Back to the present for the next 2 chapters. In this chapter we finally get a proper introduction to the rest of the party that will TOP SECRET by the end of the series. :grin:

[p=center]Chapter 4 – A Good Deal[/p]

Gilean's eyes shot open as he broke out of his Trance. He did not cry out though, he had managed to wake up before that part of the dream happened. Lucky him. The dream was something that seemed to never fade though. Maybe it never would.

Immersing himself in his current surroundings, Gilean's senses embraced the world around him, rather than the one that still lingered in his mind. A warm breeze that carried the scents of summer drifted in through the open window of the inn room. His eyesight adjusted to the darkness as he propped his head against the wall he was leaning against. Melia had offered to share the bed with him, but past experiences had warned him of her bad sleeping habits. So Gilean had taken to the floor, which was slightly less comfortable than a bed of leaves, but it was dry and warm.

A quick intake of breath from Melia as she shifted her sleeping position, the underlying frame of the mattress creaking as her weight was redistributed. Satisfied, her breathing returned to a calm and normal pace as she once again fell into a peaceful slumber. Gilean's heart was hammering in his chest however, an itch building inside his limbs that urged him to move. As he gazed upon her sleeping form, his breathing became heavier and his eyes took on a hungry look. Unknowingly, he was clenching and relaxing his hands; flexing them like they were claws. Can't stay here. Need to move. Need to hunt.

'Why hunt? There's a perfectly good morsel here...' His voice whispered in Gilean's mind, and while it attempted to sound cultured, it could not mask the ravenous hunger it carried.

'Shut up.' thought Gilean firmly. Peering out the window, the clouds parted on cue to reveal the light of the full moon. No wonder this asshole was awake. His whispers faded as Gilean concentrated on blocking Him out, eventually subsiding to a very annoying buzz. No chance of him going back into a Trance now.

Moving ever so carefully, so as not to disturb Melia, Gilean eased himself up off of the floorboards until he was standing up. Eying the door knob for a moment, Gilean instead moved towards the open window and paused at its threshold. Breathing deeply helped to wake himself up, as adrenaline surged through his body and filling it with energy. Gripping the windowsill with his pale hands and tensing his calves, Gilean spared a last glance towards Melia. Her back was facing him and the gentle rise and fall of her body showed that she was still sleeping. A momentary twinge of regret passed through him before he managed to shake it off with a fierce refusal of His suggestions. Turning back towards the window, the night beckoned him, enveloping him in its velvet embrace as he released the pent up energy in his legs and sailed into the night.

A rooster crowed in the village of Gelaweir, announcing the start of a new day, as the village slowly came to life. People called friendly greetings to each other as they went about their business even though it was so early in the morning. The people of Gelaweir appreciated the value of hard work and it was through that appreciation that they had managed to build a prosperous village.

So it was that the blacksmith stoked his fire in the hearth as he began to lay out the tools of his trade and the merchants began to set up their stalls. The seamstress unlocked her store and began laying out the latest fashions from the capital in the window of the store, hoping to entice any travellers with it's gaudy appearance. Gelaweir was a major hub that people travelled through in the continent of Bravn, despite it's small size. The presence of the Mercenary House also ensured a steady trickle of would-be adventurers and the like. Thus in order to maximize profits, the people of Gelaweir tried their hardest to always be available to these walking bags of money.

Besides the Mercenary House, Grelda's Inn was the only other establishment that was open at all hours of the day. While the customers of the inn could be expected to be still sleeping, the ones that had stayed over the night were rather unusual in that they had woken up almost as early as the residents of Gelaweir. Most of the customers anyway.

Gilean slowly became aware of a weight pressing down on both of his legs when he woke up that morning. His nighttime activities had left him more drained than he originally thought and so he was still in a groggy state. One hand stretched out wearily, his eyes were still closed as his fingers touched something long and silky smooth to the touch. It was a pleasant feeling against his hands, made all the more prominent thanks to the hard floor he had been sleeping on and so he ran his fingers through the almost liquid substance.

Perhaps Melia's pack is on my legs, knocked off of the top of the dresser when I returned this morning. I don't remember her wearing any silk shirts though. Or silken anything, really. Although perhaps all female clothes are like this...As he was ruminating through such things, Gilean's hand continued to slide through the soft material and down to something much firmer, but just as smooth. His hand reached a curve and he heard a sharp intake of breath just in front his closed eyes. He opened them.

“...Morning.” said Gilean, realizing what his hand was wrapped around.

“...Morning.” whispered Melia, her green skin had taken on a crimson color, acutely aware of what Gilean's hand was wrapped around.

“Did you sleep alright?” asked Gilean, his hand still around Melia's bare waist; the only part of her upper body that wasn't covered by her tunic. One of her calves that wasn't on the floor, rested lightly on Gilean's leg. Thankfully Melia slept with her leggings on.

“...I did. Did you get enough sleep? Uh it seemed like you went out last night and you still had some...food...left on your face.” holding up a reddish brown cloth in her right hand. It looked thoroughly used.

“I slept very well, otherwise I think I would've woken up.” nodding at the handkerchief as he said so.

