A Legacy of Conquest

Scale grew slowly more and more irritated with the group. His team members were mostly less than interesting, besides a few of them. He began to think about each individual in the group, sizing them up mentally. First there was Rathion, who was some sort of Paladin, who siphoned the energy out of magical creatures. Staying too close to him for too long could cause a problem for him. Next there was Irele, who definitely had an attitude. She was apparently a 'run and gun' type, who shot first and asked questions from the survivors, who were likely injured. Then there was Victoria, who he had no clue about. Personality wise she seemed simple enough, but he knew there was something about herself she didn't plan to share with the rest of the group.

He ran down the list of his team until the 'thing', called Legion slammed his sword down, resulting in a loud, and obnoxious "clang'. Scale's ears rang for a few moments, while he turned. "How impatient..." He snarled as her turned, walking away from the group. By now, he was itching for a sparring match and an Idea popped into his head. "She could be fun to spar with, and it may let me learn more about her..." He began to walk off, looking around the campus for Victoria once more.

The queen looked sadly at the girl. Perhaps she should not have been the one to give the answers the girl requested but now it was too late and her reply may have an effect on Rathion's.

"I suppose I should talk to you about this, until either I have determined that you are still trustworthy or I have chosen a different end for you." Fia chimed out like  dirge as she spoke. This may after all set the organisations plans back by a few years and she would rather not break the girl any further or incur the wrath of the leader. "First I will tell you this, there are greater powers at play than you know, within the shadows a hidden truth moves and you may yet be part of it's designs. Now please do wait till I have finished, both of you."

The empress took a few moments to breath and regain her composure before speaking again. "I did not desire your elder bothers' deaths, that was the will of my husband who is very different from the man I thought I married and he is cruel. We rarely see eye to eye anymore so do not old his will against me. As for your other siblings, I held back so as not to cause suspicion amongst those still living, had you figured out the truth on your own then one likely outcome would have been the extermination of your entire family line and those of all the other leaders of the rebellion."

The empress breathed again, whether it was just her or simply the overflowing unease of her two guests, the air was beginning the feel heavy like water on her form. "I cannot openly oppose the emperor for doing so may incur a civil war and that could set plans back by decades. Now back to your reply. I could trust you know, but the emotion is too raw. I have no use for a piece that wants to act against me and so I shall give you two options, you can let go of all the anger you have built up or you can join a cult of my choosing. Either way if you should you stray from the path and endanger our plans, we will cut you down without hesitation. Now that I am done, what have you to say?"

The only part of the queen's response that Irile understood was her attempts to make amends with her. From her vantage standing by as the emperor has his way was just as bad as doing the deed herself. There would be no amnesty from her. Not that she saw any reason for the queen to desire forgiveness. It was entirely irrelevant at this point. As long as empire held her sibling's lives in the balance Irile was powerless to rebel, and if the queen truly had reason to fear her she could end her here and now, a fact that had already been pointed out on multiple occasions.

The rest of the queen's message was even more perplexing. She continued to push the issue of trust even though Irile acknowledged that the queen was now in a position of complete control over her. To top off her confusion was talk of a power beyond that of the empire and something about a cult. Was the queen's intent to brainwash her. That was the only explanation that Irile could find in her muddled thoughts. The situation had quickly become surreal and she felt like she was in a haze, a sort of waking dream, or nightmare. She shook her head violently but it did little to help her focus, but she had to form some sort of reply either way. She raised her head to look at the queen once more. She had bowed it earlier when she had momentarily escaped into thought. It seemed heavier now, harder to keep raised. "I'm sorry, maybe I lost more blood than I thought, but I honestly don't understand more than a lick of what you just said. Can we go over it once more?"

The empress sighed. Hopefully she would only have to repeat herself once. "I am proposing that you either join a secret organisation which has directed the flow of humanity from the shadows or from positions of power since before the first era or that you leave all your hatred and anger behind you and join the mission that the school has assigned you. Either way I am happy though one of my superiors will likely attempt to hire you again in the future."

