Roth; it was a great source of information and rumors, it was perhaps the best place to have traveled, and it was all owed to a sudden bout of inspiration. The three men, walking shoulder-to-shoulder, could not hope to describe why it had suddenly hit them, but it had; they had traveled almost immediately to the city and made considerable haste in questioning its citizens. Many were questioned and many would spill their guts, the center-man, wearing a black cloak and hood that helped to obscure the majority of his features, had his way with people, when he spoke to them, they could not help but answer his inquiries, and there was a reason for that, a completing.

It wasn’t so much his words or his attitude when he spoke to people and nor was it his natural born charisma, of which he had none; no, it was something a bit more special than that, an ability he hadn’t been born with, but had gained through blood, spilled across the streets of some no-name village a life time ago. Indeed, this was his main source of gathering knowledge, people felt an instinctive bond with him, as though they could trust him, as they would their own father, and he preyed on it.

Streets were full and the noise of social activity was overbearing, but the three gentlemen who shuffled through the crowd seemed at home. They were looking for something, something specific, and they’d know it when they saw it. Most of what they had already learned was useless, but not all. They learned who may have knowledge on what they needed, the subject matter was a little complex, in reality, so much of what they asked had been specifically toned down; there was no telling what some of the information they gathered would lead them, but they’d have to investigate every piece. After all, what was the point of what they did, if they didn’t?

“This way,” the cloaked man directed his entourage with a simple word, soft-spoken, but authoritative enough to command the compliance of his acquaintances. “We’ll head to the library that the fat one mentioned and see what we can learn there; this is part of the job, too.”

Neither of the two men who traveled with him made any sort of acknowledgment to what he said, except for the fact that they continued following him, lifelessly, and almost as if they had neither will nor drive of their own. Likewise, the two men, on either side of the center one, were also dressed in much the same way; they both wore dark cloaks, with hoods up, and only very little of their features could be discerned from underneath the shadow cast atop their face; what little that could be seen, however, were strong features; a chiseled jaw-line and cleft chin, most notably.

They would move effortlessly through the city and head towards a rather large library, a library that had been pointed out by a large fellow, name unimportant, but relatively helpful. He assured them that some of the smarter people of Roth liked to collect there, and share what they knew with their colleagues. As good a place as any to start the search, the cloaked, center-man thought.

They do not belong.

Clearly, and they ask of dangerous and forbidden things.

What to do with them?

Delay them.

So she's coming to investigate?

So it seems, I can sense her now. Should we let them enter The Great Library?

They have not proven hostile...yet. Let them be until she arrives. There is nothing important they can learn of what they ask from simple books or scholars. And if they are worthy, she will answer them personally.

Yes, brother.

Yes...brother.

Three men gathered huddled on a low rooftop. They wore nothing to hide their identities, and their armor was nothing special. Dark leathers, iron bracers, and carried odd black swords with no markings or identifying features. Their eyes moved between each other and back to the group as though they were having a conversation, but their lips did not move and nothing audible came from them. There was a large man in the center with a light green ring, who seemed to be in charge. The other two wore a blue and an orange ring, respectively. As soon as the two wingmen nodded to their superior in the center, they departed and disappeared among the rooftops.

No sooner had the stalkers disappeared were there several men wearing brilliant golden armor stepped down the massive steps to The Great Library in a V formation. The man in the center stopped just before the leader of the outsiders, and the other four casually made a semi-circle around the others, not to surround them but to make it obvious the way would be blocked, if only momentarily.

" I do not know what you seek to find here, but we have been informed of your presence, and you have been granted a two hour visitation to the Library. We ask that you keep any...controversial topics to a minimum. It is a free forum inside, but the people are easily frightened at mention of certain...figures. "

The man nodded once at the soldier immediately to his right, who stepped forward barely half a pace and spoke swiftly, in monotone.

" Lady Ravenshield has decided to personally come to see to your...erm, inquiries, and asks that you save any talk of Sie-...any talk of questionable entities or artifacts out of conversation until she has a chance to personally address you. "

With little room for debate, or rebuttal, the men filed back into their V and marched back up toward the entrance to the grand epicenter of learning, where they huddled on either side of the doors there and pried them open for the outsiders to enter.

The momentary blockade was met casually and none of the three men seemed to mind the sudden appearance. Indeed, the man, in the center, merely rocked back on his heels, and then forwards. He calmly waited for the formalities to finish and their path made clear. Things like this were common in their line of work and had to be treated patiently, lest too much effort have to be expended for far too little a reward.

