On this chapter, we now start at back Blackfeather manor, with most of the crew in for the night and Erik still at Yamakhroz, it seems things are moving well for the crew and soon-to-be, nightingales, however...Reynold is also making a move, but I doubt...he'll be just as "successful" as they were on their job...


Chapter 49

Settling in...


At the manor,

Stables Area...

Dark forest Region

3:00 pm


When the group arrived home, while the others went into the house, Traysek decided to stop by the large stables with Rela following behind...to his surprise, it was bigger than he imagined...

"Wow...So many empty pens..." He said, bewildered, "There goes my worry for the dragon taking up space, I wonder where the stablemaster is..."

"Dragon?" Rela looked at him with confusion.

"Yeah and an armored one at that, it was gifted to me at the start of Feoh's battle," Traysek answered, "Melted a lot of their walls too, I sent him back to the hangar after the fight was done, and over, but it's time to move him and the Gryphon here,"

"You're sure that's a Dragon and not a Wyvern?" Rela asked, "While it would flatter a Wyvern, which is considered weak compared to Dragonkind, it would be an insult for a genuine Dragon to have a Wyvern called Dragon. Just something to keep in mind..."

The Redguard thought, "Huh, good to know, he's big enough to be a dragon if that's the case, but yeah, I'll need him here," looking back, "As for my new ship...? That'll have to come later,"

"Let's see who's inside..." Rela sighed as they got inside.

When they reached further in, they found a dark elf with short dark hair, and green eyes behind a pair of glasses, wearing a white tunic, brown gloves, and brown leather pants. He seems like he's working on something...

"Found someone, let's see what his deal is," Traysek hummed, going up to him, "Hello there~ are you the stablemaster here?"

The Dark Elf boy turned toward them, "Oh if it isn't Rela! Long time no see!"

"About four weeks." Rela nodded.

"Those forty days were full of discoveries, y'know." the Dark Elf laughed before turning to Traysek, "And who's that?"

"Hi, the Name's Traysek and I'm one of the new tenants here," The Redguard introduced, "And you are?"

"Name's Math, I'm one of the two Stablemasters here." the Dark Elf Boy answered.

"Nice to meet ya Math," Traysek nodded, "I was looking for one of you to let you know you've got two mounts coming in, one a Gryphon and the other a Wyvern...didn't want to just shove them in here without anyone knowing,"

"You can just call them and let them choose whatever area they desire." Math replied, "Once they've chosen their ideal place, they'll spray it to mark it as their territory."

"That simple huh? good to know," The Redguard smiled, "And how many can we house in here, I'm counting a lot of open pens,"

"Over 70 large mounts." Math replied, "And each large one can house 5 or 6 horses."

Traysek whistled, "Impressive~ I'll also keep that in mind while out there," pulling out the Gryphon whistle first...


Lounge area...


In a lavish room with chandeliers and standing Candelabras on small tables, with the same flame that burned in the halls, there were also two bookshelves parallel from a fireplace that burned with a photo of Swain over it, Inigo relaxed, sitting on a large onyx-colored couch, looking out of the large windows while he passed the time... He had found the room he wanted on the second floor and had settled into it... Now, true to his word, he waited for the others to show up...

Luckily for him, he heard multiple footsteps approaching the lounge room...

'Sounds like they're home, either it's Traysek coming back from that mission with the others, or it's the other three' turning around to find Sylla, Klein, and Endra walking in, "Ah, my friends~ I heard you guys coming! how was your mission?" noticing two people were missing, "And where's the Captain?"

The Dark Knight shrugged, "Eh, it was okay, didn't get any action, and I think I saw him and Rela head over to the stables for something, they'll be in shortly.

Once everyone had gotten comfortable... The missing duo showed up, and Inigo smiled at them.

"Welcome back my friend, how'd your mission go?"

The Redguard sighed deeply, "Wasn't a fan of how it ended, but it got done...Nothing more there," he shrugged.

"I heard a bit of that from the call stone, it's a good thing we separated from the main call line after the battle," The khajiit chuckled.

"Truth be told... I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to fight." Sylla sighed, "I wished I could've defeated someone and stolen some of the moves for myself..."

Traysek sighed with a chuckle, "Don't worry about that, you'll get your chance, that was just...an intro as a Birds of Prey member, trust me, jobs will get spicer,"

"And so will the pay, speaking of, do you still have it on you?" Inigo asked, eyebrow raised.

The Redguard reached into his haven bag and brought out a large sack, "Yup, here it is, just waiting for the others to get here so I can give them their cut," leaving it on the main table, "It stays there for now,"

"I wish I could get paid in runes..." the Tarnished sighed.

"Runes?" the khajiit frowned, "what kind of runes?"

"It's not like you'll understand," Sylla sighed again before explaining, "Runes are remnants of souls in the Lands Between. They are used as currency, and as a way to become stronger; by having a Finger Maiden turning them into power to increase in Vigor, Mind, Stamina, Endurance, Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, Faith, and Arcane. Each one is important, but a Tarnished rarely invests in all of them, they very much choose one, two, or three. For me, Lady Ranni was the one who turned Runes for me when I became a Tarnished. And those increases can aid you in getting the requirement to use Spells and any equipment that would suit your taste."

The Redguard slowly nodded, "So it's like gold, but it goes towards your abilities...gotcha and...how are they usually acquired...?"

"Like I said; they're remnants of souls, so killing anything that moves can get you Runes." Sylla answered, "The bigger and stronger the target is, the more Runes you'll get. However, only Tarnished can get those Runes. Also, there are also Rune Stones that hold out Runes, but they are rare to come by."

"Hmm...so the other tarnished that murdered you back in your world...was it the same for her in that case?" Traysek asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Must be." Sylla sighed, "But she was way stronger than me. And... being killed by her was strange..." The Tarnished went into deep thought.

"Doesn't death always feel strange...?" Klein asked, "Unless I'm missing something, I thought only people die once?"