Surely she had not lost that much blood. Unless the chord Ilex had bound her with was laced with drugs or the queen was crazy this was all real no matter how unbelievable it seemed. Of course, even if the queen was a loon, it was in Irile's best interest to play along. "So let me get this straight," she said with a slight slur. "There is a power that supersedes the whole freaking empire, supersedes you and your husband, and you're offering me a promotion into that group? And it's either that or I forgive and forget everything that happened today and go back to being an everyday nobody in your kid's school project? Well you can count me in. Is there some sort of red pill I need to take or something?"

Everything seemed to happen so quickly. As Irile went through her files, the queen offered Rathion a job. Not just a job, a career as her bodyguard. It came so suddenly that Rathion's shock prevented him from speaking. Instead, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, making random stammering noises that didn't create a full sentence. His plan was always to return home at some point and live a simple life. If he accepted this, he would probably stay there until he was too old to be useful or died in service. Then again, if she was as generous as she said she was, he could help his parents out if equipment broke or if there was a bad harvest, something he probably couldn't accomplish otherwise. That alone was enough to make him consider the position.

The ring she showed him gave him pause. As a natural magic dampener, and having that as his main strength, he had thoroughly researched any items that could inhibit him. That ring was something that made him very leery and he made sure he could recognize it in case it ever appeared in battle. He realized rather quickly that having him as an asset could make the Queen very powerful, nigh unstoppable. This partnership would be very beneficial to the both of them.

"If you don't mind, ma'am," Rathion said after a given length, "I'd like some time to think this over." His answer was probably not something she was looking for but Rathion had to carefully calculate the pros and cons.

At that point, Irile had reviewed a majority of the files. Curiosity again burned in Rathion's veins but it wasn't his place to know. She began speaking of a metaphorical chain around her neck. He was glad that Irile seemed to have calmed down enough to speak rationally, yet with every word his anxiety grew. What exactly was in those files that made her speak this way? The queen's reply perplexed him even more. A secret society? What about Irile's siblings' deaths? An offer to join the secret society? The queen was (to Rathion's assumption) rebelling against the emperor? And, lastly, a freaking secret society?

For once, Irile didn't seem to offer a lot of resistance. She quickly agreed to the empress' terms. Rathion felt very out of place here. He felt that there was a sudden weight on his shoulders, like he was forced into silence about this whole thing. Strangely, he also felt the need to protect Irile. Hearing of her sibling's deaths made him realize the extent of what she had to endure. She had a very hard life and he was determined to ease it in any way he could. That is, as long as she could stop getting herself into trouble.

Rathion found an opening to speak and surreptitiously cleared his throat. He had a few things he wanted to know now, "Highness," He began, "I'm going to guess we are not to speak of this to anyone else. I would like to know, though, if your son is involved in this in any way," He then paused, knowing he was about to ask a hard question that could change his life forever, but he needed to know, "I also want to ask how this will affect me... I'm assuming the society is secret because those who know about it either join or are... silenced..." He stopped for a little while, recovering his thoughts, "Is that why you want me to be your bodyguard?"

An amused smiled formed on Fia's lips, despite her trying to repress it. "Mrs Irar, there is no pill, you will simply need to meet with they who co-ordinate our movements. I will take you to her after this meeting and while there we will discuss a story to cover up your involvement." the queen said slowly as she tried to keep her tone even.

"Now Mr Valor, no. I am recruiting you for my own reasons and regardless you would still be a pawn of the organisation." the queen continued as she got up and moved to the other human. "But you will be accompanying me to meetings should you accept. Should you decline, or Miss Irar have declined for that matter, all memories even remotely related to the organization would have been removed from your memory along with any memories which could lea you on a trail to the cult." The empress then moved to open the door and the other golem stepped in holding a number of files. "This is the full document relating to the incident. I also have files which hold possible scenarios to opposing my husband and each of them result in far more deaths and suffering than a quiet argument with him in private." the queen took a moment o breath before returning to her offer. "Now Mr Valor, why would you be indecisive. I will give you time but if you have any questions about the proposition, I would mst likely be happy to answer them. Oh and before I forget, no. Myri and his brothers have no inkling of the cults existence."

Rathion's brow furrowed in thought as the Queen explained. All of his memories would be gone? He cast a sideways glance towards Irile. Even Myr didn't know about the cult, which mean that Irile would be all alone (respectively speaking). She had to bear so much already and Rathion would hate if she had to burden this alone. She also seemed the type to get herself into trouble and needed someone to pull her back every once in a while. Add that to financial security and possibly improving the empire, it was a deal he was finding harder to resist. Plus, protecting the queen would be a great thing to write home about.

