[ - Author's Note - ]

Well this is gonna be a bit of a shorter one...

Obviously we follow the cliffhanger and, given the whos that are involved, have more Claudia and Klaus and meet someone only mentioned and seen once briefly. Who? You'll need to read to see.

A bit more Dawn, a bit more Cele... oh and the tablets are unveiled... and accidentally causes James a small headache.

This isn't going to be a longer chapter, so let's just keep it smooth and get started!

[ - Act IV - Chapter XI: Fallen Dawn - ]

Honor be blessed upon our Sisters in Battle
They who fell in defense of our people
Guardians of the light who are now gone
True champions and defenders of dawn
~Carved into the Dawn's Last Light, Graveyard of the Dawn Templars

[-]

Given the situation of two Dawn Templars being found dead in a mine in the middle of... well, not quite nowhere but well out of the way, I took the Enterprise and rocketed out; Miria, Mokria, Makoto and Saxon in tow with some guards as escort. I was able to track Dawn to her location as they cleared out the rest of the mine and after a short flight we landed. Robin, Wendy and Peter was waiting outside as we landed as I sighed. Yeah; this could be a rough one...

Amaru Zweimantel and Zillag Seitenlippe was on hand during the fight against Blood Caller and, supposedly, found Harry Flare dead with a member of Blood Caller's gang after they were destroyed. Supposedly they caught the meeting in time and got the drop on him as he was gathering mana to strike them; a few things didn't add up but publicly it was accepted as the truth. Klaus suggested to me that it likely wasn't and I agreed; this hammered it home...

As I disembarked in full gear I gave Robin a nod. "Glad to hear you're alright. That troll must have been a nasty surprise."

"You've no idea, M'lord." Robin said respectfully as I nodded, using Observe.

(-)

Name: Robin Greenhood
Title: Young Sharpshooter
Class: Archer
Level: 18
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 81
Status: Healthy, Worried, Relaxed

Known Traits
[Silent But Violent] If attacking from stealth double your crit chance

[Deadeye] You are accurate at any range. Compare your Acc and Dex. Whichever is lowered is increased to the one that is higher or by ten, whichever is lower.
[?]

A third generation archer and solider as well as a veteran of the last incursion of the Garan War, he's a young and able archer and competent swordsman who took on the life of an adventurer as a means to prepare to defend his realm. With the war over he's unsure of what to do strive towards for his own growth.

(-)

Name: Wendy Ing
Title: Roguish Blade
Class: Swordswoman
Level: 17
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 78
Status: Healthy, Calm, Composed

Romance Rating: 88
Corruption Rating: 9

Known Traits
[Moxie] Each time you defeat a foe in battle increase your Con, Str, End, Dex and Agi by 2%, up to eight times. This lasts up until one minute after your last fight
[Sword Mistress] You are a master of any sword set to your hand. 2 Damage to all one handed swords in your use, 4 Damage to all two handed swords in your use.

[?]
[Bi The Way] You are bi-sexual and are willing to play the field.

Little is known of the swordswoman named Wendy Ing beyond she hails from somewhere west of Eostia. Boasting a powerful, lightning based claymore she is an offensive force in combat. Calm and collected she is considered by some to be a prodigy of the blade.

(-)

Name: Peter Ocland
Title: Noble Hunter
Class: Rogue
Level: 14
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 73
Status: Healthy, Frustrated, Eager

Known Traits
[Silent But Violent] If attacking from stealth double your crit chance

[Bow & Sword in Accord] Add 5% of your Acc to your melee accuracy. Add 5% of your Dex to your ranged accuracy.
[?]

Fifteenth child of twenty one, while Peter is well loved he is thirteenth in the line of succession of his House and, lacking much chance to inherit, turned to guild work to hone his skills and, perhaps, find work as a knight or place in one of Eostia's elite units. A lifetime of hunting has made the half-elf an able hunter.

(-)

"Where's Paul and Dawn?" I asked, Wendy being the one to pip up as Miria and her birth father sniffed about.

"In the cave; seeing if there's anything else that can be dug up." I nodded once before looking to Miria for a moment.

"I have four-odd human scents that's not from them." She let off as she looked to me. That was interesting... "It was just you five?" She asked Robin.

" Aye, just us... But who..?"

"Two must be our Dawn Templars..." I mused with a frown as Robin looked to me. "...Miria, take Makoto, mom and Mokria with you along with four guards. See where that scent leads you. I'll investigate here; see if I can't learn anything."

"I'll call if I find anything." She said, drawing her bow; all business as her father drew his halberd and followed. Mom waited a moment and gave me a look before following. As they left I turned to the cave with a small escort of my own.

"Okay, let's have a look." I said as I walked inside. It was a brisk walk but not too long as I entered the first chamber where Dawn and Paul was. Bodies of Aberrant, including a troll, was littered about. A few odds and ends were turned over in the main chamber; clearly they were looking for anything that could be a clue. "Dawn." I called out as the girl jumped and turned to me as I gave her a nod. "Find anything of note?"

"Not really, no..." She said as she bit her lip. "Sorry, I was hoping for a clue." She said as I blinked at her.

"You... didn't see their armor? Or weapons; they should have at least had quality weapons if not their Templar gear." I let off. The ring she showed me over the voxlux was a magical one given to the Dawn Templars, the sword indicating the division they were a part of... something I learned when I reported this to Claudia. Dawn shook her head as I frowned. "That's... odd... You'd think they'd keep the armor at least..." I said as I moved to the bodies of the women; Paul holding his main weapon and standing on guard. I ignored him for a moment and knelt by Amaru, the bustier of the two, and examined her. A lot of dried semen was over her groin which was... gah... Worse was what happened as I looked closer.

"There's no bruising. She was dead before she was raped." I mused... then rolled her over and winced. There it was; a stab wound in the back. Checking Zillag showed the same thing that was almost identical; both made likely by the same kind of weapon if not the exact same weapon. I frowned as I examined it more. "Stabbed in the back... That suggests one of two things; they were ambushed or they trusted whoever slipped the dagger into them."

"They would have worn Mana Armor though..." Paul Warner finally spoke up as I looked to him. "Anything that could have ambushed them would have left worse marks to get through that."

(-)

Name: Paul Warner
Title: Fierce Fighter
Class: Fighter
Level: 19
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 69
Status: Healthy, Stoic, Worried

Known Traits
[Ironclad] You wear any metal armor like you were born in it. 10% bonus to all Resistances for Chain Mail, Scale Mail, Splint Mail and Plate Mail.

[Spearpoint] Your spear thrusts have a better chance to punch through armor. -3 Piercing Resistance to all targets when thrusting a polearm at them
[?]

Fourth generation adventurer and mercenary, he served with the Westwind Highlander's mercenary unit for three years before they took a long term contract in Elddale. He opted to retire from the unit, not wanting to serve in a slave state and instead brought his experience to the adventuring trade.

(-)

"Mana Armor is good, the best armor you can get in many ways..." I told him as I stood. "But it's not perfect; a dagger made of titanium would make it so there was naught but air guarding them." Paul frowned at that; there were other ways as well of course. A Combat Art that was rare offered some penetration power past such barriers and if you knew anything dark/fire you could get past them in a second. Naturally there was defenses against those two in modern Mana Armors but titanium was an instant bypass; rare and expensive as it was.

