<span style="font-family:Raleway">Caian had been out on a mission for quite a while now and he was looking forward to getting home where he had a wife and a daughter who would both be happy to see that he made it back. Chances were that they weren’t overly worried about him because it wasn’t a particularly dangerous job he’d been sent on, but it was still important and being away from home was still hard and it still wasn’t something he’d necessarily wanted to do. His heart remained with the two that he loved. He wasn’t coming back empty handed either. There was more than enough evidence of that in the cart he rode in. <br/>
<br/>
Bristol and Laurel were the two horses that pulled the wagon and their reins were in his hands as he moved along the rocky road. It was hard to say that Caian was in control, though, because the horses knew where they were going better than he did; they’d traveled the same road more times than he could’ve ever imagined. It didn’t bother him, though, because it would help him get home that much faster. <br/>
<br/>
He wasn’t the only one excited for his journey to end, either. At the school’s peak - nearly the same height as the mountains which hid the ancient elves behind them - were the greatest of scholars humanity had ever witnessed and they all awaited Caian’s return with great anticipation. It was his cargo that answered questions they’d been asking for centuries. After ages, some of the world's most ancient tomes were going to be in their hands. The scholars guarded the sacred library of Harhal, the only place on the continent where anyone could find active magical books that still had lessons to teach and it was those same scholars that preserved the magic within the tomes so that generations could learn from them, over and over again. That was probably why humanity’s most advanced magical school was build around the tower. The books provided so much more than any teacher possibly could have and no one there would ever deny it. <br/>
<br/>
Although he wasn’t magical himself, Caian had directly benefited from their tutelage because they’d saved his wife’s life as she delivered Miri, their daughter. She wouldn’t have made it without the magic of their healers and the care of their halls. It was doubtful that Miri would’ve made it either, actually. This trip was just one of the ways Caian worked to give back to the place that saved his family. <br/>
<br/>
The journey had been rather uneventful and he fully imagined it would end that way as they wove their way out of the trees of the last forest before the ground became solid stone. <br/>
<br/>
However, he imagined wrong. <br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, Laurel’s head turned off to the side. Animal senses could find more than Caian could and even Caian wouldn’t argue that. He didn’t think anything of it at first, instead choosing to simply nudge the horse to get her moving again. Bristol wouldn’t budge, though, when push came to shove and the only thing he knew to do was try pushing harder. Of course, it did nothing. “Laurel, Bristol, let’s keep moving. We’re almost there.” The horses wouldn’t understand him, but he said it anyway. <br/>
<br/>
Then things only escalated further. Bristol was suddenly kicking her front legs into the air and whinnying quite loudly and Caian was stuck wondering why. <i>‘What on earth is going on with these silly animals?’</i> he had to wonder. The wondering stage didn’t last for long, though, because a whistle filled the air as arrows flew, and suddenly the horses were falling… and the wagon was rolling. <br/>
<br/>
When that happened, Emberline hadn’t actually been in sight. In fact, she was intentionally walking off of the road to avoid being seen because she didn’t like explaining to random strangers what she was or why she wasn’t up in the mountains where they always thought people like her should be. They usually didn’t say it in a bad way or anything like that, but it still bothered her too much to want to deal with when she could just as easily avoid it. There were very few things that could actually get her to walk on the road. <br/>
<br/>
The sound of a fight… well, that was one of them that usually perked her curiosity enough to at least draw her towards it and when she heard the horses let loose their lungs, Emberline knew to run. From the sound of things, this was an ambush and that meant it wouldn’t last long unless there was help. Running towards the sounds of chaos, Emberline’s arms were swinging. She knew it would be a waste to draw a weapon too soon because to do so would only slow her down. She needed to know what she was dealing with first and foremost. <br/>
<br/>
Figuring that out wasn’t exactly easy, either. With a rolling wagon and horse corpses being dragged along, Emberline couldn’t exactly make out who was who. There seemed to be… <i>‘Two?’</i> she guessed… people outside of the cart and it also looked like there might have been one inside of it still as it tumbled. <br/>
<br/>
Her hand fell to her sword, but she didn’t draw the weapon. Instead, Emberline drew upon the energy in the gem’s hilt, feeling it fill her as she prepared for a spell. A large field of energy suddenly appeared where the wagon was crashing and falling and the magic solidified fast. With a rather excessive crash, the wagon’s rolling ceased and everything seemed to settle for a moment. That wasn’t the end of things, though, because no one would shoot without reason. <br/>
<br/>
“Well, that works,” one of the four men - she’d missed two of them - who was chasing the cart moved towards it said. “C’mon guys! Let’s get what we need and get out of here. That was too strange to not be bothersome.” <br/>
<br/>
The four of them moved towards the wagon, digging for… something. Emberline couldn’t tell what, but as they tossed things aside, books were landing in the dirt and mud. The more of them that flew, the more she realized that they were magic tomes. Those were supposed to be going to the tower, not the other way. They definitely didn’t belong in the dirt, either. It was that, ultimately, that got her to step forward, drawing her scimitar from its scabbard. <br/>
<br/>
“Hey!” Emberline called out. “What do you think you’re doing? This is meant for the Tower at Harhal, not for you!” <br/>
<br/>
All four of them turned their heads, but only one of them swore. The others didn’t quite realize what she was and charged. Lifesiphon rose up in her hand and with a single swing of her blade, one of them was tossed to the side. What they didn’t see, and what saved the one who was sent flying onto his ass, was that she’d dulled the blade. There were still two charging that remained, though, and a clang of metal echoed through the clearing as blades crossed again and again.<br/>
<br/>
<a class="username" data-user-id="294" data-username="@Annukai" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/294/">@Annukai</a> </span>