Rathion shifted on his feet uneasily. He contemplated his belly button for a little while. Truly, the negatives were paling in comparison to the potential gains. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at the queen, his decision made. "I accept," He spoke confidently, "On one condition. Should anything happen to me, please ensure my family is taken care of. I would hate to have them come to harm because of my actions."

"Sizable payments to your family in the case of your death will be arranged. You will be the second of my recruits." the queen replied with a smile of absolute joy and success planted on her face. "Now shall we be off. The headquarters of our organisation is below, in chambers that will remain sealed off to those who know not of the truth until the day our goal nears completion."

Fiaselle walked off to the door, opening it and walking slightly out. After Ilex unbound Irle, the two golems walked to the doors and held them open, motioning for the other two occupants to walk out. The three walked down the hallway, taking a number of turns and moving down a few flights of stairs until they came to a large door made of stone, marble and gold. Woven into the door were few gold dragons, a few jewel flowers and two large silver dragons acted as hinges by twirling their body into the door and floor beside it. An image of three beings was engraved into the center. A woman with long hair held back in a ponytail stood to the left, a male fairy in some sort of uniform to the right. Between them stood the ghost queen, Helena.

"I come to speak to those who know and though school has not begun, I seek entrance to the school hidden by stork and reapers mist." the empress chanted as she held her hand to the door. She ignored any sound made by the two behind her as the silver dragons started to move, lifting the two ton doors from the earth. "Come, the ladies and the lords await." the empress said as she continued down the stairs.

The columns beneath the door were far older than the school and possibly older than any other building or man made structure ever formed. The architecture was brilliant, similar to the door and yet so ver foreign to that of any other country. The shape of the hallway reflected the shape of a dragons throt and upon exiting a hallway it was obvious that that is exactly what it was. Doors similar to the one that lead down were placed along the halls, many which had strange writing and some which had constantly changing writing that was just as foreign. The halls were lit with smokeless fire which seemed to likely be hell fire and occasionally devil fire. Strange markings and images wre visible along the walls and there were many doors in the shape of fairy wings while decorative statues of the ghost queen where placed beside each door.

The queen led them past all these wonders until she came to a door that was labeled 'Art Classroom A1' beneath some of the strange markings. Fia knocked and soon after the door swung open silently to reveal a woman with silver skin and white hair flecked with gold strands. Her lips were like black metal and her eyes where metallic red pupils and irises with metallic orange whites. She wore an ornate and otherworldly dress with orange high heels and some sort of pants beneath the translucent dress.

Behind her stood a woman with long shimmering locks which seemed to glow like the rest of hr body, that woman wore some sort of tight black leather outfit with angelkin markings. Another woman with messy pink and dark purple hair sat beside her, her clothes seemed to be a simple gown that was just thrown on but an extravagant suit was visible beneath it should one look beneath the outer garment. Two me were present as well, one with sea green hair and eyes like blood dressed in larger versions of a young child's clothes. The other had long silver, bronze and metallic pink hair yet wore an outfit like the other.

"Greetings Lady Margret" the empress said as she bowed low to the woman with silver skin and then moved onto each of the others in turn. "And to you Lady Miata, Queen Lenora, Lord Ataim and Lord Tergram." Each nodded in acknowledgement as they were spoken to and Miata smiled a smile which was somehow comforting and eerie at the same time.

"I see you've brought one we expected as a future recruit." Lenora said in a voice which sounded almost asleep and as though it couldn't to do anything even should the world start crumbling to ash.

As the promise left the Queen's lips, Rathion let out an audible sigh of relief. Soon after that, they were getting ready to move again. Immediately upon Irile's release, Rathion rushed to her aid. Worry creased his brow, his previous anger towards her had disappeared as soon as that cord pierced her skin. Whether she liked it or not, Rathion helped her stand up. He pulled the chair back and then ran around so he could take her hand. His touch was gentle but solid. His free hand carefully pushed at her back, supporting her as she pulled on his other hand to stand up.

Once she was on her feet, he offered his arm to her. "You can lean on me if you'd like, Miss Irar," He offered. He figured she'd decline but it was worth a shot.

