The Elrynth Empire

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The king nodded his head softly as he listened to Vertigo's words, " You are very right general, I will have you personally see to it that they cannot be risen again, ofcourse i've never heard of another necromancer with your level of power, or another necromancer at all for that matter. But, it is a crucial point to make. So yes, I grant you this. ", he then turned to Aidan, " I know you know what your doing, but as you can see we cannot afford anything to go wrong with this. We need this to be done quickly and quietly. So when you do subdue these men, bring them here without anyone else knowing, I don't want to hear any rumors about the royal family abducting people in the middle of the night. That wouldn't be good at all for us. ", the king then turned back to Aksel, he didn't say anything. Simply wondered to himself if the man would accept the offer of a quarters, he had always wished to have a seer on the grounds at all times, simply to catch something like this before it happened. Instead though, the king simply turned towards the main double doors to the castle. But, before leaving his audience he turned once more, " I leave you now gentleman to your duties, I trust they will be done as quickly as possible. But remember, I do not want anyone but the people here today, to know about this. That is of the most utter importance. My people know me as a loving king, and I don't want them to have cause to say otherwise. ", with that the king made his exit, and made his way to the throne room to deal with more mediocre matters.
 
"Dead men do certainly tell tales, High General... Sometimes after the men themselves are long forgotten." The hollow, echoing tone spoke from behind the mask. The angel rose to his feet, turning to stare at the man. "The man who brought necromancy into legal status within the kingdom. How... Nice, to finally meet you." The words were strained, obvious effort being put into saying them at all. "I've seen some of your exploits on the field... After they've happened, of course. Must be nice to have soldiers die twice for you." There, all civility was lost, though he kept his same tone.

"I apologize, High General. I did not mean to disrespect you so vocally. We peasant-folk have never been on the kinder end of undead, what with the power-hungry raising our friends and loved ones to attack us... Ah, there I go again. Wrong foot to start on, I guess." Aksel smirks behind the mask, "I'll be working with you for a while." He said this with all the neutrality he could muster... As for his role in the castle... Looking around, it was quite lovely. He was just worried about his family: they were all farmers. They had no real connection to the nobility. Indeed, they'd feel... Out of place. Though, if he could negotiate his staying at the castle and getting a little bit of pay for his services, he might be able to pay for his parents to live to a happy old age. The thought lifted his heart, causing his wings to flex.

"As for my predictions..." He looked to the two. "I can look into your problem... I just need a little time. I won't keep the King waiting for too long, though I lack a lot of rare materials for an outright clear reading." He nods, "So... Your choice. I can try to use a divination now and get an unclear vision which will lead you to your culprits through some clear thoughts and detective work... Or, you could help me out and get some rarer foci for me, granting me the names, location, and possibly superiors of your targets." He bows, "I will leave this choice to you."
 
Vertigo looks at the angel, all of the softness that had been there when he first looked at him, all of it was now gone. He knew there was truth in what he said, and that's why it struck home. He didn't flinch, however, he just stood there, this great man with a great dream that was truly and utterly morbid. He was afraid that the angel saw something within him, saw that evil that was inside of him, that he knew was there. He was still a necromancer, good necromancer or bad, it didn't matter. Raising the dead was inherently evil, even if it was for the greater good. Vertigo could only hope that the need for the greater good could out weigh his fears over his own morality.

He looked at the angel. The only sign of any feeling or emotion towards the delicate man was the dilation of his pupils, a thin ring of that intense blue around the black. He nods his head to the seer, a slight incline of respect, though his next words carry a harshness that is not atypical of Vertigo - a threat underneath the good. Or perhaps that was just because he said everything with such a grave intensity, "Power-hungry did not get me to my position, seer. I simply used the talents that I was given." He stares at him with his dilated blue eyes, "Surely you know what that means, to use your gifts to act on the behalf of the people. Dead soldiers or living soldiers, the distinction matters very little on a battlefield. Perhaps you'll come to understand that, see." His eyes lingered on the man for a moment, noting his delicate bone structure, the thinness of the man's frame. His whole body was like that of a fragile bird, who would snap at the tiniest tension.