“Oh. Well that's good.” she said rather simply.

“So...you do this kind of thing a lot, baby?” asked Gilean in a sleazy tone. Gilean watched Melia morph through several facial expressions of embarrassment, anger, shock, anger, humor, anger and finally settling on “annoyed”.

“Ass.” swore Melia, although a grin was forming at the ends of her mouth. It was in accordance to the Divine Laws of Comedy that the door to their room opened suddenly without so much as a knock.

“Are you two ready yet-” began Semphil, an annoyed look on his face that was replaced with a blank expression when he saw Melia straddling Gilean on the floor, “...Morning.”

“...Morning.” chorused the two on the floor, one wearing a grin, the other looking mortified.

“Sorry for interrupting.” apologized Semphil as he closed the door in a hurry.

“Wait! It's not what it looks-” the door slammed shut before Melia could finish her sentence. Gilean gently disentangled himself from Melia, who appeared to have frozen in place. He idly wondered if it was possible for her skin to take on a permanent reddish hue.

It took them about another 2 minutes for them to get ready. While not an unreasonably long time, for Gilean and Melia, it was downright slovenly. In reality it took them about 30 seconds to strap on their armor and weapons, and one and a half minutes of Gilean trying to convince Melia to go downstairs.

“You know the longer we take, the more they'll assume.” reasoned Gilean.

“They? It was just Semphil who saw us.” said Melia, “...He won't say anything to the others.” she added in a less than confident tone. Gilean looked at her with one raised eyebrow.

“You sure about that?”

“...Let's go downstairs.” mumbled Melia. Gilean thought it was cute that Melia still worried how the two of them still looked together, even after all of these years. They'd faced horrors and seen things that had made Gilean's blood run cold more than once. But Melia had thrived in such situations, her axe sang a deadly tune through the air while she wore a fierce smile that was plastered across her face.

“Don't worry about it so much. Semphil seems to be every bit as honorable as his reputation would have us believe.” reassured Gilean as they walked through the creaky hallway of the inn's second floor. “Even more so.” he added after remembering how Semphil had offered to pay for the rooms of everyone yesterday evening.

“I'm just worried. This is probably the best situation he could catch us in. If this mission takes more than a month-”

“It won't” replied Gilean, cutting Melia off with a firm denial, but still she continued. “So he saw us in a somewhat sexual situation. What's the big deal?” laughed Gilean.

“It's not about that!” snapped Melia, stopping dead in her tracks. “It'll take us a little more than 2 weeks to reach Auverdale and if you go on another one of your midnight 'walks', we're going to have a problem.”

“So what are you suggesting?” lowering his voice to match hers, all traces of humor had left.

“We leave.”

“What?” breathed out Gilean sharply.

“We could just go to another town and take a mission on our own. Just the two of us!” implored Melia.

“We almost died the last time we did that!” exclaimed Gilean.

“And we could die with them! Only it wouldn't be by a random monster!” countered Melia.

“You're being paranoid!”

“And you're being an idiot!” shot back Melia. The two glared at each other for a little bit, although they both retained enough presence of mind to keep their voices down.

“We need this Melia, despite the risks, this is the only way I know that we can reach S-rank!”

“Bullshit.” growled Melia, “You wanted this job for the same reason you always want one. Demons. This one involved demons and we couldn't get it to ourselves, so now you're trying to come up with some half-assed explanation of this being a quick road to the next rank.”

Gilean was quiet for a few moments, trying to think of a suitable retort, although Melia's words struck true. Getting to S-rank wasn't the end goal for him, it was just a helpful tool for achieving his aim. “You're right.” said Gilean, “I couldn't care less about something like that. But if I go on this mission, I might find the answers I'm looking for. If I abandon it, I might miss something and I can't take that chance.”

Gilean looked at Melia with a determined gaze. She stared back at him with equal intensity. “Even if I have to do this on my own.” stated Gilean with finality.

“...That's not fair.” whispered Melia, “We're in this together till the end.”

“Why bring this up now? What are you so worried about? We've been in far worse situations and still managed to come out on top!”

“Because-!” began Melia, but the words she wanted to say wouldn't leave her mouth. They were selfish words that weren't of any benefit to Gilean. They had both been hurt and Melia had no right to say that her pain was any greater than Gilean's. Melia instead said the words that came from her heart, concealing the others inside herself. “Because...I don't want to lose you.”

“So don't let go of me.” his hands were shaking as he said this though his voice held steady. “Your words, remember? If it's the two of us; we can't lose.”

“And if we run into a situation where we have to show what we can really do? What then!?” asked Melia harshly, a touch of fear was in her eyes now. Both of their eyes were red, although Gilean attributed that to just staring at each other without blinking for so long.

“You won't have to do anything. If...if it comes to that point, then I'll be the only one to take the fall.”

“Gilean!” gasped Melia.

“This is my selfish decision and I'm asking you to be a part of it. It's only right that I should bear the consequences.” concluded Gilean. Faster than Gilean could react, he was pushed against the wall with enough force that dust floated down from the ceiling. Melia's arms were pressed against his chest as she pinned him against the wall, her face pressed against his.

