When Igneous woke up late in the morning, he heard Leigh, Darren, Zahreen, and Elena all discussing something outside of the inn, under his window. They were talking relatively quietly, so he couldn't exactly hear what they're talking about even when he approached the window, but he knew he would probably hear about it later, so he decided to just get ready for the day.

He had no idea how much time passed when he was finally dressed and ready to go, just long enough that the group disappeared from under his window by the time he ended up outside.

There was nobody behind him, nobody around him that he could see. At least, as far as people he knew and who care to know where he was going. Igneous was alone and he was glad. How much alone time did he ever really get? He would get in trouble for wandering off without telling anybody where he was going, he always did, but he thought it was worth it almost every time.

With his cloak hood up, Igneous wandered about the town but it didn't take him long for somebody to catch his eye. She was sitting outside of a purple tent, with long, wavy blonde hair and brown eyes that made her seem wise beyond her age. Igneous also noticed her curvy figure, the wide hips she had, but only because the sash around her hips and the rosy colour fabric that she had around her right shoulder and around her waist drew his eyes there.

She smirked, leaning back and shifting her weight to one hand. "My, my, look who's here. To what honour does the oracle grace me?"

"You know who I am?" Igneous didn't expect anybody to figure him out so fast outside of Adoss, especially while his hood was still up. She laughed, running a hand through her hair as she did so. It looked to be about as long as his was and probably about as thick. The longer he stood there, the more about her appearance he noticed. For one, she was heavily decorated, wearing several bangles on each wrist, a chain with golden discs hanging off of her hips, and a golden necklace hung of her neck. She probably wore earrings too, but her hair just concealed them. She even seemed to like makeup, using a dark shade around her eyes and she painted three dots under her eyes that were arranged vertically.

Her clothing was a little less interesting, with loose pink pants that still managed to follow the shape of her legs, and under the fabric around her chest, she had a black crop top.

"Of course. I'm not as stupid as the rest of the fortune tellers here, who are mad at the very idea of the oracle but couldn't pick one out on a street. I'm not mad at the oracles, for whatever that's worth. My name is Themis, by the way. Want to come inside?"

Igneous nodded, crawling inside with her. He was immediately jealous that he couldn't have a tent like that, full of comfortable looking pillows of many colours, along with a particularly large, flat one that she sat on one side of. Themis had stars, hearts, and beads hanging off of the poles that held her tent up made from glass by the looks of it, and an unlit lantern hung from the part of the tent where all of the poles met. He sat opposite of the flat pillow while she produced a pile of cards.

"I like to give advice," Themis said suddenly, as she handed him the deck of cards. "Selling fortunes, when you are guessing at best, is shady, no? People react and put their faith into these cards and their meanings and based off of their reactions. I can give them a talk and provide some meaningful advice."

"What if they don't react?" Igneous asked, staring down at the cards. When he found out that people used to do fortunes with cards, he supposed he thought that they would use playing cards similar to what Gerben, Saikur, and Leigh used in their off time, and he did see some of those decorated with swords, cups, sticks, and something that looked kind of like a gold coin. However, there were other cards that had nothing to do with anything that resembled a simple suit. They were pictures of men, women, and abstract ideas, though each still had a number and a name on them. The named ones were the ones that caught his attention the most.

"They always do," she said with a smirk. "It's probably because I don't try to do anything where people want to prove me wrong. I don't even charge people, I just like to talk to people. I get by because people find my advice useful and come back to give me something but of course, that's their choice."

Igneous frowned, pushing the cards together and handing them back. "Does it make me seem like the fortune tellers because people are charged to see me?"

"I wouldn't say so. Maybe to some people, but you actually see something, don't you?" she asked as she removed some of the cards, then shuffled the ones she held. "You wouldn't always understand what you see but even that's a lot more than anybody else can say. You're special, there has to be a reason why you have that ability."

She suddenly presented him with the cards.

"Pick the first three ones from the top. I can give you an example of how the cards can work."

Igneous did as he was told. She put the bigger cards down, then took the three cards from his hand, laying them down on the tent floor between the two of them. She flipped them over – from left to right, the cards read 'The Fool', 'Death', and 'The Hermit', though the hermit was upside down – facing Themis while the first two faced him. She chuckled when she saw them, bringing a hand to her chin.

