A very early morning, ambient glow seeps in through the sliding glass door. The dim illumination barely lights up the outlines of the coffee table, recliner, and couch in the living area of the ranch style house. A gentle, quiet flow of air slips through vents of an air conditioning unit upon the upper part of the wall. The soft drone coats an acoustic backdrop over the soundscape, faint flits of idle appliances rising up. Seconds later, the muffled sounds of a mechanical winch rattle from behind the kitchen door leading into the garage. Minutes pass with moments of conversation and movement slipping out into the kitchen. Sounds of equipment landing upon a solid floor resonate out, quickly spiking into the calm air. Sotalia opens the kitchen door and steps slowly across the tile floor. Yawning, she drapes a heavy, armored cloak upon a dining chair back in passing. "Oh... Gods... That bed is going to feel so good."

She pulls the seat out, slumps down upon the seat down, and groans. Placing her foot upon her opposite thigh, she wrestles the boot off. Aristespha walks into the kitchen, waits near the door, and guides Faelatelia's drowsy self up. Leading the young evuukian teenager to the living room couch, she helps her to a spot upon the soft fabric. "Have a seat for now. We will figure out a nice place for you to sleep."

With a tired, appreciative smile, Faelatelia nods, yawns against surging fatigue, and settles into the comfortable cushions. "Thank you. I really don't need much... As I have found out lately."

The motor unit of the garage door opener hums to life and slowly lowers the large, sectioned door down upon the concrete floor. Cideeda steps out from the garage, rubs her emerald green eyes, and places the humvee key fob upon the bar. Slipping out from her open vest, she hangs the garment upon another chair back and reaches behind her back. "It's getting a lot warmer at night around here. Almost had to turn on the air conditioner on the way back."

Lumbering into the dining area, Bach pulls his helmet off, slides his duster off onto the tabletop, and sits down in a chair. He loosens straps holding his kevlar vest and starts prying his feet out of the armored boots. "Well, I mean, it is May. Around these parts, it's usually the last nice month before it just turns plain, nasty hot."

Cideeda pulls down the back zipper on her body suit, breathes out her relief, and lightly fans the collar, circulating air through the chest portion of the outfit. "Then again, we DID run through the woods for most the night. Anyway, I'm getting out of this. The humvee is locked up. We'll unload tomorrow-"

Fluttering her eyes, she pauses in thought a moment and sighs, shaking her head. "Well... Later TODAY, I mean. GODS... I'm tired."

She plods groggily through the archway into the hallway and disappears through the doorway into her room. Moments later, a body suit flops into a pile upon the wooden floor outside her door, and pairs of toed boots and fingerless gloves land on top. Dretphi closes the kitchen door behind her, brushes off her damp, skin-tight tank top and shorts. "It will be laundry day... Today... Later."

Glancing over to Faelatelia fighting off another tempting moment to fall into the slumber, Bach smiles with a exhausted chuckle. "Faelatelia? If you want you can use my bed for the night and sleep on something proper. Honestly, I don't think I'll make it there at this rate... The couch is A LOT closer."

With a reserved smirk, Dretphi eyes Bach and lifts an inquisitive eyebrow. "Have you made it recently?"

Seconds of idly staring ahead, Bach blinks back to awareness, his eyes searching his mind. "Uh... Um... Well... Uh..."

Faelatelia smiles weakly to both Bach and Dretphi and laughs softly. "It is okay. After what I have been sleeping on for the past weeks... The back seat of the humvee was so nice."

Her attention shifting to the furniture underneath, she glides a hand over the cushions of the couch with a contended gaze. Twisting her foot inside her boot, Aristespha moves over next to the dining table, slides out a chair, and takes a seat. She loosens the laces on her long, finely crafted boots, grumbles to herself, and shakes her head, annoyance building upon her ivory face. "I checked these boots before leaving and tightened the laces correctly..."

Tensing her arm muscles, she wrenches off her damp sock covered foot clear. She shakes the leather boot a few times and twitches her very long, pointed ears when a pebble bounces upon the wooden floor. "Yet there is ANOTHER damned rock in them."

Bach loses the fight against a long yawn and grimaces, sleep trying to take hold. He glances over to Aristespha and points to the sword at her side. "Is he asleep?"

Aristespha pauses, grips the handle of the sword, and closes her eyes momentarily. Snorting amused, she smirks wryly and rolls her violet eyes. "Oh. Yes. I think Sebastian fell asleep halfway through the ride back."

With a shrug, Bach pulls off his last boot and shakes his head with a chuckle under his breath. "Long car rides always do that to him... Even now, I guess."

Dretphi taps Bach's shoulder and gently speaks. "I will get sheets for your bed. We will change them. Grant Faelatelia a-"

A snore sharply peaks from the background. Aristespha, Bach, Dretphi, and Sotalia gaze Faelatelia, completely asleep upon the couch. She stirs momentarily and unconsciously grips the cushion underneath her head, nestling up against the couch back. Bach smirks and shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah... Can't blame her there."

Dretphi smiles, sighs, and quietly steps along the floor into the hallway. "Blankets instead."

Retrieving her aetherphone, Aristespha sluggishly taps through the long security code and navigates the menus to a message list. She stands up, softly walks up in front of the television, and holds her phone with both hands, aiming the camera at the peacefully slumbering Faelatelia. With a light tap on the device's screen, a faint click sounds out, and Aristespha rights the phone into her hand. Sotalia stretches out her arms, slides next to Aristespha, and curls a curious eyebrow. "Sending an update to the clients?"

Nodding, Aristespha taps out a message. "Yes. I believe the parents and Valavera would be happy to know she is safe and back in civilization once again."

Dretphi arrives from the hallway with folded blankets in her arms. Sotalia grins and winks at Aristespha. "Take a picture after we tuck her in and send that one. It'll look a lot better than her just passed out on our couch."

