"Don't worry. I plan to listen to what you have to tell us." After saying that Vincent started on his way back. After about an hour of walking they returned to the house. "Wait here Kao." Vincent said entering the house. Grabbing two empty buckets and one that was half full with dirty water, Vincent went to leave. Before closing the door he turned and looked at The Alchemage. "Make yourself at home. It's the least I can offer you." Vincent looked at Kao. "Come on. Let's get cleaned up."

Memoire shrugged. "I can fly us back in an instant. And I didn't tell you because I didn't know how you would have reacted. Better safe than sorry."
He looked up at the sky.
"And as for why I kidnapped you, I was ordered to by the king. If I hadn't, there's no guarantee he wouldn't just boot me out of the royal family, and then who would protect the people from the innate corruption and scandal of the courts? And, more relevantly to you, we wouldn't have a treaty with the elves. It would be your surrender or complete annihilation."

Lavina was quiet as he talked
"I see"
she sighed
"I guess I owe you a thanks for doing that"
she thought a moment about going back home to her people
"I dont want to burden you to fly me back tonight, you have already flown me once, aren't you a bit tired?"

Memoire turned to look at her directly.
"It sounds like you don't want to go home." He said it bluntly. "I thought you would have jumped at the opportunity."

Lavina shook her head
"Its not that at all, I just don't want you to have to fly me all the way back there this evening if you are tired. I don't want to burden you in any way"
she looked down at her hands fiddling with the fabric of her clothed
"If you want to take me back then by all means I will go. I'm not a selfish person, I was raised to put others need before my own. If I can't do that then how am I to rule my people?"

"You're a good person. Serve to your own needs, and you'd be surprised how often doing the right thing coincides."
He looked into her eyes.
"I'm not a selfish person either. Everything I do I do for the safety of this kingdom and the liberty of other people. I'm one of the last good men in the world, it seems, which means I don't have the luxury of being honest, or nice for that matter. So I'll ask again. Do you want to go home tonight?"

Before she left with Vincent Kao bowed to Alchemage.
"Thank you for healing me." She said meekly.
Stepping outside she went to stand by Vincent and regarded the dirty water. It would probably only be enough to wash the blood off. Letting the sheet fall to the ground she regarded her nude figure and the angry red scars that adorned her skin. She ran a hand through her blood matted hair and felt the stub of ear that was left on her right side. If she went back to her father now, would that Tamarak boy still be interested in her as she was now?
With a sigh she knelt by the bucket and dipped a hand in the cold water. A look of disgust passed over her face. She could feel how dirty it was. It didn't really matter though. With her magic it would be easy to get herself a good bath. She took the rag that Vincent offered her and she dunked it in the bucket. Once it was soaked she ran it over her body to remove the grime and blood that had accumulated. She hesitated for a moment or two but ultimately she ran the rag tenderly between her legs. The cold water caused goosebumps to stand out on her skin and the pain still throbbed beneath each wound. They were all closed and healed, but the worst ones still pained her. It seemed that the apothecary's potion could only accomplish so much. She toyed with the bit of ear she had left and sighed.
Cupping water in her hands she dampened her hair and cleaned out as much blood as she could. Finished with her task she wrung out her rag and wrapped herself with the sheet again and stepped around the corner of the building to give her master some privacy.
The hard surface of the cabin felt reassuring against her back. A feeling that her mind couldn't duplicate as it struggled to piece the day's events together so she could understand them. Pain and fear rushed through her body as ghost emotions every time she tried to contemplate one of the acts that Brandt had done to her out of his "Love." She shuddered at the memories.
Suddenly a weight dropped onto her shoulder and she felt sharp points digging into her flesh. Letting out a startled shriek she reeled away and ended up on the ground staring up at the confused owl hovering there.
"Why are you...Did you follow me?" She asked the bird as it landed on the ground by her feet. It regarded her with its large eyes and tilted its head a fraction. The owl had shown up at the cabin when Brandt was about to pull her eye out. It had brought Vincent to save her. Now it had followed her back to her master's house.
A tube was strapped to its leg and she peered at it but couldn't make anything out in the dim light at this distance. Holding her arm out nervously the owl took to the air for the few seconds it took to perch on her forearm. Bringing the owl's leg up so she could read the writing on the tube a gasp of surprise came from her. The tube had the name Brandt emblazoned on it. This is Brandt's owl?
A second owl landed near her. This one was also from before. If she remembered right Brandt had called it Revulse.
A piece of paper could be seen inside. The tube had a clear section near the bottom to let the recipient of the message tell if their owl was carrying anything for them or not. Opening the lid of the container she removed the rolled up piece of paper and read it.

