Upon the couch, Cideeda slowly drags a finger tip along her aetherphone, watching the text scroll on the display. Her furry ear flicks towards the television, and she rolls her head of short, multi-colored hair over towards the screen. She lazily reaches a hand out on the coffee table, grasps hold of the remote, and presses a claw tip upon a few of the rubber buttons. Satisfied with a different program on screen, she settles back into the couch, stretching her body out along the cushions, and wags her tail with a yawn. Her attention drifts back to her aetherphone, and she releases a long, relaxed sigh. "Well... I think all the easy jobs got snatched up yesterday. There's NOTHING I really want to do left on the lists."

Sunken in the couch chair, Aristespha pivots her gaze away from her tablet, glancing over to Cideeda. "Yes. It certainly seems to be the case. I even tried looking last night, and I am not seeing anything new today."

Adjusting the pillow under her head, Cideeda shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, smirking, and drapes a blanket over her from the back of the couch. "Yeah... Wouldn't have minded doing another day of small clean up jobs. But..."

She flicks up her clawtips upon her phone screen, frowning at the same stagnant list. "What remains is just too scattered to even bother with."

Grinning comfortably, she rests her phone down on her chest and turns her attention to the television. "And... Anyway... I'm already settled in for this marathon."

With a chuckle to herself, Aristespha smiles understandingly and rests her focus upon her tablet, studying the information prompts on the screen of her game. Sebastian's ethereal form reaches out a hand, and he points out an area of the game map. "I think you need to build fortifications here, dear."

Waving her ivory hand, Aristespha playfully shoos Sebastian off his perch near her shoulder. She twists her mouth with a hint of frustration and grumbles, narrowing her violet eyes upon the task. "I KNOW, Sebastian. But, not yet. I want to get the refinery going now."

Sebastian drifts back slightly, rolls his translucent blue eyes with a smirk, and mumbles. "The computer is going to start poking your defenses soon..."

Aristespha angles the tablet screen gradually away from Sebastian's prying eyes, and he floats above to get a new view. Aristespha's long pointy ear twitches at Sotalia's frustrated groans, and she glances over towards the dining table. Sotalia narrows her competitive, golden glare at Bach and points accusingly at the last block on the wooden tower. "Oh, come on! You KNOW that should have fallen off."

Grinning widely, Bach weaves his fingers together upon the table top and waits patiently, expectantly. "Maybe. But... It didn't. So..."

With a trace of superiority, he furrows his brow. "Now, it's your turn to pull."

Sotalia flexes her fingers and straightens her posture, focusing upon the smug smile of Bach. Curling an annoyed smirk, she sighs through her gritting teeth. "FINE. There's just no good choices, NOW."

Rolling his blue eyes off to the side, Bach slowly shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, you probably shouldn't have been trying to stack it so badly to trip me up."

Staring seconds at Bach unamused, Sotalia groans in partial acceptance and gradually nods to a begrudging smile. "I know... I know... GODS... There's just nothing obviously good to work with."

A tinge of evil satisfaction creeps out upon Bach's light tan face, and he watches Sotalia's hand hover indecisively around the barely stable wooden block structure. Summoning a flow of magical energy to her finger, she presses a long nailed tip to a loose piece in the tower. The block flickers to a purple color, surprising Sotalia, and pushes away from her finger. The tower sways back and forth, Sotalia struggling to stabilize the purple glowing block. With a final tip too far, the structure's high center of gravity pulls it down, splashing out upon the tabletop. Sotalia crosses her arms upon the table, lowers her head down, and quietly curses to herself. Maintaining a muted grin, Bach watches Sotalia slowly scoop her arm out to gather all the pieces near her. Heavy, energetic footsteps sound out from the archway leading to the hallway, and Dretphi nearly hops out with a bright grin on her face and brushes a few stray braids off to her shoulders. "Have good news!"

Springing back to awareness, the other team members turn to Dretphi. Taking a few moments to temper her excitement, Dretphi collects her thoughts, focusing on her words. "My house traveled to investigate a school for my brother. Storm delayed original flight back a week."

Dretphi breathes out and averts her steely gray eyes with a humored smile, shrugging. "Mother... negotiated... with the travel company. They will arrive in an Amaranth Valley hotel tomorrow night. Free Saturday. Fly out Sunday."

A bit of anxiety slips out upon her tan face, and she gazes out to the group, fighting a bit of tension. "Would it be okay to invite them here Saturday? For the day?"

With a delighted smile, Sebastian nods quickly and motions his arms out. "Well, of course! I don't believe we have anything going on Saturday? Any objections?"

Aristespha shakes her head and pleasantly smiles at Dretphi. "None from me. I would be honored to meet your house."

Giving a thumbs to Dretphi, Cideeda grins toothily. "Fine with me. I mean, they're all the way out here. They may as well stop on by."

Sotalia smiles at Dretphi, chuckling to herself. "I've only seen pictures of them. So, it'll be interesting to see the family resemblance in person."

Bach nods to Dretphi, tilting his head curiously. "I mean, sounds good. By the way, where are they flying to Sunday?"

Dretphi gazes at Bach, thinking a moment, and plainly states. "Verdan. In Radotahin. My home town."

Blinking in thought for a few seconds, Bach gradually turns his head, processing the information. A moment later, he quirks his puzzled brow. "Oh. Okay. Where is that exactly?"

Dretphi glances around the large living and dining space, ponders briefly, and points westwards, adjusting her aim a few degrees to the north. "Approximately one thousand seven hundred kilometers that direction."