"The Fool inspires new beginnings, being spontaneous and carefree. This is the part of your life you're adventurous, and while you don't know where life will take you, and keep going anyway. Death is simply an end. It can bring out new beginnings, or it may be a sign of transition and transformation, as you from the old to the new. Finally, there's the Reversed Hermit. Normally, the Hermit inspires soul searching, to look inside, and to think and reflect. Reversed however, means that you're isolating yourself – becoming a real hermit, so to say."

Igneous frowned. He could sympathize with the first card, he was sure that an end would come to him in some fashion but he didn't think that he was isolating himself. He could see the point though – her reading were general, general enough that somebody could connect with them easily and give Themis just to generate advice.

"You react the most to the Fool. You can see yourself in him, can't you? I wonder if the Hermit might be a bit of a miss... but then again, there is nobody like you anywhere else on Haelin. Anybody who was like you died before you were born. You're carrying on a legacy that two other oracles built up over time and people are sure to judge you if you end up being even a little bit different. Does the average person even treat you like an individual once they realize who they're talking to?"

Igneous had no response to that. It hit too close to home from somebody he only really just meant. He found himself staring at the cards, unsure of what to really do anymore.

"I take it that you are different from the others and that people have noticed. I have to wonder... what makes you so special?" Themis asked. When Igneous looked up, she was actually smirking. "Do you mind if I come along until we figure that out?"

"I can't tell you what to do. You came come if you want but I'm not sure what good it will do you. Nobody seems to know what the reason is, not even me. I'm probably the person who knows the least about my powers," Igneous answered with a sigh. She frowned.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. It only means that there's a lot to learn about yourself. The Reversed Hermit has another meaning you know, I just didn't think it applied to you at first. You may not be looking inside of yourself enough. If it's possible, you should just sit down and think about what is going in your life and how you're reacting to it or what you're doing about it. If you want to explore your abilities, the Fool's spontaneous nature and love for adventure can help you as well. Trying a bunch of different things is a good way to see what you're good at and what you might need some work on."

He was about to say something in agreement when somebody yanked on his cloak and promptly pulled him out of the tent.

"I personally don't mind when you decide to go out on your own but you should tell me that you're leaving at all first, okay?" Gerben mumbled, letting go of his cloak once he was outside of the tent. He didn't appreciate being dragged out like that but at least Gerben didn't actually touch him. Themis poked her head out of the tent as Igneous pushed himself up from the ground and began dusting himself off.

"Are you going to take me back now?" Igneous asked. Gerben was the most lenient between the three of them but even he had a limit. Gerben didn't look angry but sometimes, he kept a straight face even if he was upset. "And how did you find me?"

"No, apparently, we're staying for that festival so just come back before the sun goes down," he said with a shrug. "And whatever you use to wash your hair recently might smell subtle to you but I can smell it anywhere in the town. Who were you visiting?" he asked, pointing at Themis.

"My name is Themis. The oracle said I could come along," she answered, leaving her tent.

"You know this whole thing might blow up later and we're likely to clash with the Zahan army, right?" Gerben asked, running a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh.

"I was aware. An oracle wouldn't need to leave the temple if everything in their life was fine," she said with a shrug. "And trust me, I'm good at talking to people. I can probably get you guys some discounts with merchants. I can watch myself, I promise, but thank you for the warning."

"She might as well follow us, no?" Igneous asked with a shrug. Gerben studied her for a second, then he nodded.

"I think she's right, she can probably take care of herself." he said with a nod. "I don't think Leigh or anybody else will have a problem if she has her own supplies."

"Great! I'll be here until you guys decide to leave, so come find me before then," she said with a smirk before snaking back into her tent.

"What an interesting woman," Gerben mumbled, then tapped Igneous on the back again. "Anyway, I'll let Saikur know I said you could stay out. Remember – before sunset, okay?"

He nodded.

There was still some lingering feelings tension from a conversation that Igneous missed when he got back to the inn. It seemed like the people who had some sort of say, or at least cared about how their group was progressing, were sitting together in the lobby. He wondered if he should just go to his room and come back later, but for some reason, he stayed.

"What happened?" he asked, against his better judgment.

Leigh stood up. "Igneous, do you want to stay for the festival?"

"Didn't we already decide that we were staying?" Darren mumbled with a roll of his eyes. "I still think we could end up at another town and still make it to one if we really want to go to one."

