won a government contract to help develop a new defense program. Perhaps this was it? This was not… what he was expecting to come of that. He turned his attention to the letter and clicked on it. His eyes narrowed a little when it asked for a password. He stiffened a little when the hint told him that it was his daughters name. He glared almost suspiciously at his Arm Computer, not liking this in the slightest. Slowly, he entered in Lily’s name and it caused the text file to open. It was a letter addressed, personally, to him. He read his way through it, his eyes widening a little with each line he read. The first question that popped up in his mind was ‘why me?’. Why choose him? He wasn’t really that special; a detective in the police department. Sure, he was quite young for a detective, but what made this person think he was a good candidate for this… Hero OS? He sighed, shifting his eyes to the time and seeing that it was almost midnight. He pushed himself up and left his study. He shoulder get to bed, although he doubted he would get much sleep. Not when he had so many questions floating around his head. But he ultimately knew that it was useless to sit in his study and stew all night, not when he would not get any answers until he had a chance to speak to this mysterious person. And he was curious as to what this first Game Image was. As he passed the front door, he glanced down at the shoe rack and saw that Charlotte’s shoes weren’t there, meaning she had still yet to come back from her night out. Donovan turned and headed up the stairs, intending on heading to his own bedroom. He paused on the way, though, and looked into Lily’s room to make sure that she was alright. He smiled at the sight of her sleeping soundly in her own bed, cuddling her teddy. He quietly closed the door and moved onto the master bedroom. Here, he stripped and folded his clothes before putting them into the hamper to be washed later in the week. He pulled on a pair of loose fitting pajama trousers but didn’t bother with a top. He only did that during the winter when it was cold. He turned off the light and slipped into his side of the bed and settled down in an attempt to sleep. He was curious about this mystery person. Who he was, and why he was distributing this software to people. Why pick Donovan? It was clear that the man knew details about his life, such as his daughters name as well as where he worked. But then that information was hardly private. Still, he found it an uncomfortable thought, that someone had been observing him and decided to pick him for whatever the hell was going on. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and the light turned back on. He raised his head and looked over to see Charlotte stumbling into the room, clearly quite drunk. She stopped when she saw him and blinked owlishly at him, “I thought you would be asleep already.” She slurred. “I have a lot on my mind.” Donovan replied. He briefly considered telling her about the strange Hero OS, but at the sound of her uncaring grunt, he decided not to. She closed the door and stumbled towards their en-suite bathroom. Ten minutes later, she came out in her nightgown and stumbled to the bed. Donovan pulled back the duvet, getting a small grunt of thanks before she crawled into the bed and turned so that her back was towards him. Within moments, she was deeply asleep, snoring lightly. Donovan shook his head and threw the cover over her before he settled down himself and closing his eyes. After a while of restlessly tossing and turning, he fell asleep. The next morning, Donovan awoke to the sound of alarm blaring, followed by a pained groan from Charlotte. He reached out, pressing the stop button on the alarm before he slipped out of the bed. He glanced at Charlotte who tossed and let out a louder snore before falling quieter. He then moved into the bathroom where he started his morning routine of using the toilet, having a shave and a hot shower. He emerged from the bathroom with his towel wrapped around his waist. He had also taken some painkillers from the medicine cabinet and filled a glass from the sink with water. He put them down on the bedside table next to Charlotte before he turned to his wardrobe and got dressed in a black suit and a white shirt but lacked a tie. He then left the room after making sure that his hair wasn’t too unruly before he went to Lily’s room. He opened it up to find that she was already awake and playing with her teddy. She smiled happily at the sight of him, “Daddy~” She said happily. Donovan smiled at her as he stepped into her bedroom, “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you dressed and then get you something to eat.” He said. She nodded and followed him over to her chest of drawers where he helped her get dressed in a pair of elastic jean-like trousers and a T-shirt that had the words ‘Daddy’s Little Princess’ written across in pink letters. She picked up her teddy again before holding her arms up to him. Even though she could easily walk on her own, Donovan obliged her and picked her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he did so. He took her down stairs and into the kitchen, sitting her at her place at their table which had a booster seat. He then served her a bowl of cereal while he cooked up some toast for himself, as well as a cup of coffee. As he was finishing up his breakfast, Charlotte came into the kitchen looking a little worse for wear after her night of drinking. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat herself down at the table, not really paying attention as Lily tried to talk to her. She merely hummed at the things her daughter said, her eyebrows creased a little in pain. Once Donovan was finished with his breakfast, he put his dishes away in the dishwasher before he came over and gave Lily a kiss, before kissing Charlotte’s cheek, “I’ll be back.” “Bye daddy!” Lily said, pouting a little. Donovan stroked the top of her head affectionately as Charlotte said, “Have a good day at work.” “I hope so…” Donovan said with a slightly thoughtful frown as he left the kitchen and went into the main hallway where he slipped on his shoes and picked up his keys. He then left his house and moved over to his car where he slipped in and turned on the engine before he pulled out of his driveway and headed to work.