“...We're in this together you idiot.” her lip quivered as if she wanted to say something more. It stopped moving, but she said nothing more. Her grip on him slackened and she released Gilean from the wall. Melia's hand came to her face and wiped across her eyes. Gilean said nothing, though he mimicked her actions as well.

“Let's go downstairs.” she said quietly after a few seconds.

“Okay.” replied Gilean. It took them only about 30 seconds to get downstairs, but it was in a sombre silence. Bitterly, Gilean vented his feelings in his thoughts, Good going asshole. Way to manipulate your only friend.

The only other customers that were currently in Grelda's were all seated around a large table that could seat a party of seven. Semphil sat on one end of the rectangular table, sipping a mug of something with steam coming out of it. He glanced up to see Gilean and Melia coming down the stairs together, his expression visibly tightening before nodding at both of them. Reaching the foot of the stairs, Gilean's nose picked up the scent of spiced grape wine. Odd drink to have in the morning, thought Gilean

Sitting together just opposite to Semphil were the new additions to the party; chatting to each other with their hands wrapped around mugs; although these weren't steaming. One was a human male and the other an elvalya. The man had short brown hair parted to one side, a smooth face and an easy laugh. A long red cloak that stopped just short of the floor was wrapped loosely around his neck, although it seemed to give off an odd glow every now and then. While his average body did not seem to present any threat, the staff that rested near his side hinted at his true power.

The elvalya had long flowing brown hair, deep green eyes and a melodious laugh. Like most elves, she was fair of face with a slim body wrapped in somewhat skimpy armor noticed Gilean with some embarrassment. She turned at the sound of the stairs creaking and smiled widely at Gilean. “Äeoilia au amanthorium, Gilean-ava” greeted Samantha. A traditional elven greeting, but one that he had greatly missed.

“Ëul eta äeoilia au amanthorium kal aven ma, Samantha-ala.” responded Gilean in kind with a bright smile. He was pleasantly surprised that a lack of contact with Elves over the past years hadn't dimmed his linguistics by too much. Samantha's eyes flicked over to Melia's and a somewhat tense expression appeared on her face, though it was such a brief moment that Gilean thought he imagined it.

“Good morning, Melia” greeted Samantha, gesturing with her hands for the two of them to seat themselves.

“You two sure took your sweet time getting up. Late night?” asked Damien cheerfully. Gilean momentarily paused as he took a seat besides Semphil, locking gazes briefly with Melia.

“Uh, something like that.” replied Gilean cautiously.

“But not like that” added Melia quickly when she met Semphil's eyes. To his credit, the man took her word and only nodded briefly before returning to sipping his wine.

“Like what?” asked Samantha curiously.

“Nothing.” lied Melia with a slightly red face.

“We were only up for a little while ourselves” said Damien, pointing to himself and Samantha. “But Sir Albernson was already up by the time we came downstairs. When did you get up?”

“Before first light.” answered Semphil tersely, although he showed a quick smile to Damien to assure him he wasn't snubbing him with a short reply. A loud growl rumbled and everyone's eyes turned towards Damien.

“Sorry.” he said with an embarrassed smile, “I'm a little hungry.”

“You're in luck then.” announced Gilean, the heady smell of something wonderful was in the air that appealed directly to his stomach. True to his words, Grelda's daughter Amber emerged from behind the kitchen doors balancing two plates piled high with food precariously on her arms. Semphil raised one eyebrow, but said nothing, only putting his cup down with a soft thump onto the table.

“Hope you and your companions are hungry Mr. Albernson. I ended up making a little too much food.” chuckled Amber.

“Thank you very much Amber for your kind service.” Semphil gave one of his usual tight smiles, although Amber blushed and mentioned that if they needed anything else to just call her. She left the room rather quickly after that while Semphil commented to himself of what a nice girl she was. Melia and Samantha shook their heads at this, initially at Semphil but then towards Gilean and Damien who had already begun to pile food onto their plates. Damien had frozen under Samantha's withering look of disapproval, cheeks stuffed with eggs and bacon, a plate with more of the two as well as several fruits that smelled as good as they looked. One hand was clutching a steaming bun filled with some kind of bean paste; Damien's eyes flicked back and forth between it and Samantha, considering whether or not he should eat it.

Gilean's plate had already been filled of several large pieces of bacon as well as a few pieces of cold chicken that had been tossed into the mix. Barely any of the myriad of fruits or leafy vegetables could be seen to adorn his plate.

“Pfft...” snorted Semphil, his body shaking with intermittent gasps until finally he burst out into laughter. It was deep and loud as befitting his character, but also infectious. Gilean and Melia started laughing and soon Samantha joined in followed by Damien. Predictably, with a mouth full of food still, he began choking.

The hearty breakfast was dissected in a few minutes of silent munching, though not for a lack of topics to converse about. Rather than sit at the table and digest their meals properly, the party promptly paid for the cost of their food and lodgings.

“Are you sure you can't stay just a little longer?” asked Amber, twirling a finger through her red hair while somewhat shyly looking at Semphil.