"You call me Irile." so instructed in a slurred groggy tone. His formal manner of speech was pleasing at first, but it was too distant of way to address a friend, or whatever Irile was to him now. Rathion fought back a smile. Of course the situation wasn't funny, but he was happy she wanted to break down the formalities between them. That and she sounded like she was drunk which was always a crowd pleaser.

She slowly swatted the air with her hand. On the second swing she succeeded in finding Rathion's arm. She grabbed his hand in hers and gently pressed his arm back down to his side. "Thanks, but I'll be fine." She told him, a statement that sent Rathion into obvious disbelief. She stumbled forward somewhat before finding her balance. She stood straighter after catching herself. She consciously controlled her next series of steps, her strides were short and slow, her legs trembling slightly under her weight. Rathion knew she was struggling but, since she had refused his help, the only thing he could do was follow.

He took the outer layer of his uniform off. She probably didn't realize it but she was still bleeding. The material was tough and obviously well made, but it was no match against a determined farm boy. He started to rip it apart in sections, giving strips to her so she could dab off. He didn't bother asking for permission to help. If she wouldn't lean on him he doubted she would let him clean her off.

The journey itself was slow. Rathion walked behind Irile for the most part, ready to spring into action should she stumble. When they reached stairs, he walked in front of her and constantly glanced backwards to see if she was doing okay. Again, he found his feelings for her conflicted. On one hand, he thought she was far too proud and stubborn... maybe even to the point of idiocy, considering both of those things got her into this stumbling mess, yet she was admirable in her steadfastness. She was strong and morally sound, obviously she had no problem sticking to her guns (pun intended).

But Muses, did she worry him so!

It felt like they walked for hours before they reached the embellished door. Rathion's worry for Irile faded momentarily as he gazed, awestruck, and took in the details of it. A chant was said and the door was open. Rathion took in the architecture as they made their way down the hall. He kept Irile in his peripheral vision but allowed himself to look around.

After what seemed like ages, they stopped. The Queen entered a room. Rathion followed. She made her greetings to the Lords and Ladies and Rathion's jaw dropped. He fell on one knee and bowed his head as soon as he recovered from the shock. The Deities themselves were here! He didnt even know what to say or what to do. He was completely unprepared. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he think this would happen to him. Which reminded him...

He gave Irile another one of his pointed looks, nodding his head towards the Muses. The look said "Can you believe this?" Followed by "You better not get in trouble here."

"My Lords and Ladies," He spoke after a given length, "My companion and I are honored and humbled by your presence."

Miata chuckled openly as she saw the awe struck look on the young man's face. "I'm sorry but the look on the faces of new recruits is always so amusing" Miata said in apology to both the mortals and her fellow deities. Lenora shot a disdained glared at her counter part then got up, the loosely worn gown falling off her shoulder but still tied at the waist. Her suit seemed to flicker in and out of existence, being replaced by a short, messy tank top.

"Really Miata, calm yourself." Lenora said harshly as resumed her glaring "Even the two gods of mirth are keeping themselves in check."

"Let her be Lenora." the man with sea green hair, Ataim, said "We can spare some time to enjoy the moment besides only one of us is needed to keep monitor at any given point in time." Aitem seemed to flicker between a full grown man, a child and a teenager with every movement,the same happened to the other man's so that among the gods and devils only the muses appearance stayed somewhat stable.

"I believe it would be best to deal with the recruits." Margret said calmly in contrast to the anger of the vile fairy and the mirth of her fellow muse "Would some one be so kind as to give them the locator talismans and the warning?"

Lenora moved forward, two simple iron carvings similar to two 'E' standing back to back joined t a simple metal chain formed in the hand of the deity of sloth. Each of them flew to one of the humans to settle around their neck. "Shall I take care of her injuries as well?" Lenora asked more calmly, her voice once again sleepy

"Yes do." Miata answered now recovered from her fit of laughter and chuckling and her voice sounding like the waves of the ocean whispering in one's ear "Give the boy a new coat as well, it would not do for him to look shabby when he has just been offered a job by the most powerful woman on the planet."

"As you wish." Lenora said moving forwards, placing a hand on each of the two mortals. "Now first of all you two must be careful not to let anyone know about this cult, the cult Evaglyon."