"After becoming a Tarnished, one dies way more than once." Sylla replied, "Even dying to other Tarnished isn't that Strange in the Lands Between. But, being killed by Hildegard was permanent for me... maybe others too..."

"Since she's out here, we could ask how that's happening from her," The Redguard nodded, "But for now..." yawning after, "I'm taking that bath, let me know when the others get here, alright? Recorder should be here soon, from what I'm getting she's got a new mount she's on the way with, Can't wait to see what that is" rolling his shoulders, "That said, I noticed the staff here aren't around? where are they?"

"Ah, being honest with you, my friend...I haven't seen the head maid since I've been here, not sure where she or the others are around here," The khajiit explained.

"I see, well, I'll be in the bath, hopefully Yuri's finished up in there," The Dragonborn chuckled, heading there.

"Maybe I'll join you." Sylla grinned, "After all, I do need a bath." she winked at him.

Traysek stopped and thought, "You know what...? That doesn't sound like a bad idea~ I could use the company~" with a smirk,

"Uh-huh "Company" just watch where those Gravity slams end up, okay?" Inigo laughed with a smug smirk.

Klein frowned hard, "Wait, what was that about Gravity?"

"Nothing...! We'll be back!" The Redguard answered quickly, before leaving as such with Sylla.

Sylla turned and smiled at Inigo with a pitch-black aura around her, "If you don't watch your mouth... I may visit you for a new coat."

Inigo gulped with a nervous grin, "M-mine...? No...you don't want that, it's full of fleas, but I'll let you have what's in the closet, we can call it fair, yes?"

Klein laughed, shaking his head, "By the feathers of swain, you're just as bad as he is," nodding towards Endra.

"Heh, it's hard to intimidate me." Endra smirked, "And after all the beatings I got from Dargo, I became quite durable."

The dark knight could only sigh, taking a seat on the couch...


Meanwhile, the route to the manor


Recorder had flown over the sign, heading in towards the dark forest and lowering to the entrance of it, remaining on, "So this is it huh? god it looks freaky, I can see why people stay away, so many danger signs..." gulping after, "Well, in we go..." getting a nervous squeal from the butterfly as it careful guided them through...

Many creatures stared at them with hungry eyes, some trying to approach, only to stop at the edge of the main path.

She was heavily sweating as the mount did, eyes large and afraid as it passed through, 'Oh my god...I can never get lost out here, I will be eaten alive...check that,' gently petting her trembling mount, 'We'll both be eaten alive...!'

One of the creatures was a four-armed gorilla with long fangs coming out of his mouth, walking alongside the edge, following Recorder.

She blinked twice with a nervous smile, 'What...the hell...? I've never seen a four-armed gorilla with poison fangs...oh hell no I can't get lost out here, I'll be free eats!'

No matter the pace she took... The strange gorilla followed the same pace... until he got distracted by a lobster resting in the swamp.

"Okay...we can pick the pace up a little, I think..." She said completely shaken, as the mount sped up its advancement further in...

She finally reached the gates, nearly pale from everything she saw back there, "Hoooo hoooo...it's okay...it's okay...we're finally in they can't get us now..." trying to calm both her and her very shaken mount down, shakily reaching for the call crystal, "H-hey guys, I m-made it...c-can you let me in...?"

"One second Record," Inigo's voice rang through, 'Hey Rela! Recorder's here, could you let her? She sounds freaked out" she heard him snicker.

"Of course," Rela spoke behind her.

She and the dream butterfly screamed high pitch, echoing through the forest...

"Ah, my god! Don't do that!" Record said grabbing her chest.

"He asked me to do it..." Rela pointed.

She frowned, "Who told you to do it?" turning in the direction of, finding Inigo laughing his ass off, "Uh-huh, he told you to huh," flipping him off harshly.

"Hey don't be mad, you were warned ahead of time, anyway, we're chilling in the lobby," He told her.

"How big is this house...?" Record slightly sweated.

"Very big..." Rela answered before noticing the mount "Why don't you take this butterfly to the stables?"

"There are stables big enough to hold her...? Wow...yeah, show me where that is please," Recorder smiled.

"Alright, follow me..." With Rela guiding her through the estate.

Upon arrival, She found a large hangar-like Barnhouse, already housing a couple of the mounts, that being the dragon and the Gryphon... and in the front was a brown-haired young woman with auburn eyes, a black leather vest, a brown belt, black leather pants, and black boots.

"It seems like Trix is in the middle of adjusting the bedding for the beasts." Rela pointed.

Recorder nodded, looking around, "It's very roomy in here, how many mounts can we house in this?" she asked the dark Elf.

"It can house over 70 large beasts," Rela answered, "And each large beast's place can hold around 5 or 6 horses."

Record whistled loudly, "Holy shit...we can have an emporium in here if wanted to...I like that, I know a certain captain that's gonna be excited to learn about that one," leading her mount into one of the many empty pins, "Guess this where your going~ as for a name, dear, we'll figure one out later," gentle stroking it's back fur, getting her to buzz, dismounting after, "I'll see you later~ hopefully I'll have a name you'll like," with a smile, turning to Rela, "Okay, go ahead and lead me to the others," with a nod.

"Don't you want to know the gender?" Rela asked.

She stopped and blinked, "Good point, I figured she was a girl, but...I could be wrong there too,"

"Just ask Trix and she'll tell you." Rela pointed to the young woman.

"Alright, I'll see if she's willing to chat," Record nodded, heading over to the stablemaster with Rela...

"Hey Trix..." Rela called, getting her attention.

"Rela!" the young woman was joyous at the sight of the Dark Elf.

"Can you help with something?" Rela asked while pointing to the Dream Butterfly.

"Sure things!" Trix walked to the mount before humming a few times, "A rare breed of Dream Butterfly... early teen... maybe something related to Nightmare Butterflies... oh, a Female one! Now that's a rare sight! They are usually more aggressive."

