Back to the isolation of her solo room. Back to cold, fireless shelter. Back to her thoughts. Shapeshifting out of her bird form once more, Ahvir collapsed on her bed. Exhaustion was over taking her more quickly than she had thought. Was it because she hadn't been eating much? Maybe it was the lack of good, deep sleep. Maybe it was her paranoia that kept adrenaline constantly coursing through. What ever the reason, even doing simple magic was draining. Perhaps though, the sleepless nights would be over. Perhaps, soon, she'd be able to find a small amount of comfort and compassion with her new traveling group.

She closed her eyes as her mind wandered to Caleb and his circus friends she had spied earlier. What were they like? Were they as colorful as their exteriors? More importantly, would they be willing to protect her until she got to freedom. She had blackmailed them sure, so they would take her on their little adventure out of the Empire but that didn't mean they had to protect her from danger. It was no skin off their nose's if she died in a freak Goblin attack.

She chuckled at the thought of her falling in combat to measly goblins. She might only be a mage but she had been Archmage Ormid Hass's direct student. She was breed and trained to be better. She was not someone to be trifled with. A deep breath and she felt her body ache once more. Well, maybe with her current condition, she wasn't as powerful as she could be… She shook her head clear of that notion. She could fight through the pain and exhaustion! What on earth had they 'trained' her for. Being an underling was a great honor but the training to become one was harsh, brutal, torturous even… Just because she had been on the run for multiple months now, with little to no sleep and scraps for food… she had had it much worse in 'boot camp'.

The Assembly wanted hardened mages. Mages who knew true pain and suffering so that they would know how to handle to pressure. Only the ones who graduated from this 'boot camp' were even eligible for being handpicked by an Assembly member. Each member had their own personal 'boot camp' so one had to pick which member they wanted to be under the most. Ahvir hadn't thought of it before but the idea of not getting picked after going through their own personal hell… would be a bit devastating. She couldn't be quite sure, but she was sure that the Assembly, and indeed the Academy, would have positions for the ones that survived 'boot camp' but weren't chosen. It would be a great waste of newly hardened mages if they didn't….

The worse part of her 'boot camp' was when she had to face the illusion of her family. All together for once in their lives. Her mother, a walking painting and too gorgeous to describe, lived under the Empires protection. She was a refugee from Xhorhas and lived in a very secluded and extremely well protected corner of Rexxentrum. This corner, dubbed "The Safe House", was a place where ex-Xhorhasian's could live safe within the Empire. As long as they kept fierce loyalty to the crown and would always answer to it's beck and call, they were protected and left alone. It had been a freak accident when her mother and father had met. Father, being the devilishly handsome high elf and a traveling performer who wowed the crowd with his control over the Earth itself, had bumped into Mother as she had been making her way through the alleys. The rest was history but they could never truly be together. He had to travel and she had to stay secluded… Drow weren't the most welcomed of races after all. So, following in her mother's wishes, Father had picked up the baby Ahvir on a return trip and raised her on the open road to see the world. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Her family had never been truly together so to see an image of her three family members holding each other was already and image beyond what she could imagine. Even though they lived different lives, Father and Mother looked perfect together. Pure love and admiration flowing between their gazes. The intensity of their passion towards each other was almost enough to make Ahvir blush. They turned they attention to the little girl standing between them. White hair, bright lavender eyes, this was definitely their daughter alright. Unlike Ahvir though, who had definitely taken after her Father in terms of features, this girl's features were almost an identical copy of her angelic mother. She smiled up at her parents, then all three of them had turned their eyes to Ahvir, inviting her to come be with the family. To finally make the family whole for once in their lives.

However, Ahvir hadn't moved. She had been instructed not to. She was in 'boot camp' after all and this was her final. She wouldn't blow her chance at becoming a candidate for Master Hass. She had watched as suddenly her family was torn asunder, quite litterally. three spears had penetrated her mother, one through the stomache, another through the chest, and one through the back of her head and out through her mouth. Her Father screamed to catch his falling love but soon his voice was gone as well as his body split perfectly down the middle. The two sides of her father crumpled to the floor with a horrid squelching sound. The little girl ran toward Ahvir and hid behind her legs, fear wracking her small body as she stared up at her attacker.

