"I would guess and say it was that weird female drow friend of yours back at the Temple of Bahamut." Seri told Neven, "I mean, she was the one of whom, Caliaphy pick out to play. Guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Yeah I guess so," Neven smiled to himself, "Although I have to admit that War Scribe never struck me as the kind of person who likes to play games so much as she likes to cheat at them. Believe me, whatever rules Caliaphy may have set for this game, War Scribe is going to break them the first chance she gets."

Seri stopped and looked directly into his eyes, "I may be a thief and so are you but cheating won't get you anywhere here in Asylum. War Scribe as you call her, is gonna find out the hard way not to mess with Caliaphy. You know the phrase 'tar and feather?' Yeah, cheaters always meet a rather interesting defeat at the hands of a Kurori elf."

"No kidding," Neven looked completely surprised at Seri's remark, "And how do you know this? Through personal experience perhaps?"

Seri shrugged and confessed, "Yeah, I tried to cheat my way in a similar game. I was totally humiliated in the process but I learned from my mistake. Sometimes its worth it to play the game as it should be not as you would like it to go."

She leaned against his shoulder, "So, anyway, do you want to see more of Asylum, or watch who wins?"

"Nah!" Neven grinned at Seri as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "Let's see more of Asylum. I'll hear about who won the game later."

She laughed, "Ha ha ha ha! I bet!" Leading him back down towards the Neverending Story Tavern, she pointed to the Alchemists guild hall which was supported by massive steam engines and strange mechanical automatons and constructs working on the exterior of the building. "The alchemists came up with a way to create the airships to keep up with the times. Some say, that the founders came from the same world as Alyson. The industrial age they called it with all the machines and tinkering. Dwarves and gnomes flocked to its halls to learn more of crafting metals in ways that magic could only dream of."

"WOW!" Neven gasped at the sight of the building, "I can say that until I reached the Black City, I had never seen anything such as an airship as you call it. The Half-Orc Bruno had one and we used it to escape that place. As far as I know, there are no other places in the Realm that even have these things."

Seri had heard horror stories of the Black City from travelers who were fortunate enough to come back alive. The dreaded city of Venger's war machine gave her the chills. "You escaped the Black City?!?"

"Yes, but it wasn't easy," Neven replied, "My friends and I had to fight our way into the city to rescue High Lady Alyson and Serna and we had to fight our way out of the city as well. We barely escaped with our lives but escape we did. How about you? Have you had any narrow escapes during your time as a Thief?"

"Me? No. I'm usually the one getting everyone else out of trouble with the militia. Sarafina and Jasper help to but its usually just me getting the new recruits out of sight before the guards show up." Seri smiled again as they continued walking down the street. The stars in the night sky were breath taking to the pair.

**********

"It's a good thing War Scribe doesn't know about your library," Willow added, "The Chronicler would do her best to take every tome and scroll you have and add it to the collection of Validor's Great Library if she were given half the chance."

Armendes lurched backward suddenly, "A chronicler of Validor? Here in Asylum? Been a long time since the last one visited, or was it when the Torque Armada invaded? My memory is a bit sketchy on the subject. My spells prevent any uninvited beings such as the Chronicler's of Validor from entering. Best she not be told of this library. Some collections are even above her pay grade."

"For War Scribe nothing is beyond her pay grade," Willow concluded.

Armendes rotated around to face the ranger, "You are mistaken, high born prince. There are a few places within the Realm that are beyond the reach of any chronicler of Validor. And yes, I know who you are. I know by how you walk and handle yourself. It's in your blood. So, my question to you, what will you do to convince me not to mention you to the Embassy of Northhaven?"

"I will do nothing," Willow replied evenly, "You may alert them to my presence if you wish. By the time they learn that I am here my companions and I will be gone from Asylum. I assure you that our stay here is a temporary one."

Madeous nearly choked on his coffee upon hearing Armendes's reply to Willow. He was stunned but then again, he knew the wizard was also a diplomat and would use every advantage possible.

"HMPH! You are supposed to be a high born elven prince, and you would rather just cast it aside? What are you afraid of? Are you the type that would cast aside tradition only to make your own path?" Armendes's construct body flared up in an attempt to intimidate the ranger.

