For many years the Kingdom of Sciencia and the Kingdom Malagii have been at war with one another. A war so great, and so long that very few can even remember what the initial fight was about. What is known however is that Sciencians hate the Malagii, and the Malagii hate the Sciencians.

Sciencia believes that invention and machine made magic are the superb magics of the world. They live in a world that is full of large buildings and high invention. The old archane magics have all but died in Sciencia.

In Malagii the world is run in the ways of old. They live in a world very reminiscent of Midevil Europe. They believe in the magics that are the natural magic that runs in the world. This is an old an powerful magic that does have the ability to equal the power of invention. However invention does not exist in the Kingdom of Malagii.

The war would have continued on forever if it weren't for the earthquakes. Earthquakes have started to take over the world. Destroying whole cities and towns in both kingdoms. Eventually the King of Malagii and the Queen of Sciencia decided upon a truce.

They built a city in a neutral land of Rutacia. It was here that the two sides called together a final effort to save the world from distruction. Malagii's King called upon his best warrior and the Queen of Sciencia did the same. Together the two came together to start the journey.[COLOR="lightseagreen"]

He was tired, not that he would let it show at all, but what he longed for more then anything was to simply sleep. Currently he leaned against a tree looking up at the clear blue sky. How long had it been? It had been months in the very least, months of constant missions. His troops where weary, and no matter what he told them, he was weary too. The earthquakes may have put a halter on the war, but he was starting to wonder which was worse. No, He thought to himself with a bit of divinity, the earthquakes are most definitely worse.

He looked down at the official letter in his hands, a letter from the queen, a summons. What could be so important as to pull me from a mission? He received the summons and immediately left the Quake torn town. Left Derlan, his second in command, to clean up the pieces. He knew Delan would support the troops. Never once had she let him down.

He had continued down the path towards the Capitol City of Nalgia. For a moment he paused, his normal ritual before heading to the capitol for a new mission. At the city gates he paused, closed his eyes, and took one long deep breath. It served as a reminder of something Captain Collin Delario would never forget, the work was never done. A reminder that no matter how big or small the mission, it was important. The queen depended on him, his troops depended on him, and perhaps most importantly the people of Sciencia depended on him for their safety.

He opened those Crystal Blue eyes on the city gates of Nalgia. The gates where made of iron which caused Collin to smirk a slight bit. Nalgia was the only city in Sciencia that still used iron. It was intentional, the use of old materials, because no one used them but the capitol it made it harder for people to break into them. It was also the oldest city, which also helped the old school look along. But no matter, to Collin it was now home. As he stepped through the Iron Gates a Security Guard, not one of his own brigade, halted him. He held up his hand, on which a barcode was imprinted. He was not the first one to speak, instead the guard said, “Captain Collin Delario, Queen Aralle wants your immediate audience at the castle.”

“Understood” Collin flashed him that famous wolfish grin of his. Paired with his pale blue eyes, and dark slightly messy hair, his wolfish grin made him a name in many houses of his hometown of Kain. He closed his eyes again, it was better to not think about Kain, about Arabella. It was too fresh still, too soon. He was never going to be able to continue on his missions if he took the time to dwell on it.

He headed along the paved roads towards the castle, hardly noticing the city buildings along the way. He had passed the same large stone structures hundreds of times before, they no longer where interesting, or rather, they no longer held interest to a distracted mind. At long last he stood in front of the large stone castle that served as the center of the city. “Well Collin” he said to himself with a bit of a sigh, “Your queen awaits you”

Ehsan Dumasanie looked up at the young man that stood in front of her desk, her golden brown eyes taking him apart even as she smiled. “And you wish to be a part of the kings own?” her voice a cold purr, which made the young man shiver where he stood at attention. The young man nodded curtly trying not to show his fear of the Kings Tigress. She had worked her way up to commander of the Kings Own and by the gods she would keep it. “I did not hear you trainee.” Her voice slowly rose in pitch.

“Yes my lady.” His words tumbled out of his mouth as he tried not to show fear. Already she could see three different habits she would have to break him of before he would be even close to one of the Kings Own but he had potential, not that she was going to tell him.