"If that's the case all you'd need is for someone they trusted to stab them." Dawn mused as she bit her lip. "Cover the mouth and stab one, stab the other before the first hits the ground... Or in different rooms..."

"We can only guess right now..." I said, looking to the guards with me. "Collect the bodies and what evidence we have; we'll take them to Geofu." I said as I looked to the meat that was once roasting over the fire. "And maybe we should look to their meat stocks for anyone else."

[-]

After an hour Miria had found something and summoned me over and that thing would be a pit. Signs of a scuffle was about, a trail of blood heading into the forest in addition to recently disturbed earth by the pit; using earth magic I was able to slowly dig my way down and three feet down I found the weapons and armor of the Dawn Templars, collecting them as well. As I worked I sent Miria and her escort down to chase the blood trail. In the end she and her birth father brought back a halfling man; a fist sized gash in his abs being the source of his death, likely having been bled out. I checked him over; black leather gambeson, quality weapons with no flourish and nothing else on him of note. I hummed in thought and ordered the equipment and new body collected as well.

My current running theory, based on what I knew, was something in regards to Harry Flare (Possibly something else) was known by these two and someone worried about... loose ends. But that begged a few questions; why wait months after the case? If they were silent out of duty, out of fear, out of respect or some other reason then had something changed? Did a guilty conscious hit them or did someone think that might have happened?

I had no answers, just speculation.

What happened here was a bit more obvious; the halfling and his buddies (Likely taken as meat by the Aberrants) dug the pits (Maybe one was a mage?) would bury the equipment in one hole, the bodies thirty feet away in another and leave; hoping by the time anything was found time had obscured things. As they were half done they were ambushed, slaughtered save the runner, taken as meat while the girls were taken as sex toys, even as corpses. That said there was a lot of questions left to ask; where were they killed? How? And most importantly; by whom?

Dawn and her group joined us as we flew towards Primus City on the Enterprise as swiftly as we could. A covered wagon was already waiting for us along with Claudia, Klaus and four Dawn Templars. I came off the ship first followed by eight regulars; six carrying the bodies that were bundled up (Two carrying each one) and the last two carrying what gear we recovered. The rest followed soon after as Claudia pointed to the wagon. "Set my sisters here. I need to see this for myself." A turn of my head and all three bodies were set to the edge, heads off at the end. She moved to the longer two bundled bodies and unwrapped the heads; two pale, dead and slightly rotting faces coming into view. "...Thank you." She said wrapped them back up, the equipment loaded onto the wagon by them. She looked over to me. "What happened?"

"We're not sure ourselves." I replied simply. "We know their... corpses were used as cock sleeves by the Aberrant and we know they were being put to shallow graves before the grave diggers were ambushed." I opened the last bundled body, exposing the halfling's face. "This is the only one of the lot who wasn't cooked and served."

"I... don't know him..." Claudia admitted with a frown.

"I do." Klaus replied as she looked to him. "He is... was a part of the Red Legio."

"Red Legion?" I let off with a hum. The Red Legion was another elite order of Eostia based in Geofu; while not strictly a male only organization it was nearly so making people consider it a counterpart to the Dawn Templars. It was founded by Richard Levantine, Klaus' great-grandfather, as a spear point into Garan's own Aberrant Legion; hence why the Legio or the Reds was the usual shorthand for them. As I recalled it's current leader was Miles Levantine, Klaus' uncle and Grave's younger brother. In fact Grave was the one meant to take control of it but he ended up leading the Dawn Templars instead. "It might be an idea, then, to speak with their commander; even if he has no idea what was going on he might be able to point us in the right direction."

"I agree." Klaus said as he looked to me before Claudia. "My uncle should know something, at least." Claudia merely nodded before turning to one of her Templars.

"See them to morgue. I want the doctors to examine them; if there is even the smallest clue as to what happened to them I want to know." She demanded; two of them saluted and gave verbal affirmatives.

Such agreed upon I, my sister and my mother would join Claudia, her husband and her Templars on the ride into the city, stopping by the barracks for the Red Legion to hop off as the Templars left with the bodies and the wagon. We would head into the barracks which, despite the organization being based on Imperium armies the building was relatively new and not styled in an Imperium manner; it was a three story, gray stone building with a slanted and tiled, red roof with a window highlighting an attic above the third floor that acted as a small bedroom. The Red Legion wasn't overly large; a little over two hundred in number and usually acted to lead Geofu's armies.

Over the door was their banner, shield shaped as usual like a roman tower shield in this case; bronze trim with darker borders with a dark red background, the center was a bronze centurion helm with darker outlines, a brighter red plume that was temple to temple as opposed to front to back, a green wreath around the help and a gladius sword at the top and bottom of the blade with a red pommel and guard; the top pointing left and the bottom pointing right.

[RedLegioBanner]

The guards recognized Claudia so we were ushered in and soon met with Miles in his office. He looked like he did in my brief glimpse of him back in that victory party after Olga's defeat; brown head of hair that was spiky and slicked back, a long, neck length mustache and looking, otherwise, like Grave the Younger. "Claudia. Klaus." His tone held a bit of dislike for Klaus but it was restrained. That was another difference that I was aware of; Klaus' father and uncle both disliked him but Miles at least held some respect for the scholar. "And our Champion. What brings such esteemed company before me today?"

(-)

Name: Miles Levantine
Title: Proud Knight of Geofu
Class: Warlord
Level: 37
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 74

Status: Healthy, Curious, Calm
Known Traits
[Heavy Weapons Master] You can use any two handed weapon in one hand and use it with only a 5% damage penalty

[Ironclad] You wear any metal armor like you were born in it. 10% bonus to all Resistances for Chain Mail, Scale Mail, Splint Mail and Plate Mail.
[Moxie] Each time you defeat a foe in battle increase your Con, Str, End, Dex and Agi by 2%, up to eight times. This lasts up until one minute after your last fight

[The Best Defense] Half of the average of your armor's defense resistances is added to your weapon's damage bonus

Often outshined by his more famous and capable older brother, he's fought in over a hundred battles and held the line at the Siege of Basing City for twenty days despite injury. Known by many as the Griffon's Blade he leads the Red Legio now as it's commander and is one of Geofu's most respected leaders, even if he's never escaped his brother's shadow.

(-)

"Sadly; nothing good." I began, taking over the explanation starting with a very brief explanation of Dawn and her party (Omitting the apprentice bit for now), their findings in the mines, the bodies of the Templars as well as an image of the halfling man in question. He shut his eyes and pinched his nose with a groan at the sight. "So Klaus is right, you do know him."

"The Legio maintains a small scouting detachment." Miles explained. "That man is... was Gramarg, Son of Tehteh. He was my scout's second in command and asked for a leave of absence with two of my other men; Lieutenant Carson Zelga and a private, Bensa Zol. I... do you know if they..?"

"We know the Aberrant were eating something and we think they were human..." I said as he sighed hard. "If I can ask; is that black gambeson standard for Legio scouts?"

"Nay." He said with a shake of his head. " Nay. The scouts wear deep green with matching cloaks that boast a dark blue inner lining. They can flip the cloak about if need be. I know he wore gambeson back in his adventuring days; likely it's what he used."

