Chereads / Mark of the Jackal / Chapter 46 - Port of Sangoth

Chapter 46 - Port of Sangoth

It has been six weeks since departing Siegfried and another four weeks since acquiring additional passengers from the circlet Isle where the High King of the human nations reined supreme.

My time was spent trying not to kill the narcissistic full blooded elves and spending time alone with Nyxis.

Isho has been a great help assisting Nyxis in keeping my mind occupied from the dilemma we found ourselves in.

Since we were chosen guests, Veronica and I were allowed to bring two guards with us.

I decided to allow Isho to join us alongside a lizardman named Chera-Ma while Veronica chose Ruben and the newly inducted knight Ragnhild to my disappointment.

Nyxis chuckled with her bare body pressed ferm on my chest, "Do you think they heard us?"

I returned her smile and kissed her before replying, "I honestly couldn't care less if they did or not."

She slid to my side and wrapped my arm around her waist before resting her head on my shoulder. "Nyx," I closed my eyes when she squeezed my forearm, "are you truly happy with me and not some full blood?"

That very question has been on my mind for several days now since I caught a few Ljósálfar attempting to persuade Nyxis into their bed chambers.

Of course, Nyx always refused them or outright insulted them for their attempts which often resulted in violence.

I had to break a few bones here and bust a lip there when they attempted to lay their filthy hands on her which often resulted in Nefari trying to be a mediator.

She always had a brave face even when harm rears its fangs at her as if knowing that I'd appear out of the shadows just in time.

That being the case, I can't help but question if she truly wishes to be known as a blasphemer by her own for our relationship.

She sat up on her left elbow and looked me in my eyes, "Jackal, are you having doubts about us? If you are then I hope this shows you the truth."

I felt her fingers wrap around my chin and soon the softness of her lips. "Never," she placed her forehead against mine, "have doubts about that."

I was about to concede to her order when three spaced out knocks sounded from the door before being followed by Isho's voice, "Mother! Father! We'll be arriving at our destination in twenty minutes."

Ragnhild soon added, "Our hosts wish for everyone to be ready to depart when we make landfall."

Nyxis had a bright red tint to her cheeks, "Thank you Isho. We'll see you there."

"Twenty minutes," she looked at me with feral eyes, "think we have enough time?"

I stood with my back against the entrance of the barracks and watched the image of the port city known as Sangroth grow closer.

It looked the same size as Ironclad or a few inches bigger with large stone walls encircling it before stretching into two massive bridges on either side.

I couldn't quite fathom how neither the Dökkálfar to the south nor the Ljósálfar to the north didn't claim such a heavily defended piece.

My eyes moved between the line of ballista steadily following the ship and a line of knights clad in collaborations of armor stationed on the dock.

I grew a little tense when noticing even more were marching our way in a half sprint behind a man clad in white robes.

[(This could get very interesting real quick.)]

I wrapped my hand around the pistol strapped across my chest when a hand gently gripped my shoulder. "I wouldn't do that," I turned and found Nefari, "to do so would be starting a war with a God."

I smiled which made Nefari seem unsettled, "A God you say? One created by man is nothing to those I've had the fortune to face."

Nefari swallowed out of hidden fear, "What do you mean, Einor?"

My smile grew, "Keep calling me by that name and you'll find out like the rest of House Nacroth."

She took a step back, "I'll keep that in mind."

I watched her walk to the side of the ship where the Ljósálfar Magistrate waited for the ramp to be lowered. "Lord," the lizardman named Chera-Ma appeared beside me, "I detect venom writhing in your words. Shall I take care of the one known as Nefari?"

I chuckled, glancing at the more serpentine than lizard monster with crimson gleaming eyes devoid of all emotion.

Chera-Ma was one of the surviving members of the Hunter's Moon Tribe and was an astute assassin that came close to surprising me during one of my trips to meet Gru-Gru.

He was skilled with the two blades tethered to the sash holding up a specially made girdle of animal hide and a small curved dagger resting on his back where his slender tail could wrap the hilt.

Like his egg siblings, thick smooth dark scales ran the length of his body before giving way to a more subtle green underbelly.

A bandolier of pouches caressed his scaly smooth chest filled with an assortment of poisons for any occasion.

I shook my head declining his offer, "She is my prey to claim but I have a feeling that there will be plenty for you before this trip is through."