Igneous rolled his eyes too, then looked away from him. "What is it for? Gerben mentioned said something about one but I have no idea what it's for."

"We talked about it on the way here," Saikur said.

"I was half asleep." It was true. Igneous could remember the bad news but anything that happened during the walk was blurry. Saikur sighed but he said nothing else.

"It's one of the four festivals that Fraedia throws to celebrate the dragon that saved the country. At least, that's what the stories say - there's no mention of a dragon protecting Fraedia at all in the literary texts. All the nobles throw a grand feast, complete with all of the ale and wine one could ask for. It's a week long party, basically," Elena said with a shrug, though her response felt horribly rehearsed, something she had to say fairly often. She was reading some sort of scroll, so she clearly didn't have all of her attention on the conversation anyway, but Igneous was still a little concerned. "Darren and Saikur think we should just leave when we hire some air support."

Igneous didn't have to ponder on it for too long. "A break sounds nice."

"Have you seen anything lately?" Elena asked suddenly, peering over her scroll.

"No, not really." The last one he could recall was about Reina and he didn't exactly want to share that. He had a feeling that if Elena was asking that, it would be because she hoped that it would be relevant to their trip, something that could sway Darren and Saikur. He had nothing though. Sometimes, he just didn't see things very often outside of actually reading people and it wasn't like he could force visions to happen. The only ones he had a choice in seeing were the ones he saw when he touched somebody's hand and even then, he couldn't choose the subject of the visions.

And he wasn't sure if he wanted to do that anyway, just to see what could happen in the future when he wanted or when somebody asked him to. The visions didn't exactly work out when it came to leaving the temple. He felt bad about touching Saikur's hand at all.

"It's... actually been a while," he added with a frown when a brief silence had settled.

"Are you sure you still work? There's no point in you being here if you can't see the future," Darren mumbled.

"Oh, shut up! Just because I don't see visions all the time doesn't mean my powers don't work! And you don't seem to believe in it anyway, so why do you even care?" Igneous growled, stepping closer to him. Darren huffed, crossing his legs and leaning his chair backwards onto two legs as he crossed his arms.

"It's not exactly that I don't believe in your visions," Darren said, his voice surprisingly calm. "My biggest problem with your so-called job is that everybody seems to lose their ability to think for themselves when you tell them what you saw. You could lie and nobody would know any better until it didn't come true, but they could just make your words happen anyway, no? My father let his death happen, all because you told him he would die."

"I can't control what people do after they see me, so stop blaming me for his death! I liked him! He's much more personable than you are and he actually cared if I was feeling a bit down! Sometimes, I can't understand how somebody so kind ended up raising people like you and your sister! It's so unfair that he's dead and I have to deal with you instead!" Igneous had the urge to push his stupid chair over, but instead, he just stood there. He liked to think he was more mature than that, but it was hard to keep his feet planted. "I'm tired of being the 'Oracle of Death'. Sometimes, I'm tired of being the oracle but we can't all get what we want!"

Darren shut up, his teeth clamping down on his lips. Everybody did, even Will and Orla who just walked into the lobby and then promptly walked back out the door when they seemed to sense that something just happened. When Igneous paused for a moment, and when what he actually said dawned on him, he bolted before he could think about it too much. He ran up to his room, pulled the chain to lock it and then pulled a chair underneath it, closed the window, and plopped down on his bed, hugging the inn pillow close to his chest. Igneous sighed deeply into it.

He wasn't really sure how he was going to get out of his situation.

And thankfully, nobody bothered him for a while. It was a sturdy knock at the door that woke him up when he didn't realize he fell asleep in the first place. He waited, until Leigh declared his presence on the other end. Reluctantly, he pulled away the blankets and sheets he had been comfortable under and let the older man into the room. Leigh closed the door quietly.

He was wearing a thin, black shirt with long sleeves and loose fitting, cream pants. It was rare to see Leigh without his armour on but Igneous enjoyed it whenever it happened. Everything about Leigh looked different when he wore armour. He was the image of a dutiful knight, his face serious and strict, his greying hair somehow making him look even more serious and older beyond his age. Without the armour though, he was a father. His face was kind and endearing, he smiled more often, and his voice turned soft.

