As Syra slept she found herself reliving a memory, it was eight years ago and it had been a hot summer day with the dark miasma giving of a bright orange glow across all her parent's domain. She was ten at the time and her brother fourteen, the whole family we're going to the land of their subjects the elves to collect tribute from them. Syra was carried on Ashna's back, bouncing excitedly to get out of the fortress and to see the elves who fascinated her. Garlath had taken on his true form for the first time that day and flew with their father close by Ashna and Syra, Garlath shook his head smiling at Syra's excitement. The memory went by with the four landing in a low forest landscape with trees far shorter than those found in Kasgara, and with buildings made of smooth marble and gems adorning bits of it. The High and Shadow elves who resided there where in a panic upon seeing the four and they all bowed to the family of Tyrants, without another word they all presented their tribute in the form of their riches, magical items, and livestock. After examining their tribute her mother finally spoke, "This tribute is acceptable, no retribution will come for you this day." There was a sense of relief from the crowd with a long uncomfortable silence as she continued to speak. "But... there is more that must be done before we return home, while we take care of that entertain our children for the day." There wasn't a hint of hesitation from the elves before they all approached Syra and Garlath bowing before them, some helping Syra to the ground. The elves treated Syra and Garlath with the best they could provide, bringing them to their large tavern which looked pristine with the marble aesthetic. The two we're provided with the finest food and drink they could be provided. Syra remembered the bread they made for them, it was soft, fluffy and warm as if it had just come out of the oven, she also tasted wine for the first time as demanded by her brother for the two to have. It had a bitterness to it that caught her off guard but the feeling of the buzz made her want to enjoy it more. The two enjoyed fine cuts of lamb as well which tore right of the bone and felt surprisingly soft and practically melted in her mouth as she ate. During all the partying the elves also worked the best they could to entertain the two with shows on a stage, they used actors telling stories of their past and of their family's rise to power, making sure to give high regard to the tyrants to avoid the wrath of the family. They also had various dances that entertained the two, with a main dancer who wore attire similar to what Syra wore in present day, though with a more translucent skirt and a translucent veil over the elf's face. The elven dancer used magic that added more spectacle to the show along with making her dress shift in colors every few second from a vibrant red to a sapphire blue, to emerald green, golden yellow, amber orange and back to red. After the show Syra talked with the high elf dancer, asking if she could be shown how to dance and use magic in such a way. The woman smiled warmly but before she spoke the environment around her started to shift, changing from the vibrant elven interior to the interior of the obsidian fortress, her home. She looked around but she was alone in a chamber, filled with chains hanging from the ceiling with shackles on the end of them. She turned around to see the dancer, but she was gone... and on the floor was a splatter of blood. Syra suddenly opened her eyes, the morning light creeping through the trees. Syra blinked a few times taking a deep breath in relief, glad that the dream ended where it did. She found herself lying on her side facing Kal, who was sitting in front of the fire staring into it in deep thought before noticing her waking up. "You look like you had something unpleasant going on in your sleep, are you alright?" Syra simply nodded, "Had one of those weird dreams that turned into nightmares, but I woke up just before it got worse." she rolled on her back before sitting up facing Kal. He grimaced for a moment, "Those are always the worst, on the one hand a full on nightmare is just all around bad, but one where it's going well before becoming something worse sounds... well worse honestly." She nodded in agreement as she tried to shake the memory from her head, "Are you doing alright?" "Just been lost in thought..." She tilted her head, "Anything you'd like to talk about?" "Thinking about all that's transpired and most of my life, ever since I gained a sense of self I've always believed that all dragons are nothing but malevolent beings that need to be put down... then you came along and the way I view things have flipped." he looked at her, "Being saved by my own foolishness with magic by someone I should consider my enemy, and yet the more I'm with you the more you show me that you are most unlike the dragons I heard from our history, or of horror stories from refugees... It's quite the whiplash, and I don't mean any offense if I caused