"I have no idea where to begin our investigation, so perhaps a reading, unclear as it might be, may give us an idea on where to go." He glances at Aidan, "I would rather not have Sir Aidan tearing down the streets with an army of assassins at his back. Let's not peer into the abyss blind and dumb." He rubbed a hand against his face, resting on the single grey hair a moment longer than it should. The mark of age was still troubling him, "Seem fair enough to you, seer?"
 
Aidan was tired of the snide comments, he turned to Vertigo. " Lets get something straight, I am of higher rank then you, I am a part of this royal family, and I will not have you making these comments constantly. ", he didn't show any anger, he was simply stating a fact. " And another thing, I do not have a small army of assassins, if you would remember right, that was of the king's request. So technically your talking down upon his word. Is that what your meaning here? " He said this with a bit of a snarl, this man did nothing but make his little comments, trying to cover them with regalty. He hated it. " So if your quite done with your little school yard grudge, I would wish you would remember that I was never given anything in my life. I fought along side this family since the day I knew to draw a sword. " He then turned from the man, he may of had to work with him, but he didn't have to like it. Turning back to the Terran he nodded to him. " But when it comes to his ideas, Vertigo is quite right. We only know that these men are probably from the Decrenian Empire. But, you must remember that anything that you can come up with will help us get this over with quicker than it would to be sending scouts out into the streets. ", he then actually bowed to the Terran, " And to make this easier for you, I will be willing to personally pay any extra wages if need be, if you have family, or friends that you know could use it, I would be more than happy to see to it that they will also be taken care of. Any service to our kingdom means service in return. We are equals here Aksel, and I will help as much as you can help us. ", with that he turned from the two of them. " Use anything that you may find usefull to your task here in the castle. " Please when you come up with something, send one of the messenger's to find me. And I will come to you as soon as I can. ", after he said this he turned from the two men and returned back to the castle. He just remembered that he hadn't seen his beautiful neice yet this day.
 
"My Emperor," Anila began to speak. "If you wish, I shall be in company of the Princess to protect her."

Her eyes glossed over the group of people crowded around the king. She knew she wouldn't do well in the heat of battle with many soldiers clashing swords and falling upon the ground to die. Her strength lied in stealth and fighting not many. Not to mention, the Princess was a very important figure. If these people wanted to cause a downfall of power or try to create a weakness, they'd might go for Avilon. It was in Anila's power to do all she can to protect the young maiden. Especially in times like these.

"I promise you I will do everything in my power to protect her. Even if it costs me my life." Those last three words did not bother Anila. It was what being a bodyguard was. You'd put your life on the line for someone else's sake. If it meant dying in the process, so be it. That was how it was. She walked and stood closer to Avilon. And swept a hand above her head, as if trying to cast a protective spell on her. Then a thought struck her. She said it out casually, as if it made no difference in the world whatsoever.

"My liege, what is these people intend to target you?"
 
Achileas turned to his beloved bodygaurd, he was proud of what she put herself through for the services she offered to his family. " Anila, thankyou very much. That makes me feel a lot better about this whole situation. But, when it comes to myself. I'm not to worried. They knew what would happen, my daughter would simply take my place. So I see these intruders coming for her first out of anyone. Thats why i've ordered her to stay on the grounds here where I can keep an eye on her. ", he looked from Anila back towards the throne room. " But for now, I must get these other matters taken care of. I have a few people who need taken care of, I'll be able to take care of it personally. Nothing to serious. But if it came down to it, I can take care of myself. ", he said this with a light chuckle, he was simply trying to calm her nerves. If she were to protect his daughter, he didn't want her distracted by the thought of him being attacked. The castle was on full alert, and his royal gaurd was all over the place. Besides, he highly doubted that anyone would try such an attack.

