Adrian smiled with satifaction upon leaving the bathing room, "a little favor goes a long way with soldiers if you go out of your way to take care of them" he thought to himself as he strolled out to the stables. He wasn't sure if he knew the names of the two men sent with him, they were men-at-arms raised from one of the villages of the the dukedom. They were past the days of being squires and were now almost fully feldged knight of their own, all that was left was to attain recognition from the knight captain, be it through tourney or battle. The two men were seated busying them selves with cleaning their gear, the two didn't notice him silently slip up and sit beside them, not that any one would notice a person with elven blood even a half breed like Adrian if he did not want to be noticed. He quietly picked up an oil cloth and begain cleaning his hauberk when one of the men leapt up wide eyed when he reached for the cloth that shoold have been there. "My Lord" the man nearly shouted in suprise, "if you need your armor cleaned we'll hapily take care of it" he replied stiffly. "Relax, I might be a noble but i am also a warrior, and a warrior who fails to maintain his own gear is of little use, nor are you men squires to be bussied with minor tasks" he replied working on a particularly touch patch of dried blood. "We havent been introduced properly, I'm Adrian black" he spoke in an open friendly tone. "Ah I'm Karl from the village of Karsk" one of the men replied. Adrian noted that the man had dark hair like his own and a scar that ran down one cheek. "Long as you're here mind handing me that bottle of solvent" the other man stated. Adrian handed the man the bottle of acidic solvent meant to clean rust and grime from armor. "I'm Karl's older brother Hanz, its good that you're not like other nobles, always looking down at other's, your father's a good man two. we used to be caravan guards, your father picked us out for our skill after my fool of a brother challenged a knight to duel over a woman" He replied with a hearty smile. " Who won" Adrian questioned, " I did, damn bastard couldn't let go of his pride and attacked me after the duel was decided, gave me this scar, Hanz here jumped him from behind and bashed his skull in with a hammer, your father took us in, if not for him we'd have been in for a short rope and a long drop" Karl laughed. "I see, you guys go get cleaned up, I'll finish whats left of your gear" Adrian chuckled. "You serious" Hanz questioned his face awash with confusion. "Don't worry about it, tonights on me" Adrian replied with his devilish grin as he returned to his work.

It was nightfall before everyone returned to the Tavern's common room for dinner, Adrian had sat in silent contemplation waiting for every one to return, Karl and Hanz were last among those to return, they seemed refreshed with a renewed energy. The first to return was Tagrid who bore a tired expression, though Adrian wasn't sure of the reason he looked as if he had been hard at work. Margitte returned with a bedraggled Annabelle in tow, judging from her appearance Margitte had spent the day using the poor girl as a human pack mule, especially considering the rucksack hanging off the maid's shoulders. Margitte by compasion semmed quite happy with herself, a wolfish grin spread drom year to ear, even her sharp canines with showing. "I hope she dosn't work the poor girl to death" Adrian thought as he looked the par over, though he knew that Margitte was an expirienced task master and knew the limits of those under her tutelage well.

"We'll be stuck here for longer then we had origionally planned, there was a call to arms meant to moblilze all active guild members of the River's Bend guild branch. It's not like we'll be able to find a carriage that would suit the purpose of traveling to the capital and have to wait for it to be repaired" Tagried explained with a sigh. "That suits my purposes just fine, I elected to join in the call to arms, as the son of the Provincial Lord I have a duty to the people and must ensure that the Fortress of Seven Peaks remains standing. Any who would volunteer yourselves for said mission raise your mug" Adrian spoke whilst standing in a powerful and lordly tone. Adrian raised one of his eyebrows, he had expected four mugs raised, to see a fith was most suprising. "I see, so all are in agreement to the importance of this task, but Annabelle I can not permit you to enter battle with out any arms, armaments, or training, it is the duty of a Lord to keep his subjects safe" he spoke softly. Annabelle stood up and slammed a piece of metal on the table, Adrian looked at it with a mixture of frustration and pride, a bronze plate bearing her name upon it's surface. " I see, it's beyond my control now though I doubt even Havmal would place you in direct combat, once we move out I want you to report to Havmal" Adrain sighed. "That's not going to happen Adrian, I took the girl on as my apprentice in the guild, I didn't know you were going to go off on a damn crusade, but luckily I did take some measures, she's armed, trained and armored beyond your wildest dreams, puls she'll be by my side" Margitte cooed sexily into Adrian's ear before giving it a gentle nip.

