Up in Flames And Other Misadventures -[Ell]-

[Amur]

[Note: The discussion that takes place between Baldur and Ace is in Nirvanian Common-German-]

Baldur spent his time in silence very slowly working through his thoughts. He had no reason to be hostile toward Josk, no; The Elf had been tactful enough to avoid getting on Baldur’s bad-side. He did, however, not trust him. If only for the simple reason that Josk reminded Baldur of himself, always seemingly working some kind of hook or long-term angle into any arrangements he made –of course Baldur was guessing that purely because it was something he did- but at the same time he had been paradoxically honest with Baldur.

Perhaps it would be best for Baldur to work the same angle.

He dismissed the thought for the time being, he would be able to decide that at a later time. For now, he had more important things to think on. Like how best to tell Ace of Josks request, and how to best tell his brother to think about his decision before making it. He wouldn’t deny Ace the opportunity to grow, but he didn’t want his brother to regret his decision later-on. That wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Baldur spent the next several hours working through what he would say to Ace and how he would say them to him.

(The fact that Ace woke just as Baldur had finished working through his thoughts was certainly a convenient step forwards.)

“Good morning, my brother. Did you sleep well?”
He addressed Ace in their native language. However, he did not immediately get a response from his brother. No, Ace sat in silence, looking Baldur in the eyes very carefully, his eyes narrowed slightly. Baldur held his brother’s intense gaze, already knowing what he was looking for.

“You haven’t slept.”
Ace said hotly –also in their native language- Baldur simply nodded in agreement, ignoring his brother’s disapproving glare for the moment. They had things to talk about before Baldur could even think about resting, and even then, he wouldn’t allow himself to do so. Not until he was sure he could trust Josk... Which probably wouldn’t be happening any time soon...
---

Ace had long since lost track of the time that he had his brother had spent talking, and much of what Baldur had said actually had Ace excited, the chance that he might actually get a Mentor, might actually grow as a Pyromancer! It took all of his self control to sit still after he had heard that, which had in turn caused Ace to frequently zone-out during some of the lengthier parts of what Baldur had to say.

So to that end the most he got out of what his brother did have to say was that he didn’t trust this Josk guy. And despite the fact that Ace hadn’t been listening much past that, he could guess that was because this Josk guy was too much like Baldur and he didn’t like that... That was always the reason Baldur distrusted people, Ace could never understand that but then again he made no effort to. His brother’s mind worked in mysterious ways, many of which Ace highly doubted he would ever understand, he shrugged as Baldur finished speaking.

“So, you don’t trust him? What kind of plan are yo-”
He was cut off abruptly as his stomach started growling; he blinked and then sat in silence for several seconds. Baldur opened his mouth to speak, only for Ace to cut him off before he could say anything.

“Not until you’ve slept.”
Ace said simply, holding up his hand to silence his brother as Baldur tried to protest. Ace fixed him with another disapproving glare; he didn’t like his brother trying to carry so much weight by himself no matter how strong Baldur thought he was.

Baldur stood in silence, simply looking at Ace. Ace held his brother’s –almost stunned- gaze with ease for a short while before Baldur shrugged and moved off to stand at another location. Ace kept a close eye on his and when he was sure that his brother was asleep –he knew what to look for and knew when Baldur was faking- moved and sat himself on the ground a short distance in front of his brother.

It was his turn.
---

Ok, so maybe Ace had misjudged the length of time it would take for anything to happen by just a little bit, as hungry as he had been earlier he felt even worse now. So in an effort to take his mind off of just how hungry he was Ace had put his mind to focusing on some relatively basic concentration and control exercises.

The exercise he had spent the most time concentrating on involved keeping a small orb of fire between both of his inward-facing palms; and very carefully regulating the flow of energy through it so that it increased in intensity but not in size; he failed the exercise several times, but simply cursed himself silently and started again barely moving his eyes from his conjured orb of fire, even when that Josk guy woke.

In fact, it wasn’t until Ace noticed the presence of food in the background that his concentration faltered. His stomach growled, reminding him that he was hungry. He tried to stop himself from looking, however, almost as if against his will Aces eyes constantly looked away from his conjured flame.

His gaze lingered enviously on the food as his stomach continued growling at him. He tried to be discreet and make it not look like he was looking at the food. But something must have given him away as the Josk guy tried to wave Ace over towards him while offering him food. Ace dropped the exercise he was doing and slowly got to his feet, ignoring the fact that he was being offered rabbit food. He wasn’t a picky eater, and he was hungry enough right now not to bother commenting about it.

He tried not to snatch the apple from Josks hand as he drew close, however, he was too hungry to know whether or not he succeeded in that attempt.

“D-danke.”
He paused for a moment, remembering that this Josk guy didn’t understand his native language.

“Thaank. Yew.”
He shrugged to himself as he realised he mispronounced the words “thank you”, probably just another thing that his hunger was doing to him. He remained standing as he voraciously tore into the apple. Not understanding why his brother didn’t trust this Josk guy, he didn’t seem all that bad, Ace might not quite understand everything this Josk guy might have to say, but he could learn. His brother had already done a good job teaching him this language.

“He dun’ trys... Trah... Truust, ya’, ya’ know?”
Ace asked cautiously between, mouthfuls of apple. He stayed silent as he attacked the apple a further several times. Working up his courage to ask the biggest question on his mind, he tried not to let himself get too excited as he tried to think of the best way to talk in this foreign tongue.

“I dun’ see why.”
He said first, letting a small silence fall before he continued talking.

“My Brother says that ya’ caan be a mentor for mee.”
He said next, trying to keep his voice steady.

“But... If, if. Ya’ not a Pyromancer, how caan ya’ teach me ‘bout it?”
He asked in confusion, his brother had told him that this Josk guy wasn’t a Pyromancer, but was instead a full-fledged mage. Those guys often didn’t understand Pyromancy in its fullest, which usually meant that they lacked some kind of insight into the subtleties of the art. But, this Josk guy, Ace wanted to believe that something about him was different.

[Elloria]

Josk raised a slender eyebrow as Ace snatched the apple out of his hand. How long had the boy gone without food that he would so readily take food from a stranger he’d just met? Well, Josk supposed it was fortunate for the young human that the mage had left his poisons at home for this trip. He turned slightly to look back at Tathar, who was currently gathering their supplies together. Take out the bread, peanut butter and that raspberry jam Uncle Birtol sent and make some more sandwiches. Tathar gave Josk a withering glance but complied, grumbling the whole time.

“D-danke.”

Josk turned back to Ace and tilted his head slightly to one side. He had no idea what the word meant, but assumed it was probably some sort of thanks in whatever language these two spoke. The boy simply confirmed this when he said thank you in a hilariously mispronounced fashion. Clearly Baldur was the spokesman of this family. At least the boy was trying to learn. But Josk would have preferred to converse in the Ancient Language. Common was such a vulgar language, much like the humans that spoke it. He would have to teach the boy the Ancient Language – if not to converse, then to at least be able to better control his magic. That was going to be another battle and a considerably harder one at that.

“He dun’ trys... Trah... Truust, ya’, ya’ know?”

Josk let out a quiet snort. “Yes, I know.”

“I dun’ see why.”

The elf simply shrugged. The boy’s limited understanding of Common –coupled with the general naïveté of the young – had probably allowed Ace to completely miss what had been said about the racial tensions in Alagaesia. He supposed he could use that to his advantage, assuming Baldur was as dull when speaking to Ace as he was speaking to Josk and Ace had a tendency to just ignore what his brother was saying. The odds were in Josk’s favor, all things considered.

“My Brother says that ya’ caan be a mentor for mee. But... If, if. Ya’ not a Pyromancer, how caan ya’ teach me ‘bout it?”

Josk sighed as Tathar walked up and handed the mage a plate of the peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches. Taking the plate with a murmured thank you, Josk held it out to Ace. “Here, have some more to eat.” Once Ace had grabbed some of the sandwiches, the mage set the plate in his lap and picked up one for himself. Josk watched the boy wolf down the sandwiches, the mage preferring to not risk choking himself as he ate his fare more slowly. Tathar reappeared with two cups filled with slightly sweetened blackberry tea. Josk took one while Tathar offered the other to Ace. “Thank you, Tathar-vor.” The older elf left with a quiet hmph as soon as Ace had taken his cup. Josk shook his head, chuckled, and took a sip of tea. He quirked his lips into a slight smile which quickly faded when he looked back at Ace. The boy had asked a question – namely, how Josk could be his mentor when the elf was not a pyromancer. He would have to dumb down his language enough so that Ace would understand his answer. That was going to be fun. “I may not be a pyromancer, Ace, but I have carefully studied magic for over two hundred years. And though what you do is highly specialized, it is still just magic. I may not know the subtleties of pyromancy, but I know how to improve your grasp on your magic and I can teach you new ways in which to use your talent. I can help you unlock your potential and turn you into a powerful pyromancer. That is how I can be your mentor, Ace.” He turned back to his sandwich and tea, letting the boy process what he had said.