"Really? So she was a girl as I thought, and pretty young from the sounds of it," Record nodded, grinning at her mount, "But what are Nightmare butterflies? Never heard of those,"

"They're a rare breed of Dream Butterfly." Trix replied, "If the mother got close to some nasty plants when she was about to may the eggs, the larvas could feast on them, giving them a few... types of soporific dust."

"I've heard of that, she can release sleeping spores, and I imagine there are different types of spores that others can release too that do different things... It wouldn't shock me if one of them could turn someone to stone, or cause hallucinations..." Record thought.

"It's impossible." Trix waved her hand, "Dream Butterfly's powers are only to put enemies to sleep, that's all. the Nightmare variation can put people to sleep longer and cause them to experience nightmares."

"Oh yikes...that doesn't sound like something to be caught under," Recorder shivered, "Okay, that's good to know, at least I'll know how to use that when I need to," she grinned, "Alright, thank you for telling me, if I have any more questions about her, I know who to ask, it was nice meeting you Trix,"

"Same," Trix replied.


Main office...


Traysek sat in the chair in a bathrobe, smoking from his pipe with a serene expression...

"What's the plan now?" Sylla asked, wearing a light blue dress.

"I was just waiting until the rest of them got here for the cut division, other than that, I had no other ideas," he shrugged, nodding at the dress, "That is a nice dress on you though~"

"I got this one in the capital city of Leyndell." Sylla replied, "It also comes with its own set of underwear,"

"Am I interrupting something?" a raven was sitting on the desk.

Traysek nearly jumped out of his seat, "Ah! By the gods, something tells me you've made a habit out of that," he chuckled, "Good to see you~ I trust you here for the mission I just went on...Correct...?" with a knowing smile.

"Indeed." Swain replied, "You brought the girl back and didn't cause any bloodshed. I'm very impressed."

"Saw no reason to, I knew the people there, even if one of them tried to take a swing at my noggin," The Redguard pointed, before he thought on something, sighing and closing his eyes, "But the taste of it...Honestly, It was sickly bitter at best and foul at worst...but I needed to see that I think...because it showed something about myself there," taking another pull from the pipe.

"I see," Swain sighed, "Now, ask the questions in your mind. I know that you have some."

"Hmm...I've already told Greil I've washed my hands of it, but now that you mention it...how did that treatment go?" Traysek asked with a slight eyebrow raised.

"It was a success." Swain replied, "I managed to repair her soul, and I fused her soul with a Storm Demon's soul, turning her into one. Since she lost all connection to magic forever, I had to replace it with something. And finally, I changed her memories a little; I erased everything that happened to her in the last ten days of the week before the assault on the settlement of those bandits."

Traysek slowly nodded, feeling himself smile a bit, "Well...that's good to hear...Very...I hope they have a good life together, although being ten days behind is going to carry its brand of strange, but...still..." going silent for a moment, as if deeply thinking about something, "We were wild in the beginning weren't we...?"

"You were ignorant." Swain corrected, "But yes, you were very irresponsible."

"Okay...I understand that, and you're right...We were," The Redguard admitted, "To a point, we... didn't give a damn...Although we lucked out from things that could've gone wrong from that recklessness, that bears its danger...a major one..." with an understanding nod, "In a way, we were better than the dogs and holy knights...but at the same time...a little worse..."

"You do admit your wrongs, that's something quite rare within humans." the bird nodded, "But again, you aren't human."

Traysek grinned, "Well, you're not wrong there either, but, I was born human, and I do have human parents and siblings," winking a slit dragon eye at him, "Even so...This world has its own rules, No... that's inaccurate..." he paused, "This part of the universe has its own rules...I can see why the death god here was so...Adamant about the constraints within here...I can hurt someone here with my powers more than I can in my realm...and that's saying something..." he grimaced.

"It is a fact that no world is similar to another." Swain pointed out, "It's not because magic exists that it's the same. From the creation to its coming end, each world is unique."

"Right...which is making me question, how I'm even able to draw magic right now..." Traysek frowned, thinking, "And with as many non-human races as there are out here, that's believable...down to the magic resistances and culture..." putting it together.

"Magic isn't a concept that's fixed," Swain stated, "And, from what I learned thanks to Dihya, I know that your magic originates from you, while the lady here requires a source that somehow found itself here."

Traysek turned to Sylla with a nod, "Yeah, she did mention something about that, too... About being paid in runes"

"Runes are both used as currency AND empowerment source." Sylla pointed.

"I see..." the eyes of the raven looked at her, "It sounds interesting... maybe I should find one of your kind to work for me then. It would be both intriguing and useful."

"There is another out there, and from Klein told me, she's around that Luvenlis household, thought about stopping by with him after helping Dargo with his trial," The Redguard informed.

"Well, tomorrow is going to be very important for you, so I'd better leave you to rest... unless you wish to ask me something else."

Traysek shook his head, "No, that's all for now, thank you and I'll talk to you soon, Swain~" he grinned with a nod.

The raven disappeared as Sylla sighed with relief, "I'll never get used to how creepy this is... to talk through a bird..."

"It'll take getting used to, although I envy the fact I can't do the same with snakes or Dragons, it would've been helpful for sure," He told her, before a smirk slowly grew, "That said before he came here...what was that last bit again~?" with an eyebrow raise.

"I said... that this dress comes with its panties..." Sylla replied with a grin.

"Huh, is that right...?" Traysek nodded with a stare, "So is it anything like last time...? or...?"

"Why don't we find out?" Sylla asked with a whisper.

The Redguard slowly grinned, thinking, "As much as I want to now... I have yet to find my room first, and I'm sure the maids don't want to clean those messes up in here from us yet... but after? absolutely~"

"And you can resist until there~?" she asked.

"I'm certain I can~ unless you've got things up your sleeve that say different~" He teased, standing up and stretching, "Being a bit serious, we shouldn't do this in here...that head maid is frightening..." reminding her.

Sylla nervously laughed before replying, "Well, I'd better test that Site of Grace I found outside."

"Oh? guess I'll figure out what that is later, alright, I'll find the room, see you soon, Sylla," The Redguard waved, leaving the main office...