any." Syra gave him a reassuring smile, "I understand Kal." she paused in thought, "I wouldn't be surprised if most people where to either run away in fear or draw their weapons on sight of me here." "All things considered I'm glad to have met you, you've been showing me what kind of person you are and I'm willing to give you more of a chance to show your true colors to everyone back home." She blinked looking at him, "Your still comfortable with me coming to your home?" "Sure, I'll vouch for you, and knowing them they'll be more demanding of you to prove that you mean no harm to them, whatever that task may be I'll back you up." Syra smiled at that before noticing him scooting closer to her, reaching her hand gently caressing it. "And given how well things get taken care of I'd be down with giving you a lovely time in my home village, and more beyond that if you'd like." he smiled warmly at her. She blushed at that before looking away, her hair bangs covering her eyes and she uncovers them with a small smile, "That sounds like fun... I... I hope I wasn't too awkward last night, I've never had feelings like that towards another person on that level before." Kal simply chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with having an attraction to someone like that, especially if you've never really experienced such a feeling before. We'll have a date in no time if things go right." Syra smiled, "Thank you Kal." The two stared at each other for a moment, looking into each other's eyes, imagining themselves getting closer, before something came to Kal's mind, "Oh right! You must be starving, one moment!" Syra shook her head after being lost in the moment again regaining her focus, she noticed he had four of the biscuits they found last night sitting next to him on some scavenged cloth, one of them was broken and eaten halfway. Kal handed her one of them with a smile as well as filling up a mug of water that he scavenged from the keep. "Not much of a breakfast but it's better than noth-" Before he had a chance to finish Syra bit down on the biscuit which broke with a loud crack! Syra froze in place with the piece of biscuit in her mouth, it felt like she had just bit into a rock and broke it with her durable dragon teeth, she then noticed Kal having an absolutely horrified expression on his face at what she did. Syra tried to eat the bit of biscuit in her mouth, but it felt like gradually grinding against a bread-like rock, it tasted like cooked and incredibly hard flow as she chipped away a few pieces small enough to swallow. It took a good minute to break down the biscuit and swallow it "...How do you even eat these things!?" she exclaimed staring at her piece of bread. "Not like that..." Kal said still slightly horrified, he pointed to a mug of his next to him, there was a chunk of hard bread sitting in the mug soaking in the water and appearing softer, "You should consider yourself lucky, eating hard bread like that is a good way to destroy your teeth, though I imagine yours are stronger than the average mortal." he said before letting out a chuckle at the situation. Syra blinked at him before looking back at the bread, she raised it in the air and slammed it against the stone floor breaking off a chunk of it then putting it in the mug of water he made for her. "Should I just ask before eating anymore of your people's food?" she asked sarcastically. "No, this is pretty much the only food that requires such a thing. Pretty much it's bread baked in a way to be well suited for long distance travel, as long as you have it stored well it can last forever... though you need a way to soften them up cause eating them as is should only be done if there are no options. Sometimes a good way to eat this is mixing it with other foods after softening it up of course, usually mixing it with a stew of some sort can add sort of a bread texture to it along with meat and vegetables, mixing it with a sweet liquid can also make for something nice to have in the morning or evenings, even just frying it on it's own with some pork fat can provide you with something nice to have." Syra tilted her head after the explanation, a bit more fascinated by this strange food, "Sounds versatile if you have the components." Kal nodded in agreement, "Unfortunately we don't have that so this is our only real option." he said as he pulled out his piece of hard bread from his mug and nibbled on it, having softened significantly could still hear it crunch from each bite. Syra simply smiled, "At least it's better than nothing." She tried a bite of the soaked hard bread, it feeling a bit softer but needed more time to soak, she couldn't help but think of bread made by elves, one of the few things she misses from home. The two ate their breakfast of hard bread as the morning sun began to shine over the mountain, Syra was still in awe at the beauty of the land. Kal got to his feet stretching himself out before offering his hand to Syra to help her up. She took it with a smile and was lifted to her feet, she picked