Bach's blue eyes widen, and he blinks astonished. "Wow."

Sebastian chuckles, flying across the room, and lands next to the dining table. "Yeah. That's a story right there."

Grumbling slightly, Dretphi sighs briefly and dons a happy smile on her face. "Another time. Now... I want to make a nice lunch to celebrate."

She quickly walks around the dining table into the kitchen area, opens the refrigerator door, and inspects the contents. Seconds later, she frowns and sighs with disappointment. "Missing certain ingredients..."

Stirring from her rest upon the couch, Cideeda squirms from comfort under her blanket. "I guess we could make a run to the store..."

Bach blinks back to awareness, glances over towards Cideeda, and gazes through the sliding glass window to the pleasant glow of the sunny, calm morning. Sliding back his chair from the dining table, he stands up and gazes around at the group. "You know. It's a nice day. I'll run out on my bike. The sidecar can hold the groceries easily."

Halting her rise from the comfortable spot on the couch, Cideeda slowly sinks herself back down into the cushion and grins approvingly. "Well, I'm not going to argue."

With an economical minded perk of her light brown brow, she smiles, her tail tip wagging from under the blanket. "Saves us the synth diesel, anyway."

Bach smirks to Sotalia, lifting a competitive eyebrow. "Rematch after I get back?"

Sotalia presents a scheming grin and interlocks her fingers together. "Of course. I'll stack it nicely for YOU."

Rolling his eyes in amusement, he walks around the table into the kitchen, retrieves his aetherphone, and stands next to Dretphi. "So, what do I need to get?"

Dretphi lists off a few items, waits for Bach to record them in his phone, and peeks over his shoulder to double-check. Bach reads off the list to Dretphi's approval and steps over towards the kitchen door leading to the garage. "Cool. I'll get the bike warmed up, throw my gear on, and I'll be off."

Dretphi smiles warmly at Bach, and the door closes. Sotalia eyes over towards Dretphi with an ill-humored smirk. Moments later, Dretphi rolls her shoulders uncomfortably and notices Sotalia's gaze, puzzling. "What?"

With a snort, Sotalia waves off the attention and rolls her golden eyes away from Dretphi's confusion. "Oh... Nothing."

----

Isaac flexes his grip upon the steering wheel of the sedan and glances over to a large sign. The sun warms the green plastic covered metal and glints faintly off the white, reflective lettering showing locations and distances. Brushing a few stray white hairs out of his face, Isaac narrows his gaze upon the single digit number next to Amaranth Valley at the top and wanders down the list, studying a few of the other locations. He stares out ahead at the highway and modest amount of traffic, humming to himself in thought. Flicking his gray eyes over, he checks over his supplies and sneers uncomfortably, realizing the abundance of open, empty containers to sealed, full ones. Returning his attention forward, his eyes drop down briefly, and he furrows his brow at the fuel gauge indicator creeping ever closer to empty. He grumbles to himself, mumbling uneasily. Staring off into the distance, he surveys the scattered stores filling the sides of the highway in the section ahead. He squinting towards a fuel station along the opposite side of the road and wanders his search down the highway. A sidecar motorcycle approaching down the other lane catches his attention. Issac's eyes open wide in sheer surprise. Recognition homes in on the familiar helmet, duster, and face of the rider, all zipping past the gas station. Visually following the motorcycle, Isaac watches the vehicle and rider turn into a grocery store parking down the road.

Isaac snaps his attention forward, maintaining control of the sedan against a surge of tension. His face plays out a mix of apprehension and intrigue, furrowing his brow with the flurry of thoughts. From the cracked window, the wind flutters the edges of pictures in his open backpack upon the passenger floorboard. Spotting the photographs, Isaac ponders a moment, determination swelling within. He cracks a smirk and tightens the grip on his steering wheel. Slowing down into the middle lane, he steers the vehicle around in a tight U-turn and powers the car down the road towards the grocery store. Hunting around the area, he spots a secluded section of alley road behind the gas station and turns into an entry. He checks the vicinity and locates an obscured section of access road. Parking the vehicle out of the way, he stares down the long stretch of connecting passageway, leading towards the large market parking lot. He slowly eases out a few calming breaths and vents out his nerves. Isaac searches his mind and blatantly contemplates his options upon his tan, faintly sunned face. Blinking through his thoughts, he straightens his posture and pulls up his blue scarf over his nose.

Noxian opens the door, steps out, and quietly pushes the door shut. He calmly, confidently walks towards the grocery store parking lot.

----

Bach exits the market section of the large grocery store hoisting up two stuffed paper bags by the handles. Dodging around traffic and other customers, he weaves through the chaos and arrives at his motorcycle parked between two large, tall vehicles. Glancing to either side of the spot, he furrows his brow at the encroachment beyond the painted lines and groans. "Really people?"

With a roll of his eyes, he shrugs off the annoyance and slips through the remaining space. Lowering each bag into the sidecar, he carefully arranges the contents and secures the cargo. He stands up, brushes off his duster, and fans out some heat. From behind, a familiar voice stuns Bach motionless. "It is a nice day for a ride, Mr. Warwick."

Bach's blue eyes open fully. His expression blanks. And, he stiffly stands up straight. Gradually pivots in place, he turns towards the source of the voice. Noxian smiles wide underneath his blue scarf, crosses his arms, and sheds a magical veil, now fully visible. "I apologize for interrupting your shopping, but I believe we need to have a little discussion."