Willow replied calmly with no visible reaction upon his face, "I am a high born Elven Prince. I am Prince Willow of the House of Bark, fourth in line to The Oaken Throne, son of King Sunrider tenth of his name, High Lord of the Kingdom of Northaven. The only thing I fear is a loveless marriage and I embrace both my own path and my traditions as ranger and prince."

Madeous stood up in Armendes helmed face, "Back off! Leave him be. He has chosen his path, wizard! Whatever it is, he wants nothing to do with it. This is something he has to figure out for himself, not you!"

Willow gently reproached Madeous, "M'alesh! M'alesh! Madeous, calm yourself. There is no need for anger here. We are just talking nothing more."

The wrath in the platinum knight surfaced a bit, he suffered from it here and there. He was Venger's sworn enemy and sometimes lost sight of who was friend and who was foe. "I..I am sorry. Where are my manners."

Lazheros sat back in his seat again, "And to whom am I speaking with, Lord Irzen or the other from Earth? You must have come up with sort of accord to allow two souls with one body."

"You're the six hundred year old Bronze Dragon with divine insight, you tell me to whom you are speaking," Irzen grinned mischievously, "And we did arrive at an accord. Its a pact that allows each of us to get what we want yet share this body in relative harmony."

"You presume much, swordsman. Insight I have from centuries of experience. Divine insight is reserved for true threats towards Asylum and its people." The Bronze Man said as he adjusted the pile of scrolls off to the side, so he could see better.

"And what is that you want? It's obvious that the drow half got the better end of the deal. What does the human half get out it?" He asked Irzen again.

"Revenge!" The Swordsman smiled with an evil grin, "Revenge against the Dark Lord and all of his minions! Everytime his friends and I have gone against Venger we have beaten him. And every time we defeat him my desire for vengeance is satisfied until he appears again and then we beat him again. My revenge against Venger will continue so long as Dungeon Master calls upon his pupils to challenge the Dark Lord."

Irzen calmed a little, "And my human half gets to survive in this world. My swordsmanship, my leadership, my tactics, my strategy and my lifetimes worth of experiences on and off the battlefield are at his disposal. His odds of surviving the Realm are quite high so long as he is with me and I am with him. We are one!"

"I see." The Bronze Man was slightly impressed by the display of the two separate souls. He decided to not press further.

The room became tense with the ranger not caring about if his people discover his presence in Asylum. Madeous and Armendes shouting at each other about it like children. Even in a deep sleep a certain elementalist began to stir on the second floor, the constant bickering was waking a time bomb and the Bronze Man could sense it. On normal circumstances he would save the COMMAND spell for encounters with enemies but this was different. "ENOUGH! Armendes return to your Arcanum! Madeous, my friend, go and get some sleep at the Mertul's tavern this evening. I would ask that the swordsman and the ranger go as well. Things have been tense of late and I ask that it not escalate any further. I bid you all good evening."

"Why do you wish for us to leave so soon, Lazheros?" Irzen deadpanned, "We just got here."

Armendes immediately stopped arguing and clamored back up the spiral stairs behind Lazheros.

Madeous agreed with the Bronze Man, "You're right. Too much excitement and sound advice. I thank you."

From his chair the Bronze Man waved his hand and the door of the lighthouse opened for the platinum knight as he exited. He was greeted by the same knight from earlier. The knight remained for Irzen and Willow to exit also. "This way, my lords. The ferry is already waiting for you at the dock."

"I bid you good eventide, my lords," Willow bowed before he departed.

"And I bid you good eventide as well," Irzen smiled before he too departed, "I hope Alyson continues to warm your heart as much as she is warming your bed, Lazheros. Please tell her that when she awakens her presence is sorely missed by her friends. Thank you!"

The Bronze Man narrowed his eyes at the swordsman, "Tell me, swordsman, what are you like when sleep has been denied to you? When it is denied to the elementalist, people die, and buildings are melted into slag by the Primordial fire that resides within her. Even now, I know that the lack of sleep in you makes you more blunt and vicious especially with each question that I have asked you of late."

"Sleep deprived I may be," Irzen admitted reluctantly, "But I am no fool! All that has transpired today has been a test. I know when I am being tested and I despise being tested, especially by someone as smug and self-righteous as you."