He bowed his narrow elongated head, "I shall wait til then, Kytosh."

I turned my attention to the man clad in robes who seemed to be headed my way with Nefari and the Magistrate behind him.

Both were quite adamantly trying to dissuade the man but he still trudged forward with white robes decorated in intricate ceremonial patterns trailing behind him revealing plain garments underneath.

He looked to be in his thirties or so and had a small build from what could be seen in between fabric.

A mantle of some significance was hung over each shoulder while long coppery brown hair outlined a diamond shaped face before trailing behind his back.

The man was another Ljósálfar which shouldn't really surprise me since they have a more dominant hold on much of everything contrary to certain Dökkálfar beliefs.

"Salve," the man greeted me, "welcome to Sangroth!"

A knight interrupted when I started to ask about the unneeded personal greeting, "Remove your hood and bow before the Archbishop, you wretch!"

I chuckled to myself watching as Nefari and the Magistrate shook their heads begging for me not to do anything of a reckless nature.

The sensation of compressed mana somewhere behind gained my attention just in time to witness a torrent of rushing water rise with unnatural force from the ocean and coil around the arrogant knight hoping to either drown him or squeeze the air out of him.

Puzzled, I followed the burning blue mana infused into the water only to discover it traced back to the Archbishop's crushing grasp.

The knight's face became a dark shade of violet each time the Archbishop slowly crumbled an imaginary ball of paper until green eyes were replaced with white orbs.

Two other knights hurriedly stepped forward to catch their comrade when the spell was released.

The Archbishop had a calm demeanor about him as he ordered, "Take him to see an apothecary and have his wounds healed, then place him in the barracks to sleep."

I watched the knights drag their unconscious comrade through the gathered crowd on the main dock that separated into different mooring docks and disappear behind the massive gate beyond. "As I was saying," the Archbishop gave a courteous bow, "I hope you enjoy your time here."

"I have to ask," I rested my back against the wall once more, "do you always greet new arrivals personally or are there exceptions?"

Nefari stepped between the Archbishop and I, "Please forgive Jackal, Archbishop Logallis! He doesn't understa–"

She stopped her pitiful display at begging when Archbishop Logallis held up his right hand demanding silence. His voice held authority that demanded the most narcissistic elf to listen, "That is enough babbling, Lady Nacroth."

Nefari bowed, "Sorry Archbishop!"

[(I think I'm starting to like him. For now anyway.)]

He turned his gaze back on me however my gaze looked beyond him to where Ruben and Isho were walking to join me with Nyxis behind them hand-in-hand.

I don't know when or how it happened but I've noticed that the two seemed to have grown quite fond of one another.

The two are often seen roaming Siegfried like they were now and I've seen them on several occasions sitting on the balcony bench leaning on the other while watching the sunset arching the city only to quickly separate when noticing my presence.

To be honest, I really thought Ruben would eventually woo Xeth but it came as a surprise when Ulf beat him to the punch and the two were wed some months ago.

It was somewhat unnerving that a man I've grown up with would set eyes on my daughter and try hiding his intentions behind my back.

Archbishop Logallis cleared his throat, "It is so exciting to find that not one but two people claiming to be The Jackal are attending such a delicate matter that could put an end to needless deaths."

"One belonging to the Ljósálfar," he raised his right hand before doing the same with the left, "and one belonging to the Dökkálfar."

He clasped both hands together, "Equilibrium at its finest just as it should be."

"I," my voice drowned in venom, "do not belong to the Dökkálfar. I am my own person and will be hereafter."

The Archbishop smirked, "It still remains to be seen which is true and which is false, however."

He made an inverted triangle over his midsection, "Raasis shall weigh both upon her divine scales and truly see through the veil of deception."

Raasis is a member of the Ljósálfar pantheon of Gods and considered one of the top three deities when it came to strength, or so I've read.

Most considered her a deity of order much like Lokdis based on the scales she often carried while others believe her to be a Goddess of the Sea and Harbinger of Storms, however; it was agreed that she carried the title of Queen of the Sea Nymphs.

Such a goddess is often depicted as a breathtaking Ljósálfar woman with long waist length gilded blonde hair and bright aqua blue eyes devoid of pupils.

She is usually clad by an iron breastplate that stopped just below her breast allowing the smooth gilded white flesh of her stomach to be seen and an iron ebony girdle etched in intricate carvings of sea monsters that hold leather trousers which disappear into a pair of matching greaves.