Due to the fact that the cultists and Hounds were distracted by their now destroyed mansion, Daedrin was able to lead Izanagi away from the centre of their worship with minimal encounters. Daedrin was relieved to get out from underneath that perpetual cloud that hung above the mansion. It felt good to have the warmth of the sun once more against his skin. It had been so gloomy beneath the cloud cover and both of the horses seemed to perk up when they had left. Thankfully, now that they were past Ashaba, it wouldn’t take them long to reach their final destination. He looked up through the trees and could see the looming peaks of Enutpen’s Glory. Despite the fact that they could see them, they were still a few days travel from their base. While not as sprawling as the Therarr peaks, this mountain range was taller, with their peaks penetrating the clouds. They were so large and imposing that they affected the very layout of the land. They were the very reason for the existence of the Dynx Desert as the mountains prevented any rain moving from the Rosayia forest up north. For several days, Daedrin lead Izanagi through the winding paths of the forest. With the mountains in view, it was easily to make their way towards them. Even an amature navigator could not lose their way with such beacons. Now that they were so deep into the forest, their chances of encountering dangerous monsters was significantly higher, and the two had a couple of run ins with persistent monsters who thought that the two would make an easy meal, only to find out the hard way that they weren’t. The hunting was good at least, and Daedrin knew enough about the local fauna to pick edible plants to compliment their meals. On the evening of the third day since leaving the mansion, Daedrin pulled his mount to a stop and looked up at the mountains that had gradually grown in size until they had almost completely taken over their view. He turned his head towards his travelling companion and said, “We should be leaving the forest soon. The location we will need to go, to mine the Kraerhil is a little distance into the mountain range. Thankfully we won’t have to go too far in. The mountains can be just as dangerous as this forest…” He sighed through his nose before giving a slight smile, “We’ll set up camp here for tonight. We should be able to reach the location the day after tomorrow if we set out in the morning.” He dismounted from Daegrin and lead the Aelda over to one of the nearby trees that looked like it would be a good spot to set up camp. Immediately, he set about making the fire and setting up a pot to cook a hot stew, figuring that a good hearty and hot meal would do them good before tackling the mountains. He looked up from what he was doing and asked, “Mind finding some meat for the stew?”

Location: Along with Ageon River, North of Rosayia Forest. Rowen smirked a little as his little Natia flushed a deep red. He loved making her blush like that. She was so cute when she blushed like that. It made him want to hold her even tighter than before. At her next sentence, Rowan found himself tilting his head slightly with a raised eyebrow before it then creased in thought, “Why is it so shameful? That primal part of you is… well, instinct. I thought your people were close to nature? I would have thought that such… instinctual behaviour would be a good thing. Why isn’t it?” He asked, clearly a little confused by the concept. He knew that even a rather proud and proper race like the Eldyrannth gave into the demands on their more primal needs. But then, they were very close to nature and magic and the beasts that were a part of their very core being. They knew that their primal urges needed to be satisfied. Keza’s felt no shame in doing so, that he knew. Despite the numerous attempts of various past rulers, their natural instincts could never be completely stamped out, and Rowan never really tried to do it with himself. He saw no point in it. He felt it was lying to oneself. He was brought from his thoughts when Natia’s voice started again, and he switched his attention back to her as she expressed the desire to have her collar off of her. He smiled a little as she spoke about their bonding ritual. It did sound quite nice, and he was curious to see what rings they created. He couldn’t help but wonder what a ring set would be for him and Natia. It would certainly be something unique, that was for sure. He kissed the top of her head before saying, “The Aequu must keep themselves very much to themselves, because I’ve never encountered a tribe before and I’m quite a well travelled person. But then there are various places in Craethiel where a tribe might hide itself… like in the mountains… in the Rosayia Forest… or even on one of the islands. I can’t really help you right now, since I have my own task that I need to do… but I promise, I’ll try and help look for your family at least. I already know someone who might be able to get this collar off. But again… I have something I need to be doing first.” He spoke apologetically, but he unfortunately couldn’t abandon his duty to his father. Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Rayvenne watched as the girls ears twitched and shifted in a strange manner, as she had a look of deep thought on her face. She raised her eyebrows a little before returning her attention to her small grass basket that she was weaving. As such, she almost jumped in surprise when Luna suddenly shouted out. Raeghan was less restrained, and let out an undignified squawk of surprise before he ruffled his feathers and cawing in a displeased way. Rayvenne snickered a little at him, causing him to glare at her a little with his blood red eyes before he turned to look at Luna as she rattled off some of the things she might need. Rayvenne raised her head again, her eyebrow raising at the mention of grave robbing. So she needed parts of a human? At least, that was what she gathered from the remark. “If you’re after something from a human, you could always wait until we’re attacked by bandits. That will give you plenty of whatever it is that you’re after.” Rayvenne said, putting forth another suggestion. It would kill two birds with one stone. She had no doubt that they would be attacked sooner or later, especially if they went closer to one of the towns. Bandits sometimes hung around nearby on the main roads, waiting for merchants to pass them by so that they could attack and get their merchandise. Rayvenne brought her attention back when Luna began to squeak excitedly. She tensed when she thought she could see the girl opening her arms as if to go in for a hug but she felt relieved that Luna decided to hug herself. She shook her head slightly, wondering why she got so excited so easily. She watched as the girl bounced her way over to the wagon. She put the small basket down beside her now that she had finished weaving it. Raeghan had started to run his beak through his wing features to make sure that they remained straight and thus efficient for flying. He looked back up when Luna ran back with another bowl, smaller than the other two. When she dished out the stew, Raeghan jumped down in front of his bowl, “Why thank you.” He said before he immediately began to eat. “Thank you.” Rayvenne said, picking up her own bowl and starting to eat. Despite the fact that she was so cold, no one could really fault her for her manners. And the stew was quite delicious. Better than she had, had in a long time. The meat was perfectly juicy but well cooked, and seemed to have absorbed the flavour of the sauce. She nodded a little before complimenting, “This is very well made.”