Kao Tulant-
Kao, where are you? The entire Faunt Guard is searching for you and your father and mother are worried sick. We found Brandt where you told us he'd be. All of this blood, what happened here? You are the only one who can tell us. Please contact me. You can just put a note in the tube like you did before and Revulse will come back to us. Tell us where you are!
P.S. Brandt died before we arrived at the cottage. Judging from his condition I doubt he could have told us anything even if he had survived.
-Darmi Vorun

"Master," Kao said looking up at Vincent. She handed him the piece of paper. "It's from the Faunt Guard, what should we do?"

Darmi let out a sigh as Revulse flew off over the forest. She had no idea how long it would take the owl to find Kao, but she'd get the message eventually. Turning around she went back inside the small cottage and the terrible scene within. Blood had soaked through everything on the bed, a fireplace still had small flames and a metal bar still sat in the coals, its tip glowing. They'd covered Brandt's corpse and the three of them were waiting on Captain Nodry's reply.
"There aren't any burns on his body." Koran was saying as she entered.
"Maybe whoever it was decided not to use it on him." Mato suggested.
"I don't think so. I can smell burned flesh."
"You can pick that out from this horrid stench?" Darmi asked him, shocked. Koran shrugged.
"You get used to it after a while." He said. "Back on the farm we'd brand our cattle. The smell sticks with you."
"So then who was it used on?"
"Darmi, you read Kao's note. Didn't you say that she wrote something about being injured?" Mato asked her. She wracked her memory until the words came to her.
"An act of revenge for cruelties inflicted on my person." She recited. "That's what she said."
For a while the three of them sat in silence, their sense of smell dulling as they acclimated to the air left in the cottage.
"So... Was Brandt the torturer? Or was it whoever has Kao Tulant?" Koran asked.
"Hopefully we get a response through Revulse."
"I guess that's all we can do for now." Darmi said dejectedly. It wasn't the rescue they had all been dreaming of, but it was a clue.

Vincent took his blood soaked clothes off and tossed them on the ground. Looks like I won't be wearing those anymore. He said. Dipping his hands in the bucket of luke warm water, he began to wash the blood off his body reminding himself of the horrible act he did. It wasn't so much that he did it, it was mostly why. If Kao was truly just a possession to him then why did he care so much for her well being? Why did he act that way when he heard that she had been kidnapped? While he was cleaning himself, Vincent heard Kao call out his name. Turning around, not caring that he was naked in front of her he took the letter and read it. "I see." He said, crumpling the piece of paper. "Send them on a wild goose chase, and if they even do find us here we'll be long gone." Vincent put a smile on his face (well at least what he would call a smile anyway) and rubbed Kao's head. "It'll be fine. Besides this will be the last time we'll be returning here."

Miss Elegent Serenity wrote:

H shrugged
"Suit yourself, I'll just stick to water"
as the walked to the pub she looked all around studying the place
"I like to keep a clear head just in case anything happens, like my master always said its good to be prepared for anything "

Yugi chuckled as he said "What, expect something a crazy axe wielding man to be running around?" as they walked down the streets. They stopped outside the pub as the ice user looked inside before opening the door for H and said "Looks like no axe wielding psycho in here."

MateusseDarkslight wrote:

"You're a good person. Serve to your own needs, and you'd be surprised how often doing the right thing coincides."
He looked into her eyes.
"I'm not a selfish person either. Everything I do I do for the safety of this kingdom and the liberty of other people. I'm one of the last good men in the world, it seems, which means I don't have the luxury of being honest, or nice for that matter. So I'll ask again. Do you want to go home tonight?"

