Much to the hedgehog's surprise, his feint only made Hector twist sideways and draw closer. The hedgehog could not get a good amount of force into the blow of his shield at such a near proximity. Hector grabbed the hedgehog's sword arm and squeezed. For a moment, man and hedgehog locked eyes. Hector had a grin a mile wide before he yanked hard. Something in the hedgehog's arm made a sickening sound, like a rope snapping. Then, the hedgehog was suddenly twisting on the ground in agony, suspended in part by his arm, which was still in Hector's grasp. Ale chuckled dryly to himself, somewhat morbidly amused by this. Hector released the unfortunate creature, turned to Ale, and grimaced.

"You gonna be able to run? I don't want to be here when the explosion hits," Hector said, already moving to hoist Arc over one of his shoulders like a mere baby. Ale studied Hector carefully; the man's powerful build, familiar face, and that axe...who was this person, anyway?

     Gauging the nobleman's curiosity, Ale laughed to himself. "As to whether or not I can run, I feel fine." Ale said, beating his chest for emphasis. This, however, proved to be counter productive, as he doubled over as he hit his still soar wound. Seeing this, Hector sighed and grabbed Ale, throwing the protesting fox over his other shoulder. "What do you you think you're doing!?" shouted the assassin, "Put me down! I can walk on my own!"

     "There's no time for you to argue!" returned the nobleman, "We must leave before the explosion!"

      Ale went silent and glared behind the Knight. "This is embarrassing..." stated the fox. Hector ignored the man and ran for the door on the far side of the room, which led to the unknown machine. Opening the door, the nobleman rushed in. Ale grimaced as pain shot through his gut. "Be more careful you oaf!" he yelled through the pain. His voice was drowned out by the sound of the great engine within the room. There were people scrambling about, repairing his pipe, and turning this valve, or shouting for a hand while pushing a mine cart along a track. The room was huge and covered in steel and iron. The heat was sweltering.

Alexis did notice Taltae's near-slip of the tongue but decided to let it pass, since this was hardly the time or the place for recriminations over minor offences. Besides, it wasn't too uncommon in those newly-awakened to the reality of Shifters to make a few faux-passes. She swept her gaze over the scene, drinking in the details. From the sounds of things, the South Gate was no longer an option. The other gates would only be a matter of time, and she wasn't certain what condition Taltae's knee was in. A solution presented itself to her mind. "We can't use the gates without being spotted," she said, "and flying is out". As she said those last words, what had appeared to be a dark, leathern cloak rippled and flexed, revealing a pair of brown-black, bat like wings as Alexis continued to speak. "In the first place," she said, "I have you to think of not just myself- and I don't think you'd take too kindly to me dragging you through the air. For another thing, even if I were to take the shape of someone big enough to carry you, we'd still be spotted and fired upon by the invaders if we tried to fly out over the walls- not my idea of fun. We need a way out other than the gates or the air and unlikely to be watched by the invaders,"she continued, "a hidden way out. And I think I know how. We need to get to the Medichi house- when I was there last summer I saw a couple of the staff there using a hidden door. It turned out to lead into a system of hidden corridors built beneath the house, with at least one leading to a concealed exit in the nearest outlying village- the one the staff used led to an exit not far from a local tavern. The chances are that the village is abandoned now, courtesy of the invasion, but that the exit will still be workable. Plus, if we make it to the Medichi house ahead of the invasion, we can stock up on provisions and be on our way before the invasion reaches us". Taltae looked somewhat quizzical at this. "Here last summer? You mean you aren't resident here?" he asked. Alexis smiled briefly again. "I've been spending summer here for the last two years," she said, "but my branch of the family- my close kin- live deeper into the Medichi lands. I think they ask me to spend the holidays here because the locals still aren't over seeing a Shifter walking openly around the town. I've come to know a few faces and who's who while I'm here, but such friends as I have are elsewhere. However, we would be better discussing these things on the move- will your knee allow you to run?"

Taltae winced as he rubbed the knee in question. "I don't know if it'll allow me," he said, "but if running gets me out of here and on my way it'll have a hard time stopping me!" Alexis smiled at the remark. "We'd best be on our way then," she said, "but before we go there's one final thing I need to do here". So saying, she crouched by the dead girl once more and gently touched her index and middle fingers to the girl's forehead. A capability possessed by a minority of Shifters was the capacity to access a person's memories by establishing physical contact with that person. It could be a light touch, a handshake, or almost anything so long as it was contact. The ability wasn't faultless though, since the most any Shifter could gain without risking serious damage to themselves was a month's worth of memories. And sometimes, if a person was introverted, paranoid, or simply very private- and especially if they didn't like someone much- then the memories became even harder to collect, requiring more effort for less reward. Even if you managed to collect the memories, being able to effectively unlock them was no less tricky. The mind tended to coat every memory, every event with a multilayered myriad of meanings and significance, which were impossible to decipher until you found they key or basic themes running through the strange mental landscapes- only then would the images transform into recognisable events bearing relevance and significance to reality.

Perhaps the last month of the dead girl's memories would make no sense, Alexis mused, but they might provide her with some clues to the mystery and some doors to knock on. She grimaced briefly as a stream of memories raced past behind her eyes, before breaking contact again. The memories would take time to understand but some things stood out clearly, either too commonplace or recent and potent to have faded into the bizarre memory-scape. Alexis didn't know the girl's name, but she now knew the sound of her voice in addition to her image. And she knew one other thing. The last image that had flashed behind her eyes, too powerful and terrifying to fade so soon, was the image of a face- a face glimpsed through sliced bandages and goggles, with a bloodied blade floating near it. A masculine, vulpine face with brown hair and a scar running from the chin up to the right ear. Without doubt, Alexis knew, the face of the Wisp that had killed the girl. As she started to straighten up, Alexis glanced at the dead girl's sword, lying where it had fallen. The chances were that she wouldn't now get the opportunity to report the murder to her family, but if she figured out who the girl had been sent to, maybe she could deliver the message to them, presenting the sword as evidence? Or perhaps, Alexis mused grimly, she could see who turned pale if she walked around in the dead girl's shape? That might be worth trying once they were clear of Gallia. With deepest loathing, Alexis reached over to gingerly scoop the sword and its scabbard up, sliding the blade home before saying to Taltae, "keep a hold of this please". Alexis loathed swords. Standing straight again, and with the sounds of the ever approaching battle in her ears Alexis said to Taltae, "now let's be on our way- the sooner we're out of here the better!"    

Hector gawked at the engineering taking place before him. He almost tripped over his own feet. Ale gave a grunt of dissatisfaction at the bumpy ride. Fortunately, it seemed like no one was paying attention to the trio; everyone was more concerned about the metallurgic tasks to which they were bending. There were people fastidiously casting, pouring, smelting, cooling, and hammering around this strange, foreign forge. Hector squinted to see what was being forged; it looked like more firearms, though he could not be certain. Smoke belched from the forge and bellows wheezed.

Naturally not the fastest man in a race, Hector was now bogged down with a burden on each shoulder. He stuck close to the wall and hoped that nobody came along to antagonise him while he tried to make an escape.

    Seeing a shaft the led up, Hector decided to take that path. He felt the ground rumble as a stalactite fell from the ceiling and into the workers. Several were crushed to death. Before any frightened confusion could take place, the taskmaster had brought the workers back in line. They were more focused on their work than anyone else would have been given the situation. The shaft the Hector was traversing seemed to go all the way to the top of the chamber. There were six smoke stacks protruding from the ceiling. It was a wonder that no one had noticed the smoke on the surface.

    Before The group had made it all the way to the top of the shaft, a mine cart rushed up from behind them. Hector fell backwards into the cart, dumping Ale and Arc to its bed. Ale gasped as pain washed over his abdomen. The mine cart was headed for the surface and was being propelled by some kind of electric charge along the tracks.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

     Meanwhile, on the surface. An Auditore soldier ran up to the rabbit woman. "Sir Invidia! A message from the general." reported the man. The woman read the scroll that was handed to her. It was an order to head for the Medichi stronghold. The woman looked to the soldiers gathered before her.

     "We strike the castle!" she commanded, the troops responding with thunderous cheers. Not for from the castle's gates, it didn't take long for them to arrive.

"What the--?" began Hector before the cart surged up an incline. Something started slapping him around the head. It was Ale.

"Get off me!" the fox wheezed. Hector laughed snidely and shifted himself into a sitting position so that he was no longer bearing down on the injured assassin.