Zack’s eyes were fixed on her arse as she bent over slightly, allowing the curve of her arse to press against the material of her skirt in a way that made him want to reach out and touch her. But he resisted the impulse, content with watching as she slowly pulled her skirt down, slowly revealing her smooth, bare arse. But she stopped halfway before she touched her fingers to her chin and gave her an innocent look as if she hadn’t meant to do that. He smirked back at her, pleased by the action. Shy she might be, and humiliating she might find this, but she clearly had some talent with the whole teasing thing. He had never had someone pull off such an innocent, playful look before. His eyes were then fixed on her arse as she wiggled it from side to side, slowly causing her skirt to slip down further on her hips in a tantalizing way until gravity finally took over and caused the article to drop down onto the floor to pool at her feet. His eyes then moved back up as she tucked in her arms to pull the rest of her top off completely. His then saw the tattoo that was stamped across her back. He recognised it, as symbol of the Vipers. It looked like a branding. A marking of their property. Its presence caused one of his eyebrows to raise. He was surprised that she was a virgin, if they had gotten their hands on her. They weren’t exactly known to be like gentlemen when it came to women. But he knew that she was going to be the property for as long as she remained useful to them. Once they had run out of use for her, then it was likely that she would be just thrown into the rubbish heap. That’s how it was with any kind of gang and their whores. They were kept as long as they were useful. He wouldn’t be surprised if this girl ended up dead in a ditch one day. Not that he really cared about that. He had his own problems to worry about. He shook himself from his thoughts as he looked at her standing completely naked in front of him. His eyes moved down her curved frame and the round cheeks of her arse. He smirked a little before saying, “That was quite a good little show. You pull the innocent act so very well. Now, take off your high heels and stay where you are.” He reached over to his bag before pulling out a length of rope along with a blindfold. He stood up, shredding the last of his own clothes before he came up behind her once she had taken off her shoes. He quickly slipped on the blindfold so that she could not see, “Don’t try and take it off.” He instructed, keeping his voice firm to let her know that he wasn’t going to put up with any tricks. He then took her tiny arms in his hands and brought them behind her back before he tied her wrists together. It was tight enough to prevent her from wriggling her way out of them but not so tight that it would actually hurt her. He wrapped the rope up her lower arms, tying them together. He then pulled back a little to admire the result before he smirked, “Beautiful.” He commented, before looking up to the back of her head to see her reaction to being tied like this.

Location: Inside Rose’s House Rose shivered when she felt Anhara’s hand trailing down the side of her body. She wanted to shift away from the touch, but pinned as she was she couldn’t move so much as a millimetre. She was trapped and she hated the feeling. But there was nothing she could do about it. She stiffened when Anhara leaned forwards and pressed her lips against Rose’s own. But she didn’t resist, even when the girl pushed her tongue in making Rose want to recoil in disgust especially at the taste of blood. She wished she could push Anhara away, but she had given her word that she would be good. But she had not promised to accept everything that the girl did to her with open enthusiasm. She merely lay there, trying to be as unresponsive as possible. When the girl pulled back, Rose pulled her lips into a thin line. As she looked up into the sinister, lustful grin of the girl above her, her throat bobbed slightly as she gulped. That grin made her want to run away as fast as she could and curl up in the deepest hole that she could find. She doubted even the centre of the earth would be deep enough to hide from this… predator. Because that was how this felt. A predator that had cornered her prey and was intending on playing with her food before she ate her fill. She was brought back from her thoughts when the man’s voice sounded in her ear again, requesting to speak with Anhara once again. Rose nodded, even though he couldn’t see the action before saying, “Yes… sir.” She looked up at Anhara again, “He wants to talk to you again.” She said, glad to not be having to talk to the man anymore. His callousness towards her life made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Her hopes that he could be someone with which she could negotiate with were neatly dashed. He was clearly wrapped around this girls little finger. How could a father allow their daughter to do such things? Anhara was a monster, who clearly cared nothing about the lives she was hurting. Her chest constricted, making it harder to breath as her throat closed in on itself. Her eyes stung a little, but she refused to let the tears spill over. She didn’t want to give Anhara that satisfaction. She blinked a few times, trying to get a hold of herself, hoping that the girl above her didn’t notice. She felt so weak and helpness. She hated it, herself and especially Anhara for making her like this.

“Yes… I’m fine…” Daedrin assured Izanagi, one hand massaging his chest right above his aching left heart. The pain was beginning to disappear, and he hoped that his heart was getting back on track. He just wished he did not have to run so soon after having a heart failure. The running had taken more out of him than he would have liked. Absently, he nodded his head in agreement to Izanagi’s suggestion to get back to the horses. Lucky was no doubt spooked by what had happened and Daedrin couldn’t blame her. Daedrin followed his friend along the wall to where their mounts were waiting for them, twitching his head to the side slightly at the question. He then frowned a little before he looked at the still collapsing building, “It could be possible. I know I certainly didn’t do anything to destabilize the structure of the building…” He trailed off as he concentrated on the building, his sharp vision able to see details that would be lost to most species. After all, his vision was designed to allow him to see individual grass blades from high up in the clouds. He frowned a little, “It almost looks as if the building is… aging, at a quick pace.” He looked back at Izanagi, “Perhaps they were using the relic to keep the building intact. After all, before Torak was defeated, he would have been the one to keep the place in one piece. With him and the relic gone, there’s nothing to stop it. I know you might not have been able to do much because you mentioned earlier that your powers were disabled. So the relic is the only thing I can think of… because I doubt the Disciple had enough power to keep such a large building intact.” He paused when they came to the gate, not bothering to be quiet as he opened it causing the metal to screech. He winced a little as it penetrated his sharp hearing, but he knew that with the noise of the building collapsing, no one would pay it any attention. He moved over to Daegrin and patted his neck before moving over to the other gate and opening it up. He went back over to his Aelda and lead him outside, where he looked around. He could see some torches in the distance, milling around, “We need to be careful. I can see some cultists moving around. If they spot us, they’re sure to attack… especially after what we did.” He mounted up onto Daegrin and took his reins in his hands, “Come on. This way.” He said before turning Daegrin around and nudging him into a trot away from the mansion.