With examining gaze at Sotalia, Aristespha tilts her head, nods slowly, and sighs. "Yes. It would definitely look more like a successful rescue..."

Sotalia smirks, crossing her arms. "Rather than the aftermath of a party?"

Aristespha glances back over at Sotalia and twists her humored smile slightly. "Yes."

----

The warmth of the morning glides over the thick forest canopy, slipping in through the shifting gaps between the leaves. A slight gust of wind trickles down from the overhead cover and drops down into the passage through the wide highway divide between rows of trees. In a small clearing off to the side of the paved road, Senior Paladin Maxon stands in front of a crowd of Chrome Crusader personnel, with Chad, Deedri, Modoran, Tassilda, Trakenthin, and Veevi near the front. Straightening his posture inside his powered armor, he grins brightly to the awaiting masses and orates clearly. "OKAY. All present and accounted for, I believe. Today, we are going to search this stretch of road for any bandits. We've had many reports of bandits halting travelers and robbing them. From the latest reports, our forward scouts have found signs of people camping out near the roads, very recently."

With a proud smile, he glances over at Chad and nods to the general attendance. "It will be a standard search and capture, if possible. From the other reports, this suspected group seems to be small-time criminals that are just interested in easy profit and survival needs out here. So, I strongly recommend capture protocols be exercised first."

Wander his stare over the crowd, he grins encouragingly. "Chances are a few of these suspects are wanted alive by some law enforcement agency. AND, it would be nice to collect those for a mission bonus to everyone."

He motions towards the team with his armored gauntlet covered hand. "To reiterate, the Flames of Phoenix team will be joining us today, and I have discussed with them appropriate assignments."

The different groupings of Chrome Crusaders exchange glances, mixes of reluctance, reservation, and even anticipation rising out of the crowd. Maxon gazes over all, clears his throat, and lifts a eyebrow with a smile. "Medical Mage Preeta will again join the medical squad and assist where needed. I'll leave it to our head doctor to decide any further decisions."

Deedri smiles with relief and waves back to a welcoming medical division. Maxon eyes Tassilda with a humored smirk. "Tassilda will accompany Junior Paladin Daedrican's search and capture group. They will hunt out the hiding spots that the scouts find and subdue any bandits."

Parting a sly, small grin, Tassilda lifts an alluring eyebrow at Junior Paladin Daedrican, and he slightly bows to her. Turning his attention to Modoran, Maxon furrows his brow. "Modoran, you'll join the scouting teams. I think your skills will be best utilized there. Primary objective is to relay information. I'll leave it to the Captain to decide if you are allowed to engage targets of opportunity."

Modoran tilts his head to the side slightly and nods nonchalantly in agreement. "I am not going to argue with that logic, sir."

With a quick slide of his gaze, Maxon grins at the armored Trakenthin and chuckles. "Trakenthin, you'll be joining our heavy hitters today as the special... Cargo... of the bait truck."

An eager smirk draws across Trakenthin, and he nods respectfully, glancing over to a small squad of power armored soldiers and confident mages in light, protective suits. Focusing his attention to Chad and Veevi, Maxon laughs with a smile and winks to the two. "Chad. Veevi. You'll be the center of attention, so to speak, today. Both of you will be driving the bait truck and playing the part of simple traders just trying to get by in this hard economy. We'll make sure to equip you with our stealth..."

Rocking his head side to side in brief deliberation, Maxon snorts. "Safety equipment."

Chad shines a bright white grin and poses proudly. Placing her hands on her hips, Veevi sways to the side and smiles with a sly, cunning twist. Maxon straightens his posture and examines the large gathering once more. "I've already briefed the team leaders with further instructions. You are all dismissed into your individual squads. Be ready to move out by zero eight hundred."

----

A closing door sounds out and stirs Faelatelia. Groggily fluttering her sky blue eyes, she stares out blankly, half-asleep, and darts her sluggish gaze around her environment. She freezes in tense thought and gradually relaxes, recent memory playing out upon her tan, blue-hinted face. Her hand feels the pillow underneath her head, grasps onto the blanket tucked around her, and slides upon the seat cushion. She tips her head towards the sliding glass door, leading out into the backyard, and smiles happily at the bright sun overhead warming the green, grassy field. Combing her chestnut hair out of her vision, she allows a sigh of relief to escape and closes her eyes in a moment of peace. Her long, blue hinted ears twitch, and Aristespha firmly places a glass filled with a thick, orange blend upon the coffee table. Faelatelia springs her eyes wide open and pushes herself up to a seat upon the couch. "Um- Uh... Morning."

Chuckling to herself, Aristespha shakes her head with a humored smirk. "Afternoon, actually."

Faelatelia blinks to awareness and pieces together the timeline quietly between hints of embarrassment upon her face. "Oh. I guess I haven't slept that good in a while."

With an understanding nod, Aristespha directs Faelatelia's attention to the filled glass. "I mixed some nutrition supplements into a fruit smoothie. Purely precautionary. I do not believe you have had the best meals to eat for some time."

Nodding quickly, Faelatelia reaches out for the beverage, her hungry gaze upon it, and enjoys long slips from the glass. She pauses a moment and glances back up to Aristespha. "Thank you."

Sotalia smiles towards Aristespha from her seat, lifts her own glass of the same orange blend off the dining table, and laughs. "Told you she'd like it."

Rolling her violet eyes, Aristespha shakes her head in mild amusement. Faelatelia nods in agreement to Sotalia and drinks more of the beverage. Sotalia returns her attention to the bottom edges of her cloak, pinches her long, black fingernails onto a bur, and plucks the seed clear from the garment. Shaking her head, she deposits the spiky ball into a nearby garbage can. "Gods. I've lost count on how many of these I've pulled off this thing. It must have been when we hid from that one patrol."

Flipping between both sides of the cloth, she groans into a sigh. "Gods. There's another one!"