up the other two pieces of hard bread and bottle of water to carry for him. The two made their way down keep, the morning sun illuminating the place through the holes. When the two made it outside they started to cross the bridge and resume their travel to Kalderwood, Kal led the way occasionally glancing back at Syra. "If you don't mind me asking Syra..." "Fire away." "Could you tell me more about the attire you have?" Her interests peaked she spoke up excitedly, "Oh sure! This outfit was a gift from my parents, they knew I had a fascination with the elves so they had this crafted specifically for me. It's based off of what some High Elf woman dancer would wear, with a few modifications to differentiate from the usual sets. Most obvious being the claws on spikes on the gloves and slippers, the skirt on the original design usually translucent where as mine is opaque, it lacks the translucent veil that masks the mouth, and usually it's in a more bright and vibrant color and not really black, also the runes which help with my spellcasting. Honestly the best gift they ever got me and the only positive thing I can think about them in recent memory." Kal blinked smiling at her enthusiasm for her attire, "I'd imagine the blade and scabbard we're a gift too?" Syra nodded, "From my brother, which has so far come in handy though I feel I have yet to unlock it's full potential." "Another thing to work on together?" "I wouldn't object to it." she said with a smile, she drew the blade and handed it to Kal for him to examine as they walked. "This is unlike anything I've ever seen, looks rather utilitarian with a hint of customized elegance... never seen this metal before-" before he had a chance to continue there was a flash of cyan that blinded him for a moment and the blade was gone, "Ah! Where did it go!? Did I lose it!? How did I lose it!?" there was another flash of cyan light as the blade reappeared in Syra's hand. "Oh, right. I forgot this is a weapon that bonds with the wielder, so it'll not stay put in the hands of another." she said letting out a small laugh. "Oh good! Was worried I somehow destroyed it or lost it... might be something where we'll both have to work together for me to get a look at it." "Probably, I won't mind." The two traveled along the river for an hour, the morning sun shining upon all the land as they walked, sunlight reflected brightly on the river. "If we weren't in a hurry I'd be tempted to jump in for a bit, been a long time since I've gone swimming." Kal turned to her tilting his head, "Didn't figure you'd be one to be into such things, given what you've told me of your home." "My parents would sometimes take me to the land inhabited by their subjects for a day, there we're places to swim there though it didn't usually last given that the nature of our visits we're for my parents to gather tribute, and let me and my brother have some fun." she looked down sadly, "The elves would treat us they best they could, under pain of my parents wrath... it probably wouldn't matter much but sometimes I wish I could show the elves how much I appreciated their hospitality despite it all, and wished they didn't have to live in so much fear." "Oh." Kal walked silently for a bit unsure how to add to the conversation. Syra sighed refocusing her mind on the travel. "If it helps once people get to know you more like I have they won't be afraid," Kal added hoping to lift her mood, "Also I know a place back home we can swim if your interested." Syra's eyes lit up at both of those, "That sounds like it would be fun." Kal simply chuckled at her enthusiasm, "So long as you don't mind a cavernous environment, it's nice, secluded, the temperature is just right, and if your one to enjoy shiny rocks and gems you'll like this." "I'm happy to give it a chance." "Most excellent! With some luck we might be able to enjoy that sooner than later, we're getting close to- to-" Kal froze in place as he sniffed the air, "To Kalderwood..." Syra turned to Kal noticing him stumble his words, "What's the matter?" "Do you smell that Syra?" Syra sniffed the air, it smelled like burnt wood in vast quantities, along with her horns detecting magic in the distance, fire and ice just as before. "I smell it too, and I sense the same magic from those beasts." The two looked at each other before turning their walk into a quick run in the direction of Kalderwood. After a few more minutes of following along the river the two froze in place at what they saw. They found Kalderwood... half of it burnt to cinders, the outer wall being completely destroyed and most of the wooden buildings scorched to pitch black, with bits and pieces crumbling and kicking up ashes. Syra readied her spellblade while Kal had his hands ready to cast some spells and the two walked into what was left of Kalderwood. What they found inside we're the remnants of a massacre, they found bodies of the village guards scattered through the streets, some looking more mangled than others, frost, scorch marks, and claw marks coated the