"Don't tell me a little scratch like that's gotten your knickers in a twist," Hector said. Ale glared at him. Hector was about to say something when the cart slowed to a stop. Curious, he peeked over the edge of the cart before quickly sitting again.

"What do you see?" asked Ale. Hector shook his head.

"Believe me, you're not gonna wanna know."

With a grunt of mixed displeasure and discomfort, Ale hoisted himself onto the edge of the cart and peered down in the depths. The cart was resting at the top of an incline, perched for a roller coaster descent. The track was going to swing low over what looked to be a river of flowing magma. Overhead, rocks were dropping from the cave ceiling into the magma. Some of the track looked warped from the intense heat, and there was a disconcertingly large gap at the bottom of the coming drop, which was certain more than 30 feet, just by eye's approximation.

Ale sat down again. Hector said, "I told you." The fox gave him a pained look.

"Wouldn't it be handy if we had some kind of escape rope right about now?"

"It would be handy if we weren't riding a mine cart over our very likely route of demise. I hope the physics on this mine cart work right."

"Don't you have any ideas at all, Sir Knight?"

"Just one," Hector said, standing up and shifting his weight forward to get the cart moving on its inevitable journey. "Hold on tight."

     The mine cart slid down the tracks, picking up speed. The cart began to heat as it approached the stream of magma. Upon reaching the river of fire, the cart rushed past, shaking violently over the warped track. The cart burned with the heat, and it was all Hector and Ale could do to keep from being burnt themselves. Arc however was perfectly safe on Hector's shoulder.  Soon the cart passed the river of magma, and the cart cooled. It turned into a dark mine shaft. The small group couldn't see anything in the darkness.

    Then Ale saw something out of the corner of his eye. A glowing child sitting by the tracks. "Did you see that!?" yelled Ale to Hector.

    "See what?" replied the nobleman, "It's to dark in here to see anything!" This sent a cold chill down the fox's spine. What had that been? Was it really the child he saw in his death dream? Or his nerves getting the best of him? It didn't matter. A light shown at the end of the tunnel and the two men who were still conscious were temporarily blinded before being thrown out of the cart and into the dirt. As the bright haze subsided, Ale and Hector saw the small mining community of Toma and the small bog nearby, eight miles from Gallia. Looking in the distant night sky, Hector could see his city burning.

For a little while, Hector stood there, slack-jawed. The city of Gallia was undeniably ablaze in the distance. Arc was still slumped over on the ground. Ale was fidgeting, concerned over what he may or may have seen back in the tunnel. This state of affairs might have gone on for an indefinite period of time, but the somewhat unpleasant odour of the bog shook Hector out of his numbness. He turned around and glanced at Ale, whom he swore was mumbling, "Must not fear...fear is the little death..."

"What's with you?" Hector questioned.

"Nothing. But it, uh, looks like you may have a problem there," Ale said, pointing at the inferno. Hector looked from Ale to Gallia, and then from Gallia to Ale. He threw his axe into the ground in frustration.

"Damn the Auditore clan! They don't know what they have brought on themselves!"

Ale watched Hector walk in a circle, ranting to himself thus. The fox then looked around, wondering if he had indeed seen the glowing child. He thought he caught a glimpse of something moving in the direction of Toma, but then again, maybe not. Hector stopped, followed Ale's gaze, and said, "What?"

Ale shook his head. Hector yanked his axe free from the soft dirt and started marching purposefully to Toma. Left posed and unanswered was the question of if anyone was going to follow him to the town.

     Ale stood, shaking the fear from his mind. Looking over the old town he sighed. "From riches to rags?" questioned the fox to no one in particular, "Well, it could have been worse." He raised his hand to his wound. Glancing over to the burning Gallia, he shook his head. The gate was a crumbled pile of ruin and the seige towers had reached the walls. The town was as good as claimed. The Auditore Family would gain territory and the Medichi would loose some. But that was war, and war kept Ale fed. He sighed and bent down, cringing to scoop up Arc who was still dozing.

    He walked into the town after Hector. Many of the villagers were staring at the burning city with fear and grief. But even in these times, there are those who must strut around as if they are better than another. A villager spat on Ale's boot. "What's your kind doing here, Beastman? To cold in whatever cave you call home?" said the man as he stormed up to the fox, "You should leave fur boy, if you know what's good for you. You and your young one." The man pointed to Arc. Ale didn't respond, walking past the man. The man, angered by this, threw a punch at Ale. Ale dodged back, but the pain in his gut made him slow. However, he needn't have bothered, as a large hand grabbed the villager's fist before it got near Ale.

    "This isn't the time for bigotry." said a solemn Hector, "Gallia burns and so you should look to your escape." The man scoffed and walked away. Ale heard him mutter something about nobles which caught his attention. His vision darted to Hector, his eyes wide, but he regained his composure quickly.

    "I don't know about you, Sir Knight, but I could use a good drink." said the fox as he looked around. Catching a glimpse of the Old Crow tavern, Ale walked in it's direction. "Come on, soldier-boy. We've got things to talk about."

It slowly became evident that at some point not only had Archibald woken up, but he was muttering to himself.  It didn't seem to bother him being carried like a sack of potatoes.  The squirrel seemed perfectly keen to perch with his rump in the air over the fox's shoulder, wide awake and scribbling something on a piece of cloth he'd scavenged.   The origin of his scribbling instrument however was as unknown as he was.

He stopped suddenly, "Six hundred and sixty three years?  That's not right...  No Zuerian settlement has eras that long unless..."  The squirrel looked deep in thought so serious it almost balanced the ridiculous position he was in.  "Ah!   Someone must have stopped their leader of ending the era.  Generally if this is the Zuerian Galaxy they got settled a few hundred years before the Kydane calendar started so is it year 1163?  1063?"  He mused squirming a little with excitement as the next thought passed through his brain, "963?  Have I really moved outside my own timeline?  Maybe if...."  The smarmy cutesy look melted as more thoughts poured in.  Then a VERY distant look surged over his features as if something had suddenly terrified him.  Leaving his writing hand to trail a line down the cloth as he stared glassy eyed through the town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those with a sense of humor his note reads:

Azgarde.  Nordinian Based Calendar.  Zuerian Galaxy?

     Ale, having noticed the squirming squirrel, dumped Arc into a chair. He almost began to sit himself, but noticed a gray vulpine woman sitting at the bar. Ale quickly forgot about Arc and Hector and walked to a stool next to the woman. "Why hello there, foxy lady." greeted the assassin, "What brings you to this backwater town?" At the word backwater, several of the human patrons stood, but a quick glare from the elder and they sat back down. The woman chuckled to herself, She turned to look at the fox and raised an eyebrow. Ale responded with a grin. However, the woman then ignored him and went back to drinking her water.

    Ale wasn't about to give up on this, however. He tapped on the counter to get the barman's attention. "Two bourbons." he ordered. The barman set the two glasses in front of the fox. Ale drank from one and slid the other the vulpine woman's way. She responded by sliding it back. This is a tough one... thought the assassin. "So, what's your name foxy lady, or do you prefer that?" he asked, finally.

Had Hector the time to watch Ale's antics, he probably would have wondered what, if anything, the fox was attempting to accomplish. Instead, he gestured to the barkeep with a beckoning gesture once Ale had been served.

"What can I get for you, soldier boy?" the barman asked.

"Royal messenger," Hector breathed quietly into the barkeep's ear. "Has there been one through here?"

The barkeep scratched at the developing bald spot on his head. "Had one come through here last night, I'm almost positive. She was with some huntsman or someone. Young lass; probably headed for Gallia. I guess she was out to warn Hector Il Constans about the Auditores coming and didn't make it. It's not like Il Constans to let someone best him in siege."

Hector soured. He had acquired the nickname "Il Constans" after vanquishing an unusually strong Florentine army last year. He was puzzled by the thought that his repute preceded him, but his face did not. Still, this was a significant bit of news; a Royal Messenger had been through Toma? Surely that meant she was headed for Gallia, but if so, why had she never delivered her message? Had someone intercepted her? He could not help but glance sideways at his two companions and then grunt.

"Did it seem like anyone was following her?"

"Not that I can think of, but I guess if anyone wanted to follow her, they'd not want to be seen. Am I right?"

