The big cities had always excited her. The few weeks she had been with Ashur had hardly been enough time to get used to the idea that areas so immensely populated even existed. An entire city made of granite sounded like a it came out of a storybook. She was pretty sure she had read such a tale, meant for young children. A story about a great beastmaster who defeated the evil lord of the granite city. It was a quest given to him by the mighty and benevolent emperor himself. Ultimately he would marry into one of the mightiest noble houses of Xellith and later join the war for Raveros. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that Xellith propaganda was found even in the books meant for the very youngest. These stories always lauded the nobility as the war heroes that built a great empire in which everyone could prosper. One look at a simple Karadun village could tell you of the lies those stories held. The villages worked and bled every day just so the nobles could continue to fatten themselves. Her own village had repeatedly been searched for by the empire for the mischief they caused. Luckily Miviun was truly benevolent and protective of his children. If the empire actually gave a damn, these villages of orphans wouldn't have to exist in the first place. She recalled the day she met Ashur, and how he crushed an entire minor noble house within minutes. Despite the gruesome ways of murder he had used, she grew excited once again just by thinking back. Indeed, if she were to use these powers, nullomancy, she would never use them for the empire. 

She looked out of the window again towards the granite city of Sayrn, beset on all sides by the imperial marshals. This inn was just outside of their barricade and had clear view of this incredibly ugly city. He was somewhere in there; Arbos, the king of thieves. What made him the king of thieves anyway? She had heard of his name before, but that was all. The idea that he actually still existed out there was something she hadn´t even considered, since the tales were ancient. Then again, Ashur had told her that he was now a spectre. Technically, spectres could live how long they damn well please, right? Was that right? She actually had no clue.
Selessia rested in bed, staring at the city as she sipped her wine. Yes, wine! She only had the stuf once before. The village was very strict about now allowing any alcohol before the age of seventeen. Not to mention that wine was actually an incredibly rare commodity in the village of children. Sometimes, one of the older children managed steal a bottle. These bottles were usually kept for the holidays, so all older children could have a glass or two together. Yet here the innkeeper had said she could have as much as she wanted. One of the older children, Raes, had once told her about how people will behave strangely if they drink too much wine at once. He said they called it "being drunk". She had yet to see it for herself, but it sounded rather weird and scary. She'd behave herself, only a glass now and then. That was fine, right? She discarded the thought as she finished her glass and prepared for bed, tomorrow would be a big day.

She awoke to the sound of loud knocking on the door of her room. She grumbled as she rose, why did someone bother to wake her? What possible reason would they have? The knocking still continued, seeming near desperate. Selessia half-heartedly called out to the knocker "Whaaaa?"  She could hear a loud sigh of relief "Miss Kelrin, it's almost noon. You should head out soon. The rest is waiting for you!" It was the voice of the innkeeper. Ashur had instructed her to use her fake name, Mila Kelrin, everywhere until she reached Arbos. Her mind only half-registered his words. What did she have to do at noon? It took a few more seconds before she finally realised how important today was. "Oh Somna be damned!" She cursed as it hit her. They were to leave in a matter of minutes now. She quickly got her things together and stuffed them in her bag. She nearly tripped several times over her own mess that she had made in the three days she was here. She quickly got herself dressed and stormed out of the room, before heading back in again as she nearly forgot her bag. She rushed on her way down as she met with the rest of the group. Most of them she had seen arrive over the days. She was clearly still half asleep, her bag was stuffed to the brim due to her messy way of packing and she had a severe case of bedhead. She sneezed as she inhaled the dust, now only realizing she had forgotten to outfit herself with a scarf, an error she quickly fixed. 

She followed the rest of the group into the city, which truly looked no prettier on the inside than it did on the outside. The rebels knew how to pass the barricade with the least possible commotion. Surely nobody would suspect a ditz that clearly had just woken up to be something of a potential treat. Who knows, maybe she could pretend to the rest that this was part of her act? She didn't actually believe that any of them would be naïve enough to believe that. Every second she would be drawing closer to her teacher's teacher. Ashur had spoken of him with both respect and disgust. Ashur said that he respected the spectre for his skill and knowledge. However, he had also told her that he had never met anyone with a worse attitude. He had described Arbos as arrogant, cruel and perverted. The last one was probably a result of two-hundred years of confinement, he had explained. She had taken his stories with a grain of salt. Could the guy really be that bad? 

After a few minutes the group would approach the city's central plaza. Selessia might've described the plaza as relatively pretty, if it weren't for the ugly mug of the emperor tarnishing it with his statue in the very center. What had the city done to deserve such desecration? Wasn't the city ugly enough on its own? Talking about ugly, her eyes fell on a particular old man standing in front of the statue. If the two men accompanying him weren't a dead giveaway that there was more to him than met the eye, then nothing was. But Selessia could sense more. While the rest of the group either stood still or backed off, she approached the men along with the rebel that had been guiding them. The rebel bowed, but Selessia didn't do such a thing. Instead she looked at the old man from top to bottom. "Hmm yep, I sense a spectre! You could've chosen a better vessel though, he smells horribly." She chuckled a bit. Whoever had raised the girl obviously hadn't taught her to respect her elders, or how to properly greet someone for that matter. Well, surely the mighty king of thieves would forgive the girl's impudence, or would he?