Every muscle in Bach's body tenses, his eyes dart around the area frantically, and he remains still, flits of confusion and fear twisting his face. Focusing his gray gaze upon Bach, Noxian gently motions his hands for Bach to calm down. "Put yourself at ease, Bach. I certainly did NOT come here to a populated area to pick a fight with you."

The din of surrounding shoppers rises up from the background, waves of noisy people shifting around the pocket of space between the two large trucks. Bach cringes briefly, gritting his teeth, and grumbles uneasily. "OKAY... That's good to know. Wasn't really looking forward to a fight. Much less one here... Much less with you..."

With the outline of a grin visible under his blue scarf, Noxian nods and unfolds his arms, placing his hands upon his sides. "GOOD. I expected as such. Anyway..."

He furrows his brow and sighs. "I distinctly believe that fighting would not serve to benefit either of us."

Noxian chuckles slightly and tilts his head, intrigued. "While I have grown to be quite the expert in manipulation of elder energies... I certainly don't have access to the RAW POWER like..."

With Bach visibly perplexed at the attention, he narrows his stare through Bach. "YOU do."

Bach pales, abject horror overwhelming him, and trembling fits sneak around his body. "Uh... Um... W-what are you t-talking about? I don't have-"

Hoisting his eyebrow incredulously, Noxian rolls his gray eyes, loudly sighs with a shake of his head, and glares right at Bach. "OH. Let us NOT do this act. I KNOW you have tapped into SOMETHING. Proper evidence shows such even."

Softening his expression, Noxian gazes at Bach with genuine curiosity, his tone lightening to a polite cadence. "All that I ask is you to just tell me..."

He furrows his brow and focuses fully upon Bach. "HOW did you do IT?"

With his mind floundering for a response, Bach stares right at Noxian, completely uncertain. Noxian patiently waits, the sounds of grocery store customers filling the air around. Bravery swells up into Bach, and he narrows his glare. "Well... Huh. I mean, I'm not going to lie to you..."

He grits his teeth, sneers his upper lip, and defiantly states. "I. DON'T. KNOW."

Noxian scrutinizes Bach thoroughly, a flicker of white sparking in his eyes, and contorts his face. Bach sighs uneasily, and nerves shove out a further explanation. "It's the truth. I was in a bad situation. I panicked... Reached out? Well, ah, that's the best way I can explain it. And..."

Mustering up his resolve, he steels himself. "Something happened I did not expect, and it completely caught me off guard. After that, I don't know. So, even if I WANTED to help you, I honestly CAN'T."

Tense seconds pass. Noxian slowly nods, relaxing his gaze, and twists his mouth unsatisfied, shrugging his shoulders. "I see. That is very unfortunate. But, I cannot rightly fault you for not remembering specific information in a dire situation. Oh well. No easy answers today, I guess."

Donning an apologetic tone, he softens his gaze towards Bach and bows slightly. "Since we are here and conversing, I do think I need to make some amends for my past behavior towards you. Let me say, I am very sorry for how I acted before and my hostilities towards you."

He sighs and grimaces uncomfortably. "My ambitions got the better of me, at the time, and led me into actions I should not have even remotely considered."

Apprehension overtakes Bach, and he wrestles down a wave of bewilderment, glancing around. He collects himself and focuses back upon Noxian. "Um... I... Well... Appreciate your apology?"

Noxian smiles under his scarf, nods respectfully, and stands tall with a calm voice. "Good. And, as a gesture of goodwill, I want to offer you assistance with learning how to control your elder energy and train you how to use it more effectively."

Freezing solidly for seconds in outright terror, Bach forces a step back and lifts his hands up. "NO."

Carefully watching every motion of fear plain upon Bach, Noxian perks his brow intrigued and concern colors his voice. "Interesting. Why are you so hesitant?"

Anxiety spins lose into a wave of rage and radiates through the whole of Bach. Breathing shakily, he pushes another step back away from Noxian. "Whatever I have... I-it doesn't n-need your help. Not YOUR ways."

Noxian ponders a few moments, searching Bach's fearful demeanor, and sighs with genuine worry. "Please, calm down. This is not some kind of scheme. I honestly do want to help you. You shouldn't fear this power you have access to." Pausing in thought, he meets Bach's stare and calmly assures. "It's not some kind of evil thing. It is still dangerous and should be well respected, but there is nothing bad about it."

He slowly steps forward, maintaining his watch of Bach, and presents a cool, collected exterior. "To summarize a very long discussion quickly... You've been lied to. The whole Elder Energy and Dark Lords subject? It's a bunch of fear mongering crafted by ghosts of the past to keep people from exploring what they eventually should."

With a long pause, Noxian searches his mind, constructing the next parts of his explanation. "There may have been good reasons for what many wise mages did at the time, all so long ago. But, NOW? We NEED to MOVE ON. Those of us who can show the restraint and dedication..."

He narrows his stare at Bach. "Like YOU have... Need to not be afraid to utilize this power-"

A mental shock jolts Bach's body free. Bach winces briefly, and a pressure surge of panic launches out a defiant rant from deep within. "FUCK. THAT. Just FUCK that! GODS! You don't know what should and shouldn't be utilized. The only gods damned reason I'll explore any of this power is to figure out how to one day... CUT MYSELF OFF FROM IT! Because of this bullshit, I spent YEARS of my life as a washed out, useless, lame mage. A fucking disgrace! A worthless disappointment! And, the worst joke around! I'm NOT about to turn this miserable, shitty curse into anything more than a means to its own end! I want it long gone! And, I want to just cast spells like I used to be able to! Like EVERYONE else does!"