Location: Along with Ageon River, North of Rosayia Forest. While Natia was eating the bread and cheese, Rowan quietly ate his own food as he watched Baellator. The Aelda was contently munching on the grass that was within the clearing. The Keza had noticed that the animal had pretty much trimmed the grass around them, clearly taking advantage of their rather extended stay. The thought made Rowan’s lip twitch in amusement as they had spent most of the day before having sex. He certainly felt better for it as well, as he had slept very well. But then he always slept better when he had someone else to warm his bed and to cuddle within his arms. And Natia was small enough to fit very well and for him to curl around her protectively. He could certainly get used to sleeping with Natia at night. A selfish part of him didn’t want them to stumble upon her family, because he had grown to really love her company. He felt at ease with her, and she was incredibly sweet. But he knew that he couldn’t stop her if she wanted to go back to her family. All he was interested in was her happiness. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt her head leaning against his shoulder. He ate the last piece of his meat and smiled back at her, shifting his head so that he could nuzzle the top of her head. His ears twitched a little when she spoke, and he listened quietly. He then smiled fondly before pulling his head back up and shifting to wrap an arm around her. He then pulled her up onto his lap where he wrapped both of his arms around her and held her close, one hand lightly resting on her thigh as he stroked it soothingly, “Don’t worry, love.” He said, kissing the top of her head, “The mark doesn’t last long even on Keza’s either. I don’t think the bond itself has much to do with the mark. I have no idea how it works but… the bond we did was only the first level. There is a deeper level where both parties would bite, draw blood and then kiss… mix the blood together, before swallowing it. That creates a deeper bond. But I don’t think that would work for us.” He sighed a little before he then smiled, “So a bite mark will have to do… I can keep reapplying it.” His smile then turned into a smirk, “Especially since you seemed to have enjoyed it so much.” He then teased. Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Raeghan cawed a little in amusement at her questions regarding summoning, finding her panicked ramblings amusing. Yes, he rather liked this little person. She wasn’t quiet and withdrawn like Rayvenne, although Raeghan knew the dark haired woman well enough to know her moods and when she was in a more talkative state. She was only this cold and distant from those she didn’t know well, and it was only with persistence that someone could penetrate that cold exterior of hers. His head tilted the other way when she made her proposal. He looked up at Rayvenne, who looked down at him with an arched eyebrow. He then looked back at Luna, “Well, I wouldn’t be after a permanent fix anyway. I quite like the way I am. So perhaps. That is, if you’re capable of doing something like that.” Raeghan said, before he then addressed her earlier questions, “It could be possible that you summon a soul not compatible with you. But if you do it right, then nothing of that sort should happen to you. I know the spell, but I can’t exactly write it down for you.” He looked at Rayvenne and asked, “Did you save her spell book?” “Yes. I didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands.” She answered from where she was picking at grass and weaving it into a small, grass basket. The raven looked back at Luna and said, “There we go. The spell should be in there… if you ask Rayvenne nicely enough. I’m sure she’ll let you borrow the book.” He looked back at Rayvenne. The dark haired woman lowered the small basket she had been making, giving Raeghan a flat stare before she gave a small shrug and replied, “Sure. Just to look at that one spell, though. I’m not giving you the book, not letting you steal Maed’s spells.” She then looked back down at her basket and plucked another piece of grass from beside her which she weaved into it with quick, deft movements.

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Rayvenne sighed a little, resigned to the fact that Raeghan and Luna were likely to get involved in a rather long conversation with each other. She turned her dark eyes to the cauldron and watched the spoon stirring the food within it. Raeghan jumped up onto her knee, shifting a little to get his balance before he looked at Luna again, his blood red eyes carefully analysing her now that he was closer. He seemed rather amused by the slew of questions that she fired his way and since Rayvenne wasn’t often much of a conversation partner, he was glad to indulge her. “I suppose you could simply wait for an animal to come to you and be your familiar. But the strongest and most clever of familiar’s are summoned, not adopted. The type that approach you are often just simple animals, with the mind and instincts of an animal. But a summoned familiar is like myself. A human soul summoned into the body of an animal of the witches choosing. If done correctly, the spell should summon a soul compatible with you. One that would gladly be your companion. More often than not, they’re able to actually talk with you… unlike some dumb animal.” Raeghan said, clearly having disdain for what he considered lower lifeforms to himself. After a moment’s pause, he decided to address her questions, “I do still eat human food, although not much meat considering the body I have but I always tend to say ‘fuck it’ and go with it anyway. My favourite food? Well… a good pie is always loved, whether it’s a meat or fruit pie. I do sometimes want to be human, but that’s not very often. I quite like the way I am right now, especially since I can do what most humans can’t. Fly. I absolutely love it.” He then stopped for a few moments before letting out an amused sounding caw, “As for what I would do if I were human again… I would go out and get laid.” “Raeghan!” Rayvenne chastised him, but Raeghan only let out a laughing caw as Rayvenne asked, “Do you have to be so crass?” Raeghan shuffled his feathers and said, “I was just being honest. I can’t really have sex in this form. It’s perhaps the only thing I miss about being human. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in my mind. I definitely prefer life like this.”