“Don't be that way girl.” scolded Grelda. Her steel grey hair was pulled back into a tight bun and coupled with an old farmer's dress, gave the woman the classic look of “I'd rather face a dragon than her” type of innkeeper. The smile she wore on her face eased any lines of severity on her face as she looked at Semphil with evident fondness. “I'm sure he has much more important things to be doing that lounging around in this old place.”

“To the contrary my fair ladies, I wish I could spend all day resting in your lovely establishment were it not for urgent business in Auverdale.” insisted Semphil with a calming smile. While Amber blushed and started to stammer, Grelda only chuckled and patted Semphil's cheek affectionately.

“Don't be a stranger now.” said the old innkeeper, “All of you” she added looking at each of them in turn.

“Um, have a safe trip. I'll be praying for all of you.” quickly interjected Amber sensing that the conversation was coming to an end. The pretty girl turned scarlet when Semphil stroked her hair gently with one of his massive hands. Gilean wondered if that was at all a pleasant sensation considering that he was wearing full plate-mail armor. Indeed, he saw her wince as some of her hair got caught in the cracks of Semphil's gauntlets and was pulled out. Though the pleased expressed on her face remained. Love was a powerful thing after all as Amber had a visibly disappointed expression when he stopped.

The farewells now over, they parted ways with the friendly innkeepers with good cheer. While their equipment was all set, there remained only the purchasing of necessary supplies for travel. While it was an A-ranked mission that they were all undertaking, it seemed to be a chronic problem for the people of Auverdale and Semphil had judged that it would've been alright to stay overnight. When Samantha and Damien had arrived the other day, Semphil proposed that they should all stay in the local inn after seeing their evident exhaustion. It had been clear they were traveling hard.

But an A-ranked mission did dictate a certain matter of urgency and thus the traveling they were to be doing would have to be an expedited one. The party looped around the inn to the back where the stables were and more importantly, where Semphil's mount was. Four stalls filled with hay, straw and water troughs made up the bulk of the small stable. Only one of the stalls was occupied with a massive white war-charger giving a loud whinny when Semphil walked into the stable. The powerful beast that was covered in weathered, but sturdy looking armor should have made Semphil look more intimidating. But at the moment the horse had the most blissful look that Gilean had ever seen on an animal before when Semphil stroked the side of it's mouth. The tender smile Semphil wore on his own face created an incredibly peaceful atmosphere.

“Thanks for waiting for me D'jjro.” said Semphil affectionately, “Does my favourite horse wanna ride into battle and fill the lands with a sea of our enemies blood?” D'jjro whinnied happily in the affirmative, stomping its hooves on the ground for extra emphasis. Take it from me kid; the stronger they are, the more fucked up they're going to be, his Teacher's words flowed through Gilean's mind

Awkwardly the rest of the party stood there as Semphil continued to stroke his horse with a bit too much enthusiasm. Even Samantha was looking slightly unnerved.

“Uh...so maybe we should split up and get the supplies to save time?...” suggested Damien. Samantha, Melia and Gilean murmured in agreement but Semphil still seemed to be lost in his own little equine paradise. Damien said nothing further, occasionally looking towards Samantha and then at Gilean, a cry for help in his eyes.

“Semphil!” shouted Melia, her patience evidently having been exceeded some time ago. The person in question broke out of his trance and looked at Melia with some surprise. “Can we save...this...for another time? There's a lot to be done.”

His eyes refocused, “My apologies. This is the longest I've left him alone in the past week.”

“.......” No one said anything. “Ahem!” he cleared his throat, a faint blush was barely noticeable on his nutmeg skin, “Yes that's an excellent idea Damien. I will go secure the perishable food items and potions while the rest of you purchase mounts.”

Samantha shook her head, although whether she was answering Semphil's idea in the negative or clearing her mind of the scene she just saw, Gilean wasn't too sure. “Damien and I won't need mounts. For certain...reasons, we've had to temporarily keep our friend in the forest. Damien and I can go to the apothecary and stock up on the necessities.”

Semphil raised one eyebrow at this and turned his gaze towards Melia and Gilean with an evident question in his eyes. Melia and Gilean both shook their heads.

“We still need to get our own mounts.” said Melia.

“Hooh. I figured you two would have horses already prepared.” he said with a slight accusatory tone in his voice.

“We do. Booked them in advance so we'd get a 10% discount.” answered Gilean slightly defensively.

“I thought horse rentals had a 'first-come first-serve' policy. Or is it different here in Bravn?” asked Samantha.

“They do. But I know the guy who owns the place here and he owed me a favour.” explained Melia.

“It's settled then. Let's meet at the great oak tree just outside the eastern exit of the village.” spoke Gilean, breaking the silence before it got too awkward.

“Right” said Damien

“Agreed.” Semphil opened D'jjro's stable and mounted him gracefully in one smooth motion. His boots gently tapped D'jjro's sides and the horse broke out into a canter with his reins held loosely in Semphil's hands. The four left over nodded once to each other and split apart as they each moved towards their own destinations.