"Well we confirmed the who and likely his cohorts in the crime of hiding bodies and equipment of the Templars." Klaus spoke allowed. "But that begs the question of why the deaths happened is still unknown... We know it's murder... perhaps with the right equipment they could have done it... ...but something isn't adding up..."

"Namely why them, if they are a part of it..." Miles let off, frowning. "...I have a hard time thinking they'd be a part of this but... ... Maybe they didn't kill those women, but they have a hand in the plot, clearly..." He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "But... even so, why... Gramarg was a good man... How could he..?"

"It was those two Templars that reported on Harry Flare, right?" I began, thinking. "Supposedly caught him in the act... but what else is there?"

"You suggest investigating them?" Klaus let off, tilting his head slightly. "I suppose it makes sense; why assassinate these two? If it were a random assassination or targeting the Templars somehow hiding the bodies makes no sense... Making the two disappear is something else however."

" Hrrn." Miles let off as he stood up fully. "Whatever has happened it behooves us to work it out. I trust you'll put that vaunted mind to work." He let off, speaking to Klaus before looking to me. "And I imagine you'll add yours in, Champion. I'll speak with my men; perhaps I'll learn more from them." I gave a nod and looked to my mother.

"If you can sit in on those talks? I'll help Klaus and Claudia on looking into our victims." I looked over to my sister next. "If you could come along as well; that nose of yours might pick up what the rest of us can't." She smiled and tapped her nose with one finger with a wink.

"You know you can't beat this nose." She let off as I gave my mother a nod...

Of we go.

[-]

Primus City, Capital of Geofu
Merchant District

"So... this is a real city, huh?" Robin let off as he looked about as Paul marched ahead of them.

"Never been to a big city, huh?" Wendy asked as the archer shook his head.

"No; nothing bigger then Argon, anyway." He replied. "Well, I guess there was Moonrise but that was in the war, I wasn't exactly there to sight see."

Dawn giggled a bit as they walked down the merchant district of the city; James had given her leave to do as she wished while he worked on the mystery of the dead Templars and even gave her an allowance (As part of her work as an apprentice) so she could enjoy herself. She collected the party (Who came along in case anyone had any questions for them in regards to what they found) and opted to go shopping.

Weapons and armor shopping in Argon was... decent but not amazing in any way, shape or form. While the prices was likely to be higher in the larger cities so was the quality. Dawn herself was well outfitted with Armor Weave and a new, mythril rapier... but she could equip herself more. Sure, maybe something like James' Radiant Gemini didn't fit her but she could still find value in a parrying dagger or buckler. Sure; she knew James had a parrying dagger he no longer used but it seemed a bit... not her style.

Soon they reached a shop that seemed to be in their price range; The Centurion's Anvil. Entering they were greeted with a massive shop larger then the Elegant Iron would ever be and with various weapons they'd never seen before along with more familiar ones. It was... quite the sight. "Okay... Let's see what's about." Robin let off as he walked in.

It was clear who was interested in what; Paul was focused on armor mainly, seemingly satisfied with his arms. Robin and Peter were both looking over bows, the former seriously but the latter rather idly. Wendy focused on smaller weapons, likely as a backup to her heavy blade. For Dawn it was a search for that off-hand weapon or buckler she could use.

She would start with the bucklers and... find they didn't well suit her... It just didn't feel right at all.

Likewise the parrying daggers, while more comfortable, didn't quite fit her. She passed by rapiers as she looked for something else, unsure of what she'd prefer, when something was seen at the corner of her eye.

A sheathed blade was on a rack and it seemed to be a rapier; it bore a simple D-guard under a crossguard that turned up into prongs, a pommel with an anchor point for a stone and was at least in part mythril and the thickness of the sheathe suggested a rapier... save one thing. Picking it up and pulling the blade free she noted the blade was just two feet and four inches long (In truth, closer to two foot five) and hummed. Setting the sheathe down she tossed the blade to her left hand and turned it about before thrusting it forwards and trying a few test swings. Humming she would sheathe the weapon and moved to approach the counter where a halfling stood, eyes turning to watch her. Aside from a bushy mustache the black haired halfling wasn't that interesting. "Excuse me; what can you tell me about this one?"

" Hmmm... Third steel, rest is mythril." The owner said as he pulled the weapon free to look it over. "It's a common rapier for halflings; shorter weapons for shorter folk. Still; I've seen folk use them off hand like daggers. Is that your aim?" He asked as Dawn nodded once as he hummed. "Bought the blade used; and honestly not many seem to be interested in it... I'll sell it for thirty two gold." She let off as Dawn too a moment to look into her pouch at her hip and bit her lip.

" Ummm, can you manage thirty even?" She asked as the halfling moved to stroke his mustache with one hand.

"Thirty's fair." He said as she moved to set the coins down on the counter before shaking his hand and taking the blade, moving to set it to her right hip...

With some practice... and once she could enchant her own stones...

...

... and got a good stone to use...

[-]

According to Claudia the pair of Amaru and Zillag had been deployed to act as additional bodyguards for a nephew of King Celeste of Camafran; they had reported dropping him off at Blackwell and afterwards were on their way back to Geofu with Claudia telling them not to rush. We had to assume, then, that they were killed between there and somewhere in Ur.

While both had rooms in the Templar's barracks there wasn't much to be found there and it was well shared. Amaru had her own home while Zillag rented an apartment in Primus; we turned the apartment over but found... nothing of note. I had hoped for a diary or the like but nothing of note could be found, sadly. The most notable thing was Miria smelled someone in the house that seemed familiar to her but she couldn't place it.

Truth be told I suspected Grave had a hand in whatever was going on; he was on hand for the Harry Flare affair and while I couldn't prove anything something about it stank. But the question stood; what was the connection? If I recalled correctly Observe told me both women were recruited by Grave and Harry was loyal to him as well. He was a connecting link but... that was it. I had nothing else; I could suspect him but without proof all I had was guesses.

So it was now time to go into Amaru's home. It was locked but I had a spell for that; normally breaking into a dead woman's house wasn't something I'd do but Claudia had the authorization to enter in this sort of situation. Door unlocked we went in.

It was a normal house; part of a duplex in the residential district, painted a warm, light blue with a white roof. Entering the home was... not quite spartan but not well furnished either. Couch in the living room, attached kitchen. Two bedroom set up, nothing big. Then Miria stiffed and started to sniff the air. "Sis?"

"That smell from the apartment? It's here too." She said to my surprise as I shared a look with Klaus. "I know I smelled it before..."

"No ideas of where?" Claudia asked as she shook her head.

"No... It's like... How do I put this..?" Miria crossed her arms as she spoke. "... ...It's like seeing a face in the crowd; it sticks out but after awhile you can't recall where or when you saw it. If I smelled the guy once more I'm sure it'd stick out." She said as I frowned.

"Let's assume it someone scouring their homes because someone expected us to seek answers in their homes." Klaus began. "But... who would be the one Miria would have encountered but not recalled?" Good question... Grave's other man, Lorcan?

...

Maybe, but he hung around us for the Geofu tour and annoyed her a bit; I'm sure she'd recall him if it was him. Okay; assume it's Grave as the mastermind... If he's expecting them to have something that would tie, or might tie, back to him he wouldn't use his own men; he'd contract out to someone else. Assuming Grave is in the Black Storm then he could contract out to someone skilled enough to handle it.

