9th of April, 789th ASC. Regincor.

  “Eugh, I’ll never get used to the stench of sewers.” As soon as High Exarch Marius gave Cassandra to the party, they set off in the hidden paths of the temple that led into the massive sewage system of the city. A maze like architectural marvel that could serve as a second yer to the city. And just like the city, its walls were covered thickly in vines and roots, the road ahead riddled with rotting corpses of monsters, druids and legionar-ies. Some corpses were even fresh thanks to the four Bck Roses that ran into a few patrolling enemies.

  Thankfully Cassandra remained calm and compliant. Partially thanks to not capable of seeing, speaking and channeling her mana into spells. She was still capable of walking as the enchanted rope binding her legs had been taken off. The other reason was the metallic colr that looped tightly around her neck with three luminous crystals embedded at the front.

  It was called an Imperiitor Colr, an arcane crafted accessory often found on the neck of prisoners. The three magical crystals were embedded, and most importantly enchanted with mind altering effects, allowing minimal control over Cassandra using a set of words. Mostly just simple ones like “follow us” or “this way” which she could do nothing against thanks to the addition of enchanted ropes and muffle scarves.

  “Better get used to this Di. We’ll be down here for another day. And the city doesn’t smell any better.” Shaug said as a yer of transparent liquid ran through her soft skinned body under the yers of her armored leathery garments. The blood and dirt that tainted her perfectly snow white skin dissipated as the creaseless wave washed over her alluring visage slowly.

  “I know, but next time I’ll pick the quest.” Dirzsha said as she kept close to the fmes that lit up her glistening mauve visage under her rge witch hat.

  “Pick one that involves monsters next time.” Jofrid leapt into the conversion while on guard at the doorway, her snow silvery adramantyte diadem on head.

  “I was thinking more of exploring some ancient ruin.” As Dirzsha spoke, her witch’s hat tip dangled as she tiled her head up slightly.

  “Undead are monsters, so I guess that counts.” Jofrid said with a pondering look on her.

  “Fine. The next quest is to some ancient ruin in the Deep Lands.” Shaug said with a smile as she sat near the restrained Cassandra who enjoyed the little banter of her captors a little while pretending to be asleep. Or at least she sat calmly while bound and gagged.

  “Hope you clearing the road ahead fastens our road ahead.” Shaug said as she turned towards Ilmania who sat in silence while sipping her tea. The dark elven dracoritch namudrim nodded softly and hummed in agreement as her plump lips curved into a smile.

  **

  “Hrnh hhrrrh.” The half-elven druid muttered his st words in muffled groans as his blood drenched his chest yered in thick robes of oaken hue with segmented oaken ptes. Ilmania slowly lowered the corpse and looked around the small room with a single dder leading up to the Weeping Praetor tavern located in the northern district of the city close to the gate.

  After she gazed upon her fine work, she straightened her nightbde coat that reached beyond her hip. She fixed the coats colrs caressing her cheeks and pulled down her rge cloak revealing her long raven bck hair parted to the right, sheared on the left and the back exposing her light blue smooth skin covered in runic tattoos.

  She slid her daggers into their sheets attached onto the belts looping around the thick drouvhen leather pants that tightly encased her legs and their smooth, glistening surface helped her blend into the darkness. While she reached down into her waist pocket for a mana potion, the silken mask covering her lower face pulled itself down revealing her soft, wide lips that glistened in a dark hue matching her glinting onyx scales covering her sharp elven cheeks and jawline. It also revealed her silken shirt with high triangur colrs hued in snow silver while the lining was raven bck.

  Suddenly she disintegrated the empty bottle she gulped down in one go and reached for her daggers. Her body silently smmed against the wall and her breathing slowed down. She pulled her mask back, even covering her cute, dainty nose as she listened onto every single, little noise made in the dark. Then when she picked up on faint footsteps reaching her location, her grip tightened and her mind breezed through numerous tactics before her body got encased in shadows.

  **

  “Clear.” Shaug almost let out a yelp as Ilmania sneaked up and reported. She nodded to Dirzsha and Jofrid and uttered the command to Cassandra as they took off from their little not so cozy camp site in the sewers. The party trotted in silence across the left side of the underground canal of dark marble and cement covered in roots and vines.

  The stench of death mixed with natures that made their stunning visages contort as they stepped over the car-casses of legionaries, druids and even some monsters that were brave enough to enter the city that became a battleground. Mostly just some goblins and minotaurs that stalks the pins and forests of the northern province.

  After what felt like two hours, they finally reached the corpse ridden room formerly occupied by a small group of druids under the Weeping Praetor. The roots and vines already moved in on the rotting corpses, wrapping around their fine clothing cd flesh.

  There were also two mummified slender figures mummified in gleaming emerald vines hung upside down to the ceiling. “PHhnph'ph nnph mm!” As Jofrid at the back passed beside one, the occupant inside lurched at her while a feminine muffled voice cried out for help.