A knock on the door interrupted them. “WHAT IS IT?!?” her voice was pitched as a growl that would be heard on the other side of the door. It was trained to carry over the sound of battle and war. The door opened slowly to reveal a page in the kings lively. Sighing she waved the young man in front of her desk to leave. “Dismissed trainee but this interview is not over yet.” The young man’s body slumped in relief for the moment as he walked out. “And what can I do for you page…” she let the question of the pages name hang in the air as she watched the boy enter. If he had not been a noble and a page she would have snatched him up as one of the Kings Own then and there.

“Page Olin sir.” His voice broke as he spoke. Almost a squire she thought, if he did not pass the ordeal she might have to snatch him up before the guard did.

“What is it that it could not wait any longer page Olin?” she looked down at the paperwork on her desk, her sword scared hands shuffled the papers again.

“The king would like to have a word with you, sir.” Her golden eyes flashed as she quickly looked up at the boy. The king wanted to see her, it could only mean one of two things. Ether the Sciencia peace talks were going badly or her people were needed to deal with the damage of another earthshaking. As if thinking about them summed the earthshaking another one shook the room. They stood there braced to wait out the shaking, her office no longer had anything on the walls as the last strong one had almost knock her out with her target board.

“Inform the king I will be with him momentarily.” She said as she dismissed the boy with a silver noble. Slowly she ran her hands through her short nubs of dark hair as she prayed to the goddess of the earth and lord of the skies that these earthshake's would come to an end soon. She like many of the other guards were worried that if something was not done to stop them soon the world would pull its self apart. then as she closed the door to her office behind her she sent up one last prayer to the trickster. One never knew when a prayer to him might help, all thought of the new recruit out of her mind.

Another gate, more iron in and intricate yet still functional design. Here at the gate he paused for a moment tracing a finger along the rose sculpture design that was the signet of the Queen. Memories flooded into his mind that made his lips twinge in what was close to a smile, close to, but not quite.

He was young then, a boy of only 16 or 17. They had stood before these gates not as the captain and the queen, but as close friends. Arialle had been putting on that little pout that she liked to do, with her hands on her hips and that cute little scrunch of the nose. This time it was about the roses. Roses didn't grow in Sciencia anymore, the truth was, not a soul in Sciencia had seen a live rose. Roses took more arcane magics to make them grow, something that had died in Sciencia long ago. The growth of roses in Sciencia was impossible, not that Arialle would admit that.

"Someday you'll find me a rose" she had said with her nose in the air, "Someday we'll find a way to make them grow in Sciencia again"

He had long since learned not to argue with her, especially about something so trivial. He simply laughed, a laughter that did not exist for Collin anymore, a deep, purely innocent laughter "As you wish Princess"

"State your business Sir" a voice drew him out of his helpless daydreaming. It was the guard at the front gate, this one was one of his own men. When he turned to face the man, the man stammered out an apology, "m..m..my apologies Captain, I didn't recognize you from behind" There was a clear fear of being reprimanded in the young guards face and a tremble shook throughout him. He was new to the brigade, and Collin could not recall his name.

"Relax Soldier, no harm done" Collin smiled in a reassuring sort of way, "I've got an appointment with Queen Aralle today, if you'd like to open the gates, though."

"Yes Sir, right away sir" the young soldier worked at lightning speed, albeit extremely clumsy, to open the gates. And Collin stepped through the gate and into the castle he knew all too well. He thanked the young soldier and headed towards the war room where he was fairly sure the queen would be. If she was that anxious, and even if she wasn't it wouldn't take long to summon her there. It was a common room to their sort of business these days, he rarely saw Arialle outside the war room anymore. He walked down the all too familiar paths to the war room. How many times had he been down these halls, this place was as close to home as a man like Collin had.

He stepped into the war room and as he expected Queen Arialle was within the room and pacing back and forth. The furrowed frown, the pacing, and also the distraction told him something was bothering her and Collin frowned. "Arialle, what has you so worked up?" he said with concern, even though he knew it had to be related to the mission, the earthquakes, or the peace talks. "Has Malagaii backed down from the peace agreement?"

She spun around so quickly that it could be called anything but queenly grace, and nearly fell over, "COLLIN!"

Ehsan closed the door behind her and whispered her name to the lock as she turned the key. The spell was a good one to keep those that had prying eyes out of her papers. A wind screamed down the hall as she turned pulling at her fire copper tunic under the leather armor. She looked both ways down the hall, it was not it fact a true hall but a covered breeze way that went between her office and the stables of the kings own.