[Amur]

Ace was far too busy still gnawing what he could off of what was left from the core of the apple he was still holding on to, to pay much attention to what this Josk guy was doing. Though he did notice that Josk had said that he already knew that Baldur didn’t trust him, well, that was all well and good, Ace still couldn’t see why his brother didn’t trust this Josk guy, but he was sure that Baldur would be able to work it out in his own time.

Ace simply continued his self-appointed task of trying to make sure there was as little of the apple that he was hold left as possible. A task which already was proving to be difficult for him since there was very little left for him to gnaw at.

It was then that Josk offered him more food. Ace paused and looked at the sandwiches being offered and then back to Josk, blinking slowly in disbelief.

“Reelee?”
Ace asked –his shock causing his grasp on this language to slip even further- when no objection was made, Ace –once more- tried not to snatch the food being offered to him. But, once more his hunger made it impossible for him to tell whether or not he had succeeded in his efforts. However, this time around he didn’t immediately start eating, no, at first he observed the sandwiches curiously and then gave them an inquisitive sniff.

There was something different about these sandwiches when he compared them to the food he normally ate... They had a pleasant smell to them. He paused just a moment longer, having been previously unaware that food could actually smell something other than plain before he shrugged to himself and started devouring the sandwiches almost recklessly.

He barely gave himself enough time to chew the food before he swallowed.

The TASTE! Ace could only ever remember eating plain and tasteless food, but this was. He couldn’t explain it with words. He had been completely unaware that food could even have taste, let alone know that it could taste this good. In fact the taste was such a shock to Ace that he even widened his eyes briefly before returning to his task of demolishing the food he held in his hand. He did feel somewhat guilty, after having spent so many years having to ration his food, he almost felt as though he was stealing it from someone else whom would need it later.

Regardless, he pushed the thought aside as he finished off the sandwiches. Rationalising to himself that the feeling of guilt was simply because he had been far too used to his living conditions up until this point, this Joss guy wouldn’t have offered Ace the food if he had been struggling, would he? He pushed the question away as the other guy approached him with cup filled with some kind of pleasant smelling liquid.

This time Ace managed to fully succeed in his attempt not to snatch whatever it was being offered to him and instead managed to handle the cup filled with liquid with some measure of care.

“Vielen Dank.”
He said meekly as the other guy strode away. Now standing silently with the cup held in both hands Ace looked at this Josk guy intently as he began speaking, answering Ace’s question. It took Ace a moment to take in and understand what this Josk guy was saying, and when he was sure that he understood everything that had been said Ace found himself excited once more. He tried to keep himself still and impassive, but still fidgeted excitably.

... But there was still one thing that this Josk guy had said that confused Ace.

“Ya’ dun’ look that old.”
He commented; briefly tilting his head to the side –almost as if in an effort to make sure that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him- he shrugged. Ace knew that his brother was MUCH older than he was, but Baldur had never told Ace how old he really was... He couldn’t have been that old; he still guessed that Baldur was about thirty or so. He shrugged to himself, whatever the truth of the matter Ace had more important things to be thinking about.

And what he had said about knowing how to improve Ace’s grasp on Pyromancy –well, he used the word “magic”, but he had already said that they were one-in-the-same- had Ace struggling not to bounce himself on the balls of his feet in excitement... He had to keep it together, though, Baldur would not approve of him giving everything away so easily... But it was hard...

“Won...” He paused for a moment. “Won thing I dun’ un... Und-er..”
He paused again, this time furrowing his brow in frustration as he tried to pronounce the word “understand”, running the translation through his mind rapidly.

“... Und-err-stahnd”
He sounded it out slowly. Pretty sure with himself that he had managed to pronounce the word in a way that this Josk guy would understand.

He paused for a moment, slowing himself down slightly as he ran what he wanted to say through his mind before saying it. Making sure that he would be able to pronounce it properly.

“Why pick me?”

[Elloria]

Again with the misconceptions about his age. Appearance had nothing to do with actual age, especially among the elves. Josk supposed it was the same for any non-human, actually. But if Ace didn’t think Josk was very old, how old did the boy think Baldur was? Humans. So fixated on what lay on the surface rather than delving into the depths for the truth. It was why they usually made such poor mages.

At least Ace wasn’t dismissing the possibility of Josk being over 200 years old. On the contrary, the boy seemed rather disinterested in the fact and fixated on his future tutelage. Perhaps excited or ecstatic would be better words. Humans were so easy to read compared to elves. It was rather laughable. Now Baldur – he was a challenge to read. That could prove useful in the Grand Game, were Josk so inclined…though it would probably be put to better use in Hive business. Whichever way one wanted to spin it, Baldur would be excellent practice when it came to reading people. If Josk could read Baldur…well, he could probably read anyone. The thought caused a mental chuckle.

Oh…Ace was still talking. They really would have to crack down on the boy’s Common lessons. A stuttering apprentice was not something Josk envisioned himself dealing with every day.

The mage gave a small sigh as he processed aforementioned apprentice’s question. What did it matter why he wanted Ace as an apprentice. The answer should have been self-evident, even to this thick-headed boy. Ace was good – exceptionally good, for a human. The Riders would want to snap him up as a pupil so they would be able to learn everything they could from him. And while that was also Josk’s goal, the mage would at least be somewhat more open about it. But not right now. The goal right now was to get Ace to trust him completely – which shouldn’t be too difficult, considering his naiveté – and agree to this arrangement without question. And preferably before they arrived in Ilirea.

“You remind me of my younger brother,” he said. That was probably the simplest explanation that didn’t stray outrageously far from the truth.

[Amur]

The answer that Ace got from this Josk guy to his question was not what he had been expecting, now, Ace had trouble trying to decide if this Josk guy had actually meant what he had just said, or if he was just saying that... He tilted his head ever so slightly and simply looked at this Josk guy curiously for a moment, he couldn’t decide. Surely, if this Josk guy said that Ace reminded him of his younger brother then he must have meant it. People here didn’t just compare random strangers to those that were closest to them for no reason, did they?

“I... Do?”
Ace questioned curiously, he didn’t know how to react to that. He couldn’t say that he liked being compared to other people, Ace was Ace. No-one else... But, on the other hand, this Josk guy had said that Ace reminded him of his younger brother, the way that Baldur had taught him was that the bond of brotherhood was very strong... But still, Ace was conflicted.

He stayed rooted to the spot for a long moment, shifting awkwardly, his hands now absently twisting around the cup he still held. He still hadn’t learned enough from Baldur to know when or how to hide what he was feeling, and he was very aware of the fact that his uncertainty was so obvious... Ace kept quiet a moment longer before he absently shrugged to himself, dismissing the feelings of confliction, he didn’t know enough to know what to feel about the answer he had gotten from this Josk guy... But that was ok, it wasn’t like the comparison placed Ace in danger.

And once more Ace had to try and stop himself from getting too excited, it was time to be super-serious... So, he searched for another topic of conversation, he had already made up his mind to this Josk guy’s offer, so for the moment, he was content to simply continue talking. But what to say next, sitting down and having a conversation with anyone at length had never been one of Ace’s strongest skills.

And, then the idea came to him, which allowed Ace to brighten his expression a little.

“What... Is, he like?”
Ace asked curiously, assuming that it was only natural to continue moving the conversation in the direction of this Josk guy’s brother –the one that Ace knew nothing about... Assuming that this Josk guy had other brothers, that is- he actually felt somewhat proud of the question –and this was the one occasion Ace didn’t allow it to show- having asked a question relevant to the discussion at hand, most of the time Ace was just left to do his own thing while everyone else around him spoke... Baldur had never been much for conversations either... Which is probably why Ace was never any good at them; at least that was the way that the young Pyromancer looked at it.

