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	The visible miasma escaped through the window the furled wolf rested under, placing a paw on top of his nose to mitigate the surrounding stench, sunlight blocked by the blanket shielding his eyes. Hearing pacing footsteps, sounds of chopping crunchy vegetables, bubbling water, the crackling of flame. His ears twitched, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. Outside the wooden cabin, surrounded by luscious crops, foliage and towering trees. Soaring through skies slowly suppressed by grey clouds coming from the west, until catching the familiar scent coming from home, diving down to a soft fluffy landing. Abruptly, a cacophonous melody squawked in wolf’s ears.

“Wake up, wake up! Never a better moment to move your lazy bones out of bed. Come outside and enjoy this beautiful afternoon.” The raven proclaimed, perched on top of the wolf’s noggin. The wolf jolted upright from the blankets he slept on, swatting the empty space above of his head, growling at the raven, having already landed on Lydrim’s shoulder. Looking at the all the produce, spices and herbs spread across the table, while Lydrim was casually stirring some clear yellow liquid, with tree roots floating inside, smelling like vegetable stock.

“Dammit Vashti! I was sleeping.” The wolf snapped, the raven didn’t need acknowledge his words or his death glare. Lydrim chuckled and turned around, smiling at the wolf.

“Good morning to you too, Lyros.” Lydrim said. The wolf jumped off the bed, giving him a cold shoulder and walking past.

“I’m not responding to some stupid pet name, I’m nobody's pet.” The wolf muttered while leaning down and gulping down some water put inside a bowl. Lydrim grabbed a minced leafy herb from his counter, taking an observant look before walking over and stuck the plant near Lyros’s nose. Lyros reluctantly sniffed it, giving Lydrim a look of revulsion, turning away and letting out a loud retching sound. Lydrim smiled and let out a hearty laugh.

“Looks like I picked the right one after all.” Lydrim said sprinkling the herb into the bubbling pot, still being watched by Vashti.

“So, what are you making for me? Is this all for me?” Vashti asked. Lydrim chuckled, starting to clean up the counter. 

“I’m afraid not, it's for a wealthy customer I’m expecting within the hour-” Lydrim replied, the raven flew off his shoulder and landed back on Lyros’s head.

“Good. I much prefer eating raw meats anyway.” Vashti said cheerfully, sitting down. “Something Lyros and I have in common, isn’t that right buddy?”

“Consider yourself lucky I don’t like my food obnoxious.” Lyros quickly retorted.

“Don’t worry you two, after I’ve served my customer. I’ll serve your dinner.” Lydrim assured. Finished preparing his meal, mixing everything into a single pot, grabbing a bowl to pour the steaming concoction inside the bowl and putting in under a platter. Closing the window to kept the draft from blowing in, cracking the nearest door open. Lyros lazily walked out, with Vashti getting in flight, beating him outside and promptly bragging about it. Lydrim shut the door behind them, picking up a sharp kitchen knife. Glancing at his own smirking reflection hearing simultaneous sounds of methodical knocking upon the front door, gently wiping and setting the knife down. [i]“Speaking of the devil...”[/i]

Heading quickly toward and opening the front door, the slender noble dressed in noticeably expensive attire, noticing the ashen colors above coating the entire sky. He stepped inside, Lydrim closed the door behind him.

“Welcome, I just finished preparing your meal. So you won’t need to wait, you can eat and we can get into the business proposal you discussed with me.” Lydrim said watching the noble’s eyes scanning the surrounding room, changing his facial expression several times in a few seconds, before stepping inside from the scent coming from the platter set up on a table. The table had been meticulously set up, a perfectly clean white tablecloth, a silver plate with pleasant aroma of steam, with an array of colorful flowers inside a handcrafted vase and fresh fruit inside a basket used for set pieces that were fairly atypical for a noble. With a nearby standing torch, illuminating the entire area surrounding the table. The noble took a seat, Lydrim walked up beside him and picked up the bottle that was sitting on the table, pulling the cork open. The noble raised his hand in a stopping motion, covered with fingerless white gloves.