Hector stiffly stood at his full height and surveyed the tavern. Lots of rustic folk and ignorant chavs; he could not cobble an army to reclaim Gallia out of them. He needed to send a message to the family elders at once.

     Getting a response, Ale's grin grew. Noticing this, he regained his composure and leaned on the counter. "Alerolus del Rosa, but you can call me Ale." he said this in a low tone, trying to add appeal to his words, "Ari. That's a fine name for a woman with your..." Ale stopped unable to think of a way to finish that sentence. "Well, it's a nice name, anyway. So, what do you say you and I run off together? Hm? Go make our fortune?" Ale scooted his stool a bit closer and leaned forward a bit. "I'm sure I could make your dreams come true."

     Getting agitated with the wait, Hector approached the two. "Ale, we must strategize." he interrupted, "And you said we needed to talk."

     In response of Hector's indelicate interruption, Ale waved him away and said, "Not now, soldier-boy." The woman seemed about to burst into laughter.

     "Gallia burns and you wish to chat up some strumpet?" Hector said, motioning to Ari, "Come, there are more important things to do." And with that, Hector grabbed Ale's shoulder and dragged him back to the table where he had left Arc.

     "Let go of me you overgrown tin can!" yelled Ale in protest, giving up as they reached the table. Ale simply looked at the woman and waved, grinning sheepishly. He then turned to Hector and said, "You're despicable..."

He'd been transfixed on the groove marred table surface during the exchanges, watching lines and etching form and collide as rapidly as the theories running rampant in his mind.  He couldjn't think through all his thinking, he leaned back as Hector approached with the fox in tow meaning to let his head hang back so he could stare at the ceiling.  But he only got as far as the far corner of the tavern.  There, for a moment, was a human.  The first glance gave him pause, the second saw the flash of crimson on his head and pale skin overlaying his face, the third yielded nothing.  He was gone.  

The youth blinked several times trying to figure it out.  It had been awhile since he'd had anything to drink.  But he had no other signs of dehydration.  Finally he pointed to the corner and stated out loud to nobody in-particular, "Did anyone else just see a ginger in a over there?"

    Ale and Hector raised an eyebrow at the young squirrel. "What Ginger?" asked the nobleman. Arc didn't respond, looking at the human with one eye wide and the other almost shut. Ale was still waving to the vulpine woman who was no longer even looking in his direction. Hector pounded on the table, putting a fist sized indent into it. "Focus man!" he yelled at the fox.

    Ale simply glared at him. "What is it, soldier-boy? Got a sword jammed up your rear?" he responded with an edge.

    "No, I do not." returned Hector, oblivious to the insult, You stated outside that we needed to speak to one another. I am listening." Hector leaned back in his seat, waited for the fox to respond.

    "You're a persistent blighter, you know that?" Ale responded, "Fine... When I was... dying, I had a dream. In this dream a man bearing a regal figure told me that I need to head for the Castellum del Rosarius. The old capital where the king once lived. I think we should go there." The fox looked back to the woman and waved again. She still didn't see it. Returning his gaze to Hector, his expression darkened.

    Hector sighed and placed his hand upon his forehead. "No."

   "Why not!?" shouted the fox.

   "Because it was just a dream," he replied, "and at the time you were dying. You shouldn't look into such things as truth. Besides... Gallia needs me. Why should I go with you in the first place?"

    "I..." It was true. There was no reason for Hector to follow him. They had been forced to travel with each other in the cave, because they had both fallen down the escape shoot without another means of exit. Ale would possibly have to go there alone. "Gallia is a lost cause." he muttered, almost under his breath.

    Hector's expression grew pained and hateful. "How dare you. What gives you the right to say that!?"

    "I'm simply being realistic!" the fox shot back, "You saw the smoke and fire! There's no way that just you can save the city! Move on!" Ale and Hector glared at one another. Ale knew the city was gone. He also knew that Hector probably wouldn't accept that answer.

The squirrel got up walked towards the corner yammering out loud, "Cities burn all the time, it doesn't destroy them.  People are cities, cities aren't people.  Knights are knights, they're like Warden just with less fanatical devotion to contrived innocence and more fanatical devotion to a contrived sense of duty.  They'll do what they'll do and noone will stop them."  He reached the corner and started examining a the chair there, talking while running his hand along the wooden frame before producing a measuring tool of some kind and procuring all the lengths of all it's sides.  "Dreams are are nothing and everything.   They can been warning from the subconscious, a warning from the Art, or from some other place we've not found yet.  Dismissing them is like finding a letter under your door saying the author will kill you tomorrow and refusing to pay any extra attention to that suspended boulder you walk under the next day."   He produced the small cylinder again took a few steps back still talking as though he wasn't aware of his own mouths actions, "It's as simple as doing whichever won't get done without you doing it...   Hope this works."

He pointed the device at the chair with both hands. 

*FOOM*

Again a pulse of... nothing seemed to surge out at the very corner he'd been trawling.  It was just something felt, not seen, and it didn't seem to cause any more disturbance than a weak gust of wind; causing a cloth napkin to relocate slightly in it's wake.  However unlike the strange machine in the tunnels this time a faint pinkish glow seemed to persist in the air above the chair for a few moments before dissipating into nothing.

Arccy stood with his legs still poised to take the brunt of some unseen recoil, staring is awe at what happened.  Slowly lowering his odd device.

     The ruins of Castellum del Rosarius were silent this night. The only residents since the High King's disappearance being a community of refugees made homeless in the war. Due to the vacancy of any form of military occupation, this had become a prime spot for a resistance headquarters. A young man with short brown hair and a headband sat atop a broken pillar. His light platemail shining in the torchlight. He was whistling an old nursery rhyme from the days when the King still resided within the castle. "On the first day the King had said, oh dear the prince is dead. On the second day the King did hear, oh dear my subjects are writhe with fear." the boy sang.

    "'Ey! Lance!" yelled another boy, this one with long blonde locks, what are you doing out this late at night? You'll catch a cold you moron." The boy laughed.

    "Give me a break, Lezare. I'm not a kid anymore." Lance responded. He jumped down and strode up to Lezare. The two of them were members of the resistance movement stationed in the castle ruins. The ruins were big enough to hide an army and there were enough refugees that it was difficult to tell the renegades from the civilians. Lezare gave Lance a pat on the back as he got near. "So what do you say you and I start our own noble family once the war's over!?" offered Lezare with a grin, "I'd love to see what's under that armor."

   Lance just pushed him away and sighed. "First off, because we're both men, second because you're not serious, and third because I hate nobles." answered the youth. Lance and Lezare had lost both of their families in the war. They had been killed by nobles as an example to the inhabitants of Brazillia. The thought of anything affiliated with a noble family made Lance want to vomit.

   "How can you say that!" exclaimed Lezare with feigned sorrow, "You know I love you!"

   "Idiot..." Lance sighed and walked to the entrance to the resistance headquarters, Lezare following close behind.

Taltae moved as fast as his knee would allow. Despite the fact he was almost at full sprint it didn’t hurt all that much at least not now anyways. There were some sharp almost unbearable pains rocketing throughout his battered joint, but once he got in motion the pain seemed to work itself out for the most part. Of course Taltae knew once they stopped running the pain would come back in a rage, but that wasn’t important at the moment. What was important is fleeing Gallia. It didn’t take a scholar to notice that the city has fallen.

The adventurer glanced up ahead at Alexis who was moving at a fair pace, but slow enough that Taltae could keep the distance between them short. There wasn’t much words spoken as there wasn’t much to say. Besides the persistent screams of the wounded and the explosions of battle make any talk near impossible anyway. As the two made their way toward the Medichi family house one couldn’t help but notice the poor sight of the surrounding buildings. It seemed that battle had reared its face around here, and anything and everything in its path was fodder for the taking. Buildings were torn asunder and afire. The flames reached endlessly up into the heavens as if they intended to scorch the Gods themselves.

The screams became louder as Taltae and Alexis  made their way through the destruction. Alexis had slowed her pace to a slight jog as she looked around the area, scanning for any left over invaders. Talate looked at his right just as soon as another bright flash exploded on the horizon. Down came another building and up went another wave of agonized screams. Taltae clutched at the royal woman’s sword unsure as to what is going to happen. He shortened the distance between himself and Alexis for better comfort, but it did nothing to calm his unease.

Suddenly the two came to a stop. Before them was a horrifying sight. The Medich family house; it was obliterated. Remnants of the house’s former frame stood charred creating a crooked arch that stood eight feet high. What was once the interior smoldered into ash as the fire ate away at it. Off to the side was pile of bodies with fire eating away at their twisted remains.