She had been the commander of the kings own for the past three years and in that time she had brought them from being just a ragged band of noble and merchantmen’s sons to a fighting force that was ready to move on a moment’s notice. They were the ones sent after the fast moving contraptions that the Sciencia kept throwing at them over the border. She had had her hands full just trying to find horses and riders that could move that fast. She thanked the goddess that she had found a breed of horse that no one wanted that moved at the speeds she needed.

Shaking her head of the memories that came with that line of thinking she turned and walked through the stables towards the palaces. The horses cried out their kind of greeting as she quickly walked through. One of the stable boys tipped his hat before moving on with the logs for the fire that was built in the back wall to keep the stable warm. She stopped at her mare and scratched her nose Chere is getting old she thought as she moved on. She is going to have to go to pasture soon, maybe one of the own would give up his stallion for a few months for the right stud price. She should have done it a while ago she knew that but she loved Chere to much to put her out.

The palaces stood in front of her like a multicolored jewel, the light blazing from multiples stain glass windows. Each one depicted one of the king’s ancestors defeating an enemy or creating something new. She liked the look of the palace at night. Stopping she looked up and just marveled at it, here was the sign of their power, for however much the Sciencia had tried to bring it down it had held. Not even the earthshankings were doing it harm. It had been built of magic and only a Great Magic would bring it down.

She picked up her paces knowing that her slowing down would only upset the king the later she was. Her dark boot tread echoed off the walls as she trotted through the palace to the kings privet audients chamber. There at the finely carved wooden doors she was met by two of her own. Their spears having dropped at the sound of her feet into a guard position now raised back up so that she could pass. They looked her over carefully.

“Evening sir, he is inside waiting.” The one on the left said as the one on the right went to open and announce her. Stepping in she smiled and knelt to her king.

“There you are Ehsan I was wondering if we needed to send a search party after that last earthshaking to your office.” He laughed at his own joke and offered his hand to her to stand.

“COLLIN!” she nearly screeched. It all happened in a minute, the small blinding flash of vivid red hair that was across the room and then suddenly it was there wrapping her delicate arms around his waist. It took him a moment to realize that she was sobbing. For being the strongest, and also most assuredly the most stubborn, woman he knew he suddenly remembered that she was in fact only human. In that moment, which he would remember through the journey, he saw her as frail, almost weak. He wrapped his arms around the small girl, and suddenly he was once again back in their youth, protecting her.

“Ari” he spoke softly, in a tone that only she had ever heard, “Whats wrong?”

They stood there for a long moment, his arms holding her protectively, and her head on his chest sobbing. He let her stay like that. He was her best friend, her big brother, and her protector. He waited, letting her be the first one to talk. If she needed silence that’s what she would get. After one extremely long moment she backed up and turned away long enough to wipe her eyes. “I’m sorry Collin, its just the stress. The peace talks are going well but…”

“but the earthquakes are destroying the kingdom” he finished for her. The thought of the city he just left behind filled his mind. Death and destruction are what he left behind. When he left they where not even sure what the death count had been.

“Exactly” she walked over to the large window that looked out across the plains. “Collin, the peace meetings with King Destin have been going extremely well. We have decided after many peace talks and messengers that the best solution to the problem at hand is to send out a research crew of sorts. We want to send a representative from each kingdom out on a quest to find the source of the earthquakes.”

She was shaking as she spoke, losing the strong stature of hers that he loved. He wondered why she was telling him all this, and why she was shaking. He was looking at her for a long moment waiting for her to continue but the words seemed to be sticking in her throat. Suddenly, as if with a ton of bricks, the truth hit him. “You want to send me to be the representative” he said softly, relieving her of the task of telling him.

“Collin I….”

“Don’t Apologize, I understand, I would send me too” He hugged her again and held her close, “Don’t worry your little head, it’ll all turn out alright.”

“But what if it goes wrong, what if something happens to you” she looked up at him.

“Do you think I’d leave you behind Ari, give me more credit then that” He smiled strong for her, he had to be strong for her.

Her dark copper sword scared hand looked odd in his pail soft one. He had once taken sword lessons but they had never allowed him in the middle of war. Ehsan on the other hand had been in war all her life, the scars that crisscrossed her hands, body and face told of the hard life of a merc. She stood and looked closely at her king trying to find the reason he had called her in those eyes.

“My king you would never need to send someone to look for me when you yourself had sent a summon. The Dark King himself” she made the sign againted death and ill luck on her chest as she spoke. “would not be able to hold me if you had summoned me.”