“I don’t wish to partake in any ch-wine. Just fetch me some clean and disinfected water, if you have that.” The noble remarked, clearing his throat and taking his gloves off. Lydrim put on a pleasant smile, before he could reply. “I’ll leave my coat on.” The noble added. Lydrim simply nodded and left the noble, heading back into the kitchen. The noble removed the top tray, and instantly scoffed looking at the food’s presentation. Seeing a vegetable medley, some hodgepodge stew and some bread, the noble nearly sat up until smelling the scent coming from the stew, instead only leaning back into his seat and picking up the spoon. 

Unbeknownst to the noble, four eyes glared at him from behind. Lyros and Vashti stares from the window, ducking from sight when the noble glanced in their direction. The noble scooped the stew inside the spoon and lightly chewed and swallowed the first spoonful, his inner thought gasping, the experience his taste buds were submerged in, was practically orgasmic. The noble took several more spoonfuls of the stew, taking a bite of the bread to cut down the intense earthy sweetness. 

[i]“I cannot deny his cooking ability is above par, though he’s foolish if he thinks I’ll be hiring him into my business. I only came to dispose of the evidence that I know he has...”[/i] The noble thought with a smirk.

Lydrim casually walked inside, holding a glass of water. The noble glanced in his direction, giving him an perturbed glare, watching Lydrim raise the glass up to his mouth and chugging the water down and setting the glass with a loud clash on the table. The noble opened his mouth, being instantly greeted with a swift fist swung full force in his face. Lydrim knocking him over on his backside and toppling over the stool, causing the noble to sink his teeth into his tongue and ripping a chunk off.

“How dare!” The noble screamed with blood escaping his lips and leaking down of his nose, suddenly feeling his legs, arm and every muscle in his body constrict and freeze like the largest constrictor was wrapped around his body, suffocating him within its grasp. Lydrim quickly grabbing an apple from the table and shoved it into the noble’s mouth, keeping him silenced.

“‘Sylis-Parthexia’, a rare parasite killing herb that resembles a near identical look and texture to a medicinal herb, often used for stomach pain. But instead of the bitterness, it’s pleasantly sweet. However, instead of ailing someone that ingests it, it releases spores into the bloodstream and causes the brain to induce a chemical that absolutely shuts down all muscle function. Leaving anyone unfortunate enough to eat it, paralyzed. It can be identified by talented herbalists or just from the foul odor that only animals can detect.” Lydrim explained in a calm tone, walking over to the front door and cracking it open. Lyros and Vashti came inside out of the darkness. The noble gave Lydrim an enraged glare, lying motionless on the floor. 

“Fortunately for you, it harmlessly passes through the digestive system within a couple hours. Unfortunately for you, the moment you decided to interfere in the communities trade routes and purposely raise taxes until families can no longer pay, making duplicitous deals with young women and make them into your concubines. You get enough people that pay me instead…” Lydrim said approaching the noble and kicking his face, subsequently taking the apple out of his mouth. “To kill you…”

The noble coughed out, spitting out a tooth and more blood that poured from his mouth. “You’ll regret this! My constituents know I’m here, they’ll find-” Interrupted by laughter coming from the wolf, shocking the noble unable to speak.

“I understand what you meant earlier, Lydrim. I guess you do love telling your jokes.” Lyros scoffed, pacing around the noble with Vashti sitting on Lydrim’s raised arm. Lydrim chuckled at the thought and walked up to the torch, gripping the stand. Vashti looked at Lydrim.

“Oh my, can we eat everything? I’m famished.” Vashti squawked. The noble's heart raced, his eyes widened looking at the wolf licking his lips and the raven flying up and landing directly on the noble’s upper chest.

“Dinner is served…” Lydrim said blowing the flame out and the room suddenly went pitch black. Walking away from the noble, gazing upon two pairs of glowing eyes. 

“W-wait sto-” The noble stuttered out before letting out guttural scream, feeling his eye being penetrated and pulled out of his socket, abruptly cut silent by the wolf’s fangs sinking deep into his neck. Tuning out the sound of his friends getting their fill. Lydrim let out a yawn, laying on his bed with arms crossed behind his head, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep to have dreams about having rugged facial hair.

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Waking abruptly to some squawking, with a letter literally dropping his lap from above. Vashti perched on the windowsill. Lydrim opened his eyes and sat upright, looking at the letter pleasantly surprised. Curiosity sparkling in his eye though it quickly disappeared when discovering the only thing inside, was just something written on parchment. Lydrim glanced at the letter, reading over it carefully, inaudibly mumbling the words aloud. Putting the letter aside before standing beside his bed, looking at Vashti, giving her a smile.