"And more importantly it must never be known that Lenora is a part of the cult, even to the other vile fairies and muses because as far as they are concerned all the vile fairies serve our enemy." Margret added slowly and calmly with her voiced backed by power.

"And you are to seek truths hidden by time and mortal kind, though none which would jeopardize the operation for the return of Hope." finished the other deities in unison, their voices melding into a single eerie sound.

"The last part is aimed only at Irle, you Rathion are not among our ranks but will be watched regardless." Lenora added "And you need not act too carefully around us. We are less defensive than royalty."

Irile gave a grateful nod and smile when Rathion offered her the strips of fabric. She had considered making bandages from her shirt earlier, but the meeting the queen planned for them had seemed rather urgent and the last thing she wanted was for the golems to whisk her away again. She noticed the severity of the lacerations for the first time when she wound the make shift gauze around her limbs. The cuts were much deeper and wider across than she had anticipated. No wonder she felt so disoriented. She considered briefly that perhaps she had made a mistake when she turned away the help offered her. Surely having him touch her would not have been such a terrible thing.

The significance of the hall's architecture was completely lost on Irile. Everyone she had grown up with dismissed such intricate decorations as superfluous designs. Any time spent making adding such details was time wasted. Not to mention she currently lacked the facilities to focus heavily on the scenery. Most of her attention was dedicated to keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

The task of walking grew easier with time. When the queen opened the door Irile was once more standing confidently. She stood as an equal among those who answered the queen's knock. She did not even consider that the strange people who greeted them were gods until Rathion bowed before them. Irile however did not offer any special welcome for them. Instead she simply stood there. In all honesty She had no idea what to do. She would never bow to anyone, not even a god, and the queens chastising her salute left her without a form of middle ground.

The banter between the established cult members revealed that they were in fact the muses and vile fairy of fame and not just mere namesakes. Irile did not understand most of what was said or even what was asked of her. She was also a little disappointed that she would not be able to meet Nathan and Mana. She felt that those particular fairies were not evil, but simply misunderstood. She even admired them a little.

Knowing that an opportunity to have her mission clarified would come soon enough she decided only to voice her sole objection for the time being. "I was under the impression that Rathion and I would be in this together. We kind of a package deal. The poor guy is smitten with me." She made her request as reasonably as she could, but it was still enough to put the gods' words to the test about how difficult they were to offend. They seemed to have a vested interest in Irile's cooperation for some reason. Hopefully it would be enough to give into her demands in exchange for what they wanted of her.

Miata looked at the girl, confusion spreading across her fa for a moment before she snapped back to her previous self. "I think you misunderstood. Rathion is not of our ranks as he will not be one of the cult..." the queen of the muses began but was cut off by Lenora.

"He will be working with you, at least for the moment." the vile fairy stated "We still act on commands from higher up, the leader of this cult and it's founder back so many years ago."

"For now though, you are partners. Rathion will be following the orders of the queen and you will be following the leaders instructions but they will be the same." Ataim said mirthfully "You are both to assist a possible future recruit in completing a task."

Fiaselle then walked forward and spoke up. The five gods in the room did not seem to mind at all despite her seeming to have cut Ataim off. "You will assist with the attack on La'merisy's navy force. hindering their ability to launch an attack against the empire." the empress stated cooly "But we want you to attack the least populated bases at any given point in time. Minimum casualties will help forge more positive relationships between the empire and La'merisy while at the same time protecting the empire's power."

"We require the empire to remain a force of power in the long run to ward off aggression, while the empire and other world powers become peaceful allies." Margret stated "But at the moment, over half the member of La'merisy's elder council are pushing for an assault on the Soniette empire. This task will prevent that. You will be attempting to follow a schedule written up by elder Valencia Nosferatu, the vampire queen of Hyrania and one of our older members." Lenora flicked her hand and a scroll formed before the bowing Rathion.

"And if you meet any servants of the other vile fairies, or the vile fairies themselves you must fee for they are evil." Lenora said sternly "They as of the events before the first era came to embody their vices. They serve sin and evil and strive to corrupt all mortal kind so that Avarice which I foolishly freed may walk this land again."

Nothing could have prepared Rathion for this when he woke up this morning. Needless to say, it had been a long day. The Muses and vile fairy talked as allies, something that had Rathion's faith trembling. Add that to the fact the empire was not nearly as pure as Rathion had (gullibly) believed, and the poor paladin was wondering what else was a lie. At least he had his shirt back.

