It was two hours before nightfall, and Emily was still in Alex's tent. She hadn't moved from her sleeping bag since falling asleep, but it seemed the day had other plans for her.

The sounds of heavy boots outside their tent woke Emily, putting her on guard immediately.

If someone tried to mess with her, she was not in the mood, but if they were going to do anything, they should be willing to face the consequences.

Emily's eyes glowed in the tent's low light when a calming voice called out to them.

"Alex, Emily, are you awake? We need to speak," came Kael's rough voice.

The corners of Emily's mouth turned down, and when she gazed over, she saw Alex already sitting up.

"Kael, it's the middle of the day. Can't it wait till this evening?" he said.

"I'm going to be busy tomorrow; now would be better." Kael intoned.

Alex's shoulders drooped, and his silhouette turned to Emily. When she shrugged, he sighed.

"We'll be right out," Alex said.

To their surprise, Kael's voice came shortly.

"No need, I'm coming in," he said as the flaps to the tent rustled.

Now, the tent could comfortably handle two individuals and their belongings, but three became a bit cramped.

Especially seeing as Kael was so tall.

He stooped into the tent and sat down at the entrance. Crossing his legs to reduce the space he took up.

He was still dressed in his travel gear from earlier and looked at them both with a tired gaze.

"Thank you, but first, there is a glaring problem that I should address. Emily. I want to apologize for what happened on my end earlier. I should have controlled the situation better, and for that, I'm sorry." Kael said as he lowered his head slightly, placing a hand over his heart.

Emily didn't have any words for the man, but she did acknowledge the apology with a nod.

Alex looked from Emily to Kael, and when he could see she wasn't going to offer up anything more, he moved the conversation along.

"Forget it. You didn't come here just for that—what's really on your mind?"

Kael grimaced, but he didn't correct Alex, meaning he was spot on.

"Actually I have come with a proposition, which you are free to turn down, of course. With Emily's display yesterday, as well as Alexander's growing popularity. Our current numbers need stronger leadership. Now, normally I wouldn't consider this, but with Marth is gone –however, it happened– and the power vacuum within our ranks. I need you two to step up." Kael paused, took a breath, and continued.

"Alex, you have already taken up a more active role, and I find myself trusting you two more and more. That's why I needed to see if you two were interested in taking on an official position within our ranks. When we get you to where you are needed, this will fall away, but for now, I could use the help." he finished.

When he'd gotten his pitch out, neither of them spoke for a while but to Emily, her answer was clear.

Why would she willingly offer up more of her time to help people –for what– an upgrade to management?

"No, thanks-" she started curtly.

"Yes, I'll do it," Alex said.

Emily turned to look at the man in confusion. Why in the world would he want to do something so tiring?

"Of course, that means you'll get paid for however long this journey takes, plus you'll have a certain amount of authority while you own the title, and right no,w I think you could use it."

Emily liked the idea of money, but it still wasn't worth it.

Alex seemed on board, for whatever reason, but Emily still shook her head.

"I'm sure it's a good salary too, but I'm not interested."

Kael nodded.

"I thought as much. Then all I ask is that you work closer with your fellow Mages. We need some an answer when magic gets in our way again."

Emily pressed her lips together.

He was talking about forming a group with Ashe and Nox to fight other magic users. It was an interesting idea, but not one Emily was interested in entertaining right now. She was still furious with the woman.

She was about to decline that as well when there was a sudden tremor throughout the room.

Emily didn't have to wonder what it could be as the sounds of groaning stone echoed from the entrance of the chamber.

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Kael's face became more serious, and he looked at the two of them.

"Come with me."

Neither of them hesitated as they got up.

That sound could only be caused by one thing.

The door opened, and judging by the sudden rush of air through the chamber, the storm had yet to subside.

Emily hadn't even bothered to get undressed earlier, so she hopped up and followed Kael.

Alex was right behind them as they headed for the door. People were already poking their heads out from their tents or moving through the space to get to the stairwell.

There was a crowd gathering, and Kael cut through them, making a path to the front entrance.

From where they were, they couldn't see much. It was clear by the sand rushing up the stairs that the doors were open, but beyond that, there were no torches on the walls. Kael lowered his spear and gave the command to be ready.

Emily pulled blood from her chest and let it run down her arms to pool at her fingertips. A glance around saw Gerade arrive near the front along with Atticus.

Emily noticed Ashe near the edge of the crowd but chose to focus on the situation at hand

If she strained her ears, she could hear soft footfalls climbing the stairs. It was hard to tell just how many individuals there were, but Emily got ready to fight either way.

The sounds of groaning stone punctuated the room as the wind and dust suddenly died out.

No one spoke as they waited to see who their visitors were. There was a loamy scent of earth filling the chamber as someone stepped onto the top of the stairs and into the light.

Emily immediately recognized the long limbs and fair skin as a man looking similar to Kael stepping into the light.

From the way the shadows moved behind him, it was clear he was not alone, and from the expression of rage on his face, it was clear he didn't like what he saw.

