[h2]Mages[/h2]

Supplies were running low, and the encounter with the Tyrants didn't help. At this point, everybody treated Misala with suspicion, and she seemed to prefer it that way. The vegetation was starting to get sparser and sparser, as they hit a rather overgrown, but still visible paved road. White marble, it's shine barely lost, grass growing through the cracks. Nearby they could see a great wall, and crumbled gate, all white, with vines all over. Through the gate, the ruins of Kaosbund awaited. It was getting late, and the Jackals preferred some kind of shelter. 

The ground was littered with decaying remains of 300 year old corpses. Torn and faded armor and cloth, rusted weapons and sun-bleached bones, ready to crumple apart. One side was wearing blood-red plate armor, with the city insignia still quite visible on them, and wielding weapons of matching color, beautifully ornamented. The other had no uniform apparel, likely the original Luminous Knights. Despite that, the city remained in relatively good condition. Even nature could not breach those walls that easily. 

White marble towers rising in the sky, some crumbling, some still standing. Building were more varied in materials, but still in pretty good shape. At least those that were further away from the battles that took place within Kaosbund. Reaching the city square, a giant golden statue greeted them. A woman clad in some kind of plate armor, holding a massive, intimidating scythe in her hands. It was rather imposing, even in it's current state. It was cracked in places, and overgrown with vines. On the bottom, an inscription said: [b]"Archon and Empress of The Eternal Empire, Meireli von Eternus."[/b] Upon seeing the name, Misala seemed shocked for a second, before regaining her composure. This name sounded familiar, though none could figure out why.

Nearby they found what looked like an inn for the wealthy, in a very good state. It was rather odd, as the place seemed as if it was recently cleaned up. This mystery was soon solved as The Jackals could feel magic everywhere. Nearly everything was enchanted with it, seemingly to be able to maintain themselves. It had a grand dining table, with pristine plates and utensils ready for the visitors that never came. Up the second floor, the rooms were also still in pristine condition, complete with luxurious beds that were fit for kings. Up below was the kitchen and a massive wine cellar. Even the food, contained in some sort of magical containers, was still good. The Jackals decided to use this opportunity to unwind a bit, and prepare to resume their journey tomorrow. 

[h2]Luminous Knights[/h2]

Their task complete, and the bag full of pretty crystals, the squad returned to camp. Though now it had the majority of it's walls up, and already a huge watchtower was nearly completed in the middle of this carcass of an outpost. A well dressed dwarf greeted them and took the bag, dragging it over to what looked like a long metal tube, with various sockets in it of various sizes. A table was nearby with various gemcutting tools, which the dwarf started using on the crystals they just brought. 

It was getting late, and after eating some food they made way to what seemed a giant tent specifically for their squad to rest. No longer just some rolls of cloth on the ground, there were bunk beds constructed for them, as well as a place for them to store their belongings. Seeing from the various boards in the corner, it wasn't going to be a tent for long. They even had a huge table in the corner, likely for briefings. 

Discussing various things before heading to sleep, the squad noticed that Alicia had a wierd red tattoo on her stomach, which she claimed to be a family tradition, as her father had one too. Though that made a little sense, it still was really wierd, even for an eccentric family. 

Morning came, and after getting some breakfast the group was given new orders, and a name - Team Aegis. Despite their very first mission taking a horribly wrong turn, their superiors took notice in them, and having a team name already meant they will be assigned to more important missions, and more dangerous ones. As Levran told them, this decision was made because of Aela's experience, and the superiors trusted her to forge these greenhorns into seasoned veterans.  

Their new objective was to investigate a cavern half a day away from this outpost. It seems that a group of well armed mercenaries keeps guard over that area, scaring away civilians and chasing away scouts. The cave might be some kind of smuggler's hideout, or an Undercity entrance, or anything else entirely. But the fact that it is guarded means it is important. And Team Aegis was to investigate. Grabbing all the necessary supplies and a map, they set out.
[h2]Alicia[/h2]

They could finally rest. Her breakdown in Allure's Scar left Alicia in a far better mood - grumpy instead of a blank, emotionless expression. Right now she felt like she made a fool of herself, and everyone is laughing behind her back. But, no one was. While not exactly proper beds, those bunks were still better than sleeping on the ground. It was a hot evening, and Alicia decided to take off both her shirt and her armor, leaving her in underwear, sitting on her bunk, listening to others. Alicia wasn't the one to be ashamed of showing a bit of her body, unlike some other women, so the way her squad looked at her didn't bother her at all. However, the team wasn't looking at her body as much as her bright red tattoo on her stomach. Out of everyone here, only Varkasan got see it during their time in the academy. It was just a silly family tradition, her father had one too. Alicia told it to Varkasan once, and now she has told it again. 