Sure enough, after the soldiers had given their decree and broke their formation, the men would be allowed to proceed further, and they would do just that. They didn’t do anything outwardly aggressive and it would be as though the scene that had just unfolded hadn’t even occurred.

“Lady Ravenshield, she was on the list, right?” his words were spoken in gibberish, but that may have very well been irrelevant; the men he spoke to didn’t react, in the least. Dismissing that, he had pulled out a small sheet of paper, which he looked over, for a moment, and then tapped it in the middle and folded it back up. “Yes, yes she was. Well, now, this is our lucky day, boys.”

Inside the library, the center man seemed almost ecstatic, he really did love books, but he didn’t often have the chance to really enjoy them. He was always watching over his shoulder or watching others, over their shoulder. Being what he was, it was tough, but all too rewarding, as well.

Scholars were packed in the library, almost more were inside the building, than outside, and that was saying something. Still, the men did well on their part and did not question a single soul about things that were considered… obscene, or taboo. No, they kept to themselves, in fact, and awaited the arrival of the ‘Lady Ravenshield,’ or whoever she was. She was on the list, though, so she had to know some things, and that was all there was to it. They weren’t here to start trouble; that was left for somewhere else, for someone else, but they would not leave empty handed, either.

When and if Ravenshield finally made her appearance into the library, she would find the men spread apart in the library; the two who had followed the center one would be on opposite ends of the library, but their obvious leader would be out in the open, arms crossed. Naturally, nobody would be around him, they may have watched him, but they’d feel a compelling not to approach. Ravenshield, however, would not have any such compulsions, and would be free to approach whenever she arrived. She’d know who she was looking for, most likely.

Outside the Library would be heard an uproar of applause and cheering met with the reverberation of a primal roar coming closer and closer. The clanking of armor was clearly audible as the soldiers dropped to their knees outside. The denizens and traveling scholars of Roth all had mixed reactions to see a great white lion enter the main hall of the Library. Some cheered, some bowed, some would genuflect at the massive things paws. It had a magnificent coat that shined in the rays of light that crisscrossed the entry way, blocked only in an area on it's back where it wore what almost appeared as a saddle, with large bags hanging from either side.

The majestic creature made it's way halfway down the incredibly numerous bookshelves and turned a corner, disappearing. Many of the admirers would simply turn back to their work. Others would utter a few words of prayer, and then turn as if nothing had happened. There was another loud roar accompanied with the sound of bones being obliterated into dust, after which an authoritative but gentle female voice rang only in the ears of the few men.

Thirty-second shelf on the left, all the way on the end, I have left the door open. Please join me where we can talk away from prying eyes and other disturbances.

Should they choose to follow Sarah Ravenshield, a famous shapeshifter, they would find themselves in a luxurious office with a gorgeous young officer wearing nigh but a cloak, a bow and quiver, and a smile. Each of the three were obviously hastily thrown on for her guests, and she worked with her back turned to the door where they would assuredly enter over a tray of fine drinks that a servant had brought in, who was just then vanishing through a panel in the stone wall.

Okay, so that was rather unexpected. The cloaked man, arms still folded, simply stood there, not quite alarmed, but intrigued: had she really just shown up as a white lion? Couldn’t she have just come in like a normal person, after all, he had, and he was the interloper here! He felt the need to laugh, just a bit, but he kept it deep within himself. Maybe they had different customs than where he had been born; the people, themselves, seemed to eat it up, so that had to be it, but he’d surely remark about this day the next time he got drunk.

“Well, well--Snrrk!--At least I won’t have to do that,” he held in a laugh and gestured for his acquaintances to once again come to his person; they followed the command in the same lifeless manner as before, and would accompany him to the [open] door he had been instructed to use.

Navigating the shelves to the door was relatively simple, he had already gotten a good look at the layout, and so it was with a natural stride that he came up to the entrance way; the three men would enter and note the interior design and the complimentary food left for them, that was pretty nice, he had to admit.

“Appreciate you meeting with us, m’am,” he spoke through a practiced smile. His words were just as gentle as hers had been, but quite a bit more masculine, too, as to be expected. If one was to take him at face value, he’d probably have been the most non-threatening individual ever and it practically radiated from him, like an aura. This was one of his tricks, and it’d be impossible to notice.

