It was a few hours after noon when Aeril left Kryn and entered the Commonlands. Despite the fact that this was his first time traveling away from Freeport, he found it oddly comfortable. He had often heard about how monotonous and boring traveling could be, but to him traveling felt like second nature. It seemed to have the quality of familiarity that one gets doing something they've done their entire lives. He enjoyed the peace he felt as he walked. It gave him time to think about the many things that had recently come up in his life.

Aeril kept coming back to Varlon's words about his fighting style. Could he really be practicing other styles? It seemed ridiculous at first, after all where would he have learned the other styles? But then he thought about some of his most recent fights. He realized that while they started out normal, as the fight progressed and he became more focused, things started to change.

He no longer had to actively think about what to do; instead he simply acted out on instincts. The strange thing was, it felt like he was both fighting the battle and watching it at the same time. If the part of him that was watching saw something, the part of him fighting would react to it. What one saw or did the other would know, almost as if there were two people sharing the same body.

That seemed the best way to describe it, because there were indeed differences between them. For starters he envisioned the one fighting as older and with a visage of one who has became one with the art. His demeanor was different as well. He was much more confident and determined. Oddly enough though, despite whatever form he was in at the time, he distinctly felt as if the part of him that was fighting was male.

Of course he didn't really split into two different people when he fought. That was simply the easiest way to describe what felt when he entered that strange trance like state, he would enter during the last several fights. With a heavy sigh he looked around at his surroundings. He was surprised to realize that it was getting very late and that the sun was well on its way to setting. Aeril couldn't believe how much time had already passed, it didn't feel as if he had been walking all that long.

Deciding that he liked the place he was at, he stopped and began to set up camp for the night. After he finished setting up camp and starting a fire, he sat down to eat his traveling rations. When he finished eating, he laid down to think some more. How did he learn those techniques and why did he go into to those trance-like states? Kryn had once told him that full elves don't actually sleep; they instead entered a meditative trance. But that couldn't have anything to do with, it could it? He was positive though, that whatever it was, was somehow connected to the shadow that was his past.

There were so many questions, some of which he was too afraid to ask until recently. Why was he alone in the Commonlands when Varlon found him? Why was it that he could change forms? How and when did he learn all thos martial arts techniques that he used when he was entranced? And why did it suddenly come out now? He had studied the way of the ashen monk's for years, first from Varlon, and then from Braka. Why did they never appear then? He couldn't answer any of those and others similar now, but he was sure once he remembered his past most if not all of those questions would be answered.

Letting out a large yawn, he turned his body to one side and closed his eyes to sleep. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, and soon there after began to dream. In his dreams he was walking through a forest of some kind. With him was someone else, but unfortunately he couldn't make out any details about the person. On both of their backs they wore a heavy travelers pack, though oddly enough it didn't pose much of a burden on him.

He could hear the person next to him talking, but he couldn't understand what he said. As they continued walking and trying to talk, the scenery around them began to change quite a lot. One minute they would be walking in a forest the next they would be in the desert. And so it continued, climbing mountains, treading through swamps and marshes and other such places.

The person next to him suddenly stopped and began to rummage through his own pack. Finding something, he tried showing it to Aeril and began pointing at something on it. Whatever it was his partner was showing him, was just as nebulous as his partner was to him. Putting the pack back on, he started walking down a small mountain path. The further they descended into the valley the more misty it became.

When they finally reached the valley, they were met by a man. The man began to talk to them, but again he couldn't understand him. He wasn't sure if his partner understood the man or not because he continued onward past the man. When his partner finally stopped he began to take notice of the many springs around them.

The man who met them followed them and continued to speak to them. His partner dropped his pack to the ground and jumped atop one of the many poles that extended upward from the springs. Shrugging his shoulders he followed his partner's example. The new man began speaking faster and his voice took an urgent tone.