“Ah always the faithful servant Ehsan. My father did well when he hired your family, a pity they were killed off so completely. We could have used more like them at this venture.” He looked down at a table covered in a map. Acrossed the map was placed little figuring that represented all the groups of shoulders and important people in the kingdom. She looked around the room to see what new had been added to the other map on the wall. Tiny little colored pins stuck out of spots on many of the maps hanging. Here was one of the capital city covered in red and blue dots. There a map of the country with red points scattered acrossed the map in what seemed to be lines, and amongst them were black dots, where people had died. “the Dark King has taken his toll on us has he not?” his voice was soft calling her back to him and the map on the table. She knew he mourned for those that had died in the earthshakings that now ripped acrossed the land.

“What is it that I can do for you my king?” she looked over the map on the table, what she had thought of as only the kingdom of Malagii was in fact a map of both Malagii and Sciencia. There was the figure they had decided on for her counterpart in Sciencia, Collin Delario the queens best.

“Both I and the queen have agreed that we must find what is tearing our world apart, and so to that end we are sending a questing party out.” He looked up from the map and turned to her his hands gently lying on her shoulders. “I am sending you.” He raised his hand to silence her before she could protest. “Your second in command will do well and it is about time you cut him from your apron strings. I need you where you can do the most good, and the seers say that without you the quest is most certainly doomed to fail.” He gently turned her back to looking at the table.

“But my King is it wise to trust them again.” She had not trusted the seers since they had last predicted his father to win a great victory only for the King to be killed and the armies running away in defeat.

“Just because you do not like them does not mean that they do not have their uses. You are to meet the group from the Queen here.” His finger landed on a small bit of land called Rutacia, where the peace talks had been being held for the last few months. “Pack as soon as you may, the sooner we get this solved the sooner we can make headway with the talks.” With that he turned her and pushed her towards the door.

Collin left Arialla alone in the war room some time later, he stung at his heart to know this may all go so horribly wrong. He may never again walk the halls of Castle Nalgia, never again see Aralla, never again be home. A single watered tear formed in his eye but he quickly wiped this away. He had to be strong for her sake, and certainly for the sake of the country. This mission was more important then any mission he had ever faced, both before the wars end, and after.

He stopped off at his home on the way out of town to grab a simple pack. A rough looking bag in which he stored a small ration of food, some of the latest medications, and a few other odds and ends needed on a long journey. He grabbed his weapon, a one of a kind masterpiece. It drew on the magic of the human body through bio kinetics. It looked like a simple medal arm to those who did not know its importance, but it was really a high powered machine that responded to the thoughts of the owner. It had been designed for him, and he never used anything else.

He stopped at the gates of the city, placed his fingertips to his lips and blew a gentle kiss towards home. “Protect her for me” he whispered soft before turning his horse, yes horses still existed in Sciencia, and when heading to the rough land of Rutacia you could not be sure how machinery of the transport kind would respond, and so, Horses it was. He was grateful, that the military still kept horseback riding as a requirement. It meant he knew the horse, and the horse knew him. They could set off on this journey together. One last time he vaguely wondered if this was the last he would ever see of Sciencia.

The scenery was suddenly so much more beautiful to him on the trip to Rutacia. After all when you see something everyday it suddenly becomes part of the background, but when you think you will never see it again it becomes so much more appreciated, so much more beautiful. It took Collin two weeks to ride across Sciencia, through large cities and small, eventually even wilderness. Finally, however, at long last Collin reached the gates of Farth, the capital city of Rutacia.

He followed his ritual, important as this was, he wanted to remember. He closed his eyes and drew in that long breath. What was going to await him on the other side of the city gates, did he really truly want to know. All he knew was that he was to meet some chick from Malagii, that in itself was cause for concern. With one last deep breath he walked with confidence through the city of Farth.

Ehsan was packing the last of her saddle pack when her room door burst open. The person on the other side of the door knew her well enough as he caught her dagger she had thrown. “I have told you many times Roth that you are not to barge in on me in my own rooms.” She said coldly her eyes half lidded as she looked at him.

“yah well you never would have answered if I had just knocked.” He looked down at her packs and then back up at her. “So it true then, the king is sending you off into no mans land to get cozy with the metal beast loves!” his voice was raised in disgust and anger. She watched as his fingers clenched and unclenched into fists.