[Elloria]

Josk quietly finished his tea while Ace seemed to mull over the mage’s statement. He figured that would essentially be the end of the conversation. Baldur was not much for talking and Josk assumed that Ace was not particularly skilled at it either. Couple that observation with the fact that the boy had a still-weak grasp of Broddring Common and there was really very little likelihood that a conversation would progress much further. Thus, Josk turned his mind to what the boy would need to learn in the coming days, months, even years. Aside from understanding the basics of magic – which Josk hoped the boy already had a good enough grasp on that the lessons would be merely review – Ace would need to obtain a near-total understanding of Broddring Common. That was the current top priority. After that, it would probably be conducive for both Baldur and Ace to learn more about Alagaesia in general. As foreigners, it would be tantamount to assisted suicide if Josk didn’t give them more than the inkling Baldur seemed to possess as of the moment. And while Josk was certainly one to assist people into the grave – he was paid to do it, after all, and it was oh-so-much fun – this was one of those rare instances where keeping the idiots alive would do him more good than harm. He supposed he could start helping Baldur with that during the rest of the trip. It would be good for the humanoid to have a basic grasp of the real politics of the continent before tossing him into the hornets’ nest that was Ilirea. Ace would probably ignore anything and everything that wasn’t related to magic unless it was being beaten into him, but Josk could live with that for now.

“What…is he like?”

Josk’s thoughts halted in their tracks and he stared at Ace. What…had…was the boy actually trying…converse with Josk? The mage gave a mental sigh. The things he had to deal with to get what he wanted. Sometimes it was just so absurd. “He can be brash and arrogant. When he was younger, he thought rather highly of himself and his abilities – much like you do. But he had the potential to eventually make his bragging legitimate. I believe you have that same potential.”

[Amur]

“You’ll have to forgive my brother’s inability to speak the common tongue of this land as of yet. He fell ill while we were still at sea which had him bed-ridden for some time. That caused us to fall behind with his tutelage in the language.”
Ace jumped as his brother spoke, having not noticed that Baldur had woken up. Add to that, that Ace was sorting through his thoughts on what this Josk guy had just told him... This Josk guy said that Ace had the potential to be as good as his bragging suggested. The idea of that alone excited Ace, growing as a Pyromancer was of course just as exciting to him, making it very difficult for Ace to keep himself all calm and collected like Baldur taught him.

“Komm, mein Bruder. Ich bin sicher, dass Josk hat einiges zu tun, bevor wir sie für den ganzen Tag.”
Ace drank the liquid in the cup he was holding and set it on the ground near the Josk guy.

“Danke.”
Ace muttered to the man... Elf.... Guy... Before returning to sit by his brother, he had already made up his mind. He knew what he wanted; even if Baldur didn’t trust This Josk Guy, there would always be time for him to learn to do so. For the time being he simply decided to work through his remaining thoughts in the way he always did, he conjured several orbs of fire into existence and juggled them in silence.
---

Baldur had originally been stood watching his brother interact with Josk with interest. Ace seemed fond of him, though, that could have very well been down to his naïveté. Ace still had a lot to learn, much of which would come only from experience. Baldur, however, still had things he wished to discuss with Josk. Not so much out of concern for his brother’s safety, no, Josk had already done enough to dispel that, no matter how much Baldur disliked the idea... He simply wished to gage that Josk wouldn’t tire of Ace and simply cast him aside.

But for the moment, concerns like that could be put to one side.

“We’re ready to move whenever you are. We’re in no hurry, so take all the time you require.”

[Elloria]

Josk gave a quiet snort when Ace jumped at Baldur’s words. The boy was incredibly unobservant if he hadn’t realized that Baldur was awake. The slight fluctuation in the humanoid’s energy that had occurred several minutes ago had been quite plain to the mage, despite the fact the humanoid apparently slept with its eyes wide open.

“Komm, mein Bruder. Ich bin sicher, dass Josk hat einiges zu tun, bevor wir sie für den ganzen Tag.”

Josk watched Ace and Baldur with immense curiosity, though the mage’s expression was totally neutral. He was wondering how difficult it would be to learn their language. He could already hear some similarities between it and Broddring Common – komm, bruder, bevor; they all sounded similar to what were probably their Broddring counterparts of come, brother, and before. Perhaps in exchange for information on Alagaesia, Baldur would be willing to teach Josk their native tongue. “You are welcome,” Josk said as Ace repeated that word danke and walked away while Tathar took away the dishes to clean them. The mage rose fluidly and dusted himself off as Baldur stated that the brothers were ready whenever Josk was. “We shall leave momentarily. Before we do, however, I would like to suggest something to you. As you are foreign to this land, your knowledge of how the continent works is limited at best. I would be happy to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. In exchange, I would like to learn your language. Simple enough, yes?”

He allowed Baldur to mull that over briefly, though Josk suspected that an affirmative was already a forgone conclusion. When Tathar returned to inform Josk that everything was ready to go, the humanoid had already proven Josk’s assumptions to be correct. Thus it was in a greatly pleased frame of mind that Josk mounted Eöl and set off for Ilirea.
++++++++++++++
Three days later:

Josk sighed in relief when the towering slender spires of Ilirea came into view against the dark backdrop of the large plateau behind it. He never thought he would be so pleased to see the damned City of Riders, but after three days of dull explanations on the political and cultural climate of Alagaesia – coupled with endless questions for clarification and a bored teenager – made the mage’s heart sing with joy for the chance of a respite. The only upside to the whole trip was that now Baldur and Ace were unlikely to be slaughtered within ten minutes of being allowed around Ilirea.

But they were still several hours away. And Josk would probably need to give them a tour of the city itself so that they weren’t lost in the ridiculously massive place. He turned to Ace and Baldur, pointing at the distant city that seemed closer due to the scale it had been built at. “That is Ilirea, the City of Riders. We will be there in a few more hours.”
++++++++++++++
A few hours later:

At last they were passing through the gates of Ilirea. Josk shivered slightly as he passed through their shadow and once again beheld the impossibly wide streets that were large enough for two centuries-old dragons to pass abreast, suddenly remembering why he despised this place. No matter how huge the interior, it was still a walled-in prison to the mage. “Welcome to Ilirea.”

[Amur]

Josk’s suggestion came as something of a shock to Baldur –though, as always he didn’t allow it to show- he couldn’t quite understand why The Elf would want to learn their native tongue. However, the knowledge being offered to Baldur in return was valuable. Much more valuable than a language barrier was, he allowed himself a short moment to further think about the exchange. Understanding the inner workings of this land would clearly offer Baldur the knowledge he required to go about his business without hindrance.

That alone was worth much more to him than whatever small advantage the language barrier would offer him with a single person. His answer in this case was obvious, he doubted that would be all there was to Josk’s request. There was clearly a greater sense of reasoning behind asking to learn Nirvanian Common, however, for the time being there was little need to address it.

“Your suggestion makes sense, very well. I accept your suggestion and your terms.”
He replied, undoubtedly this knowledge would come as not only a benefit to himself, but to every Nirvanian travelling with Nemesis Morona. With such a small price there was no reason for Baldur to reject the offer... But, he would always keep a careful eye on any potential hidden costs... He still didn’t trust Josk.
---

The last three days had been both highly interesting and somewhat testing for Baldur; he held no disillusions about what learning the inner workings of an entire land was like. However, that knowledge had made learning about them no less tedious for him. Inevitably every explanation would routinely become halted in order for Baldur to ask various questions ranging anywhere from explanations on customs and political relationships right down to asking for clarification on what various foreign terms meant and the like.

But still, Baldur was able to take in everything he was being told with little-to-no difficulty; much of his tutelage had been intensive.

Much as he had expected Ace had also started making the fact that he was bored almost overwhelmingly obvious. Given that Baldur had at the time been trying to take in everything that Josk was telling him his patience with his younger brother had become limited and oftentimes Baldur had opted to take the easier route and simply slap Ace around the back of the head whenever he continued to complain.

That had been enough to silence Ace for a length of time allowing Baldur to listen to what he was being told uninterrupted. While Ace simply went back to juggling several orbs of fire... Well, whatever kept him quiet; Baldur had more important things to be listening to as right now, since Ace’s complaints were hardly worth the breath he was wasting on them.

When they did eventually stop Baldur had to admit that he was somewhat impressed with what he saw, the scale of the city was large enough to be seen clearly, even from this distance. However, from this distance he still couldn’t quite tell enough about it to make a solid judgement.