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Raeghan tilted his head to the other side slightly, eyeing Luna with his blood red eyes as if he was considering whether or not to answer her question. He then let out a soft cawing sound before he shifted his wings as if shrugging, “I helped her with her spells, and I was her companion. Her friend. I used to be a human, a long time ago before I died. Then my Mistress summoned me and placed me within the body of this raven to make me her familiar. I didn’t mind too much. Especially since now I can fly.” His blood red eyes seemed to sparkle with delight, “Flying is such fun. I enjoy every moment of it.” The raven then tilted his head towards Rayvenne for a moment before he looked back at Luna again, “I also taught Rayvenne everything she knows about sword fighting. I used to be a swordsmen when I was a human and I saw in Rayvenne a gifted student despite her being a woman.” “Watch your tongue before I slice off your beak.” Rayvenne said, her eyes narrowing slightly although the corner of her mouth twitched upwards in a barely perceptible smile. Raeghan cawed in laughter but he completely ignored the joking threat, “My mistress was called Maed. She’s been dead a while now, killed by bandits. She and Rayvenne were good friends, which is why I decided to travel with her after Maed died.” “Why are you always so talkative?” Rayvenne asked to which Raeghan shrugged again, “Because I like to talk. And I quite like Luna here.” He said, before looking at Luna and asked, “So what kind of familiar are you looking at getting? Not one of those damn cats, I hope. Damn furballs are always a pain in the arse.”

At Izanagi’s comment about taking care of the few friends he had, Daedrin couldn’t help but to let out a small chuckle in amusement. It seemed that the man cared more for Daedrin than a simple means to get money. But then, Daedrin wasn’t entirely surprised he had few friends and thus wanted to hold onto the ones he had. There weren’t many people that could accept a demon as a friend as most people thought of demons as evil, and didn’t bother to think much past that. More often than not, there was usually a reason behind such evil, including the perception of others. What was evil to one culture, wasn’t evil to another. Some were perceived as evil because they were angry at the world and lashed out. Still, that didn’t make their actions right, but it explained why they were so destructive and ‘evil’. Daedrin was perhaps one of the few that accepted Izanagi for who he was, without batting an eyelid. But then, the two were similar in a way. He hosted a demon while Daedrin was half Daedra, a species most would consider to be demons. He returned from his thoughts when Izanagi began to answer his question about the relic. He nodded his head slightly, frowning in thought when his companion mentioned about a special ritual room for the relic. It made him wonder if they were trying to utilise its powers for their own gain. It wouldn’t surprise me. The cult were well known for messing with things that they shouldn’t. It was one of the reasons they attracted his father’s ire, as they were messing around with Eldyrannth affairs. He absently nodded as Izanagi continued his explanation but before he could describe what it looked like, the ground began to shake a little underneath their feet as the walls and roof creaked ominously. Daedrin paused, tilting his head as he listened carefully for a few moments before he realised what was going on, “We need to get out of here. This place is starting to fall apart.” Daedrin said before moving forwards, “Come on.” He said, taking a deep breath and pulling himself together as he started to run back where he had originally come from. He hoped that his heart could withstand such stress after its failure. But it seemed that whatever Izanagi had done to him was keeping it beating steadily and in pace with his secondary heart. He came to a stop when they met a T-junction and he glanced around, quickly analysing the layout that he had in his head of what he had explored thus far. He nodded down the right path, “This way.” He said before running down it and ignoring other passages that branched off of it. He then turned a corner which lead to a landing with stairs. There were some cultists there that were trying to flee the building. The mansion began to shake more, and pieces of the ceiling began to drop down. Daedrin skidded to a stop when he heard the ceiling began to screech in protest before a large chunk began to break away and fall. There was a scream as the piece of ceiling crushed one of the cultists. Daedrin winced in sympathy before saying, “Watch your step.” He then continued running, skipping down the steps as quickly as he could without tripping on any the debris. Once they reached the ground floor, he started off running again, running through a few corridors before opening the door to one of the empty rooms where there was a window to the outside of the mansion. He ran forwards, stumbling a little as a piece of the ceiling fell next to him and causing him to flinch away. Daedrin moved over to the window, opening it up and jumping out onto the dead earth. He then bolted away from the mansion until he got close to the outside wall. It was there that he turned around and saw one of the spires crumble away and begin falling. He was panting hard, wondering just what caused that. Could it have been the death of the Disciple? Was he the one keeping this place in good condition? More screams echoed in the air as cultists were crushed beneath the place of their worship.

Zack’s gaze grew appreciative when he saw her breasts. So young, and perky and without a single mark or flaw upon them. His fingers were itching to touch and play with them, but he kept himself firmly in place as he wanted her to be completely naked before he moved onto the next step. He couldn’t wait to see her reactions when he touched her and hoped that she would remain her shy self as he defiled every inch of her body. That thought was keeping his cock rock hard, despite how slow she was going. Had he been anyone else, he would have gotten bored by now and just pushed her down to finish the job. But not him, he was finding this exciting. He could smell the humiliation coming off of her and his sharp eyes watched her like a hawk. His eyes moved down her slim body as she took a deep breath and an awkward smile twitched at the corners of her lips. He watched as she hooked her thumbs around the hem of her skirt and lifting it up to show her left thigh. Zack smirked, his eyes glinting in appreciation for the sight of her thigh being revealed to him. Just like her breasts, her skin was pale and flawless. Even though her movements were a little awkward and graceless, she had potential. He nodded his head slightly in encouragement, “Very nice. Show me some more.” He instructed, his eyes glued to her, unable to tear them away in fear of missing a single moment. He couldn’t wait to be able to see her entire body in all of its naked glory. With her slim frame, and small breasts, she really did look like his wife when he had first met her. She had been just as shy when he had first taken her to bed on their wedding night. But with this girl, there was a hidden fear and reluctance, unlike with Silvia. And yet he was finding this even more satisfying.