“I am to be going to find what is causing the earthshakings along with someone from Sciencia.” She said calmly, he stormed in and flopped down upon her bed. “and who said you could come in here anyways?”

“if you’re running off to deal with the Monster loving metal men then we are going with you.” He said after a moment of thinking about it. He stood up and turned towards the door only for her to catch him and push him back on to the bed.

“No you and the Own are not going to fallow me, it is by the kings orders I go alone. Anyways you have been saying for some time Roth that you should have your chance at leading the Own, now it is. I will have your hide tacked to my wall,” she pointed up to the only empty space on the wall of her room. “if you let anything happen to our king.” Her walls were covered in maps made on animal hides, she had done it that way just so she had the threat not because she did not have the money to get paper ones. Some of them were as old as her great great grandmother, had the old woman lived this long. The room was furnished simply with a desk, armor stand, and bed. The desk was as if not more messy then her office desk. “also don’t clean up my office to much or I won’t be able to avoid the Dark Kings call.” She smiled at her joke and threw her packs over her shoulder.

She did not want Roth to see the tears that slowly traveled down her cheek, the feeling of losing all she loved was strong. Would she ever come back here again? Would this place be here to return here to? A small part of her wondered if she was going into a trap that they were planning to bring down her king with.

Mounting her war horse she looked back at Chere, she was to old to be taking on this long journey. Her packs on her second mount she rode off trying to catch every little spark of light from the city she loved and the land who had raised her.

“Green mother of all, Guide my path and bring me home safe.” She said as she dropped an offering in the shrine to the Green Mother and the Strider of Winds. “Strider of winds guide my feet and give me a sure path.” Another coin drop into the shrine. Then she was off into the night.

A few days later she came to the border crossing into Rutacia, the portals had taken considerable time off her ride but she still felt odd for using them on this matter. It was not that it was not important to the king just that she felt she was misusing it.

The border guards smiled at her and let her pass. They did not have a word for the kings own commander leaving the kingdom. Now she was on her own ridding into the gods know what. Her hands tightened on the bridle and she sped on to Farth the capital city.

The city of Farth wasn’t quite what the rumors had made it out to be. Collin had not been part of the team that had come to build the thing and had expected buildings made of crumbling stone and brass. As an after thought he wasn’t sure why he had let the rumors into his head, or even why he had chosen to believe them. People gossip, he knew that from way back, and people especially like to gossip about the things they know nothing about. He shook his head, well first impressions weren’t so bad.

The city was build with a mix of metal and stone, but both where fresh and new. The metal used looked to be Mythril in most places although there was a dabble of Adamante in places. The stone, was one the Collin did not recognize as being one found in Sciencia and vaguely wondered if it came from Malagii. It was a deep grey with an undertone of blue, giving the city a look of being almost entirely blue. He couldn’t help it, he was a slight bit impressed by the simple beauty of the place.

He had expected the people as well to be full of the darker side of both kingdoms, the thief’s, the murders, and the banished. Again, he had to admit to himself that this was not a good trend, wrong twice in one day, the city exceeded his expectations. Not that with his expectations that was incredibly hard. The people seemed, well, extraordinarily ordinary. He continued to look around him, small shops littered the road sides. Places for both kingdoms, You had mechanic shops, gear shops, and modern weaponry shops but you also had shops that sold magic books, old fashioned weapons, and old medicine apothecaries. Then of course where the middle ground stores that sold things like books and clothing and food. He fought the urge to go into the magic supply store, after all he was curious as to the lifestyle.

He passed by a shop that sold flowers and he really did stop this time. Wooden buckets stood out front with, fresh cut roses. It was the first time in Collin’s life he had ever seen a rose. He stopped to pick one up, he was going to smell it but the thorn sliced through his finger and he dropped the flower in surprise.

“Hey Watch it Pal!” a dumpy sort of woman wearing a very simple dress of sorts came out of the store brandishing a small knife, “You’ll ruin my flowers!”

“I meant no harm ma’am” he said although there was a coolness in his voice he hadn’t intended to be there. This woman was a Malagii.

“You’ll pay for the flower you destroy!” she shrieked. “Can’t make a living off destroyed flowers”

He grumbled under his breath in an annoyed sort of way. Thrust some gold coins at her and the scooped the rose up carefully and headed once more towards the center of the city, towards the capitol building where she was to meet the newcomer from Malagii and also to receive further instructions.