“Hmph, impressive, I can’t tell from here whether or not it holds the same sense of grandeur The Hallowed Capital does. But it is impressive nevertheless.”
Baldur admitted calmly, they still had several hours’ worth of travelling to make before they reached this city, Illirea, but, after days of travelling that was hardly a concern for Baldur. Ace, however, was much less composed and allowed himself an odd kind of “whoop” sound before falling silent once again.
---

As they approached the gates of Illirea Baldur was able to get a much clearer sense of scale from the city. He could no longer actively deny that he was impressed; building cities of such scale for any species was an impressive feat by any means. However, Baldur still felt that The Hallowed Capital was by far the much grander city... Perhaps he was biased, perhaps not, but there was something that The Hallowed Capital had that this city seemed to lack.

He cast a glance down at Ace, whom at this point had long since dismissed the fire he had been playing around with and was simply staring at the city with an expression of obvious wide-eyed awe. Having never set foot inside a city Ace was understandably fascinated by this Illirea, Baldur would not deny him that... He knew Ace wouldn’t wander off.

Baldur took the opportunity to quicken his pace slightly so that he could walk levelly with Josk.

“My brother wishes you to know that he wants to take the opportunity that you’re offering to him.”
Baldur said calmly, keeping his face straight even as he ran his free hand over the top of his hair just to make sure that it was still neatly tied back.

“As for why I’m telling you of his decision... He didn’t want his lack of knowledge on the common tongue of this land to make what he wanted unclear...”
He said calmly, still wondering why Ace had insisted that Baldur tell Josk of his decision and why he had given Baldur that reasoning in particular, he knew that Ace’s lack of fluency in the common tongue of this land frustrated him, but he already knew that Ace was more than capable of at least being able to say “yes”... Sometimes, Baldur didn’t understand his brother’s reasoning.

[Elloria]

Josk glanced around him as he led the group deeper into Ilirea. It was somewhat quieter in here than usual. That wasn’t to say the city wasn’t bustling with activity. He just remembered it feeling more…hectic when he had last been here. He wondered if Niko’s recent delinquency and subsequent “house arrest” were part of the reason for the solemnity that Josk was noticing right now. No, his brother wasn’t that well-known or respected. The mage shrugged and set the thought aside. He was probably imagining things anyway. Now was the time to figure out whether he would give the humanoid and its brother a brief tour first or take them directly to Niko. Perhaps a bit of pleasure before business was warranted. The markets here were always fascinating with their odd collection of knick-knacks, food, and useful items.

“My brother wishes you to know that he wants to take the opportunity that you’re offering to him.” Josk looked down from his perch to find Baldur walking abreast with Eöl. The humanoid’s face was in what Josk had come to realize was its normal expression – emotionless. The hand running over the top of its hair, as if checking to make sure it was all still in place, hinted at a possible nervousness underlying the humanoid’s calm demeanor. Anxiety was to be expected, if that’s what the humanoid was really feeling. Could its kind even feel normal emotions like that? What was he thinking, of course it could feel. It had been anxious about its brother’s well-being. The fact that it cared at all about its brother was a clear indication that it wasn’t completely emotionless. And then it clicked that Ace was accepting Josk’s offer. The mage kept his delight from face. “As for why I’m telling you of his decision... He didn’t want his lack of knowledge on the common tongue of this land to make what he wanted unclear...”

“I…see.” Was Baldur really that oblivious to its brother’s thinking? The boy was very obviously aware of the humanoid’s distrust for Josk. And more importantly, Ace couldn’t understand why Baldur distrusted Josk. Forcing interaction between elf and humanoid would be a simplistic way of trying to dispel Baldur’s concerns about the mage. It was something Niko would have done to make Josk feel easier around strangers. It rarely worked, but the attempt was probably what mattered. “Well, I am pleased to hear that he desires to take the next step in his training with me. We can discuss the specifics of the arrangement later. For now, I would like to show a bit of Ilirea – to acquaint you with the layout a bit before I toss you to the Riders so that you might wrestle with them over your refugee situation.” With that, he pulled the hood of his cloak low over his face. He didn’t like showing his face in Ilirea. Everyone tended to notice his markedly paler skin, dark hair, and especially the dragon birthmark whenever he walked around without Niko.
+++++++++++
Several hours later, late afternoon:

“And that is all the major areas of importance in Ilirea, outside of the Citadel – and you will be in there soon enough. From here on out are purely residential areas.” Josk turned Eöl in the direction of Niko’s villa and slightly increased the languid pace they had been moving at. He hadn’t allowed the group to linger in any area for too long, wishing to finish the tour as quickly as possible. He had shown them all the markets, several of the more obscure shops hidden around the city, the various taverns scattered about, the Grand Library, and had pointed out the Citadel itself. He had completely skirted around where the Font was; he hadn’t even mentioned its existence to the humanoid or the boy since they didn’t really need to know about it. There had been several dragons and Riders wandering about – this was their capital after all – and Ace had been suitably awe-struck by them. Baldur was more difficult to read but Josk had the distinct impression the humanoid was nowhere near as impressed, not even by the one or two older dragons that had been about – ones that were several centuries old and therefore towered over the people. Pity. It would have been nice to see that infuriatingly calm façade crack for even a moment. Josk would have to work on making that happen. Patience would be key for that.

As the mage plotted how best to get some sort of reaction out of Baldur, he led the group through the more crowded residential neighborhoods until they came to an area where the homes were more spread out. Each home had a small plot of land and was typically far nicer than the homes closer to the markets. The plots of land gradually became larger and the homes grander until eventually the homes were fenced in. Josk finally halted the group outside a set of walls that were quite unassuming and plain, but which the mage knew to be Niko’s villa estate. “And here we are – my brother’s home.”

Josk reached out with his mind to see if he could sense if his twin was home, but as far as he could tell the villa was empty. That was not unusual. This was around the time Niko would be either in training or at the Grand Library. Still, they could just wait inside the villa. His twin would probably not mind, so long as Josk kept an eye on his new companions.

He gracefully dismounted and dug through his pockets as he approached the villa’s gates, thankful that Niko had sent him a key for just such a situation. He opened the gates, ushered the group in and then securely locked it behind them. “Try not to step on or burn the plants. I spent a great deal of time talking Niko through the process of helping them grow. He is not the most adept when it comes to such delicate spells and I would hate to see his efforts wasted.” He led them down the winding path towards the villa, pausing briefly when he felt Niko’s mind brush against his as a large shadow passed overhead. “Ah, what excellent timing!” the mage exclaimed, tossing his hood off as he looked up to see the indigo form of Arashi circling overhead a few times before diving to land on the cobbled patio in front of the villa’s doors. And there astride the seven-month-old dragon was Niko in a sleeveless tunic and trousers, both a brilliant shade of darker blue and trimmed in gold – the elf’s favored combination – and his long black hair was uncharacteristically unbound, fanned out against the dragon’s scales due to its length. Wrapped about the Rider’s waist was the light blue sash he had kept from Mchumba after her death. Smiling, Josk stopped just in front of the dragon and bowed slightly to it in greeting. Arashi nodded his head in response as Josk straightened up and looked at Niko. “You need a haircut,” he announced good-naturedly.

“You’re one to talk,” Niko replied in kind. He gestured towards the humanoid and the boy. “Who are your companions?”

[Amur]

Baldur only paid Josk’s initial reaction to what he had said a half-mind. There was little for him to read when the elf did react, so for the time being Baldur had little choice but to drop his task of watching for some kind of reaction... He was sure there would be something to take note of later, but it took patience to learn how to read people that were skilled at keeping their demeanour neutral. So, he saw no need to try and rush to a conclusion.

Baldur simply nodded wordlessly in response to what Josk then said, best to leave the specifics of the upcoming arrangement for a later time. For the time being they had more important matters to deal with, Josk’s suggestion that he show both Ace and Baldur more of the city being one of them, Baldur was clearly going to be travelling this land a lot, after all. He would need to acquaint himself with the layout of this city along with the other populated areas of this land.

“Lead the way.”
He replied calmly, then taking note of Josk’s decision to lower his hood so that it covered his face. Baldur was unsure what exactly to make of that, perhaps an aversion to crowded areas, or was it something else? He dismissed the thought for the time being, it was unimportant and was only a small detail; he doubted he would get much use from it, if any at all. Josk didn’t strike Baldur as a sociable type... So far...