He jabs a pointed finger out towards Noxian. "FUCK. YOUR. INANE. BULLSHIT!"

Noxian rears his head back momentarily in absolute surprise and frowns, witnessing Bach's trembling stance and anxiety-stressed breathing. With a soothing, paternal cadence, Noxian meets Bach's eyes and sighs. "Bach. Listen. You have been given a unique opportunity for some reason. Yes, it was granted to you in a terribly awkward and obviously devastating manner. But..."

Drawing in a long breath, Noxian smiles hopefully under his scarf and encouragement colors his tone. "What you have... THIS is something I DID NOT think was even POSSIBLE in this day and age. You should take this chance and do great, wonderful things!"

Uncertainty powers Bach's defiance, and he dismissively rejects with a wave of his hand. "Nothing GOOD is going to come from using this energy. They put the Abstract Prism in place for a good gods damned reason. And, I'm not about to push my shitty luck and find out WHY in the worst fucking way possible."

A surge of irritation mixes with frustration upon Noxian's face, and he quickly closes the distance between him and Bach. He concentrates his narrowing glare through Bach and slowly, purposefully pronounces each word. "It CAN be for good. It COULD have done good..."

His attention shifts to a distant place in his mind, and he reflects upon old memories, Bach noticing the change. Seconds later, Noxian drills his stare right into Bach's soul. "AND. It HAS done good."

In utter confusion, Bach searches around in his mind between flicks of his eyes. Stepping back, Noxian draws in a long calming breath and sighs into a deeply appreciative cadence. "The Nightmare Geist in Hattan. Thousands of people spared from untold destruction... And one little girl that draws you as her hero of light against the darkness that almost took her."

Jarring memories rise up to the front of Bach's mind, and he abruptly yanks his attention to within. Noxian focuses upon Bach and directs his voice carefully. "Also... Care to explain to me how Cideeda is flowing magical energy now? Something I've never seen or heard of her being able to do... Until you joined the group?"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Bach sifts through another collection of thoughts and mumbles an argument to himself. "But, I, uh, um... That was an accident and... Gods, it could have seriously hurt her... It just shows that power should- I mean, shouldn't be used... Just sealed away..."

Training his full attention upon Bach, Noxian waits for the moment Bach meets his determined stare. "Bach. You should NOT be afraid of this power. Don't act like you haven't made willing, purposeful choices to use it. You could have easily not used it, stuck to those hollow principles, and tried to live with the results. But..."

Examining the turmoil slipping out through Bach, he reassures. "You made a choice. The RIGHT choice..."

He drills his stare into Bach and states clearly. "I'm certain Sotalia would say so."

An uncomfortable revelation washes over Bach, paralyzing him, and he wanders through his own head. Noxian observes the perplexed Bach patiently, stepping back. An awkward eerie silence looms between the two, pushing away the rest of the world. Tense seconds later, the quiet fades, and another wave of grocery store parking lot activity rises out of the background. Shaking his head of wispy, white hair, Noxian sighs and gazes at Bach with a hopeful tone. "I understand. You still need time to accept all this. I can see and feel that it's been a serious burden upon you. And truly, I wish I had known sooner. I could have... AND still will help you, if you want."

He straightens his posture and calmly states. "THAT is my standing offer to you. Keep it in mind."

Pondering a moment, Noxian crosses his arms and nods slightly. "And maybe, when you learn more, you'll hear me out about other things."

He searches around the area, the market getting busier, and smiles under his scarf. "But... For now, I do terribly need to take my leave. As much as you have errands to run, I do so, too. Elsewhere... Briefly..."

Pausing moment, he smirks. "Take care of yourself, Bach. I believe Fate will have us running into each other soon enough."

Noxian begins to fade into transparency and turns to walk away. Bach snaps back to awareness and stares out to the disappearing Noxian. "Isaac?"

Isaac freezes in shock, slowly turns around, and slips backs into visibility, gawking at Bach. Meeting Isaac's gray eyes, Bach plainly states to Isaac's confusion. "Your journal."

Distant memories flood into Isaac's consciousness, and he winces with past, still sharp, pain. Bach sighs earnestly and frowns slightly. "You have my most sincere condolences. I don't know what I would have done. Hopefully for the best, that place is no longer forgotten."

A long, somber silence hangs between the two. Seconds later, Isaac clears his throat and turns away to depart, fading into invisibility. He pauses momentarily short of disappearing and glances over his shoulder to Bach. "Thank you..."

Thinking for a moment, he sighs sadly. "Understand... There's a good reason for what I do. I think you'll understand, eventually."

Isaac's visage blends into the air, and his presence fades from sight. Bach remains upon his feet for another minute in a tense watch of the area. His vigor wanes, and he plops upon the seat of his motorcycle. Panting in shuddering breaths, he shakily retrieves his aetherphone from his pocket.

----

With his arms upon the dining tabletop, Bach props his head up, combing his fingers through his hair, and releases the swell of stress from within into a long sigh. Slowly shaking his head, he meekly relents in a wavering, uneasy tone. "Gods... Dammit... Oh, man... I should have followed after him, or SOMETHING... But... FUCK. I just wasn't thinking. I am so sorry."