cobblestone streets with spatters of blood top off the macabre scene, it appeared fire did more damage to most of the structures, a lot of buildings crumbled to nothing but burnt scraps while some remain standing, for how long none of them knew. The village was silent, only occasionally broken by the sound of animals in the distance, likely corrupted by the same magic. Syra and Kal kept quiet as they walked into the village, listening intently for any sounds of beast or person alike. As Syra moved into the village she froze sensing something she hadn't expected, immense dark magic emanating from deep within the village, darkness on the scale of one of her own family members though not as potent. "Someone or something with powerful magic lurks here..." she whispered quietly. The two eventually found the burnt structure of the village tavern, still standing despite the damage. The two decided to investigate slowly stepping inside, the burnt wooden floor crunching from their steps. The interior looked completely demolished with several tables and chairs knocked to the floor, with some indents in the wood. Kal examining the mess noticed that despite the mess there we're very few markings that indicated that the struggle got too brutal, traces of blood we're lacking, but he noted that the markings of the wood we're markings from being dragged as if someone was holding onto furniture for dear life. "Whoever did this... they didn't slaughter the civilians, they we're kidnapped..." he said with horrifying realization. Syra turned to him concerned, noticing that he was becoming mentally and emotionally compromised by the situation, before she had a chance to act the two heard a coughing from down below. The two made their way through the kitchen, finding a stairway leading to the basement, they climbed down the steps and find a man in ruined clothes slumped over, barely breathing and covered in bruises, his skin was covered in soot from the fire. It was a miracle he was still alive. The two ran up to him stepping on the stone floor and helped him sit up against the wall. "They-" the tavern keeper coughed, "They took everyone... anyone who couldn't fight back..." Kal trying to think fast pulled out the bottle of water from the keep and allowed the man to drink for a moment. He didn't seem long for this world but he tried to provide him some comfort. "Don't worry we'll get you taken care of." Syra said, slicing her left hand with a dragon claw drawing out some blood and converting it to healing magic and casting it on the man, his breathing seemed to ease but his condition seemed to be beyond recovery. The man looked at Syra, eyes going wide for a moment before relaxing, realizing despite what she is she was still helping him. "Please if you can, tell us what happened." Kal asked, emotions high. "Bandits... acting not like bandits, more like warmongers... led by a knight in black..." the man coughed, sounding weaker, "They took everyone who wasn't a guard... man... woman... child... my daughter... said she would make a fine... a fine..." tears started to form in the man's eyes, "Please... stop them... save my daughter... please..." he looked at the two. The horrors spoken by the men sank into both Syra and Kal. "Don't worry, we'll warn all the nearby villages and rally a rescue effort, the villagers and your daughter will be safe, all of them will." Kal said. Syra nodded smiling reassuringly to the man. The man slowly raised his hands putting them on Kal and Syra's shoulders, "Thank you..." he coughed, "For not leaving me in... despair..." and his head slumped down and his breathing stopped, he was gone. The two we're frozen in place as the tavern keeper died before them, it wasn't the first time Syra had witnessed mortality but turning her head to Kal she realized it was his as he started to hyperventilate. "We-we failed, I failed, I was supposed to be a guardian of Asgarna yet I sent myself away when it needed me most... now half a village is dead while the rest are enslaved for... whatever possible hell they are subjected to... I'm a failure." Tears forming in her eyes she turned Kal around to face her, "Kal, look at me." his head was slumped down in defeat, "Kal, I know what your feeling, please look at me and listen." he slowly looked up, "You did not fail these people, this came out of nowhere and no one was prepared for it. There is still time to save the other villagers and rescue those they've taken!" Kal looked at her, some tears forming in his eyes. "Trust me Kal, I've had many close hand experiences with the death of another... your not alone..." He blinked before holding out his arms, "Please..." Syra knew he needed this and she wrapped her arms around him providing him a comforting hug, "We'll make whoever did this pay..." "Your right... we need to get back home right now, my village is to the north of this place, if we move now we can warn them of this threat before it's too late and gather a rescue party of sorts." Syra nodded before looking back at the corpse of the