He still had a lot to learn about the Elf, and that would take time; something that Baldur had an abundance of.
---

Ace had no idea where to start looking, there was just so much going on. And the place was just... Just so... big. After spending so long travelling off of the public roads in Empire Nirvana, and then among the Pyromancers, and then among the people following Nemesis Morona, there was just so much to take in, so much just to look at. Baldur had always said that he had intentionally kept them away from cities, towns and generally populated areas to avoid the army that was chasing after them.

And after so much time spent in places that now just seemed barren, the rush of noise and activity both excited and awed Ace, his awe keeping his excitement in check as he tried to look at as much of the activity going on around him as possible.

So when they all started moving again he could only follow in wide-eyed silence with his mouth slightly agape.

Over the next several hours this Josk-guy took the time to show them around this place –which Ace had already forgotten the name of- which continued to awe Ace, no matter how small whatever he was shown may have been to the people that lived here; to Ace everything he was shown was something new and exciting.

(Though, it did take him some moments to translate what he was being shown.)

Ace had no idea how Baldur managed to remain so calm and straight-faced throughout everything they were shown. He had told Ace of his trip to The Hallowed Capital, of course, but other than that he had said nothing else about it. Ace was having a hard time believing that The Hallowed Capital had more to see than this place did –though, he did see a flicker of interest cross his brother’s face when they were shown that library place- though, there was always the chance that Baldur had seen so much that he was just generally unimpressed by.... Anything, anyway, Ace could never be sure.

But, by far the most awe-inspiring sight to Ace was the dragon-creature-things that this Josk guy had told them about earlier. It took all Ace had not to stop and stare every time he saw one –he didn’t particularly want to fall behind- and it wasn’t just their size or the majestic way in which they seemed to hold themselves –though that certainly did help- but there was something else that he couldn’t place there. He gave a small shrug as he continually failed to place that “something else”, whatever it was; Ace doubted he would need a name for it.

And even now Baldur still seemed to be unimpressed, he wondered if Baldur was simply hiding his reactions or if his father’s army had contained creatures of similar sizes... Now that he thought about it, Baldur actually spoke very little –if at all- about his Warlord heritage and anything related to it... Ace could only wonder why that was.

Even as they were led away from the more crowded areas there was still more than enough happening to keep Ace’s attention flittering from one place to another almost constantly. It wasn’t until that Josk guy stated that they were at his brother’s home that Ace had realised that everyone had stopped, which is when he followed their example and soon found himself staring at that house of this Josk guy’s brother... The guy lived here!?

Ace hadn’t seen many houses during his travels, but the ones he did see were never anywhere near this big. How did any one person find anything to do with so much space?

And then the front gate was opened and they were all one step closer to the house, and then this Josk guy was talking again –everything was moving at a faster pace than Ace was used to and he was starting to struggle just to keep up- and once he had managed to translate what this Josk guy had said he frowned. Ace was hardly inconsiderate; he didn’t just start throwing fire around because he could, least of all when he was in the home of another person.

But, he nodded and then absently moved slightly closer to his brother as they were led down the path that led to the front of the house. They only closed some of the distance before a large shadow passed overhead... Was this Josk guy’s brother a rider?

His question was soon answered as the dragon-creature-thing landed in front of them, forcing Ace to briefly shield his face and eyes with his arms at the sudden brief increase in wind this caused. He took a moment to gather himself before feeling awkward, he hadn’t expected to get so close to one of these dragon-creature-things so soon... Well, today had already been a whole host of very new things for Ace and now he was unsure what to do with himself, so for the time being he stood in silence a short distance away from his brother.
---

It was much as Baldur had expected, more of what he had already seen, not that it made the city any less impressive to him, not at all. It was an impressive city, however, that Grand Library had certainly piqued Baldur’s interest, undoubtedly that place would be a proverbial well of knowledge... It certainly warranted the time to visit... Well, whenever Baldur would be able to find said time anyway.

And the villa they had been led to that Josk informed them was where his brother lived was something Baldur decided not to comment on. Any judgements he could make on the home of another person would hardly be fair when he had previously lived in a fortress, so he kept his peace and simply followed Josk when needed.

He stood impassively as the dragon landed and took a moment to make sure that his hair was still neatly tied back before assuming a more neutral stance, placing the tip of Findinokhind’s sheath on the ground he placed both of his hands on the pommel of the sword and simply stood in silence waiting for the two brother’s to finish their light-hearted exchanged. Which didn’t last as long as Baldur had expected it to, he didn’t allow that to perplex him, however, he had little reason to feel as such. Clearly the man had not expected either Baldur or Ace to be accompanying Josk when he arrived here.

“Baldur of the bloodline Vauxx respected Warlord heritage of Empire Nirvana.”
Baldur said first as Josk was asked whom Ace and Baldur were; they were capable of introducing themselves. Why Niko had felt it necessary to ask Josk that question was beyond Baldur, perhaps the culture here was different enough for that to be considered rude.

“An’ I’m Ace.”
Ace chimed in –almost meekly- from somewhere, interesting, clearly everything here had affected his brother more than he thought it would... He would be fine, Ace had already recovered from killing those arrogant fools several days ago, this was simply just a new experience for him, the sights and the sounds were something that Ace was unused to.

[Elloria]

Josk was cut off from replying by Baldur. “Baldur of the bloodline Vauxx respected Warlord heritage of Empire Nirvana.”

“An’ I’m Ace.”

As one, the brothers and the dragon looked at the humanoid and the human, Josk turning in slightly in order to do so. There was silence for the span of a few heartbeats as Josk relayed what he had experienced the past few days to his brother and Arashi across the mental link the twins had already established. Arashi eyed the boy curiously, wondering how such a tiny thing managed to create such powerful flames. Niko merely chuckled. “I see you understand the Ancient Language, Baldur,” he said, switching over to Broddring Common for the sake of the boy who understood not a single word of the Ancient Language. He unstrapped himself from Arashi’s saddle and jumped down from his perch, bending his knees as he landed to soften the impact. Rising to his full height, Niko smiled kindly at the brothers. “That is interesting, considering you are not from this land.” He turned from them and began unsaddling Arashi, who was already shifting anxiously. The dragon despised wearing the saddle, feeling restricted whenever he did. As he worked, Niko said, “Please excuse my ignorance and rudeness. My brother is not in the habit of bringing strangers to my home and I merely wished to know what he was thinking.”

Arashi made a chuffing sound that Niko had come to learn was the dragon’s equivalent of a scoff. The sentiment was shared by Josk. “There is hardly a need to apologize, brother,” the mage said as Niko moved to the other side of Arashi to finish unsaddling the dragon.

“As there is hardly a reason to behave so rudely, brother,” Niko chided gently, pulling the saddle from Arashi’s back. The dragon shook his entire body, waves of delight bounding through the mental connection the three now shared. Having their minds all linked was something they were still getting used to, but at least Josk was not shrinking away from it like he had at first. “They are our guests, after all,” the Rider continued as he moved back around, holding the saddle in both hands. He looked towards the brothers again, finally noticing Tathar. The servant waved jovially. “Tathar-vor! It is good to see you! You must all be hungry and thirsty. I can get some refreshments ready momentarily. By the by, what brings you all to Ilirea?” Josk closed his eyes in irritation. His brother was being far too polite and diplomatic. He was going to have a long talk with the Rider later about what was really going on because he could feel the strain beneath the surface of his brother’s genial behavior.

[Amur]

After Baldur and Ace had introduced themselves silenced followed as both sides seemed to regard each other curiously –perhaps Baldur more so than Ace- Baldur knew that he was trying to learn as much as he could about the trio stood before him now without having to say anything to them and them to him. He took note of the near-identical appearance of the two brothers in particular, that did somewhat explain some of Josk’s actions earlier.

It was as Niko chuckled that Baldur allowed himself to soften just ever so slightly. He listened to Niko’s comment as he lowered himself to the ground; Baldur simply gave a small shrug and adjusted his cravat slightly. Was it really that difficult to believe? If he was honest, he was just a surprised to hear the language being spoken here himself.

“I’m well educated.”
Baldur said simply in response to Niko’s observation, but otherwise kept his surprise on how widespread what the natives here knew as The Ancient Language seemed to be... Or not, judging by what Niko had already said, perhaps getting to know the land first would be a better step to learning that little piece of information.