"Who are you people, how did you get in here-" the man began, but his speech broke when his eyes landed on Kael.

They narrowed dangerously, and he took another couple of steps into the chamber. He approached Kael, smelling of dust and sweat. Everyone tensed, but Kael held up a fist to stop them from acting. Emily was itching to fight something, and all she needed was a reason.

But contrary to his aggressive approach, a grin broke out on his face, and he opened his arms, pulling Kael in for a tight hug.

Kael laughed in an easygoing manner and returned the firm hug with a couple of harsh slaps on the man's back.

"Sol, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Kael said as a genuine smile came over his face

The man was quite a few years younger than him, probably just leaving his twenties behind him.

"Uncle Kaelan? I can't believe it's you. The last I saw you, you were leaving the village on a mission of importance. Mother misses you."

Kael smiled at that and nodded.

"That's kind of her, but I'm sure she's the only one. Enough of that though; please come in. We have a lot to catch up on."

Sol seemed to remember the other people here now and frowned.

"That's right. First, I must know why you have brought all these outsiders inside one of our sanctuaries," he said with a tight voice.

There was obvious discomfort in his voice, but Emily got the feeling it wasn't directed at them, more the fact that he had to respond in a certain way, to defend his home territory.

Emily continued watching the man and saw that he carried a spear as well; they all did.

Behind him, the shadows moved, and half a dozen more people appeared from the stairwell. One of those people was a woman with a foul sneer on her face.

Kael nodded and used his open palm to point them toward his tent.

"I will explain it all, but first, why don't I have Fox whip something up for your men to eat? We'll clear a spot and talk this out."

Sol rubbed his chin and was about to nod before the woman Emily had spotted spoke out.

"Pathfinder, I don't think we should trust these people so quickly. They are not from the tribe and should be expelled out into the desert, as is proper."

This caused the air in the room to shift dangerously.

It was true that the wandering Fangs had encroached upon their territory, but the alternative was to wait it out in the storm.

The woman had no pity or care on her face and was about to second from getting a blood whip to the nose.

Kael reacted quickly, his voice heavy as grinding stone.

"You are outnumbered here and outmatched. You would speak out of turn when your Pathfinder is looking to lead you through this?"

The woman's face twisted in on itself, but she didn't back down.

"If we must fight, then we have to defend these halls, but we will get rid of the interlopers, and that includes you, exile."

Emily could tell she was missing something,g but she didn't care; she was ready to scoop the woman up and flatten her.

However, the woman was saved by Sol.

"And who are you to voice your thoughts? I am leading this hunting party, and you will be silent. The rest of you remain here until I return. If you do not like the way I lead, then challenge me, or be silent."

The woman's face was a mask of displeasure, though at the mention of a challenge, she backed down. Emily would have to remember that

Kael nodded and led them over to his tent. When he got there, he made a come-here motion to his leads and even to Alex.

Emily remained watching the woman as she scowled at them all. There were about a dozen people on her side, and from the way their faces mirrored hers, they did not agree with this either.

They waited, and yet they never pushed any further into the chamber, listening to Sol's words faithfully

After what felt like forever spent staring off with these people, Kael and Sol returned.

"After some discussion, it has been decided that they can stay as guests of the Ashvali tribe as they were on their way to the village. We will act as a guide to get them there, but after that, they will have to answer to the Chief. I don't want any arguments, it has already been decided," Sol said.

The looks on their faces were of extreme distaste, though they seemed more placated because it was an order.

Kael spoke up, too.

"My Fangs, we will do our best to accommodate the Ashvali tribe as they lead us to our destination. I don't want to hear any problems arrive, or I will deal with it harshly; that goes doubly for certain individuals." he paused here, and Emily had a feeling he was talking about her. "For now, they will be given the area near the passage. We will remain one more night as the sands have yet to calm, but after that, we will leave together."

Emily frowned. What would have happened if Kael had not known their leader? Would they have gotten to fight?

She remembered Kael saying that he didn't like his tribe's traditions, and she could see the problem right away. They were uncompromising to a fault, and only Kael knew how they operated.

Seeing as they were to be staying here for a while with these people, Emily decided she would minimize contact with them for their safety. It was obvious she'd cause a problem if she had to deal with their intolerance, so for the first time in a while, she decided to remove herself from the situation.

However, as she was leaving, there was a sudden gasp amongst the group of Ashvali. When she turned back, she saw them looking towards the old blood wards drawn into the stone.

It would seem that no one had cleaned it up from this morning, and their faces were a mix of horror and disgust.

"Who practices these arts in our desert?!" the woman from before spoke

Several people involuntarily turned to look at Emily, and the woman saw this. She stalked forward toward Emily with purpose and stopped just before her, a hard light flicking behind her eyes

It looked like the universe was testing Emily's patience right now because the moment she decided to retreat, they moved to block her path. She was really not going to get along with these people.

Blood points: 611

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