Large bulky pauldrons resembling the skulls of past conquests cover most of her shoulders where a pelerine cape hangs and a pair of silver vambraces protect each arm until reaching the wrist. 

Then there was another depiction that I've taken much more interest in based on the uncanny resemblance to ancient Merfolk.

Raasis still had the upper body of a beautiful woman but had the lower half of a large serpentine fish much like an eel.

Another set of larger spined fins resided on either side where the two bodies merged.

Vibrant scales covered most of her body except her chest from midsection up.

A crown of coral holds back a curtain of hair while clawed webbed fingers clutch a trident of hardened steel lined with decorative shells.

[( I'm starting to understand a little as to why Sangroth remains its own entity between the Dökkálfar and the Ljósálfar.)]

The sounds of shouting from the main dock that led to where we were located caught my attention. I calmly pulled the pistol from the holster and pointed it at the Archbishop when a massive creature leapt from another mooring dock over to ours, "MOVE!!!"

Without questioning, Logallis did as instructed and stepped to the side as a crimson light followed a deafening boom with a simple pull of a trigger.

Soon a pained bellowing scream escaped through gnarled fangs resided on a boney angular broadhead newly splattered with green blood over the right bulging lidless eye.

Most of the knights present surrounded the Archbishop while others charged from both ends to stop the beast in its tracks as it easily dodged a ballista and made short work of the first two knights.

Walking to meet the beast, I watched it quickly slaughter the knights and used shadows to change the loaded crystal for one that held a large amount of mana before firing two more shots.

The beast didn't seem to slow down just like before but that was meant to happen with this kind of mana crystal.

Ignoring constant pleas, I stopped halfway between the creature and watched it use four sinewy arms to easily hurl its stout frame into the air.

When it was just inches from making contact, black crystals erupted from the places I shot sending chucks of flesh skidding alongside its body to a halt before me.

I pushed the carcass over with a few nudges of my foot so that the full extent of damage could be seen.

For starters, half the creature's face was replaced with a crater of green blood lined with shimmering bits of obsidian crystal.

The upper body where I shot second was nearly torn in half except for a small strip of flesh keeping both halves intact while the left hind leg was simply a memory scattered on wooden boards.

While the others made their way to me, I crouched and began to analyze such a bizarre creature with peaked interest.

Three and a half bulbous lifeless eyes gazed skyward atop two rolls of mangled fangs split just enough for a long blue forked tongue to spill out.

I ran my fingers over thick bones covering the beast's grey sinewy hide.

Two cloven bull hind legs covered in a layer of quills were strong enough to hold the heft of the creature with the aid of four humanistic crimson scaled arms with clawed webbed fingers.

Lastly, I moved the hunched venous neck from side to side examining the set of gills on either side.

[(Interesting.)]

I leaned forward and grabbed hold of the rope binding most of the creature's body and held it up so the others could easily see, "It's been cut by a blade."

Isho grabbed the rope and looked closer, "How can you tell, father?"

I grabbed one of the more spaced apart fangs tightly and pulled it free on the fourth attempt. "Its fangs," I cut a strip of rope free after several attempts with the pulled tooth, "are made for tearing and piercing not cutting."

"Besides," I pointed to a small hole just beside the right gill, "the beast was sedated during transport so I'd wager it didn't have its full strength when it finally came too."

Unsettling thoughts began to cloud my mind with each slow glance toward every vessel docked in the harbor hoping to glimpse some kind of answer.

Nyxis grabbed hold of the curved hilt of a newly forged rapier while watching several knights stride closer with weapons drawn around Isho who chuckled as she toyed with the beast's gills.

I decided to let Veronica try to soothe the situation and scanned the surrounding mooring docks.

The claw marks seemed to lead in between two large Carricks flying the neutral white flag barring a merchant's insignia.

It also didn't help that many different ships lined the various docks of the curving L shaped harbor which in a sense made for perfect camouflage.

I was about to say something after handing the cut rope to Logallis when a bell sounded upon the heels of shrill screams and monstrous roars. "Commander," a knight on the rampart yelled, "there's been a breach!!"

The knight dressed in armor more suited for a battlemage standing beside Logallis stepped forward, "Barricade the gates and help the citizens reach safety!!!"

When the knight just stood there, I heightened my vision in time to witness blood spilling from either corner of her mouth.