He tried his best to listen carefully to what the Muses were saying, but some of it seemed to be in riddles. Rathion pushed away the third wheel feeling he got when they said that Rathion wasn't one of them. Of course, he knew he would work for the Queen and only knew of the cult because of Irile , but that didn't make the sting any less painful. It wasn't hard to forget the inadequate feeling, although, as Irile said something that had Rathion's cheeks burn. It wasn't even like it was true, he didn't know her well enough to be smitten, but that was still a thing and a half to say to the Gods themselves. "I wouldn't say smitten," Rathion mumbled under his breath, in a way that men do when they have been triumphed by their female counterparts. It was his attempt at retaining dignity while not getting in trouble. Still, he couldn't help but smile a little. Irile had stuck up for him.

Rathion was pulled back to the situation at hand. His ears perked up at the fact the Gods were listening to the orders of a leader. Who would lead the Gods? That question was tucked away, put in the back of his mind for another more appropriate time. He wasn't even sure if he was allowed to know since he wasn't a full fledged member. They reiterated the importance of his mission succeeding. He wasn't planning on letting it fail even before this whole mess happened. Speaking of, he was getting anxious to return to his unit. He had lost track of time and hoped he didn't miss the second meeting. That would look especially bad since he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Irile.

"My Lords and Ladies," He said, placing a hand on his chest and bowing slightly, "I will do my best not to fail you and will heed your warnings. However, I worry that we have taken too much time and will raise suspicion if we are gone for much longer. Irile and I must return to our unit so that we may accomplish our goal."

Miata beamed at the boy, a huge giddy smile like a little child."If you are late while in the presence of a deity who can stay the flow of time, you must be the un..."

"You did no such thing Miata, now stop fooling around" Lenora chided her friend as she interrupted her. "Now as for you two. You know your mission." the vile fairy said turning to the two mortals and gliding closer.

"Of course they know their, mission, we just gave it to them in reasonable detail. "Ataim replied "Now can we get on with it, you intend to send them off don'tcha."

"Yes, god of mirth and games. But first a final warning." replied the vile fairy coldly, water leaping like deadly flames from her form and the air turning rank as she spoke then it all faded just as quickly as it came. "Remember this I am the only vile fairy who serves good. The others serve another, a twisted thing that craves the suffering of all life. You cannot trust them for they are are enemies and though i am one of them, I act as a double agent serving this cause as my true goal and drive." the vile fairy whispered to the mortal children before placing a hand on each of their heads. Shadows sprang from a crack forming in the ground and darkness engulfed the two students while elsewhere the same occurrence was happening but instead of disappearing, two forms were appearing. Here in the crowded corridors between Irle and Rathion's dorms the second shadow sprang though  it went unnoticed by all who traveled nearby.

"Oooweee! What a trip." Irile shouted tossing her head back. "I mean that was really something wasn't it? You really got more than you bargained for with me didn't you? And newsflash! Giving a girl you're jacket without even being asked is like the text book definition of being smitten, but don't worry. It's okay for us to pretend that it never happened." After prattling on faster than she could think, giving Rathion no time to respond in doing so, Rathion's perspective of the event became more clear to her. The situation must had been terrifying for him. After all he had virtually no control over the outcome. If Irile had been brought to the chopping block, she would at least have had the solace of knowing it was her own doing. There was a brief moment of silence before she continued speaking with a deliberate and hushed tone. "Thanks for sticking by me back there even when things looked bleak. Most boys would have bailed in a situation like that. That deserves recognition. Give me your hand," she said holding her palm out to him.

Rathion had never felt the effects of magic before, so when the goddess teleported them, Rathion began to panic. He flailed his arms and shut his eyes tight, too afraid to open them. Magic felt foreign… and just weird. The paladin actually felt a little violated, naked almost, and experienced a full body shiver. Irile was already talking soon after they touched down. Rathion was still feeling a little strange but he tried his best to listen to her. Again his cheeks burned and his previous emotions were forgotten as she brought up being smitten with her. She quickly moved onto the next subject, though, but Rathion still felt like it needed to be addressed. When she stopped talking, it seemed as if a small shadow fell over her face. He didn’t like seeing her like that. So, he decided to take a chance and say something that might get her going one way or another.