From around the corner of another ruined building stumbled a Medichi soldier. Blood stained the entirety of his uniform. Blood oozed  down his face from a gaping wound to the left side of his head. He held a sword clumsily in his left hand as his right was completely gone, and blood dripped from the wound as he approached the duo. The soldier spoke at them. He speech was incoherent and aggressive. The poor man was delirious.

“Feeling this,” the man began as he stiffly inched his way closer and closer to Alexis and Taltae, “Y, you bastards! What did you have to become! I, I, I-” The soldier raised the sword over his head, but no sooner than he did that when he fell to the ground dead. Talate let out a small shriek at this.

“Praise be to the Gods!” Taltae exclaimed nearly losing balance at the magnificently terrible sight. He looked back at remains of the Medichi family house. “Gone, completely vanquished! This is madness! We‘re being slaughtered and our homes destroyed” Taltae looked in the direction of the castle which was, at this point still intact. Gallia Castle, the last stand of this once proud city. The adventurer stood beside Alexis as they contemplated their next course of action.

“I guess the hidden passageway is still there.” Taltae said emotionless. The pain throbbed in his knee, but he didn’t even care now, “If we are still hedging our bests on this route, but…” Alexis looked at Taltae as his voice trailed off. She noticed that tears were building up in his eyes as he looked at the chaos before them. “But,” he resumed, “all the fire. Why is it all on fire. WHY ARE THEY ON FIRE!!!!” Taltae shouted at the top of his lungs, “TELL THEM TO SHUT UP! The screaming, Gods why don’t they SHUT UP!!!” Taltae took in a deep breath, taking notice of Alexis’ surprised expression. He looked over at her and just shook his head. “I’m sorry. I must be going mad, it’s just the fire and the screams and, and…” Taltae paused then changed the subject, “We need to beat as soon as possible. The passageway may still be intact or we can come up with another plan of escape. Either way we do not have much time!”

The palm of a gauntleted hand met a face, albeit very gently. Hector could not believe his misfortune: Gallia was a smouldering ruin, he had no reliable means to alert anyone who should be in the know, and his travelling companions were a squirrel who sounded like he had come from the furthest reaches of a dribbling lunatic's mind and a fox who was, to sum it quickly, dubious. A fine kettle of fish this was. He glared first at Archibald.

"Shorty, what are you--oh, forget it. Right then; you," he grumbled, turning his attention to Ale. "What are you hoping to accomplish when you'd get to the Castellum? That place is fit for no one of any dignity or soundness of mind. The babbling squirrel is already seeing things that aren't there, and now you are spouting fountains of nonsense."

Ale looked put upon by the remark. "I wouldn't be saying these things if I didn't think there was some merit in them."

"Then go," Hector huffed. "You don't need me to go to the Castellum del Rosarius. As you are well aware, my problems are here. My family has a vested interest in dispatching the Auditores from this land."

Ale, whose eyes had been turning back to Ari, suddenly were riveted to Hector's face. "Your family? You don't say. I take that to mean that you're a nobleman."

"Hector di Medichi."

Ale's eyes widened by the slightest of margins.

    "Wouldn't it figure." stated the fox with a defeated scoff. His eyes drifted to the table, then to the woman at the bar, then back to Hector. I need to find a way to convince him. Ale thought. After remaining silent for a long time, he leaned back in his seat and said, "What if you owed me one?"

    The nobleman's eyebrow raised. "Pardon?" he said with an incredulous look, "What do you mean by, owed you one?"

    "What if I did you a favor, and helped you scout whats left of your little town?" the fox responded, "Mind you, there nothing that can be done about the state of things without an army to back you up, but we could take a look. But if you take me up on this offer, I want your support later." The assassin grinned and held out his hand for a handshake. Hector was silent. He didn't trust Ale any more than he trusted an Auditore diplomat. He just stared at the furred hand. "Perhaps you could even hire the babe at the counter." offered the fox, noting the continued silence, "Looks aside, she has the feel of someone who's seen combat." Ale said this with a widened grin.

Alexis simply nodded in reply to Taltae's remark about time being short. It was of the essence now! "Looks like my plans for collecting supplies are shot," she remarked, "but the basements under the house will still be unaffected by the fire- and thus the tunnels likewise- so we can still make it to them if we're quick now!Once we're in the tunnels we can take things slower, and let that knee of yours recover- though I doubt it will thank you for the speed we've been going at already". Taltae grunted a reply, or maybe it was just a grunt of pain,and they set off once more, Alexis leading the way quickly and cautiously through the burning husk of the building. She hoped everyone there had made it safely out. She no more enjoyed the burgeoning tableau of blood and death and flame than Taltae, though perhaps her years of training at the feet of the Wisps had hardened her to it. Or maybe it just enabled her to pragmatically partition her mind as the situation required- right now screaming and dramatics might attract hostile attention and would solve nothing- action would. Specifically, action taken to find a means of escape and the necessities of survival. She was already taking care of the first and as to the second, Taltae- an adventurer and treasure hunter- would probably have a good idea as to where they could pick up supplies. She kept an eye on Taltae, to be sure he was keeping pace, as she moved through the burning building. After a few minutes of careful progress, she found the basement door that she was looking for. Or rather, doorway. The door itself had burned away, but the spiral stone stairway behind it was still completely intact. Descending the stairway as swiftly as possible, the two came to what looked like an empty underground room, which was still cool although the air was starting to heat. Without hesitation, Alexis moved to one particular wall and gave what appeared to be nothing more than a faded decorative flourish set into it a quick twist. With a groaning, grinding sound, a section of the wall receded and slid aside, exposing a gaping, dark tunnel. A moment later Alexis and Taltae were inside, with Alexis closing the door again. Then, with Alexis leading the way, the two set off into the dark.

Ten minutes later, the two were maybe eighteen feet deeper underground, the heat of the fire long forgotten, and had emerged into a small, dimly-lit square room, that was more an enlarged crossroads than a room, but one that had some useful items stationed there. Not food or drink unfortunately, but some torches that would be useful for a sustained journey in the lightless tunnels. As Alexis took a torch and passed one to Taltae he asked, "so where do we go from here? Do you have a map or something?" Alexis smiled slightly as she answered. "Not a map in the sense you mean," she said, "but something better. Did you know bats have an amazing method of using sound to catch their prey and perceive their surroundings?" Taltae nodded in reply. "Well," Alexis informed him, "I have that ability too. last time I was down here I used that rather than a torch to find my way around. It helps commit every detail of a place to memory when you can tell which way the air is flowing, every mark and imperfection in the stone, and even what's moving where. I know exactly which tunnel to take from here to bring us out in Toma. Not exactly a laugh a minute place- as you're probably aware- but any port in a storm as they say". Gesturing at the tunnel to her left she said, "this is the one we want. From here on we can take things slowly. If any of the invaders had found these passages, we wouldn't have made it this far". So saying, she stepped forwards and the two of them began their slow journey in the dark.

There was little talk during their journey, since Alexis needed to regularly use her sonar to check the way ahead, and she suspected Taltae was now suffering the effects of their desperate sprint from before. As they walked, Alexis let part of her mind mull and brood over the dead girl's memories. They meant little to her now, an incomprehensible landscape of shifting blending images, with layer upon layer of cryptic symbolism, allusions and references attached, plus layers of significance and connotations known only to the girl herself. But Alexis let her mind's eye drift slowly over the strange patterns before it, looking for a key- a theme or constant that might transform at least some of the melding, shifting images into something she could use. An ancient crest Alexis knew from her heraldry studies cropped up here and there, like shrubs or bushes by roadsides. The roads themselves were either incredibly winding or an intricate network that connected vast structures of memories one to another in astonishing patterns. Presently though, she saw something that seemed to appear consistently in the shifting memory-scape. A small, valley, surrounded by trees, with many paths leading to it. Each path was made up of two strong ropes. Even as she took in the details of the tunnel, Alexis caused her mind's eye to look closer. At the heart of the valley, where all the rope pathways intersected, there was a figure painting at an easel, a figure Alexis knew from history as Mia of the Lake. Clearly the scene meant something significant to be a constant, but what was it?  Alexis pondered it. Painting, Mia of the Lake, a wooded valley and roads of twin ropes. It wasn't much to go on, so she tried word association. Painting, drawing, scribbling, sketching, sculpting, designing, creating, creative, artworks, art, arty. On the word arty, Alexis knew she was getting somewhere- there was always a definite feel when you were close to solving a memory-puzzle and that feel was there now. The word had the right sound but the wrong spelling. She contemplated the rest. Mia of the Lake, how did she fit in? She was painting. She was being arty. Arty Mia. Artimia. It was a name- the dead girl's name judging by the consistency of the image and the way it connected to so many others. Artimia who? Valley? Pass? Dale? Suddenly a memory of Alexis' own presented itself: A small wooded valley was sometimes called a dell. Artimia Dell? Artimia del. Artemia del who? Rope road? No, the roads weren't part of the name, they just signified the importance of the name- they intersected with every memory. It was the rope aspect she needed to focus on. Rope? Roper? Twine? String? Braid? Cord? Cord, that was it- but not all of it. Why always in twos? Pair? Twins? Duo? With the last word suddenly the whole name leaped into startling clarity in Alexis' mind: Artimia del Cordua. That was the dead girl's name. Before she could ponder further though, her sonar informed her that they were nearing the tunnel's end.