It had been Master Hass. Master Hiss and his guards with their bloodied swords and weapons. He calmed strolled up to her as the little girl grabbed tighter onto her leg. Ahvir put a protective arm around her as she watched Master Hass approach. His smile hadn't changed from his usual demeanor. Without acknolwing Ahvir's presence, he pointed a finger at the little girl and a blackish green energy began to form at the tip. Ahvir quickly put herself directly in front of Master Hiss and the girl. Was Master Hass truly going to murder a little girl?!

"Stand aside student." His voice was calm, almost as if he was ordering a cup of tea.

"She's a child you can't expect me-"

"They are traitors to the Emipire. To the Assembly." His eyes broke from the girl to focused on Ahvir's. They were kind but they could freeze even the hottest fire. Power radiated from his very gaze that it almost made Ahivr crumple to her knees under it's weight. "To you my student. They have betrayed you. Betrayed the Empire you have fought so hard for. Betrayed your trust, your love."

Ahvir hesitated…

"Stand aside." The glow on his finger intesified. She knew exposing the child would result in immediate death. There was no blocking that spell… She had barely survived it herself, how could she expect this girl to… But they had betrayed her… her Empire…

So she stood aside.

Ahvir had passed her final exam…

She wiped away the tears that had begun pouring down her face. It had only been an illusion, she knew that now… But it had been so real… More intense than than even her parents gaze. And she had allowed them to be murdered. She didn't even try to help them… It was thanks to this exam, Ahvir had sent one final letter to her family, saying she didn't know when she would see or talk to them again. She had to distance herself from them… She had just killed them in her exam after all…

Just because she had stopped her correspondence with them, didn't mean they stopped writing. It took a couple of years but finally Ahvir was able to read their letters once more without seeing their blood on her hands. Her return letters were short but at least having contact with them was helping her heal. She never did tell them everything that she was experiencing. She didn't want them too know… She wanted to keep them as safe as they could be. Wanted to make sure that they never figured out the inner workings so if they ever thought about betraying the Empire, they had no knowledge from her…

But life is a bit ironic… for she ended up wearing the title of traitor…

Another deep sigh. How long had it been?

Squeak.

Ahvir's eyes slowly opened as the animals noise hit her ears. Glancing over, there was a new visitor to her room. A small mouse was now sitting on her bed, right next to her shoulder. Any other person would have freaked out at the sight but Ahvir's soul was connected with animals. She simply smiled and looked at the mouse inquisitorially. Then she saw the sparkle of magic in its eyes.

A message.

A mixture of fear and curiosity began to pump through her veins as she sat up and took the mouse in her hands. She knew this spell couldn't be traced and she was sure that she was still completely hidden from unwanted eyes. As the fear faded, a smile grew to replace it. She knew who this was from. She stroked the tiny creatures head as its mouth opened slightly. A young, girlish tone soon filled the small space as the magic activated.

Sister. It's so good to hear from you! I've missed you terribly. Father has informed me of everything you would let him know. I have news for you as well… I know your hiding so I figured this spell would suite your situation better… I don't know where you are but I hope you're ok… I have just arrived in Zadash as you requested. I await your reply. Stay hidden, stay safe.

As the magic dissipated, the mouse suddenly gave a loud squeak and jumped out of Ahvir's hand, onto the bed, then the floor, then out of sight.

Another deep sigh but this time, it was lighter.

More reinforcements. She had to make sure her family stayed safe… she wouldn't ask them to pick up their lives and escaped with her but she could make sure they were informed as much as they could be so they could continue their lives safe in the knowledge that she was alright. She didn't know when, or if, she would ever see her family again… This would be her last time seeing her father and sister.

Maybe it was selfish, but she just wanted to see them… one more time…

First she needed to find a place to meet, but even before that she needed to deal with her 'party members'.

To be honest, she was surprised they had let her go. She had just blackmailed Caleb and yet they had wanted her to leave. Well, they knew her blackmail was a double edged sword… but still. If it was her, she wouldn't let her blackmailer out of her sight.

She just needed to see her family then she could leave the Empire with a clear mind. Beauregard had said they were planning on staying in the city for a few days so that did buy her some time…

The sooner they left Zadash, the better… The sooner this scroll disappeared into the world and became a lost artifact… the better.

