Sunder rolled his eyes at her wariness and caution. It was good to be cautious, but there was literally nothing she could do if he wanted to do [i]anything[/i] with her. But there was no point in antagonizing a cornered animal. Gently taking her bindings, he carefully cut through them, freeing both of her hands. He didn’t let her draw her hands to herself, though- he cut the loops that wound around both hands before he did that, letting the rope drop limply to the floor. Having freed her, he was about to help her stand- before figuring that she wouldn’t really appreciate it, and instead backed off a good bit. Instead, he quickly muttered a diagnostic spell towards the girl, and watched as the invisible effects of it filled his head with information. According to the spell- which was perhaps one of the most trusted spells in the Allied Lands- the girl had a remarkable, almost unsurpassed immunity from sickness, one of the healthiest people in the living world, and showed no signs of curses, hexes, or any other sort of spell, be it protective or for control. It appeared that she was absolutely clean- no risk for the Necromancer to use her as a spy. Nodding his head to himself, he swiftly made his way to the doorway, and pushed on through. The hinges, as they should, didn’t even squeak as the oak door was opened, and Sunder waited for his new charge to follow him before continuing. Leaving the door open (it’ll close itself after a short while), he walked straight down the corridor that presented itself upon exiting the room. He ignored the right-hand passage; that way led to the stairs and other sections of his tower, while straight ahead was his office. Upon reaching another oaken door, this one studded and lined with a shinier, more valuable silver-steel, he pushed on through and swept around to his desk. Sitting in his somewhat stiff leather chair, he motioned for his following charge to take a seat in a even more plush soft-gray armchair. Whether or not she did take a seat, it didn’t matter to him. He personally didn’t think she’d take it. “So, let’s get down to business. You’re not from the Allied Lands, or even this world, based on… well, everything about you. So, let me fully introduce you to the world that you are stuck in- because, believe me, no one will help you get back to your world. The risks are too great and the necessary ingredients too costly- if you even found a person who knew how to take you back. “As you may have figured by now, you are in a place known as the Allied Lands. We are a loosely allied confederation of various different independent kingdoms that are the survivors of the war against the Necromancers- people who sacrifice other magicians to absorb their power. These Necromancers are always mad and insane because of all their power, and they have a habit to annihilate everyone but themselves. Thus, the Allied Lands are within a geographically protected region that is enough to keep the Necromancers at bay. And, for your information, one of these Necromancers was what brought you here. I watched the entire thing. The other two-thirds of this continent is barren wasteland that belongs to whatever Necromancer that managed to carve it away from their fellows. However bad that is, the Allied Lands have remained prosperous and peaceful- more or less- for the past hundred and fifty years. This is likely to continue, due to the efforts of people like me, people not like me, and, as you may have figured, me.” Sunder gave the girl a dry smile. “In addition to this- you have magic. Strong magic, that would normally be noticed in anyone at this stage of your life. Magic strong enough to suggest that you never had an inkling to have had it, because all women who have strong magic that develop it before they hit about your age usually kill themselves. We don’t know why. So unless you want to strike out on your own and likely get killed by the many thousands of dangers in these forests and lands, I can recommend you to the most prestigious magical academy- Whitehall- and send you off in a couple days. I’m afraid I’m no good at teaching anyone, and you’re going to need to be taught properly in order to integrate here.” He raised an eyebrow. “Now, if you’d be kind, do tell me who you are, and then ask any questions that you have.”