" Sorry for the display, but you stirred up quite a frenzy among the Invisible and my presence was requested as soon as possible to...defuse the situation. Traveling in animal form grants me greater speed, and the people enjoy seeing such displays of their Royals. "

Sarah fidgeted with the edges of her cloak to make sure that nothing too important was being shown in her nudity. She grabbed the golden tray with a jug and several ornate glasses in the shape of a lion's head. She set the tray down on a simple table between some plush seats made of varying animal pelts. She motioned for them to take one of the multiple empty seats and crossed her legs as she put her hand to her temple and rubbed her forehead, fighting a sudden headache after trying to use her focus on the men. She spoke hastily, almost as a continuous, exasperated sigh.

" So...you've been asking some pretty risque questions. The topic of the Sage's relics are a well-guarded secret, and that of Sieg is an incredibly sensitive one. You see he killed not only our previous king, but several members of the Royal family before waging a campaign against his own nation. My mother happened to be one of the victims, actually. And we do not speak of him in public, if possible. Clearly you are outsiders, and do not know our customs, so I will not fault you for this. However, I will ask, before answering any questions...what is it you want with the information you seek? I do not suggest lying. "

She paused to retrieve one of the handsome glasses full of rare fruit juices extracted from a similarly rare berry found at the Toryn Falls, which she drank deep from to quench her hearty thirst from having dashed several hundred miles in the matter of hours.

The center man, still in the center, of course, frowned, but also nodded.

“Yes, I understand fully. I know some of what he has done, not much, but some; the people were kind enough to enlighten, you see.” Again, he spoke smooth, gentle words. “My condolences for your mother,” he further added, before answering her questions: “I am a scholar, much like those who are in this building, but I specialize in artifacts far more rare than the trinkets that fill the occasional museum, m’am. The one we speak of, this Sieg, I have information stating he has such artifacts, oddities, and rarities that should be in my hands, not his.”

Sarah Ravenshield wanted the truth and so she had it, but not the complete truth. He spoke no lies and gave her as much information as she was going to get, but there were some things that were well beyond her comprehension--well beyond her status, regardless of what it was. What he knew, he knew from the underground, closed circles of the underground, at that, and it was not to be spoken openly or outside of a whisper.

“I wish--will--inspect these items and keep of them those that fit within a very specific classification; I’m a scholar and fancy myself somewhat of a collector,” he gave a soft chuckle, it wasn’t mocking, but the type of sound one made when they were stating the obvious. “Truthfully, m’am, I just need to confirm some things and make sure I’m not wasting my time.”

The man could probably have already found his way to Sieg, if he wanted, but if it wasn’t going to be worth-his-while, then there was no need. He wasn’t interested in fool’s gold, after all. He needed the real thing, but there were other things to also confirm, not only if Sieg had what he wanted, but the general layout of the area, if it was available. Whatever made his job easier, really.

“Of course, this man, Sieg, isn’t’ my only interest, there are many items that hold the potential, but few hold true--so I check often, and there’s no reason we can’t have a working relationship here, is there? Surely, I might find something useful to you and yours that is useless to me.”

What the man was offering was a simple partnership that required no real dedication from the woman or those she answered to; they’d provide the information he needed, or lead him to where he could get the information, and then, if things went his way, he would see about getting them what they wanted, within reason, of course, and that didn’t mean he’d even keep his part of the bargain. But, one would have to roll the dice, to find out, wouldn’t they? Life was a game of chance.

Sarah smiled sweetly as she once again paused to partake of her beverage. It wasn't the news she was hoping for, for certain. She thought carefully about the responses she would make, and the information that would be off-limits to this man after his having made a very key declaration. He completely intended to keep at least some of Sieg's stolen artifacts, if he were somehow miraculously successful in finding and defeating him.

" I really wish you had lied to me now. See, most of what Sieg possesses, he stole from the King and other Royal family members. Anything you might be interested in that he currently owns, it belongs to the Warheights. "

Sarah rubbed here eyes and dissipated her pain from staring too hard at the men, almost scanning them with her incredible eyesight. As she rested back in her chair, her ample cleavage would be readily apparent, all her skin matching a tan worthy of a Xexorian while her hair was the typical jet-black. She had emerald eyes reminiscent of a feline, and watching her narrow her eyes with scrutiny was almost physically painful for most people, especially males to behold.