"Whatever; he might have left a clue behind." I let off. "Even if he didn't he might have left something he was meant to collect or destroy."

"Agreed." Claudia let off as we got to work. Miria opted to try and trace our intruder's footsteps while I moved to a bedroom. It seemed to be a master bedroom; nothing fancy. I opted to use my senses to see if I could pick up anything magical to start with.

I'm sure the question will come up; yes they had voxluxs. Yes, I tried to track them. I got nothing; someone must have erased the stones which meant I had nothing on that front.

I did get a couple of pings and started my search. The first ping was a dagger of some sort; the spell stone in it held nothing but combat based boosts. The second wasn't as easy to find, however. I sensed it by the closet and started digging, moving boxes about... and found the floor. Not surprising but a hidden panel in the floor was ajar. Meaning someone got to it before me and didn't close the panel correctly.

Translation; our intruder missed something.

Opening the panel I saw a small, hidden spot within that was twenty four by eighteen inches. It was empty but I was picking up something within still... I knocked at the wall of the space nearest me; solid. Left side; solid. Right; solid... Ahead...

hollow...

A bit of searching and I noted a small hole; using Arcane Weapon I made a tool to slip into the tiny hole; pushing gave nothing but a soft pull with a curved tool pulled half the panel back to unveil something; a pair of spell stones on rings. That was odd but more so what I scanned them; matching voxlux stones.

...

That was something... Naturally I scanned them and there was something recorded on it. What I didn't know; I'd have to look into it. I kept looking for anything else but came up empty handed otherwise. Everyone but Miria did; a few things were noticeably missing but what was anyone's guess. Even then all Miria had was the man's course through the house. Klaus noted the rings as I set them on a table and his magical senses knew what they were before I said anything. "These were in a hidden space inside of a hidden space." I said to his surprise. "Whoever rummaged through here isn't a mage; he would have sensed them and dug them out otherwise."

"Agreed." He said as he looked to them, Claudia looking over his shoulder. "Do you know who was called with these voxlux stones?"

"No; I didn't allow such invasions of privacy." I said as I looked to him. "If I did Celestine would ask me not to, if only for the hell the Council of Lords would raise over it. That said; something's recorded on it and that I can access."

"Well, let's see it then." Claudia asked with a nod as I set a finger to one and focused. Soon an image projected over the stone; Amaru in a red tunic sitting at the kitchen table, almost slumped over it and sighing. One of the rings was in her hand, held rather then worn, and the other seemed to be set atop of something. She was silent for a long moment, eyes glancing about; nervously as opposed to checking for something. Finally she sighed and spoke.

"I'm... not sure why I'm recording this... Not sure if I should, really... Kinda stupid, maybe." Amaru in the recording let off softly. "...I don't think I should name names, not yet anyway... As far as I know everything we're doing is for the good of Eostia but... ... something keeps nagging at me... Something that keeps telling me something's off. ... We... ... myself and Zillah killed Harry Flare, Zillah's hand doing it... ...we were asked to disclose this to no one, not a word, even to the Commander in fear of... ...things getting to the wrong ears." The woman in the recording sighed as she hung her head; I could see Claudia's jaw clench at what she said.

"Most of what we and our... contact know is limited; we're kept in the dark of it all. Truth be told, it's not that bad. Mostly criminals here and there but more recently..." She said looking back up. "And yet... we just... ... .. for the greater good we just killed Terson Awl..." Klaus sucked in a breath at that; a name I hadn't hear before. "... greater good... peh... ... Something's off and... ... if I don't get answers soon I'll need to speak with Clau- the Commander... Goddess help me, as much as I trust him I'm not sure what's right anymore ..."

The recording ended as I looked to Klaus. "Terson Awl?"

"A scholar of some note; I've been asking him for help in regards to the Storm." He replied with a sigh. "He was born with some... social deformities, but he notices patterns and trends better then any I've met before." He said; maybe the guy was some sort of autistic? "Last we spoke he said he was picking up on a trend and thought he could start to pinpoint allies of the Storm based on what we have but... he vanished... ten days ago." I sucked in a breath. "It's not uncommon to be out of contact for awhile but I've had people looking for him for the last three days... This is..."

"Klaus..." I began in a serious tone. "Where does he live?"

[-]

Couple hours later we flew outside of Skyguard once we collected everyone and found Terson's house. We walked in and looked around and... holy crap...

Imagine a living room. Now imagine every wall and the walls of the halls were bookshelves. Yeah... Not just that a glance was all I needed to tell how organized it normally was; I swear I could see dust stacked neatly.

I say normally was as many books were tossed out to the floor all over the place. "Miria?" I asked as she sniffed around and gave a nod to me as she frowned.

"He was here too." She said with narrowed eyes. "Our thief gets around."

" Clearly." I dead panned, picking up a book and looking at it; a treaties on the history of chess. "...Oh fuck me, if this guy wrote it all down in a book..."

" Dear..." Claudia began to speak as she walked in, idly kicking a book out of her path. "...how many books does your friend have..?"

"Last count..." He said with a sigh. "Ten thousand, eight hundred and thirty two. His count."

" Fother mucker..." I let off as I pinched my nose. "We'll look for a clue but... we might need to hire some people to go over this shit... Because if it's just us we'll be here until the end of the next era."

"No joke..." Miria groaned as I walked in and moved to a room.

Books everywhere. Yay.

Sadly nothing jumped out at me. Sure, my magical senses picked up magic here and there but nothing noteworthy; drink coolers, magicked tea kettles, a magic enhanced pen... Nothing that would be useful; I checked.

And then a book hit the floor; not dropped either, thrown. Leaving the room I entered another one to see Klaus leaning over the windowsill (The rest of the wall being more books) and trembling a bit. "Are you okay?" I asked as he flinched as I walked closer.

" No." He let off as I joined him. Terson's home wasn't in Skyguard proper; rather a hamlet a half hour's walk from it. There was a great view of grassy fields outside but for obvious reasons it didn't interest me in that moment. "...Terson was... odd, I admit. He was... poor at expressing his feelings, logical to a fault and expressed his ideas no matter how much others wanted to suppress them..." He said with a sigh, turning to face me. "He was... aggravating for most but I always found his ability for conversation interesting; perhaps not in the means of normal small talk but ideas and thoughts and processes..."

"By the sounds of it I imagine it was... difficult for him to make friends... or to be befriended." I mused as he nodded. as he looked out of the window.

"Indeed. My father was... never well pleased with me, even before my poor constitution removed the option of becoming a knight from me." Klaus mused softly. "As a result I had few peers for the longest time and Terson was... not my closest, but my most honest one. We bonded in a way we did with no other; his bluntness was welcome, even if it could be hurtful and I managed to, at times, act as a bridge for him to interact with others until he could do so on his own; at least mostly."

"I'm sorry for the loss." I said softly and honestly. "It sounded like despite his issues he was both a good man and good friend. I can only imagine how hard it is for you right now."

"Sadly you will lose friends to death, regardless of your desire on the matter." Klaus said, giving a sad smile to me. "Preferably to old age and time but in this world violence is, sadly, one means to lose them as well... You're... not going to stop it... You just have to accept it... And when the time comes bear the pains." He let off as his eyes moved back to the window as I set a hand on his shoulder. That was deep. Then against Klaus was a thoughtful man and a great- "Doubly so with your lifespan..."