Sebastian cranes his head down in front of Bach, awaits eye contact, and dons a comforting smile, hints of worry fading. "Hey. It's okay, bro. Really. There's NOTHING to apologize for. You did the SMART thing. No need to get into a showdown with Noxian, and in a crowded place."

He curls a humoring grin and motions towards his ghostly visage. "I'm certainly not going to criticize you for NOT going one on one with Noxian. We all know how THAT ended. I'm just glad you're here and safe."

Gently patting Bach on the back, Sotalia leans over and smiles calmly with a soothing tone. "There was no point in running off by yourself to chase after him."

She rolls her golden eyes at herself, smirking. "Gods, I mean, you only followed the same advice YOU gave ME."

A slight smile lifts up the frown upon Bach, and he glances over appreciatively to Sotalia. Cideeda raps her claw tipped fingers on the wooden tabletop and gazes over to Bach curiously, pondering out loud. "Did you catch how he was getting around?"

Bach lifts his head up, blinks in thought for a moment, and regretfully shakes his head. "No... I was too upset and out of it to check when I should have. But..."

Furrowing his brow, he wrestles around a grimace. "I don't think it was anything in the parking lot I was in. Before I came back here after calling, I mage sighted an odd trace of elder energy around the bushes at the edge of the lot. I followed a little of it, but it just led to an access road in an alley behind a few stores and fuel stations."

Cideeda's emerald green eyes dart around her thoughts, and she nods with a plotting grin, her furry ears perking up. "OH, I bet there HAS to be at least one camera along that route. If nothing else, there's probably one angled to catch anything at an exit or entry point."

Sebastian's ethereal form scratches his chin, and he hums with a ghostly reverb, piecing together a theory. "Yeah. Definitely. We have the rough time frame and know the general area. If we check footage from the point from the call, we can see if anything left soon afterwards. Because I doubt Noxian hung around. THEN, we can check to see if any of the same vehicles arrived beforehand."

Halting her pacing next to the sliding glass door, Aristespha furrows her ivory brow, fully focused upon the conversation with her aetherphone, and sighs. "No- No... I completely understand. But-"

She briefly winces and relaxes slightly. "Fine. Yes, please do not hesitate to call his number or the guild if you get any further information. Thank you."

Removing the phone from her long pointy ear, she sneers her upper lip and groans out in frustrated resignation. With a slow pivot, she steps towards the gathering around the dining table, dissatisfaction looming heavily over her. Pulling a chair out, she tries to gracefully slide in and finishes with a slump. "WELL, the local police force has been notified, now. I highly doubt they are going to do much of anything to actively stop Noxian."

Sebastian rolls his translucent blue eyes, grumbling, and summons up a hopeful smirk. "Yeah, dear. Well... Honestly, I can't fault them for not wanting to chase after a dark lord. But, maybe they might be able to get some camera data in the area from all the store owners."

With a reserved smile, Aristespha nods in agreement and gazes up towards Sebastian lovingly. "That is true, Sebastian. I was certainly hoping for a bit more cooperation than what I got."

Narrowing her wandering stare, she frowns vaguely. "And, I have NOT heard that much from Nash lately. So, I have not a clue as to what is exactly happening at the Grand Library."

She chuckles lightly to herself and shakes her head. "But, I have a good feeling after he listens to the voicemail I left him... He WILL be contacting me soon enough."

Sotalia stands up straight, resting her hands at her hips, and tosses back her fiery orange, wavy hair, gritting her teeth. "STILL... How the hell DID Noxian know about everything that went on in that golem factory?!"

Curling her upper lip into a mean scowl, she squints her anger off to the side. "GODS! The only thing that makes any sense is that he was actually THERE with us!"

She grumbles out a string of emin swears to herself, slowly shaking her head with aggravation plain on her light tan, gray edged face. Cideeda squirms in her seat uncomfortably, searching her own thoughts, and idly flexes her fingers. "He had to have been there for a while watching us to notice ME flowing magical energy."

Crossing his arms with an irritated frown, Sebastian groans out his frustration and rolls his eyes dismissively. "Yeah... THANKS A LOT for the non-assist, Noxian. Still..."

He lowers his head in thought. "That list of coordinates we've got..."

Furrowing his brow at the pieces of facts and evidence congregating in his mind, he cocks his head intrigued. "It's definitely THE LIST he's using. I can't think of any other reason he'd show up there. We only knew the exact coordinates from the list and confirmed it was something worth checking out after what Faelatelia told us."

Bach sighs, resting against the chair back, and closes his eyes with worn cadence. "Well, somehow that site we got the data from must be able, or have been able, to detect elder energy or some kind of signature of it. Man, wish we knew what all the other numbers meant."

Reopening his eyes, he slumps his shoulders and stares within his own head, puzzling at memory. "Something I did not think was even possible in this day and age... Elsewhere... Briefly... Gods dammit. I can't shake this feeling he's changing his focus to something else."

He furrows his brow and grimaces. "FUCK. I feel like I just let him know about something he shouldn't."

Aristespha smiles comfortingly and shakes her head slowly. "It is NOT your fault, Bach. Just because he knows something exists, does not mean he will be able to remotely replicate it."

A scheming smirk graces her, and she tilts her head to the side, a plotting smile emerging. "In fact... It may serve to our benefit if he is distracted. Isaac worked at the Grand Library, and if he has any of the bad habits that such entitles..."

Perking an eyebrow, she curls the corner of her mouth, hopefully. "He will probably be researching this new development. Which will take him off his previous path."