That was when his partner jumped at him. Following suit, they met in the air and traded blows before landing on different poles. Again his partner jumped at him, so he once again followed his example. This time though he hit his partner and he fell into one of the springs below. As he watched his partner plummet to the spring below, he realized that the other man was no longer speaking.

Turning to see what had quieted the man, he was shocked to see that the man was gone. In his place was a young girl. She was dressed in a robe so white it seemed to radiate its own light. On her face he saw a look of serene tranquility. He was so awed by her that he never noticed his partner getting out of the spring at jumping at him again. The sudden collision forced his mind to return to the fight, as he began falling towards a spring. Just as he was about to break the surface of the water, he woke up with a start.

Aeril suddenly bolted straight up, and frantically checked himself over. He sighed in relief when he realized it was just a dream. Though what it meant, what he felt the need to check himself for, and why he reacted with so much fear to it was a complete mystery to him. Slowly he started to take notice of his surroundings. It was still dark and his fire had gone out some time ago. His body reacting to the darkness changed forms, allowing her to see much better.

She was about to restart the fire and make something to eat, when she heard the battle cries of two Orcs not far from her. Not wasting any time, she quickly ran towards the inevitable battle.

Upon arriving, she swiftly surveyed what was going on. Two Orcs were locked in battle with a Dark Elf. A Dark Elf that she immediately recognized, Maji. Wasting no time she quickly joined the fight. She struck out at the Orc closest to her. It staggered from the surprise attack.

The Orc decided to express his anger on her, and turned from attacking Maji. Aeril was about to continue her attack, when she suddenly felt a tiny jolt shoot up her spine as a powerful bolt of energy slammed into her opponent. The Orc roared angrily and began to charge towards Maji. But Aeril acting rapidly managed to hit the Orc twice before attempting to trip it. But the Orc quickly turned about and connected his fist directly with her head, dropping her to her hands and knees leaving her feeling quite dazed.

The strangely familiar feeling of magic washing over and embracing her, drove the dizziness away in time for her to see the Orcs foot heading for her head. She nimbly avoided the kick, and got back on her feet. She quickly had to dodge another of the Orcs swings, which she easily dodged and delivered her own kick to the Orcs unprotected chest.

The Orc stumbled back a step, but immediately came back swinging. She easily side-stepped the swing and again kicked his unprotected side. This pattern continued for a few minutes, but each hit only seemed to enrage the Orc more. Suddenly she felt a small jolt and jumped back.

Another bolt of energy hit the Orc killing him. Aeril watched as she continued casting, and suddenly she felt the touch of magic upon her again. A slight reddish glow emanated off of her and made her feel a bit warmer. He remembered that spell from the first time they talked, it was the spell that burned his hand when he held her. She was about to ask her what happened when she gestured behind her.

Aeril's eyes went wide and quickly turned around, as she remembered the second Orc. She was quite surprised, not to see the Orc advancing at her, instead she saw it staring intently at a small dandelion at its feet. He cautiously took a step towards it, but it continued to look at the bright yellow flower.

"Wait, don't attack it!" Maji said. "It won't do anything but stare at that flower until you hurt it in some way. But the spell won't last for much longer, and when it does break, its going to be very angry. So be ready. I can cast a few more spells to weaken him without waking it from the spell, but I'm going to have to rest for a bit after that."

Aeril shrugged. "Ya sure, do watcha wanna do." He replied to her, while positioning herself between Maji and the Orc. She watched as a greenish glow briefly surrounded the Orc, but it continued to start at the flower. Then an orange sphere appeared and began to slowly tighten arround the orc's throat.

That spell had the immediate effect of making the Orc begin to cough as the sphere continued to shrink and further constricted its throat. It angrily ran forward squishing the flower that until now, it had been watching so intently. With the sword drawn in hand, it swung at Aeril. Aeril backed away, easily dodging the swing. Three more times the Orc tried to hit her and three more times Aeril avoided the strikes.

