<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">The approaching shadow</span></span></div><br/>Beyond the city, and still shrouded by the tree line of the nearby forest, a large band of soldiers had set up a small and temporary camp.  At it's centre, by a small fire, sat Lason.  His right hand grabbed the blood-soaked rag which stood over-top a small wound, courtesy of the swordsman who had protected his target the day before.  His eyes fixated on the fire before him, oblivious to all but the fact that he had almost had the people responsible for taking his families name in vain yet he was robbed.  Robbed by some man in a great robe and with a brass amulet shaped of a tree.  He preached he was there to save him from the Battlemage he had fought, yet all he brought was a bleeding side and him being no closer to bringing his vengeance against those who take his families name in vain.<br/><br/>The shouts from the guards broke him from his trance like state.  The scout had returned from his job of finding the group that the woman who claimed to be Anora travelled with.  "They are entering the city!"  He shouted as he brought his horse to a stop by the fire.  He looked at Lason and spoke again.  "They have entered the city, the guards will prevent us from assaulting them openly."<br/><br/>"Then we shall not assault them to begin with."  Quickly retorted Lason.  He paused as he took to his feet before continuing "I think i should offer those the woman who calls herself Anora travels with a chance."  He paused as he looked at the man who had prevented him from acheving his prize, giving him a fiery look "Give us Anora, and we will spare them."  Lason knew the man had his own plan, yet he would be damned if his soldiers were used for his foul purpose.<br/><br/>One of the men accompanying Lason, bearing the telltale brass mark of the tree around his neck, stood up to interject. "That goes against our entire plan. Sparing anyone in that caravan isn't an option, and you know it. Father Elias will not be pleased," He began, some amount of rising anger growing in his voice. "That blacksmith and his kin need to die. The sooner, the better. Negotiations aren't happening." He waved his hand horizontally to emphasize his words. After so much planning, and so many things that had already gone wrong, he was unwilling to let some pawn overthrow the entire operation to satisfy a personal grudge.<br/><br/>"You mean your plan, do you not?" Shout back Lason as he closed the distance with the man who had questioned him.  "I set out on this mission to see those who take my family name for granted punished for their transgressions."  He paused as he pointed towards one of the man's followers "If it were not for his stupidity is pulling me away from that harlets guard i would have had both of them, and avoided this meaningless wound!"  He shouted as he moved his finger over to the chest of the man who had questioned him and pushed it into his chest.  "Tell your 'father' if he has issues with my means, then by all means have him tell me."<br/><br/>Through grit teeth, the amulet-wearing man spoke in a tone comparable to a growl. "Do not insult the Father's will," He began, pausing to ball his fists as he was accosted by Lason's finger. He was half tempted to swing at the man, but his orders were clear and adding more conflict was only going to do more harm than good. Still, an insult to their leader's intelligence for saving his life was unacceptable. "If not for him, you would have burned. Perhaps he should have let you," The assassin spat out. He could hardly believe that they were willingly working with a nonbeliever so stubborn.<br/><br/>"We will never know if that battlemage would have burned me or not!"  Lason shouted back as he spit on the ground at the man's feet.  "Me and my men had them, now my friends died out there for nothing!"  Lason backed away for a second before continuing  "I do not care for your 'father' nor his will."  He paused as he closed the distance once more and planted his finger once more on the man's chest.  "Fuck your father."  He spoke as he backed away once more.<br/><br/>Seething, the man kept his ground, fists balled very tightly. "As if you know what a father is like," He hissed. A few of the other men around the camp, who had either been busy or ignoring the meaningless arguments, suddenly turned their attention towards the two standing. One of the figures remained still, seated beside a campfire, a hood pulled over the top of his head. A silence washed over the camp, uneased tenseness filling the air.<br/><br/>Lason stopped in his tracks as the man spoke his poison.  His nostrils flared as he exhaed a deep breath, his lips curled downward and fire beamed from his eyes.  His men stood still, hushed as they were, but all were in a silent unision on what would happen next.  In a quick motion, Lason had closed the distance with a weapon drawn in his left hand.  The tip of his sword hovering just on the soft flesh of the man's neck.  His soldiers began to draw their weapons as well, attempting to get their weapons plated or aimed at the assassin's comrades.<br/><br/>"What the fuck did you say?"  Lason said as he spit in the face of the man "If i am willing to hunt a person who claims to be my dead sister, what do you think i'll do to you?"