A new day came, and they've got a new name for their team - Team Aegis. And their new objective was to investigate a cave guarded by mercenaries. Those people were expected to be well-trained and well-armed, and the fight will be a challenge. Everyone on the group really wished that no more surprises awaited them. Bad ones, at least. [color=ec008c][b]Ready to burn down some more brands, Team Aegis?[/b][/color] Alicia tried to joke, probably for the first time in her life. However, only some groans could be heard as a response. At any rate, Alicia considered this "joke" a personal progress.

[h2]Eddy[/h2]

Kaosbund was impressive, to say the least. Despite the numerous corpses, the city was mostly OK. The statue of The Queen was really intimidating, at the very least. [color=82ca9d][b]"Well, this statue sure makes me feel small and insignificant, that's for sure. Guess that was the entire point."[/b][/color] Eddy commented. 

Nearby, The Jackals noticed an inn in good condition. Too good to be true, anyway. Upon further investigation, and after discovering tons of various magical tools and thingies, included cutlery and plates, the place was considered real. Nearly everything was enchanted with magic in some way, making the place self-maintaining. Discovering that they had means to preserve food for hundreds of years, a wine cellar and glorious beds, The Jackals would have a feast tonight. 

The table was set. Far too big for their group, the table was set with various wonders of the lost age. The majority of these foods were never seen by The Jackals, and every single one of them was majestic, to say the least. [color=82ca9d][b]"And here I thought meat with spices was heavenly food. So this is what the rich consume, huh."[/b][/color] Eddy wondered, after taking a bit too many sips of a very old wine. [color=82ca9d][b]"So, Misala, since we are all in this together, it's really bad to keep secrets. We don't trust you, and this is not a good position for you."[/b][/color] he blurted even more bluntly than normally. The wine was kicking in, for him and nearly everyone else, including Misala.

[color=598527][b]"Trust me? TRUST ME? When people trust me, they die."[/b][/color] Misala's confident behavior vanished, as she was on the verge of crying. [color=598527][b]"I was just another child in a big and poor family. I had many brothers and sisters, all as miserable as I was. We all were forced to find a way to feed ourselves and our family, by any means. Eventually, I tried to pickpocket the wrong people and got caught. But instead of torturing or killing me, they gave me a chance. They were called Jaegers - they were hunters of extraordinary game. Scar mutants or chimeras, if you needed anything like that dead, Jaegers were the ones you hired. They taught me everything I know. We hunted together. We weren't rich, but we still got to live well in-between the hunts. We even managed to find an ancient dungeon where a type of chimera was created. We found various notes, especially on other types. That dungeon however created only one, supposedly the ultimate Chimera. We saw it's cage, we saw it broken. We saw the rotting skeletons of it's creators. In our hubris, we decided to hunt it down.

Tyrants, Banshees, Reavers? No problem, we took down many of them. We thought ourselves unstoppable. The Jaegers never lost, and I was their new full-fledged member, blinded by pride just like the rest. That thing had a name - The Reaper. We figured that it was just named this way to sound just as scary as the rest of Chimeras. After many weeks, we tracked it down... And today, there is only one Jaeger left. Me... Because I ran away in fear... It was nothing like we ever faced, and I just panicked... And people who trusted me died... The nightmares, the screams, they never ceased. They still haunt me to this day. 

But eventually I found a new purpose for my life. One that stops me from just slitting my wrists to just avoid the nightmares. A new purpose that will remain a secret. Don't trust me, just don't... "[/b][/color] Even though she tried to hide it, Misala was definitely crying. Standing up and quickly leaving to her room, she left the dining hall sitting in silence. Finishing their meals and drinks, The Jackals too left to get some sleep. Eddy himself was not sure what to make of this. Her story felt sincere, but this new "purpose" of her, what was it? And more importantly, just what was this Reaper? It destroyed a group of hunters who hunted Tyrants and their ilk for a living. And the elf didn't really want to know. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.