The crimson tide grew worse when two small three fingered hands pushed ribs apart for a large bulbous light blue beaked head to push through.

Whether it was loyalty to Sangroth or a defiant mindset, the lass grabbed hold of the creature by its scrawny neck and plunged to the cobbled stone below.

Such a sad moment was quickly swept over by trails of thick smoke rising from beyond the gate setting the knights in motion.

Nefari was quick to take Logallis' silence as an invitation to help citizens reach safety and ordered most of her men to provide backup while the Ljósálfar led by the Magistrate stayed where they were.

Ignoring the Magistrate's pathetic attempts to not provide much needed help, I placed my hand over the beast's chest. "Einor," Nefari sheepishly spoke my name as shadowy tendrils began to pull the creature down into darkness feet first.

When only a hand needed to be consumed, I answered with a cold sidewards glance. She took a deep breath hoping to calm the cold chill running through her spine, "Will you join us?"

With closed eyes, I reached out to the numerous shadows running rampant in a twelve foot radius.

I wanted to get an idea about how many monsters were running loose unlike the knights and discovered at least forty unnatural auras.

My interests were overwhelmingly peaked at the chance to see more unnatural creatures just like the one at my feet.

On a more personal matter, my mouth watered at the mana that could be feasted upon alongside being able to add said monsters to the Hunting Grounds.

Poena seemed to agree as a strong aura came from the sheathed gladius strapped to the back of my waist leaving no other choice but to cooperate with Nefari and Sangroth.

"On three conditions," I focused my eyes on an inquisitive Logallis, "I get to keep what my group kills, a handsome reward is to be given, and no harm is to befall anyone that came with me."

Logallis smirked for a moment and reached a hand toward me, "You're just as the Guild Master said. I agree with your terms but please try to save those caught in the middle."

I grabbed his forearm, "No promises."

I cleaved the head from a monster resembling a horse with four tattered batwings and the tail of a scorpion before it could plunge its stinger in the back of a crawling man.

Its headless body lashed out in a twitching spasm spending acid blood scorching anything it landed on including my arm.

Ignoring the sizzling sound of shadows being eaten away, I towered over the man and draped a cloak of shifting shadows around us after noticing quickly gathering flames surrounding the horse creature's body.

The heat of the blast was somewhat refreshing against my salt coated skin from the times spent drifting on water allowing the engines to cool.

I was somewhat tempted to allow just a portion of flame to enter the small space but the man already seemed to piss himself while holding my waist.

[(I'm gonna kill the bastard!!)]

His snot ridden lips began to peck the back of my palm like a chicken scavenging for worms, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" 

I came close to taking his head and simply blame one of the loose monsters but that idea soon passed when three arrows whizzed by my head.

I didn't need to turn and see if each arrow struck its target but did anyway out of sportsmanship.

Three creatures resembling large winged and taloned eyes laid dead at my feet with thin long thorny tails sprawled around them.

Looking for the arrows' origin, I smiled when spotting Ruben letting loose arrow after arrow from the top of a nearby building.

He gave a small smile and saluted when his eyes met mine as if telling me to keep my guard up.

I returned the gesture in kind after throwing a shadowy spear past his head and pierced a large crustacean trying to ambush him in the chest.

After thanking me, he leapt to the smaller front portion of the building when several more crustacean monsters started to surround him.

He began to use the two daggers strapped on either side of his waist when the last of the arrows were used, taking down three of them.

A large orange claw crashed through the roof below Ruben hoping to crush him between pincers only to be cut into small pieces just as the afterimage faded away.

The thief turned knight held strongly to the name Xeth, Ulf, and I gave him: Lightfoot.

I pushed the man into a portal leading to a knight marked by my insignia when a scream came from a nearby alleyway. His eyes went wide when the ground didn't catch him, "Go piss yourself on someone else!"

Using both pistol and sword, I cut a path through six giant black ants trying to squeeze their enormous bulk past the opening and found a pack of four feline creatures with the bodies of turtles stalking toward a young woman cradling her two screaming children.

The woman held her children in a tight embrace and watched as the first feline turtle leapt into the air.

Death never came however thanks to thick strands of silk coiling around the shelled feline sending it crashing to the side.

Not wasting time, I sent forth a series of shadowy spikes to impale the two feline monsters that tried to retreat while Isho swung her halberd hard against the side of the last one.