Location: Inside Rose’s House Rose stiffened even more at what the man said in response. Just how many other girls had Anhara kidnapped? And what did he mean by broken? Did she kill them? Rose paled at the thought, becoming even whiter than before. Just what kind of monster had stumbled upon her? Her stomach clenched so hard in fear that she almost threw up. She glanced over at Shane, who looked ready to spring up at a moment’s notice. It was no wonder that the girl had so easily threatened her companion. She likely wouldn’t bat an eye when killing an innocent dog. A part of Rose had hoped she was bluffing, but a larger part of her knew that she wasn’t. Her breathing quickened, and she wondered if her defiance was the best course of action. She was doubting it now, especially with how unhappy Anhara looked. She didn’t want to die. If she died, then she worried for what might happen to her parents. Aimie’s death had almost broken them. She flinched away slightly when Anhara put the phone close to her ear, before she could then hear the man’s voice over the phone, basically instructing her to basically be a good girl and to do as she was told. She froze when the man mentioned that it was becoming quite difficult to cover up the smell in the basement. Her stomach constricted as her mind connected the dots. This was messed up. She couldn’t believe the mess she had landed herself into. Her family was already broken apart, and this girl was threatening to completely destroy it. It made her angry and yet her fear of the girl held that anger in check. This was someone that had hurt and killed others. Rose stood no chance against that. “O-okay… I-I’ll be good.” She whimpered in a defeated tone, praying that they wouldn’t hurt her too badly. She hoped that she could hold out long enough, because she was sure that her father would notice her missing quite quickly. While her mother was distant and seemingly unreachable, her father was not. He loved her to pieces, and thus might notice something was wrong when Rose didn’t turn up or contact him. Especially if Shane was missing as well, but Rose hoped that Anhara would leave the dog behind. After all, despite her act earlier, she seemed to really dislike the canine which Rose hoped would go in her favour.

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Rayvenne simply nodded to Luna’s thanks, her eyes fixed on the moving spoon that stirred the pot automatically. As the excitable girl hung the rabbits feet up to dry, Rayvenne unstrung her bow and put it away in her saddlebags. She then returned to the fire and sat down, crossing her legs in a very un-ladylike fashion. She looked up, watching as Raeghan perched himself on the top of Luna’s wagon, watching the two with interest as the bunny girl came and sat down near Rayvenne. At her question, the dark haired woman stiffened and her hands clenched into fists as she replied tightly, “No. I am not.” She hoped that by her tone, Luna would leave off any further questions. Rayvenne didn’t like talking about herself, especially to complete strangers. It was not the first time someone had asked her that question, nor would it ever be the last. People often mistook her for a witch, as she was able to perform a couple of spells. But that was only two, and even then they were quite low powered. She knew more alchemy than she did spells. Granted, she knew some theories but she had watched her old friend long enough to be able to pick up these things on her own. There was a blur of black feathers as Raeghan swooped down and landed on the grass in front of them. He tilted his head slightly before letting out a caw of laughter before he looked over at Luna and said, his voice like the caw of the raven he was, “I can assure you that she’s not a witch.” He shook his head slightly, ruffling his feathers a little, “But she did know my old mistress, before she died. I was her familiar. But after she died, I decided to tag along with Rayvenne since it would be a lot more exciting to travel around and deal with monsters.” Rayvenne glowered at the raven before she said, “You just can’t learn to keep your trap shut, can you?” Raeghan laughed again, his blood red eyes almost gleaming with mischievousness, “No. Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to a witch.” He looked back at Luna and bobbed his head up and down, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Raeghan.” He introduced himself.

Location: Along with Ageon River, North of Rosayia Forest. Rowan couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped him at Natia’s words, “I must have fucked you so hard I scrambled your brains.” He jokingly said, holding her a little closer as he kissed the top of her head with easy affection. He stayed like that for a few moments before he said, “I’ll get us something to eat. I’m hungry, too.” He reached up, stroking a hand through her impossibly soft hair before he reluctantly pulled back and away from Natia, leaving her in the warm blanket, “Just relax.” He told her as he got up. He stretched long unused muscles, causing his joints to crack loudly. He let out a soft groan at the feeling of his joints loosening before he lowered his arms, “Damn.” He muttered, reaching up to gently massage the muscle of his shoulder before he smiled at Natia and moved off out of the clearing so that he could take a piss in peace. When he returned, he went over to his bag and opened it up. He remembered that Natia wasn’t one for eating meat, so he pulled out the strips of dry meat for himself. Luckily he still had plenty of bread and cheese left. He could pick up more supplies for them in the next town, especially supplies that might be more in line with Natia’s tastes, including ingredients for a vegetable stew. He pulled out a chunk of bread and cheese before he walked over to Natia and sat down next to her, his legs crossed. He offered her the food and said, “I got you some bread and cheese. When we get to the next town, we can get you some more variety of food. Even stuff for a good vegetable stew.” He grinned at her as he took a bite out of his own strip of meat. Despite the fact that he wasn’t a vegetarian himself, he was perfectly willing to try out a vegetarian stew for Natia. Besides, once he had served his portion out, he could put meat into his bowl. Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. “Alright…” Rayvenne said softly when Luna said that it was her choice. She had plenty of supplies which she had purchased in Delwore, but dried meat tended to last quite a little bit so she could certainly afford to hunt fresh rabbit. When they returned to their little camp, she went over to Maedoc and pulled out an unstrung bow from her saddlebags. She pulled out the string and easily looped it onto the bow. The bow was designed with human strength in mind, and hers exceeded that of a strong human male, so it was almost unreal how easily she strung it. She then pulled out a few arrows before she walked off, leaving Luna to start preparing the stew on her own. Her footsteps were silent as she moved across the field, her dark gaze sweeping across the grass. She then spotted some rustling in the grass and homed in on the source. After a moment, a rabbits head poked out between the strands of grass. She lifted her bow, smoothly knocking an arrow and pulling the string back as she took arm. The rabbit hopped out of its hiding place, and Rayvenne let go of the string causing the arrow to pierce through the air and strike right on target. She moved over to the rabbit and picked it up, pulling her arrow from it before she hooked it to her belt. She then moved further into the field and it wasn’t long until she found a small group of rabbits. She eyed them up before taking aim at the largest of the group. Like before, her aim was true and she struck the rabbit, causing the others to scatter in all directions. She wasn’t bothered by that. She was only after a couple. She strode forwards, pulling the rabbit from her belt and laying it down next to the second. She pulled the arrow out of the second before she took out a belt knife and gutted the two animals to remove their innards. She then buried them to prevent them being found by scavengers before she picked up the two dead animals and returned to the camp. Once she arrived, she said, “I got two rabbits.” She put her bow and arrowed away before she sat down near the fire and set about skinning the rabbits before getting as much flesh off of the animals as possible. She even cut off the rabbits feet, as she figured that Luna would want that as part of her witching crafts. When Rayvenne cut off pieces of the meat, she put them in a small pile on a rock that sat near the fire so that Luna could use it when she needed to. Once Rayvenne was finished, she got up and moved away from the camp to bury the remains before she returned and washed her hands and knife with her water bottle. She used a small piece of cloth from her saddlebags to dry her hands before she then turned and watched Luna.

