[color=yellow][i]”Boss,”[/i][/color] Aeden heard Nyph’s energetic and slightly pleased voice.[color=yellow][i]”Something is wrong!”[/i][/color]

Aeden’s companion landed next to him and kept pace with him on the road. They had been traveling some time after accepting the call to meet and work with the Alliance. This was the farthest east they had ever been. Overall, the trip had been fairly smooth with the worst thing being travel and the occasional evasion of risky-looking caravans. Hearing those three words from Nyph really worried him now that they were minutes from Pearl.

Aeden frowned as he looked down the road to the city in the horizon. [color=ffd700]”What did you see?”[/color]

[color=yellow][i]”Plants!”[/i][/color] Nyph jumped into the air and flew ahead some short distance. His constantly cheerful tone always conflicted with the severity of most situations. [color=yellow][i]”Scary plants! Not normal plants! They’re attacking the city!”[/i][/color]

Aeden cursed under his breath. He was already later than he wanted to be and now that the city was under an attack he found himself running toward the city. He could only imagine the reaction of the city folks to a full-blooded Seraphim coming to their aid. Well, he did respond to the request, so it was likely some would be expecting him.

At the pace he could keep up, Aeden made the rest of the trip fairly quickly. He halted at the outskirts of Pearl to witness an incredible overgrowth taking over portions of the city. If thousands of years had passed with no one maintaining the city this was how he pictured it would look. He knew that this must have happened recently because some of the vines were still growing and rapidly.

[color=ffd700]”Damnit,”[/color] Aeden drew his sword and dashed toward the closest vine to chop into it. [color=ffd700]”What have I gotten myself into?"[/color]

[color=yellow][i]”Good hit!”[/i][/color] Nyph soared overhead to act as his usual role as a cheery scout. [color=yellow][i]”Whoa! It looks like we have a [b]lot[/b] of work ahead of us! Oooo there’s a lot of blood!”[/i][/color]

As the huge plant tendril slid limply down down the wall of the building Aeden checked his blade and clicked his tongue. He sliced through the overgrowth as he called out to Nyph. [color=ffd700]”Give me directions, Nyph.”[/color]

[color=yellow][i]”Yep!"[/i][/color] The pseudodragon cheerfully replied. [color=yellow][i]”Looks like they fought a tough one! Once you cut through that one there’s a road! Oh! I see a group of a few people! And a [b]dragon[/b]! They don’t look like they’re fighting. They’re hugging!”[/i][/color]

Aeden sighed as he sliced through some writhing plants and stepped onto the road. He saw a lot of blood and the corpse of a massive plant creature. He stepped up to the scene and noticed the tell tale signs of blood magic. Other magic traces including the plants themselves nearly obscured the traces, but he could never forget what he went through when he was a slave of the Therosi. He could never forget the rituals and what the traces looked like, especially with his Divine Sight. He wanted to be able to differentiate other types of magic, but he just had not been able to train it.

He had other jobs to do than chase down a wounded blood mage. He knew just how dangerous they could be, and he was not prepared for such a hunt. Aeden looked up at Nyph who was soaring above. [color=ffd700]”Nyph, where is the group?”[/color]

[color=yellow][i]”This way!"[/i][/color]

Aeden followed Nyph to another part of the city not far from the corpse of the forest beast. 

[color=yellow][i]”See! I found them! A dragon and hugging people and there are others! Wait… The dragon isn’t there anymore! There are a couple missing too."[/i][/color] If Nyph didn’t sound so excited all the time he would have come across as disappointed.

Aeden sheathed his sword as he could see things were beginning to settle down. [color=ffd700]”Thanks, Nyph. Great work.”[/color] His eyes settled on the center of the small group. [color=ffd700]”It seems I’ve missed quite a lot. My name is Aeden Demavend, and I am here in response to the quest. Who is in charge here?”[/color]

Nyph landed next to Aeden with a soft thud. [color=yellow][i]”I’m Nyph!”[/i][/color] Nyph spotted the dragon flying above the city. [color=yellow][i]”Oh wow! That’s where the big guy flew off to!”[/i][/color]
[@13org][@Jollan][@Brithwyr][@Rai]