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Gravion took another sip of his beer as he waited for his personal servant to return from his task. It seems that the rumors had spread just as he had hoped. And soon he would be able to leave back to his own lands. A quirky smile came across his face as he thought about phase 2 of the plan. His queen didn't know he was here. But, he hoped she would be happy with his work. Suddenly his servant came to his side. " My lord, my work is done. I have completed what you have asked of me. ", with this he took a slight bow, he didn't want to draw any eyes to his master. Gravion thanked his servant and offered him a drink, which he took gratefully. " My lord, if I may ask, when exactly are we going to continue with your ingenious plan? " He said as he took a sip from the glass. " I mean, the royal court will be joining in the courtyard tomorrow, and we will only have one chance at this, I'm not going to lie. Im a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. ", the servant was nervously rubbing his hands as he looked to his master. Gravion smiled and reassured him, " Don't worry my dear servant, we will take that chance, and our plan will come together. The only thing i'm worried about is the Terran I saw earlier today. I've heard he's a very gifted seer, and no doubt they are on the search for us even as we speak. ", he said this without any worry, he didn't seem to even flinch at the thought of getting caught. He knew he would end his life before they got anything from him. The small capsule in his mouth assured that, a gift from one of the alchemists back in his homeland. He then chuckled a bit as he thought of what his queen would reward him with when he returned victorious, he would surely become a duke. Or maybe even a member of the Royal council. He was almost giddy with anticipation.
 
Vertigo grumbles something to himself, watching Aidan leave. The man, boy, noble never ever actually stayed to listen to what he had to say. He just wandered off, without ever listening to a damn thing the high general said. The boy wouldn't ever become a respected military tactics officer with that attitude. The high general was feeling compromised. How the hell was he supposed to command if nobody would listen to him? He thought for a moment. He had gotten to his position through saying exactly what he thought needed to be done, even when he was nothing more than a private. His hand tightened on the rod, knuckles white and tense. Vertigo looked a the angel once more. It didn't calm him, but it gave him a small hope. He may have hated mages, but they tended to respect him on the magical front. He was a gifted necromancer, and the only real necromancer this damn nation had. He could never be separated from his power and command for that reason alone. Necromancy had saved this kingdom, and necromancy would come to its aid once more.

"I assure you, my liege," He bowed his head to the king, "That no harm will come to you. I will double security within the palace - not on the exterior, however. We don't want them to know that we're afraid of them, or taking this threat seriously - it will only cause a rush of confidence in them, and panic for our people." he narrows his blue eyes, "As for the presence of Lord Aidan, my liege, may I make a small complaint? I would like you to remind him who is high general here, and who is not. In your wisdom, you have given me the title, and not Aidan. I will not take orders from him. Respect him, possibly, and keep him safe from harm, yes, but I will not take any orders from him." His knuckles crack unpleasantly on the rod, but he doesn't flinch, "He would do well to remember that."

He turned back to look at the angel. The grip on his rod went a little limp at the sight of him, though his face remained passive. "Mister Askel, if you could commence with the investigation, I would appreciate it. I would like to deal with this in a timely manner." He looks back at the king, waiting for his response to what he said about Aidan. He expected to get chewed out, but he didn't care. He was still the General, and the Empire's only necromancer.
 
The king turned to Vertigo before he finally made his leave, " My dear vertigo, I would simply like to reassure you that you are the High General of my armies. They wait for you every wim, and I will remind Aidan of this. I promise you that, I have noticed he has been tense lately. And I can assure you that you are not the cause of it. I will talk to him, and make sure he understands what I have to say. Trust me on that. But, I also want to reassure that I remember what you have done for this county my friend.And I want to make sure you know that I say 'my friend' with full meaning behind the words. You man not think of it as that honest, but I assure you it is. ", after he said this he placed a trusting hand upon his shoulder.

" You will be remembered for what you have done around here, but I also want you to remember that he is my most trusted of all my servants, and I don't say that to discourage you, I only say that because he's fought for this empire longer than I have, and I don't say that lightly, he is my older brother after all. He was offered the title from our father before he was killed. He told him this before the dreadful battle that our father perished in, and he denied it! I can't stress this enough, that man has been there for me ever since he passed down the title of king to me, and has stayed by my side ever since. You may not like to hear it, but that man has more wisdom than anyone I know, he was the most educated by our father, simply for the fact that father wished for him to be king instead of me. I do not say I owe him a debt, because he has refused my words many times when it came to me offering him that debt. But I always want you to know, that you will always be one of the glorified of my servants. You have been there through thick and thin, and you have saved this nation just as Aidan has. You two could probably learn alot from eachother if you could just set your differences aside. ", he said this with a type of fatherly tone, he looked at all of his trusted advisors as his family. Maybe not by blood, but by heart and soul. ", after he said these words, he finally turned from the group and then turned back once more.