tavern keeper, his eyes we're wide open, she took her time to close them for the final time and the two left the ruin tavern. As they walked out they made their way through the streets trying to find the northern exit to Kal's village, only for Syra to halt as she felt dark magic growing more intense behind them, something was coming. "Get off the street!" she whispered and the two quickly darted behind a partially destroyed building, peaking out the corner they saw two figures approaching the center of town. One was a large knight clad in black armor that concealed everything about them, wielding a shield of matching color and a shortsword that was bone white, and glowing with an aura of black and cyan. With him was what appeared to be a large wolf that stood as tall as a horse also filled to the brim with dark magic, before suddenly in a flash the wolf transformed into a man, wearing what appeared to be clothes made of materials found in nature, leather combined with plant foliage. Syra turned to kal wondering what he made of this, noticing a horrified expression. "A druid... working with dark powers?" he whispered. The knight and the dark druid faced each other. "Have anymore of your kind seen the wisdom in joining us?" the Knight spoke, her voice echoing with dark energy. "They we're too set in their ways, said I betrayed the laws of nature, so I had to make them join." the druid spoke, a sense of vileness to their voice. "Then my gift to you hasn't been in vain... excellent." Syra tilted her head at the two, wondering what type of magic the knight possessed and could've gifted to the druid. "And with them not being mere possessed animals they've be more effective in pillaging these villages." The knight simply nodded. "How are your men doing?" "Well enough, the stock we've gained from this first raid has been a morale boost for them." the knight adjusted her gauntlets, "Now all that's left is to figure out what role to give the slaves we've gained, the children could make for future knights of my new order after some years of molding them into it, the rest would provide great labor be it the mines, crafting and gathering supplies, cooking, and should they useless... there are other uses that can be found for them..." Syra and Kal felt a deep sickening feeling in their stomachs upon hearing that, Syra couldn't help but be reminded of Malroth from the knight's comments. "Should they prove to be defiant I'd be more than happy to administer some... lashes till they know their place." the druid spoke holding out his hand, conjuring a vine in his hand that was covered in thorns. As the two spoke Syra and Kal slowly inched themselves away from the center of the village trying to make their way to the exit. Once they we're out of earshot they made a run for the exit. They realized their mistake once they saw a pack of fire and frost infused wolves start to peer out of the ruined buildings, five, then seven, then ten of them appeared, they could fight them but it could slow them down too much, might even alert the knight and druid. Syra readied her blade, infusing it with lightning ready to fight the corrupted wolves off. As Kal looked around an idea came to mind to get them out of the situation, a risky one but better than nothing. "Syra, I've got an idea, I just need a moment to cast!" The wolves started to surround the two, one jumped at Syra and she brought her sword through it's neck, "Whatever your planning to do do it fast!" another wolf ran up biting her right arm, the pain of teeth and ice shooting through her, she turned to the wolf and let out a breath of fire scorching the ice infused wolf till it let loose it's jaws and her arm was freed. Kal worked his magic best he could, bringing his hands almost together as a gust of wind started to take form in his hands, strong rushes of wind shot from him, "Come on, come on..." he looked up to his horror to see down the street behind them the Black Knight emerging, standing menacingly and holding out their sword, black and cyan coalescing into a spell ready to cast, "Syra!" Syra turned around seeing the black knight to her horror, she quickly unleashed a breath of fire upon all the ice infused wolves trying to keep them at bay before running in front of Kal. "KONRATH!" the Black Knight shouted as they cast doombolt, striking Syra in the chest and knocking her on her back right in front of Kal. Immense pain shot through her, the dark magic swirling in her body and coiling around her body, it was the first time she ever experienced the effects of a doombolt. "Hold on Syra, I'm almost there!" Kal said, the coalesced wind building and building, the fire infused wolves and black Knight closing in on the two. "How interesting... a Tyrant protecting a slave?" the Black Knight spoke referring to Syra then Kal. The voices of both echoed through her mind as the effects of the doombolt made her slightly delirious, she felt vulnerable to everything around her. The coalesced wind exploded taking on the form of a dust devil, it's winds