<br/><br/>Immediately, the other assassins within the camp came to their feet, weapons drawing at the same time as Lason's soldiers. Swords left their scabbards and spears were aimed at vulnerable places, but nobody dared attack first. The man with the blade at his neck remained silent, slightly tilting his head back to try and avoid the tip of the weapon, but the sharp steel pressed against his flesh caused a psychological reaction of utter stillness.<br/><br/>"That's enough," The seated man said, gingerly lifting a white wood staff from the ground beside him. Using it as an aid to stand, he kicked away a small rock that rolled onto his boot when he lifted the staff. "If compromises are to be made, then so be it. We've lost enough good men already. The last thing I want is to lose any more of you to infighting." Turning his head towards Lason and the assassin he was holding up, he directed his speech towards them. "There are times for action, and times for adjustment. This is the latter. Both of you, if you'd be so kind, back away from each other." He turned to face them fully, raising his empty hand palm-up towards the two. "Or I will separate you."<br/><br/>Lason's head tilted to the side and listened to the man's talk.  What the man asked was a lot more fair than the treatment that the man who had insulted his family had given him.  He looked over his shoulder at the man with a quick glance, before looking back towards the man ahead of him.  Lason gave him one last solid look, eye to eye, before he slowly removed his sword from the man's neck and kept it at his side.  The soldiers quickly pulled their swords back, also keeping them at the ready.  His fist clenched tightly around the hilt of the sword as he stared down the man ahead of him and mouthed 'later'.  Directing his voice over his shoulder, he spoke in an angry tone.<br/><br/>"What say you, then."  Pausing as he turned his body to face the man who had calmed him down.  "Who are you to offer these compromises?"<br/>As Lason's sword left the assassin's neck, weapons began to slowly lower. Guards were kept up, but none dropped, as the man turned away and walked past a group of spear-wielding men that had positioned themselves behind him. His head hung, heart full of shame for stepping so far out of line.<br/><br/>The hooded man lowered his hand, raising his head to more fully reveal his face. "I am Elias," He responded in a very simple, matter-of-fact tone. "The one these people call their father, alongside many more. If I say that we have a change of plans, then they will understand." Reaching back up to slide his hood back, Elias now showed his face plain as day. If Lason had been given any descriptions by the ones who sent him here, he would be easily recognizable.<br/><br/>Lason approached the man who identified himself as Elias, sheating his sword in the process.  He closed to within a short distance of the man before continuing.  "If you are really Elias, then you should have a tatoo on your right hand, on the palm."  He paused as he stood, squared up shoulder to shoulder with the man.  His eyes locked onto the mans, awaiting a response.<br/><br/>A small smile crossed Elias' face. With a deft movement, he switched his staff's position into his other arm's elbow, and removed his left glove, showing him the circular design that marked it. "I think you may have been slightly mistaken," He responded. The ink was of a very dark shade of green, and the detail was incredible. Not an easily replicated design, let alone faked.<br/><br/>Lason crocked a fake smile back at the man, he knew this was in fact Elias.  "Elias, if i may call you that." He paused  "Elias, i have been on the hunt for that woman claiming to be my dead sister for a few months."  He paused as he moved towards one of his men.  He placed a firm grip on his shoulder before looking back towards Elias and continued "These men have followed me on my quest because i asked them to, asked them to leave their families behind for my personal vendetta."  He paused as he returned to the face Elias.  "Why should i give a damn about some blacksmith nor his family?"<br/><br/>With a slight nod at Lason's first question, Elias returned his glove to his hand. "A question many have asked. This blacksmith may not seem like much, but I assure you, there is more to it than what you might see at the surface. The same goes for all the lives that we've taken. It's regrettable, but must be done. He, as with the others, is a hindrance to our goals. But we're getting very close to a very major achievement. I understand your personal desires, but this is larger than any of us." A long list had been nearly cleared, hundreds of lives claimed from all walks of life over the past few years. An arduous and exhausing quest, now nearing its end. "We have time to make a change of plans, but in the end, we cannot let him live. It might not be today he dies, but know that he must."<br/><br/>"Then, as you said earlier, let us come to compromise."  He said as he walked closer to the man.  "You help me get Anora on our terms."  Pausing as he raised his finger into the air "And I'll help you.  My men miss their families, too many children will be without fathers this coming winters and i would like them to return home."  