When the Orc attempted a fourth strike, Aeril side-stepped it to make her own attack. But the Orc reacted quicker than she expected. Aeril tired to get out of the blade's path and nearly succeeded. The blade of the sword easily tore through her shirt and made a shallow diagonal cut just under her left breast and traveling to her navel leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Aeril hissed in pain and clutched at her chest. Maji, who had sat to rest, looked up with a concerned look. Aeril's staggered backwards, as the pain was becoming nearly unbearable. Aeril's body shifted to try to better endure the onslaught of pain searing through her chest. The Orc was so shocked by the transformation that it actually lowered the weapon and started at him as if it had been mesmerized again. Though still in a lot of pain, he moved to make his attack.

The Orc was still so stunned that Aeril was able to land two quick punches followed by a roundhouse to the sternum. Though the kick caused him no small measure of pain, Aeril was glad to notice the obvious pain etched to the Orcs face. Entering a frenzied rage, the Orc once again lifted its sword and began swinging wildly at him. Aeril managed to avoid the Orc's attacks, which of course only enraged it even more. The Orc bellowed loudly and charged him, with its sword raised high in the air.

Once again Aeril felt a tingling sensation in his spine, knowing by now what was going to happen, he swiftly moved away. Maji's energy bolt struck the Orc, who began to convulse as the wild energy made its muscle's spasm uncontrollably. After a few seconds the Orc's smoldering body fell limply to the ground.

Seeing the Orc was dead Aeril fell to his knee's clutching at his wound. "How bad is it?"

"It hurts a lot, but it ain't that serious. It just barely hit me." Standing up he said. "In a few hours I probably won't even feel a thing."

Maji rolled her eyes. "Why must men always try to act so macho?" She asked herself loud enough to be heard. Sighing deeply she said. "Come here. Let me look at that. One can only imagine how filthy that sword is, you'll get an infection if you don't tend to it properly."

Aeril moved close enough to let her treat and bind the wound. "Thanks, I actually didn't bring any of those kinds of supplies." He said somewhat embarrassed.

"Why?" she asked as she began to treat the wound.

"I don't know I just kinda didn't think about it. It was kinda dumb wasn't it."

"No, why did you try to help? I never asked for your help, why did you risk your life to save me?"

"Cuz you were being attacked and outnumbered. It's not like I coulda just left you there to die or nothing." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's what most others would have done. Neither elves nor humans are well known for helping a Dark Elf in distress, much less one that has already attacked them."

"Cantcha just accept the fact that I ain't out to getcha or nothing. Goodness! I nearly got killed trying to help you out and you're still doubting me! What do I gotta do to getcha to trust me?"

Maji paused in her ministrations for a moment and looked up at him. For a moment Maji's blue eyes met his and ^(*&^*&(^ before she turned away and went back to treating him. "Trust is a dangerous thing. Why should I, as a Dark Elf, trust you?"

Aeril shook his head. "I came to help you when I saw you were in trouble, because I don't care if you're a Dark Elf, human, or a Bixie. It doesn't matter to me; I just want to be friends. Is that really too much to ask?"

Maji finished tending to his wound and stood up. "So you want to be friends?" Seeing him nod his head, she said. "You're a persistent one aren't you?" She sighed before continuing. "I suppose you'll just keep trying till I say yes won't you?" Seeing him nod his head again she relented and said. "Ok, very well."

Aeril's face lit up. "That's great! That was some pretty cool magic you did back there, what kinda spellcaster are you?"

With a bit of reluctance Maji said. "That depends, sometimes I'm a wizardess at other times I'm an enchantress. It all depends on my mood at the time."

Aeril's eyes were wide in both amazement and awe. "Wow! that's incredible. I've never heard of anyone who's ever been both an enchanter and a wizard. So what kind of mood are you in right now?"