winding and twisting around, "I got it!" Kal shouted, he moved his hands back controlling the dust devil, sucking up the wolves into the twister and hurling them all around the ruined village. The Black Knight charged towards the two, blade ready. Kal thinking quick pulled the dust devil back towards himself and Syra, pulling the two inside the wind vortex lifting them up in the air. "Kal what are you doing!?" "Don't worry, we're out of here!" he said as he motioned his hands forward and the dust devil quickly dashed to the exit of the village carrying himself and Syra with it. The two looked back as the Black Knight simply stared at the two as they made their improvised escape. The dust devil moved along the path with great speed for a good five minutes till the path to Kal's village started to go over hills causing the dust devil to slow and eventually fade. The two we're lowered to the ground as the spell wore off, Kal was sitting down while Syra was on her back panting in pain, the effects of the doombolt we're gradually fading but the pain still lasted and she felt the dark magic waiting to erupt from her body. "Gods... Syra are you okay?" Kal moved over to check on Syra. "Never... experienced... such pain..." she panted her chest raising as she tried to find breath, "How... how can someone outside of my family... cast that spell?" "I don't know..." Kal said, unable to find a possible answer. "What they said, what they did... I didn't think anyone outside my family was capable of such... such malice." Kal gave her a saddened look, "Despite what it may seem it isn't just your family who is capable of evil." he held his hand out, "Do you need a moment to rest or can you move?" Syra took his hand as she is helped to her feet, stumbling slightly, Kal caught her and helped keep her on her feet, taking one of her arms and putting it around his shoulders. "I should... be able to on my own once this spell wears off..." she shook her head trying to pull herself together. "Hey don't worry, you've done a lot for me in the past day, only fair that I do the same for you." Kal said giving her a reassuring smile, "I'll keep us going till your able to walk on your own again." Syra looked at him quietly then nodded. As they traveled Syra felt the effects of the doombolt fade away till she was able to walk again. The two quickly ran along the path to Kal's home village believing the black knight or the druid, or any of their followers or beasts could be upon them. Twenty minutes passed as they hastened their travel, Kal turned his head back to Syra, "Do you sense any of them behind us?" Syra looked back for any sign of anything following them, her horns sensed no traces of magic, "I believe they are a good ways behind us." Kal let out a sigh of relief at that, "Good, we're almost there." Syra perked up upon hearing that as she kept her pace with Kal. Five more minutes passed as they traveled till going one more hill they saw the outskirts of the village, surrounded by walls with a stone foundation and wood atop the structure, a large gate made of wood and steel was sealed shut blocking any view inside. The only thing Syra could make out where the tops of three large buildings inside, one looking like the top of a castle, the other looking like the top of a cathedral of sorts and the third being a massive structure of ornate wood. "Welcome princess Syra, to my home, Dorin's Rest." She blinked at him upon hearing that name, it seemed familiar but she couldn't remember where from, but the name sounded dwarven. She smiled warmly letting him lead the way. The two headed swiftly towards the entrance of the village, the imminent danger potentially looming on this place, they we're interrupted by a pair of guards standing in front of the gate, and above them along the wall a large figure stood watch, a human with large wolf ears on her head. Kal immediately recognized one of his friends and smiled, "Fara! Down here!" The half-wolf looked down, a large smile appeared on her face with a look of relief, "By the gods Kal!" she yelled before leaping off the wall and onto the ground in front of him and pulling him into a hug. Syra blinked at the half-wolf having never seen anything like her before and noticing how much taller she was, "What happened? We couldn't find you and we we're worried something bad happened, and just after your first day as an adult!" "Fara it's alright I'm fine, I'll explain everything later but we need to head inside right now." "Of course, we'll get you settled and-" she froze upon seeing Syra, her body tensing up as she let Kal go and grabbed her battle axe, "Kal." she said plainly and seriously, "I'm only going to ask this once, why is there a tyrant with you?" Syra felt herself tense up as well as she realized how serious it was getting. "A tyrant!?" One of the guards shouted pulling out a large weapon made of wood, iron, and string, a crossbow made of a lesser metal of sorts and immediately aiming it at Syra, the rest of the nearby guards followed suit. "What's going