Still trying to motion and encourage everyone to get the show on the road, Rhea confirmed, "Then it sounds like our best course of action is to drop off the weapons here that we do not need and tell the Mayor we will be heading for TwinVeil rather than Castle Astenborough. Once there we can ask them for assistance on Thornfell's behalf if they can spare it, and continue on to Highmount. Are you coming with us to TwinVeil, Esther, or do you have business elsewhere?"

"How long can the town hold with the silver weaponry? And how will Twin Veil protect its twin city?" Lera asked.

She gazed into the distance, her mind wandering to the times she'd spent with the folks there. Good people, humans and elves alike. Even if she weren't born there, the decades she had spent were more than enough to form a deep bond.

"Will our expedition in a way halt this lycanthrope threat, killing two birds with one stone? Because if so, then our path is clear. If this journey could halt the infestation that would respawn the beasts endlessly, then we must do it. For my home, and our personal goals."

"I will be accompanying you to Twinveil, yes," Esther confirmed. "You won't be able to ask the elves for a favor you don't have the right to ask for."

The Order member looked over her shoulder towards Sir Dreimon, as if waiting some retort before turning to Lera. "The elves have more potent magics than you do," Esther reminded as she crossed her arms. "Even then, most have honed their battle skill with far greater length in time, some of their masters may have well fought in the first Amber Ring. I don't know what you mean by killing two birds with one stone. You are only quelling the lycanthrope threat. What befalls Thornfell before we gain the alliance of the elves is another matter that the denizens of that city have to care on their own for the time being.

You must realize that by now. If you want to save them faster however, we should stop talking and move."

"I must agree," Sir Dreimon sighed, much to Esther's enjoyment. "Rudolph and the clockwork will head back to Thornfell while the rest of us will advance to Twinveil. We are burning daylight so let's move."

The knight captain urged his steed forward and from there, he lead the movement. The dwarf, clockwork, elf and the refugee girl went to the opposite direction, back to Thornfell's gates.

"Very well. Let us move then." Aurea nodded, satisfied with captain's response, and ranger's plan... Seems like Rhea was finally willing to cooperate in the slightest, although with no doubt, just for her own sake. With the threat of Lycanthrope gone, the town could deliver the package themselves anyway, so they shouldn't worry about Castle Astenborough too much. Still the time was of the essence. Aurea was about to hop back on her steed, but then suddenly turned to Rudolph, remembering something. "Dwarf, if I may ask for a favor...There's something I left in the town's hall. A package. Would you mind fetching and keeping it for me until our reunion at Twinveil?"

"Finally," the dwarf huffed. "Been squabblin loike a mess of chickens. Oy'll see y'all then at da knife-ears' village once Oy'm dun wit m' business at Thornfell. 'N it shunt be a problem, ye all be safe now." And with his simple farewell, the dwarf set off alongside the golem. Once they got to the town he was quick to make his way to the forge where with the help of some villagers and the blacksmith, began to finish his works. First a cross-guard was tapped into place, then swords were gripped by two pieces of wood that were nailed in place by a short and thick rod of metal that ran through the entire weapon. that were tempered at either ends before smoothed out then wrapped in leather. Finally a pommel was fitted on to complete the weapon. The spears, axes, and hammers were easier to outfit as once the shaft was fitted in, it was bolted shut like the swords then soldered. He took a hammer as it was only fitting for a dwarf to have a warhammer.

Once he taught the blacksmith and the help on how to do it properly, he let them continue as he headed to the town hall to collect his rucksack as well as Aurea's package. It was a small bundle so it fit easily in the dwarf's massive duffel bag. He pulled out some kettle corn from a package and rested it in the palm of his metal hand, slowly waving it back and forth in the rucksack until he heard the snuffling and rustling that indicated Furgeson had smelled the food. The dwarf wait until he felt the familiar weight in his hand until he pulled it out to look at the fat dopey squirrel that was too busy eating kettle corn to say hi to his owner. "Ya dumb git, glad to see a day withoot eatin didn't make ya lose any of yer character." He poked the squirrel in its stomach and it simply ignored him. The dwarf shook his head and let Furgeson sit back into his bag before setting back to the blacksmith's.

Ox and Rook made their way into Thornfell before going separate ways. Rook followed the dwarf hesitantly, not really wanting to let Ox roam about on his own. But, he knew that the half-elf could take care of himself in a city like this one and it would be better for the Clockwork to stay out of sight in case anyone wanted to voice their "strong opinions" about his kind. Ox, on the otherhand, made his way deeper into the town in search of a tailor. He had been wearing the same borrowed clothing for a while now and, even though it was kept clean, he still felt weird standing around in them. If he could find a clothing store that had clothes made, or could make clothes, for someone of his stature, he would purchase some black, roguelike clothing to match his cloak. If he couldn't, he would make his way back to his companion.