At the entry of the forest


Lucien was at the initial entry point of the forest, going pale at the sounds coming from within, 'By the gods...that sounds...Horrifying in there, why did I agree to come alone...? he mentally sweated, gulping, 'Okay, baby steps Lucien...baby steps...your in robot bird with combat upgrades, you should be fine...' moving the robot bird into the forest on foot.

On the edge, many nightmarish creatures were looking at him with hunger in their eyes.

Much like Recorder, he was sweating but slightly, interested more than being scared, while his mech mount had its defenses out while it trod the path...

"Oh by the nine...what are you some of you...? He frowned, spotting a spider that hung on the tree he passed by, all eight eyes following him, 'Still...As frightening as they look, I'd be up to study some of them, especially how the Dire creatures are producing venom...' he nodded in thought, checking out the moving plants, faces on trees that turned their gazes on him, 'The plants here are very alien, compared to how most of the land around the seven kingdoms...some highly toxic looking, I don't even think some are safe to touch...' turning his gaze to the passing toxic pools, finding giant lobsters and crabs living in them, 'Okay...even the crustaceans are mutated...I...don't want to get lost here...But at the same time, I wouldn't mind exploring out here...I'd just need the right...gear...'

A normal rabbit bounced a few meters before being caught by a green-furred fox with six eyes and long fangs.

Lucien grimaced at the sudden kill, 'Nice to know some things haven't changed in regards...even if it's a six-eyed fox on a rabbit...' pressing on further...

He eventually arrived at the gate, finding a large manor with a castle-like structure, "That's our guild house? that's rather impressive...and that's just out here," nodding impressively, before pulling out his call stone, "Guys, I've made it here, it's Lucien!"

"Ah, Lucien, I was wondering when you'd make it..." he heard Traysek's voice ring, "I'll send someone to you..."

Not too soon, Sylla exited the house in her armor.

The imperial squinted his eyes upon her approach, smiling when he could make her out, "Sylla! It's good to see you!" he waved with a friendly wave when she got close to the gate.

When Sylla got near the gate, it opened, "I take that you got what you wanted."

"Indeed and in more ways than one," Lucien informed, pulling out four strange papers, "These are blueprints from a book I had translated, unfortunately, they couldn't let me have the whole copy back, so it's being sold back in pieces," grinning down at the mount, "Including the mech-mount here I had to build, this one is combat ready too,"

"Good," she said disinterested, before walking toward an empty spot.

He blinked twice at that, "Okay...Thanks opening the gate I guess...?" turning to the mount, "Let's find the stables," getting the bird to continue through the gates...

Sylla seemed to poke nothing, "Alright... seems that it's one... gonna need to explore a little to see if there are others..." she sighed, "Better doing it tomorrow."

Now at the stables, Lucien dismounted the mech, and walked in, finding Trix working with the new dream butterfly

'Looks like one of the people that live here...maybe I should ask her where this can go...' approaching the stablemaster with his mech following him, "Erhm... excuse me? Hello there! I just came in from the city and I need a place to put..." turning his head to the mech bird, "Him or her at..."

The young woman looked at the mechanical bird and said, "Pick whatever place you'd like."

"Alright then," He nodded, finding an empty spot and guiding the mount there, leaving it on sleep mode before exiting the pen... looking around at the extra empty spaces around, 'Looks like we can hold way more here...' turning to the stable master, "Much obliged, miss-?"

"The name's Trix," she replied.

"Right, thank you Trix and you may see a big armored Nord come in later if he's got a mount himself, he's also a friend of ours, take care," The imperial waved, heading out of the stables.


At the healer's temple

Yamakhroz...


At the city, Erik had made it to the temple, waiting in the main lobby, until one of the healers approached him...

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, I'm here for Zephyr, is she available now...?" The Nord asked.

"She's running some tests to see if she recovered well." the healer answered.

Erik slowly nodded, "I see...How long will it take? I can wait until she's done," with a smile.

"You can come and see her for yourself if you desire," she responded.

"I would like that, thank you~," Erik said, standing up and stretching.

He was guided to a room where Zephyr was fighting stone golems using a wooden spear.

The Nord watched how hard she going, nodding with an impressed grin, 'Looks like she's back to herself, but...' glancing at the newly bandaged wound, furrowing his brow.

Each time she destroys a chunk of stone it regenerates immediately.

"Her movements are slower than usual..." one of the examiners pointed, "It might be the end of her career in the Kletzkrieg."

His ears picked up on that, sighing deeply, knowing who the cause of that was, 'Gods...she might have to retire...? I should've beat that bitch knight harder...!' he mentally growled.

"If she gets any slower, we gotta report this to the general." the other examiners said, writing something, "With some luck, she can become a good adventurer."

'Kinda think you guys are selling her a bit short there,' Erik mused while watching her test, 'Still, her swinging speed is a bit slower than it was...but I think that's got to do with the injury...gods I hope...'

The first examiner snapped his fingers and the golems disappeared, "Well, miss, we have enough information for the report." and they left after retrieving the spear.

The Nord sighed with a smile, walking further into the room, "Not bad~ personally, I still think you got it~" with a smile, leaning on one of the pillars.

"No... I've grown weaker..." Zephyr sighed, "It would take around a hundred years before I fully recover."

"A hundred years...?" Erik asked with a shocked expression, "Gods...that's a while to some people...Most people... the damage was that bad huh...?" with a sad smile.

"It would seem..." Zephyr sighed again.

"I figured as much, it was even worse when I found you out there," The Nord sighed, "I'm glad you pulled through, more than...with a wound like that and how cold you were getting, I was worried...very..."

"T-Thank you..." she slightly blushed.

He returned a warm smile, "You're welcome~, but, there's no need to thank me, we're supposed to help each other, aren't we?" rubbing the back of his neck with a slight blush, clearing his throat afterward, "I heard a bit of what some of the examiners were saying...depending on what they bring back to your General, you might be out of the Kletzkreig..." he said with a sigh.

"Oh, that... it's true..." Zephyr looked down, "In times of war, only the strong are left..."