Turning to Taltae Alexis said, "we're almost there now". And sure enough, five minutes of upward-sloping ground later, they came to another stone door, much like the one they had used in Gallia. After listening carefully, Alexis pronounced the coast clear. Then she turned to Taltae. "before we go out there," she remarked, "I'm going to change my shape. Last time I came here I took an Anthro shape and the locals didn't like me much then. If I went out in my true shape they'd either form a lynch mob or run in mindless fear from me. I'm going to become human, so you might want to either half-close your eyes or look away or something. I've a few close friends who've seen me Shift before, and they tell me that, while the eyes do get used to it after three or four times, the first time always makes them water at the very least". Taltae nodded, "should I ask if you have a specific shape in mind?" he queried. "I'll take the shape of the dead girl I found in Gallia," Alexis informed him, "and see if her appearance her stirs anyone's memory. The more I can learn about her the better. And by the way," she added almost as an afterthought, "I know her name now. Once I've Shifted, call me Artimia del Cordua". Taltae merely nodded his assent as Alexis Shifted, her dark green jacket and trousers becoming- in an instant- a flawless duplicate of the Royal Messenger's uniform, minus the bloodied injury of course. The long cloak the girl had cast aside to fight now swathed Alexis' new form, long blonde hair cascading about her shoulders. A few hidden things remained the same though. The letter she had picked up remained in an inner pocket. Her capacity for sonar remained, although her ears were now fully human and her wings were gone. most significantly though, on either hand were a pair of armoured gauntlets, with blades projecting some inches out beyond the knuckles- Alexis' primary weapons. And though her boots had changed outwardly, they still housed hidden, retractable blades within the soles. Artimia del Cordua (version 2.0) turned her head back to Taltae and said, "I think we're ready now," before opening the door.

The door turned out to lead into what looked to be a long-disused barn or other storage-shed. The door at the far end was easy to open from the inside, and a moment later the duo were wandering the streets of Toma unobtrusively. Catching sight of the tavern, Alexis- or Artimia- suggested, "let's make a stop there. Even if we don't get any supplies there, we can maybe find out who here knows this face, if anyone. We might even find some survivors of Gallia if we're lucky".

OOC: Apologies for epic length again!     

The noble sighed resignedly. He reached out and took Ale's paw. "What can I say?"

Ale was about to nod approvingly when a searing pain shot up his arm. Hector was squeezing his hand so tightly the fox's knuckles were scraping against each other.

"I'm not indebting myself to anyone until you tell me who you are," Hector growled. Ale winced.

"A tanner," he squeaked.

"Who you really are, liar. I will turn your hand into a maraca if you don't talk straight in the next minute."

"I'm serious!"

"You don't smell of ammonia, and the tannery reeked of it. You picked up those weapons with the familiarity of a warrior. Nothing good has come of following you so far. Now you want to go to the Castellum del Rosarius? If I had to make a guess..." and here he narrowed his eyes, "...I'd say you're someone's hired blade. The question is: whose?"

    "Ok, ok!" shouted Ale through the pain, "But will you let go of my hand!?" Hector loosened his grip, but didn't let go. Ale sighed with a bit of relief as the feeling crept back into his fingers. "I knew I was dashing, but you're really not my type, soldier-boy." Hector squeezed again, this time forcing Ale out of his chair. Tears streamed down the foxes cheeks and Hector loosened his grip once more.

    "Answer the question! And tell the truth..." Hector paused for a second, "Fox-boy!"

    Ale raised an eyebrow at the failed insult. He almost broke out into laughter, but decided not to at the risk of loosing a hand. "So you really want to know then?" asked Ale. Hector nodded. Ale sighed. He had to think of a way to get out of this one without fully revealing his identity. "I'm a mercenary that the owner of the tannery hired to watch the shop at night." responded the fox, "Apparently there had been a series of break-ins and he wanted better security. I don't know why he didn't just report it to the city guard, but I guess the tunnel we fell into explains that." The fox looked up at Hector, hoping that the nobleman bought his story.

OOC: "This technique has been passed down through the Armstrong line for generations!" shouted Hector.

Hector was never the sort to graduate at the top of his class, but even now, Ale seemed to be wanting a degree of credibility in Hector's eyes. His brow furrowed at Ale's latest statement and he considered its plausibility. That was when he looked over at Ari and crafted an unusually underhanded idea. He released Ale's paw, which Ale immediately nursed, and strode over to the bar. He sat down on the stool next to Ari and nodded at her.

"I apologise for the ignoramus who was harassing you there," he said. Ari simply gave him an amused look. Hector continued, "He seems to have his heart set on surveying the damage at Gallia. He's really an honourable sort of fellow, no matter how strange his habits. The only problem is that he's too weak to go on his own, and I myself am only one man. I have need of someone who is handy with a weapon and is willing to do a little scouting."

"Go on," Ari said noncommittally.

"I'm Hector di Medichi," he said quietly. "I can assure you handsome payment for any services you will render; my family has deep pockets."

Ari and Hector looked back at Ale, who was grinning widely at her. Hector glanced back at Ari and said, "I can sweeten the deal by breaking one of his hands so he does not lay them on you."

Hector nodded and said, "In an hour, we'll move out." He stood and returned to the table on the other side of the room, taking a seat across from Ale.

"Well?" Ale asked, reflexively pulling away as Hector approached.

"She's in," Hector answered. He was wondering if it was a bright idea. He was used to common mercenaries; he had often hired them to supplement his armies in anticipation of fierce pitched battles. Those, however, had been mercenary companies. Hiring a solo mercenary...well, either this girl was all flash and no substance (in which case, payment would not be necessary when she wound up dead) or was going to be worth every penny.

"Did you at least get her name?" Ale asked.

"What for?" Hector seemed candidly surprised by the question.

"What for?" Ale repeated in bewilderment. "If you're going to talk to her and give her orders, you might want to call her something other than, 'Hey, you!'"

At the bar, Ari heard this exchange and smiled quietly to herself.

Hector shrugged. "I think that, 'Hey, you!' will work just fine. Besides, there's something you might want to learn."

"What?"

Hector pulled a napkin over and jotted something down on it with Arc's pen. He then slid the napkin over to Ale, whose eyes scanned the cloth intensely. It read:

The girl takes a fancy to reserved, selfless men.

"Even if they have no supplies I could sure use a stiff drink," Taltae said half joking. In the distance faint sounds of explosions could be heard. The battle, or rather the fall of Gallia was still underway, but here in Toma all felt errierly calm. Taltae hadn't traveled through Toma much in the past, once or twice tops, but it always cast the same feeling. The town was quiet and that only made the adventuerer's unease that much worse. If civillians from Gallia took refuge here, then they had to have went through the tunnels, and Taltae bet that anyone who knew of those tunnels definitely wasn't the friendly type.