Her smile at the question, took him completely by surprise. "A wizardess." Kryn had once told him that most spellcasters had a tendency to be aloof, and Maji had so far been following the stereotype quite well until now. Seeing her smile made him feel good, it showed that the two of them could become friends after all.

Though surprisingly enough, something else had caught his attention more then the smile on her face. It was her eyes. When the two had made eye contact a few minutes ago, her eyes had been blue, but as she smiled just now, he noticed her eyes had become green. He was about to ask her about it, when she asked him. "So why exactly are you out here anyway? Don't you spend all day guarding the city gates, or have now taken it upon yourself to do patrol duty in the commands as well?"

Aeril winced at the harsh and cold tone she used, which was completely unlike the warm and friendly smile she had on her face moments ago. "I'm on a quest. After walking all afternoon, I went to sleep. But I hard the Orcs battle cries, so I came right away to help."

He noticed her eyes changing again. "A quest? What kind of quest?"

"Well. The quest is my test to get my orange sash. I gotta get some kinda special Orc bracer, a dervish cutthroat ring, a lightstone and a firebeetle eye."

"So is that why you were so quick to come to my defense when you heard the Orcs? Did you come hoping to get their armor as a reward for your help?" She asked with more than a little bit of anger seeping into her voice.

Aeril shook his head vigorously. "No! Honest! I didn't even think about that. Since its night time, I thought that whoever they were attacking could have been caught off guard while they were sleeping." He was shocked at how cynical she was. He hadn't ever seen anyone get so angry before, even her eyes had turned red. Aeril realized that it would likely take a lot of time to truly gain her trust let alone friendship.

Maji visibly calmed down. "I suppose that doesn't sound like something you would do."

Aeril exhaled in relief. Just then the slight glow that had been radiating from him started dimming considerably and he was beginning to feel a bit cold. "Hey umm are you hungry? We could go back to my campsite and I could make us some food or something? I don't have much. I just have some traveling rations and some water, but your welcome to it. We can even light a fire so we can get some heat and light."

Maji looked at him somewhat apprehensively, as if trying to decide whether or not to trust him. "Fine, I suppose I'll go."

He smiled warmly at her and said. "Great! Let's go; it's just over here." It didn't take them long to get back to his campsite, but Maji had to summon up a sphere of light to help him see better in the pitch darkness.

After arriving Aeril told her. "Here we are. Make yourself comfortable, I'll start a fire and unpack the food." He went to his pack to get the food, and then brought some back to her. "Here you go. Oh and thanks for up that little light thingie. I'm not used not being able to see in the dark.

Seeing she seemed unsure of what to say, he decided to talk about something safe. "So uhh- why'd you wanna be both a wizard and an enchanter?"

Maji sighed and said. "I didn't." Opening her spellbook, she said. "I've been blessed with an incredible mastery of the art, and wizardry is my arcane focus of choice. I found wizardry to be extremely easy and was able to understand, scribe, and memorize all of the first six cantrips in one day." She said as she stared deeply into the fire, not even looking at him as she spoke.

"Sounds pretty impressive."

"It is. It may not sound like a lot, but for a novice that's an incredible feat. Most are only able to learn two, and it usually takes a few days to achieve full mastery of these six cantrips. Many thought that I would become a great wizardess, but I was dismayed when I began to try casting my spells. It quickly became apparent that I something was amiss with my evocations. Initially I thought that perhaps it was due to inexperience, but despite hours and hours of practice they just wouldn't manifest correctly. I went to see some of my guild masters and they said that the spells were indeed cast correctly, the problem was they manifested without any real power. So my evocations are mostly just an overly elaborate light show."

Aeril looked at her questioningly. "I don't get it. If you can do it right, why wont it work right?"