Rhea was happy to finally be on the road to progress. It would be rather interesting to go to TwinVeil and be among more elves. She would much rather be in a village of knife-ears than another village full of humans. After a while of traveling on the road, she asked of her party, "so who among us knows good road songs?"

The mayor paid a visit to the forge where Rudolph had supervised the blacksmiths that handled his weapons and along with him was the girl, whom held his hand. "Greetings, Rudolph, how was the trip back to Thornfell? Hopefully not as lively as ours."

"Ah, mayor!" The burly man with Rudolph yelled. His beard nearly rivalled that of the dwarf, curly and wild as it ran down his chest. He was nearly twice as tall as the dwarf that was supervising him but both were visibly strong for their job. "The dwarf has been busy helping us with the weapons." He yelled and laughed. "Been teaching me easier ways to do what I do, by Petrania, he's showed my apprentices things I never knew could be done!"

-=-=-

Ox wandered the city, which looked a bit worn out from whatever happened to it recently. The half-elf could still smell the slight tinge of blood in the air. Looking further, he spotted a quaint little shop just beyond the forge where Rudolph was currently at. At the tailor, whose wares were displayed in the window of his shop, Ox could tell of the quality of the owner's craftmanship: it was alright. Nothing too fancy or great but more than enough to survive the wear and tear of adventuring. With that vote of confidence in the skill, he went in the shop.

Opening the door, a chime signalled his entry of which a man appeared from underneath the counter. The shop itself was a bit cramped, clothes hung from the ceiling by large metal rods and that acted as places for the hangers to latch to. There were cabinets to the edge of the shop as well, or were those the dressing rooms?

"Hello friend," the man, whom Ox could assume to be the owner, bellowed. He looked to be thin but tall man, seemingly in his fifties with a pair of spectacles resting at the bridge of his nose. A fair amount of wrinkles were on his forehead, perhaps from overly squinting at his work and a slight slouch. "What can I do for you today?"



The forest was clear of most wildlife, as expected. It was as it was yesterday and it bothered the druid. The trees above were silent, no wind. Just the sunlight piercing through the leaves and branches.

Esther looked to the ranger before speaking. "Unfortunately, I do not. Perhaps the half-elf from before would have known some melodies."

The group travelled through the wilderness and Mari was quick to spot someone tailing them. Looking behind the team, she noticed a red band that hung on one of the branches and snatched it. It was a band of the Twin Fangs and it simply told her that Hunter and Nat were close by. Looking harder around them, she spotted the duo just outside the party's field of view.

Rudolph barked with laughter. "Oy would hope so. Yer mor dan twice m' junior, if Oy couldn't dry some of dat wet behind yer ears den dat's a problem." He looked to the mayor and gave a slight salute as a greeting, tapping his hand to his forehead. "Ay wunt much 'appenin cept runnin into da knife-ears and da whelp. Lucky for moi, let m' do m' job in peace. Ya gun keep her safe ye? Dunt think she be safe travelin wit me 'n da knife-ears ta Twinveil." The dwarf looked at the weapons. "These weapons should outfit da militia stationed 'ere noicely till we send back sum 'elp." Rudolph looked to the mayor, "Think da town got nough life in 'er to suvive dat long?'

Mari lurked behind the group, letting herself fall behind enough to be able to converse with the two Fangs without attracting the attention of the rest of the party. When she decided that she had put enough distance between herself and the group, she waved her hand in the air, signaling Hunter and Nat. Moments later the two emerged from the bushes and saluted their boss.

"Anything to report?" she briefly asked.

<~Osxium~>

"Hey, sir. I'm lookin' for clothes, black ones preferably. As you can see, I haven't had much time to take care of my wardrobe." The half-elf said, motioning down towards his oddly patched together clothing. Whenever he met someone new, he would speak in a way that made it seem like whoever he was talking to was above him. This made it less likely for him to anger whoever he was talking to. Anger, from Ox's perspective anyway, was incredibly bad for business.

"Do you have anything in my size?" This was a question that Ox was used to asking. It wasn't everyday that one would see any kind of elf his size.

Rhea saw Mari move back out of the corner of her mind but didn't pay much attention to it as she mentioned to Esther, "I would've thought that the lantern-bearers were like other religious types what with the songs and prayer and what not. Someone as devoted as yourself must know a song or two, or a hymn. Perhaps a children's prayer that you could recite?" Mari was likely going to squat somewhere in the woods, if her kind even did that. It would probably be more interesting than just walking down a road. Traveling was always such a bore.