Melia and Gilean had walked for a while through the surprisingly crowded streets of Gelaweir. But that didn't stop merchants standing behind stalls or sometimes sitting on rugs with their wares displayed calling for their attention.

“Sir Elf! Surely you could use some polishing oils for that sword on your back! A fine weapon such as that needs some care!” cried a shrewd looking dwarf with a glass monocle overhanging one eye. He was holding up a curved purple bottle with a flared base and a cork in it to show what he was selling.

“Mistress Orc! Won't you please browse through my wares of creams to make that radiant skin of yours even more beautiful! Cheap too!” yelled another seller, making grand expansive gestures at the various salves and creams in clay bowls on his rug. Several women, and a few males, were trying out the free samples he was doling out.

“Selling overpriced shit I found in the forest! Why go through the trouble of picking it yourself when you could buy it here!” yelled one honest merchant. Oddly enough he seemed to have the most customers at his stall. True to his word, the shabby looking rugs he had surrounded himself with were littered with a myriad of objects. Some objects such as small flasks or heavily knotted ropes seemed useful, but other objects just looked like plain rocks. One young man with perfectly coiffed hair picked up one such object and turned it over his hand, examining it.

“This is just an ordinary rock, right?” he finally said.

“The most ordinary of rocks, my good sir.” replied the merchant with a smile. His coal-black skin, which proclaimed him to be of Mhongarian descent, contrasted nicely with his pearly-white teeth and made his smile all the more brighter. The handsome youth frowned as he turned the rock over in his hand again, throwing it up in the air and letting it fall into the flat of his open palm. The young man seemed to be weighing his own destiny with every throw of the stone.

“I'll take ten of them.” declared the young man with a smile.

“Sold!”

“Wow.” muttered Gilean, appalled at this flagrant waste of money.

“Oh don't act like you're not jealous of him being a better salesman.” retorted Melia.

“If I had had customers like that, I would've been.” mumbled Gilean bitterly. Even through the noisy crowd, the merchant's ears perked up at Gilean's comment.

“My friend, you are much too tense. I am sure that one of my many wares would serve a fellow entrepreneur like yourself very well.” gesturing to a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid of what Gilean assumed was just water pulled from the pond.

“...No thanks.” replied Gilean curtly, walking away from the smiling merchant with as much dignity and speed as he could. Melia kept pace with him easily, matching him easily with her longer strides. She was grinning.

“What?” asked Gilean.

“Nothing!” snorted Melia. Gilean huffed and increased his walking speed as the Horse Trader's stylized logo came into view; pretending not to hear Melia's muffled laughter.

There was no trace of humor left on Melia's face when they had entered the Horse Trader's shop. Patience was not one of her strong suits. It was an average sized building with the room they were standing making up only a small part of the establishment. Several tables were propped up against the walls with the various items available for purchase on display. Different types of saddles, riding leathers, bridles and feeds were carefully mounted on polished metal stands. The prices of each individual item as well as the amount the store currently had in stock were scrawled in fine spidery writing on the base of metal stands.

A customer was paying the owner of the Horse Trader, a well-built stocky man with greying hair, who had disappeared into the back room and brought out a tied-off leather bag and a gleaming black riding crop. The shop owner saw off the customer with a (avaricious) smile before fiddling with something underneath the desk he stood behind. Gilean looked at the stands holding the bag and riding crop and saw the writing on their plaques change to match the store's quantity. Gilean let out a low whistle, he was surprised that such a small store would have novochore implements. That kind of thing was common in the continent of Ryzel and the major cities of countries; but certainly not in small villages such as this one.

It was in the fading years of the Age of Ethos that novochore began to rise in prominence, but it was only in the proceeding Age of Dorweir when the genius enchanter Euphus Bevels perfected his revolutionary design of a novochore-powered ship. Combining both the magical and the mundane; clever enchantments and the mechanical creations of the dwarves, this new ship far outclassed any vessel, land or sea, by leagues and was instrumental in dealing with the many new threats the Age of Dorweir had brought with it. Re-christened as the Sea Serpent, Euphus' design had opened the floodgates to a whole new world which, even after 15 years since its debut, still showed no signs of slowing down it's expansion.

Seeing that the owner was now free, Melia stomped over to his desk, hands folded across her chest. If Gilean hadn't known her personally, he would've assumed Melia was angry at being kept waiting. Evidently the shopkeeper understood this as he had a bemused expression as he greeted Melia.

“Melia! Nice of you to drop by.” he said with a smile.

“Abrav.” replied Melia, “Busy as always I see.” A thinly veiled question was behind that tone. So maybe she was annoyed at having to wait.

Abrav's eyes twinkled with mischief. “Hope you didn't mind the wait too much. Had to deal with actual customers and all of that.”

“A 10% discount doesn't mean we aren't customers.” said Melia through gritted teeth.

“10% is quite a large amount in this town. Think of my poor shop!” cried Abrav in an aggrieved voice. “How about 5% instead? I'll even throw in a free saddle and maybe even a nice new set of riding leathers if you play your cards right.” giving a conspiratorial wink to Gilean.