" Do you know...what it is he has, that you seek? Because two of his treasures are part of a set of ten. A set to which I own a portion as well. Now, if it is his weapons you are after, I'm sad to say that would be the territory of our current King, Syrus Azrael Warheight II. I wouldn't be able to comment, confirm, or deny until you'd spoken directly to him. Syrus also owns an object that matches these, and so I have to ask. Do you go after Sieg because you know of his crimes? Or do you genuinely only care about the reward, meaning you would come after us for our valuables as well? "

The man kept his smile and nodded in acknowledgement, he probably should have lied, but he hadn’t; the woman had asked for the truth, and he gave it to her.

“Even if I had lied, you might not have believed me, and making you believe me is so, … so troublesome. But you shouldn‘t get me wrong,” he brought a pale hand to his chin, and rubbed it in thought. “From what you’ve indicated today, Sieg does not exactly deserve the items anymore than I do, but the kicker is that taking them from me would be much, much easier than from him, don’t you agree?”

Oddly, the man was willingly offering himself up against whatever task force they’d send to hunt him down, if he had one of these coveted artifacts, and he didn’t flinch in doing so, either.

“But, if you’d prefer them with the man, then that is fine, too, I’ll look elsewhere for my information, and will never be seen again.” He shrugged and gestured towards the woman, he didn’t pay attention to her body, he didn’t care that she was naked, and nor did it seem her eyes affected him. No, this man was different, very different, in fact. “I know he has some tomes and some weapons, and many other such things collecting dust, most likely, and those that are not of a certain age, I do not care about. Most of what I require are more than a thousand years old,” he took a moment to pause, letting his words sink in.

“I’m not doing this for any reward,” he clarified. “I’m not accepting a mission or claiming a bounty, I ask that you don’t confuse me of that, m’am. But yes, I am doing this to get what I want, it’s the only joy I get out of life, you see, and as someone who can’t claim to be perfectly innocent, I cannot claim to care about his crimes, or justice, for that matter. -- And I‘d like to check your valuables, too, if they meet the criteria, but I‘m not dreadfully interested if they don‘t.”

He was blunt; there was very specific criteria that had to be met, and he had never heard of what he wanted being any younger than a thousand years old. Hell, most of what he had on him was far, far older than that. But the cut-off was there, at about a thousand years, anything created after that was useless to him, and was as good as garbage.

“Can you give the age of his weapons?” He asked.

" See, that's where it gets tricky, as we know next to nothing of you. If we had the time or the free resources to wage a campaign against Sieg, we would. But at least we know Sieg will stay put, I have no insight as to what you plan to do with our history, or where you plan to take them. "

Sarah's eyes flashed almost maliciously in her glee, however, at a revelation that he did make. The weapons were always found with their owners, and did not meet his...criteria. However the Ak'Vahrs did, and then some, but they were well-hidden, and that included her own. Sarah ran a finger idly across the surface of her goblet, before setting it down on the tray, and looking back up to the man's companions.

" I have been rude. I have yet to formally introduce myself in my haste, and only now have I felt comfortable enough about the safety of our artifacts to worry about such things. My name is Sarah Ravenshield, and would you be so kind as to share your name? I'm afraid to say that the weapons were all forged for the brothers a time after their birth to be given as presents after the succession of one of them as King. Neither brother is more than one thousand years old. I can tell you that the only objects matching your criteria were created by the Sages themselves. And thus you are narrowed to the Ak'Vahrs and the Fang of Adriel. Good luck with that. "

“Ah, but, m’am, even without you knowing anything about me, there are many ways to find an item that you have experience with, something of great value can be tracked with magic, or even mental abilities!”

He laughed and tapped a single finger against the side of his leg; honestly, there were far too many ways to find items with strong emotional attachments, and especially so when someone had enough resources to sink into the task. Regardless, the man would let it go; it was ultimately irrelevant, anyways.

“Hurm,” he bit his lower lip in thought. This was an interesting problem; the man had a name, of course, it’d be silly not to, but whether not he wanted to share it with Sarah Ravenshield … Well, that was something he simply had to think about. Other collectors were annoying little bastards, and he’d rather them not have an easy time of finding him.

“Ito, Yuu,” he finally spoke, but it was not his name that he gave her; it was an assumed name, to keep his identity relatively safe, but she would be able to discern that he was Cizokian, at least. “At least I’ve narrowed my search, m’am. You’ve been a great host and help,” he smiled.

He had half the mind to pursue the subject of the Ak’vahrs, but he wasn’t sure. Sieg’s half may very well be what he was looking for or one of the man’s other artifacts might be, surely he had something piled up, but the woman’s half… No, it was doubtful. However, there was still the odd chance, and so there was a bit of confliction for a moment: it was entirely possible, but still very unlikely. Silently, he cursed to himself. And now that he thought about it, Sieg’s half may, too, be a waste of time. Usually, it was items that were at hand, that were used, but then who was to say that these weren’t? Decisions, decisions.