" Now ladies and gentleman, I must retire back to the matters at hand with the empire, the every day routine if you would. They are just as important as the current threat, without happiness through-out this land, we would not be the great empire that we are today. ", he smiled and waved to everyone has he retired to the throne room, where a small group of towns folk waited for his trusted words.
 
Avilon was quiet through it all, there was not much for a princess to say as the high general, seer and her uncle all spoke about their plans and such. Most of it was lost upon her since she did not know all of the story. However, when the body guard of the family offered to stay with her she was a little surprised. Was it truly that be of a threat? Was her life at risk because of all of this? She did not think about it too much, there was no need to her to worry when her father was already handling it...Still...She wandered over to the bodyguard leaving her father to speak with the other men over their plans and such.

"What do you know? I have been left out information wise and much of this is lost upon me..." She asked softly so that the men would not hear, they seemed to busy with talking to care what she was doing anyway.
 
Anila looked over the Princess and listened carefully to her question. Her eyes cast upward, as if thinking about the answer, though she did not cast them back down when she finally replied back.
"I do not know all the details, dear Avilon. Your father might, but he has not shared that with me." She tilted her head a bit, letting the words swirl around in the air for a moment or two. Then she continued. "There are rumors, cast upon by a different realm. They must have started them to cause disorder...They also plan an attack on the empire, which is why your safety is of concern."
Her eyes finally drifted down to rest on the Princess. Silence swirled around Anila for a bit, as she seemed to have nothing to say. She turned her face and eyes toward the castles for whatever reasons, gazing upon the thick stone walls. She thought about all of her studies on magic and all of the new techniques that she had learned. Maybe they'd be enough to protect Avilon if the time came where she had to fight. Anila hoped there wouldn't be many men, since she didn't fight well against large numbers. Then she quickly coaxed her thoughts back to the present, where it belonged. Then with a steady hand, gestured towards the castle.
"My Princess, I believe it is best to wait in the castle. There security is at its best. We'll be very protective there."

Anila laid a gentle hand on the young woman and gently urged her towards the castle. "Maybe your father will disclose the details to you sooner or later...though I cannot say for sure. Come, we must seek shelter."
 
Avilon pouted slightly as looked up at Anila, finding the news to be less than pleasing. It seemed that she was in the dark just as much as her, probably for a good reason since her father seemed to want to keep this all under cover from the citizens. She gave a sigh as she heard the same thing her father told her before and turned toward the castle as Anila had pushed her. There was no point dawdling around when she could be doing something productive at the moment, like studying or practicing her lute music.

"Of course, of coures...There is no need to push me. I shall go to the library to spend my day then, it is completely surrounded by inner walls so no one could come inside the room through a window." She said lightly as she made her way into the strong hold for her safety.
 
Askel's sigh was clearly heard from the inside of his mask, thanks in part to the echo. These nobles bickered among themselves about as much as he expected they would... at least with the High General and the Royal Uncle. Raising a hand to scratch at the back of his head, the angel speaks, "Well... alright. Though I must state... if we are equals, that is... My first thing that I must ask as an equal is not to treat me as an equal." He frowns, "I am not a noble. I was raised lowborn my entire life. All of my friends are lowborn... Beyond collecting taxes, you nobles have very little presence on our day to day lives, and becoming tied to this castle for the rest of my existence would very quickly jade me to the people I got into divination for in the first place."

"As such, I will refer to you as your titles... you may refer to me as my name or Seer, whichever is easier for you. I hope that this adherence to the rules our nation were founded upon is convenient for you." He bowed his head, "For if I ever am forced to become a noble, I'm afraid I would lose my sense of humor entirely." He said this in the usual deadpan, his smile hidden behind the mask.

"Now... as for your divination. Vague and poetic it is." His feathers rustling, the massive wingspan spread wide, attempting to catch as much of the sun's rays as possible... they glimmered in the light... the angel removed his shirt, which crumbled to the ground - revealing a body made fit by farmwork, further being hit by the sun's rays. He sighed in comfort, closing his eyes, before speaking:

"The rise and fall of nations, like the breath of the dying.
A man stands among a field of stone and flesh, lying:
Within the hearts of one and one rest a deed undone,
So that the many kingdoms fall beneath a single thumb.

War, spoke the liar to his aide
Would cause the very light to fade:
A gathering of those which pride,
Standing by their liege-lord's side.

