A/N: Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter! For some reason I only feel like updating this story right now... Odd... Anyways. Wanted a slightly funny chappy because the upcoming ones will probably get pretty gory. There is a link in profile to a picture of Sestine's map mentioned in here that shows all the places she's mentioned. Read and enjoy the awkwardness of this chap. ^^' Bye bye!

Chapter 13

Alpine had no way of telling how long they'd been flying and her stomach couldn't make up its mind if it wanted to jump around or stand still in her gut. She almost didn't realize that they had landed on the battlements of a hidden castle. Raziel let her and Josh go, the sudden change of now being on the ground made poor Alpine's head swim and she swayed, nearly falling off the high merlon of the battlement. She would have fallen had Raziel not reached out with a strong wing and pulled her back to her feet. She flashed him a dizzy smile and mouthed 'thank you', she got the slightest quirk of a lip in reply from the vampire before he turned away; completely ignoring her and the other humans. If Kain, who had just reformed himself and the humans, had seen the act he ignored it for the sake of Raziel's pride. Dumping the other humans on the ground, Kain stretched his limbs and turned to Raziel. Their silent conversation was cut off by the sound of claws clacking on stone, and a sweet-sounding voice talking to them.

"Kain, Raziel…. You've made it in time, good." They all turned to see a small strange-looking woman with green-striped hair. Alpine was amazed at how small she was, she was about as short as Alpine. Suddenly, she didn't feel as short as she used to but it scared her at what an air of authority this horned woman had.

"Sestine, what's wrong?"

"Come with me, I have the maps ready. We must plan and set out…" She turned back towards the door then stops, "Are the leaders of these humans here?" Raziel flicked his wings and grunted in reply.

"Good, bring them, they are a part of this now." She continued along her way inside with Kain right behind her. Josh and Cartrite let out little surprised sounds as Raziel picked them up by the backs of their military jackets and carried them inside. Alpine watched as his wings folded comfortably against his back as he took the men inside. Drawing her artist's eye away from his strange physique and turned her head to the left. She let out a surprised squeak as she found a smirking Foxy up in her face.

"Girl, I saw what happened there…!"

"What? Him pick up Josh and the Professor then carry them inside. Fox, everyone saw that, so what…?" Alpine really had no idea what her friend was getting at as she watch their other two team members followed the others in.

"Not that! The way he used a wing to scoop you up and pull you back when you were about to fall." Fox snickered and elbowed her, "I think he likes ya, sugar." The sidelong glare Alpine gave her showed just how unimpressed she was with this train of conversation.

"You have to be kidding me, Fox. You do realize that the only reason he saved me was because they have no idea how many of us they'll need, right…?" Foxy was giggling like a school girl now as she wrapped her arm around Alpine.

"I don't think so, girl. You should have seen him at dinner when you were petting his wings with your crafty little artist's hands. It was only for a split second but you had his pretty golden eyes rolling back in his head with ecstasy as you turned his brain to mush!" She rubbed herself up against Alpine and purred, "Makes you wonder in the rest of him's that sensitive touch… And have you seen those powerful-looking hips?! Makes ya think about how they ca-!"

"FOXY?!" Alpine slapped her palms over her ears, face bright red, "What on earth is wrong with you?"

"What?" Foxy couldn't help but laugh at the hilariously horrified face of her best friend.

"Can't you get your mind out of the gutter for one second?! How did you ever make it this far in the army?!"

"Simple, by kicking all the boys' butts!" Alpine just shakes her head, slack jawed before throwing her arms up.

"That's it! I give up! I'm going inside!" Still shaking her head as she walks inside, "Of all the best friends in the world to get… I had to get a sex-crazed one….. Why me….?"

~H~T~

That horrific conversation hadn't been nearly as long as it had felt. Alpine could still feel the deep flush on her face as she tried to get rid of disturbing images out of her head, She was very glad she was a virgin so that she didn't have more knowledge to put into those images. She shook her head to clear it as she rushed after the others, she didn't want Foxy to catch her just yet. That didn't last long, with her long powerful legs Foxy caught up to her in no time. They entered the room see Raziel plop the two humans in chairs around Sestine's massive hardwood table.

"Psst! Ya think there's somethin' goin' on there?" Alpine jumps slightly as Foxy whispers in her ear and points at Sestine and Kain, they watch as Kain gently picks Sestine up around the waist with one massive hand and plops her on the table. He leans over her to look at the huge map that takes up the entire table, palms pressed to the table with an arm on either side of the strange woman. Sestine presses her back against his chest as she leans up to point towards the north, her little horse tail waving back and forth against Kain's thighs.

"I couldn't tell ya…" She thinks there is but doesn't want to feed into Foxy's obsession, "Let's get closer, I want to see." Foxy snickers at her.

"Yeah, wanna see the great shirtless Raziel…" Alpine just groan in frustration and walks over to stand next to her professor.

"Alright. It was all in my race's history books." She hears Sestine start as they all look at the detailed and colorful, it's beautiful! "I found what is needed to create the pendants that ward off the spell of the Everkin Diamond." Sestine lights up her alicorn slightly so they can see the map in for detail. Despite it being midday, the castle is rather dark inside. She taps the map with a tiny palm and smirks.

"Everything is marked on this map." There was an oddly low grumble from Kain at this.

"How do you know this map is accurate for this timeline?"

"Simple, it's a magic map that changes with any changes you and Raziel make to Nosgoth." Kain made a weird noise that could only be recognized as a chuckle by Sestine as it wasn't his normal laugh. Alpine looked on it awe of Sestine's control of the situation as she continued.

"There are four things needed for the pendants and two things that need to be done in order to make the Everkin Diamond." She brought a hand up to count, "For the pendant, there's Therlok's Lace which is found in my family's catacombs. Frigid Metal, which is found in the Lost City. Blood Diamonds, found in the swamp of Termogent Forest and lastly the Ebony Ink which is found in the site of where the future Sarafan Stronghold will be…" Sestine raised her head and looked between the shocked faces of Kain and Raziel.

"But that's clear across Nosgoth!" Raziel exclaimed, "We'll never get the pieces in time!" Sestine shook her head.

"Don't be so sure, Raziel. There's no possibly way that Runekin has the Everkin Diamond yet…."

"How do you know of this?"

"Because it's not logical… There are two things he must do first. Get the Life's Coal first, which is hidden somewhere in Dark Eden." The cringe that went through Kain at the name was almost non-existent, "Then he must go through Dark Eden to get to Weatherthorn Ruins, pass through that somehow and get into Mount Thulgoth where the north barrier is. Turns out that is what that barrier is hiding, the way to create the Everkin Diamond." Kain's grumble of agreement reverberated through his chest and into Sestine's back as he slapped a palm on the map.

"Then it is settled. We shall go in the straightest route. The catacombs, to the Lost City, to the swamp," Kain and Raziel groaned slightly at that, "Then to the Sarafan." Kain stood to his fool height and stared down at the humans.

"Go with Sestine and prepare what you creatures will need to survive the journey it will be a long trip and the cities of this world are not kind to outsiders…." His cold tone was his way of dismissing them, he walked back towards the battlements with the slightest flick of his head as a way to call Raziel over to him. Once they were gone, Sestine turned to the humans and smiled.

"Shall we?"