<span style="font-weight: bold"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic">Ardur thinks</span></div></span><br/><br/>The eyes of Ardur followed closely those of his conversation partner, Avis, as her eyes darted to another part of the room.  Moving ever so slightly as to try and mimic the motion with his own eyes, Ardur noticed that they had rested on the form of his friend, Anora.  Darting back towards Avis, his eyes tried to form a connection between her and Anora and why Avis frowned every so with her eyes locked on his friends form.  His sapphire eyes were greeted by the cold expression on the face of Avis.  His eyes scanned ever so carefully the expression on her face, trying to find a word for the expression before him.  Thinking it was<span style="font-style: italic">hate</span>at first, Ardur knew the expression surely indicated that she felt a strong emotion such as this.  But why would she hate Anora Ardur asked himself, the time Anora had spent with the group would not have been enough for her to do something that would cause Avis to hate her.  It might have been<span style="font-style: italic">jealousy</span>, Anora possessed equipment that could have made the young Avis envious.  Ardur knew Anora's equipment had made people feel this way in the past, but as he allowed his eyes to quickly scan Avis he knew that this was not correct.  Her armor, and twin rapiers, seemed to be of high quality themselves so rightfully so he dismissed this option as well.  Finally he settled on one thought that rang out like a warning bell ahead of an invading army.  He knew that expression all to well for it not to be it, Avis's eyes gave away that she<span style="font-style: italic">mistrusted </span>his friend.<br/><br/>The reasons why Avis would mistrust Anora were painfully obvious to him, Ardur's and Anora's long history together was betraying the benefit of doubt he would normally bestow upon his traveling companions.  Ardur turned his head in a quick motion towards where Anora was, before seeing that she was moving towards the cellar to do some physical persuasion, Ardur passed her a simple nod before returning his gaze towards the face of the young looking Teryn girl.  Ardur could not help but allow a surprised look on his face as he noticed the face of his conversation partner.  A heavy scowl had fallen over her face as an angry phrase escaped her lips.<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">How can she suggest torture? Aren't we supposed to be better than those rogues</span>?"<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">In times like this the lines between right and wrong are often blurred</span>” Ardur quickly retorted “Often people are forced to do terrible things in the name of the greater good”  His body turned to give the young Avis his full attention.  “<span style="font-style: italic">Anora is no different.  Despite what you must think of her you could not be safer if you had three well trained archers at the ready.</span>”  Quickly turning his head to get one last glimpse of his friend, he simply caught the edge of her cloak quickly disappearing out of view.  “<span style="font-style: italic">In our travels we have seen the ugly side of man, witnessed the depravity that bad men spread.  Brutal as she may be, Anora only commits these bad acts to keep the group as a whole saf</span>e.”  His gaze returned once more to the desolate ground laying just outside the window.  “You seem very young, innocent even, but travel as much as we have and you might just understand.”<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Some time later</span></span></div><br/><br/>Anora formed a tight fist with her left hand and let loose with a soft punch into the old wooden wall on the far side of the warehouse.  The blood that had not already dripped off from her interrogation was converted to a crude form of paint with each knuckle transferring a portion of the crisp crimson color on top of the filthy brown hue of the wood.  The impact from her strike vibrated back up her arm, making her gauntlets sway ever so, as a soft<span style="font-style: italic">thud</span>escaped the wall and traveled around the room.  Sure, the others might notice the strike while the remaining folk might hear the sound it produced but the conflicted look that enveloped Anora's face gave no indication if she cared or not.  To her she was plagued by the act she had just committed moments ago,  already her mental foundations were being eroded by a simple question.  One thought dominated her mind as she pushed her weight through her arm, allowing a soft creaking noise to enter the air.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">What is weakness?</span>”  Escaped her lips in an almost hushed sound.  A question unlike Anora has ever asked before, likewise it was a question to which she had no answer to.  To her weakness was anything someone else could exploit to gain an advantage in any number of scenarios.  Overconfidence, fear, pain and many more thoughts came to mind as she kept thinking.  She wanted to know what had compelled the man to reveal so much yet she could not answer it.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">Anora, you mind dose go to dark places you know?  Maybe you actually need to be the one who needs to drinks too much!</span>”  Spoke a chuckling Ardur who had managed to sneak up on her for once.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">Oh?  Like you're one to talk.</span>”  Anora quipped with a scornful look.  Lowering her arm from the wall and returning her full weight back onto her feet, Anora turned her attention towards her friend.  “Anything going on outside?”  Her eyes noticed the tell-tale grin that Ardur boasted could make any woman swoon over.  Usually this was reserved for drinking with a woman underneath both his arms yet it seems he found a place for it in his joke<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">Nothing to report, nothing besides a distinct lack of alcohol and women around here.</span>” Frowning an all to obvious fake frown.  “<span style="font-style: italic">Conversation dried up over there, what about the interrogation?  Find any-</span>”<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">Everyone, we've got company. Four men and a demon.</span>" Suddenly came from Magnus, who was looking through the window that Ardur had just left.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic">What the</span>”  Pausing as he raised his right hand towards his back, and with a strong grip drawing his sword.  “<span style="font-style: italic">They weren't there when I left.</span>”  His tone had faded from joking to serious, his expression shifted from comical towards attentive.  Anora grabbed her bow from on top of the crate with her left hand and with a quick motion grabbed a broad head arrow from her quiver, which she rested on the awaiting bowstring.  Anora quickly moved to one corner of the window opposite Magnus while Ardur moved just behind her, the pair making sure they kept to the shadows.<br/><br/>“What in the-” Escaped Ardur's lips as his eyes got a full view of the massive beast. “Anyone know how to kill a demon?”  His head was now turned towards the rest of their group and a questioning look fell apon his face