“Abrav...” groaned Melia, rubbing her temple in annoyance, “You're really making me wonder why I saved you all of those years ago.”

“Out of the goodness of your heart?” asked Abrav hopefully. Melia gave him a flat stare and his grin was replaced with a grimace. “Tch. Fine. Forty gold, five silvers and fifteen coppers will be the total.” holding out his hand towards Melia.

“A 10% discount of the standard rate would be thirty eight gold flat.” interrupted Gilean before Melia took out her coinpurse. Melia glared at Abrav who, to his credit, looked suitably chastened. “Can't blame a man for trying.”

“I think I can.” replied Melia frostily as she slapped thirty six gold pieces onto the counter.

“Um, I believe its thirty eigh-” began Abrav

“Thirty six.” corrected Melia. Abrav asked Gilean for help with tearful eyes but the knowing smirk on Gilean's face told him his answer though.

“...Thirty six gold pieces.”

After retrieving a pair of keys hanging from a wall hook behind his counter, Abrav led them outside after locking up the shop and looped around to the back of the store. A large door barred entry, and sight for there were no windows, to this part of the building. Abrav picked out a plain iron key and REPLACEed into the lock and ushered Gilean and Melia inside. Contrary to his expectations, Gilean was surprised to see a blank expanse of wall where there should have been...something.

They were in a fairly cramped space that didn't match the size of the building from outside at all. No, there is something there...just concealed. Gilean fixated on one spot in particular on the wall where he thought the alteration was. However, Abrav stopped in front of a completely different spot in front of the wall, pulling the keys one by one in a counter-clockwise loop around the ring with well-practised movements. There was a soft click and Abrav's face tensed as a small, sharp spike popped up from the ring. Abrav deftly swept his thumb over the spike, breaking the skin and freeing a small amount of blood from the appendage.

Poor shop my ass! We should have asked for way more than a 10% discount! Thought Gilean incredulously. The novochore item checker was one thing, but a multi-enchant tool was completely different. Melia's eyes widened in surprise as she asked, “Abrav...how did you even afford...”

“A frugal business attitude does not mean that my wares will be of a poor quality, m'dear.” grinned Abrav. A sixth key on the iron ring shimmered into sight, sliding down the ring as it became visible and making a clanking noise as it the other keys. The keys began to vibrate and shimmer with a golden light, the new key seemed to absorb the other keys as the light grew in intensity. Before the glow became bright, it faded all of a sudden and the ring now only contained an oval-shaped amulet. Without any hesitation, Abrav pressed the golden amulet against a seemingly normal piece of the wall.

Like a beating heart, the amulet pulsed as it made contact with the wall, sending out fine spider-web golden lines from it in regular beats. With every beat, the lines grew longer and longer until it reached the spot that Gilean was looking at. It paused. The outline of a large door frame was carved in white-hot flames on the door, the flames creeping inwards and disappearing with a flash as Gilean and Melia both turned their eyes away from the fierce light. In it's place, a rather plain set of wooden double doors was left with no apparent door handle, but there was a shallow socket engraved in the center of the doors.

“Bit of an annoying process to unlock a fucking door.” grumbled Abrav, removing the amulet from the wall and walking over the door frame. Melia and Gilean awkwardly scrunched up together against the wall to give him room. “But.” said Abrav, slapping the amulet into the socket, “It keeps my wares safe and sound.” he laughed.

The two doors swung inwards soundlessly and the amulet popped out of the socket and fell into Abrav's outstretched hand. He spun the ring around his finger as the amulet separated into the five, and one hidden, keys once more. Gilean felt immediately better to be in a large space that was surprisingly comfortable despite how stuffy it should have been.

Near the entrance of the door, piles of the more expensive items in Abrav's store on display were stacked in neat rows along the walls, each with their own label. At the far end of the room, ten horses were milling around in their individual stables, some were drinking from troughs filled with sparkling clear water or munching on grains. As soon as they entered, all of the horses turned towards the trio and stared at them silently, all movement had ceased. It was a little unsettling of how quiet they were.

“I don't suppose you have any other horses for sale.” commented Gilean.

Abrav frowned, more in confusion than anything. He followed Gilean's line of sight and he smiled with understanding. “Ah, don't worry about them. That is the result of the finest breeding skills in all of Synarth.” One of the dark horses nearest to the doors they came in made a noise that almost sounded like a snort of derision. Abrav's head whipped around and glared suspiciously at the horse in question, though it remained motionless.

“Smart horse.” remarked Melia, a corner of her mouth upturned. Abrav peered at Melia through slitted eyes as if to make sure that she was serious and then started laughing uproariously.

“Hah! That horse? Smart? Hahaha!” Abrav was letting out full belly-drawn laughs. His laughter together with the quiescent horses made a fairly creepy atmosphere. “I can guarantee you that all of the horses in here are fit of body, their breeding made sure of that. Every now and then, the breeding process goes astray, usually because two paired horses were distantly related to each other. Ol' Willicker over there is one of those mistakes.”