Cideeda's emerald green eyes widen, her furry ears perk up, and she grins toothily with a chuckle. "AND, while he's busy chasing something that might not turn up anything, we can go through the list and beat him to other sites."

Hope growing within, Bach nods in agreement. "Yeah. I mean, it really felt like he was changing his focus to something else. If only for a little while."

Sotalia crosses her arms, shifts her weight, and grins with a competitive spark. "Oh, it'd be NICE to get ahead of his plans for once."

Glancing down at Bach with a wry smirk, she lifts an examining eyebrow at him and leans closer with an amused tone. "So, how about that offer from Noxian to help you?"

Bach blinks back to full awareness, narrows a stare up at Sotalia, twisting his mouth in ill-humor. "Oh yeah. That sounded like a GREAT offer. I'm certain taking magic tips from a dark lord will REALLY help me out in the long run... And, TOTALLY, not set me up for an inevitable betrayal after he learns what he wants from me."

Sotalia snickers, rolling her golden eyes, and shakes her head. "Gods, I'm just kidding."

Pausing a moment, she wrestles with a grimace. "That was still REALLY STRANGE of him."

Bach nods, staring out across the table bewildered, and furrows his brow, reprocessing recent events. "I know. I mean, he seemed genuine when he offered. I just don't know..."

Dretphi walks in from the kitchen carrying a large tray full of different, delectable lunch items in each hand, lays out the huge platters of sandwiches and sides on the tabletop, and glances over the group. "Lunch is ready. Please enjoy."

Gazing at Bach with a warm smile, she asks hopefully. "Are you hungry now? I can set aside a share for later. Give your appetite time to recover."

Bach sniffs the air, surveys the variety of delicious food in front of him, and shakes his head. "No, I can certainly eat. My stomach acid has been working on me for the last hour, so this amazing food is perfect right now."

Dretphi nods appreciatively, waiting as the rest of the group sits down around the table, and slips into a chair to join in the feast.

----

Dretphi stands under the morning shade of a tree with her hands securely gripped around her flow blade. With slow, careful breaths, she concentrates her gaze at the large sword, affixing her full attention upon it. Moments later, flows of prismatic energy seep out from her arms, glide over her hands, and sink into the handle of the weapon. With his glowing blue eyes studying the magic at play, Bach keeps close by, hands firmly at his sides. "You're doing just fine. Keep it steady and gradually press the flow harder."

Gritting her teeth slightly, Dretphi closes her steely gray eyes, tossing her platinum blonde braids back, and flexes her tan, gray striped arms. The flows brighten around her arms. The energy channels within the blade, illuminating a radiant red. The color gradually climbs up from the hilt, creeping towards the tip. Visibly straining, Dretphi maintains her focus upon her strenuous task, twisting her grimace. Bach nods slowly, leaning his head closer for examination, and encourages Dretphi with a soft tone. "Okay. Keep it right THERE, for now. Just focus on how it feels rather than the amount of power you are forcing out. Find the paths of least resistance."

The red patterns fill up the surface of the sword, pulsating slightly with occasional flits of brightness. Subtle tremors from Dretphi's arms shake the flow blade, very noticeably at the sharp tip. Eagerness and excitement slips out onto Dretphi's tan face, and she fights against her sheer determination, the progression of red gracing the end point. Grinning, Bach calls out, signaling with a hand motion. "Now! Full power!"

An expectant smirk sneaks out from the corner of Dretphi's mouth. Tensing her body, a rush of flow swirls across Dretphi and plunges into the flow blade. Briefly bursting ethereal red fire, the sword ignites, and a solid glow of crimson lights up the long blade's edge. A brilliant grin explodes upon Dretphi, and she watches the magical aura of the blade, recognition and familiarity overwhelming her with awe. Seconds later, the energy drifts from the blade. The glow fades from the sword. Dretphi gently lowers the flow blade back down toward the ground, relaxing the muscles in her arms and body, and releases a long sigh of relief and accomplishment. "Thank... You..."

Standing nearby, Bach applauds and laughs. "You're welcome. Wow! Is THAT how you remember it looking like when your mother used it?"

Dretphi rests the blade down, propping it upon the nearby tree trunk, and vents air through her sweat-dampened T-shirt, smiling at Bach. "Similar. There are differences. Does not matter. This was ME. THAT is what matters."

Nodding in agreement, Bach blinks briefly, pulls his shorts up by the waistband, and tugs his shirt down to cover. "Definitely was you all the way powering it. So, did it feel a bit easier?"

Wiping sweat off her brow, Dretphi crosses her arms, sorting through the recent experience, and mulls the question over. "In ways. It felt easy to... Reach? Hard to... Fill?"

Furrowing his brow, Bach scratches his beard-covered chin and ponders out loud. "Yeah. That... That actually makes sense. You can guide the flow well enough to go through all those channels, now. Throughput is always rough, though. Especially with the worn out channels in that sword, but..."

He smirks with a shrug of his shoulders. "A little brute force can make it cooperate for a little while."

Averting her gaze away momentarily, Dretphi bites her lower lip and glances uncertainly at Bach. "Does this demonstrate enough mastery for you to teach me magical augmentation?"

Bach's eyes spring wide open briefly, and he grits his teeth into an uneasy grimace with an unsure groan. "Uhh... Well..."

A frown curls the corner of Dretphi's mouth, and her distant stare saddens swiftly, hints of self disappointment and defeat slipping out. Drawing in a long breath, Bach sighs and crosses his arms firmly. He aims a serious stare upon Dretphi and twists his frown, hesitation tensing his body. "Listen... Can you tell me WHY you want to learn THAT? You mentioned before that someone you know uses this type of magic. Who is it?"

