She'd made a mistake.<br/><br/>They'd made sure that she remembered that.<br/><br/>Emery hadn't expected there to be more people that could use magic. She was naive to think that she was the only one in the vicinity that could. Sure, she knew that others did exist - after all, she had grown up in the modern world for the majority of her life - but had she ever actually met someone other than herself that could do it? No, not that she could remember anyway. Perhaps it was her parents' fault for not exposing her to more types of people when they had been alive, or perhaps it was her distance from others for the last many years that made her just a bit more oblivious to differences and similarities than she'd like to admit. As she briefly watched the mercenaries leave her, Emery thought about all of this. How stupid she had been. How careless, reckless, and absolutely ridiculous it was to throw fire at someone she didn't even assess first. Kodama would have been embarrassed.<br/><br/>Any strong person would have followed after them. Anyone worthy of saving as powerful of a creature as Kodama would have demanded more firmly that they surrender him into her hands. But Emery watched with wide, surprised eyes as the flames ebbed and the group walked away.<i>Tridia</i>. She'd find them there, if she had to. They might abilities that over powered her own, but Emery was a fighter and she was at least decently intelligent when her thoughts and feelings didn't get in the way of her actions. She'd find a way to make this up to Kodama. She'd find a way to get him back where he belonged.<br/><br/>The trail of sprites helped. It really did. She was as good of a tracker as any, but Emery ended up a day behind the group, or at least, that was what she predicted even though it had only ended up being a few hours in the end. The sprites confirmed that she was headed in the right direction, toward this<i>Tridia</i>or whatever city it was that she would find them next. And find them, she eventually did, but it was much later than anticipated, and as she stalked around the inn in which they slept, she caught sight of the woman that she'd tricked with the gold coin.<br/><br/>There was a part of Emery, the illogical and irrational part that wanted to rush in and overwhelm the woman. Perhaps she could have done it. Maybe if she used her magical abilities. But where were the other two? Eventually, the unknowns of the situation forced her to back down from her ambitious pursuit. She would follow along until the time was right to make her move once again.<br/><br/>Emery kept herself hidden in the days that followed, doing her damnedest to catch a glimpse of Kodama, but to no avail. If she could only convince the salamander to act in force with her, perhaps they stood a chance together of breaking him free. Alone, Emery was afraid she would not be able to do so, not even with those initial thoughts that she'd had about the mercenary woman. As she kept her distance, they passed through a few other towns and smaller cities, but the thrumming of the people increased the longer the traveled, and Emery couldn't help but wonder if the next city they would stop would be the last.<br/><br/>Lindam was nothing at all what she expected. The mere number of people impressed her, as did the various buildings that were constructed in manners that were foreign to her. The language was relatively similar - a few nuances that she noticed were different, but overall, she could get by with what she knew. Out of necessity for food and rest, she broke away from the mercenary group and made herself comfortable in a small tavern not too far away. A plate of warm food and a softer place to rest than the ground under her feet was welcome. From what she gathered, nothing would happen until the next day, when they would eventually reach the end of their journey and turn over the Salamander to another individual. Emery was not about to let that happen, but she could not be of much use if she did not take care of herself first.<br/><br/><b>"Aye, the whole exchange was quite odd."</b>A bald man behind the counter spoke to a young lady with concern on his face.<b>"The cloak held their features so well, but I've never had such a scary feeling about someone befor'. You just get the willies around some people you know? But then next day, that old farmer, Frederick - you know the graying old man with the horde of children? They found him dead a few streets over. Reckon' that person had a thing to do with it?"</b><br/><br/>The young woman covered her mouth with disbelief.<b>"Don't say such things, Gar. You know the walls have ears and you don't want to end up in the stocks for gossiping."</b><br/><br/>Emery arched an eyebrow. Perhaps Lindam was even more interesting than she'd originally thought.<br/><br/>Tag:<a class="username" data-user-id="294" data-username="@Annukai" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/294/">@Annukai</a>