He paused for a second before he returned with an intense look in his eyes "But when we go for Magnus, and we fight his friends, you leave the battlemage to me."  He finished as he shot out his hand.<br/><br/>"Agreed." Elias offered Lason his hand, intent on sealing the deal. "I'm confident that this will end soon. Your men can return home, and the world will enter its new age. My men will follow you, at my will."<br/><br/>- - - - - - - - - - -  - - -<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Outside the gate</span></span></div></span><br/><br/>"Yes.  Yes alert the guards!"  Ardur shouted back to the girl.  Any time saved getting inside.  He listened further.  "A stretcher would take time"  Ardur retorted to the boy with an angry tone.  "We need to get her inside and fast, Magnus give me a hand."<br/><br/>Ardur was panicking,  yet he kept his face clear of it.  He looked over to Magnus and spoke "I know a place that always has a healer, help me take Anora there."  He paused as he looked the man in his eyes "Please, Magnus."<br/><br/>Magnus took the suggestion of others not to use his healing light on Anora. He couldn't offer knowledge on spells that prevented healing, but knew that in this situation, his actions could have been a very bad idea. Instead, he had turned the light onto himself, and while he had no wounds to close the resulting burst of energy would be put to good use. He was less physically impressive than Ardur, though the strength provided by his miraculous light had allowed him to help without being a burden on the trio's movement.<br/><br/>Standing, newfound energy flowing through him, he wasted no time in helping hoist Anora to her feet. "I've got your back. Let's go," He responded, taking her arm and carefully moving it around his shoulders, his other arm positioning itself under Anora's opposite shoulder and under her chest.<br/><br/>"I'd rather try my luck in the city than out here."  Ardur spoke towards the man calling himself Blake.  Ardur for some reason did not like the man.  Be it his appearance or his overly calm demeanour, Ardur did not trust him.<br/><br/>Ardur looked over to Magnus as he placed himself on the opposite shoulder, and gave him a quick nod.  He looked over to Sheo and spoke "Take care of everyone, and keep an eye out for anything not the norm."<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Inside the city.</span></span></div><br/><br/>"Up ahead!"  Ardur shouted over the overbearing noise of the crowded streets "I think i see the place!"  He looked down at Anora, her arms draped over the shoulders of both Magnus and Ardur.  Her situation had rapidly gotten worse as they entered the city; this is why Ardur had asked Magnus to help him.  He did not know where the rest of the group had gone, he only hoped his friend could be healed.<br/><br/>"You sure this is it?" He asked, keeping Anora steadied on his side with his shoulder and arm. "I don't know how much time we have if we hit the wrong place."<br/><br/>"The Wounded Bull."  Ardur spoke.  He could not read the sign, yet he thought he could make out the image of a bull bleeding from the head.  "Out of all the taverns i have been i-"  Pausing as a lady brushed along his side.  A look of annoyance fell upon his face but he continued "I have never so many people break their bones in one place.  A skilled healer is always nearby"  He paused as he looked more in depth at the sign, realzing that it was a Milking Cow he spoke "That's not the place, but i know it's two blocks down from here."<br/><br/>At the mention of breaking bones, Magnus frowned. "Pleasant," He dryly remarked, adjusting his position under Anora's arm to keep her more steadied. "Though now I'm thankful I've never been to that place." He figured any healers within a bar where fights commonly broke out would make a killing, though it was the furthest thing from his nature to find out firsthand. "We can make two blocks, keep moving." He moved deftly alongside Ardur, turning corners and keeping pace, though he swiftly blurted out apologies to people they passed too closely.<br/><br/>"Don't judge so quickly on that bar."  Ardur shot back.  "It's where the many peaseants, rich enough to drink every night yet poor enough to afford the more expensive taverns go to drink."  He paused as he looked down at Anora "She really loved that bar!"  He joked with an obvious fake smile.<br/><br/>"Fuck off."  Anora shot back.  "I may be hurt but i still have a sword i can hurt you with, Ardur."  She spoke under her breath as she let out a cough.<br/><br/>"Well, she hasn't lost her personality yet!"  He said with a more genuine smile "Don't worry my friend, we'll get you fixed up.  Don't worry."  He said as he brushed aside another person.  Worry was an emotion that was not known to him, and it was plastered all over his face.<br/><br/>"It's good to see that you're still going, but I'd<span style="font-style: italic">really</span>rather not have to carry you both around," Magnus said in regards to Anora's quiet threat. "The less people that are bleeding all over the street, the better!" He was quite clearly worried himself, though the banter was doing wonders for morale. Talking probably wasn't helping the wound itself, but it let them know that Anora was still kicking. "Do you see the sign yet?"<br/><br/>Ardur was about to answer when he saw a drunk man stumbling towards them.  "Hey you!"  Ardur shouted to him, startling the person he was looking at.  He pointed to himself with a look of disbelief.  "Yes, you."  He paused as he slowed their pace, and continued "Where is The Wounded Bull?"  The man quickly regained his drunken posure and spoke.<br/><br/>"The Would *hick* The Wounded Bull?  It's uh, it's right over yonder."  He said as he pointed out a building half a block down the road they were on.  "I just came from there me self."  He continued.<br/><br/>"Any healers healing tonight?"  Ardur quickly asked<br/><br/>"Ye- yes, sir."  He paused "There were two when i left."<br/><br/>"Thank you sir!" Ardur cheerfully chimmed in before picking up their pace.  "Magnus, let's hurry!"<br/><br/>Before leaving the inebriated man, Magnus also shot a quick "Thank you!" in his direction before the trio scampered away. Turning back to Ardur, he nodded. "Right!" He wasted no time in moving at their previous quick pace once more, looking for the building's sign. "Wounded Bull, Wounded Bull..." He whispered repeatedly to himself, looking for either words or the vulgar decor that some pubs used for their signs.<br/>Eyes scanning the buildings both level with and above them, he locked them on a sign lying ahead, a humorously carved sign shaped like an upside-down bovine, hanging from the post by its hooves and with a real, if very small arrow piercing its side. He had to give them credit for creativity. "I think that's it!" He called out, pointing towards the sign with the arm he was using to hold Anora's forearm over his shoulder. To compensate for that, he raised his opposite shoulder a bit to make sure she remained steady, other arm still holding her up.<br/><br/>"Aye Magnus, aye that's the place."  Ardur responded with a smile and a hand on his shoulder "Let's hurry and get in!"<br/><br/>The trio quickly made their way into the bar.  The bartender looked over as the door slammed shut with a thundering thud and had a look of confusion on his face.  "Ardur?"  He paused as he looked over to Anora "Is that-?"<br/><br/>"Yes, dear friend, yes this in Anora."  He paused as he looked around the bar for any signs of a healer and saw none "She was wounded when we were set upon by bandits, pray tell the healer is still around?"<br/><br/>"Yes"  He responded quickly as he rushed close to the trio.  "They're upstairs, third door on the left."  He paused as he quickly moved to Ardur's side "First night is on me, second door from the right you can find a room."  He paused as he placed his hand on his shoulder "Ardur, get her well."<br/><br/>Magnus gave a nod of thanks towards the bartender, turning towards the stairs with the others. "Nice fellow," He idly remarked, giving the stairs a look of disdain. Of course, the healers had to be up a staircase. "Anora, can you manage this?" He asked, voice taking on a more concerned tone.<br/>Still unsure of the exact extent of her injuries, he didn't want to risk making them worse by having her walk up, but he wasn't sure if carrying her would be any less risky. Certainly a bit more awkward, though the alternatives of either stuffing themselves shoulder to shoulder or shuffling sideways up to the next floor weren't exactly easy either.<br/><br/>"I'll be fine."  Anora quickly spoke in a soft tone "If need be.."  She paused as she coughed "If need be one of you can carry me up."  She finished.<br/><br/>"Magnus I’ll carry her, but you follow close behind."  He said as he braced himself for the weight of Anora and her armour.  "Sometimes these healers are of a certain breed, a dangerous breed."  Ardur picked Anora up and began to carry her slowly up the stairs, before making it to the landing and quickly towards the door.  "This is the door"  He whispered "Knock if you could."<br/><br/>Taking a position behind the others, he was ready to aid if necessary. He questioned why a healer would be dangerous. It didn't seem like the type of occupation someone interested in helping others would take, but in these parts, maybe things were a bit different from what he was used to. He moved swiftly, and at Ardur's request, nodded and knocked on the door. He was regretting not wearing his armour for the trip, on the off chance that something went wrong, but the battle had left it in an irrepairable state anyway. If something did go wrong, his best hope was quite literally to pray.<br/><br/>The door was quickly opened ever so slightly, revealing the the young looking face of a girl with gold lines down each side of the face.  Her eyes first set on Magnus, before moving towards Ardur and Anora.  Her eyes grew fast, fixated on the wounded form of Anora and the blood soaked cloth used as a temporary bandage.  Her face quickly darted back and a call for 'grandpa' could be heard through the small crack in the door.  Quickly the form of the short girl disappeared and was replaced by that of an elderly man, his great white beard flooded their vision as the door swung all the way open.<br/><br/>"What happened?"  His voice was low, and showed signs of his age.<br/><br/>"We were ambushed in the forest."  Ardur was quick to respond "We don't know what happened, Anora was fine after Magnus tried his magic but-"<br/><br/>"Anora?"  Cyrus quickly shot out.  His eyes grew wide with surprise.  "Anora Divinio?"  He spat out.  