[h3][u][b][color=fff200]Aerarius[/color][/b][/u][/h3]
"I do not remember this area being this heavily wooded either," Aerarius replied to Byron.  "I am not too alarmed by the appearance of a village, or the absence of anyone to greet us, but trees do not spring up overnight.  At least not naturally.  I wouldn't assume a worst-case scenario, though.  We weren't discovered and destroyed while slumbering nor ambushed upon emerging, thus we have evaded the worst possible outcomes."

His face didn't show it- indeed it really [i]couldn't[/i] show it- but Aerarius was a little concerned.  Judging by the growth of this forest, they could have been in there for over a century.  Was the Empire still around?  Was it still a threat?  Did anything remain of the Alliance and the civilizations that they meant to preserve, or have they changed so much as to be unrecognizable?  If the enemy they fought against and the cause they once fought for no longer existed, perhaps he be better off just settling down and starting up a magitech workshop for as long as his automaton body continued to function.

The half-elf was having regrets over being sealed away.  Unlike most of the group, he was a mercenary by Aerarius' understanding, a foreign refugee that had gotten caught up in the war and had evidently gotten far more involved than would be reasonable for a hired sword.  Aerarius did not know what the lifespan for half-elves were, but judging by the growth of these trees, it was quite possible that if Malachi had any loved ones, they'd be long dead by now.

Izel was concerned about making first contact with the village, and it was a sentiment that Aerarius shared.  None of the party was exactly inconspicuous, and some were downright alien.  Until they knew more of the situation, they needed to keep a low profile

"I would suggest Byron be the one to enter the village," he spoke to Izel, his head swiveling like that of an owl to meet her eyes.  "You and I are not exactly human anymore.  The demigoddess and the sage have the appearance of children.  And the half-elf is a foreigner.  Assuming his race was not wiped out in the war, the beastman ought to draw the least attention."