How much time had passed?

What was the news sister had mentioned?

How was Father? He had been getting up there in age, even for a high Elf. He was more powerful than his older frame would let on. Ahvir was always so amazing at how nimble and powerful his magic was when she was younger. She had wondered how an Arch Druid of Tal'dorei found his way to Wildmount and joined up with a band of traveller but she knew better than to ask. He had been so proud that she had inherited his enormous gift for the Druidic arts and had been very hands on with helping her control it. She couldn't even begin to describe the joy that had poured from him when she had received her acceptance letter to the Academy. You either had to be very rich or very talented to be accepted and seeing as how she was raised with a group of traveling gypsies, her magical abilities must have really impressed them. Her father had gathered everything in his power to help send her to her new life. He had been so proud of her… He had always been proud of her… and he was still proud of her.

How was Mother? Was she helping in the investigation to find her? She had no choice but to be loyal to the Empire… Would she try and skirt around them to protect the daughter she barely knew?

How much time had passed…

A rap on the door.

Color drains from Ahvir's face as her blood turns to ice. She wasn't expecting visitors.

"Classmate?" the familiar Zemnian accent breaks through the her slight panic. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ahvir makes her way to the door. Bending down, she sees two extra pair of feet accompanying Caleb's dirty boots.

"Who is there with you?"

"Some of the other travellers."

Hesitantly, the door opens slowly with Ahvir poking one of her eyes through the crack. There he was, still as ragged as ever with Beauregard by his side. The third pair of feet she had to look far down to find. It was childish girl that had gone off with the blue tie fling and the brawny pale woman earlier. Reaffirming that this was everyone, Ahvir opened the door wider to greet them all.

"I wasn't expecting visitors."

"Um… ja. Well I was able to find you by watching where you flew and with the deceptive skills of my friend here." He gestures haphazardly towards the little girl, who raised her head in acknowledgment and waved.

It wasn't a little girl… It was a Goblin.

"She has saved my life multiple times so yes, she's a goblin but that doesn't matter. She an invaluable member to the team." The swiftness of Caleb's response to Ahvir's distrustful look spoke volumes. So he's had to defend this rat on multiple occasions. She must be very valuable to him then.

Ahvir rolled her eyes slightly as she rested on the door frame. She spoke nothing. Just awaiting their reason for being here.

"Um… ja, well we came here because, the group talked… and um… we think… well I think that it would be a good idea, some of them are worried but they'd feel better-"

"They want to meet you and have you stay with us." Beauregard interrupted, clearly tired of Caleb's awkward beating around the bush.

At this, Ahvir raised an eyebrow. Stay with them? She guessed it made sense seeing as how she was threatening one of their party members and would be traveling with them soon. But still… that was an awfully fast response time. Or maybe, she had been lost in thought for much longer than she had previously thought. How many hours had it been?

"Stay with you? So you can watch me?" Ahvir's tone was a bit sarcastic but genuine none the less.

"Pretty much." Bearegaurd stated without a hint of compassion, "They also want to meet their new traveling companion."

Ahvir sighed once more and glanced back into her room. She really didn't have anything to pack up because everything she had, she was wearing. While she didn't trust his group yet, she did trust Caleb. He had promised to help her and seemed to understand the desperation in her eyes. She could care less if his group liked her, all they needed to do was get her to safety. Earning, even just a small amount of their trust would make this go a lo smoother she knew…

She'd have to be rooming with them soon anyway.

Ahvir nodded and moved to join them in the hallway, closing the door behind her. Beauregard looked confused but Ahvir just shrugged.

"I don't have anything else except what you see."

Beauregard still looked a bit confused.

"Life on the run." Caleb whispered under his breath so quietly Ahvir almost missed it. Beauregard's face didn't change very much, in fact it twisted into more confusion but finally settled on a shrug, probably assuming she'd learn more once they were with the others. She would be wrong in that assumption if Ahvir had her way. The less they knew, the safer it would be for them.

Caleb looked between Ahvir and Beauregard for a second, sensing the strain in the air before clearing his throat.