"Do you want to switch tents?" Leigh asked as Igneous resumed his position on the bed, not under the safety of the blankets, but he was clutching the pillow to his chest again.

"I thought that the assignments were non-negotiable," he mumbled into the pillow.

"We wanted people to learn how to get along with each other," Leigh said. "We thought that you two would talk it out if it meant just being able sleep in peace. We may have been wrong in that thinking. You two seem to remind each other of unsettling things, and we can't force you two to just get along. Fara is willing to trade. She was going to room with Garath, and I trust him to take good care of you."

"I'd prefer that," Igneous said quietly. "And what about the festival?"

"We'll stay. Darren and Saikur are the only ones who want to keeping going, so we'll stay here and give everybody a break within reason. I don't want anybody to get rusty, so stay on top of your studies with Iniabi, alright? And you if you see Darren, just walk away if you're not ready to talk diplomatically with him."

So he wasn't in trouble from earlier when he wandered away from the inn without telling any of his guardians were he was going, nor was he in trouble for arguing with Darren. Igneous would need to be careful though, or else he would get in trouble.

"I can do that," Igneous said. He would try stay silent around Darren at any rate. At least studying with Iniabi was something that he actually liked.

"I'm glad to hear it," Leigh said happily.

Igneous stayed mostly in his room until the first day of the festival, deciding to keep up with studies instead by studying tomes and answering questions that Iniabi made up to guide his oddly independent studies. He poured over any tome that Iniabi or Caalya would give him, even all of the dark tomes that Iniabi had and warned him not to try. Igneous could only vaguely see why he needed a warning – one seemed to need a specific mindset to pull it off and Igneous wasn't sure he could get himself into a place like that to use it.

It thrived off of negative feelings, it seemed. It didn't seem to be an evil magic, but negative feelings themselves could lead somebody over an edge if they weren't careful.

He left his room sometimes, and even conversed with others when Leigh wanted him to meet the two people he hired. One of them, who he remembered to be called Penny, did not look like a mercenary at all, considering that she had a lot more armour than he expected. She had a breastplate, along with greaves and braces protecting her arms and legs, all of them finely decorated with some sort of phoenix design, all of it sitting over a sleeveless, blue dress. Her greaves sat on black stockings and heeled boots, and her braces sat over brown, fingerless gloves that stretched to her elbows. She accessorized as well, with a blue headscarf in her blonde hair, and her hair was pulled into a low ponytail, which let Igneous see her crescent moon earrings.

Penny was also tall and slim, though toned, and it just made her seem all that more polished. She looked like she should be in military service, not taking mercenary jobs.

Tahno, the other person Leigh hired, was much the opposite. He was also tall, but he was more heavily built. His blond hair was slicked back and his dark green eyes seemed to regard everything like it was a funny joke. He had a scar over his right eye, and another stretching over his right arm, which he scratched before folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. His clothing was simple, just a black short sleeved shirt and loose fitting, sand coloured pants that were tucked into his boots. Igneous wasn't so sure if he would like him.

The festival didn't start until later in the evening, so that was when he decided to put on his best clothing. Realistically, it wasn't as though he had much to choose from. He decided to take a red, loose fitting shirt that he usually slept in, pulled it tight against his body, and pinned it off to the side. His midriff wasn't very toned but he decided to keep his shirt pinned up and exposed it anyway. While his shirt was tight, his pants were loose. He wore his flat shoes for the first time since he left the temple, tied his hair up into a half-bun, piled on his bangles, then debated on putting on his leather gloves.

Ultimately, he decided not to, slipping on a single gold ring on instead.

When he finally left his room, the sun was almost setting. He could also see that he was the only one who was willing to dress up a bit – the most anybody did was shed their armour and cloaks.

"Ah, you're not wearing your gloves I see," Amaryllis said suddenly, slinking up from behind him, almost like a shadow. "Are you open to readings then?"

"You want to be read?" Igneous asked. He couldn't quite understand what she needed from him but he wasn't going to argue with her. He was actually surprised that she had asked at all.

"You just need my hand, right?" she asked, removing the glove from one of her hands and grabbing his hand.

At first, the only thing he could see was a dark figure, almost completely concealed by the shadows except for his silver coloured hair that shined brightly from the contrast. He could see enough of the figure's silhouette to tell that it was a male he was looking at and an adult. A moment later, Amaryllis came into view, her silver hair flowing loosely behind her. She was running forward, reaching out, only for another figure to grab her wrist and halt her completely, even pulling her back.