As they neared the front of the tavern, Taltae noticed that he was covered in ash. He hadn't payed much attention before, but it was pretty obvious. Thick clumps stuck in his hair, and long black streaks rolled down his face. Even his clothes were dusted over. No doubt his appearance was owed to the ruined Medichi house that they had stumbled through a while earlier. Taltae just brushed what he could off of his formerally white sleeves and made his way to the tavern's door. Taltae took a step ahead of Alexis and swung open the door. He stood off to the side and held the door open. "After you miss Cordua," Taltae said with a smile. "Thnak you." Alexis said as she crossed the threshold. The door came to a close and Taltae stood behind Alexis surveying the interior. No refugees from Gallia save for one. A human setting across from an Anthro fox. His Medichi atire was unmistakable. Of ocurse there was still a chance that this man wasn't from the naerby city, but his uiform suggested otherwise. A soldier, and a solider resting in a pub during wartime at that. "Well," Taltae whispered to Alexis, "I believe we have stumbled into the right place. If someone stopped in Toma for a rest then they would've rested here." The two then began to make their way to the front counter.

Alexis- or Artimia as she was now calling herself- nodded a slight, graceful nod in response to Taltae's whisper. She had only seen the man a handful of times before, but she recognised Hector di Medichi at once. The oddly-dressed squirrel youth with him she didn't know- perhaps he was simply a refugee from Gallia? The other companion Hector had acquired she recognised instantly though, no matter that the memory wasn't hers it was still vivid. A male arctic fox,with brown hair and a scar running from his chin up to his right ear. He'd lost the Wisp attire for something less eye-catching, but Alexis would know his face anywhere now- memories conceived seconds before death had a tendency to be potent. Careful to give the company nothing more than a cursory glance from the corner of her eye Alexis approached the front counter. She was still adjusting a little to Artimia's shape, since her discovery in the tunnels hadn't just made Artimia's name known to her. It had unlocked memories that would have been unconcious ones to Artimia, memories of the way she carried herself, little habits such as the way she brushed her hair from her face and which hand she did that with, the precise movement of the hand itself, the way she held her head and carried herself, they rythmn of her footsteps and the pace of her speech patterns. All these helped Alexis slip into her role as Artimia, but-and it was an imporant but- due to the fact that she hadn't unlocked all the girl's memories yet, the mimicry was incomplete. Artimia had been maybe five years younger than Alexis, almost certainly less well-trained in combat, and quite probably more anxious and less sure of herself. These things would show in her basic body language, but since Alexis had yet to dwell upon the bulk of Artimia's memories and was- quite simply- not Artimia, her body language was now mainly Artimia's but with some of her own showing through. She had a somewhat more deadly grace and moved with greater self-assurance. Anyone who might have seen the real Artimia and had time to analyse her body-language would conclude that either her skills had improved, or that she was no longer hiding some of them. Or, if they were well-informed enough, that maybe this Artimia wasn't who she seemed to be.

Alexis took a seat at the front counter, not far from a female grey fox, whom she noticed sported a strong bow and a quiver full of arrows. Possibly a huntress, but Alexis' money would be on her being a mercenary or at least possessing some millitary background. She tapped the counter politely and the balding barman came over to her. "What can I get you ma'am?" he asked politely. "Just some water would be fine," Alexis responded in Artimia's voice, "and my friend would like a stiff drink, so you are free to offer him your recommendations. Oh, and if I may, could I ask that you bring him something cold for his knee? He had a nasty fall earlier, and mountain roads are unkind enough to the feet, let alone other body parts". The barman nodded and moved over to speak to Taltae, while Alexis glanced casually around the room, allowing her eyes to take in everything. Only now did she notice the contrast between Taltae and herself- Taltae was covered in soot and ash while she was immaculate, courtesy of her Shifting only moments before leaving the tunnel. She had so far been careful to keep the dark cloak as still as possible, so that only glimpses and flashes of the Royal Messenger uniform had shown. Now though, without making the action seem deliberate, she allowed a little more of the uniform to show as she looked around, before letting the cloak fall back into place as she turned back to the bar. If anyone- with one exception she already knew of- recognised the girl whose face she wore, or the uniform she had duplicated, she was certain she would not have to wait long before finding out.    

'More survivors, how lucky for them.' Ari's thought came to her on the second they entered, as just normal travelers would not be in such exertion let alone covered in soot. The female fox's ears perked some more as the female spoke, though Ari could feel something off with said female, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Which kind of made her question her senses for a second but she shook her head and cleared the thought out. "Just some water would be fine and my friend would like a stiff drink, so you are free to offer him your recommendations. Oh, and if I may, could I ask that you bring him something cold for his knee? He had a nasty fall earlier, and mountain roads are unkind enough to the feet, let alone other body parts" Ari queried a light brow, but everything seemed standard to her.

Maybe the fact of being in Toma was just throwing her off. She sighed in relent.

'One Hour.' her thoughts came back to Hector's comment before the two newcomers had entered the tavern. 'Not that I don't enjoy sitting around before a charter opt, but this town is really dulling my senses. I hope we go sooner than that.'

     Ale crumpled the napkin and glared up at his noble companion. "As if you'd-" He feel silent as he noticed Artimia enter the room. That's not possible. I'm certain she was dead. thought the fox, his mood darkening internally. Ale stood up from his seat, a grin on his face as he started to walk over toward the bar. He jumped, however, when a loud crash came from the direction of the squirrel. He had partially destroyed the chair he had been staring at and was examining it. Ale sighed wondering what exactly had excited the boy so much that he would demolish a chair and turned back toward the bar. This time, however, everyone was staring in his direction. The barman looked furious, his face turning red at though thought of purchasing a new chair with Gallia in ruins. Ale smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about my traveling companion." he said in light of the circumstances.

    He walked up to the counter, a grin on his face at the thought of chatting with the woman again, but a scowl in his mind at the thought of failing in his original mission. Ale nodded a greeting to the two newcomers and sat next to Ari again. "So, I hear you'll be coming with us on our merry journey into the depths of the burning Gallia." he said this more to the royal messenger than to Ari. His hand was fiddling with something in his sleeve as he looked Ari up and down. The outfit he had donned in the tannery was beginning to bother him. He would need new clothing soon. "So, after this little trip, I'll be headed for the old Castellum. Maybe you should tag along. Maybe there's something we could find out together?" Ale made a move for Ari's hand, but she moved away from him just as he would have touched it. Ale sighed and thought to himself, I'll have to finish off lady royal over there at some point. She's seen my face, maybe she'll take the bait. However, he was still very interested in getting some kind of reaction in his favor from Ari. He had taken a distinct interest in the vulpine woman.

   Just then, a little hand pulled on his sleeve. His skin crawled at the thought of seeing the small glowing child again. Ale felt relief as he looked down to see Arc tugging at him and pointing to the chair he had destroyed vigorously. It seemed he wanted to say something.

OOC: I figure we should give Toby time to catch up.

Hector sourly watched Arc's antics. His hand had involuntarily made a fist on the table. However, that was not his concern. Ale had suddenly dropped his thoughts in mid-sentence and went over to Ari for no adequately explicable reason. It was hard to keep up with the kind of subterfuge that was unquestionably going on in Ale's mind, but to what end was that fox moving? The noble could only wonder. Still, getting a rise out of him with the note on the napkin had proven entertaining, enough to give him a small smile.

As Ale began chatting up Ari, it occurred to Hector that Ale had perhaps purposefully insinuated himself between Ari and another young woman who had only now entered the tavern. Maybe it was his imagination, but was that new girl wearing the uniform of the Royal Messengers? She had a cloak on, making it hard to tell if that had been a brief spark of his imagination. There was only one proper way to discover the truth. Hector marched over to the bar again and leaned over the girl's shoulder. Quietly, he whispered to her, "What's the good news, Miss Messenger?"

Alexis sipped disinterestedly at her water as she surreptitiously continued to monitor the occupants of the Old Crowe. The Wisp from Artimia's memories had seen her and was rising from his seat. He began to cross the room when there was a loud crash from behind him. Alexis took the opportunity afforded by the crash to join with everyone else in staring in the general direction it had come from. Hector's other travelling companion, the squirrel, had part-demolished a chair and was examining it with great interest. The fox had stopped and was scratching the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry about my travelling companion," he said. Alexis turned back to the bar as the fox took a seat between herself and the female fox sitting nearby.