Erik folded his arms with a knowing smirk, "Really...? You believe that...?" taking a breath, "How...do you feel about that Zephyr...?" in a genuine tone this time.

Zephyr looked up before walking to a window showcasing the forest around the mountain.

"I guess I can start exploring a little..." she said, "See where the winds will guide me..."

He stared at her for a bit, before nodding, "I see, so you've accepted this..." a smile forming, "Either way, I'm happy for you...I would understand if you felt...cheated there...given how you got here,"

She hardened her stare as she said, "I won't give him the joy of having me chasing him... if he wants to fall in a pit, he'll do it alone."

He blinked at that, letting a chuckle out, "Not laughing at you, I agree, especially after finding who the "guy" was in that... a real piece of work that one..." rolling his eyes, "But I at least paid him back for putting you in here...repeatedly with a holy club...he's still alive, I'm just going to leave that where it is..." shaking his head.

"The goddess of Fate sees all and judges all." Zephyr affirmed, "I'd better change the subject or I'll give him the pleasure of spreading his influence, whether it's good or bad..."

"Good call~ nothing but bad there," Erik concurred, "Well since we're changing the subject...I had wanted to ask you this after the battle's been won in Feoh, and it has...but, you were sent here after..." Clearing his throat, "I...wanted to know, when you are able...if...we could...go out together sometime..." with a bright blush on his face, rubbing the back of his neck, "Just us two..."

Zephyr turned red as she said, "W-Well, anytime you see fit."

"O-okay, no pressure, Boss gave me four days off after the battle, so whenever you're released, I'll be waiting~" The Nord assured with a smile.

"They... they'll let me out today..." she responded, "In about a few minutes."

"Oh! oh guess I picked a pretty good day to show up then," Erik smiled taking a seat against the pillar, "Okay~ that's great news...Then I'll wait with you until we're able to leave,"


Feoh...

Raymond's Residence...


In front of the residence were two Banished Knights standing guard before that a carriage stopped in front of the manor.

The door opens with Rey, Marquel, and two other knights stepping out of it, the last one closing the door.

"Okay, this is the place," The lead knight pointed, looking around, "Hopefully, he's in a mood to talk..."

"And he'll hear us?" Marquel asked.

"That's why I'm remaining hopeful here, that said, let me do the talking, he knows me," Rey instructed, heading up to the guards, "Excuse me? Hello, I'm Reynold, I sent a letter to lord Raymond, is he in?"

None of the Banished Knights moved, nor spoke, as they stared down at the young knight.

"Uhm...hello...?" The young knight frowned, turning to his other knights with the same frown, shrugging as they shrugged back.

The guard knights continued to stare at Rey, without speaking a single word.

He blinked twice, "I...guess we can go in, they don't seem keen on stopping us, just...don't give a reason to," he told Marquel.

"Alright..." Marquel looked nervous as the large knights were staring down at them.

The holy knights walked into Raymond's home, and the banished knights watched them enter like hawks.

When they got inside, the lead knight found the maid cleaning up in the halls, going up to her, "Hello! it's Reynold again, I'm looking for lord Raymond...is he in?"

"I'm very busy if you excuse me." she then continued her cleaning.

Rey frowned at that, "Okay...nice to see you again too..." in a low tone, turning to the other knights, "He's gotta be in the office, let's check there," heading to it.

...

Once they arrived, Rey began to knock on the door.

"Lord Raymond? It's Rey! we sent you a letter, you were expecting me, are you in there?" Rey called out, knocking again.

No answer came from the office as a guard was walking nearby.

"He must not be in, he would've said something by now," One of the holy knights spoke.

Rey slowly nodded, "Yeah, and if he's not here...he must be outside, we'll check the field," leading them to it...

Outside, Raymond was swinging a hoe, wearing nothing but pants and a towel hanging on his shoulder. His head knight was also working on collecting some fruits from trees. Meanwhile, some women were fantasizing about the old man as he was sweating while working.

Rey watched him work, "That's him...looks like he's going at it, and has got admirers..." glancing at the women looking at him in awe.

"Wish they were looking at us like that..." Marquel mumbled.

Rey chuckled, "In time Marquel...in time...thanks to a certain sword defender, our reputation has been tarnished, one day we'll be back on top," approaching the old lord.

"Did you succeed?" the old man asked, not bothering to look at the young knight.

He stopped and blinked, "You knew I was there...?" surprised, clearing his throat, "Uhm...I made a great effort and only ended up with one approval from your youngest, although it was bitter... In truth, I couldn't last against your eldest and your second daughter hates me and holy knights in general, so no...I was unsuccessful in that regard...I'm not here for the mentorship though,"

"Then why are you here?" he asked, still working.

He took a deep breath, "Well, as it stands, the holy knights are under me, or at least the sect from Feoh at Fort Hröka...That said, we've got little ways to get around and need stronger steeds to do so...do you know where we can any from?"

"Do I look like I sell horses?" Raymond asked, "The only ones that I have are a gift from Niall, they're destined to be the mounts of horsemen that I'd get. Besides, you can always check Feoh's new marketplace, I heard it has several mount vendors."

"I see...So they already started rebuilding here," Rey thought on that, "We'll see what they have there, if they're willing to make a deal," giving the old lord a bow, "Thank you for your time, we'll excuse ourselves,"

The old Raymond didn't reply as he continued working.

Now outside of the estate, the knights loaded themselves back into the cart, the driver giving the leads a whip, and they were off...

"That...went as well as I expected..." Reynold sighed while in the seat.

"Didn't know that you asked for a mentorship under him." Marquel seemed surprised, "All those who train under him get so skilled that they are permitted to leave the army while continuing to benefit from the advantages of the church toward high officers."

"Yeah, it was a couple of weeks back, after my mission's...failure... I had to earn three favors and I only got the one, the other two...?" rubbing the back of his neck, remembering how they were, "Harder luck there..."

"You shouldn't throw that chance away," Marquel advised, "If you want to have power behind your name, you should mention that he trained you."