The kitchen door to the garage opens. One after another, Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi step through carrying individual laundry baskets. Sebastian floats inside with them. The group arrives around the dining table, resting their baskets upon the dining table top, and notices Faelatelia awake upon the couch. Dretphi presents a friendly smile towards the awkward, evuukian teenager. "Did you sleep well?"

Faelatelia stares wide-eyed up at the tall, grath woman, thinks a moment with the smoothie in her hands, and nods appreciatively. "Yes. The best I've had in a long time."

Cideeda snickers, lifts an accusatory eyebrow at Bach, and grins toothily. "Oh, good. We were afraid that SOMEONE may have woken you up earlier."

Bach shrugs his shoulders, holds his hands up, and sighs slightly ashamed. "Hey. I was OBVIOUSLY not awake yet. I completely forgot someone was sleeping out here."

Scratching the back of his head, he pivots towards Faelatelia and briefly averts his eyes with a bit of embarrassment. "So, yeah, if you got woken up by someone pouring a bowl of cereal loudly and complaining about not having enough milk... I apologize."

Faelatelia shakes her head and smiles appreciatively. "No. I only woke up just a few minutes ago. So, no harm done."

Sebastian's ethereal form hovers over next to Aristespha and gazes at Faelatelia. "Well, that's good to hear. Last night was really crazy. I'm just glad we all got clear of that mess before it got too bad."

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia agree unanimously in their own ways, tending to laundry related chores. Moments later, Sebastian crosses his arms and lifts an inquiring brow at Faelatelia. "After you wake up fully and get enough to eat, do you think you can answer a few questions for us? We heard from Chelindia why you were imprisoned, but we'd really like to hear your side of the story."

Relaxing his translucent shoulders, he smiles reassuringly. "If that's okay with you and you are comfortable with that?"

Faelatelia finishes a long swig of the fruit smoothie, and emphatically nods in agreement. "OH. Yes! Of course. To be honest..."

She fights an uneasy grimace and draws in a long breath. "There's something I have thought about on the ride back here, and I believe I should tell you all."

Aristespha lifts a curious eyebrow, awaiting a response. "Well, what would that be?"

Resting her smoothie glass back down upon the coffee table, Faelatelia lowers her head, frowns reflecting, and ponders out loud. "I... I do not know where to exactly start. But..."

She exhales out a surge of nerves and straightens her posture upon the couch cushion. "Okay. Meredosia has been experimenting with some weird magical power. I do NOT quite understand what it is... Exactly. But, I know she's using an odd amulet to store what she's been collecting from a strange circular platform. It's really old and has strange runes all over it."

Aristespha's full attention locks onto the evuukian's words. Sebastian waits in anticipation. Bach halts midway through taking his duster out from the laundry basket and listens motionlessly with wide open eyes. Dretphi and Cideeda exchange glances, silent recognition emerging. Sotalia trains her golden eyes upon the evuukian teenager, reading her every move. Faelatelia draws a long breath and furrows her brow at her explanation. "I do not know what the amulet is really capable of. But... I know where she got it from."

Narrowing her concerned stare upon Faelatelia, Aristespha calmly inquires with a supportive tone. "Chelindia told us you went on a secret assignment with Meredosia. Did she take you to the place she found the amulet then?"

With a growing frown, Faelatelia nods and sighs nervously. "I never told Chelindia all the details of what happened. I was SO afraid of what she might do if she knew. There is something not right about THAT place. I could FEEL it. Meredosia wanted me to draw spirits in to bind them to animate constructs..."

Gritting her teeth, she hisses in a gasp. "That she wanted to imbue with that WEIRD power of hers."

Hugging her arms, she draws the blanket over her shoulders tighter around her, grimaces, and shudders. "I told her I would... Think about it. But..."

Swaying her head of long chestnut hair, she fights a reflexive wince. "I was NEVER going to help her with that. Then, I got caught after I tried to escape. Thankfully, Chelindia and many of the older members were as nice as they could get away with to me, and always helped where they could."

She bites her lip and sighs sadly. "I hope they all get away. But..."

Aristespha kneels down in front of Faelatelia, places a supportive hand upon her shoulder, and presents a comforting smile to the nervous teenager. "But, what?"

Faelatelia shakes her head, draws in a long breath, and struggles with the uncertainty on her tan face. "I do not know what will happen if they leave. They have kept Meredosia... In check? Balanced? They were the few that did not blindly follow her and would question her when she got too extreme. Even if it meant they got practically demoted when they did so."

Searching mind between nervous flicks of her sky blue eyes, she tilts her head slowly. "As much as the newer members thought they were not proper Terra Priests because they questioned Meredosia so much... I always thought they followed principles better than anyone else. It's so weird and strange."

Sebastian nods thoughtfully and smiles proudly at Faelatelia. "We really appreciate you sharing that with us. I'm sure Chelindia and the others will be fine, especially if Chelindia is any example of what they are capable of."

Hovering down to a sitting position upon the coffee table, Sebastian rests his arms in his lap and explains genuinely. "As much as you have to do what you think is right, they have to, too. Sometimes... You just have to get yourself out of a bad situation before you can do anything else. No matter what, you're not responsible for other people's own decisions."

Faelatelia gazes over to Sebastian, nods understandingly, and sighs regretfully. "I know. I just feel uneasy about what might happen."

With a brief grit of his teeth, Sebastian ethereally exhales thoughtfully and nods sympathetically. "That's a normal thing to feel. But, we'll get together later on tonight and get all the details written down. Do you remember how to get to that place?"

With a weak smile, Faelatelia reaches out for the glass, gulps down the remainder of the orange smoothie, and nods. "Yes. It's actually far south from the commune. I will try to remember the exact route we took."

She furrows her brow and squints distantly into her thoughts. "We went up to the top of one of the mountains in the area into an ancient building. Inside felt... Large? It seemed like there was space somewhere further inside with how the air felt. It was always moving. Unfortunately, I don't know much more as we didn't go that far inside."