Shaking his head in amusement Abrav continued to explain, wiping a tear away from his eye, “Trust me when I say that horse has rocks for brain and the rocks in question were dropped on their respective heads when they were born.”

Confused, Gilean asked, “If he's as stupid-”

“She.”

Gilean suppressed a sigh at the correction, “If she's as stupid as you say, why keep her around in such a tightly guarded area?”

“Not sure if you ever noticed sir, but horses aren't terribly smart to begin with. As long as they can carry you to a destination quickly, they're good beasts of burden. And my horses,” he said with a touch of pride, “My horses will carry you faster than any other's. These beasts could outrun a dragon if they wanted to!”

“Well...Willicker will probably get side-tracked every now and then.” added Abrav reluctantly causing Melia to raise an eyebrow suspiciously. “Maybe a lot actually. But I can include a pair of blinders if you decide to purchase her for free.” with something of a hopeful tone in his voice.

Their eyes focused on the horse in question once more to find it beating its head against one of the posts of it's stable. Hard. From the weathered look of the post, it didn't look like it was the first time it was doing this.

“Willicker, you cut that shit out right now! I ain't gonna replace another fucking post!” roared Abrav.

“Well...we're on a bit of a tight schedule. So if you could just recommend us a pair of horses which aren't high-functioning idiots, that would be great.” said Melia.

“Ah, of course. Sorry about that.” apologized Abrav looking quite embarrassed at his outburst. Like a true professional though, the flush on his cheeks quickly faded as he became serious, “Well, even if you were planning on mounted combat, pretty much all of these horses would suitable. I won't ask for details, but may I ask what kinds of regions you are travelling through?”

“We're planning on heading to Lestvaughn from here. Sooner we get there, the better.” replied Gilean

“Hmm...while the roads leading from Synarth to Lestaf are fairly well maintained, I remember that the roads between villages are little more than deer trails the further you go in. So perhaps Maurice or Clive?...Maybe Jenn or Foxwind...” from there, Abrav continued to ask detailed questions such as how much weight they'd be carrying on one horse or if they expected to be carrying anything with them.

The thoroughness of Abrav's investigation was impressive as the man furrowed his brow with concentration, moving between the stables and inspecting the horses one by one. Finally he settled on his choices, saddling them and leading them out of their stables by their reins. The horses quietly trotted after him complacently and stopped in front of Melia and Gilean. “This horse.” said Abrav, stroking the head of the massive brown charger in front of Melia, “would do nicely for you. Gaia here is one of the strongest horses I've ever bred and should be able to handle someone of your size.”

The last remark was not intended as a slight, even if it was a bit of a thoughtless gaffe, neither Melia or Abrav remarked upon it. Melia ran her, admittedly large, hand down the mare's mane with infinite care. Gaia appreciated the tender touch and whinnied appreciatively, bringing a smile to Melia's face. “Definitely a good choice.” remarked Melia. Abrav beckoned for her to mount Gaia, which after a little bit of hesitation from a previous incident with a horse, smoothly swung her leg over Gaia's back.

To their credit, neither rider nor mount flinched at the sudden connection between the two of them. Melia gently tapped her heels to Gaia's sides and the horse broke into an easy canter, smoothly navigating between the piles of Abrav's crap, with grace. As she was in full armor already, she looked quite imposing even to Gilean. No doubt she would look quite terrifying to enemies on that horse with her battleaxe.

Despite the uneasy brokerage they had carried out in the shop, Abrav looked quite pleased at how well Melia liked the horse he had chosen for her. “So!” he said suddenly, jolting Gilean out of his idle thoughts, “I figured for a warrior like yourself” nodding to the broadsword strapped to Gilean's back, “A horse that was balanced both in speed and endurance would be ideal for any quick maneuvers you might pull off.

Inwardly Gilean sighed for the scene that was inevitably going to happen next, though he kept it off his face as Abrav continued his introduction with evident enthusiasm. “...For these reasons, I believe that Arbour will make a fine match with you.”

“...We'll see.” said Gilean skeptically. Abrav seemed to take Gilean's tone as a challenge than with offence for his eyes lit up with an inner fire.

“Oh ho! Like your friend found out, my horses are one of a kind!” bragged the proud trader.

“Unfortunately Abrav,” said Gilean as he stretched out a hand towards the sleek white horse, “So am I.” Arbour immediately started to whinny loudly and shied away from Gilean's outstretched hand. The horse took several quick steps back, it's nostrils flared and eyes dilated with fear as it stared at Gilean.

“Arbour! Calm down boy! Whoa there! Whoa!” cried Abrav, grabbing on to it's reins trying to calm it down and lead it back over to Gilean. This only agitated Arbour even further as it fought fiercely against Abrav, struggling for every inch it moved closer to Gilean.

“Animals don't really like me.” stated Gilean unnecessarily.

“You-Arbour calm down!-don't say!” shouted Abrav now giving up on trying to move Arbour towards Gilean and instead leading him back to the stable. Upon seeing that it's master was no longer trying to lead him towards Gilean, the horse quickly succumbed to Abrav's hold on his reigns and allowed himself to be lead peacefully back to his stable. Though the horse kept on looking at Gilean with nervous eyes every few steps it took.