Mayor Roderique smiled confidently. "We will, Master Rudolph. The night may be troubling but Thornfell has seen its share of battle, even in the earlier times. Its hardened the inhabitants since then." The girl tugged at the old man's hand. "Oh, what is it young one?"

"I'm hungry," the girl said as she rubbed her stomach. She looked at the mayor expectantly before looking down to the ground.

"Very well," the mayor said. "I'll leave you to your works then, Master Rudolph, Gilderhall."

The smith beside Rudolph raised his hammer as a farewell and went back to work.

=-=-=-=

The man behind the counter fixed his glasses as he approached, taking a closer look at Ox. He rounded the half elf, examining him from head to toe. Even asking Ox to raise his arms for him to take measurements.

"I think I do have some for you," the man muttered in between measurements. "Though I'll have to do some adjustments. Will it be alright for you to wait?"

Ox shrugged and nodded. With that, the tailor looked around the shop. In a few minutes, he began to throw questions about preferences which Ox happily obliged answering. After what seemed to be a back and forth of five minutes, the tailor found the perfect base for what Ox was looking for, unlatched it from the metal rods and went to the back to work.

=-=TimeSkip to Dusk=-=

"That should be the last of the axes," Gilderhall muttered. "My apprentices should be able to do the rest easily with what you taught them Rudolph. Again, thank you."

"Do you fancy a beer?" He asked with a big grin on his face. "It won't be everyday that I'll be able to outdrink a dwarf."

=-=-=-=

"Here you go, Mr. Ox," the tailor muttered as he brought out the requested item, refitted and adjusted. "It should fit you nicely."

He handed it over and nodded. "Please try it on," the tailor urged. "Let's see if I need to make any more adjustments."


"The Lantern Bearer isn't really the most kindest deity to have a child pray to. One does so usually when they're near death," Esther noted. "Praying to the Nameless One to save your mortal life is a fool's errand as he cares not for your longevity but your purpose. A light is destined to go out, ranger, but how strong it shines for the time it is needed that is what matters to the Bearer."

The Order member looked around, before taking a turn to the right. She set off towards what seemed to be a hallway of trees, a haphazard 'wall' of tree trunks and a slightly beaten path Rhea could notice.

"But I do know one that we would recite," Esther confided, scanning the surroundings with her eyes. "I did so on the men's deathbeds back in the church."

Oh bearer of light
Oh merciless guardian
The time has come
To meet with our brethren

Please see us through
The Passage of the Void
Please see us through
Past the eyes of the fallen

Esther continued as the guide, singing as she did. Her voice was suprisingly good and she was doing it effortlessly.

Do not leave us
Guide us with your light
Do not forsake us
For our souls are the light

So that in our final hours
Our souls be dim or bright
Do not forsake us
For our souls are the light

-=-=-=-=-

Using the song as a decent distraction, Mari faded into the backline and was greeted by her two lieutenants.

Hunter sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thornfell was sieged by the lycans but nothing the town couldn't handle it seemed."

"However, the lycans seemed to be a lot more organized that we'd expected. They seemed to have been searching for someone. I also found it odd that there were no casualties save for severe wounding in the populace of Thornfell."

"I'd guess they were spreading their curse, Nat," Hunter pointed out. "Why would you spoil your only way of reproduction."

Nat shrugged and continued. "Additionally, didn't you notice that there was no chief of their militia. I'd guess they would have a chaplain of sorts, keeping the town safe."

"It was odd, so we went digging. Apparently the Grand Constable went missing days prior. He came back after a hunting party searched for the lycan's den. He was the sole survivor. The night he came back, the lycanthrope attacked. There was no sign of him at all during that. The only casualty was Roderique's predecessor."

Hunter crossed his arms. "There was not much to tell to be honest," he said. "Even the folk of Thornfell don't know where the constable went. It's like he disappeared during the attack but even then, he could have slipped away before that."

After several hours, dusk fell on the group. The sky grew darker and the wind chilled. People have been taking turns on horseback. There have only been a few respites, mostly for the horses. Sir Dreimon was on foot now, giving his steed to the others. He moved to the front, meeting Esther.

"How long before we reach TwinVeil?" he asked, wary of the night.

"Not too long with this pace," Esther said confidently. "We cannot rest for the night. If we stop for a bit, we might be attacked. It would be best if we keep moving."

"You said before we won't be able to find TwinVeil ourselves," Dreimon recalled. "How do you intend to lead us there then?"

"We are trespassing," Esther smiled. "There will be a guide or patrol shortly."