on!?" came another voice, as an elf with indigo skin walked over the wall looking down, the shadow elf saw Kal next to Fara then saw Syra. Syra looked up to see the shadow elf noticing that he is staring daggers, she knew he saw her as a danger as the rest of the guards did, before she had a chance to react the elf vanished in a puff of black smoke, and she felt the edges of two blades against her, one along her neck the other against her belly. "Don't move, Tyrant." the elf whispered, venom could be felt from his voice. Syra tensed up unsure what to do, "You will listen to our commands or we will end you like our ancestors ended the first of your kind, understood? Nod." Syra nodded, feeling the knife press against her neck threatening to cut it open, "What led to you finding this place? Are you alone or did you have any minions with you? And what of the rest of your 'family' are they coming too?" "Astor, Fara, everyone! I know it's hard to believe but she ran away from her home! She's wanting to start a new in this land, I've spent a whole day getting to know her and if it weren't for her I wouldn't be alive!" The shadow elf stared at Kal, so did the half-wolf woman and the rest of the guards on the wall looked at Kal, surprised and confused. Kal took the time to explain everything, the mishap with his spell that sent him far out east, the gravity well he nearly drowned in, Syra saving him and what she told them and their travel back home, he also explained what became of Kalderwood and the alliance between a Knight in black and a Druid with dark intentions who betrayed their people. Astor, Fara, and the guards all had a shocked expression, understanding the severity of the situation Astor turned to the rest of the guards, "Spread the word throughout the rest of the guards, get a search party ready to go!" The guards on the wall nodded moving across the wall spreading the word to the rest of the village guards. The three then turned to Syra, Kal worried for her safety, Fara unsure of what to make of it all, same with Astor who still had a look of extreme distrust for the dragon. Syra felt dark thoughts begin to creep into her mind, the people she promised to save treating her like this... her future subjects, they should all be bowing to her for promising to save them from this upstart of a knight threatening these lands, she will treat her subjects with mercy, but this elf should be made an example of- No! Syra thought, this was not right, why are these vile thoughts flooding into her mind. As she broke free from her train of thought she found herself strained trying not to speak her thoughts out loud. Astor and Fara we're both looking at Syra with a look of confusion. "Is she sick or something?" Fara asked, the first of the two to be less hostile towards her. Syra blinked as she snapped back to her normal self, "Sorry, just a combination of things, first time meeting new people and not used to being held at blade point like this..." Astor kept his blades close to Syra's stomach and neck, "Given all that's been explained to me I still don't trust you yet, Tyrant." he then looked at Kal, "But given that you've saved my friend and he's gone out of his way to vouch for you, I'll give you a chance at the very least." he moved the blades away from her body, allowing her to breathe more comfortably, "I will take you to our mayor, he will decide your fate, all things considered he'll give you a chance to prove yourself to us, and I'll oblige to that." After a moment Syra moved slowly and turned around to face the elf, getting a better look at him. He was a shadow elf, same as Mithra back home, adorned in padded armor, carrying a shortsword in one hand and a poniard in the other, on his back he had a crossbow made of wood and iron. Given what he was and how he spoke about her and her kind she had to assume that they had a close hand experience with one of her family. "I appreciate the chance you are giving me, all things considered I understand why you acted the way you did." Syra spoke at last. Astor blinked at that, "Well, something we both can agree on." he said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "We're going to escort you inside, depending on the mayor's decision we'll get to know each other better, until then don't get any ideas or we will put you down." Syra nodded, then she undid her scabbard with her spellblade as a show of good faith, Astor nodded at Fara who took it from her, "The blade is bound to me, if you try to mess with it or hold it it will go back to me." Fara blinked before nodding, a hint of curiosity coming across her mind as she looked at the hilt. Kal let out a sigh in that moment, feeling tension easing away from the moment, "Thank you my friends for giving her a chance." Fara smiled pulling him into a half hug, "Just glad your safe, lil Kal!" Astor simply nodded, mostly fixated on keeping an eye on Syra, he turned to the guard at the gate, "Let us in." he demanded and the guard did so opening the double gates to the village Dorin's Rest.