Lazheros stood up and walked around the desk. He stood not more than a few feet from Irzen. His gaze once more pierced the swordsman's mind, "You should leave now. For Alyson's wrath is the least of your concerns if you continue to push the subject."

Irzen willed himself to take a step forward towards Lazheros as his hand drifted to the pommel of his sword, "I will depart. But know this, I hold many titles to my name but there is one that I would not mind having: the title of Dragon Slayer!"

Outside the lighthouse, the knight heard an irate drow swordsman getting too aggressive with the Bronze Man. He readied his shield in case of retaliation from the drow swordsman, who was becoming increasingly hostile with the Bronze Man.

"Lord Irzen, it is time for us to go." Willow seized Irzen by the arm and proceeded to drag him out of the room.

"Test me again, dragon, and I might just earn that title," The Swordsman concluded before he was forced to depart.

Lazheros wasn't intimidated in the least by the aggressive nature of the Lord Irzen. He had seen plenty of individuals through his long life just like him.

"And we are leaving, good eventide, my lords," Willow finally dragged Irzen out of the lighthouse and did his best to steadily push the Drow down the path towards the boat.

The knight kept his distance from the swordsman's volatile nature. Drow were noted for their quickness and speed which on more than one occasion dropped an enemy so fast gave their enemies to pause before engaging them.

The Bronze Man walked to the threshold of the lighthouse, and watched the ranger 'assist' the swordsman back down towards the dock. *Wux sveargith, korth?* He waited until all three were back on the boat before walking back into the lighthouse. The door closed behind him for the night.

Lazheros did not consider himself to be self-righteous as the swordsman proclaimed. Perhaps if he was a gold dragon instead of bronze that would of been more accurate.

*******

Caliaphy sprinkled fairy dust on the shield maiden as they came ever closer. Serna was hastened by the dust and it gave her the much needed advantage against War Scribe. "RUN! She's got a net! I'll handle the cheater! Run, Serna! Run for the safe zone!"

"Whoa!" When the fairy dust hit Serna, the Shield Maiden ran so fast that she nearly ran out of her boots. But she reached the safe zone well ahead of War Scribe.

The kurori elf whistled again and the rest of the children that were not at the fountain swarmed the chronicler as a whole making it harder for her get to the shield maiden. "I figured you would cheat, silly drowling! So, my friends and I always have a plan B to deal with the likes of you!"

"I did not cheat!" War Scribe stammered, "You said that I could use no magic! And I did not use any magic. This is a perfectly normal net! It is not made of magic nor does it have any magical properties. You never said that I could not use any non-magical items to catch you or any of your friends. YOU were the one who cheated when you used your fairy dust to hasten Serna's escape! So if you're going to use Plan B on anyone, then you should use it on yourself, cheater! Muwha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Oh no! Silly drowling. I said that the person who was IT could not use any MAGIC! I did not say that we couldn't use magic. Besides, from your current disposition, you would of eventually cheated because you hate to lose. Sorry, you don't like the rules of the game! Even Alyson didn't use any magic, and yeah she lost some of the matches but she had fun!" Caliaphy cheered the drowling for effort. "However, you did make an attempt not to cheat, so...I guess. Fair is fair. Not everyone made it to the safe spot, and I would be glad to be it this time. It's only fair."

"Wow! That was easy," The Drowling admitted with a surprised look on her face, "I thought I was going to spend half the day arguing with you. You know what, you're pretty cool, you little wretch!"

A bunch of the children gasped in shocked but most laughed. The kurori elf smirked, "The Commons will be the area for the next round. No going outside the limits, and no hiding in the buildings as before. So, War Scribe, are you up for another run of Hide and Seek?"

"Sure, why not!" The Drowling smiled, "It was fun! Different without any death or killing involved, but fun. I like this game. I like this game a lot."

"YEAAA!" All the children cheered in unison. Caliaphy waved the shield maiden over, "This way to the Commons, Serna!"

*********

Armendes teleported back down to the main entrance of the lighthouse next to Lazheros, "Hmph! You have the gall to COMMAND me? The nerve!"

The Bronze Man sighed heavily, "You did not help the situation, Armendes. The ranger made his choice. Leave him be."

"Fine!"

* Onureth-vaecaesin korth caexstyyr.* Lazheros told Armendes in draconic quietly and walked towards the spiral stairs to the upper levels.