“Well, m’am; I’ve one more question, if you’ll entertain me?”

Sarah stood and walked to her desk as Ito thought, and withdrew a sheet of parchment upon which she began scribbling hastily, looking back up at her guest periodically to convey that he still had her attention. She stopped briefly, as if deciding whether or not to include some key information. She considered the man's name, and then his compliment. She did not like being lied to, even about trivial things, and his following words added a bittersweetness to the meeting.

" I...appreciate your graciousness, and in return I have a proposition. There is a man. No, no not a man, but a being that was once a man. He has invaluable information about Sieg, as well as other artifacts of note. If you will tell him what you know, and renew his interest in the murderer, I promise you his knowledge will not disappoint. Also, I will personally offer you information directly leading to one of two, but not both of Algeroth's most famous weapons, should you kill Sieg along your journey. I will not forfeit the fate of my Ak'Vahr to you, for it is not my place to do so. But these weapons, these might be things which will fulfill your expectations. If you bring Sieg's tomes back to me, I will consider offering both of them up to you, but I make no promises. After all, I have yet to determine your...true intentions and can't be expected to hand over weapons of incredible power to you more than one at a time, now can I? "

" Take these directions, and I will hear your question. "

He’d accept the written directions from the woman and, in a swift, clean motion; he’d fold the paper up, and pocket it somewhere on his body. Even with Sarah’s enhanced vision, she would not see, nor have any inkling of a guess as to where the man before her had stored the directions.

“I’ll pay this man a visit,” he cheerfully replied, “and I’ve no interest in killing Sieg,” but he did not inform her that he didn’t care whether the man lived or died, and if he did die… Well, there was no need to cry over spilt milk, was there? -- “Has your artifact, your Ark’vhar, as it were, exhibited any strange happenings? Manifestations; voices from nowhere and yet still quite there?”

The man once again planted a hand at his chin, rubbing it, and without any warning, about-faced. It didn’t matter what Sarah Ravenshield replied back with, or even if she had asked him a question in turn, or for an explanation. Ito Yuu, as he had called himself, would turn around, and would walk out of the door; the two men, who were with him, would suddenly be gone, not a single sign that they had even been there, to begin with, and if she went to follow Ito, he, too, would be nowhere in sight. Likewise, if there were any mages, or sensitive-types present, either on guard, or otherwise; they would find that no spell had been cast, the men were not casters, or psychokinetic’s, either. For whatever reason, their entire presence had just been erased.

There was but two exceptions to this, however; the first was that Sarah had obviously experienced the meeting, they hadn't erased her memories or anything like that; the other was that the drinks her servant had laid out were gone, but if Sarah tried and recall them ever taking a drink, she'd be unable to. There would be no explaining what had just happened.

Day One//End

Like ghostly apparitions manifesting in the dead of night, three individuals, walking shoulder to shoulder, and at the exact same pace would appear a short distance away from the Village of Bale; specifically, they had appeared close to Toryn, the nearest river. All three men seemed drained, lifeless, even, but after a few moments of walking, the one in the center, would seem to walk a bit more joyfully, a lighter, but more energetic step being taken than the other two.

“That was a good sleep, boys,” he said to his companions, the two men at either of his sides, but he received no reply in return. It was to be expected, really. They weren’t big talkers, never were, and would probably never be. He couldn’t blame them, though; everyone had their social quirks, after all.

He laughed to himself.

The night was chilly; a wind was blowing, too, but it was an enjoyable sensation, over all. Small things in life had to be appreciated, or they’d be made pointless. Not many people understood that, but not this man; this man, Ito Yuu, as he had recently named himself, appreciated life, and the occasional enjoyments that it offered.

The smell of water and rotting vegetation were on air, it wasn’t a bad smell, though, it was a natural one, and he didn’t mind it in the least. It reminded him of home, actually; that wasn’t important, however.

The River Toryn was in sight and would be reached within a minute, perhaps less, and the three men would merely stand at its bank in casual patience. The center man took two pieces of paper from his person, both were folded, but quickly opened; one was a list and the other a letter, written to him by a Sarah Ravenshield, who had directed him and his “associates” to this particular location, a venture he hoped would be worth his time.

“Talis Rai,” he chimed, as he tapped the lower end of the list, and placed it back on his person. “Where-oh-where could you be?”