Gently patting Faelatelia on the back, Aristespha retrieves her aetherphone, sorts through a contact list, and taps an entry. "Do not worry. We know a lot of people and have access to many resources. Anything you tell us will help out, and we can let the right people know from there."

Eying the progress of the call on the phone, she passes the device into Faelatelia's hands, taking the empty glass in return, and smiles warmly. "I have informed your parents that you are here. You should talk to them, and see how we should get you back to them."

A grim reluctance forms upon Faelatelia, and she grits her teeth, the phone call connecting to a video mode. With a final squeeze on Faelatelia's shoulder, Aristespha stands up. "But, I think you will want to talk to someone else, first."

The aetherphone screen switches to a full video feed of Valavera's confused face and a background of teenager's bedroom. Faelatelia's sky blue eyes brighten, and Valavera gasps in joyous shock. Smiling with welling tears, Faelatelia blurts out heartfelt evuukian. Valavera excitedly chimes back in the same dialect. The two teenagers chat away and catch up. The rest of the team exchange uncomfortable glances with each other and process the new information, fighting moments of foreboding emotion.

----

Within the tall underbrush, Junior Paladin Daedrican, Tassilda, and three light power armored Chrome Crusader troopers step silently up to clearing's edge. Tassilda stares ahead with her light blue on black eyes and maintains a watch within the middle of the team. She keeps her hands open at her sides, directed downwards. Armored boots impact the forest debris, and no sound emerges. In the undergrowth of the forest around, the squad stops meters away, behind three rough attired men. Two scraggly people stand, idly observing the nearby roadway. One in a slightly better outfit leans against the trunk of a large tree. Red bandannas flutter gently around their necks in the slight breeze along with the frayed and tattered parts of their clothing.

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The Chrome Crusader squad kneels down behind a tall thicket, each member scanning vicinity through their visored helms. Tassilda methodically gestures and softly incants just under her breath. Swinging a hand ahead of her and the other above, she glances over to Daedrican and softly speaks. "The sound buffer is around us, for now."

Nodding his full helmet towards Tassilda, Daedrican turns his visor obscured gaze over the others. "Understood. We should be able to take them down without too much trouble."

He motions towards a part of the forest in the distance. "Unfortunately, the forward scouts have reported that another group is close. They may be alerted if these bandits yell out for any kind of help."

Returning his attention towards Tassilda, he tilts his horned helm inquiringly. "Would it be possible to cast silence upon the area, my lady?"

Tassilda briefly smiles with a flutter of her light blue on black eyes. Furrowing her gray brow in thought, she twists her mouth into an apprehensive grimace. "Yes. I could... But, I believe sudden silence from the sounds of nature will give us away. "

One of the standing bandits yawns, shudders against fatigue, and steadies his stance. Tassilda lifts an intrigued eyebrow, draws a mischievous grin, and slyly eyes Daedrican. "I think I may have an alternative, if you would allow me to try it?"

Daedrican glances back to the three troopers and queries respectfully. "Any objections to some tactical experimentation?"

The three light armor soldiers exchange indifferent shrugs. One shakes his head. "No objections with us. If all else fails, we'll just fall back to rushing and tackling them."

Another nods in agreement. "Yeah. If it gives us an advantage, I'd like to try it."

Daedrican waves towards the clearing with the three bandits and bows his head. Tassilda nods appreciatively to the group and focuses her attention ahead. "Thank you. I'll need to drop the sound buffer, so I can free myself up. So, when I drop it, please keep quiet for a little while longer so I cast a few spells."

Daedrican removes a baton off his belt and presses a button. The end extends out upon telescoping segments, and the prongs at the end arc spark between. Inspecting the three other Chrome Crusaders, he readies his polymer shield off his back. "Everyone. Ready your stun batons and shields."

He inquisitively cocks his fully covered head, glances to the three bandits, and returns his gaze towards Tassilda. "So... What are these spells going to do?"

Tassilda smiles suggestively at Daedrican and winks with a faint chuckle. "Well... The results are simple enough."

The older bandit leaning upon the tree rubs his back against the trunk and rolls his head side to side, pops and cracks sounding out. Lifting a bored eyebrow at the two observing the highway through rows of trees and underbrush, he groans into a sigh. "Anything yet?"

The young bandit staring out crosses his arms, shakes his head, and grumbles. "No. Nothing. Gods, I hope it's not ANOTHER slow day. This shit is getting old."

Leaning himself against a small tree, the other watching bandit checks the battered rifle in his hands. "Dammit. I don't know why we're still out here. Still think we should have gone somewhere else. Why the hell does Red Hat want us to hunt here?"

Stretching his shoulders with a back arch, the older bandit sighs and rolls his eyes. "Shit... I think he's just trying make up for what was stolen last week."

The rifle bandit leans away from the small tree and aims his voice back. "Yeah! That whole situation is pretty fucked up, man. Robbers getting robbed? What the fuck..."

The bandit trio settle back into staring out into the distance and watch the gusts of wind blowing through the forest divide cut by the roadway. Almost invisible waves of energy radiate over the area, fading away to complete transparency. The older bandit blinks a few times, eyes over to edges of his vision, and nonchalantly shrugs back into idle boredom.

Behind the protective barrier of Daedrican and three troopers, Tassilda keeps one hand extended out, grins confidently, and slowly, exactly gestures with her free hand. With a faint light blue glow in her eyes, she ushers energy flow out from her outstretched hand. The wisps of magical power blend into the slow, transparent wave emanating from her open palm. Concentrating, Tassilda narrows her stare and smiles eagerly.

The older bandit yawns loudly, rubs his eyes, and flexes neck. The rifle wielding bandit snorts and laughs. "Aw, grandpa needs his afternoon nap?"