Alexis kept her senses sharp as the Wisp began to chat with the other woman. His remark about Gallia burning was possibly aimed at Alexis- or the person he believed Alexis to be- but she chose not to respond yet. She'd noticed he was fiddling with his sleeve, and wasn't sure whether he was simply uncomfortable or was readying a hidden weapon he had secreted about his person. The last thing she needed was for the two of them to get involved in an all-out Wisp fight, or for him to attempt to fulfil his mission right here in front of everyone. If anything, she could probably use him- or at least the information he knew- to find out a little more about Artimia. She listened as he then went on to explain to the other woman that he intended to head to the old Castellum, suggesting that perhaps she might like to tag along and that there might be something they could find out there? Alexis wondered if he was trying to draw her attention, or if that really was the best pick-up line the Wisp could come up with. Before she could pursue that line of thought though, a presence arrived at her shoulder and a voice she recognised as Hector's whispered quietly in her ear, "what's the good news Miss Messenger?"

That Hector had been expecting a Royal Messenger was something of a surprise to Alexis, but that nugget of information suggested it came from a cache that might yield a deal more gold if carefully mined.However, she would have to be careful what she said just now. The Wisp sitting beside her had been paid to eliminate a Royal Messenger- had he been paid to stop whatever Hector and Artimia had been part of too? Until she knew how much Hector knew- or suspected- about his travelling companion, she would have to watch her words. As for the others he seemed to have gathered round him- well they would have to wait until her most pressing concern was out of the way. Turning a little to face Hector more directly- and so that the cloak exposed to his view the unmistakable sight of a Royal Messenger's uniform- Alexis used Artimia's most sparkling voice as she replied in a similarly quiet whisper. She didn't need to try to hard to make her face light up with the kind of joy any lone traveller on a dangerous assignment might have at meeting a long-expected contact. Alexis had always liked Hector- not romantically, but for the fact that he was blunt and forthright, saying what he meant honestly, instead of using a hundred different insinuations for every word. "Why sir," she whispered, deciding it was probably best not to use Hector's name, "you are a little off the beaten path from your usual watering-holes are you not?" As she finished whispering she leaned her forearm briefly on the bar, at an angle that would make it difficult- though not necessarily impossible- for the Wisp to see, but easy for Hector to see the armoured gauntlets she wore. There was a good chance that Hector knew of, or might even remember from the handful of times they had briefly met each other, the primary weapons of the infamous Medichi family black sheep. How he responded now would tell her a lot about his estimation of the situation. She waited patiently for his reply. 

Ari's ears twitched as a loud sound was apparent-- one of the male fox's companions, another fur had caused a curious display with a chair or that's all the female fox could tell as she glanced to the direction, seeing the male fox standing once again and sheepishly scratching the back of his head and apologizing to generally nobody, but every human's eyes were definitely on the obnoxious fox. This caused a smirk to grace her face until she realized he was approaching her again. Her brow rose as she contemplated such things. 'Oh, what does he want now?' she wondered in thought as he came up to her left and began to bring what charm he thought he had. "So, I hear you'll be coming with us on our merry journey into the depths of the burning Gallia." he had mused as he began fiddling with something in his sleeves despite giving her quite the look-- as if she was a product. She sighed irritably as he began to speak some more, which to Ari was hardly wonderful. "So, after this little trip, I'll be headed for the old Castellum. Maybe you should tag along. Maybe there's something we could find out together?"

She would of chuckled if she found it in any bit amusing. "What's in it for me?" she queried in response as the male fox let a wide grin grace his face.

"What's not in it for you?" he slyly retorted, which her response was so favorable. "If the only treat I get out of it is your company, then I'll probally go with 'no thank you' really." she responded as she tapped the counter behind her. "Another water please, bartender."

In instances like this she really did wish she did like the heavy drinks...

--

|OOC| Yeah, I'm cool with stalling anytime for Rico. But I'm a pace-by-pace roleplayer, so I will reply to what I have in front of me. |

For a while, Hector's mouth hung open. Alexis's response was not what he had expected or wanted. Did she mean he had made a mistake? Did she mean he was far away from where she expected him to be? Was she offering him a drink of water? Hector was not the sort of person who could make sense of indirect answers. Perhaps he had erred; he looked at Taltae. It was unusual for Royal Messengers to be accompanied by civilians; after all, Royal Messengers were trained in self-defense. If she was impersonating a Royal Messenger, she was making a gutsy move; that kind of action was a grave offense in Azgarde.

To complicate matters, she seemed to be making a display of her gauntlets. Was that an overture to a threat? Hector's teeth locked together in a snarl. The night had been a chaotic disaster, and his ability to think straight was evaporating like mead over a fire. It did not occur to him that he was being given a clue; the stresses and strains of the night were uppermost in his mind, and a recollection of a distant family member like Alexis was shunted into the back recesses of his thought processes. Now, he simply had a pounding headache. Too many people around him were being insincere. His patience had lapsed.

"Speak straight, or I start by breaking your friend's arm," Hector glowered, placing a hand on Taltae's shoulder.

There'd been nothing in the chair.  During the length of his traveling companions "discussions" he'd used a small metal rod to disassemble the chair dowel by dowel to attempt find something.   His efforts, of course, had proved to be in vain.  He was sure he'd seen the man, red hair and an pale skin, it couldn't have been a coincidence, not after the weird hue he found.  Unnerved and now disheartened his lack of physical strength, made very apparent but the vain attempt he was making to piece together the chair back together, he stood up attempt to notify Ale of the problem.

"I'm good at taking things about, but so good at putting them together... sorry." 

      Ale looked up from the tiny squirrel to the mess he had made. He sighed and patted the boy on the head. "Don't worry about it, squirt." he said as he produced a small bag of coins from the sleeve he had been fiddling with. He placed it on the counter. "I assume this will more than cover the cost of the chair and drinks around the house." stated the fox with a grin. He returned his gaze to the boy, a look of what seemed to be brotherly compassion on his face. "See? Not a problem."

      The barman checked the sack of coin, not quite satisfied, but not ungrateful for the coin. After ascertaining whether it was real or not, he placed several glasses on the counter, all filled with an aromatic honey mead. Ale took one for himself, and handed another to Arc. "Take this, it'll put hair on your chest." said the fox, not really thinking about what he had just said, "Well, more hair anyway..." Ale turned back to the woman he was sitting next to. "He's a good kid." he stated, with a bit of misplaced pride. Ale had only recently met Arc and had already decided to let him tag along. But in his mind, that was exactly what his former master had done.

He eyed the drink questioningly, as if he was actually trying to determine how it could what Ale had said.  But he was thirsty, and the incident had started to make him question his fluid intake.  He fidgeted on  the stool, feet slipping on the rungs his tail wasn't coiled around.   With quick snagging motion the adolescent tipped the glass up did not relent until it the whole of it's contents had vanished.   There was a pause, not just his hand or the glass, but his whole body seemed to freeze for a moment as the realization of what he'd just imbibed settled through him.  He shuddered violently for a moment and put the glass down.  "I don't think that is going to help my hydration level, but thanks."

"I assume this will more than cover the cost of the chair and drinks around the house." Ari's eyes widened as Ale indulgently and loudly at that declared drinks on the house, a irate breath leaving her mouth. 'Yes, drink them all into their coffins.' Ari had thought, a mental chuckle following it-- but any relative base on amusement, vocal or not would soon be erased as Ale did something even more moronic and appalling to her senses. The male fox had a wide grin as he looked to the younger fur, she hadn't caught the name of-- but that would not be her concern as Ale spoke outright, "Take this, it'll put hair on your chest." Her brows had narrowed and her mind was holding her back from sending a well placed knife into the foxes throat for suggesting such a thing. Sure, she was a murderer and a mercenary-- but effects upon the youth? She at least held that moral ground still. "He's a good kid." Ale had commented as Ari struggled with the job she had taken and the reaction she would probably perform.

"...Ale may I ask, what is your favorite limb?" she queried as Arc downed the alcoholic beverage, though she had then wished she'd stopped him from such rather than bringing 'conversation' to Ale. She would only sigh as she saw and heard the child's response as Ale was contemplating her question. "I don't think that is going to help my hydration level, but thanks."

She wanted the mission to get underway and be dealt with, more than anything else at the moment.

      Ale turned back to the counter, taking up his glass and drinking the rest of the fluid inside. When he had put the glass down, his cheerful nature had vanished. In it's place was a solemn expression, as he stared into the empty glass. He tapped it upon the counter, signaling for a refill and and receiving it quickly. This time he didn't down the beverage. He didn't even sip it. He simply swirled it around in the glass. He glanced at Ari. There wasn't any emotion in his face, no spark of life. He turned back to his drink. "So, I assume I've irritated you into hating me, right about now." he said, no sorrow or anger in his voice. It was like that for Magnus too, if I recall. He never could get someone to fall for him. he thought, finally taking a swig of the alcoholic beverage. He looked at the boy, who was now fiddling with some device or another. Ale placed his hand on the boy's head and rubbed his hair, much like an older brother would to a younger sibling. "Yeah, he's a good kid." he said, more to himself than to anyone else.