After all, even back in Empire Nirvana the language had not been that widespread, the three largest areas that spoke the language were The Hunters, The Warlord Families, and the Inner-Courts of The Hallowed Capital... Yes, this land would prove to be an interesting learning experience for Baldur after all.

“Believe me when I say there is no offense taken. We have endured far worse ‘greetings’ and ‘introductions’, this one is fairly pleasant.”
Baldur stated flatly, even their first meeting with Morona and their people had been less well mannered than this... Mostly due to the fact that Baldur was a half-breed, and the second was that a small attachment of the remnants of his father’s army had followed them as they had travelled. Nevertheless, they were still alive now, and that was what mattered.
---

“Ye’... Yeh... Yas... Ja... Thes es...”
Ace furrowed his brow in frustration, why was this language so hard to speak? Baldur had already told him that for the limited time the two of them had, had to practice the language that Ace was doing well –which he had stated as fact- but the fact he still couldn’t communicate properly while talking in this language still frustrated him.

He mentally cursed the illness that had left him bedridden for the last several weeks of their time at sea. He would have been able to speak this language much better than he could right now if he had been able to learn and practise it further.

In his frustration, Ace gave up trying to speak the language and instead opted to talk to his brother in their native language and have him translate what Ace wanted to say to these people. It would save him a great deal of frustration... Especially since, from what Ace was able to understand they had just been offered food...

“Bruder, können Sie sie für mich, dass ich etwas essen möchten und ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Gastfreundschaft?”
Ace asked happily, slipping back into the language he was more comfortable speaking... He knew Baldur would translate for him, for the time being Ace had, had enough of frustrating himself whenever he attempted to speak this strange language.

[Elloria]

“Ye’... Yeh... Yas... Ja... Thes es...”

Niko stiffened and Arashi’s head swung around to stare at the two strangers. Surely they were mistaken. This was Ilirea. This was the City of Riders. That language was not spoken here. They had simply heard wrong. Niko shook his head slightly, trying to dispel the hatred that had suddenly bubbled up at the seeming sound of his language. Josk frowned slightly while Tathar smoothly dismounted. Niko was always so laid-back that any indication of tension was an immediate cause for concern. “Brother?” he asked, gently touching the Rider’s shoulder.

“Bruder, können Sie sie für mich, dass ich etwas essen möchten und ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Gastfreundschaft?”

No mistaking it this time. That was definitely Solomon’s language. It was here in their own damn home. Niko tensed even further, an animalistic snarl twisting his face as the world turned red. Rage seemed to pour off of him in waves, nearly staggering Josk with its intensity. Out. It needs to get the hell out. Purge it from our home. Purge it!

There was no time to think. Niko clearly intended to obliterate Baldur and Ace, and Josk just couldn’t allow that. As the Rider lunged, Josk tackled him to the ground. Niko bucked and writhed, trying to wriggle free of Josk’s hold with a keening shriek that was drowned out by Arashi’s echoing roar. “What has gotten into you?!”

“Purge it! Purge it from our home!” The eerie echoing quality of Niko’s voice indicated that both Rider and dragon were speaking through the Rider’s body. Niko’s efforts to regain freedom intensified, aided by the strength flooding from Arashi through their bond. Fire and claws could not be used, lest the whole estate be destroyed in the attempt to eradicate the poisonous presence. Josk’s grip began to slip and Niko slowly inched towards Baldur and Ace. Overhead, Arashi continued to snarl and snap at the brothers, wings outstretched and eyes bright with fury. Josk strove to break through the cloud of rage that blinded both minds, but to no avail. There was only the anger, only the desire to “purge” it…and the image of a horrifically scarred man leering in their minds – Josk could only assume it was the Solomon Niko had mentioned before.

Knowing how Niko’s hatred could not easily be overcome, Josk cried out, “Tathar, get over here!” The servant dove in and began to wrestle with Niko as well. Their combined efforts halted the Rider’s progress, but not for long. Pulling enough of his concentration from the task of holding Niko back, Josk rapidly considered his options. Niko clearly couldn’t be reasoned with right now. Arashi wasn’t helping that, either. Neither Tathar nor Josk could hold the Rider indefinitely. Even in peak condition, Josk would forever be weaker than a Rider simply because he was not bonded to a dragon. But…it might still be possible to use that energy against them…

Entwining his own energy with Arashi’s – a task complicated only by the nearly overwhelming fury in the dragon’s mind – Josk carefully constructed a restraining spell that would bind them both. “’Til rage be waned, let bodies be bound.” Magic burst forth, leaving the mage shaken and fatigued – but it had worked. Niko’s body ceased its movements and all that remained of his struggles was his screaming while just above them Arashi’s head was frozen in mid-snarl. The mage and servant wrenched themselves away from Niko, Josk noting that they were a scant three feet from Baldur and Ace. What the hell had that been about?

[Amur]

Almost as soon as Ace had started speaking Baldur noticed the change in the atmosphere of the congregation... Niko visibly stiffened and The Dragon simply stared at both Baldur and Ace. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind already working toward a possible reason for such a reaction... Surely Niko and his Dragon could not have been familiar with Nirvanian Common, the boarders of Empire Nirvana were closed off, and The Empire had no contact whatsoever with other lands... But their reaction had been so obvious.

Baldur adjusted his stance slightly; shifting his left hand from the pommel of Findinokhind to the top of the sheath he gently raised the sword into an easier to access position while simultaneously using his right hand to adjust his cravat slightly. His intention was to make the action seem more like a casual adjustment as opposed to a shift to a ready-for-combat stance.

And then Ace reverted back to Nirvanian Common and the tension became just a little bit less subtle.
---

As Baldur shifted his stance slightly Ace knew almost at once that he had seen something that Ace hadn’t... But what? Had he done something wrong? It wasn’t until after Ace had told Baldur what he had wanted to say that everything happened. Ace covered his ears and cried out in alarm as he heard the loud roar and moved closer to his brother, whom he distantly noticed had not even reacted to the sound –how did he do that?- as he began to get scared.

What was going on?

There were shouts in a language he didn’t understand, but beyond that Ace couldn’t see anything else. He was now simply trying to make himself as small as possible... What had he done?
---

Everything had unravelled much faster than Baldur had anticipated, nevertheless he was able had his sword drawn in a timely manner, mostly due to the brief struggle that first occurred between Niko and Josk. Which had slowed Niko’s attempt to strike and Baldur and Ace, he still couldn’t make sense of it. Judging by that Niko was saying –the voice he was saying it in fascinated Baldur, but that could wait- Baldur could guess beyond doubt that he had, had previous experiences with a Nirvanian, which had clearly not gone well.

... This could have only been one person, and already Baldur did not like the direction this was going in.

He took stock of the situation, first looking at The Dragon. It didn’t take Baldur long to dismiss its actions as little more than for display only, so he kept a straight face and then looked back down at Niko, whom was still making a very admirable attempt on both Baldur’s and Ace’s lives. Normally, Baldur would have disposed of the threat the moment it made its intentions clear to him, but... This time, he would allow Josk to try and reason with his brother.

Baldur continued to watch with mild interest as eventually Josk simply used magic to restrain both Niko and The Dragon... Niko continued screaming, which Baldur largely ignored, and then looked over at Josk curiously, inclining his head ever so slightly...

The Elf was visibly confused, and understandably so. What reason would Niko have to react so violently to something as small as the language that Ace spoke? Baldur could only offer a theory, but, he would wait... Not even Ace knew what Baldur did... He would have to tread carefully.

“Duh-dun un’nerstahnd, wh-whut did I dew?”
Ace questioned, somehow managing to make himself heard over Niko’s continued screaming.

Spinning Findinokhind by its hilt Baldur returned the blade to its sheath and set a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“I don’t know.”
He replied softly.

He looked back over at Josk.

“Well... I’m not sure what to think of this, Josk. Since you’re clearly at as much of a loss as I am here, however, judging by Niko’s very clear state-of-mind at present I don’t think we’re likely to get an explanation for quite some time... I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get so violent quite so quickly.”

[Elloria]

Josk murmured “Silence his voice until reason returns.” A second, smaller burst of magic brought much-welcomed silence to the small estate as Niko’s screams suddenly ceased. The Rider’s mouth was still agape and it was quite obvious that he was still screaming despite his voice having been magically stolen away. So much anger over a few simple words…What had that being, that Solomon, done to his Niko?