It was surprising to discover that their shells were quite strong for a normal approach and that even Isho's strength was no match.

I rose from Isho's shadow when the two caught in my spikes broke free and tried to maw me. "Father," Isho grunted while holding back all three, "you need to get them to safety. I'll handle these kitties!"

I nodded and gently gripped the woman by the shoulder, "Might want to close your eyes for a bit. Things will get a bit confusing for a few seconds."

"Th-" the woman's words were cut short when a canopy of shadow swallowed us.

The grasp around her children grew tighter with every passing second under the inverted beauty of the real world.

A torrent of shadows guided by my will took us to where my insignia was much like the thrashing waves of the ocean guided by the moon.

I didn't release the woman's shoulder until the heat of the sun kissed my nose and the sound of wounded rang like the bell before.

Bodies of deceased knights pulled from the blockade where Ragnhild fought arm-in-arm sat beside those of common citizens wanting to spend the day like usual.

Many were plucked off their feet and dragged to safety as they struggled to rejoin the deceased lined in rolls.

"You," I pointed to a nearby confused knight who stood at attention out of fear or respect, "get these three somewhere far away from the noise."

The lass nodded and helped the woman gather the silent children staring at me with starstruck eyes. I turned and started to descend into my own casted shadow when the woman yelled, "Wait!!!"

Puzzled, I looked over my shoulder to find the three of them bowing their heads. The woman spoke with muffled sobs of joy, "Th… thank you for saving us."

She knelt down and was soon followed by the two young lads on either side, "Will you also give My thanks to the Arachne?"

Delight filled the deep reaches of my chest when the woman willingly gave thanks to a monster making it seem that my desired future was obtainable even here of all places.

I gave a small departing nod to the Ljósálfar family as their figures disappeared in the webs of ascending darkness.

Sighing, I found Isho feasting on the forelimb of a feline turtle while her lower half held a second by the neck in its maw.

She gave a smile when I sat on the shell of the one not being feasted on and nodded to the large sac where muffled whimpers came.

I knew she had another idea of what was to be done with the remaining beast.

I sliced off a chunk of meat and pulled the fur free before taking a bite. Isho saw this as an opportunity and wiped the blood from her lips, "Father, can I keep this one as a pet?"

"Isho," I chuckled to myself while taking another bite.

"Please father," she begged after finishing the limb, "I promise to feed it, clean up after it, and tame it!"

The quivering lip of hers sealed the deal for me, "I'll be holding you to that promise Little Spinner."

My voice became more forceful, "If it goes on a rampage or hurts an innocent, then you'll be the one to kill it. Understand?"

Isho hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Opening a portal to the Hunting Grounds, Isho wrapped what was left of our little feast in strands of silk for later consumption.

She gave one of the biggest smiles when a pair of billowy raven wings sprouted from my back.

With one strong flap of the wings, I soured into the air until my form was outlined by the blazing sun.

I looked down and smiled at Isho who gave a small wave before scurrying to aid some knights attempting to take down a large reptilian creature.

My plan was to see if the one responsible stayed around to watch the very chaos they created.

A black haze rose in a slow descending spiral from my arm and began congregating into a ball sized sphere.

Two thin appendages began sprouting from either side until an arch was fully formed.

From the appendages, a dull crimson filled the space between fabricating a false mirror.

I finished the construct by crafting a small handle contoured to my fingers.

The magical device I now held carried the name of Abductor's Eye and allowed the wielder to not only see a desired target from far away but in real time as well..

To test it, I focused my mind on Nyxis and soon found her fighting alongside Veronica in a somewhat narrow hallway illuminated by grasping flames.

She looked already comfortable with the rapier I had Stalo commissioned for her as a wedding gift.

I took note that several survivors were nestled between the two as hordes of small humanoid insects rushed them on either side.

Rola and Astren flew between cracks of the insectoids firing spells of devastating strength that tore a mandible here or an entire abdomen there leaving nothing but a distressed upper half.

No matter how many they cut down it appeared two more grew from the dead until a hidden ant with a large white abdomen that looked about to burst was killed with conjoined flames.

[(Just to be safe, I'll send several wolves and a few ogres to help them.)]

The next person I focused on was Chera-Ma who moved like a rambunctious weasel jumping from monster to monster delivering a powerful bite to each head before running on all fours with blade trailing behind.