Maji closed her spellbook and said to him. "I guess I should probably describe the basics of magic to you. There are three major divisions of magic: arcane, divine, and bardic. Arcane and divine work very similarly, the only real difference is the source that is tapped into for casting. Magic is then further divided into five different schools: Abjuration, Alteration, Conjuration, Divination, and Evocation. Abjuration protects, reinforces, creates barriers or repel things away. Alteration changes and transforms things, creatures, or energy. Conjuration is the creation of things, creatures or energy. Divination is the manipulation of the senses. Illusions, invisibility, improved vision, acute hearing, or the ability to counter these are all examples of divination. Finally there is evocation, the magic of destruction. Evocation is the generation, augmentation, and manipulation of various forms of energy, which is usually directed at something with destructive intent."

"Wizardry focuses highly on evocation and alteration, and divination to a lesser extent. While I can cast evocations, they're just too weak to do any kind of damage. Many thought it was a curse placed upon me by the dark father, for not worshiping him. Curse or not, I wasn't going to let it overcome me, so I tried to take the path of the enchanter. I found its philosophical focus much more difficult, but still within the range of the average practitioner. So I decided to do both, taking what I could do in wizardry and incorporating it into my enchantments."

Aeril shook his head to clear the confusion. "Woh, wait a minute, I don't get something. If you can't use those kinds of spells what was it you were hitting those Orcs with?"

Maji laughed, more at herself than at him. "That my dear boy, is the great mystery. That spell is called chaotic feedback, the first evocation spell taught to young enchanters. I nearly didn't buy it. But after hearing Olavn N'Mar laughing about my 'curse,' I was determined to make him take back his words. Surprisingly enough, I was able to manifest it correctly on my first attempt. It was as if whatever was previously hampering my magic was suddenly gone. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to make my other evocations do what they're supposed to do."

"But that doesn't make any sense. If you could get one right, why not another?"

"To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know. Headmistress Camia believes it might be because of the way enchanters and wizards interact with magic. Headmaster Gath N'Mare on the other hand thinks it might be have something to do with the elemental forces associated with the spells. But at this point there's no real method to find out the cause. But enough about me, now it's your turn. I've done most of the talking so far, now its time for you to fascinate me with your stories."

"Me? Uh ok, sure. Um what do you wana talk about?"

"Well for starters, why not talk about your ability to change your sex and race."

"Well I'm not exactly sure how I do it exactly, and no one I've met can explain it either. I've probably always been able to change. I know for sure I've been able to change since Varlon, my father, found me about seven years ago. But I can't remember anything before that."

"I see. So it's an inborn supernatural ability, similar to the dragon fear that all dragons radiate. I know I didn't see you cast any spell and the fact your sex and voice change prove it's not a normal illusion."

"Ya, I guess so. I can't even control when it happens, it just kinda happens . . . " Aeril's eyes widened as realization set it.

Maji looked at startled by the sudden outburst. "What is it? What did you just realize?"

"The trigger."

"You just now figured out what triggers your change?"

Aeril shook his head. "No, I've known what triggers my change for a long time now. My emotions trigger my change, just like your eyes!"

"My eyes? What about my eyes?"

"Ya. Your eyes, they change color. I noticed them change earlier. I wasn't sure at first if it was just my imagination or if they really were changing. But they do change, and I think they change like I do. Different emotions change your eyes to a different color. Am I right?"

Maji made an exaggerated face of disappointment and teasingly said. "And here I thought you were staring at me because of my beauty." She was quite surprised to note the boy began to blush slightly. Becoming serious again she said. "I actually don't know really. I've only recently found out about it."

Aeril gave her a doubtful face. "You've got to be kidding how couldn't you know?"

"Because dear, unlike you, my change is much subtler than yours. When you change there are many obvious changes, not the least of which is a near foot difference in height. There simply is no way for me to know if and when my eyes change color. Unlike human women, I don't spend all day fawning over myself in a mirror. Which is of course, the only way to find out. Those few who had noticed, simply thought it had something to do with my enchanter training."

Maji continued saying. "I found out because my parents were having an argument about my eyes. My father said they were yellow, my mother blue and I said they were brown. Turned out we were all wrong, because they were red."