"I haven't but that task remains difficult, his oldest granddaughter is a veteran duelist and the other one, Genevieve...is like a female version of the sword-defender, she hates us and I mean hates holy knights due to some very dirty knights getting their hands on her, that's going to take...convincing there..." Rey said, shaking his head.

"How about some help with that?" Marquel smirked, "I know some people who can help you with that."

Rey raised an eyebrow, "Depends...what do you have in mind?"

"It's really simple; first of all, you'd need some magic improvements to stand a chance, and I know who to ask." Marquel pointed, still smirking.

"Okay...and what kinds of magic improvements do you mean?" Rey inquired further.

"Strength and speed." Marquel pointed out, "With those, you'd be able to defeat anyone."

"Hmm, you mean cheating in that duel...I'm sure as skilled as she is, she'd be able to tell...and that can go against me, but I'll consider it, it may come down to that," Rey slowly nodded, "And what of the other one then?"

"All I have to do is to call some people I know and you'll have her begging you to take her approval," Marquel smirked.

The lead knight paled at that, remembering his encounter with her and her posse, "Uh...No...not recommended...she's a veteran bounty hunter with a posse, whoever you send after her, will up dead or worse and if she gets any wind that WE were the ones behind it...we're next and she's told me what kinds of things she's had done to people with dogs...families..." he shivered, "We'd be playing with death there...we're better off asking Traysek for money in the presence of every birds of prey member, including Lord Swain..."

"This way, he can't refuse." Marquel completed with a grin, "Very smart."

"I said we'd be "better off" asking him with them present, not doing it, that's a bad idea too, but it's one I would take over messing with Genevieve," Rey corrected.

"Anyways, what's the plan now?" Marquel asked.

"Well, if you've sent out the letters, we should be hearing something from either the nobles from Ur or Lady Claudia soon," Rey informed, looking out the window, "For now, let's head to Feoh and get a better steed than..." glancing at the skinny horse, "This one..."


At Blackfeather manor

Second-floor hallway


back in the torch-lit halls, Traysek took the time to explore the floor while searching for a room, humming at each he passed...

'Easier said than done, I wonder if I could find the second largest room though, wonder where that is...' he mused amid his exploration.

He noticed one of the maids, the one with cat ears, happily cleaning the windows while humming a song.

'I remember her from earlier, she was cute too, even took my bags somewhere...' He thought before he went wide-eyed, 'Oh right, my bags...I had wondered what they did with them...maybe she knows...' going up to the maid, hearing the strange song she was humming, frowning at it, "Hey there! Whatcha hummin' to~?" with a small smile.

"Oh just something I know." the maid replied, still working, "How can I help you?"

"I'm just exploring the new house and looking for a room, this place is huge and I've already gotten lost twice," Traysek chuckled, "That said, I remembered you when you grabbed our bags, but we haven't exactly met, might as well take the time," with a shrug and smile, "Name's Traysek, yours~?"

"Name's Ell," the maid replied.

"Well Ell~ it's nice to meet you," Traysek nodded with a grin, "I'm sure we'll see plenty of each other...But I was curious about what you guys did with all that?" he asked.

"We're keeping them hidden until you get the room you desire." the maid replied, "Your Felinefolk friend and the alluring woman already found rooms that they'll use, so we put their stuff in. There's still some that we're waiting for to choose their rooms."

"Ah okay, didn't know how it worked, good to know," The Redguard said, thinking on something, "Hmm, in that case, do you know any other rooms? I know the master's off-limits and I'm not looking for the second best... These rooms are very nice, but they are mostly the same, I'm looking for something that stands out,"


After leading him to the room, she summoned his belongings and gently set them on the bed before leaving.

"Thank you...I guess?" Traysek thanked, frowning at her quick departure, 'Seemed friendly, wish she could've stayed for at least a thank you, anyway...' walking around to check out the room, finding a nice gothic theme to it with the chandeliers that illuminated, the bed was king-sized with crimson silk pillows, sheets and covers, along with the curtains that hung around the walls and pillars.

He went over to the bed and confirmed it, nodding with a grin, 'Okay, this isn't bad...I like the overlord feel from it...give it a bit of time, I can add my customs in here,' walking around, finding a desk, and taking a seat.

The desk was clean, there were empty papers set on a corner, as well as ink and a set of quills.

'Okay...all the things a desk needs, check on that,' he thought over, standing up and going to the window, brushing aside the curtains and opening the large glass door, heading to the small balcony with a view of the backyard and bathhouse, 'That looks even better from up here, I could watch rookies train from this window too...very nice...' moving away from it and walking back in, closing the door behind him.

He walked over to the bed and got started with the unpacking... And then a knock was heard.

"You there?" it was Sylla.

"Yeah, I'm in here, come on in," Traysek called back, sorting his weaponry.

Sylla got in and began to look around, "Nice room~" she complimented with a grin.

"Thank you~" The Redguard smiled, taking a crossbow to a wall, hanging it on the plaque, "I take you found yours? or at least that...Site of grace you were talking about?"

"Yeah, I was surprised by it." Sylla nodded, "Gotta explore a bit later to see if there are more."

"Nice~ maybe you could point them out to me sometime, I might be able to see them," He nodded, "But do let me know if you end up somewhere strange here and there's one, that might be worth checking out," with a grin.

"I'll do my best," Sylla replied.

Traysek finished getting the weapons off the bed, "Alrighty, other than that..." giving a naughty smirk, "I'm guessing you're here for round 2~?"

Sylla smirked before snapping her fingers, changing her armor into the dress she was wearing, "This time... I'll bring in more power." the gem in her eye glowing.

"Oh~? You think that's gonna help~?" He teased, "If intend to make me tap out... Then, give me what you got!" with a challenge in his tone.


Meanwhile, at the lounge, most of the crew had gathered there to hang out and chat, Recorder and Lucien finally rejoining the others...

"So that's what that butterfly was...I'm curious to see what she can do..." Lucien smiled.