The prideful towers would each crumble,
A crown of golden fur would tumble.
Rise then one and one: the liars,
A kingdom bathed in profane fires.

One liar from the alleys be,
always look for the shadowed tree.
One from far stands apart,
waiting for the fun to start.

Both stand at the ready,
their aim more than steady...
Swooping in on the chaos of death,
To steal our lord's final breath."

The prophecy complete, the angel sighs, feathers rustling. He lowers his gaze to stare at the others, gauging their reactions.
 
Vertigo was not exactly at his best. He had been watching the angel carefully, studying his figure and his mannerisms. The high general was confused by this man, but nodded at his mention of title and house and nobles. Now that was something that Vertigo understood. He understood not wanting to be mixed up with politics and with these people. They were all really horrible, when it came down to it. The King, though Vertigo was loyal to him, clearly had no real grasp on reality. The princess was a squealing twat. The bodyguard was useless - and had never made an impression on Vertigo. And then there was Aidan. How he hated that man - an unbelievably childish wreck of a noble with no respect for men that the king had picked himself. It was despicable, truly. And people wondered why Vertigo prefered the companionship of his enlisted men, and his summoned and risen creatures. The alternative was so much worse.

But then there was Aksel. Beautiful Aksel. He found himself staring far too intently at him when he said the prophecy. His blue eyes trailed over every line of his body frame - the lithe build of a farmer, a working man though not one much for combat. He had an honest living. It was unusual to see a strangely gifted man who lived such an ordinary life. Vertigo could not see himself coping well with such a simple existence. Then again, Vertigo wasn't seeing much of anything, other than Askel's frame, which his eyes lingered far too long on. He caught himself staring. He coughed slightly, and migrated back to Askel's face, staring at him with that stony face and his hard blue eyes.

"I thank you, Askel." He said stiffly, and then looked at him, "Now if Aidan will return to us, because I certainly am not going to waste time finding him, I suggest that we take a walk through the streets." He smiled slightly at the prospect of a walk with the other man. The corners of his frown turned up slightly. It was a far better look for him then the frown he was always sporting. He bowed his head at the King and the other members of the royal house. God how he hated them all. But he was the High General, bound to their service, and that's all that he wanted. He had this feeling that he would be the High General forever and always, and wanted nothing more than that.

Well, except one thing.
 
Anila followed behind Avilon, nodding. "Yes...lovely. At least I'll have some books to read." She mostly said this to herself. Though when she spoke again, it was directed the the Princess. "Don't worry yourself, mistress. I'm sure your father will tell you everything soon enough."
She hoped he would, anyways. It'd be unwise to leave information from Avilon, since she could be a target. In those situations, knowledge could be the one thing that could potentially save her life. After all, knowledge was power, wasn't it? Maybe there was a good reason the Emperor didn't Avilon everything. Though Anila silently hoped that he would eventually tell her.

But those thoughts later. They weren't relevant to the current moment. Anila looked forward to sitting down in a chair nearby the Princess reading a novel. That was one upside from living in the palace. The library was huge, filled with so many novels. In all her time of staying there, Anila guessed she hadn't even read half of them. She almost smiled. Almost. Thinking back to the attacks, she wondered how much a threat they really were and how prepared they were. And if she was a match for them.

Anila stopped her train of thoughts there. Thoughts about her ability made her tense.
 
Avilon made her way silently into the castle, not commenting much on what Anila said. She hoped her father would tell her soon, she did not want to be left in the dark when her life was at risk. Though, she would gladly sacrifice herself for the kingdom she still treasured her life and the sound of death was not pleasing. Either way, she tried to not think depressing thoughts, there was no need to worry if her father was taking care of it as quickly as possible and the guards had been nearly doubled. She would just relax in the library and read a story or two.

When they arrived she could not help feel glad to be there, the number of books was amazing. Even though she had lived there all her life she still had not read them all, or half of them for that matter. She moved to her favorite spot, a large chair near a grand fireplace, a nice cozy spot in the cold nights. Before she sat she grabbed a book off of the nearby shelf, taking a seat as she opened the pages and began to read.
 