“You know, maybe you just keep saying I’m smitten with you cause you want me to be. Either that or you’re projecting your feelings onto me,” He teased with a smile. When she told him to give her his hand, he was a little concerned. Rewarded? How? What the heck was she planning? Did he go too far with his joke? His tone smothered with suspicion, he asked, “Why?” But still extended his hand towards her. His torso leaned away from her and his head was slightly turned, brows furrowed but eyes laced with concern. He really didn’t mean to offend her. And if he didn’t offend her, he certainly hoped she wasn’t about to kiss or do some other awkward thing to his hand.

A stunned expression came across the girl's face in response to Rathion's retort. The paladin saw it and grinned victoriously. It lasted for a brief moment however before being replaced by a shrewd grin. Rathion had some fight in him after all. This would make her game all the more fun. "Maybe I am," she admitted with a chuckle.

The boy's hand was larger than Irile anticipated. It dwarfed hers and was muscled and calloused from hard work. It reminded Irile of her father's hands, maybe that should have signaled that she could trust this boy the same way she had trusted him, but the way Rathion was acting was as far as possible from the demeanor you would expect from someone who would watch your back in the heat of battle. Rathion had turned his head away, slightly distracted by the busy people who were walking past. He was very nervous and couldn’t look Irile in her eyes. She gripped his hand firmly to keep him in place, not that it would do any good if he was truly intent on escaping. Rathion jumped a little and looked back at Irile.

"What's a matter? I know! You never held a girl's hand before have you? Muses know what you'd do if I leaned in for a kiss," Irile teased. Again Rathion’s face lit up like a tomato and he tensed. She was right and the poor boy, with little to no experience with women (especially women like this), was stunned speechless. Ashamed that she might see the truth in her words, he turned his head away from her again. His free hand tapped against his thigh nervously. With his head turned like a frightened child Rathion did not see the knife Irile drew with her left hand. She silently pressed the blade to his knuckles and drug it across the hand.

“Son of a b--!” Rathion shouted, never expecting that, he jumped nearly a foot in the air, “Ow?!” He declared, looking at his freshly cut hand. Something inside of him told him to trust her and he went with his gut. He did not retract his hand, despite the sting that was happening, but now his heart was beating twice as fast. If she had her thumb on his wrist she could feel the pulse thumping away. He didn’t take his eyes off her this time, just in case if she wanted to cut him up a little more.

Irile rolled her eyes in disappointment. Some knight in shining armor he was. "Don't be such a baby. It's just a little cut. See?" She chided as she casually sliced her own hand grimacing only slightly and doing the best she could to conceal it. The sting was sharper than she expected. Rathion noticed her pain but kept his mouth shut. Something was happening that he didn’t want to interfere with. Although he did feel a little better that it hurt her too, in some twisted selfish way. He was not a big baby, he thought with a frown. It’s not like anyone would think, “Let me extend my hand and get cut up today”. He was… surprised. That’s all. Just surprised.

She held out her bleeding hand out to him. At first she had planned on just grabbing his, but she wanted to add some stipulations before sealing the deal and make sure that he accepted them on his own. "This is a binding pact, a blood oath. Accepting it means that we're closer than family, that you'll stand by my back so that the world will never overtake us. I want to emphasize the last part. If you do this you need to promise that you won't let anyone tear us apart, not even the gods themselves. Not like that last stupid boy. And of course I'll do the same for you. So what do you say? Shake on it?"

Rathion was both flattered and troubled by her offer. She seemed to trust him much more than he originally thought. He had a flare of curiosity when she mentioned the other boy, but pushed it to the side. That was something for another time. He looked down at his own bleeding hand and then at hers. This was a big deal to her. To some, it was just a childish promise that kids did when they were little, but she took it to heart. After everything she’d been through, Rathion was surprised to be accepted by her. Slowly, a smile formed on Rathion’s face. His heart swelled with pride. Despite all the chaos and the faith shattering revelations, today wasn’t such a bad day.

“I promise, Irile,” He said with conviction, using her first name for the first time. He tenderly grasped her hand in his own, careful not to hurt her. “I swear to protect you. To stand by you. To be your unwavering pillar of support. And I promise not to be a big baby if you ever cut me again,” He added the last part with a tease. Their blood mixed and the pact was sealed. The whole thing sounded almost like they just got married. Rathion snorted in amusement at that. Him and Irile, romantically?