Dretphi blinks to attention and awkwardly glances around a bit. Presenting a small smile to Bach, she relaxes her posture. "My mother. I have heard tales of her power in battle. The flow blade. Magical augmentation of her body. If the stories are true, my mother has defeated tanks."

Tilting his head to the side, Bach gazes at Dretphi in astonishment. "Uh. Tanks? The armored battle machine type of tank? Not the big metal container type of thing?"

Furrowing her tan brow, Dretphi brushes her platinum blonde braids back over her shoulders, rests her hands on her hips, and shifts her weight idly around. "Yes. The vehicle."

She lifts an eyebrow and twists her mouth in thought. "Probably containers, too. If she had to prove a point near one."

Bach scratches his head of brown hair, guiding his white streak out of the way of his face, and blinks in disbelief a few times, searching Dretphi's face for a further explanation. "Okay. So, how did she defeat a... Tank?"

Dretphi shrugs her shoulders plainly and states simply. "Close in. Cut the treads. Jam the turret. Slice the cannon barrel."

Bach's stare drifts off into the vicinity, his mind visualizing the scene. Seconds later, he lands his attention back upon Dretphi's flow blade propped upon the tree truck. He points at it and cocks his head. "THAT blade, has taken down... Tanks."

Glancing over, Dretphi meets Bach's gaze and nods nonchalantly. "Yes. I have heard the stories from my fathers. Soldiers who fought with her. Historical documentation. All recounts were similar."

She pauses a moment and sighs heavy with shame, lowering her head. "I have wanted to learn that ability from her."

Narrowing her steely gray eyes, she fights against a frown. "She refuses to teach me. I do not know why. That is why I want you to teach me. Basic proficiency should demonstrate that..."

Sniffing in a short breath, she swallows hard with a trailing tone. "I... Am worthy to learn from her..."

Bach stiffen his upper lip and turns his head away, contemplation furrowing his brow. He returns his gaze upon Dretphi with a reserved smile. "Okay... Wow... Alright."

Pulling in a long breath, he straightens his posture and sternly addresses. "I want you to understand that magical augmentation of your physical body can lead to disastrous things, if you are not careful or prepared. UNDERSTAND?"

Dretphi snaps to full attention and nods firmly. "YES."

With a growing grin, Bach chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "Okay. I'll show you the very basics. It's going to take a LONG time to get going. And, you still need to keep practicing your ability to flow magical energy."

Glancing over Dretphi, Bach smiles reassuringly. "Thankfully, you certainly have the physique to handle some very simple stuff safely... I believe."

A delighted smile springs wide on Dretphi, and her excitement radiates out into her posture. Holding up his hands in a calming motion, Bach sighs with a smirk. "Just PROMISE ME you'll stick to just simple running and free movement for now. This isn't like the cartoons where you can charge up and start punching through walls."

Flexing his fingers, he eyes his knuckles and shakes off a memory. Dretphi nods happily, tempering her joy. "I know. Promise to use for regular movement... ONLY. THANK YOU."

Bach nods and drifts his attention towards a more immediate issue, pulling his shorts back up. Dretphi glances down, quirks her brow, and points curiously. "What is wrong?"

Fighting off embarrassment, Bach rolls his blue eyes at himself and grumbles. "I don't know. I, uh, think the waist must have stretched out in these or something in the last wash. I mean, I've had them for a while anyway, so it's not surprising they're falling apart. But... They've just not been fitting right lately."

Dretphi slowly shakes her head amused, giggling to herself, and cocks her head to the side. "You may need a belt. I could take in the waist, if you want."

Bach blinks in surprise, lifts his head up, and gazes at Dretphi, balancing confusion and disbelief . "Really?! You actually think I'm... Slimming down? I mean, I haven't lost that much weight and all..."

Continuing to study the looser fit of his clothes, he notices other details. Dretphi watches and hides a warm, humored smile with hand.

----

From a small opening in the underbrush, Meredosia stares out and slowly scans the huge clearing in front of her. Wind gently rustles the leaves of the giant trees encircling the vast area beneath the starry evening sky. Uneasy tension freezes Meredosia's body still, and her dark crimson eyes search the surrounding darkness carefully. Her ivory face alternates between unsettling recognition and unnerving discovery, scanning the scenery to the limits of her vision. At a distant part of the clearing, a number of uniformed military personnel stand guard outside a scorch mark spattered ancient structures. Other teams of troops methodically investigate both old and recently forged ruins. Surges of terrified bewilderment rise up in Meredosia, her horrified stare drifting between small blast craters, long ruts of laser burns, freshly baked deposits of black soot, bullet holes in and through structures, and dark red blood stains spattered throughout. She freezes her terror upon a faint humanoid outline intertwined into the chaotic destruction upon an ancient stone wall, recording the moments of an existence.