"...I wasn't even thinking of that last point..." I admitted as I frowned at the idea. Yeah... every friend I had that wasn't an elf... my family...

That's a sour note to think on... And then my voxlux pinged as I pulled it out; it was Celestine. Sighing I answered. "Cele; not that I'm unhappy to see you but this isn't the best time."

" Best time?" She mimicked as she blinked in the projected image. "What do you mean? Why are you outside of Skyguard?" She asked as I sighed and started to explain. Her jaw tightened once she learned it started with the death of two Dawn Templars.

[-]

A ride over to Skyguard Palace via Cloud Rider later...

"So... at least six deaths; two of our Templars, a notable scholar and three men of the Red Legio... and all but the scholar was involved in dark dealings... All perhaps thinking they tainted their oaths for a 'greater good'." Celestine let off from behind her desk as she sighed as myself, Claudia and Klaus stood across from her. "This is disturbing... we've not a main suspect?" She asked as we all shook our heads.

"No. We've smoke but no fire." I said with a sigh. "There's not many people that could be connected to all of them in any manner and, well, one might see smoke but that's it."

"There's my father and my uncle that could have the contact and respect needed from all parties." Klaus admitted as Claudia frowned hard. "I suppose it could be higher up the chain but..."

"I know you suspect father, and not without some cause..." Claudia began as she crossed her arms. "Yet I can't think of him doing such; he has fought for our nations longer then most; longer then either of us have lived." She said looking up to Celestine. "I cannot suspect him, not yet." That was... annoying; I knew thanks to Observe he was dirty... I just had no proof.

"I will not blame you, dear." Klaus said, even though you could see a hint of disappointment in his eye. "But I know more then most his darker sides." She winced and glanced away; unable to defend her adopted father.

"I'll have the Black Watch look into it; Terson's house will be a long and intensive one I imagine..." Celestine let off with a sigh. " Regardless now that I know why you're here I must now regret to inform you I cannot let you leave." She said while looking right at me.

"...I suppose I can hope you're about to profess your undying love for me, but I somehow think that's not it." I mused and she gave a half lidded look of annoyance for a moment before speaking once more.

"The unveiling of the original bibles is soon." She told me. "As in two days time. And while I could avoid summoning you over at my aides request before now, since you're already here..."

" Oh..." I let off in a deadpan tone. "... well shit ..."

"So you are invited to the display formally." She said with a sort of relaxed but sorry smile. " By the crown ." In other words; something I just can't ignore.

"... duly noted..." I said with a sigh as I turned to Klaus. "Keep me in the loop on the investigation, will ya?"

"Of course." He said patting my shoulder as I sighed once more.

Just my luck...

[-]

"You don't look... happy about this, master..." Dawn asked as we worked, as best able, in a sitting room with a tea set between us. I opted to bring some teaching aides along with us and finished lecturing her on a little bit more on enchanting and was overseeing her work on a stone.

" Well I'm not much for the sort of dog and pony show large gatherings of nobles turns into; let alone ones that'll direct attention towards me." I said; opting to read my own book to busy myself as Dawn worked; it also mean I'd be on hand to judge her work and offer advice. Given she bought a new rapier I wanted her to set the stone to it with her own enchantments.

"I guess... my... aunt liked hosting them as a means of showing off, I recall that much." She said with a sigh. "I never got it back then but I guess she liked watching people dance to her tune."
"Yeah, that sounds like Alundra to me..." I mused as the door opened and we turned to see who came in. Dawn squeaked and gulped as I looked over and smiled. "Yo Cele."

"James, I see you are at least making good use of the time." Celestine said as she walked in with a smile and wave. As she stopped by the table she would turn her head and look to my apprentice. "And this must be Dawn. James had spoken well of you; welcome to my home."

" Ahh-ha-ahhh... H- hello your highness..." She let off in a bit of a squeak and a glance showed me Dawn was addressing Celestine's breasts, and a glance to Cele told me she was well aware and at least a little amused. " Pl- pleased t- t- eep!" She let off as I kicked her chair leg gently.

" Relax Dawn." I told her, smiling and trying to sound stern but fell short of it. "There's no need to be formal; just treat her like you would another. Well; maybe with less staring at her tits." She yelped at being called out; any apologies she had cut off as Celestine laughed in a lovely melodic manner.

"I recall you doing that time to time." She replied with a smile as I looked back with (Mock) annoyance, even as I blushed.

"In my defense, they're nice tits." I replied, lips twitching up which undermined my attempted look. "I recall you staring a lot under the waist when I had that heroic painting done."

"In my defense, it's a nice dick." She said, blushing and keeping up her smile. Dawn, in contrast, was looking back and forth between us with her jaw open; surprised at how casual and relaxed I was with the High Queen and Goddess Reborn and how well she responded to it.

I reached over and gently lifted her jaw until it shut. "The Goddess Reborn is a person too, Dawn. If everyone scraped and bowed before her she'd be a lonely woman."

" Ooh... that makes sense..." She said before looking back to Celestine. "I... apologize but it might take me sometime to be so... casual..."
"Not to worry; if James is right of your character we will be friends soon." Celestine said with a smile. "May I join you?" I answered with a gesture to a chair and soon she was seated. "Thank you both for your parts in bringing our Templars home; I know the investigation will take time, likely so will bringing justice to them... But with luck their killer or killers will be found and punished."

"We can hope." I replied. The investigation was out of my hands for the time being and while I asked to be kept in the loop I had no special skills to add to it.

( One thing I would learn later as the doctors looked over their bodies is a sliver of metal was found inside of Zillah; a small, tiny sliver of titanium. That explained how the armor was bypassed but it also meant that the assassin was rich or well connected, likely the second. It reinforced my thoughts on who the mastermind behind their deaths was; even if I had no definitive proof yet.)

"On a brighter note-" She carried on with a smile. "-there's been a collection of lords gathering over the last week." I knew Blake von Adelle would be here for that but not sure who else; the invite was given to all local lords and told only it was 'of import to the Larentian religion; there is no need or obligation to arrive to see it and there will be a chance later regardless' so it wasn't a large amount; maybe a quarter of the total is what I heard. The lords not present were likely the less religious, the most distant or the most occupied. Even so they'll be here come the next Council so it's not like the chance would never come for them.

"Well how bright it is will depend on who shows up." I mused idly... before a thought hit me. "Do you know if anyone from Anvil is coming?" Dawn stiffened as she blinked then realized what I meant... as Celestine shook her head.

"Maybe a minor lord or two but I know Alundra and her more notable minor lords are not save perhaps Alexander van Bludhorn." She said as I nodded; given what I knew Alexander wouldn't cause any real trouble. Dawn relaxed and refocused on her enchanting as a distraction... "That said the Archbishop will be here..."

" Ooooh, joy..." I deadpanned. I already knew that but still...

"You... have a dispute with the Archbishop?" Dawn let off, surprised as I snorted.

"The Church has a problem with dragonborne in general; existing is my crime to him." She winced but said nothing else as she worked. Cele nodded with my words as she gave a serious look to me.

"Obviously he won't be silly enough to try anything here but that's not to say he'll do nothing..." She said as she looked to me. "Be aware; just don't be too tense."