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Adrian sighed, his attempt at retaining his noble persona melted before the sweetly poisoned caress of Margitte, "very well, we will be moving out tomorrow morning, rest up and relax" Adrian commanded before returning to his room mentally grumbling. 

Upon resting his head upon the featherd pillow of his room he felt that strange familiar sensation of sleep taking him, he knew immedaitely where it would take him. Lounging before him was the form of his succubus, she was draped along a pile of velevt cusions languishing like a cat having a nap after a meal. She lazily opened her lavender eyes and observed her surroundings, "bold master, entering a woman's bed chambers unannounced, too bold" she sexily cooed running a hand along her curvaceous form dressed in the finest of silk black stockings and matching lingerie. Adrian didn't know how it was possible but it seemed to make her appear even more alluring. "Come now master, tell your little demon slut what your deepest desires are" she whispered into his ear whilst running a hand up the inseam of his thigh. "I'm not in the mood for games to night, I desire something else from you" Adrian responded using his willpower to mentally push her off of him. 

"Very well" she sighed causing the room to spin, a desk had replace the mountain of pillows and upon it Lilith sat reclining wearing a white blouse and black pencil skirt with a smart looking pair of glasses stitting upon the bridge of her nose. "What knoweldge do you seek, my little fledging warlock" she questioned in a fir but still erotic voice. "I need to know how to use my powers, not just how to cause a burst of flame from my hands" Adrian stated codly. "Flames, is that what you thought you used upon they goblin, dear dear, what you produced was far more powerful and dangerous than falmes, wizards fire perhaps is it's only equal in terms of destruction" she replied mockingly. "what is it you desire my pet" she ccoed. "Why do you keep asking me what I desire" Adrian asked sensing something important in those words. "Simple your desires and your powers are directly tied to one another, the stronger the desire the more powerful but the more raw it's form, you wished to kill that goblin and so you drew upon your rage, but rage is such a simple desire and so the abyssal flame you conjured had no form" she stated hholding out a hand upon which sat a dancing black flame that coiled and changed as she willed it. "Envision that which you desire in your mind, then feed it with your wants and desires and empore it into being with your force of will" she explained. 

"Perhaps this one lacks the power, or is it his guidance that is lacking" a voice cooed as a figure seamlessly entered from the room from a disembodied shadow. "Begone" Lilith barked at the new presence. "We're sisters Lilith, why wont you share your new toy" the figure cooed. "Because you have a habit of breaking your "toy", now begone from this place Vanis" she replied firmly. A third presence leaked out from the room, a pitch blackness that slowly spread out taking command of all that it touched warping the plane to suit it's masters taste. gone was the garish cloths of gold and crimson, black, silver and emerald began to replace the suroundings, no longer were they satanding in Lilith's quarters but a throne room bearing the symbol of a wolf bitting a sword in half emblazoned above the throne. "What, what is he" Vanis questioned suddenly taken with fright. "A demon lord, though he is still to young to awaken" Lilith cooed slipping her way to Adrians side she pressed her lips to his sucking the excess power frowing from his meditative state. "You're playing with fire, sister, don't be devoured by those flames" Vanis whispered before disapearing into the shadows once more.

"Time to wake up little fledging" she whispered into his mind, Adrian stared at her grogily, he was completly unaware of what had taken place during his meditation, but somewhere he felt power, like a raging sea that swallowed countless ships. "Take time each day to meditate and work on your mental image, though you'll find it far easier to controll when you're not surounded by the taint of the Elemental Plane of Lust" she whispered into his ear. "How do I become more powerful" he questioned. "That is a lesson for another time, now sleep, you almost exhausted your life force, you'll heal much fater if you just sleep" she cooed once more as the world tuned to darkness.

What was that image he saw in his dreams, the great black wolf with baleful eyes, who was the man upon the throne, what power did he posses, what fate awaited him.