Sounding out a long irritated grumble, the older bandits lifts his head up against the trunk of the large tree behind him and blinks. "Meh. Fuck you. I didn't get any damned sleep last night."

Fighting the reflexive contortions of face, the young bandit draws a lethargic breath in. "Huh. Well, to be honest... I didn't get any sleep, either. All that weird fucking noise last night kept me awake."

The rifle bandit vainly tries to keep his mouth closed against a stubborn yawn and grits his teeth, submitting to the urge. "Gods dammit, you two. Got me yawning now."

The older bandit slowly narrows his distant, spacey stare, and his head tilts down upon his chest. The rifle bandit leans heavily upon the tree next to him. His eyelids droop shut, and the rifle hangs loose by the strap over his shoulder. The young bandit's head teeters lethargically from one shoulder to the other, the rest of his body drifting with the motion. Moments later, a silent wave of magical energy visibly warps over the clearing. The older bandit slides down the large tree trunk into a seat upon the roots. The rifle bandit oozes down against the small tree and sloppily slumps upon the ground. The young bandit stands motionless for a few seconds and drops down to his knees, arms still crossed. His balance surrenders to gravity, and his upper body falls forward unceremoniously onto the forest floor. Puffs of air through his nostrils stir the dirt into the breeze, and soft snores barely peak out from the drone of rustling leaves.

Daedrican and the three Chrome Crusaders step forth, cautiously surveying the area. Arriving behind Daedrican, Tassilda grins smugly and confidently chimes. "Oh, don't worry. They are in a DEEP sleep. You can talk and move them around. It will be quite a while before they wake up naturally."

The tall, armored junior paladin shakes his head, astonishment tinting his tone. "My lady... THAT was quite impressive. What was the process, again?"

The thoroughly amused light armor troops secure the slumbering bandits. Tassilda smiles happily and counts out the first step of the process upon her gray hand. "The first spell helped the flow of energy to establish a route to the targets."

Flicking up another black nailed finger, she curls a satisfied smirk from the corner of her mouth. "Then, you have to gently trickle in a spell to put them in the right mindset and convince them that sleep is allowable, acceptable. The mind can easily will up a very powerful defense against magical strong suggestion and mental effects if the person is alert, especially if there's any perceived threat. At that point, only concentrated, direct application could possibly get through that barrier."

With a smug grin, her light blue on black eyes search into the reflective visor of Daedrican's helmet. "Finally..."

Perking an amused eyebrow, she rests her hand upon her hip and tilts her head of raven black hair. "You spring the trap and release the full effects of the spell. And..."

She sweeps her open hand out to the bound and slumbering bandit. "You can see the results."

Noting the progress with the bandit by his squadmates, Daedrican nods in agreement and relaxes his shield and baton at his sides. "Well. I must admit, my lady, I feel a little bit extraneous at the moment."

With a pleasant smile up towards Daedrican, Tassilda chimes out her appreciation. "OH. Do NOT feel that way. Such magic is a delicate process that can be prone to folly. YOU and your team provided me with the protection I needed to fully dedicate myself to the task to ensure success."

Daedrican cocks his helmeted head, chuckles, and nods to the other troopers. "Well, I believe we all appreciate your ability to make this significantly easier. I think further demonstration of your talents is in order."

Tossing back her long hair over her shoulder, Tassilda poses approvingly and glances over Daedrican.

----

Four men stand in the middle of the long stretch of highway between two forest walls. Three of the red bandanna wearing bandits aim barely serviceable rifles at the windshield of a large cargo truck, slowing to a complete stop. The fourth dons a conniving smile and waves a pointed finger at the two occupants of the vehicle, maintaining a firm grip upon a finely made sword at his side. He draws in a long breath and projects his voice forth in a commanding tone, pointing to a spot ahead of the vehicle. "Okay! If you would please DISEMBARK your truck and STAND over here..."

A sinister grin creeps from the corner of his mouth, and he chuckles darkly. "We can make this quick, efficient, and mostly... Painless."

Both cab doors of the box truck open. In common, drab outfits, Chad and Veevi climb down to the faded asphalt roadway, lift their gloved hands up in the air, and walk in the front of the vehicle. Two bandits on the sides of formation keep their rifle trained upon Chad and Veevi. The commanding criminal taps the handle of his sword, brushes the brim of the red fedora on his head, and lifts an inquisitive eyebrow at the two prior occupants of the vehicle. "Now... Are you two going to tell me what you are hauling today?"

Keeping a neutral stare ahead, Chad calmly recounts, a faint tremor in his voice. "Oh. Nothing. Really. Just dry goods, furniture, and some supplies."

Veevi stares resolutely at the hat wearing man and sneers her upper lip, revealing her sharp teeth. At the side of the red fedora bandit, a scrawny man glances over and glares at Veevi with a lecherous grin. "Hey! Red Hat! You want me to, uh, search them?"

Red Hat glances over briefly, nods in agreement, and crosses his arms in anticipation. "Most certainly, Rat. I'm actually curious what they may be carrying."

With an eager smile, Rat shoulders his rifle by the strap, walks around behind Chad, and pats him down. He quickly feels around Chad's sleeves, checks the pockets of his hoodie and pants, and finds a bundle of paper money. Flipping deftly through the wad, he swiftly shows Red Hat and stows it away. He runs his hands down Chad's pant legs, stands up, and steps around in front of Chad. Glancing down at Chad's big belt buckle, he smirks greedily. "Hmm. Nice belt. Might take that later."

Narrowing his glare at Rat, Chad grumbles dismissively. "Uh, thanks?"

Growing an ear to ear grin, Rat steps around behind Veevi, flexing his fingers expectantly, and performs a similar search of her person. Inspection times slow down drastically with extra attention paid to choice areas of Veevi's hoodie and shorts. After the long holds and pauses during the lengthy pat down, Red Hat impatiently hems loudly and sighs impatiently. With each passing second, ire boils furiously upon Veevi's tan face. Her short-hair tail fur puffs out further with each moment. Rat leers up and chuckles to himself. Veevi instinctively twitches and spits in Rat's face. "You'll feel your broken off hands in your ass if you keep that up!"

