Lunari led the way out of the tavern, unarmed, but one hand wresting on her belt.  Since Nirael had seen the crossbow vanish upon touching the magical belt he doubted that a weapon was far from her hand.  She made no comment when he said his name, but instead moved to the open window, alternating her gaze from him to the outside, as if expecting something at any moment.  When he was finally ready she nodded, her white hair glimmering in the dim light  from her glowing orb.<strong>"The streets look clear,"</strong>she said looking out the window.<strong> "They might not have made it to this town yet.  Lets go out the front to avoid attracting attention."</strong>Lunari's gaze at Nirael however said that she doubted having him climb out a window would be the best idea.<br/><br/>So she led the way down the hall and out of the tavern, giving Nirael a chance to inspect her a little further.  Her leather armor seemed completely non functional, barely covering anything other than her shoulders, half her breasts, and a few ribs.  Likewise he could tell from the way that she moved that the black silk loin cloth was not simple silk.  While two flaps hung down to about her knees in both the front and the back, he could see the perfectly sculpted flesh of her ass while she walked, and a thrill of delight ran through him as he saw the silken material wound and corded disappearing between those purple globes.  But the silk seemed to catch the light and draw it in, unlike normal silk was.  There was magic there, he could tell, like her belt and matching bracers, the silvery studs on them had more too them then they appeared.<br/><br/>She led him into the street, trying to appear nonchalant but her head whipping back and forth constantly, seeking... something.  Any attempt at conversation was met with stony silence or a quick entreaty for him to stay quiet until it was 'safe'.  She led him to a stable near the edge of town and woke a sleeping boy who couldn't be more than thirteen summers old.  A quick negotiation and her hand brushed her belt again, producing a small sack of coins.  She dipped her fingers into it, removing some of the coins and pressing them into the boy's palm.  Platinum coins, and marked with elvish letters from what Nirael could tell.  The boy nodded then saddled up two horses.  The first Lunari took the reins of, and the boy handed the reins of the second to Nirael.  The pair began walking the horses as it was still dark, though false dawn was not far off, headed south.  Only once they had crossed the old stone bridge leading south did Lunari finally judge that it was light enough for them to start riding, but caution that they should keep their pace easy, as they might be riding all day long and wouldn't want to tire the horses.<br/><br/><strong>"All right,"</strong>she finally said in the pre dawn darkness looking at him,<strong>"I suppose I should explain."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"My father was a powerful wizard.  A great man in the elven clan I was born to.  I even inherited the least spark of his power, though mostly I learned the grace and speed of my mother's chosen profession." </strong>She paused and looked at him, wondering what he must think that was before adding,<strong>"She was one of our ranger scouts."</strong><br/><br/>She smiled a perfect smile, one that faded quickly before continuing.<strong>"Every day, every moment of my father's life he wore that disc about his neck.  Not once did he ever remove it.  I asked him about it when he was a little girl and he told me that as long as he wore it, he was safe.  When it was in his possession his presence masked it's magical aura.  But he always told me that when he left this world, which he knew would happen at some point, I had to find the next man who would hold and carry the disc."</strong><br/><br/>She rubbed a corner of her eye, and the movement was too quick for Nirael to tell if it was a tear she was wiping away or not, but she continued,<strong>"When my father passed, I did as I had been trained to do for the better part of a decade, find the next owner of the disc, find the man that would keep it safe, and make you understand what it was.  That man is you."</strong><br/><br/>Nirael felt the disc in his palm and rubbed it with his thumb, feeling quite at peace with it, but asked,<em>"But how could you know that I am the next owner, and keep it safe from what?  I don't understand at all."</em><br/><br/>Lunari quirked her lips, partially in frustration,<strong>"The disc is one part of a powerful artifact, so my father always told me.  One that could unlock great power.  But he sundered the artifact in twain to keep it from working and falling into the hands of evil.  One part the disc, you hold.  The other part is the shaft, and is in the hands of a demon who father always called Marda.  He told me how Marda had freed himself from the wizard who had summoned him from the lower abyss, and had gone on a killing spree before being stopped by my father.   But the demon had coveted the power my father had and knew that this artifact could grant him power greater tahn my father, than most any mortal.  It would make Marda a king of demons here on our world.  Marda was crafty and wise and above all else, patient.  He waited for the unstoppable ravages of age to begin to claim my father before he made his move.  It was only by breaking the artifact in two, and throwing one half into a chasm with a rushing river at the bottom, did my father escape.  Marda flew towards the half my father threw, thinking it the whole artifact, and my father was able to escape.  He wandered the world for years after that, always afraid to settle down in one place, even with my mother and me, afraid that Marda would some how find him.  But in the last few years of his life he returned home and began preparing me for this quest, this journey to find you."<br/></strong><br/>She stopped then and held up her hand, looking east she pointed as the first golden rays of sunlight were cresting the horizon,<strong> "It is day, let me see the disc again?  I shall give it right back."</strong><br/><br/>Nirael threw the half of the artifact to Lunari, who leaned in her saddle and caught it.  Holding the chain looped over one finger she grimaced as the disc rose up into the air and floated, pointing almost directly back down the road they'd been riding on.<em>"What does it mean?" </em>Nirael asked.<br/><br/>Lunari threw the disc back towards Nirael, and it shot through the air to find his hand automatically.<strong>  "The artifact wants to be reunited.  Oh, it's not alive or anything like that, but sundering it didn't break it's power, and it wants to be whole again.  It wants two things actually, to be reunited and to be in the hands of the proper owner, you.  So during the day the two halves always point towards each other, and during the night they point towards you.  I've spent the better part of the last year following that stupid disc across the lands in search of you."</strong><br/><em><br/>"A year you've been searching for me?"</em>he asked.<br/><br/><strong>"Yes, ever since it's previous owner,"</strong>she frowned and kicked her horse into a little faster motion now that there was enough light to watch the road,<strong>"ever since my father died.  I knew the moment his spirit had left this world because the chain about his neck began to move, to stretch tight as if trying to escape his body and find it's new owner.  If you hold out the chain now it will point to the other half of the artifact.  But now I'm hoping that since it is in your possession you can mask it, make it so that the other half of the artifact will not point towards you or towards the disc, the way my father did.  Because we can't let the demon Marda get his evil hands on it."</strong>