"This way then." and he started off down the hallway towards the stairs. Bearegaurd looked down her nose at the Elf before her, clearly waiting for Ahvir to start ahead of her so that she would become sandwiched between the two humans. Ahvir wasn't about to fight an escort and she started after Caleb. To her surprise though, the Goblin kept pace with her, keeping to her right side as they walked.

A few minutes of silence as they made their way down the hall and down two flights of stairs. Ahvir was busy keeping a look out for possible escape routes, ways to escape if need be.

"You know Caleb from the Academy right?"

A gravely small girls voice suddenly invaded her thoughts. She immediately recognized the feeling on magic in her mind and her eyes glanced back towards Beauregard. She was busy walking a bit behind her and the Goblin, eyeing her every movement. Funny… if it wasn't Beauregard.. Without moving her head, her eyes snapped down towards the Goblin. To her surprise, she could see that she had a piece of wire in her grasp that was held up to her mouth. The wire twinkled with a hint of simple magic.

The Goblin knows magic. Intriguing.

"You can reply to this message."

Ahvir inadvertently cracked a smile at the Goblin's naivety. She knew how this simple piece of magic worked. Her and her sister used to use it when they were children when they didn't want Father to know. It was also very useful in class for 'passing notes'.

"I am aware." Ahvir answered in her mind, her tone light still mentally lifted from the Goblin's previous statement.

A moment before the same spell invaded her mind once more.

"So the Academy? Were you in the same class?!"

She had forgotten to answer her first question! Ahvir had been so stunned that a Goblin could use magic and amused by her naivety of it that she had forgotten her initial question.

"Yes. Caleb and I were the best of friends before he went off with Master Ikithon for private training. I, um, don't mean to be rude but, how does a Goblin know magic?"

"Caleb taught me! To make sure we could always communicate even if we were far away."

Caleb had taught a Goblin magic? Interesting… This Goblin must really mean a lot to him then.

"I'm Nott the Brave." Another magical message. This Goblin, Nott the Brave, seemed very proficient at this particular spell. Nott's eyes looked expectant as they looked up at her. Wide and yellow, full of curiousity, mistrust, but yet also welcoming. It was a very odd combination.

Was she waiting for Ahvir to introduce herself? If Caleb had talked about her already to his group, didn't he already give them her name?

Guess not. "I'm Ahvir. Nice to meet you Nott the brave."

"It's just Nott." and she gave a very sharp toothy grin up to the elf. Ahvir just nod slightly in response to the abnormal sight.

Finally, Caleb stopped outside of a door and waited for the rest of the group to catch up Ahvir just managing to catch Nott secretly slipping the wire back into an inner coat pocket.

As they all gathered together, Caleb gave her a very quick reassuring glance and, without any form of flurry or flair, pulled the door open.

A/N;

Please feel free to leave Kudos, comments, bookmarks, and all those other lovely things! Remember sharing is caring! I hope you are all enjoying the story/mystery so far. Please share with the Critter community! This is a fun project to work on (and read hopefully) while we await Thursday/Monday! Critters unite!

Clarification on how to read the ending; A quotation in Italics, is a sentence said in the mind. So when Nott using the message spell, you'll know when someone is actually saying something aloud and when one is speaking in their minds! As pointed out in the comments, yes that's not technically how the spells works (because it's not telepathy, it is whispering) but I'm using my author/DM powers to tweak the spell a bit :)

It was nice to finally open up a bit of backstory for Ahvir. Just a glimpse. I took a lot of inspiration of the 'final exam' from Caleb's backstory and expanded it. To me, it would be horrifying to figure out that what Caleb and his other friends went through was actually the 'bootcamp'/final exam all potential underlings of Masters had to go through except tweaked slightly. Of course Sir. Ikithon's is probably the most brutal and messed up but I decided to exand on that idea!

Next chapter; finally, all the Mighty Nein members while finally be in one place and meeting their new 'assignment'. This will be fun :)

Also, just in case this wasn't clear, there is going to be a lot of speculation! None of this is canon! This is all my original story that doesn't go against canon but has a lot of personal speculation/theroies thrown in :)

Also, throughout the week, I go back into the chapter's and fix any grammar/spelling mistakes I find so don't worry, I will be fixing all this I didn't catch the first time around!

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