Wiping the thick phlegm off his face, Rat stumbles away cursing and scrambles for his rifle. "Argh! Ah, fuck you, damned pink bitch!"

The two bandits at the sides of the blockade snort and laugh. The lecherous cretin stumbles back to his feet and scurries next to Red Hat. After a long, annoyed groan, Red Hat shakes his head. "I take you didn't find anything... Rat?"

Retrieving the money from his pocket, Rat hands it to his boss. "No. Just this money."

Shrugging his shoulders, Red Hat glances over to each side at the other two bandits, and points to the truck. "Okay. Briggs. Mort. Open up the back doors, and check the cargo. If it's any good, let the rest know and get it hauled off."

Briggs and Mort nod to Red Hat, and each approach a side of the truck. The two slowly step along the length of vehicle and pause in the middle of. Both kneel and survey the underside of the machine. Examining the mechanical aspects, each pats choice places underneath and taps suspect parts. After seconds of inspection, both exchange glances and nod in satisfaction. Standing up, they resume walking and reach the back double doors to the cargo compartment. Briggs undoes the locking mechanism and grabs the handle for one door. Mort takes hold of the other. In unison, the two lift the latches and swing the doors open. Turning to face the inside of the cargo hold, Briggs and Mort freeze in place and gawk in abject shock.

A few dumbfounded blinks later, power armor gauntlets swiftly reach out and clamp firm, threatening grips on their faces. Readied hydraulics straining dangerously close to their ears ensures their silence. Trakenthin stands stoically, points a finger at Briggs and Mort, motions to awaiting, eager Chrome Crusader personnel with restraints, and signals for silence with a finger to his lips. Briggs and Mort eye each other through the gaps between the robotically enhanced hands and stare in horror at the two power armored paladins gripping. Within tight tolerances, both nod pleadingly to Trakenthin. Briggs and Mort swiftly disappear inside the cargo hold of the truck, and the doors quietly close back up.

Tapping his foot, Red Hat sighs loudly. "Hmm. It's taking them some time."

Furrowing his brow, he slides a playfully suspicious stare over to Chad and Veevi. "So... Simple dry goods, furniture, and supplies? I wonder. Maybe we got ourselves some enterprising smugglers? Maybe BAD smugglers with some lucrative contraband?"

Shrugging his shoulders dismissively, Chad concentrates his stare upon the lead bandit. Attentions briefly shifting towards an unseen source, he thinks a moment, pulls a white toothed grin along his face, and aims an examining gaze upon Red Hat. "Question. How well do you know how to use that sword?"

Lifting the brim of his red fedora up slightly, Red Hat quirks an intrigued brow at Chad and cocks his head to the side, intrigued. "Fairly well, I'd like to think... And have been told by the many I've bested."

Gripping one hand onto the other, Chad frees his fist from the glove along with his Stalwart Sword, readies the blade at the boss, and sneaks a firm press upon his belt buckle. "Mind if I test your claims?"

Rat leaps back in surprise, aims his rifle at Chad, and nervously blurts out. "D-d-drop it! Or, I'll s-s-shoot!"

Excitement igniting his eyes, Red Hat waves off his underling, draws his finely made blade, and grins brightly. "It's okay! Oh, I do think THIS will be FUN!"

Chad and Red Hat assume combat stances, Veevi side steps carefully away, and Rat maintains an uneasy watch. Chad narrows his analyzing stare at Red Hat. In return, Red Hat eyes Chad up and down, assessing every little detail. He smiles in sheer amusement and chuckles. "Oh my, whoever are you really? You actually know how to use that sword."

A triumphantly bright white, trademark smile beams upon Chad's face, and he laughs out proudly. "Chad Bosch, leader of the Flames of the Phoenix."

Red Hat nods, bows slightly, and brushes the brim of his red fedora. "Pleased to meet you. I'm THE Red Hat. Shall we?"

The two stare intensely at each other, eyes reading every slight flit of body language motion. Blades gradually reposition, responding to hints from the other. Postures shift, and footings slide along the road surface, counteracting the changes of the opponent. Long, tense moments tick slowly by. Both suddenly tense their muscles. Chad and Red Hat lunge at each other, clash blades, and leap back, reevaluating their tactics. The two circle each other, pause tensely, and swiftly approach. In a fast flurry of motion, both combatants unleash multiple strikes, expertly parry, solidly block, and continuously seek the openings to exploit. Minutes of deadlocks, equal exchanges, and dodges later, Chad and Red Hat keep up the duel, awaiting the next assault from the other. Panting, Red Hat manically smiles and stares eagerly at Chad. "OH! This has been quite exhilarating! It's been too long, actually You have my respect."

Chad grins confidently and laughs, adjusting the angle of his blade. "The same. But... I think it will be decided soon."

Red Hat nods, tightens the grip upon his finely crafted sword, and tenses his muscles. A brief moment of still silence flits by. Both approach. Chad swings his sword slightly off. Red Hat dodges and expertly guides his blade towards an unguarded opening. A smile splits Chad's mouth. Releasing his blade, he shifts his footing along with his body and swings his arms, firmly grasping upon Red Hat's sword arm. With a strong pull and the momentum, Chad forcefully drags the rest of the Red Hat's body along a powerful, disarming throw onto the roughly paved road. Both swords clatter along the surface and slide out of reach of both fighters. Laying upon the pavement, Red Hat cackles loudly, gazing up into the blue sky above. With a dark grin, he sits up. "Now, THAT was a proper gods damned fight! OH, you have no idea how long I've yearned for such a battle. Brilliant fake out."

He bows his head to Chad and smirks with a sinister tinge. "Pity... I'll only get to experience it ONCE from you."