"Hmm, well I think they change because of your emotions like I do. I thinkI even know a few of the emotions that change your eyes. I think it's when you like something that they turn blue. I could tell cuz when you were talking about magic you got really into it, kinda like my friend Kryn does when she gets talking about something she likes. And when you were talking about magic they turned blue. But when you got curious they seemed to turn yellow like right now. They also turned red, when you got mad cuz your magic didn't work, or when those guys were makin fun of you."

"So my eyes turn red when I get upset, how cliche." She said in an annoyed voice, which of course turned her eyes red to match what she was feeling.

"Well hey, I'm sure it ain't that simple. I mean a whole bunch of different emotions make me change one way or another. So as far as we know they might also turn red when you get sleepy and tired."

Maji observed the boy. He was so different from all the stories she had ever heard about both humans and Wood Elves. The boy was friendly outgoing and trusting to a fault. Not to mention forgiving. Had the situation been reversed, she didn't think she'd be able to forgive the sometimes elf. At least not that quickly. Yet he had not only forgiven her, but he nearly got himself killed to protect her. She had been initially apprehensive about talking to him, but now she was glad she did. "Thank you for not being swayed by what you have heard of my people. While I'm sure most of it is likely quite true, I'm glad you decided to talk to me. There are few who have intrigued me like you have."

Aeril responded saying. "Thank you, for deciding to actually stay and talk. See it wasn't so bad was it? We've in found a few things in common."

Maji shook her head and smiled. "Yes, I suppose we do have a few things in common. And no, I guess it wasn't so bad talking with you after all."

"See! If we would have done this the first time, we met a long time ago, we coulda been friends for longer than a couple hours. Though I guess we won't be able to become much better friends."

Maji raised an eyebrow and asked. "And why is that?"

"Well cuz I'm on my quest, and your gonna go wherever it is you were going before those Orcs attacked you. And then after I finish this, I'm leaving with my father to Faydwer to learn about my elven side. So who knows if how long it'll be until we might see each other again."



Maji looked contemplatively at him, all the while her eyes were switching back and forth from green to yellow. "I see. Tell me, what were the things you needed to complete your quest?"

Aeril was surprised by the question, but answered saying. "Well I gotta get a fire beetle eye, an Orc bracer, derv insignia ring, and a lightstone. Why?"

Maji once again became contemplative, though this time for much longer. Finally after a couple of minutes had passed, she said. "I have an idea. I myself am on a quest. My quest is to pick up several sets of runes from the various arcane cities, to aid my instructor in his research. If you want, we could group together and help each other out. You could use someone to help you in your fights, and I would like a companion as I enter cities that are most likely quite hostile to me."

He pondered that and asked. "How will I be able to get the things I need if I go with you?"

"Well first let me say it may end up taking more time to finish than if you stayed here. Everything you need can be found in the Commonlands, but there are places where you may find it easier to accomplish your tasks. Of course we can attempt to hunt for the things you need on our way through the Commonlands. And hopefully we can find you something for you to fight the wisps with."

"What do you mean?"

Maji examined the boy from top to bottom. "Well as far as I can see you don't seem to have anything that has been magically enhanced, so you can actually hurt them. You see willowisps are magical creatures and are immune against any type of mundane attack. You either need to be able to cast magic or having a magical weapon, otherwise you can forget about killing some willowisps. So what do you say, shall we team up?"

Aeril shrugged. "Sure why not."

Her blue eyes shining she gave him a genuine smile. "Good. Let's see, Nearfield is less than a day's walk from here. How about this, I still need to pick up my gear. So let's meet up in Nearfield tomorrow, about six hours past noon."

"Wait, your not coming with me?" Asked the bewildered boy.