"I know... don't worry about it." I replied softly with a nod as I turned to her fully. "Worse comes to worse I'll figure a way out to handle the old man." I was in striking distance of his level, at least until that dumbassery that corrupted the RP system for a bit... "Anyway, I should have something to wear on the ship so I'll come looking nice... enough."

"Excellent." She said with a nod before looking to Dawn. "And do you have something to wear?"

" Eeh!?" My apprentice let off, jumping in her seat and ending her enchanting to look at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

"No, she doesn't." I answered for her. "She hasn't had a reason to get a dress yet."

"Well I'm sure we can find something nice for her." Celestine let off quickly.

" Eeh!?"

"Well yeah, I imagine something hip hugging would be good on her." I replied with a nod.

" Eeh!?"

"Agreed." Celestine said as she clasped her hands for a moment with a wide smile. "I'm sure she'll look darling."

" Eeh!?"

"Sorry Dawn..." I said, chuckling at her dumbfounded look. "Part of being my apprentice is dealing with unwanted limelight."

"... eeeeeeh..." She let off weakly, hanging her head.

[-]

Primus City, Capital of Geofu
City Morgue
Late Afternoon

Claudia was grateful that James loaned the use of Enterprise to see her and her husband home quickly. With it done she could see to her fallen sisters, if briefly, before they were prepared for a burial. The doctors did their best to scour over their bodies for anything that would point to further explaining the who and how of their deaths. What little the doctors were able to determine wasn't much.

There was no signs of defensive wounds, marks or hints of skin that might have been scraped off on them or their armor. Amaru wore lipstick which was smudged to her lips left and underside suggesting it was covered as she was stabbed from behind by someone's hand. Likely they were together when they died with someone who slew one then the other. With the right training someone could have stabbed and silenced one while the other had her back turned, rushed in with a subtle Combat Art and ran through the other. To have their guard lowered to the point someone could pull that off they must have been trusted to some degree; and given Amaru's confession...

"They were good soldiers." She heard to her left as she shut her eyes for a long moment. Both bodies were being magically stored until the funeral and set on tables under sheets. Mock ups of the Dawn Templar's armor would be made for them to be buried in. " This is a tragedy..."

"Indeed father... Indeed..." She said, shutting her eyes for a moment. She decided not to mention the confession left to her adoptive father; in her heart of hearts she was sure Grave had nothing to do with their deaths, nor what they did to Harry Flare... and yet she couldn't deny that he stood on the suspects list... Not only that he was one of the few with the respect of her lost sisters that they would not only listen to but go over her head to do their hidden missions... "We'll need to uncover their movements before their deaths; the more we know the more we can learn of the killer or killers..."

"Agreed." Grave let off, huffing. "Stabbed from behind... That's no way for a warrior to go..."

"No way for anyone to go..." Claudia replied with a sad look to the bodies before her. She knew Klaus suspected his father of having a hand in this but... ... The relationship between father and son was tense at best, she knew it and knew why; Grave was a warrior to the core and with Klaus' constitution not allowing him to follow that path was the cause of great disappointment and abusive attempts to make him fit the mold of a knight... yet that same thing formed the basis of her training; it was harsh but it turned her into the knight she was today...

She wouldn't change her Klaus for anything, of course. Being a scholar suited him better and he was so adorable as he chased down the knowledge he needed of discovered something new. She loved him to pieces and couldn't imagine her life without him... but she so wished he could bury the hatchet between him and his father. Alas, Grave was too proud a man to offer apology, even when he should; it could be like pulling teeth at times. Still... that pride is why she couldn't imagine him as a traitor; he had fought for Eostia too hard, sacrificed too much and served too long for her to consider him responsible for something so... underhanded... She knew Klaus didn't fully understand the honor of warriors in service to a nation and even that was tainted by his relationship with his father but she just couldn't consider the idea without feeling ill...

For his part Grave eyed her hips from behind, sneering as he licked his lips for a moment. He wasn't eyeing her ass, curved and plush as it was in spite of her rigorous training, no, oh no... It was those wide, birthing hips that caught his eyes... Come the storm, come the rise of the new empire he would be sure to drive himself into those hips... and have a proper heir come out nine months after... A first born son unlike the weak and limp wristed one that couldn't hold a sword let alone what to do with it...

They had put off siring their own child for far too long... In truth, maybe for the best; Klaus' son would likely be as useless as he was even with Claudia's blood trying to make up for it... No, no, no... He needed a proper heir... a proper son... and willing or not Claudia and her womb would give him what he needed...

It was just a matter of time...

[-]

It was the day of the reveal and the place was the Museum of Heroes. I broke out the outfit I had at the ceremony that ended the war so I looked good, I knew. Dawn was kept at my side for the party with the tablets kept safe under reinforced, high quality, spell stone backed spell glass and a sheet over them to hide them until the reveal. The glass could be opened to allow the tablets to be handled to a point and four Dawn Templars were kept around it to ensure shenanigans didn't occur.

In regards to Dawn; Celestine managed to find a dress and have it adapted to her figure in record time; it was a ruby red in color and consisted on a corset-like top without straps and a soft, diamond pattern over it with an attached, pleated skirt that fell just above mid-thigh; minus the pattern. Strappy, short, black heels were set to her feet and her hands were given bicep length bridal gauntlets that were also black. A pearl necklace (Made of very low grade spell stones as opposed to actual pearls) was around her neck and her hair was pulled back and tied into a single, long braid. This would be the first public appearance of my apprentice so she had to look good and she did; if it wasn't for the fact I was her mentor I'd be tempted to get my hands on her. " Everyone's looking at me..." She hissed out softly, hiding her lips with a wine glass, filled with red, as she looked to me with a side eye while swirling the glass gently.

"You'll get... more used to it." I replied as I gave her a smile and shrug. You could see other lords and ladies wandering about and looking over the nearby exhibits and chatting as they awaited the big reveal. I had chatted with Blake von Adelle earlier which kept... most people away; I took the time to introduce him to Dawn and made sure she knew that, quirks aside, Blake was a good man and a better enchanter then I was. The two got along but she was... a little put off at the discussion about turning his grandfather's pet dire wolf into a corpse golem as opposed to stuffing it (No joke...)... which to be fair is off putting.

Claudia and Klaus were also present as was Prim who was talking with a few other Ur lords. Alicia opted to skip out; she was with her brother and helping him with the whole 'learning to run a kingdom' thing. Finally, a bit fashionably late, the Archbishop of the Church arrived. George the Second, the Pope of the Faith was, of course, also here and chatting with lords but the Archbishop's arrival drew much more attention; the Church had done much to make connections with the lords of the land so it wasn't surprising, although still annoying. He wasn't alone of course as he had his bodyguard, Harrison Hamilton, and two of his Cardinals was in tow; Karin Darkpurge and Amram Stellaclamor. As expected; all were a higher level then before when I saw them the Arch bitchop was level fifty now (And flinched, giving me another look as I scanned him), Harrison was at forty, Darkpurge at forty eight and Amram at forty five. Yay. Naturally they all noticed me and while I had briefed Dawn on the Church, my relation with them and their opinions on dragonborne I was still a bit nervous on how she'd handle herself here...