Igneous could see Amaryllis glaring herself down before the vision disappeared completely.

"There's somebody you're looking for, and you have everything you need to find him," Igneous began once he regained his bearing. It was always a little jarring to come back from a vision. He had to become aware of spatial position again, whether he was standing or sitting, or somewhere in between, and the vision often had an environment that did not match the external one. "The only reason why you can't find him is because you hesitate. You don't want to find him. The only thing keeping you from getting to him is yourself."

Her cheeks burned red and her lips curved inwards, almost to the point where they disappeared as her hands curled in fists. It took her a moment to process everything before she relaxed, twirling the amulet over in her hand instead while her eyes wondered to the side, looking anywhere but at Igneous. "Myself...? What does that mean?"

"For some reason, you don't think you're ready yet... or something. Why that's the case, you have to find out for yourself. I can only tell you what I see," Igneous said quietly. "I wish you luck all the same though!"

He walked away before she could respond, walking to the centre of town on his own, though he was still surrounded by several people who were also going to the festival. It was an exciting time to be around, he decided. The town square was decorated beautifully with hanging lanterns, coloured strips of fabric that were tied together and stretched from building to building, and there were flowers everywhere, either on the ground in the form of petals or in vases decorating the town. He could hear music playing as well, though he couldn't see where it came from.

Igneous didn't recognize the song but it had a steady beat, the song constantly rising and falling in both speed and volume. He could dance to it if he had more confidence to do so, or any ability to dance. He wished Mira was around to show him but she seemed content in staying inside for the night, along with Reina and Elena.

It was also the first time that Igneous spotted Fraedian soldiers, decorated in purple. When he thought about it though, the flowers were purple, as were most of the fabric that ran from building to building. The soldiers walked with what almost resembled a frown, with their shoulders slouched. If they weren't walking, then they were leaning on their weapons or against the walls, yawning and lazily staring forward.

Igneous wondered how long it would take for them to jump into action with that sort of attitude. He let the thoughts leave his mind though, as he saw Orla and Charles toasting their glasses together. Orla wasn't usually hard to miss due to the impressive heights that ursurines grew to, but she had to bend her knees to toast Charles, who was unsurprisingly quite a bit shorter than she was.

"Oh, it's you." Igneous turned around and for a second, he didn't recognize the man who spoke to him. It came to him in just a moment though – he was one of the new recruits who joined them when they got to town. He had a glass of wine in each of his hands, with a smirk on his face that stretched from ear to ear. "Want one?"

"Where is everybody getting wine?" Igneous asked, eyeing one of the glasses. Tahno brought it down to his height and let him take it.

"Gulp that one down and I'll show you," he mumbled. "Here, cheers you little bastard!"

Igneous reluctantly toasted to that and they both bent their heads back, drowning the entire drink in one gulp. He swallowed hard, coughing as it burned downed his throat but somehow, he managed to keep it down. Tahno laughed, patting his shoulder harshly. Igneous stepped back to get away from it.

"I didn't think you had it in you! I thought you would spit it all out drinking that fast. Come, let's get some more drinks! One isn't nearly enough to last the night!" he said with a laugh. Igneous didn't quite know why he was following Tahno around for wine, but he figured he might as well experience what it was like to drink socially. The lady serving the drinks wasn't far away. It only took a couple of turns from the town square without needing to go through an alley to get to her.

She was a lady with pink hair, tied into a simple pony tail. She was a little on the short side, just like he was, wearing a plain black shirt with her sleeves rolled up. She smiled when she saw them, waving them over.

"You sure came back fast, didn't you?" she said, her smile turning into a smirk as she looked up to Tahno. "And you brought a friend! Here, give me your glasses and I'll give you some new ones. I got a friend cleaning them, so it's no worry."

He nodded, while Tahno just shrugged. With their glasses turned in, and new ones full of wine retrieved, they toasted again and took a sip before wandering around with Tahno leading the way. He still didn't know why he was hanging out with him. Igneous figured that Tahno would be a bit of a jerk when he saw him at the inn with that shit-eating grin on his face. It was the kind of face he imagined to be under Zahreen's helmet, but he wasn't exactly Zahreen.