Maji sighed. She stood up arms extended out, and twirled about showing off her well-worn brown traveler's robe. "I'm not exactly dressed to go adventuring. I'm going to travel to Freeport, pick up the Freeport rune, a change of cloths, some food, and gate back to my residence in Nearfield. It won't delay us very long and if you want, you can send your family a message via the Leauge of Antonican Bards. I know a bard that can make the trip to Freeport from Nearfield in about half a day."

"Ya I guess so."

"Here catch." She said as she tossed a small bag at him. "Use that money to get yourself a room at the inn and rest a bit. Also if your going to send a message home look for an elf bard named Salvin and tell him I sent you. If he asks, tell him I'm in Freeport."

"Aeril frowned, but said. "Ok, sure. So we meet at six in the town center?"

Maji nodded her head. "Good. Now that we've settled everything, I'd recommend leaving now. That way you'll have plenty of time to get a room in the inn and sleep. I need to leave now, or I won't have a chance to rest. So I'll see you at six."

Without waiting for him to respond, she turned around and began walking off. Aeril stood there watching her walk away; still feeling a bit lost. After a minute he shook his head and said. "Sheesh, that girl is something else. Oh well I guess I better start packing."

It didn't take him very long to repack his belongings and set off. The walk wasn't too long and she arrived a little bit after noon. She was amazed at how small the village was compared to Freeport. Small farms and cottages could be seen everywhere, though this wasn't much of a surprise as she knew that Nearfield grew most of Freeport's food.

Seeing as how she still had a long time until she was supposed to meet Maji, she decided to follow her advice and get a room in the inn. The inn was easy enough to find as it was just off the main road, which went through the center of town. As with most of the buildings she found in Nearfield, the inn wasn't fancy or extravagant as the inns in Freeport.

She was quite embarrassedwhen she went to the inn, as the innkeeper somehow recognized her and let everyone who could hear know that she was Varlon's child. When she asked for a room, she was astonished when he gave her the best room in the inn free of charge. It wasn't as luxurious as a room in the Jade Tiger in Freeport, with its wall-to-wall green silk carpeting, but it was still nicer than his own room in Freeport.

She unpacked and decided to find the bard Maji had told her about so she could send a message home. Seeing Harold, Varlon's former student and innkeeper, Aeril asked him. "Do you know where I can find a bard named Salvin?"

Harold looked at her oddly and asked. "Why would you be looking for him?"

"Well cuz I wanted to send Varlon a message telling him about my travel plans."

Harold shrugged his shoulders in a dismissive gesture and said. "He lives in the lone cottage to the north of town."

She thanked him and excused herself, and began heading to the northen part of the town. There as Harold said, was a cottage so far removed from the rest of the village that one could argue it wasn't part of the Nearfield at all. As she neared the door, she could hear music coming from in the house. She knocked on the open door, but received no answer. She was thinking about knocking again, when a male elf answered the door and said. "Yes? Can I do something for you?"

Aeril had never seen an elf like quite like him ever before. She wasn't sure what type of elf he was. Though his skin was blue, it wasn't like that of the dark to indigo shades found on Dark Elves, his was a pale cyan. "I'm looking for Salvin."

She noticed the other elf's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That would be me. How can I help you?"

"Well I kinda need a message back home to my father in Freeport. I was kinda hoping you could do that for me, unless you're busy or something.

"Why ask me? There are other bards in Nearfield who can help you out, for a lot less than what I charge." He looked at the girl intently, trying to figure out why a strange Wood Elf girl would be asking him to deliver a message to her home in Freeport. It was odd enough that someone came to his house, as the humans of Nearfield felt really uneasy around him. But for a full-blooded elf to come to his door was all but unheard of, as the other sixteen elves who lived in Nearfield had long ago made it quite clear they wanted nothing to do with him.

Aeril couldn't understand what she had done to get such a reaction from the strange elf. "Well. A friend of mine said I should ask you. She said you could get it there pretty fast."

Salvin looked at her even suspiciously now. "A friend of yours? Does this friend have a name?"