Naturally he spotted me in less then a minute once I had used Observe and, using that staff of his as a walking aide, came over to me. I gave Dawn a side-eyed look to communicate to let me handle the bulk of the talking and looked to the man once more; Harrison behind and to his left with his cardinals flanked him more directly. "Archbishop Lucilius, pleasure." I said; the fact it wasn't a pleasure went unspoken.

"Champion Noxdecus." He replied as he smiled with his lips and not with his eyes as we shook hands. " Likewise." He said as he looked to me. "If I may begin with introductions; two of my most trusted Cardinals. Karin Darkpurge and Amran Stellaclamor."

"Greetings, Champions."

"Well met, Lord Noxdecus." Karin then Amram let off. Both likewise bore false smiles and hidden glares.

"Well met Cardinals." I replied simply before gesturing to Dawn. "My apprentice, Dawn." The three shared looks for a moment, confused. "Formerly of an Anvil noble house."

"I imagine there's a story there." Amram said in a somewhat haughty tone with that underlying arrogance under it. "I'm surprised; she seems a tad old for an apprentice."

"Well you know how lords are; wanting me to take one on if I'm ready or not." I said with a shrug. "So I chose a clever girl to practice teaching with."

" Hooo... I'm sure we'll see how clever she really is." Dawn looked back as Lucilus spoke and I could sense she was nervous but hiding it well. "Pleasure, Lady Dawn."

"P-pleasure, Archbishop." She replied as he looked back to me with narrowed eyes.

"I am told that whatever is on display is a find of yours." He said, curiosity and caution both in his tone. "What is it you chased down?"

"Less chased down and more stumbled over." I said with a shrug. "A date that turned into a gargoyle hunt that turned into a discovery." He raised an eyebrow; maybe surprised how open I was about it... which was a tactic; if I told him all he wanted to hear I could hide a few details I didn't want people to know. The ability to rappel down from Enterprise was something that someone could figure out could be done... but it wasn't something one normally did from a naval vessel... If I was lucky then it's something others would overlook until after I used the tactic to my advantage.

In that my relative youth (Ignoring the life experience of a previous lifetime) played to my strength; they might think that was being so open was a misplay on my part due to a lack of wisdom and experience. "I won't spoil what prizes I found beyond this; you will be grateful for what I stumbled over." He raised an eyebrow as I saw something from the corner of my eye. "If you'll excuse me; there's someone I need speak with."

" Of course..." The Archbishop let off as I turned and left, Dawn trailing me. While I didn't need to speak with who I saw I wanted to and this was a good time; plus it got me away from the old fart. That was a bonus. Naturally it wasn't much of a walk to my target.

"Victoria; good to see you once more." I addressed as the woman in question turned to look at me; Victoria Daphne, now Countess of Xenera... and a much greater improvement over it's last house.

My head still hurts when I think about it...

"James, good to see you once more as well." She said in her usual, professional manner, standing with her back straight with a glass of wine in one hand. "And this is... I've heard rumors of an apprentice..."

"Indeed. This is Dawn. Dawn this is Victoria Excelsior-Daphne, new Countess of Xenera." I said, gesturing as the two women shook hands.

" Just Daphne these days; myself and Baron Elgon agreed that dropping 'Excelsior' from my name would be required to fully stand on my own." Victoria said as I nodded; it made sense to me. She needed to show she wasn't under House Excelsior's thumb, doubly so as she now outranked her father's house. "Pleasure to meet you Dawn, I do hope we can be friends. My meeting with your master was just over a couple of days but I would hope after the... issues involved we are friends to a degree."

"I won't argue with that." I said with a nod.

"Pleasure as well, Countess." Dawn replied with a smile. "Well I hope to hear about it someti-"

" I'd rather not talk about it." I deadpanned as I sipped my wine, making my apprentice blink.

"It was a sadly... stressful visit." Victoria clarified. Dawn blinked, clearly not enlightened.

[-]

After spending sometime introducing Dawn to more lords and meeting a rather... laid back Alexander van Bludhorn (Who gave Dawn warm greetings on top of everything else) Celestine arrived with an additional four Dawn Templars which made everyone quiet up very quickly. She gave a warm smile as she moved around the covered display and turned to face the room clapping her hands twice; if anyone wasn't paying attention they did after that. "Greetings my lords and our guests in the Pope and Archbishop. Welcome. I know what I called you here for was kept a secret thus far. Needless to say; it is worth it."

She looked about before speaking once more. "As you know what we have was found by chance by our Champion as well as Shield Princess Kaguya as well as their escort." She said smiling. "Found in a strange repository deep within the Thunderblaze at a lost peak made by the Imperium." That got everyone mumbling for a moment; clearly wondering what it was that was found. "As to what was found was a pair of mana stone tablets... that alone would be a discovery of note, but not enough to summon our two most notable religious leaders on top of such a wide invite to our lords... However once I confirmed for myself what these were I felt the invite was worth it." A nod to one of her Templars and the guard stepped in and pulled the cloth off; showing off the cyan and ruby colored tablets made from mana stone. "The original Biblica Lux and Primum Verbum."

Now that got everyone's attention and surprise; some crying out in disbelief and other letting off vocal amazement. It was, interestingly, the Archbishop that had the most interesting reaction. He passed his crozier to Amram and approached the display. A look to a Dawn Templar and he opened the display and set a hand on the original Primum and activated it; the words projecting from it as he read it. "... My word, it really is..."

"Our good Champion brought them to the High Throne to be held in trust for all to see; no one person should have ownership of what is shared history of the people of the continent as a whole." Celestine explained as the Archbishop nodded in a stupor; like he heard her but the words had yet to register. The Pope would move to his side, hands on the Biblica and activating it in a likewise manner.

" I would have never thought these could be found once more ..." George the Second let off softly as he shared a look with his religious rival.

" Indeed..." Lucilius said with a nod. " We should all be thankful for this gracious find... The goddess does smile on us, it seems..."

It was... surprising; they were nominally rivals, bitter ones I've heard, but in this moment they just... set it all aside to enjoy the find of shared history. Soon others of both churches would come to look before the lords moved to examine the relics themselves. Naturally I was all but ordered to tell, retell and tell once more the tale of how they were found. Blake had even taken the time to explain some of the findings from the golem heart I had given him, at least to those who cared to listen (Mostly myself, Dawn and a few other mages) but I was still taken off guard by how Lucilius was acting.

Once he stood aside to let other see the tablets he took back his staff and leaned on it, looking to the tablets and enjoying as everyone examined and read them... I guess for him it was a, for lack of a better term, religious experience. What surprised me, however, is what he didn't do then or even later; he didn't demand them turned over to the Church. In fact Celestine would later tell me she had rebuttals to such requests ready for when he did and he... didn't... In fact he would approach me, bow his head and quietly admit that despite our differences he was truly grateful...

...

I guess there's more to the guy then I had thought...

[-]

Later That Evening
Skyguard Palace, High Kingdom of Ken
Quarters of Lucilius the Sixth

"Yer not gonna demand she turn them over to us?" Harrison let off as Lucilius sighed, groaning a bit as he sat down on the bed of his quarters as his bodyguard helped him seat himself. Amram and Karin shared a look with one another, both giving each other concerned looks.

" No. No. No Harrison, I will not." The Archbishop said as his aide moved to undo his boots. "Ignoring how... ungracious it would seem, nor mention that she would likely refuse, I am forced to agree they need to be held in trust. I would, of course, rather we do so and we shall as the theocracy rises... but for now I'll be grateful such finds were made and shared as opposed to locked away in some private vault."