“Well... I’m not sure what to think of this, Josk. Since you’re clearly at as much of a loss as I am here, however, judging by Niko’s very clear state-of-mind at present I don’t think we’re likely to get an explanation for quite some time... I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get so violent quite so quickly.”

Tathar rose to his feet shakily before helping Josk do the same. The pair proceeded to brush themselves off quickly before Josk addressed Baldur. “I have seen him fly into a rage like that more times than I care to count. As I told your brother, Niko is brash. He often acts on impulse and emotion rather than pausing for a moment to consider the pros and cons of his actions. He had been doing so much better about his temper by the end…” His voice trailed away as he frowned down at his enraged twin. He shook his head. This was not the place to be having this discussion. Niko and Arashi wanted the foreigners “purged” from their home. It would probably be best to facilitate this desire to at least a small extent. Josk gestured back up the path towards the gate. “Let us discuss this outside of the estate. My brother will not calm down until you are beyond the estate’s walls, I am sure of it.”

With that, the mage led the group back down the path and through the gate. When they were back on the street, he closed the gate and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. This was not at all how he had expected things to go. “Baldur,” he murmured. “Who the hell is Solomon?”

[Amur]

Baldur was silently thankful for Josk’s efforts in silencing Niko, the sound that had been coming from the still restrained elf was beginning to gnaw away at him. Nevertheless, with the sound now gone it was hardly an issue and allowed Baldur to listen to what Josk had to say regarding his earlier comment. He nodded gently in response, yes; he remembered hearing that during the brief moment of interaction he had witnessed upon waking.

He waited patiently after the elf trailed off and then nodded in agreement at his suggestion to continue their discussion on outside of the estate. Making sure that Ace moved first Baldur spent a second longer simply looking curiously at Niko and then at the dragon before following Ace and Josk. If that was all it took to drive them into such an uncontrollable fury then Baldur was already beginning to piece together a clearer image on what may have caused this.

Once they had returned to the street and had closed the gate Baldur waited in silence for Josk to collect his thoughts. Which gave him enough time to cast a quick glance back at Ace, his brother was clearly agitated, wringing his hands together, his eyes still wide with fear. This was a bad first encounter and one that would likely sour his brother’s perception of The Riders as a whole; that was not a result that Baldur could be happy about.

“Solomon?”
Baldur asked slowly in response to Josk’s question. Almost at once the name served to confirm Baldur’s earlier theory, since there was no chance that The Nameless Emperor had managed to influence anything in this land and Solomon Latro The 1^st was dead. However, he was part of a small group that already knew that Solomon Latro was here.

Best to play ignorant until he could answer the question without giving that away.

He arched an eyebrow and thought for a moment.

“Do you have a face to go with the name, Josk? There are three instances of people named Solomon within Nirvanian History; however, it is unlikely that any of them are responsible for what we just witnessed. A face would greatly help my ability to answer your question.”
He stated, lowering the barriers to his mind.

He didn’t have to wait long, within seconds he saw the image that he had been expecting, the brutal scarring, and the bloodstained eye. Baldur allowed both of his eyebrows to rise slightly as he saw the image and then fell deep into thought before answering the question.

“Fascinating. Did Morona get the outcome wrong?”
He mumbled to himself, already knowing that the historical record of Solomon’s death had been incorrect.

“Solomon Latro, or fully titled, Master Hunter Solomon Wyvern-slayer Latro, he is a well-known Hunter from Hunting Clan Latro. And he has made history three separate times throughout his life, most noteworthy of them, of course, being in his title. It is odd that he’s here, however, for in our recorded history he died roughly three years ago... I’m going to make the assumption that Niko, and most probably his dragon along with him have had some less than favourable encounters with him. Which is also odd, if only for the simple reason that Hunters never leave those that they encounter alive, however; I will say that if the encounters with Master Hunter Latro became at all violent; I can already see how The Hunter would have bested them.”

[Elloria]

Josk mulled over what Baldur had told him, his mind still touching Niko’s and Arashi’s. There was a hunter society in this Nirvana – probably a very hated, but respected society that was separate from the rest of the empire but inextricably part of it as well. And this Solomon…was something of a pinnacle of success for that particular sub-culture. It was not odd that the man was not dead – it would have been odd if he had died three years ago. Just from the fact that Solomon was a wyvern-slayer made it clear that the man was a survivor. And if you can survive a wyvern – presumably by yourself – a little thing like…well…anything else was hardly a real threat. There was a lot more to this than Baldur was probably letting on, but that could be because the humanoid was truly ignorant of the information (highly unlikely, from what Josk had seen of the humanoid) or unwilling to divulge in front of the boy. The silence hung heavy over the small group as Josk sifted through his speculations and concerns, all while trying to soothe his brother’s fury. How strange it was to be back at restraining his twin so many years after they had parted ways. It was as if they had never left Ellesmera.

“Hmph. Let us hope he does not try to make history here with my brother as the catalyst. I would hate to have to destroy a living legend and imperial treasure. Humans have so few of them.”

That earned him a mental snort from Niko, who was finally calm enough to actually receive mental input from Josk. Images and emotions passed rapidly between them as they conferenced on Niko’s general stupidity and Josk’s shocking tolerance for said stupidity, as well as their surprise that Arashi and Niko had not attracted greater attention from the populace with their lack of self-restraint. Tathar recognized the look on Josk’s face and immediately turned to converse with Baldur and Ace, leaving the twins to their business for the time being. “So…you mentioned that you are with a band of refugees. What drove you and your people from your homeland?”

[Amur]

Baldur took the moment of silence Josk was using to think about what he had just heard to check on Ace. As he had been the last time Ace’s eyes were still wide with fear, but he had stopped wringing his hands together now, Baldur spent a moment just observing Ace’s actions. Why had this event in particular managed to affect him? Ace had stood before small armies with Baldur more than once; his brother did not usually scare this easily.

“Sind Sie gut, mein Bruder?”
Baldur asked; Ace simply shook his head gently.

“Ich verstehe nicht, was ich schadete. Was tat ich?”
Ace replied; Baldur remained silent for a long while. Ace hadn’t really done anything wrong; Niko had flown into a completely unjustifiable rage the second he had heard Ace speak in Nirvanian-Common.

“Sie taten nichts falsch, mein Bruder. Niko ist im Unrecht der.”
Ace simply shook his head again, his expression telling Baldur that he wasn’t convinced with what he was being told. Baldur had seen that look before, it might take him a little while, but, ultimately Ace would get over what had happened here today.

Baldur turned his attention back to Josk as he spoke. Arching an eyebrow slightly in silence Baldur regarded the elf curiously for a moment.

“The way I see it, is if Master Hunter Latro has done enough to provoke the wrath of another, he’s on his own. Living legend, or no, if he wants to walk that fine line between confidence and arrogance, then let him. He had better make sure that he’s ready to pay the price if it costs him, though.”
Baldur stated flatly. It wasn’t a statement that perfectly answered what Josk had just said, but the meaning should have been clear enough. Why Josk would have reservations about killing one whom would so openly provoke the wrath of his brother was beyond Baldur, had he tried with Ace then Baldur would have killed Master Hunter Latro without hesitation and without a second thought. That was the way it should have been.

It took Baldur a moment to register that Tathar had asked him a question in what the natives of this land knew as The Ancient Language. He stood in silence for a short moment; as long as he didn’t give the personal history of anyone he knew away an explanation was perfectly acceptable.

"The reasons vary from person-to-person. I cannot answer for everyone that travelled with Morona, but my brother and I are here in order to escape the armies of Warlord Kaathe. They have been pestering us for eleven years."
Baldur answered calmly, following the example set, he spoke in The Ancient Language.

"I see. What exactly is a warlord? I know the answer might seem obvious, but we do not have them here. Are they like generals of an army?"
Tathar asked; an obvious question in Baldur’s mind, but how best to explain them to a foreigner? Everyone back in Empire Nirvana knew of The Warlords, so explaining them had never been necessary before. He could delve into all the most intricate workings of The Warlords and their culture, since he still technically was one, after all. But, after a moment of thought Baldur decided that it would just be best to explain what everyone else knew of them.

"Warlords are Lords of vast amounts of land, leaders of armies bordering on scales almost incomprehensible, powerful in every sense of the word, through reputation, numbers, resources, intelligence and many other things. They wage war as a way of life, provided the enemy promises a good challenge, that is."
Baldur answered slowly. That should have been sufficient enough to broadly explain what The Warlords were.