Sensing the extra scrutiny and growing tension Aeril was starting to get a bit nervous. She quickly answered. "Um her name's Maji. She said . . . " She didn't get a chance to finish as Salvin suddenly began laughing. Now thoroughly confused, she asked. "What's so funny?"

"You said Maji sent you? There has to some kind of mistake. I can't see the Maji I know being friends with a woody."

Aeril felt both hurt and a bit angry. "Why not?" She asked in a riled voice.

"How long have the two of you known each other?"

"Well, we haven't known each other that long, but we're starting to become friends."

"That's why. The Maji I know tends to act somewhat paranoid, though she would of course say that's she's just cautious. She's suspicious of anyone who isn't a Dark Elf, and tends to be wary of the ones who are."

Aeril sighed, that did seem like it could be an accurate description of Maji. "She told me, if I want to send a message home to find an elven bard named Salvin, and that if he asked to tell him that she would be in Freeport. If you don't believe me then I'll describe her to you. She's got long white hair and dark blue skin, she's got blue, yellow, red, brown, and green eyes, though if she has more I'm not sure. She's also both a wizard and an enchantress, but has trouble casting some of her wizard attack spells - or something like that. Not only that but she has a place here in Nearfield, but she makes the trip to Freeport at least once a week."

The bard visibly lightened up and even looked a bit amazed. "Wow, that pretty impressive. It seems I'm the one in the wrong. I'm sorry for not believing you but things have been tense since that Dark Elf murdered a girl in Freeport. Not only that but I've only known her to have taken an instant liking to one person. As I said before, she's not one to easily give out her trust. So tell me you miss, what would your name be?"

The sudden and dramatic change in his demeanor caught Aeril off guard. Quickly getting her bearing back she quickly answered his question. Salvin's eye's grew wide for a moment. "Well, I'll be. You're the metamorph! You're the one who had the new Freeport city ordinance overturned. That's quite an accomplishment. So what brings you out here?"

"Well I'm on a quest. But last night I found Maji being attacked by a couple of Orcs, so I helped her out a bit. We talked for a while and we decided to do our quests together. Maji said it'll probably take more time than originally expected, so I was hoping you could deliver a message for me so they won't worry."

"I see. I suppose my little girl is growing up, it's about time. She's far too paranoid. Maji is by far, not your typical Dark Elf. 'My mother once told me that even the most noble minded of Dark Elves only see friends as valuable resources, worth keeping around for a while.' But Maji and a few precious others are not like that. Sadly, as I just proved, people are quick to jump to conclusions based on what they see and expect."

"Those same reasons are why Maji tends to paranoid and cynical. In Neriak one must always be watching their back, and if you don't worship Innoruuk doubly so. Added with the fact that there are many 'good' people out there, who would love nothing more than to kill a dark elf so they can make the world a better place. But those who have managed to earn her trust will find she's really very friendly. Though be careful about her sense of humor, it is . . . very unique." Salvin sighed deeply and shook his head. "Anyway, you must be getting tired of listening to me lecture away. So what message did you want me to deliver to your father?"

"It's ok. I'm used to getting lectured. Well, just let Varlon know that me and Maji are gonna be working together doing some quests. So I'll probably take a bit longer to complete my quest, so don't get worried if I don't show up when they think expect." It was then that she realized what Salvin had asked him. "How did you know I wanted the message sent to my father?"

"You're Aeril of Freeport. A lot of people know about you around Freeport, after that trial of yours before the city council. Not only that, but apparently the innkeeper here in Nearfield knows your father, so we've heard about you that way too. Anyway good luck to you on your quest and I'll have your message delivered in sometime around five or six tonight."

With a wave, Salvin took off running towards Freeport. Aeril shook her head; he was very strange, and not only that he forgot to charge her. Then again most bards tended to be a bit odd, so she shouldn't have really been all that surprised. Having sent his message, she decided to take Maji's advice again and went to her inn room to sleep.