Rat levels his rifle at Chad, aims, and freezes immediately. A swarm of red and green dots wander upon Rat's body, gravitating to vital areas. Realizing the surrounding sources, Rat moves his finger carefully away from the trigger of his rifle and raises his hand.

In a sharp spike of panic, Veevi screams out angrily. "H-Hey! Pervert!"

With one hand up in the air, Rat pivots in place and faces Veevi. A bright green beam flashes out from the laser pistol in Veevi's gloveless hand, pulsing into the crotch of Rat's pants. A chaotic, fiery burst of vaporized cloth, smoke, and reflected green light erupts out, the impact rippling out from the epicenter. Rat flops over onto the ground motionless. Seconds later, a panicked wail of pain echoes into the highway corridor between the forests. Rat scrambles frantically around, ripping his pants open. He tears out an object, and flings a glowing, red-hot, dented metal athletic cup, sending it scraping across the roadway. Rolling around with both hands securely cupping his groin, Rat concentrates on breathing against the overwhelming odds.

Chad and Red Hat gawk in terrified horror, unconsciously guarding their respective bits. A chorus of surprise sounds out from the woods, and Modoran's voice briefly becomes audible. "Holy shit!"

Starting out into the surrounding vicinity, Red Hat spots the abundance of Chrome Crusaders stepping out from hiding and catches a glimpse of the laser pistol in Veevi's hand. He quickly raises his hands up into the air and yells out. "I. YIELD. Everyone! Dear gods... I surrender!"

----

In a wide walkway connecting tall, shelving lined rows of the massive warehouse store, Bach and Cideeda stare up at the overhead Merc-Mart signs, reading the outlines of contents down the packed aisles. Scouting the merchandise upon the heavy-duty racks, Bach furrows his brow and directs his voice over a shoulder towards Cideeda. "Well, I'm glad that Faelatelia is on her way back to her parents."

Stepping along the main path, Cideeda weaves between advertising placards and demo stands. "OH. YES. Just hope the parents cut her some slack. From what she said last night, she's been through enough. To her credit, she at least tried to get out there."

Bach nods, rummages around his pocket, and retrieves his aetherphone. "I mean, I count that for something. At least she figured out things weren't right and didn't want to be part of them anymore."

He enters the security code, and the phone screen pops midway through a news aggregator. Sifting through the random articles on the aethernet browser, Bach drags through the continuous feed on his phone display. "Huh. There was an eclipse this morning."

Perking her furry ears up, Cideeda steps up close to Bach's side and narrows her gaze at his aetherphone. "What? Really? When and where? I hadn't heard or seen anything about one."

Bach holds the device lower and chuckles. "Yeah, some time this morning for us... Oh. Up in the Arctic Circle."

Cideeda rolls her emerald green eyes away and snorts with a dismissive wave. "Oh, no wonder. I think I remember reading about that one a few months back. Three thousand seventeen is going to be dud when it comes to eclipses."

Nodding, Bach taps the screen and narrows his blue eyes at the full text. "Yeah... Looks like... Something in November... And..."

He dismissively grimaces and sighs. "It's in the Antarctic Circle.

Shaking her head of short, multi-colored hair, Cideeda laughs softly and flicks her fluffy tail. "That's about what I remember when I last checked. Nothing worth remembering. Just a bunch of confused fish and maybe a boat crew seeing it."

She glances up to Bach and grins toothily. "Not like the last one in three thousand twelve. Dretphi told me that some cult out west stirred up all kinds of trouble because of that one."

Bach shrugs his shoulders and peeks down the next aisle along the main walkway. "Always seems to be the thing. I will always remember the one in o' six. We weren't on the path, but it was close to High Alton. Sebastian and I froze our asses off trying to get a good look at it."

A genuine smile grows on Cideeda's light brown face, and she chuckles softly, perking her furry ears. "I BARELY remember anything about it, but the one in ninety two was the best one for me. It passed right over where I was living at the time."

Squinting into his thoughts, Bach cocks his head and slowly nods. "Yeah... I kind of remember that one."

He blinks a few times, gazes down at Cideeda, and furrows his brow. "Wait, how much do you remember of that? I mean, I don't think you're older than me..."

Resting her hands on her hips, she flashes a toothy grin and snorts. "Oh, I'm not. Honestly, all I really remember was it getting REALLY dark, seeing those shadow snakes on the yard, and..."

She rolls her eyes at herself with a tight smile. "My mom and dad struggling to keep their little girl from taking the welding goggles they fitted on me, so their little girl didn't stare right into the sun."

Bach snorts and chuckles, shaking his head. Signaling Bach to follow down an aisle, Cideeda glances over her shoulder. "Okay, SO on a different subject, we ARE here to get you some new clothes. BUT..."

Lifting an eyebrow, she slyly smirks. "There's another reason."

Bach furrows his brow and suspiciously eyes Cideeda. "Which is?"

Pausing, Cideeda spins around and faces Bach, presenting a toothy grin. "It's Sotalia's birthday tomorrow."

She resumes walking, surveys contents of a nearby counter, and turns at a pathway intersection. Bach thinks a moment and catches up. "Oh! Okay. So, what do we need to do?"

With a laugh, Cideeda shakes her head and nonchalantly stretches her arms out. "Nothing too crazy. We usually gift something practical and useful that you'd never get around buying for yourself. Or..."

A scheming grin graces her, and she winks a Bach mischievously, tapping her finger tips together. "We get a FITTING gag gift."

Narrows his stare ahead, Bach sighs and grumbles to himself. "Oh. Great. I can just imagine the possibilities for me at this point."

Cideeda snickers, rolls her eyes, and smiles comfortingly to Bach. "Ah, it's all in good fun. And, you get whatever you want baked for you as long as we can put candles in it."