  “Ignore it. We have to move.” Shaug said with a calm expression as she watched Ilmania climb the dder with eerie efficiency. Jofrid nodded her head and with an excited expression started climbing the dder st as she pced her axe onto her belt, her rge round shield over her back.

  “Nphph n phrnp!” The muffled cries echoed through the sewage as the lid was put back into its pce, leaving the two captives in their natural binds.

  **

  11th of April, 789th ASC.

  After two days of arduous tracking from building to building, evading most of the patrolling monstrosities of nature and druids, the part reached beyond the walls. Beyond where they had to sneak slowly through the irri-gated nds overgrown with towering grass, hidden with many carnivorous monstrosities conjured by the dru-ids.

  “Finally, some excitement.” Jofrid muttered to herself to the surprise of the others.

  “Wasn’t this exciting too? I still feel the dread of trying to evade those strange pnts and elementals.” Dirzsha said as her body shivered just remembering the creatures that stalked the streets of Regincor. It was no secret within the Order that she was terribly afraid of carnivorous pnts. Especially after she said it was not normal for things of beauty to have such maws that could snap bones easily.

  “Shush. We’re almost at the farm house.” Shaug said as her eyes closed down and a sensation akin to falling from the sky made her ecstatic as she mentally searched for the correct path. The party spent three days in that farm calming Dirzsha down as she quickly spotted a sizeable carnivorous pnt that met a quick fate of burning to nothing.

  “Just a little bit more.” Dirzsha muttered to herself as they got closer and closer to their destination. Then she cursed within her mind when an all too familiar high pitched screaming echoed through the vast overgrown nds in front of the city walls. Within seconds, she unleashed another fme spell that swiftly spread burning all within its confines while the party charged towards their destination with Cassandra over Jofrid shoulders mumbling beyond her gag.

  **

  “Thank..the…goddess.” Dirzsha uttered those words between each breath she took as she colpsed down onto her butt encased in her full body leather garment now exposed after she threw away her cloak like the rest of them. Unlike the others she preferred a single piece garment that functioned as shirt, pants and boots and to an extent gloves for the simple reason of saving time on the morning procedures.

  The garment itself ended in high heels at her feet, while her frail neck was bathed in snow silvery glow thanks to the inner silken lining of the round neck that slightly tilted outwards. And while it was a one piece garment, it gave the illusion of being separate pieces thanks to a waist yer that resembled a belt, and the Veiled Gnaw-ing that kept her torso encased with raven bck strap like pieces folded over them.

  “This will be a good pce to rest. Dirzsha you will be on watch duty for tonight.” Dirzsha felt a bit surprised as usually Jofrid got a handful in the past for her foolish outbursts that put the group dangerously close to death. But instead of wanting Shaug to burst out, she nodded in understanding.

  With the help of her snow silvery staff with a top that was sculpted into the shape of a blooming lotus rose with a rge amethyst crystal in its center, she stood up and looked around in the forest they just entered and with a sigh closed her eyes. A small orb of pure magical essence appeared under her hat and floated into the distance as she scouted out the surroundings to pn her route in advance.

  “Jofrid will change with you at midnight.” She added while using enchanted rope to tie Cassandra to a nearby tree while the sun slowly set behind the horizon, the horizon where the city was barely visible thanks to the smoke still rising from the raging fires.

  **

  The forest was draped in complete darkness thanks to the lush branches of the trees filled with thousands of leaves preventing the light of the stars from entering. Dirzsha made careful steps as she slowly walked through the forest. Although the reason for this was more out of the floating ethereal eyeballs more than the darkness of the night. Thanks to the gift of being an elf, she could see as easily as during the day.

  Then she suddenly stopped after hearing twigs breaking eastwards to her current location. “Calm down Di. Must be some hungry beast, not some living, drooling pnt.” As she said those words, she felt ever more anx-ious while turning around and channeling her mana into all her arcane points, ready to unleash all the spells that could destroy every fiber of a beast, or a carnivorous pnt that should truly not drool.

  After fifteen or so steps – she stopped counting as the cold of dread and the night took her focus away – Dir-zsha arrived into a clearing lit strangely by the half-moon. In the center of it, she noticed a small squirrel with bright reddish fur and rge, glistening eyes that melted her heart and dissipated her dread.

  “Just a cutesy squirrel.” She noted herself, and as she spoke the breaking of twigs behind her went unnoticed. The hit to the back of her head less so as she fell face first to the ground, her consciousness far, far away. Though thanks to her outfit and her thick raven bck hair that reached only down to her nape, she survived the hit enchanted by magic.

  **

  “Strange. She should be back.” Shaug noted to herself as she sat while finishing her roasted mb with a thick bread slightly burnt by the fmes – just as she liked it.

  “Told you. She felt bad. Should have burst out like you do with me.” Jofrid said as she sat facing her and Cas-sandra with her hands on her abdomen hidden under her droevhen leather ptes and silken tunic.