Zack watched her closely as she slowly stood up, her cheeks flushed a beautiful red colour that stood out against her pale skin like a single rose in a bed of white lilies. He watched her carefully, seeing the emotions flicker through her eyes which only caused his cock to stir with even more excitement. He could see the shyness and the humiliation that radiated off of her. Even if she just stood there and just stripped, it was going to be sexy. To him, at least. But it wouldn’t do for other customers. She had to get over her shyness if she wanted to make any meaningful amount of money. He doubted that she was really doing this of her own free-will, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting his end away. To bask in the glow of humiliation and degradation. He remained silent as she stood there, frozen, waiting for her to do something. If she didn’t do something soon, then he would make a move and would make it even more humiliating for her in the long run. He could see the conflict in her eyes. She needed this money, and yet she didn’t want to be doing this. His eyes roamed across her scantily-clad body before moving back at her furiously blushing face again, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips when he saw that her arms were finally beginning to move. He watched each movement carefully as she slipped her thumbs inside of the collar of her top before pulling it down to cause her two small breasts to pop out, much to his delight. His smirk widened a little when her face went bright red and she looked away while covering them up again. “Now come on, don’t be like that.” Zack said, in the chiding tone he had used with his two daughters when they were young and were doing something naughty, “You need to do better than that. You’re supposed to be putting on a show for your client. I won’t be the last to ask you to do a nice sexy strip for them. I’ve seen plenty of women naked before, so you haven’t got anything I haven’t seen before. Look back at me. Give me a sultry look and slowly strip. Be a tease. Use your assets for your advantage.” He said, coaching her on how to properly do it. He hoped that she would follow his instructions, learn from him so that she could take away what he taught her and use it on her other clients. A small piece of corruption.

Location: Inside Rose’s House Rose’s face twisted in disgust when Anhara kissed her, and she kept her lips firmly closed just in case the taller girl tried to force her tongue in. But to her relief, she didn’t. She glared in silent rage at Anhara as she put the knife away. The sight of the weapon being put away made her relax slightly, but she knew that she wasn’t out of the woods yet. The other girl was still taller and stronger than she was, and she knew she couldn’t buck Anhara off of her. She watched with suspicious blue eyes as the dark haired girl pulled out a mobile phone before using the voice commands to get it to phone this ‘daddy’ of hers. After a moment, Rose could hear the ringing as Anhara put it on loud speaker. After a couple of rings, the connected was established and she could hear the voice of an older man who sounded quite happy to hear from his daughter. Rose wondered if this man even knew what his daughter got up to. She heard Anhara’s pouty request, and the fact that the man seemed so willing to do what she wanted without even asking her any questions. Did this man spoil his daughter? It was very clear that he did. It meant that she had little chance of convincing him to let her go. She had to try and get out of her hands before this strange man appeared. Anhara knew where she lived, but Rose hoped that she didn’t know the exact address and thus couldn’t direct the man here. That would give her even more time to figure a way out of this. She squirmed a little as Anhara demanded that she say ‘hi’ to her Daddy. Rose stilled for a moment, not wanting to give into the request. Despite her shy and sweet demeanor, she knew that there was still a part of her that she had buried when she was either years old after the death of her sister. The part of her that was vicious and vindictive. She let out a soft snort through her nose before saying, “I’m not your friend.” Her tone was a little defiant as she added, “So you might as well not bother coming around.” She stared up at Anhara, her body tense as she expected the girl to strike out at her.

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. “That makes sense.” Rayvenne conceded to Luna’s points in answer to her question. She could understand the need to save money by foraging for ones own food or alchemical ingredients. Especially when the ingredients weren’t readily available in populated areas due to their fear and disdain for witches. Healers and alchemists tended to come under that fire as well, so merchants tend not to sell such ‘witchcraft’ products. Rayvenne also had a few secret little gardens around Craethiel that she used to grow her needed ingredients. Not that she would tell Luna that. After all, the ingredients might not be of any use to the bunny girl, as they were used to create potions that were specifically designed for Rayvenne’s unique situation. The potions she could use with ease would maim or kill other people. She followed the smaller woman, watching her carefully as she skipped around pulling various plants and roots from various places. Some of which that Rayvenne might not even think to look. To her surprise, Luna was able to actually fill her basket with the plants, berries and roots that she had done. She raised an eyebrow, looking at the basket before her gaze moved back up to the bunny girl herself when she spoke. Rayvenne shrugged one of her shoulders, “Meat? I have some dried meat in my back. Or I could go and hunt something. Like rabbits.” She said, looking around as she spied a few rabbit holes in the ground. She turned back to Luna and added, “I also have bread. That tends to go well with a hearty stew.” As she spoke, she began to head back towards their resting spot. She could see that Maedoc was restlessly moving around, clearly not liking the fact that they had come to a stop. She almost snorted in amusement at the sight. He was likely to continue sulking for the rest of the day and throughout the night due to their slow pace.