Nodding in reserved acceptance, Bach scans the merchandise with renewed interest and examines a display of different types of socks. "Okay. Yeah. I guess that's a pretty nice deal. So, what does Sotalia get usually?"

Cideeda flips through a few pairs of toed socks, glances over to Bach, and smirks with a hint of excitement. "A big pan of chocolate brownies. Dretphi is taking care of it this year."

Bach inspects a few t-shirts upon a table, places them back, and hums with interest. "That sounds pretty good. Especially if Dretphi is making them."

Releasing a long sigh, Cideeda crosses her arms and plots out loud. "So. We're cutting it a bit close with everything else that's been going on. Hopefully, if we can find a good gift today and you can keep her occupied enough during your Monday magical training sessions..."

She wags her tail and tips her head back. "We might be able to sneak this one in."

A scheming smile appears on Bach, and he winks slyly to Cideeda. "OH. I can keep her occupied. I'll just randomly hint at some other spell I know."

Cideeda bows her head understandingly, reads the overhead aisle signs, and grimaces in frustration. "Gods, I'm just not seeing anything that sticks out for her."

Pivoting in place, Bach pans his stare around the area. In the large, open space between massive racked aisles, rows of tables stand with assortments of merchandise. Bright yellow tags cover the normal price tags with the phrase "Clearance" boldly printed. A spark of inspiration arcs in Bach's mind. He closes his eyes, reopens them to a glowing blue upon the sea of clearance items, and smirks smugly. "How about a box of random, cheap magic crap?"

Cideeda pauses in thought, tilts her head to the side, and perks her furry ears in agreement with a toothy grin. "Gods. Yes. I'll enable her habit this one time."

----

Aristespha brushes off the dining table and hoists up a large gift wrapped box onto the middle. Cideeda stands next to the open sliding glass door and glances out into the late afternoon lit backyard, keeping a furry ear aimed outside. Dretphi precisely guides a kitchen knife into the pan of brownies and divides the whole into an equal grid of squares. Sebastian awaits next to Cideeda and whispers over to her. "Anything yet?"

Cideeda shakes her head and smirks satisfied. "Nope. She's still in the gazebo, and the hot tub is still bubbling."

Sebastian's translucent form quirks his brow. "Huh. You think she fell asleep in there? Bach did drag out the training session today."

Stepping up next to Dretphi, Bach examines the tray of chocolate baked goods, sorts through the candles in his hand, and gazes out to the group overall. "So, um... How many candles do I put on this?"

Dretphi glances over, smiles slightly, and places drink glasses down from the overhead cabinets onto the counter. "Twenty six."

Starting to accept the amount, Bach pauses, contorts his face with revelation, and grimaces into a mildly confused stare. "Wha- Huh- Ah... Really? I mean, I, uh... Not one to judge, but..."

Aristespha snorts into snickering laughter, finishes arranging some place mats upon the tabletop, and rolls her violet eyes in humor. "WELL, we have this accidental tradition that Sebastian started when he put in the wrong number candles. Therefore, we all decided if we are going to put any number, it will be the number of the youngest in the group."

Nodding at the concept, Bach swiftly pokes more wax sticks into the brownie squares and cautiously inquires. "So... Who's the youngest?"

Dretphi smiles amused, pivots towards Bach, and raps her fingers upon the counter. "ME. Could you not tell?"

Bach's eyes widen, and he slowly gazes over at Dretphi. Wrestling an awkward smirk, he stumbles over a response. "Uh... Yea- Um- Well..."

Watching Bach fumble about his words, Dretphi shakes her head with a happy chuckle. "Do not worry. I was joking."

Cideeda's furry ear flicks, and she cranes her head out the opening in the sliding glass door. Snapping her head back inside, she whispers loudly to the rest of the team. "She's coming out."

Bach places the last candle. Dretphi sweeps up the pan immediately, swiftly carries the tray over, and lands it upon the tabletop. Cideeda quietly slides the glass door shut. Quickly gesturing out a swift incantation, Aristespha flicks a flow of magic across the candles, and colored flames spring up upon each of the wicks. The group settles and waits around the table.

A minute passes, and the glass door slides open. Sotalia steps through, drying her fiery orange, wavy hair with a towel. Lowering the towel and draping it upon her shoulders, she guides her hair over her horns and gawks at the team. Excitement rushes over her, and she skips over to join them around the table. Everyone cheers out a happy birthday in their favored languages. Sotalia smiles brightly, draws in a deep breath, and blows out the candles. A few re-ignitions later, a stubborn flame gets a dispelling tap of magical energy from a long nailed finger. Bach smiles inquisitively and crosses his arms. "So, how old are you today?"

Sotalia parts an evil grin. Weaving her fingers together, she props her elbows upon the table, rests her head on her hands, and concentrates a piercing stare through Bach. "WELL. How old do YOU think I am?"

Hints of hesitation trickling out, Bach averts his gaze away from the unrelenting attention from Sotalia and awkwardly laughs. "Uh, well, I'm not really good at judging ages..."

Golden eyes focus intensely. Catching a glimpse, Bach swallows hard. "But... Maybe... Late-"

Sotalia narrows her stare and abruptly mutes her smile. A brief wince staggers Bach's voice. "... Twenties?"

A flattered grin emerges upon Sotalia's light tan, dark gray edged face, and she sighs longingly. "Oh gods, I wish. Still, VERY nice of you to say though."

With an appreciative tone, she rolls her golden eyes at herself and shrugs her shoulders. "I was born today, May nineteenth, twenty nine eighty one. Thirty six... years ago. Hence, the oldest of the group."

Sebastian motions for the gifted wrapped box. "Hey, it's just a number. You are most certainly young at heart. Anyway... Gift time!"

The gathering at the table slides the large gift in front of Sotalia. With a thankful smile to Sebastian, Sotalia places her hands on the side of the box. Her focus locks onto the package, and she eagerly inspects the container. "What did you guys get me? I feel magic in here!"