"I'd prefer them to be in our control..." Amram let off, giving his opinion openly. "More over; their tale is now tainted by that dragonborne ..."

"Agreed; but that minor taint is acceptable for them to be returned to humanity." Lucilius said as he sighed. "...On another, important note; has Unussol and his workshop been moved?"

"Indeed..." Karin let off as Amram smiled proudly; it was, after all, he who discovered how close the Black Watch was to finding him and their secrets... "We moved him to Erogus for the time being. He's already been put back to work."

" Excellent..." Lucilius said with a smile. "The Goddess' work will be done. We should be grateful to Amram for stumbling over this information; had the Black Watch uncovered too much..."

"Think nothing of it." Amram said; his words humble, his tone not so much. Lucilius opted to say nothing about his tone for the moment but he often worried that the cardinal was too ambitious by half...

"We'll needs be more careful in the future... but for now we can relax." The Archbishop said with a sigh... "The future will belong to the Church!"

[-]

Skyguard Palace, High Kingdom of Ken
Quarters of Dawn the Red Blade

Dawn was glad for the private bathroom in her quarters; it gave her the chance to wash up and relax in private for a little while. Walking out of the bathroom after drying off her nude body and still toweling her long hair she heard a chuckle and looked over to her bed. "You look more relaxed now."

"Oh, shut up Wendy..." Dawn replied with a pout; Wendy sat on her bed, stripped down to her shirt (Left open) and panties as she half smirked while looking Dawn over. "That party was nerve wrecking... I don't know how master pulls it off so well." Wendy chuckled in response as she smiled back and let her eyes draw down over Dawn's hips; more so as she walked to fold the towel and set it on a dresser and let her see a nice, petite rump. She would lick her lips just before Dawn turned around and moved to the bed.

"I'm sure he gets nervous too; if anything he had a lot more to consider then you." She said as Dawn turned and fell onto her back on the bed; arms and legs splayed. "If anything he could be a bit stressed out with everything, yeah?"

" Yeah, I guess he would be..." Dawn let off gently... before jumping softly, eyes shooting to a grinning Wendy as a hand stroked up and down her thigh softly and slowly.

"And you can do with a lil' less stress too..." Wendy let off with a widening smile. Dawn squirmed for a moment and said nothing as Wendy's hand turned towards the inner thigh; asking permission without words and awaiting for such. Finally Dawn would part her legs a bit more; giving permission as Wendy moved her hand up the thigh and to her core, making the smaller girl moan as her sensitive sex was rubbed softly.

Her sex was, understandably, not moist yet so Wendy took her time teasing and rubbing her slit with her fingers, moaning a bit. "So, have eyes on a guy yet?"

" Y-you wanted to sex me up to ask that !?" Dawn let off as Wendy giggled, the mage covering her face with her hands.

"No; I wanted to sex you up because you're cute." Wendy smiled as she looked to the green eyes of her party mate; peeking out from her fingers. "I asked because I'm curious; after all as the Champion's Apprentice there's going to be... expectations..." She mewled under Wendy as her clit was stroked softly but said nothing as Wendy had a point; she had gone from the daughter of a minor lord to a vagabond to an apprentice of one of the realm's most notable men. That would direct some attention to her; likely those of noble men, knights, ranking mages and more.

It was... a daunting thought, to be honest. She gulped as Wendy grinned more, finally pushing a finger into the smaller girl as she smiled more. "Of course-" The swordswoman let off with a giggle. "-every man you fuck or date will have to measure up to James somehow."

" We're not having sex!" Dawn cried out as Wendy's thumb pressed onto her clit and rubbed up in a long, slow stroke. " Ohhhhhhhh!"

"You should start." Wendy let off with a giggle.

" Y-you're not supposed to have sex with your, oooooh, teacher!"

"Like that stops anyone." Wendy quipped as she started to slow press in a second finger. "Now, I wanna see you cum." She let off as her wrist started to move with an amount of force, driving her fingers up into the girl under her. As she did her thumb stayed on that clit. "You're gonna cum, we're gonna cuddle and talk more about getting you laid."

" Oh fuck! Oh Fuck!" Dawn let off as she quivered under Wendy as she felt her fingers move quicker and quicker within her as she archer her back, mouth parting slightly once, then twice before crying out on the third one as she came, squirting gently on the fingers within her at last. Wendy would work her fingers a little longer if a bit slower and finally she pulled the fingers free. Dawn was left panting as Wendy pulled her shirt off at last and moved to lay next to her friend and pulled her into a gentle hug.

Small talk would carry on for an hour before they finally came to fall asleep.

[-]

It was little surprise I left the following morning, getting everyone together and flying back to Mungale. Dawn and her party would go, report in to the Guild and get paid (With a small reward from Claudia for their part in finding her sisters) which was good for them. I, meanwhile, had more questions then answers which is... always annoying... I made notes but for the time being I had nothing I could act on.

Instead I opted to go back to work for the time being. The kitchen for the Corn Flakes had ground broken for it's construction; it would be a good supplement to my income and, with luck, make more merchant contacts. More merchant contacts meant more rumors I could gain, more information to act on, more I could do down the line...

Sadly ' down the line' was the problem; for now there was little I could do but train, build up, experiment and just keep busy. For now it's just a case of waiting until I had something more concrete to act on. It was frustrating to know there's enemies about, know they're acting in the shadows but to be unable to do anything about it; for the time being I had to use my time as I could until I had something...

Ughhh... I know it's tempting fate but I kinda wish something would happen...

[-]

Road Leading to Argon City From The Direction of Creekwood
Later Afternoon

"There it is... Our target's home." Ayman Yataklam let off, smirking. Of course that was an alias, one to use for his ' side' work; Mehdi Hadi was, as far as anyone knew, a mere merchant of odds and ends from his homeland, the eastern nations and other places exotic to the bulk of the central and western nations. It was amazing what people would shell out for the curious and interesting. He stroked his bread, chuckling; a simple potion grew it out along with his hair. A simple cutting and trimming of his hair and beard would help hide his identity along with a change to less expensive clothing; something his masked partner didn't need to bother with.

He chuckled; Qatil had... taken care of a number of people over the course of twenty five years. Given the high asking price he commanded Qatil's skills were rarely called upon but that list of kills included kings, knights, two shield princesses, and five generals among others. Qatil Aleaql would only kill his target but would do so without fail. None could escape him...

The only living Champion of Eostia was a daunting task to most. For He Who Knew No Failure he wasn't a threat, just another feather in the cap.

The convoy of four wagons strong, five aides and escort of a dozen rode to Argon City. To anyone watching they were nothing special.

How little they knew the most deadly man on the continent, any continent, was about to arrive...

[ - Author's Note - ]

Well there we go... some answers are given, some more questions are raised, Grave is being creepy and we meet his brother properly at last. We also get a little conversation between Klaus and James, the Archbishop showcases that he might be a little more layered then one might think at first glance and... he's finally arrived...

Yup. The legendary assassin is here and... that'll be an event.

And yeah, James will get his wish at least!

You know the usual at this time; leave a comment and let me know what you think of it, offer some criticism, what you liked, didn't like and so on. So, until next time!

~Eostian Scribe