His eyes quickly fell upon the face of the woman that was brought before him.  "Bring her in."  He spat out "Quickly you fools!"<br/><br/>Wasting no time, Magnus helped bring Anora into the room, pushing open the door with his free arm before returning it to supporting her. He looked around the room as they entered, carefully scanning for anything that might prove dangerous or act as some form of threat. Ardur's warning kept him on his guard, and while the outward appearance of a young girl and an old man were hardly the most threatening things in the world, he knew better than to judge by covers.<br/><br/>"Thank you," He said to both the healers, deciding to try and explain what had happened. "I don't know exactly what went wrong, but I tried to use a miracle on her to help. I thought it had worked, for a while she was up and moving, but now..." He motioned towards her bloodied side. The boost of strength and closing of wounds his miracles offered couldn't possibly have had a side effect like this on their own, so it was clear that something else had caused the wounds to worsen.<br/><br/>Cyrus listened to the man and was quickly drawn to the side in suspect.  His hands  quickly ripped away the clothes and the bandages surrounding the wound and his eyes grew wide with surprise.  "If you don't have the stomach for what is to come, then i suggest you spend your time down in the tavern."  His voice was grave as the corners of his lips dropped in suprise.<br/><br/>"Wait, what?"  Ardur was quick to respond.<br/><br/>"If you can not stand the sight of her side cut open and whatever is blocking your miracles from working removed , then get out of this room!"  Cyrus shouted back "There is massive internal bleeding, evident by the bruising around the wound!"  He quickly stood up and got near both Magnus and Ardur before continuing "The object that prevented your miracles from healing the wound made the situation worse when you tried your hand!"  Speaking directly at Magnus with a hint of a judgemental tone in his voice.  His face now bellowed the look of both a worried healer and a teacher who was upset by his students failures.<br/><br/>"I can heal her."  He paused "My granddaughter will assist me, yet i need no distractions in this."<br/><br/>Flinching slightly at the shout, Magnus took a slow, deep breath when he learned why his attempts had failed. Pangs of guilt ran through him, and he lowered his head apologetically. A healer he was not, so he hadn't even thought to examine the wound before applying his light to it. In hindsight, it was an obvious mistake.<br/><br/>"Alright," He responded quietly, turning to look at Ardur. "Are you going to stay?" Magnus personally was not sure that he'd be able to stand the sight of someone cut apart, and thus did not plan to stick around and act as a distraction. In addition, they needed to find the others again. They couldn't have been terribly far off, given that they'd reached the building in a relatively short time, but separating was bad regardless.<br/><br/>Cyrus was moving at a quick pace already.  "Selen, have Anora drink from that bottle.  Make sure she drinks plenty."  Looking back at Ardur he quickly spoke "To dull the pain."  He quickly grabbed a pair of knives from his chest and placed them on the table.  "Selen, get her armour off her chest as well."<br/><br/>Ardur leaned over to Magnus and spoke "One of us should stay nearby."  He spoke as he watched Anora drink from the bottle, nearly spitting up the strong liquid in the process.  "You know the group better, you find them and bring him here."  He moved close to Magnus as he continued "Keep them out of trouble.  Some might take offence at what will transpire down below in the tavern."  Ardur placed his hand on Magnus's shoulder, before speaking with a fake smile on his face "Keep an eye out.  Stay safe!"<br/><br/>"I'll try," Magnus responded, returning Ardur's smile with one of his own. His was much more genuine, and before he left, he gave one more glance back into the room and slightly pursed his lips. He hoped that these healers could help. Finally, he left the room and headed downstairs, and as he reached the door, he suddenly felt a wave of fatigue as his body caught up with the events that had transpired. Between the running and the carrying, he had gotten quite the workout that morning.<br/><br/>As he headed for the door, he offered a wave towards the bartender. He suspected that the group would likely be returning, but now he had to actually find them again. Leaving the building, he began his walk back towards the wall, gently tugging his cloak back over his shoulders. While the situation was quite dire, he felt like Anora was in better hands than she had been before, and now a different worry struck his mind.<br/>Goddess, he hoped his parents wouldn't be mad at him for taking off so suddenly.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Back in the tavern</span></span></div><br/><br/>"You're sure you're ready for this?" Cyrus spoke towards Ardur as he sat next to the unmoving figure of Anora.  Selen stood near the side, bowl and wraps on the ready.<br/><br/>"Yeah."  He paused "Yeah i guess."  Ardur responded<br/><br/>"Ok."  Cyrus responded as his knife cut into the side of Anora, her mouth sudden filled with a silent scream of pain.