Though speaking of Zahreen, it didn't take long for them to run into him, walking just outside of the town square. He was strangely quiet, constantly turning his head with his left hand sitting at one of the blades attached to his hips. He started chuckling when he turned to face Igneous though.

"I guess I owe you some gold, Tahno!" he said with a laugh. "The kid's already looking flushed and he's a bit darker than most of the people here!"

"He's only had two," Tahno chimed in, the simple grin he had earlier instantly taking a more sinister look to it. That grin he had back at the inn definitely returned and Igneous was reminded of why he didn't want to hang out with him in the first place. "He chugged the first one though."

They continued to laugh, so Igneous just walked away again to go find somebody he knew who wouldn't laugh or coddle him. At least he knew where the drinks were, so he could always find some more. He didn't mind the taste of wine if he swirled it in his glass, so he was probably going to go back for a third and maybe just stop there. Igneous had no intention of getting so drunk that he couldn't remember what happened the previous night.

Just as he turned the corner that got him further away from the town square and contemplated what he wanted to do next, a hand went over his mouth and he was tackled to the ground. Igneous struggled, kicking his legs until he was able to slip out and run, heading back to find Zahreen and Tahno. He didn't even look back. He just ran as fast as he could, his glass long abandoned. He skidded to a halt when he found another stranger who looked a little too eager to see him, a man who resembled one of the slave traders they encountered when Amaryllis came to their rescue. He ducked into alley, making it out to the other side before he had to stop and let himself breathe.

Igneous was stunned. All of the streets that surrounded the town square seemed busy and decorated, yet nobody acted any differently. He saw that the other time they were attacked by bandits but he thought that maybe, here, people would react to slave traders to at least save themselves. He stumbled, falling to his knees and supporting himself against the wall when he suddenly felt dizzy as well as tired from running. He was puzzled. He knew he drank a little fast, but it shouldn't have hit that fast or that hard.

He was getting sleepy, like he stayed up for way too long. He had no idea what was happening to him. It wasn't a vision, he would have seen something instead of pondering why he suddenly felt so bad. He doubted he was already blackout drunk with only two glasses of wine. Somebody followed him into the alley. Igneous forced himself to his feet, despite how exhausted he felt, and managed to force himself ahead enough to find his way out of the alley. It didn't help him though, for as soon as he managed to lay his eyes on the normal, everyday Fraedians, something was put over his head. He didn't get a chance to scream before his vision turned black and lost all feeling.

Gerben made it out to the town square a little later than he would have liked. Iggy was nowhere to be found inside of the inn and since there were flowers everywhere, he couldn't pinpoint the flowery scent that Iggy used. At least it was crowded. He could at least trust that Iggy was with somebody in their group, but he wanted to be near by considering there was alcohol around.

He found Charles and Orla first.

"Gerben! Are you going dry tonight? That would be a darn shame!" Orla said, raising her glass. He raised his eyebrow at her, crossing his arms.

"I'm staying dry tonight so that Iggy can taste wine if he wanted to. Have either of you seen him?"

"What a noble cause," Charles said with a laugh, raising his glass before taking a sip out of it. "But no, I haven't seen him. He's probably with somebody though!"

"I thought of that but still. I'm a little worried."

Orla frowned a little bit, leaning in close enough from behind that her chin rested on his shoulder. "Be careful not to be a spoilsport," she mumbled, poking his cheek. He swatted at her, making her spill some of her drink. "Too late for that I guess."

Suddenly, Charles hit the ground. He shook his head, trying to force himself onto his hands and knees before collapsing to the ground again. Gerben was beside him immediately. Charles was still breathing, breathing softly like he was asleep. He picked him off the ground, hoisting him his shoulder. Orla was able to stand on her feet but she was rubbing her eyes.

"Orla?"

"I feel really groggy all of a sudden," she answered, dropping the glass.

"Can you walk at all? If Charles is down, then maybe others are down too."

"I'll take Charles back to the inn," Orla mumbled, suddenly taking Charles from him. She lost her balance for a brief moment, but she righted herself and Charles was in her arms. "You go look for your cub."

He nodded and transformed, sniffing at the air. His sense of smell was heightened in his bear form, and for a moment, he could distinguish the smell of Igneous' flowery perfume, or whatever it was, from the smell of all of the flowers. He followed the smell to an alleyway. There was another scent there too, a person if he had to guess, but before he really had time to investigate, he was knocked to the ground by a female ursurine sporting white fur.