Lavina thought for a moment then looked up at Memoire
"Yes I would like to go home tonight, that is if you are willing to take me."
she paused for a moment
"If you take me tonight I'm sure my father wouldn't mind if you stayed for a night, I would hate for you to have to fly back here when its dark. Its the least I can do for your kindness"
she smiled


H raise a brow
"Being unprepared can get you killed. Its what happened to my master, he let his guard down and now he is dead"
she walked inside the door quickly slightly annoyed at his sarcasm

Memoire cracked one of his rare, genuine smiles, and in less time than it takes to whistle she was in his arms and they were airborne.
It took maybe five minutes to land back at the now populated elven city - and the moment they touched ground Memoire was picked up by a giant whip of thorns and pinned to the ground, surrounded by pissed off elves as her father pulled Lavina away from him.
"If... you... don't..." Memoire managed as the thorns squeezed all the air out of him, "...mind...getting... them... off?"

MateusseDarkslight wrote:

Riastrad staggered towards the horse, before cursing and falling to his knees again. "Get... me... some water... don't care...where from... now... NOW..."

Xia ran over to a trough filled with water and filled a bucket with water, then dumped it over Riastrad's head. She dug around the bag she had filled, and pulled out several flasks. She returned to the trough and filled them with water. Xia handed one to Riastrad, and put the others back in her bag. "Let's go, before we have drunk followers."

"FATHER STOP"
Lavina tried to get past her father to help Memoire
"Your hurting him please stop father"
Lavina held out her hand towards the thorns fighting back the vines from crushing him
"Call it off father"

The thorns slowly retracted, and Memoire got up, gasping for breath - only for about twelve elven blades to be held to various sensitive parts of his anatomy.
"Why is he here?" her father said, sternly. "Is he here to deliver a message? An ultimatum? A ransom? I knew humans could never be trusted, and his family is the proof."
Memoire opened his mouth, and a sword was shoved inside it before he could utter a sound.
"My daughter's pleadings and the fact I know you did me a favor in that throne-room are the only reasons we have not yet fed you to the earth. Lavina, why is he here?"

The water evaporated instantly, but it did the trick. Riastrad shook his head like a dog and urged the horse to gallop - which it did. He swung Xia up behind him. "Hold tight, little lady!"
The men from the bar and the bartender staggered out, yelling obscenities. The bartender had a crossbow, and fired a few bolts after the fleeing horse.
"Xia? They firing at us?"

Lavina looked up at her father
"He brought me here so that I could be with you and our people"
she walked over pushing the elf that held the sword to Memoire mouth away and pulled the sword out
"He convinced his brother to allow me to live here and not there, at least until the wedding. He offered to bring be back this evening so I think for his kindness we should allow him to stay a night in the guest room for helping me...I mean us out as much as he did"

"The fact there's a wedding at all fills me with unbridled rage."
"If I have my way there won't be a wedding," Memoire countered. "I am doing everything in my power to ensure your daughter is unrestricted and unimpeded."
Lavina's father looked at her doubtfully. "Lavina. Speak your mind. Are you absolutely sure we can trust this human?"

Kao nodded and went inside to write a reply. Her face was slightly red from Vincent's affection.

Darmi-
I'm afraid I can't tell you where I am. If I told you then you'd have to tell my father and I don't want that. I'm sorry about Brandt, but he had goen insane. I think it's my fault actually. He kept saying he was in love with me. He tortured me. I'm shaking now as I'm writing this. He would have killed me if I hadn't sent his owl to get help. I'm sorry I cannot be of more help.
P.S. Tell my father that i will not be part of his business arrangements. I am more than an asset that he can sell to the highest bidder.
-Kao Tulant

Finishing the note Kao went back outside and slipped it into the owl's message tube and sent the bird away.
"Master, you said we wouldn't be coming back here again? Isn't this your home?"

Finished cleaning his body, Vincent dumped out the dirty water. "Yes it is." He replied. Vincent looked her in the eyes when he spoke. "Kao. Your powers are gonna be put to the test this time. We're going to the nearby capital city. There's a man there who I have sworn to kill and I need you and this... Alchemage guy to help me, alright?" Vincent looked a bit remorseful as he told her this. "This man. He's responsible for what I have become today. He killed my family and now I will kill him for it. I'll explain my plan inside." Vincent got up and went inside the house.

Vincent watched The Alchemage snoop around his house looking giddy about something. Still naked Vincent called out to him, grabbing a pair of pants. "Hey you. What was it that you wanted to tell us?"

MateusseDarkslight wrote:

"The fact there's a wedding at all fills me with unbridled rage."
"If I have my way there won't be a wedding," Memoire countered. "I am doing everything in my power to ensure your daughter is unrestricted and unimpeded."
Lavina's father looked at her doubtfully. "Lavina. Speak your mind. Are you absolutely sure we can trust this human?"