     Then he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. It was that same glowing child. It was sitting on the corner of the counter, staring at Ale and smiling a toothy smile. Ale choked down the fear he felt, not wanting to tip anyone off, particularly the Royal Messenger. He watched in silent horror as the child stood atop the counter and walked up to him. He could see it's face now. It was hard to make out any defined features, but it seemed to be the face of a young fox. It's eyes still gleamed with a childish innocence. The child touched his forehead and Ale tensed. However, before even one second had passed, he relaxed. The child showed him a vision of Gallia, but it was no longer burning. There was also a flag, but not the deep blue flag of the Medichi. It was the pale green flag of the Auditore. Then there was a vision of a man holding a Daemonis Cyrstallini. Ale didn't understand.

     The child moved away, gigling. It hopped off the counter and ran for the door, fading away before it reached it. Ale put his hand to his head, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. What was happening to him? Were these visions real, or was he going mad? He didn't know. He just knew that he needed to find a way to the Castellum.

"So, I assume I've irritated you into hating me, right about now." he had responded, if you could call it one from the sound of it. It was if the entire obnoxious lout was an entire show, Ari didn't know whether to find it even more agitating or what at this point, however she did let out an audible sigh as she ran her left hand to her face, wiping her forehead from the pure exertion that came from her annoyance.

"Well, you certainly didn't make me want to bed with you." she responded, though not stopping her comment, "What was the whole point of it, anyway?"

It was then he started to lose focus, the female fox's brow still raised as thoughts raced back into her mind. '...what is trailing through his mind now?' she snapped her fingers with the completion of such a thought. "I asked you what the point of it was, but I guess you don't take anything seriously then?"

"The more seriously you take things...  The more, The more miserable you are."  The squirrel muttered as one of his ears sort of drooped, "My dad told me that once."  He stared at the wall behind the bar, more through it, or maybe he was just passing out, one could not really be sure.

     Ale snapped back into reality, his thoughts flooding his mind. He hushed all of them and looked to the woman that he had been 'courting'. He sighed and said, "It's simple. My...," he stopped for a moment, gathering his thoughts, "I guess I have a habit of taking after my father." He scratched the back of his head, his brown hair ruffled in the process. His grin returned, but it was weaker than before, forced.

     And with that, memories flooded through his mind. He remembered being found by Magnus Anguis, the Great Snake of legend. He was a renowned thief and explorer. But that was only on the surface. Hidden beneath layers and layers of lies and deals, he was an assassin. But even then, he was more than that. He was a hero. He never took a contract that endangered an innocent, and stood up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. Killing the corrupt to save the pure. He remembered the excruciating trials he was put through to become that man's successor. He remembered the tears that he had wept when that man was on his deathbed.

    Ale sighed. He looked to the boy, thinking of how he must have looked back then. "You're a smart one, aren't you?" he said, genuinely smiling. He stood up from the counter, looking back at Hector and Ari. "So, Miss Ari, Metal Butt. What do you say we get this over with?" He motioned to the door leading outside. He would deal with his past at a later date. Now wasn't the time.

Not for the first time that night, Alexis cursed inwardly. This was exactly why she hadn't expected Hector to be awaiting a Royal Messenger. The very features that made her admire him- his bluntness and forthright nature- were offset by a lack of subtlety. And given the events of tonight and the things the man had probably gone through to get out of Gallia before it fell, what appreciation he had for subtlety would be greatly diminished. It was her own fault, she reflected; failure to account for those factors beforehand had put Taltae in danger now. Time to put that straight. Still using Artimia's voice, Alexis spoke again.

"Sir, have I offended you? If I have it was entirely unintentional; there is no need for violence," she said. Then, leaning closer to Hector, she continued in a hushed whisper that none but Hector would hear, emphasising her words so that there would be no question either of what she was saying or implying. "If we're talking straight sir," she whispered, "then code-phrases and passwords be dammed: You and I must speak urgently- but not here, the walls have ears and far too many of them. And unless you trust your travelling companions completely, we must speak alone". Pausing briefly, Alexis decided to forgo mentioning that the male fox sitting at the bar was the Wisp that had assassinated Artimia. It was almost certain that he hadn't heard a word she was whispering to Hector, but better to keep potentially volatile information like that absolutely certain rather than almost certain. "If you were planning to venture back into Gallia tonight to search for me," she whispered, "abandon the idea now: I'm not only here, I had to escape from the burning inferno Gallia has become to find you- which is how I met the man whose arm you want to break. The wounded and the dying are everywhere, screams rise from every corner of the town and the Medichi Castle is now under heavy siege. Like it or not, Gallia will fall by morning, if it isn't already under Auditore control. What would going back accomplish? Don't we have more urgent business to attend to?"

As Alexis finished whispering and waited for Hector to respond, she noticed that subsequent to buying everyone a drink, the Wisp seemed to have slipped into a state of melancholy. Briefly she wondered what accounted for that- failure to slay Artimia (as he imagined), or something else altogether? She did not dwell long on that subject though, her mind turning to other matters. The phrase Hector had whispered to her had clearly required a specific response Artimia would have known. Though it was more than likely in the girl's memories that Alexis had acquired, therein lay the problem. Any Shifter- regardless of skill and proficiency- needed a 24 hour period after acquiring a month's worth of memories to fully unlock and assimilate those memories, with most of those 24 hours being devoted to little else. Alexis doubted it had even been one hour since she had first met Taltae and taken the memories. Subsequently, all she had was a name, a voice, body language, the memory of an assassin's face and what clues she had gleaned from the scene of the crime itself. She needed more information to take the measure of precisely what was happening. Unlike Hector, whose nature afforded him only so much subtlety, Alexis was well-acquainted with it. But for the past two years now she had refrained from actively attending to familial intrigues by choice- save for a few incidents here and there when it had been in her own best interests. Now it looked like she was going to have to roll up her sleeves and dive right back into it headfirst with all the skills she had learned and gained from the Wisps. She sighed inwardly. It had started out such a promisingly quiet evening too...   

The night's events were getting more intriguing, which was to say more confusing, with every passing minute. So, this girl was not a Royal Messenger, or that was what she basically seemed to be saying. She was also implying that Ale and Arc were suspicious, though even Hector had already figured that one out. She did not have a want of self-esteem; was he supposed to be looking for her at all tonight? For that matter, she wanted to talk to him specifically? And what was more urgent than reclaiming Gallia? All of these ricocheting thoughts were momentarily interrupted when Ale jested, "So, Miss Ari, Metal Butt. What do you say we get this over with?"

"How would you like another handshake?" Hector replied, flexing his fingers purposefully. The point was well-taken on Ale's end, who decided not to press further.

"Alright," Hector then said to Alexis as he released Taltae, "you've got my interest. Barkeep! Do you have a room with some privacy?"

The look on Alexis's face suggested Hector's customary lack of subtlety was painful. The bartender looked critically at Hector and Alexis and then said, "This isn't that kind of establishment."

"Now who's chatting up strumpets?" Ale snickered. However, the hilarity of the moment dissipated when Hector reached over the bar and lifted the bartender off his feet with one hand.

"You seem to think I'm asking, not telling," Hector said.

"You actually did ask him a question," Arc admitted.

"Smart as a whip, too, this kid," Ale said, looking at Ari.

"Shut up, Shorty," Hector hissed. The bartender raised a key in his hand and choked out, "Downstairs cellar, totally empty."

Hector snatched the key and dropped the bartender. He shot a look at Ale and said, "You stay here and keep striking out." He then looked at Alexis and added, "Well, let's do this."

Alexis suppressed a sigh and followed him down the stairs. Ari watched the two of them disappear, and then said to nobody in particular, "There's a man who gets what he wants."

"Taught him everything I know," Ale weakly said.

"Is he really from this planet?  Reminds me of the monkey fellows on Cirro 7...",  The squirrel paused blinked rather wide eyed for e moment and starting to grip the table tighter as it became more obvious his fur was starting to soak up sweat.  He half turned to Ari and gave a rather toothy smile,  "You know I beat one of them at checkers and he tried to rip my arms off.  By the way is it getting hot in here?"