Blinking out of her stupor, Meredosia remembers to allow air into her lungs and shudders her head away from her view of the ancient clearing. She closes her eyes, carefully draws in silent breaths, and strokes her long gray hair, mustering back her composure. From within, determination swells out, and she levels her concentration upon the largest building in the huge field. Sliding out from her hiding spot in the underbrush, she slinks out low upon a nearby game trail, and swiftly sneaks along the path. Over the quiet minutes, she proceeds quickly from obscuring spots to concealing patches in the overgrowth. In the silence of a still moment, she rushes out from the perimeter of the clearing and arrives in a darkened alley along the side of the large main structure. She creeps up to the front corner, cautiously leans out, and surveys the immediate vicinity. A few lightly armored soldiers walk slowly in a long patrol up to the front entry and stop. Moments later, the conservations between the team and a number of other military guards crest over the soft nature background.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Meredosia backs away from the corner and mumbles under her breath a series of evuukian swears. She finds a secluded section of the architecture, draws back into safety, and sits down, softly venting out her unease. She brushes her ivory hands through her gray hair, grasps hold her very long, pointed ears, and closes her eyes, summoning a moment of calm against the anxiety tremors slipping out. Collecting herself, she shudders back to awareness and searches around. Investigating the structural features above, her crimson eyes lock onto an open window. She cocks her head to the side, memory driving her recognition. Quickly checking down either end of the passage and the thick underbrush wall behind, she quietly mutters out an incantation and expertly gestures out a spell. She positions herself below the high up, open window and presses her hand onto the ancient stone building. Streams of energy swirl down her arm to her hand, and Meredosia pulls herself up upon the wall. In a methodical, repetitious sequence, she places hand or foot up and flows energy, securing herself to the climbing face. She crawls higher up towards the awaiting window.

Arriving below the open window sill, she waits expectantly, her eyes closed and ears hunting. She opens her eyes, raises her gaze above the bottom of the window frame, and peers into the room. In the dark space, an eerie silence looms, pushing out the outside world. With a final pull, Meredosia hoists herself over the sill and slides herself through the opening onto a cold tile floor, next to a ceramic toilet. She quickly gestures out another incantation, and a small orb of light forms within the palm of her hand. Inspecting the dimly illuminated bathroom around her, she slowly stands up, visually traces the muddied footprints upon the floor, and feels the dried dirt leftover upon the sill. Trickles of hope manifest into a smile upon her face, and she stares out into the dark night forest scene outside.

Quietly, Meredosia slowly steps up to the closed bathroom door, noticing the dim illumination upon the destroyed jam. She presses her long, pointed ear against the wood and waits. Withdrawing, she gently pulls the door back. Her light casts out into the room, revealing a scene of sheer chaos and complete upheaval. Meredosia stares blankly out into the large bed room of dumped over bookshelves, hastily emptied drawers, upturned, broken furniture, ripped open cushions, pried apart chests, and shattered entry door fragments. Frozen in place with the shock, she crosses her arms tightly around herself and shrinks back a bit, her mind fumbling for an expression for her ivory face. Steeling herself, she steps forward through the room, stepping over debris, and pauses momentarily, spotting the dark stains of combat below the surface of destruction. Slowly, she navigates to a spot on the floor beside the upturned bed and kneels down. Feeling around the floor stonework, she guides her fingertips along the grooves and locates a slightly different section than the rest. She breathes out a soft incantation, working her fingers underneath. Lifting a section of floor, she uncovers a hidden compartment containing a modest backpack.

Meredosia stares silently at the backpack. Reaching out to the top, she curls a finger through a rope loop around a zipper pull and gradually unzips it. The flap drops away and reveals the contents. Meredosia pauses, studying the collection, and winces against the surge of the past. She rummage through and picks up a booklet, flipping it open. A sad sigh leaves her, her light orb illuminating a past picture of herself upon an evuukian identification document. Closing the paperwork, she tucks it securely back inside and zips the backpack back up. She lowers her head, nerves straining each of her breaths.

A sharp crack echoes distantly down the hallway leading to the bedroom entry. Meredosia's ears twitch, leading her head, and she gawks in wide eyed fright. A muffled conversation bounces dully down the hall, growing louder with each passing second. Meredosia takes hold of the backpack, slips it on, and deftly sprints to the bathroom, gesturing out an incantation. Maneuvering through the window, she leaps out of the building, glides gently onto the ground, and rushes off into the forest. Cautiously slinking between patches of underbrush, she proceeds further out and away.

The distance from the clearing grows. Her sprints between hiding spots lengthen. Caution gives way to speed. Far from the start of her escape, terror overwhelms her mind. Across the forest floor, she runs in full out panic. Fear blatant on her ivory face, Meredosia flees in blind terror. Ducking through passages, her lone, long gray hairs snag upon and snap away with branches and brambles. She pants harder with the growing distance. The thin sliver of moon barely adds to the dim starlight slipping in from the canopy above. Meredosia blindly scrambles through passages emerging from the inky darkness. Stealth crumbles with her fragmenting composure. Gasping for breath breath, she stumbles over a shrub. In the moment of pause, a spark of situational awareness graces her. From the ground, her dark crimson eyes refocus, recognizing the surrounding forest. Meredosia scrambles up, glancing around between pants. She snaps her stare towards a secluded patch of closely grown old trees. Darting into hiding, she collapses, out of breath, into a curled up ball, trembling and sobbing. She closes her eyes to world and withdraws into within, tears flowing and wincing with horror.

The hours pass. Her crying wanes. Her tears dry. She stills and remains quiet. Through the small opening of her hiding spot, she settles a distant stare out into the dark, shadow filled forest. In the idle moments between tensing anxiety, her mind wanders. Furrowing her brow, she narrows her glare out into the world. She searches her outfit's pockets. With a firm grip, she retrieves a medical supply wrapper and slips it out slowly. Studying the text stamped on, she focuses her dark crimson stare upon two words.

"Amaranth Valley"