"Me too! the stablemaster was certain it would work, hoping it could get some use tomorrow," Record grinned back, before looking around in awe, "On the other hand, this place is epically huge! I'm surprised it doesn't come with its map,"

Inigo nodded in agreement, "Just wait until you see the bathhouse, Yuri here already had a taste of that," he laughed.

"I did, it was worth it, I haven't felt that good in a while," The Redhead woman hummed, stretching her shoulders.

Lucien laughed, "From the way that sounds, I need to jump in next, I have stiff shoulders that could use it,"

"Don't the rest of us," Klein added in, "Speaking of that, no one's seen Traysek or Sylla yet?"

Yuriana frowned in thought, "I saw him in the bath earlier, I had heard how his mission went and wanted to speak with him about it..."

Immediately after, thunderclaps and sonic booms echoed in the halls in a mix...

"What...what the fuck the was that...?" the knight asked in a scared voice.

Rela looked around until she said, "It would seem that two people are having an intimate moment..."

The crew listened in on it, while Inigo casually sat there chilling with his ear twitching.

"Well, that didn't take long...wonder who initiated it this time," The khajiit chuckled.

Lucien turned his slack-jawed expression to him, "Wait...that's what you could hear at Niall's Fort...? all of this?!"

"Heightened hearing remember?" Inigo reminded pointing up at his ears.

"That makes sense, and it would explain all the thunderclap and gravity jokes you were making, my god, are you okay?" Recorder asked, trying not to laugh.

He sniffled, "Yeah, I'm just fine!" not even facing them with a thundercloud over his head.

"I can feel the envy from afar." Rela pointed, "Or maybe it's a worry..."

"It's not worry, I know he's fine...I just wish... I had somebody gravity-smashing me!" Inigo retorted back, getting a roar of laughter from everyone.

"Why did I not know that's where it was leading? Jeezus, Inigo there's someone out there for you...and your fleas," Record told him, before thinking about something, sulking next, "I'm wondering myself why I haven't gotten my fire and ice, smash yet..." pouting.

"I'm sorry, your fire and ice-what-now?!" Yuriana laughed loudly, "By the gods, should I call Alexandros here then? I know he's got that horse bit but we can make it work," she teased "Just How many of us are down bad right now?"

Klein thought on that, "Huh, I never thought about it, ever since I swore off intimacy a while back, it hasn't been a thing to me since," he shrugged.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Rela stated with a blank stare.

Lucien cleared his throat, "Right...it's just a few of us, honestly, it could go either way with me, that said, I hope they finish soon, those quakes sound like they're getting rougher...I Wonder if they go past the Rictor scale" getting agreeing nods from the others...


Later that evening...

Dining room...


Once dinner time had been announced everyone except Erik and Rela was present at the dining room table, the Redguard stretching his shoulders with a strain...

"Looks like your back been pulled out my friend, you okay?" Inigo asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I'm okay, it was just a...rough round..." Traysek laughed off, "I'm more interested in what's for tonight..."

The head maid, stood with a Dark Elf in a butler uniform, "Tonight's dinner is a roasted Dire Boar steak accompanied with a three-flavored salad," she announced.

There was a series of "ooohs" from the table as the captain rubbed his hands together..."Dire-boar huh? it's been a while since we've had that," The Redguard smiled.

"Not since our visit at Ulak with Bruk'daz and Heltia, and you said three flavored salads?" Recorder added.

"As for the drinks, there's a selection between a Clovilus of 150 years from Geofu and a Grand Fall of 158 years from Ansur." the head maid added.

Traysek had a hand on his chin, "Wine aged that many years...that's gotta be some strong wine then, can't wait to try those," with a smile, watching the butler uncover the dishes.

"Are there any more bottles of wine?" Sylla asked, "I was also wondering if we can stock more."

"There are 450 more bottles, but they're under key, only I can get to them." Roxan replied, "As for any new bottles, there's space for it."

Klein whistled at that, "450...? and there's space for more...? Damn, I almost want to see how big this cabinet is, even knowing you got it locked, sounds like you've amassed a collection," with an approving nod.

"That's if we CAN see it, Klein, but knowing some of us and their... drinking habits, that's probably a good thing," Inigo chuckled.

The Redguard laughed at that, "If that's directed at the drinkers of the crew and me, you're not lying... we'd sample a few if left unlocked and...come out messed up, good call there~"

"It's simply my duty." the head maid replied.

"Then let's show that appreciation, yes?" The khajiit cut in, getting agreeing nods at the table, as plates were passed around...


After dinner...

The Captain's room...


On his new bed, Traysek Yawned, ready to tune in, "I...Can see why she was so adamant about NOT being late...better than the first time we had it," he chuckled.

"You adapted to it quite quickly." Sylla joked, getting in bed next to the Dragonborn, "What are the plans for tomorrow? A new mission?"

"I already have one...Unless you can snipe, that's what I'll be doing tomorrow..." he informed her, "I'll be helping Dargo leave the kletzkreig, it's an exit trial for him,"

"That means that he shouldn't know." Sylla pointed, "I'm pretty sure that you should hide yourself pretty well to not get spotted."

"He might be already aware, his general requested my help and Recorder's already going with him," He shrugged, "Staying hidden will be the easy part, it's the ranged weapon I'm going to be using that'll be the issue,"

"You won't be helping him, but assuring that nothing goes out of control." Swain's voice sounded from the badge.

Traysek blinked twice, closing his eyes for a second, "Let me rephrase, I'll be keeping an eye out," he corrected himself, cutting an eye at the badge "Also to that credit, you have an excellent cook or cooks here, Swain, ~"

"I take pride in my... workers." Swain replied, "If you're wondering why I called you now, I felt a strange surge of energy near Ken. I would like you to send a small team to investigate it."

"Alright, I'll have a few of mine look into that first thing, I imagine they won't be able to do it now," The Redguard assured.

"Considering that it's nighttime now, I would like it to be done tomorrow." Swain sighed before adding, "Something about this surge is... familiar for some reason. Well, I'll wait for the report when it's done."