She sunk her claws into his skin. He growled in pain, then sunk into the piece of flesh closest to his teeth, all while trying to kick her off with his hind legs. They rolled, knocking down something and making Gerben's leg sting. It was worth the pain though, as he finally pushed her off and she transformed back into her human form.

Her short, white hair that just touched her shoulders, was the only thing that really set her apart from ursurines he was used to. Otherwise, she had stone cuffs around her wrists and ankles, and dark clothing that she pulled tight against her body using strings along her pants, with something similar that may have been pulling her shirt tight. Blood ran down her shoulder, closer to her neck where he bit her. She wasn't concerned about the bleeding though, letting it flow freely.

Gerben stayed in his bear form though. He growled, making his fur stand on end.

"My name is Daphne. It wasn't the name I was born with, but it was the name that Azalea gave me," she began, her voice flat. "And unfortunately, I require your cub. Ideally, I would not touch the cub of another ursurine, especially from an ursurine who does not live with other ursurines. I understand how much a human cub can mean if you don't have a mate and a cub of your own, but since Asteria desires him, then I desire him."

Gerben decided to transform. Standing took more effort than he would like to admit, but he couldn't speak in his bear form, otherwise he would have stayed in his bear form. He also quickly realized that the sharp pain earlier had been a large piece of wood that was sticking out his leg, probably from something they broke while fighting. "Why? What do you gain from having him in your possession?"

"I honestly have no idea what Asteria is planning. I only know that he's an objective. Since he's not with you though, then I assume I have to look elsewhere."

"LIKE I WOULD EVER LET YOU LAY A PAW ON HIM!" Gerben ran forward, landing a punch into her abdomen. Daphne recovered quickly, grabbing his arm and throwing him over her shoulder, making his back bounce off of the cobblestone path. He tore his arm out of her grip and transformed once again, ignoring the pain that came from shifting with open wounds. She followed suit just in time that his teeth dug into her shoulders instead of her neck, but unlike the last time, Gerben was on the offensive. His claws dug into flesh. He found out the hard way that her claws were actually thicker and probably a bit longer, as she flailed underneath him to get out.

Gerben managed to hold though, finally sinking his teeth close enough to her neck to make her pause. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his side and he was forced to let go, giving Daphne the chance to roll and knock him back. He was hit again by that sharp pain, which he quickly realized was an arrow. He had two of them in his side.

He couldn't hold the transformation anymore when the third one hit. He was on the ground, bleeding from three arrow wounds that stung more as he shifted back into his human form. He was also covered in deep scratches and teeth marks. Daphne shifted back too, approaching him slowly, perhaps to keep from irritating her neck wound too much. She bent down next to him, yanking his hair to pull his head off the ground. He was in too much pain to resist. Gerben could barely move his fingers, let alone try to fight back. Behind her, a girl wearing a black shirt, with pink hair tied into a pony tail stepped into view, a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.

Gerben's vision blurred.

"He's one of the guardians, isn't he? Couldn't have been a good one, considering that the oracle isn't with him. He should be knocked out somewhere though."

She looked at his face, which he was sure looked pitiful by now, and laughed. "Thanks to earlier surveillance, we knew who you all were, so I simply used a glass with the sedative coated on the inside. Your oracle had two glasses, so there's no way he's awake right now."

All Gerben could manage was a growl. Daphne frowned, slamming his face into the ground before pulling on his hair again.

"And if I don't find him, then our soldiers probably will. Maybe even Weinstrad, considering he's in the air and all," the girl continued. "Come on, Daphne, let's not waste any more time on that bear. I have a bet with Weinstrad to win, after all!"

Daphne nodded, simply letting go of his hair and letting his head fall to the ground. Daphne gave him a strange look, almost like she pitied him and yet, didn't care about any of it at the same. It was the last face he saw before he passed out.

I didn't proof read this as much as I would have liked, but I figured that people would probably appreciate an update anyway.

And this kind of took a long time because I had to rewrite that last third of it with Gerben. Originally, I had a time skip but I figured that it would be better at the beginning of the next chapter, and I realized I was probably skipping too much by doing that.

Anyway, enjoy!