I watched as claws plunged deep into the rough calloused looking tissue of a bipedal monster with a large gray head, two curved tusks protruding from its mouth and a long nose that screamed in a baritone wail.

Six fingered hands tried to snatch Chera-Ma from its broad back clothed in a linen toga.

Chera-Ma offset the frantic thrashing of the large biped by wrapping his tail tightly around the creature's neck allowing him to plunge both blades repeatedly into thick hide.

The creature managed to grab the agile lizard a few times but Chera-Ma easily slipped free and continued his kill until black blood flowed freely dying the gilded toga obsidian.

[(Lizardmen are always savage when it comes to battle. Even for an assassin like Chera-Ma, his fragile frame does wonders in the heat of battle.)]

Though I really didn't care about the woman much, I still peered down on Ragnhild ordering a circlet of knights and commoners surrounding a group of children.

Each knight carrying a shield formed a defensive line while another line of spears, pitchforks, and broken pieces of buildings filled the gaps.

Green blood spurted from short fish headed goblin creatures who unwittingly threw themselves against the spears.

Both children and those adults who are too frail for combat went about the circle ensuring that the monsters inside were truly dead.

Several of those monsters sprung back to life only to meet their end by wind magic controlled by Ragnhild.

[(She is quite the capable spell blade, I'll give her that.)]

A ripple effect distorted the current image slowly changing it to that of Isho and Ruben fighting against a small number of monsters.

Ruben continued creating afterimages as he darted about the battlefield confusing the half frog half wolf monsters into attacking them and allowing the roles to be reversed with deadly precision.

Isho, on the other hand, twirled her halberd like a baton around her, cleaving the winged arm off a humanoid eagle attempting to pierce her spider lower half with its massive beak before finishing it with a venomous bite of her own.

The duo worked in tandem to protect two knights helping a young lad in his twenties hobble to safety until piles of corpses drenched the ground.

Ruben stood by Isho's side watching the knights scurry away while they had a chance and stole a quick kiss making my Little Spinner blush.

[(Really now, how long has this been going on?)]

Now that the calibration was over, I willed the mirror to show me where the one responsible was currently.

Another ripple swirled from each curved edge and soon showed an image of a scrawny medium built clean shaven man looking over a balcony.

A brown tattered cloth shirt and rundown trousers clung loosely to his toned bronze skin acquired from years at sea.

Calloused hands clutched a small dagger  with a wide two inch blade mounted on what appeared to be a hilt made out of bone.

Bloodshot eyes loomed with anger when I cut him off from the only exit.

The two wings morphed back into the fold of my coat. "Tell me," I narrowed my eyes when he pointed the dagger toward me, "are you the one responsible for quite the welcoming party below?"

"You best move out of my way," he gestured to the blade after realizing that we were alone, "I'm not afraid to kill a man."

Unamused, "Neither am I so why don't we do this the easy way and you come with me willingly."

I was surprised at the speed the man lunged at me with and was taken aback for a brief moment.

Unfortunately for him, I decided to toy with him by narrowly dodging his blundering attempts to kill me.

Anger quickly grew in his eyes alongside exhaustion from not being able to strike me down while I smiled mockingly.

I finally decided to push his hand to the side when he tried to stab my gut and quickly drove my elbow hard against his nose with an audible crack.

I followed the blow forcing him to stab his upper thigh before easily sweeping his feet from under him.

"You know," I brought my knee shattering against his chin, "it isn't a good idea to judge an opponent based on looks."

Shadowy tendrils held onto his throat keeping him from falling over, "Doing so can get you killed in a life or death situation."

I coated my knuckles in hardened shadows and delivered the finishing touch. Shadowy thread soon began to bind his unconscious body for transport, "Fortunately for you, I've mostly sated my bloodlust on all the new shadows collected."

Sitting on a pile made from the monsters we killed, I watched as reinforcements of heavily armed knights and an assortment of adventurers rushed through the reopened gates.

Isho and Chera-Ma stood tall on either side of me when greedy eyes fell upon them while everyone else went about helping where they could.

Nefari took several quick peaks on the amount of bodies gathered in between directing her men in searching for any survivors or putting out any remaining blazes.

I smiled when noticing that the scared Magistrate finally reappeared beside a smiling Logallis.

My gut told me something was a little off about the elf but that had to wait for now.