"You got it, I'll see you then," Traysek concluded, watching the glow in the badge go out.

"Seems like you've got something for us to do, huh?" Sylla stated.

"Yeah, thinking so, and I already have an idea who to send, but given how they... acted last time they were together, that match-up makes me nervous," He nervously chuckled, "You may end up having to go with them to prevent another incident..."

"Permission to go hard on them if they step out of line?" Sylla joked.

He thought about it, "Only if you have to, two of them shouldn't give you too much of an issue, Yuriana however...? you may have to step it up if she does...her physical strength is on par with mine, be careful there," warning her, "But if there's not a problem, don't go looking for it, she should be okay with you,"

"If things do get... as bad as the sent in the Shaded Castle... I'll do my best to subdue her without hurting her too much..." Sylla replied, "I did some hunting in the Mountain Tops of the Giants... and those giants were something else... that's for sure..."

"Well, if you can deal with something like that, you shouldn't have issues there," Traysek complimented, "And from how the mission sounds, it's something familiar, but that may be good or bad depending...we don't know yet, we will tomorrow,"

"With some luck, everything will go smoothly," Sylla said.

"Yeah, hopefully..." he said, clicking off the lamp.


Meanwhile...

Enroute to Ur


Rey and the other knights with him, including Marquel all had sour looks on their faces, the carriage still being driven by the smaller horse...

"To say that went poorly, would be a massive understatement..." the lead knight said, eyes shadowed over.

"I wish I could shove those words back in their throats..." Marquel mumbled.


Flashback...


The knights had arrived in the market district in Feoh, finding it booming with people, mostly survivors from the recent battle.

"Well, that didn't take long, looks like that battle did this place a bit of good," Rey nodded impressed.

Marquel looked around before scowling, "Seems like the pollution began..." staring at a couple of Dark Elves walking around.

The lead saw what he was scowling at, sighing, "Hey hey hey...take it easy, we do not have authority here anymore to try anything, even more, evident with the red spears around," nodding his head towards a couple passing by on patrol, "I'm not telling you to kiss any ass, just be nice enough to get what you need and be done, that's all, we're not here to make friends, but we're not here for enemies either"

"Well, I think we'd better work on this fast." Marquel stated, "The more I'm here, the less I feel good."

"On that, I can agree...So did you bring the gems we collected during the battle...?" Rey asked him, "From what I remember from a former teacher, if a business is monster-run, they depend on those instead of gold...He never went into the "why" though..." thinking back.

"They didn't seem to have much..." Marquel sighed, "We only gathered 25 Opals, 3 Spinels, and 1 Diamond."

"I see, that's fine, it'll have to do, at the most, we can get a better horse," Reynold nodded, turning to one of the stalls, "Let's start with this one," heading the first mount vendor they spotted.

A Minotaur was keeping an eye on some rhinos and winged tigers.

"Sheesh, if this goes like that, no one might be interested in getting one of those..." the Minotaur mumbled as he sighed.

Rey spotted the minotaur and took a deep breath, "Hello? Hi there, I'm looking for a mount," getting his attention.

The Minotaur turned before frowning, "What the fuck do you want, tin cans?"

"Whoa, take it easy...we're not looking for trouble," Rey waved down with his hands up, "We're just in need of a replacement horse for our carriage, that's all,"

"And why should I care?" the Minotaur asked, crossing his arms.

"You don't have to, we're just trying to do business," the young knight answered, "If you're not interested, we'll move on,"

"Tell me who'd be interested in doing any kind of business with your kind?!" the Minotaur snapped, as many other merchants began looking at them, "You wear those armors and walk around like you did nothing wrong! Now tell me, why should anyone here care to even interact with you?!"

The holy knights there began to sweat at the gathering stares and scowls from not just merchants but the customers there as well.

"Sir, I think it's best if we just left, it doesn't look like it's going in our favor at all, and the crowd's gathering..." one of the holy knights whispered to Rey.

He gave a subtle nod before returning to the minotaur, "Look, right now, I'm sure...no one would want to do business with us, okay? We were just hoping to make a purchase, but we'll go, we don't want the trouble,"

"Damn right!" someone shouted.

"We don't need the likes of you here!" another one shouted, the crowd beginning to yell insults at them, as they made their way out of there...


Flashback end...


Back in the carriage, Rey sighed, shaking his head, "Feoh's lost to us...however, we may have some better luck from Ur, since it has yet to be taken by Olga's forces or the black dogs,"

Marquel nodded, "We must be sure that it doesn't fall like Feoh."

"Or it'll be like how it was back there," Rey nodded in agreement, "However, with most of their forces recovering, they won't be too quick to invade there next and given the archbishop's influence there, we might get more than a new horse,"

"You mean something like more men?" Marquel asked.

"We've got plenty still back at the fort cleaning it up, but, you're right, that's one of the things we can get while there, including food, tools, and stronger armor and weapons," Rey pointed out, "Best get there while they're still cooling down before their influence spreads from Feoh and into that city,"

"Maybe even more." Marquel nodded, "I know a noble there that might guide us to great heights. I heard that he was a well-known commander in service."

Rey pondered, nodding, "Alright, I'll hear you out, tell me more about this noble..." as the carriage traveled down the nightly road...


End chapter...


Next chapter, we'll move on to the exit trial for Dargo... stay tuned, it'll be there sooner than you think...

OniTenshi500: True, and given how Celestine is starting to come to terms with her own order's corruption, that'll be the icing on the cake there... Also, I thought I sent it to you, but I guess the PM, didn't reach out...But it's an "Idk" on Radomira from me...it's been talked about between me and my Co-writer and we're not exactly comfortable with introducing her yet without a reason...given what she was doing during this point in time...But don't fret, that's just for now...there might be others from Gaiden and Kuroinu 2 that'll make their appearances soon...but that's all I have to say on that for now, I can't divulge much further... thanks for sticking around... :)

Well then, that's it for the review, I'll see you all next chapter :D