Location: Craethiel Wilds, near Lake Ryomar. Rayvenne was glad that Luna easily agreed with her idea to stop to have some rest so that they could have something to eat. While she sometimes tended to be a bit of a workaholic, she found the trait irritating in others, especially when they wouldn’t go for the suggestion when dangled right in front of their eyes. She followed the wagon, keeping beside it as they moved over to the clearing. Once they came to a stop, the dark haired woman dismounted from the huge stallion and patted him on the side in a silent thanks for allowing her to ride him. Due to his sheer size and strength, he could easily buck her off of his back. But he was unwaveringly loyal to her. He was the best steed she had ever had, and she was rather fond of him. She would certainly regret his passing when the time came. She stepped around the stallion, watching as Luna freed her horse and offered it a carrot. She put a hand on her hip, her eyebrows raising a little before she looked up to see Raeghan swooping down and landing on top of the wagon to peer down at her. Dark eyes watched Luna disappear into the wagon and she heard the bunny girl rummaging around, possibly for some good. She turned her eyes back to Raeghan and asked, “Anything?” “All clear. Not a soul in sight.” Raeghan said before cawing in amusement causing Rayvenne to roll her eyes to the right slightly in annoyance. She hated it when he laughed at his own jokes, especially when they were puns. She hated puns. Rayvenne heard the door of the wagon open again and she was actually glad for the distraction. She turned her eyes towards the bunny girl and observed the items that she was holding. Her eyebrows then twitched up a little at the girls words and she looked mildly perplexed, “Looking for food? Don’t you have any supplies on you?” She asked. She then wondered what kind of food she would be able to find out here. They were currently in a glass land. There were some trees and bushes, but they were sparse. Few and far between. There was likely to be rabbits or some kind of bird that she could hunt, but Rayvenne somewhat doubted that Luna would have it in her to kill and eat a rabbit, considering what she was. She might encounter a berry bush or something, but again due to the sparsity of the bushes, it would be a little hard. Still, just out of curiosity, she would follow Luna on her food search.

By the time Izanagi arrived on the scene, Daedrin had collapsed back down on the floor, fighting with every ounce of will to not fall unconscious. All he could hear drumming in his ear was the beating of his singular heart. It was too irregular, too slow to be reassuring. It wasn’t the right number of beats. He could feel his fingers beginning to become numb, and he was having trouble drawing breath into his lungs, as if they had simply given up their function. He thought he could vaguely hear Izanagi’s voice, but it sounded distant as if he was hearing it from the end of a tunnel. It made him wonder if he was hallucinating. He then felt hands on the left side of his chest before they pushed, forcing air from his lungs. As the pressure let up, air wooshed back into his lungs. He wanted to bat at the hands, finding the compressions uncomfortable but he didn’t have the strength to lift his hands. It was a good thing that his bones were Eldyrannth-like in their physiology, as the bone structure was far stronger than a normal human and much harder to break. His eyes fluttered open a little and, despite how blurry his vision was, he could see Izanagi hovering over him. He opened his mouth, trying to say something but no words escaped him. His eyes closed again, before they snapped open again when he felt foreign energy push into his body. It burned the cells that were exposed to it, and made his chest ache in protest at the unusual energy signature. A startled gasp escaped him when his heart suddenly constricted before beginning to beat. At first, it was slightly out of rhythm but it quickly fell back into place with his secondary heart. Warmth began to spread throughout his body as his blood flow returned to normal, and he could feel the fogginess of his brain clearing up and his vision was beginning to return to him. His chest still ached from where Izanagi pumped in the strange energy, but otherwise he was fine. He lay there for a few long moments before he let out a groan, “Fucking bastard… electric shock straight to the chest…” He muttered. He hoped that Izanagi wouldn’t ping on how strange that he had been alive despite the fact that his heart had failed. A heart failure meant instant death for a human, but then Izanagi might not have enough medical knowledge to realise it. Letting out another groan, Daedrin sat up, feeling his weariness slowly fade away. He shook his head to dispel the last of the fogginess before he put his hand on the wall and pushed himself up. He leaned against it, reaching up to wipe the sweat off of his brow. He then turned his head back to Izanagi, “Thanks man, you’re a lifesaver.” He said. Although Daedrin knew that had Izanagi failed in starting his heart, he wasn’t entirely vulnerable to the claws of death. He knew that the Divines would never abandon him to such a fate, not when he had so much work for them to do. Still, he was grateful that Izanagi put in the effort to save him, and it surprised him that the man would even do so. But then again, they were out here because Daedrin had hired Izanagi to mine some Kraerhil. If Izanagi wanted to be paid, then he needed to keep his employer alive. Daedrin then turned his head to see the cultist from earlier that he had told to run. He frowned at him, causing the cultist to let out a squeak of fear and hide his face within his hands, “Pl-please spare me!” He begged. Daedrin found the begging to be quite irritating and said, “Fuck off. If I ever hear of your kind operating ever again, I will come back and destroy this mansion and kill every single one of you Life Desecrating bastards. This is your last warning. You don’t want me coming back here.” The man nodded, letting out a pathetic whimper before he turned and fled down the corridor. When he was gone, Daedrin turned to Izanagi with a politer tone, “Did you find your relic?” He asked.