Athale let out a sighed, as he signed his name on the piece of paper sitting on his desk. He stood as he poured some hot wax next to his signature, then pressed his signet into it. He gathered the papers from his desk and walked out of his room. King Achileas wanted precise records kept of every expenditure, of every visitor, of every post and who manned it. Athale had no place to argue. Yes he despised the duties he had been given, but he had been given the task, he would do as he had been commanded. He walked down the corridor, arranging the papers. He was going to deliver them to one of the scribes, so it could be copied. Athale was the captain commander of the Empires knights. He could command almost any noble in the empire to take up arms, but he could only do that at the express order of the king. During times of peace though most knights returned to their duties as nobles, The rest came to the palace to serve as guards, and Athale was their captain.

He entered the library. There were few people here right now, but he wasn't paying attention to any of the people there. He made his way towards one of the scribes, and gave the man the papers he had been carrying. The scribe was to create copies to go to the archives. Athale would bring the originals for the king to go over. After he had delivered the documents, Athale began looking over the library. He was surprised to see lady Avilon here, and one of the kings personal body guards. Athale would have to wait a good while for the documents. He began studying the people who were coming in and out. He noticed one of the palace staff was standing between two bookshelves, he was sweating, and wringing his hands. Athale began walking towards the princess. Likely there was nothing out of the ordinary, but Athale never left anything to chance.
 
Aidan made his way up to the men from his place at the courtyard, ofcourse he had heard every word that the Seer had spoken, and his suspicions were true. He knew she had something behind it, but perhaps by his words, maybe she didn't actually order her men to do this, rather let them go fo they're own accord. He shook his head in disgust at her ways. It was disgusting really. He had fought her armies time and time again, but only returned with more hate for her kind. As he came upon the men, he spotted Vertigo's gaze upon Aksel. Quirking a brow, but keeping his mouth shut he continued forward.

" Thankyou Aksel, your words were very beautiful, yet true. Unfortunately enough, my suspicions may be correct, but I can't be sure yet. The nation of Decrenia, ofcourse our most rivaled nation out of the three, may be behind all this. They have been after our nation for hundreds of years. ", Aidan spoke with a bit of confidence, but didn't want to sound to egotistical in his thinking. He had always kept a watchful eye out for they're movements. And for a while now things had been pertty quiet. But, he knew that it would never last long. ", turning from the two men he thought for a moment, then turned back to them.

" Vertigo, I will also go out. With two groups we could cover more ground. I know a few people who will be honest with they're word, and have open ears to everyone. So I will check around. I will keep a messenger with me incase I hear anything of importance, and I will swiftly let you know whatever I find. ", he quickly called one of the servants to stay with him. " I hope that you will do the same Vertigo. ", with that he turned from the men and made his leave to the bustling town below.
 
Vertigo glared at Aidan, his arms folded tight over his chest. His blue were slit like, and like usual, they seemed to have a slight glow to them The effect was somewhat enhanced due to the light from them peering from his black eyelashes under his heavy brows. He grumbled something to himself, and looked back at Aksel, the angel. Vertigo hadn't been able to make heads or tales of the prophecy. Some of it was easier to understand than others... And he was starting to get a grasp on it. Or at least, the gist of it. A crown of golden fur would tumble... That concerned him. It was obviously referring to the king. He wasn't nervous. He could protect the king. He could run this nation himself if he had to, without any of these petty commanders of the knights and bodyguards under him. He could make the King an army. He didn't need people to try an run an army for him. He was the High General, and goddamn it, if there was going to be a war, he could win it with sheer numbers alone.

Not to say he didn't like the enlisted men. He liked them. He liked them because they reminded him or himself - nervous and full of ambition as they strode across the battlefield side by side with the opposition's forces - now dead and fighting for the Empire. The Empire's army employed a good part of the population too - it was important for the nation. That didn't mean he had to like his under officers, though. Officers were beneath him and above the enlisted men, and were all scrambling to eventually become more than he was. Like Aidan, who said that he believed he was higher in the system than Vertigo was. That was a lie. Nobody gave a shit about the King's brother. Vertigo had it under reliable fact that in one family, the mother and father had squabbled over who would be king of their own children that they never really came to a conclusion - then, the eldest died from illness, the middle child was trampled by horse hooves after revealing himself to be a degenerate, the youngest was a simpleton... so there was only one child left. Nobody gave a shit about the King's brother.