Abrav came back over to Gilean red-faced and puffing a little bit from exertion. At this point, Melia had gotten off Gaia and led her by hand over to the door, looking at the scene with a sad understanding. “Maybe the other horses might be more...amicable?” suggested Melia who looked at Gilean who then looked at Abrav.

The trader considered it for a moment and then grudgingly said, “It's worth a try considering you did pay for two horses (and I'll be damned if I'm giving a refund).” He turned once more to the stables, stopped and said, “On second thought, let's keep them in the stables. Just walk near them and see how they do.”

As both Gilean and Melia expected, each of the horse's reacted in a similar way to, and in one horse's case even more violent to Gilean's close presence. What was previously a quiet building, became noisy with the sounds of the horse's cries and fearful panting. Not that he'd ever admit it, Gilean preferred the noisy environment to the previously silent one. With every horse, Abrav got more and more annoyed, as if the horse's rejection of Gilean was an insult to their supposed superior breeding. Finally after the eight horse, Abrav slid down to the ground shaking his head with a dejected expression.

“Unbelievable. Just what kind of intimidation does a man need to have to be so universally feared...” muttered Abrav

“Uh...well I feel a little bit silly for even saying this. But there's still one more horse that we could try.” mentioned Gilean.

“What?...We tried all of them...” Abrav's voice trailed off as he followed Gilean's gaze. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“You do remember what I said about her, right?”

“I did.”

“So if she doesn't react, it's because she's stupid.”

“Probably.” agreed Gilean.

“Definitely.” corrected Abrav

“It's either this or run to Lestvaughn.” reminded Gilean.

“Go ahead.” waving Gilean to go try his luck, not bothering to get up from his sitting position. Gilean glanced at Melia who shrugged, Give it a shot, she mouthed. Sighing (how many times had he sighed today?) Gilean trudged over to Willicker's stable. Unlike the other horses who were pressed against the back of their stables, Willicker stood docile, gazing at Gilean with her dark eyes. Willicker looked as if she was carved out of a piece of the night sky devoid of any stars, though her coat gleamed as a result of excellent grooming. No matter how he thought of her, Abrav still seemed to take extraordinary care of her.

Instead of stretching out a hand, Gilean simply walked to the front Willicker's stable and stood in front of her. She didn't react. A good sign he thought, no matter what underlying brain damage the horse might have. Despite his presumptions, or at least Abrav's, Gilean stared at the horse and matched her gaze. There was a surprising spark of intelligence in her dark eyes, a glint of mischief that he sometimes saw in Melia's (who said what was always present in Gilean's eyes) that dared him to move closer. Emboldened, Gilean stretched out his hand as he opened Willicker's stable. The mare's eyes sparkled as it did a quick back-step moving just out of reach of Gilean's hand with surprising nimbleness.

“Guess it's a no-go with the idiot either.” said Abrav glumly.

“No...” began Gilean, moving a hand towards Willicker quicker this time. The horse whinnied with what seemed like amusement, dancing backwards on its hooves. “I think she's a winner.” laughed Gilean. Now fully immersed in her game, Gilean sprang forward still with one hand extended and Willicker elegantly moved her head out of the way. The two had both agreed to an unspoken set of rules as they moved through the odd game of tag. Willicker was definitely not an idiot, she was smart enough not to get trapped in a corner and dextrous enough to slip past Gilean's fingers while making it seem like he was just about to catch her.

Gilean unconsciously slipped into one of the old sword forms Mother Meera had taught him and readied himself to pivot on his foot as he tried to catch the horse. She moved to one side and he pivoted, hand still moving but now en route to Willicker's head. Seeing that she was going to get tagged she surprised Gilean by surging forward like a black wave, sleek muscle rushing past his gaze. But Gilean still retained the momentum from his pivot and turned into a full turn, pushing off the back foot and jumping forward as Willicker moved forward. His hand stretched out and touched the back of Willicker's head.

Laughing, Gilean stroked Willicker's mane the same way Melia had petted Gaia, “I think we can call this one my win.” whispered Gilean as Willicker nuzzled his face affectionately. He might have felt foolish for talking to a horse this way, but she turned her long face up so he was staring directly into his eyes. She almost seemed to be saying that she went easy on him.

“Willicker...what the hell?” mumbled Abrav, gaping with shock at the black horse. The horse seemed to neigh with disapproval, wrinkling its nose with distaste.

“Willicker isn't such a good name is it?” asked Gilean. He wasn't surprised when the horse shook it's head. Gilean searched through the limited repository of names in his head and settled on one that he thought fit the mare pretty well. “Neyla...how about that?” The delighted whinny and continued nuzzling seemed to indicate her approval fairly well.

Melia laughed and clapped a hand on Abrav's shoulder, “Smart horse.”

The Elven Language

Äeoilia au amanthorium, Gilean-ava: Brightest of mornings, Brother Gilean.

Ëul eta äeoilia au amanthorium kal aven ma, Samantha-ala: And the brightest of mornings to you (kal) as (aven) ma (well), Sister Samantha.

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