Lavina looked up at her father
"I am here aren't I?"
she looked back at Memoire
"He convinced his brother to allow me to stay here, and here I stand in my own home, not behind walls like them. He has been nothing but kind to me and I think we should treat him the same."
she looked at her father
"You heard him fighting for us when we were in front of his father, He tried to do everything he can to prevent the wedding from happening, But sadly his father is too powerful and was able to make it to where it is now legal for his youngest son to marry me. Thankfully a date hasn't been set."
she looked back at Memoire
"and as of now Memoire is trying to stop the wedding from happening"

MateusseDarkslight wrote:

The water evaporated instantly, but it did the trick. Riastrad shook his head like a dog and urged the horse to gallop - which it did. He swung Xia up behind him. "Hold tight, little lady!"
The men from the bar and the bartender staggered out, yelling obscenities. The bartender had a crossbow, and fired a few bolts after the fleeing horse.
"Xia? They firing at us?"

The first bolt sped right passed the pair, as did the second...the third, however, struck Xia in her left shoulder. She bit her lip to keep herself from alerting Riastrad to her injury. "I'll take care of it." She said, as she turned slightly, holding on to Riastrad with her left arm, and with her right, she waved her hand, starting a large fire on the road, to keep their pursuers from following them. Xia turned back, and before she held back onto Riastrad with her right arm, she quickly placed her index finger and thumb on the bolt, and heated it just enough to stop the bleeding. She then returned her right arm to where it was before she turned.
"That should hold them off for awhile...until they sober up." She said to Riastrad.

Vincent had a dumbfounded look on his face. Oh good God this guy is an idiot, but I can still use him. I've dealt with idiots before and the best thing to do is to make them think they're the leader. "Oh great master, I had already had planned for us to be your minions." Vincent said with a smile. "There is just a slight problem with your plan... you see were not coming back to this place. Now before you get mad at me for telling you what to do just hear me out! Your goal is to take over the world correct? Well we need to start big and by big I mean were going to the capital city and assassinate the noble who governs this area. Think of it as... a stepping stone to your legacy." Vincent walked around the room and started to look for food they needed to take. "I even already have a plan master. One that is sure to work, and all you have to do is make a poison for us to use. That's it! You don't have to lift another finger! Just a poison that, when ingested, will knock the drinker out cold."

Vincent looked to Kao. "The next part is a little harder. Kao, I will need you to use your illusion magic to look like the noble's wife. If you need to know what she looks like her body is down the trapdoor. I left it mostly intact. Study it well. There is a reward for his wife's return, which I will collect. Once you're in I need you to give him the poison somehow and come tell me and I will go and retrieve the body. I already have a house near the capital. I'll bring it there. After I bring the body back there I will need to be left alone. I will deal with him in my own way. No experimentation, no sparing his life. He will die by my hands."

Vincent opened the trapdoor. "It will take about 2 days to get to the capital if we don't sleep, and we need to get there as fast as we can. Once you study the body we will be leaving. Take everything you think you'll need. As for clothes Kao, I'm sorry but that's gonna have to wait till we get to the capital. Do you two understand my plan? Oh, and you can call me Vincent."

Miss Elegent Serenity wrote:

H raise a brow
"Being unprepared can get you killed. Its what happened to my master, he let his guard down and now he is dead"
she walked inside the door quickly slightly annoyed at his sarcasm

"I... I'm sorry H, I didn't know..." Yugi said as he took off his heavy winter coat on the bench of an empty table "I guess being without any of my friends and family I guess my sense of humor is kinda dry." As he stood up and went over to the bar to order some food

Her father gave Memoire a look of dubious gratitude. Memoire returned it with a polite smile.
"And in what way are you going to stop this wedding, child?"
"With my usual - great cunning, wicked charm, and splendid mind games."
Somewhat satisfied with the answer, the king let him up. "Would you like him to stay in your room, Lavina?" he asked, suddenly.

Riastrad let out a sigh of relief.
"Good job, Xia." They cantered onto an open road, the citadel in the distance.

After about twenty minutes of riding, Riastrad took a sniff. "Why can I still smell burning? You got something hot back there?"

"It's okay." Xia answered. "How long until we're at the citadel?" She asked, trying to change the subject.