Not that Vertigo could tell that, and he watched as Aidan made hasty accusations. Something rumbled in the back of his throat. He remembered what the mage had said to him so long ago. You could do it better. I think you would make a better High General. He had never taken the mage's advice. He knew that the mage, on some level, was not to be trusted. That didn't mean he didn't admire the mage. He just was aware that the magister's intentions were probably not honourable. And here he was, hearing that voice in his head again. You could do it better.

Vertigo's fingers cracked on the rod again, "We have no proof or notion that Decrenia is responsible. It's plausible, but not for certain." He looks at Aidan, "Let's dig up some proof before we start making wild accusations of guilt." He taps his rod against his hip, "Splitting up to cover more ground? It's funny, because that's exactly what young adventurers are told to never do. Never split the party. Never split up." He looks up at Askel, and his blue eyes open themselves up a little from his scowl, though his head turns to address Aidan once more, "However, I have no real desire to be around you, Sir Aidan, and you have no desire to be around me. Take your assassins and go. I have little use for them, or for you." He turned back to the angel, and plucked Askel's shirt from the ground, offering it to him, "Askel... I know you have no use for titles, and in your company, I would prefer that you have no use for mine. It is simply Vertigo to you." That tiny smile reappeared, "Let's walk the square."
 
Aidan sighed at the thought of Vertigo's words. He knew it would be difficult working with him, but he never thought it would be like this. But, that wasn't the issue at hand, and he continued through the streets. His senses on full alert, he studied the citizens with a watchful eye. Looking around the market, he noticed that today seemed rather quiet. It seemed that the rumors were starting to have some kind of effect on the empire, and that put him down. He knew that the people knew that they were safe, but it still seemed to be dampening they're spirits. He couldn't do anything to help them now, but the faster he found these people, the faster the empire would get back to normal. As he made his way down the street, the local pub came into view. He came here to drink sometimes when he wanted a little bit of time out of the castle. And thanks to that, he ended up meeting a few people of good use. He used people from time to time, ofcourse they didn't know it, but it was for the empire. Never for personal gain.

He made his way into the small establishment and made his way to the bar. The bartender was cleaning glasses across from him, and welcomed him warmly with a hug. " Aidan, its so good to see you friend! May I ask what brings you to this side of town? Pleasure I hope. ", the man said this with a warm chuckle. " No my friend, I fear not. I do need you to lend me your wisdom though. I am looking for a couple men probably. Been starting a bit of trouble, im sure you've heard the rumors. Would you have any inclination on who started these threatening words against our wonderful nation? ", Aidan knew the man was loyal, actually offered him a spot on they're staff, but he cordially declined his offer, said he loved his life here in the town too much. " No my friend, I haven't heard exactly who they are. But, I do know of a couple travellers staying in the inn here, never seen them before. A man, of royal status im presuming, and his servant. Now the man is why im so suspicious of them. He just, has this air about him. Just doesn't seem to agree with our ways here. Seems to hate them rather, but he says he's just passing through. Needed a couple nights rest and a good meal and he would be off. I told him about the royal ceremonies tomorrow and he changed his mind and said he'd stay for a while. ", he said this no louder than a whisper, perhaps the man was here in the inn now. " But, he isn't here now, if you want. Leave someone and I will send for you as soon as he returns? " He leaned over the bar this time, maybe worried someone would hear.

" No, theres no need for that. I will actually probably simply come back. I need to talk to an acquaintance of mine on these matters first. ", Aidan then handed the man a handful of coin, and with a smile, departed the bar. He quickly sent his messenger to find Vertigo, " Tell him to meet me here as soon as possible. ", were the only words he spoke to the boy.
 
Anila turned the slowly page with one finger. Ah, the library. It was one of her favorite places in the whole castle. So many books and all for her to read. Anila had once considered the fact that if she wasn't a bodyguard, she'd probably had been some sort of scholar. To lose herself in words of a faraway place...to escape reality for a little while to explore another...it was truly a wonderful--
Her ears perked up. Someone was coming towards the Princess. Instinctively she moved her chair between the person and Avilon. She looked up from the rim of her book, gazing at him him. He seemed to be of no threat. But as a bodyguard, she had to assume everyone was a threat. "My Princess, someone seeks your company." She said soflty to her.
 
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