  “You’re right. I’ll will discipline her about the fmes when she gets back. But I think something definitely hap-pened. The arcane eyes dissipated.” Shaug pointed out as she saw the one near their little hidden camp dissi-pate into nothingness.

  “Nice.” Jofrid blurted out. “I mean not that. I look for her for saying something stupid once again.” Then she added after a bit of silence and grabbing her axe and shield. Shaug sat back and exhaled while massaging her own temples slowly. “At least I can count on Ilmania.”

  **

  Jofrid mauve pupils lit up in an ethereal glow as they focused on the ground in front of her, where she saw the revealed ethereal steps of Dirzsha. The silken tunics triangur colrs gently caressed her sharp cheeks as she made small steps. Even as her slightly sharp contoured ears descended beyond the colrs, she listened onto every small sound made by the forest.

  Even in this dark, her snow silvery silken tunic glistened. Though only the upper half that seemingly sprouted from the drouvhen leather armor she wore over it that reached only up to her chest. Its surface reflective and perfectly smooth, except for the snow silvery ced runic pattern that decorated it at the borders. Her gloves had the same patterns ced into their raven bck smooth leathery surface while the finger tips ended in sharp cws simir to dragons.

  “Shit.” After what felt like an eternity to her, she finally reached the end of the ethereal trace where she spotted Dirzsha. Whom id near a trunk dressed in leaves, her eyes closed as she still drifted in the sea of dreams. Her torso encased in her own tight enchanted ropes, her arms forced behind her back and probably tied too Jofrid concluded. While her pretty lips Jofrid adorned many times were hidden behind the tightly knotted muffle scarf that served as her gag.

  Unlike Dirzsha she still heard the twigs breaking behind her. And she did turn around in time, but still some-what te as she fell to her side drifting in the sea of dreams when a thick trunk hit her in the right and knocked her diadem off her head. Her braid danced once or twice before Jofrid hit the ground and her assaint quickly grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her to Dirzsha.

  The Assaint went through her pockets and pouches attached to her belt and took all her bindings and potions. Then glistening vines in the shapes of perfectly measured stripes appeared from the ground and wrapped around Jofrid’s torso and arms forcing them to stack onto each other as they looped across them, pushing them tightly onto each other. Another made her whimper as the cold tickled her lips and cheeks as they slithered over them and tightly attached to her soft, smooth skin.

  Amber runes appeared with an ethereal glow on the surface of the binding and gagging vines that signaled to the Assaint that Jofrid was secured. With a smile she took off towards the camp where Shaug waited know-ing that something wasn’t right.

  **

  Shaug stretched herself after her whole body started scorching in heat. “Something’s not right.” She mumbled to herself as she felt sweat pouring down on her skin for the first time in centuries. It was quite rare for Bck Roses to sweat thanks to the blessing they received from Her.

  She circled around the fmes, releasing the straps that kept the ptes on her leathery tunic with perfectly smooth surface that reflected the warm light of the fire. Her hands reached into her open colrs in the shape of an oval flower native to the north and started gently massaging it.

  Then she colpsed down onto her knees while her small nostrils expanded repeatedly while her cold breath tickled her soft, glossy blue lips. Her mauve eyes darted around while her vision blurred. Ilmania appeared in the shadows at the edge of the camp, slowly approaching her as forced herself to stay awake.

  “Call…the…others..” Before she could finish her sentence while her thoughts jumbled into each other, darkness prevailed. Shaug colpsed down onto the ground with lids closed, eyes still moving beneath them while the assaint wearing Ilmania’s visage looked at her smiling.

  **

  “The other two?” Cassandra asked in her velvety deep voice while Veiratia, a druid and most importantly a former assassin versed in the arts of shapeshifting and mimicking finished binding Shaug to the tree.

  “Left them to the east. They are secured tightly.” She reported joyously as she fairly enjoyed restraining others – one of the reasons she ditched her previous profession.

  “I see. Leave their fate to the Nurturing Father then.” Cassandra muttered to herself as she continued massaging her wrists that were kept in the tight embrace of ropes for days now if not weeks. “Let’s hope He will be just with the witch who burnt His children.”

  “But be merciful.” Veiratia added as she knotted the muffle scurf behind Shaug’s nape.

  “Why would he? Many of his children suffered today under her accursed fmes.” Cassandra looked at her with judging eyes.

  “I just get where she came from. I’m not overly fond of spiders, so her reaction was understandable to me. Still if the He decides to punish her, so be it.” Veiratia added the st part firmly as she finished checking the knots one st time.

  “What about their scout?” Cassandra asked.

  “Left her at the sewers. Probably won’t be able to free herself.” Veiratia said as she recalled the vines wrapping around the paralyzed Ilmania who leapt at her from behind – which was a surprise to her to an extent.

  “Good. Now let’s depart. We have a war to win.” Cassandra said as she swept her right hand across the fmes, cold winds smothered them out bnketing the forest once more in complete darkness as they departed towards east.