“That sounds horrendous. And such a waste of life and resources. Why would anyone wish to live a life like that?”
Baldur paused for a moment as Tathar asked that question. It was a good question, to be sure. But to that, there was no easy answer. At this point it was simply a matter of nature, but that was hardly a sufficient answer.

“That, I cannot answer for sure. It has been so since our earliest ascendants, many Warlord families have roots predating the existence of The False Gods. My own family has a little over ten-thousand years worth of history by itself, and, even back then, they were as they are now."
Baldur explained, that should have been enough.

“Unconscionable. And this...Warlord Kaathe? It seeks you for some reason?”
Baldur paused once more; did idle conversation here always get so personal? Not that Baldur was particularly bothered by it. He rather enjoyed the opportunity to educate someone on at least some of the ways that things back in The Empire worked.

“He seeks the two of us. Ace and I only share a single parent, our mother. She was under the terms of a mating agreement to my father, which she broke with another human. As was his right, my father tried to exterminate Ace in his infancy, I wasn’t going to allow that, so I killed my father in his sleep. That broke tradition, and the majority of my father’s army turned against me. After a time, the remnants of my father’s army were assimilated into the armies of Warlord Kaathe, the second in the Triumvirate. So now the entirety of his army seeks to kill both of us.”
Baldur explained calmly. It was at that, that Tathar took a step back. Baldur blinked, but held his tongue.

“You're telling me that you're the son of a Warlord?”
Now Baldur arched an eyebrow. Had Tathar forgotten, or had he just not been listening to the two separate instances where Baldur had introduced himself as “Baldur of the bloodline Vauxx respected Warlord heritage of Empire Nirvana”? Surely there was no way he could have misinterpreted Baldur’s previous introductions.

“Yes, is there a problem with that?”
Baldur asked in response.

“A great deal, mitigated only by the fact that you saved your brother's life.”
Baldur kept a straight face; of course, he couldn’t expect Tathar to be fine with that. Not when he still didn’t fully understand the scope of what Baldur had given up for Ace. It was a way of life that Baldur could not go back to. Not when he no longer had an army to go back to.

“If it concerns you, I do not have access to the armies nor the resources that I would have had access to if I had killed my father in a manner acceptable to the rules of succession.”
He explained, if only to attempt to put any existing concerns to rest.

“Hardly. The training is still there, as is the mentality. Such things are difficult to overcome, no matter how much you have thrown away for the sake of your brother.”
Baldur couldn’t argue with that point. He was the first to admit that each day was a struggle against his inherent elitism. And that was the simplest way of putting it.

"Indeed. However, while I will deign to keep myself to a certain standard, I recognise that I am not within the borders of Empire Nirvana and that the reputation of my family will avail me nothing here."
He replied simply. There was no need to address that any further, Baldur had never been blinded by the reputation of his family, not even when his father had been alive.

“I...see.”
Silence fell.

” You mentioned a Morona? Who is this individual?”
But it hadn’t lasted very long. However, the question did give Baldur something else to think on. Morona hadn’t specifically requested that Baldur keep their identity nor their Union secret, so, it couldn’t cause too much harm in at least giving Tathar a brief description of Morona.

“Morona. Known to many as ‘Nemesis’ Morona, is the individual that led our exodus here. They are among the oldest known beings still alive today who made history well over eight-hundred-and-fifty years ago. It was not an easy venture on their part, that much I am led to believe.”
Baldur explained.

“They?”
Baldur nodded gently, he hadn’t expected foreigners to understand Morona based on that simply explanation.

"It is... Difficult to explain... They were once two separate beings, one human, the other not which have become Union. I understand what they are, but find myself unable to accurately explain it."
He elaborated.

“Sounds like a Shade to me.”
Baldur found himself arching an eyebrow. The term “Shade” was new to him, and judging by the context and general word that had been used Baldur highly doubted that such a comparison was a good thing... Yet, he found himself strangely interested by the term.

"What's a... Shade?"
He asked.

“An individual, usually human, who has been possessed by spirits. The individual is usually a sorcerer who summoned the spirits to perform some task for them. In general when the person becomes possessed it is because the spirits were far stronger than the person, but in some cases the person willingly allows them self to be possessed as part of a pursuit for greater power.”
Interesting, so possession did exist here.

“Ah, it’s not possession, both parties had to be willing for Union to occur or they would have died. Though, what you say is perplexing, we don’t have a special title for people possessed by Non-Human’s. Why is that different here?”

“Obviously you do. You call them Union. We call them Shades. The only difference is the willingness to share a form.”
Baldur kept a straight face at that statement, foreign ignorance certainly was interesting. He made a mental note to send this information back to Morona the moment he found himself able to.

“No, Union and possession are two different things. Possession is a technique that most any Non-Human can learn. Union is a process that is as biological as it is spiritual and mental, a failed Union results in the death of both parties. A failed attempt at possession is likely to leave the practitioner with brain damage.”
Baldur explained, attempting to clear up at least some confusion.

“Possession is a simplistic way of thinking about Shades. The sorcerer's body undergoes physical changes as well, marking the person as a Shade - hair color, eye color, and skin color all changes as well as a sharp drop in weight. They are practically skeletal in appearance. A person is as likely to die from possession as they are to become a Shade. That is why Shades are rare. That and most people are not foolish enough to mess with beings far beyond their comprehension.”
Baldur fell silent once more, running the information he had just received through his mind, no, whatever these “Shades” were, they were most definitely not the same thing as Union. Morona had far too much mass to their body to appear skeletal.

“I see, fascinating. From your description, I can tell you that these ‘Shades’ and Union are also two different things. Morona stands at over eight-foot in height and has the mass to match their height, Union is also rare, since the survival-rate is abysmally low.”
Baldur thought out loud. He could see where similarities could be drawn by those in the know; however, if people meeting with Morona had ever met one of these Shades beforehand, there was virtually no chance of them being mistaken for one.

Tathar simply shrugged at what Baldur had just said.

“Still sounds like a Shade. You should tell it to be careful. People do not take kindly to Shades around here.”
Baldur simply nodded, he had already made a note to do so. He ignored the obvious insult for the time being, he was not in the habit of getting offended for other people, he already knew that if Morona had been present that they would have had something to say about being referred to as “it”.

“I’ll have to send word as soon as I am able.”
He stated simply in response. For the time being there was nothing more to say in the matter, he could begin speculating “what if” scenarios, but, despite the unfavourable comparisons to these Shade creatures they seemed rare enough for such misconceptions to be avoided... Nevertheless, Baldur knew better than to leave such a thing to chance, as soon as he next heard from Nel, he would send the message back with her.

[Elloria]

Sometimes I wonder how I ever put up with you when we were younger. It was this sort of thoughtless reaction that caused us endless amounts of difficult during our education in Ilirea.

I know…

There’s no excuse for this. No excuse. Ilirea was supposed to have trained this out of you. Almost two centuries without incident. And you’re telling me that some ignorant, weak, lucky human being has tossed that out the window?!

…Yes?

I blame your damn dragon. Arashi, why do you encourage his recklessness?

I have no idea of what you speak, Josk-brood-mate. I simply acted on instinct. I will not tolerate some mindless fool acting as if it is superior to me.

Josk mentally threw his hands in the air in frustration. This was why he hated dragons! They all thought they were the best and that none could stand against them. The elves had proved centuries ago that this was not the case – and the dwarves had been proving it for even longer! Why? Why did it always happen to him?!

After telling the idiots to come to the gates and make their apologies – with Arashi refusing on the grounds that he had nothing to apologize for and he didn’t want to ruin Niko’s garden – Josk focused back on his own little group. Noting that Tathar was being very useful indeed, the mage chose not to interrupt just yet. Ace was clearly bewildered by the conversation (apparently having no knowledge whatsoever of the Ancient Language) and still terrified from Niko’s behavior, but Josk wasn’t there to baby the boy. So he let Tathar and Baldur babble on, both unaware that he was finished berating his idiots.

Union? That had to be something incredibly powerful – in other words, dangerous and a wealth of information. He’d have to discuss this Morona with Baldur at some point. But not right now. Right now, Niko was opening the gates of the estate. His expression was appropriately contrite and Josk didn’t doubt that there was some regret.

Niko coughed. “Ah…my deepest apologies to you both,” he said to Baldur and Ace. “My behavior was unacceptable and uncalled for. Please allow me to make this up to you in some way.”