It had turned dark and the moonlight shone down through the leaves. After some minutes, Visage and Rhea learned they were being watched. The creeping feeling struck them like lightning and looking upwards, they noticed siloughettes of what looked to be humanoid.

Sir Dreimon looked up and drew his sword but Esther was quick to raise her lantern. The dark figures above shifted in the branches and two dropped just behind the Mari and her lieutenants who was behind everyone. The Fangs leader held her ground while Hunter and Nat quickly came between the shadows and Mari. The two figures, under the moonlight had slender bodies draped in leather armor and foliage. Their exposed skin smelled like paint and their ears ended in points like knives.

"What is your business here?" One of the elves, tall and a lot more muscular than the other asked. He held a pair of butterfly blades in both hands. The other was just behind this one, noticeably shorter with longer hair and a bow in hand.

Before anyone else could answer, Esther made her approach. "We come to TwinVeil seeking assistance."

"The elves answer to the Bearer," the elven archer muttered, bringing her open palm to her right chest. The other elf echoed. Esther nodded and was quick to respond again.

"I'd wish to ask for passage to your city and for a council with your elders," The Order member said with a slight bow. "If it is permitted at the time, of course."

The two elves looked to one another before answering. "For the Order, it is fine. You must know the state of the forest, yes? Is this why you have come here?"

Esther straightened herself. "If you mean a stay for night, that is only one part of it. The rest, I feel, must be brought to your council."

"The council only hears of outsiders if it is of dire need or consequence," the first elf said curtly. "What is it that you bring, Ghostlight?"

"Dire need," Esther replied. At that both elves narrowed their eyes.

"Very well." The elf raised his fist into the air and several more elves dropped to surround the party. "I am Veneron Shio. We will be you guide into TwinVeil."

Esther bowed and urged the others to do the same. Once formalities were done, they were lead deeper into the forest. After some time, they arrived. From the forest floor, one could only see branches and vines up until the higher reaches of the forest, only when one of the elven party blew a horn so silent that none could hear did the facade clear.



Upwards, the party could see lights and hundreds of wooden bridges. Interconnecting structures made of wood and leaf were cut directly into the massive trunks of the trees. One could make out the architecture that Thornfell was based on but in TwinVeil, it was more pronounced and a lot better. Surrounding them high in the trees were more elves in armor, gleaming silver coated their weapons and armor.

"Welcome to TwinVeil," Veneron said. "Your party may linger about the city but you will have to come with me."

Dreimon stepped forward. "I will too," the knight captain said much to Esther's disapproval.

"Very well," Veneron said, clearly hesitating for a moment. "Come with me."

The elf lead Esther and Dreimon towards a nearby lift that had just been brought down from the lower levels of the city. Another was had appeared beside it, presumably for the rest of the party. The elves from their escort ushered them towards that lift. As they did, the lift moved skyward through a series of ropes and pulleys. Some seemingly appeared to be made by the gnomes. Rhea could see Esther and Dreimon being lifted faster than they were and higher when the one they were on had stopped. The elven escort quickly left them to their own tools while the rest of the party could only gape in admiration at the architecture of the treetop city.

Everything was connected indeed, some not by bridges but by ropes that acted like ziplines. Lera noticed that elves simply jumped on with a metal hook and slid down to the lower level to their destination. Lights here were not created by fire but by orbs of light hung in windows and lamps that hung between the spaces of trees. The city was huge and one could assume they had been under it the entire time but just hidden amidst the magical facade.

The dwarf waved as well and went back to tutoring the blacksmith and his crew. When dusk rolled by and the work was all but finished, the blacksmith issued his challenge and it brought a grin to the old dwarf's face. "Outdrink me? Laddie if Oy hadn't been workin wit ya dis entire toime, Oy'd say yer already drunk speakin nonsense loike dat. But Oy tought ya and yer juniors that arts of weaponsmithin, moight as well teach ya how ta drink."

Ox looked down at the clothing, already approving of the design that laid before him. Black clothing was great for sneaking around, unsurprisingly. But, this set of clothing seemed to be a good daytime option as well, which delighted Ox. He carefully took the outfit into a dressing room, making sure whatever was keeping his body from being seen by the outside world was securely closed, before putting it on and walking back out to show the tailor. The clothing wasn't perfect, but it was very close to it.

"This is great! How much should I be paying you then?" He said as he rummaged through his old pockets.

~~~

Rook was sitting nearby Gilderhal and Rudolph, listening to their work and words. He had a guitar in his giant metal hands, using the wide fingers to pluck away a tune upon the strings. One day, he hoped, he would be able to perform magic with his music just like Ox. Deep inside himself, he knew he would never be able to use magic. But, it gave him a reason to continue on practicing.