Zouch began wandering down the halls looking for a gym when he noticed the clock and looked at the time which read 4:30. Zouch lowers his head and sighs "well no sparring for me, lets go to the meeting Grim" Grim happily bounces along the hall with Zouch as they wander towards their destination.

As Zouch walks along he pulls out his map. "lets see now in the books there is a meeting for the groups to get together at a certain place with time slots for each groups, so i am guessing i head there." He puts the map away and turns left down a hallway towards his destination

Myrillian stepped into the schools hall, a cavernous room about the size of a mansion. The floor and walls were made up of huge slabs of black marble while there were ornate pillars made with pink marble. The podium was made of the same pink marble but had images of trees, ents, behemoth and elves carved into the rock and further decorated with gold and silver melded onto the stone itself. The ceiling was made up of dark woods with some black celestial tree wood instead every so often. Thirty or so doors (leading to separate rooms) lined both floors on the left and right of the hall while ten lined the back upper floor. The hall itself was shaped in a similar fashion to a lecture hall and had various lighting devices and voice amplifiers situated around the space.

Despite having been in the hall on a number of occasions, the extravagance of the hall still took Myr by surprise each time he saw it. Only when his best friend prodded him did he snap out of his awe induced state and start to walk forward.

“Get a move on Myr.” Kersteilen chided his friend. “Just ‘cause the place be pretty doesn’t mean that you’ve gotta stare every time ya look.”

“You simply have no taste.” Snarked a girl behind Islegos, a crimson haired elemental in human form. The celestial in question gave a mocking look of severe insult.

“Would you do this another time love birds. I would rather not t it get out that my best friend is in a relationship with a girl of another race.” The valedictorian sighed before looking at Islegos again. “And try to be serious. Where’s the book I gave you this morning?”

“I’m saving it for the chat. Grolithansa said she would handle the group meeting.”

“You’re supposed to be the leader.” The prince said shaking his head “Shirking your duties off to your girl-friend who’s a year behind you doesn’t bode well.”

“I told her that, but she insisted on me letting her.” Islegos responded accusingly.

“So, I want to get in a little practice before next year.” The girl in question said defensively “What’s the problem with that.”

Myrillian sighed as he shook his head. Islegos, Shei, Gro and about three other were the only people he knew who accepted and understood his inability to trust outside his mother and sisters. “Let's just go sit and wait. By the way, do you know a human named Rathion, Isley?”

Scale groaned, after searching around the campus and making no headway in his search. The one time he wanted to find someone. He looked around, finding a clock. It was about fifteen minutes before he was supposed to show up at some sort of meeting. He had no idea what for, since he hadn't really paid that much attention in the first place.

Popping his neck, he began to walk towards the school hall, shoving past all grade levels. If they hadn't made room for him to walk past he would jump slightly over their heads, and land in-front of them, never turning to see their reactions. Though he could hear a few curse loudly at the surprise. Once he reached the schools hall, he looked around a bit.

The place was huge, obviously. He hadn't really been here other than when required, so he never really came to grasp the immensity if the place. He took in the extravagance of all the items, the carefully crafted doors, chairs, tables. Someone had hand made each piece, toiled to make it perfect. That was a rarity, the room was definitely fit for royalty. Scale yawned, quickly scanning the room and finding their group leader. He made a beeline for Myrillian, and stood beside him, shifting his weight from one foot to another. A sudden curiosity peaked inside of him, and he looked over. "How much do you know about the others, or even me for that matter?" He really didn't care about the people he was talking to at the moment, so he ignored them, waiting for an answer.

Nolarii sigh as her feet walked with their usual tempo, her short frame for her race making it harder than she expected to get to the school hall. She kept the the edges of the crowds uncaring of the talking in the throng. How tempted she was the shut them all up with a single Crescendo but alas, she didn't have the time for the aftermath... She needed to get to the hall and thus she just kept walking.

Inside the hall she paused to take in the surroundings then shook her head, Ostentatious... typial she thought to herself, stepping closer to Myrillian but made no attempt to speak. Deciding to wait until addressed before she projected any voices.