Justica placed a hand on her chin as she examined the map before her. The region Itzal had marked certainly matched intelligence she had on the general location of Halden's Den. Although the nature of his magic made it more effort than it was worth to track him down, she was familiar enough with his and Shade's long history to bet the assassin would put in the time and energy to do so. She was also familiar with the fact that Seraphim had been sneaking out to attend some sort of illegal fighting ring, but as is often the case, trying to prosecute men of money and power was usually futile even in Seraphim society. Examining the pendant and the package, although she didn't go as far as to unwrap it, Justica couldn't help but come to the conclusion that this man was telling the truth. Halden's head alone would carry with it a heavy bounty, but if Shade was indeed dead... well there was no point in getting ahead of herself. She would have to send out a dispatch to verify the details, but by this point she was more hopeful than pessimistic as to how successful they would be. Still, there was one detail that had been nagging her. Justica had stayed well informed on Lady Dralina's efforts to find a cure for feralism, and not once had Itzal's name appeared on any of the reports. The seraphim elder eyed the man across from her warily, wondering how he could have evaded any mention. Nevertheless, Halden's head deserved some degree of reward, and the issue of the man's identity could be resolved in due time. “Let us assume for a moment I believe you,” Justica said, taking a conservative tone. “What did you hope to gain by coming before me? Information? A reward? You don't seem the type looking to have a statue cast in their honor, and yet here we are, the lifeless head of a known fugitive sitting on my desk in broad daylight. Perhaps it is a pardon, then, for past crimes? I must admit I have no recollection of your name ever crossing my eyes before.” Justica paused, hoping that last part would illicit some sort of reaction, even the slightest of twitches that might reveal his identity, but when Itzal did not react she continued. “If all this is true then Seraphim society owes you a great deal of gratitude... and compensation... for your efforts. So then, what does a man such as yourself value most?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Munus and Macto openly welcomed Kayla, both as a member of the Council of Elements and as a respected mage across the lands. They had both been eagerly awaiting her report, having spoken to human dignitaries the day before, if only to clarify certain points of the story they had heard thus far. Macto laid back casually, sipping tea from a carefully crafted glass, while Munus furiously scribbled details from the story and compared notes from the previous meetings. Certainly Kayla's story had a drastically different take on the events that took place in Dumont, and yet they were consistent with the facts presented where such facts could be independently verified. As Kayla finished her story, Munus was the first to speak, “I thank you profusely for your report, and graciously accept your opinions on this matter, but I am afraid I must disagree with your hypothesis. The fact of the matter is that a member of the Daeva monarchy did in fact go feral and attack a royal banquet, and if reports are to be believed Lady Dralina herself caused significant collateral damage invoking some sort of dark ritual. Supposedly the land remains scarred and dead where her magic struck and all manner of plants die the moment they are placed in that soil. I would argue, as I hope the council will, that this is clearly a case of self defense.” Macto finished sipping his tea, gingerly placing the cup down on his desk before interrupting. “I hardly see how genocide is ever the solution, self defense or no. Shall we also round up every human who owns a weapon simply because a number of them have used them for murder?” “Hyperbole! Non sequitur! ” Munus responded, “The number of feral attacks has increased every year since its discovery, and the daeva have failed in every attempt to quell the issue. Would you have us sit back until every one of them is feral and clawing at our gates before acting?” “I would have you calm yourself, first and foremost, and remember that what you or I would do is only a fraction of that to be considered, albeit a considerable one. Lady Kayla,” Macto said, turning his attention towards the elemental master, “should war break out, many would die from both sides. Seraphim will surely be drawn into the fight, and even if Adalrich does not act, individuals are free to do as they choose within the bounds of the law, and that included drafting into war. I do not wish any form of bloodshed, which is why I must ask... how would the council act if it were determined that the path of least bloodshed lie in an overwhelming victory and not a protracted battle?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been a strange couple of days indeed, and so the seraphim guards at the outer gate of Adalrich ceased to be stunned when a man strapped with all manner of weaponry arrived holding a wanted posted... and the man in question. After briefly questioning him on his purpose and informing him about most of the common laws he would have to obey, as well as removing the bolt with considerable effort, they simply opened the gate and let him pass, each wondering how exactly to describe the man to their buddies when they retired for the night. As Lazarus drew closer to the city's core, however, the familiarity of the seraphim with the bizarre waned considerably, and the bounty hunter caught all manner of sideways glances from seraphim as they passed by. Eventually stopping, it wasn't long before Lazarus drew the attention of a local guard patrolling the streets. “Erm... excuse me, sir.” He said, arm on his weapon but not immediately taking an aggressive posture. Spotting the rolled parchment, the guard quickly pieced together the apparent purpose of the strange fellow, and cut right to the chase. “Ah, a bounter hunter? That explains quite a bit. I take it you've come for the reward. For that you'll have to go to the western edge of the city where the holding cells are located, and then to the Council of the Righteous to collect your reward. The guards at the penitentiary will provide you with a writ of confidence detailing that the bounty has been fulfilled and reward owed.” Poking the body briefly with a gloved hand, the guard was fairly certain the bounty was not going to cause any trouble. Even so, protocol required that he ask. “Is the target, um... hmm. Well is he dead? I am required to escort you if he is not, although I don't think he could so much as roll off your shoulder without being impaled on SOMETHING.”