“Thank you. Lyros washing himself off at the pond again?” He asked getting a nod confirming his assumptions. Stretching his back until hearing a crack, noticing sounds of sprinkling coming from outside. Opening the window and sharply inhaling the scents coming from the outdoors, fresh air filling his lungs. Before exhaling longingly and rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose it’s time to clean up the mess...” Lydrim started with scrubbing and cleaning his dishes.

“What did the letter say? You didn’t seem too interested.” Vashti said interrupting the silence.

“I’m not. It’s something trying to convince me to use my talents elsewhere. Likely for their own ends. People that send letters like that, are almost always duplicitous.” Lydrim replied looking around. “Oh-yes, the platter.” Lydrim uttered casually strolling into the room, the body was gone and only the blood splattered floors remained, signs of many footprints and the body being dragged toward the front door. 

He grabbed the platter without hesitation and headed right back to doing the dishes, disposing of the contents of the stew while thoughts suddenly spilled from his head. Vashti was occupied ruffling her feathers, hearing the sounds of the side door getting scratched at. Lydrim set the platter down, grabbed a towel and let Lyros back inside. Lyros glared as a towel was lightly tossed over him, covering half his head. Lydrim dried him off thoroughly as possible. 

“We’re leaving later this afternoon, after I pack my things and do some tidying up. We likely won’t be coming back ” Lydrim stated matter-of-factly before heading off, to scrub the blood off his floors. Lyros turned to Vashti.

“What the hell did I miss?” Lyros asked.

“Being wise doesn’t mean I know everything…” Vashti sheepishly replied before adding. “Just more than you-”

While Lydrim was occupied on his hands and knees, continuously scrubbing, hearing the habitual commotion coming from the other room. “Hey now, don’t ruin my bed!” Lydrim called out, staring the bloody floors being nowhere near clean yet. [i]“In hindsight, I really need to train you both not to eat so messily…”[/i]

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They hadn’t traveled in a while, but he had enough foregoing knowledge of routes to avoid being arrested and ideas of strangers arriving was the last thing he needed. Lydrim distracted his past memories through exchanging pleasantries with the horse he rode on. Eventually arriving at the docking stations, with nothing but a large brown sack being carried over his right shoulder. Lyros and Vashti staying beside him, paying no heed to the crowds of strangers leering, as they followed without anyone daring to pry. Getting abroad one of the airships, exchanging a ticket and finding a secluded place to drop his luggage and settle, waiting for takeoff. 

Scarcely spotting passengers daring to stay nearby for any extended period, from either of his companions presence, watching themselves ascending up into the skies leaving Tellus behind for the very first time in thirty years. Lydrim held the mysterious letter he received, clenching his fist and exhaling. Approaching his destination, Tenebra, the Continent of Darkness. Anticipating more than just who sent that letter to be waiting inside the Courtyard of the Sages.

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Underwhelmed was the first thing that crossed his mind and ghastly was the first word to escape his companions mouth when disembarking on the airship and going across Tenebra, wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing. Until Lydrim laid his eyes upon an ornate metal gate shaped like a dragon covered with thick thorny vines, stone walls and concealed what lied within. Vashti flapped over his shoulder and flew above the courtyard’s walls, peering into depths of obscurity before giving up and perching on Lyros’s head. 

“Couldn't make out anything. Seems like you're the first to arrive.” Vashti said.

“Will you stop using my head to perch-” Lyros grumbled before just conceding his ineffectual protest. Lydrim stepped forward, noticing the gate silently opening on its own, before walking inside and viewing the luscious gardens and the giant fountain in the center. Barely passing the entrance, before turning himself around to focus on the gate shutting behind him.

“Try not getting lost, I’ll be waiting for the others to arrive.” Lydrim said giving permissions to Lyros and Vashti to explore the grounds of the Courtyard of the Sages, promptly taking off to observe their surroundings. Sitting down with crossed legs and leaning forward and resting his crossed arms on his sack, Lydrim stayed there, remaining calm, wondering exactly how many were about to come through those gates and questioning exactly what he got himself into...