Ridding into Farth this time was less eventful then the last time she had come here. Now granted the last time she had ridden here she was with the king and there were people trying to throw themselves at him. Now it was a quite ride the guards at the city gate barely even looked up at her as she stated her name and why she was there. She could feel the hum of the magic in the air as they checked for illusions or spells to fake her identity. She had heard that it was only the gates that faced her home that had those workings on them. It was also said among the King’s advisers that it was he who ordered for the working to be placed into the gate. Whatever or who ever had place them she did not mind, it only meant that things that should not be getting into this city were not getting into the city.

Ehsan ran her hand along the stone of the arch as she entered full under the gate. The stone was Winters granite, known for its blue color, though she thought it was a bit more gray then blue. The king had offered up his stores of the stuff that had been intended for a summer palace when peace was declared. It was not like the stones were to be used any time soon. The plans for the summer palace dated back all the way to the beginning of the war. Now Winters Granite was only used by the high nobles and only in small thin slices to line floors or walls, never in such large bricks as these. The cold of the winter months radiated off them into the warmth of the day.

She could see why this was called the jewel of peace, its beauty almost rivaled the palace of Malagii. Starching she looked out around the small square inside the gate then dismounted and walked towards the Peace palace, that was where the king had told her the contact would be from Sciencia.

“Hay Watch it Pal!” a flower seller yelled at a man whose face was familiar to her but she could not place it. The lady’s dress was not completely as it seemed, there were charms in play to make her look less prosperous then she was. Had they been in the capital Ehsan would have taken her aside for such tricks but here it was not her job to do so. “you’ll ruin my flower!” a knife flashed in the woman’s hand.

“I meant no harm ma’am” the man said coldly. Ehsan gripped a charm necklace ready to use one. If the woman used her knife on the man she would have to interfere before he was harm. His accent placed him from Sciencia not from Malagii.

“you’ll pay for the flower you destroy!” she shrieked. “can’t make a living off destroyed flowers.” His face showed his disgust at her actions, Ehsan was also disgusted by them. Thrusting something that flashed gold in his hand he gingerly scooped up his rose and turned to walk away. The woman looked down at what lay in her hand and grinned wickedly.

Moving quickly Ehsan grabbed the lady’s hand. “here now mother, you forgot to give the nice young man his change back.” Digging her nail into the space between the tendons of the wrist she forced the woman’s hand open. There lay what looked to be four gold nobles, way more than the rose was worth.

“Hay now, you have no right to that!” the woman shrieked as Ehsan took the four gold. She placed them in her belt and pulled out a silver noble

“I have more right to it then you do mistress.” Her voice was low and cold. “if you were in Malagii proper you would be off to the hounds for the use of this.” Ehsan’s dagger was out and pulling a necklace from under the woman’s dress top. “as for the change mistress?” she let go of the woman’s hand and held out her own palm up.

Collin did not hear the conversation that had taken place after he left the little flower shop. Truth was he had absolutely no idea how much a rose was really worth. To him, or to anyone from Sciencia really, the rose was an extreme rarity. He looked down at the rose and sighed, roses surely where a great expense. Now that he had thought on the thing maybe the woman had been right to be upset with him over the whole situation. After all he had dropped the poor thing on the Ground. He sat down on a low stone wall that was made from the same blue hued stones that made the entirety of Farth. He was briefly startled at the fact that the stones where so cool.

He looked at the rose with a soft smile, and then a frown. The thought of Arialla was both comforting and disconcerting at the moment. Then another thought struck him and he dug in his bag for the small leather pouch that was at the bottom. When he dumped the gold coins in his hand he sighed. Eight gold coins. Just about his entire months earnings as the captain of the guard. But roses where probably for the royalty and eight gold coins was probably not enough to see if the woman would sell him a rose seed. Maybe he should go apologize to the woman. After all, Malagii was no longer there enemy, there was no reason to be so cold to her. He hopped down from the stone wall and started to make his way back towards the flower shop.

There was a woman in front of the shop with the crude woman he had met before and neither side looked particularly happy about some situation. The other woman also looked to be from Malagii from her manner of dress. She also looked to be a soldier of types, and probably a good one from the look of things. Just the way she held herself and also the way she took over the conversation, of which he could not hear from the distance at which he stood.

He vaguely wondered if he should interject on the conversation before someone got hurt as both appeared to be wielding weapons. He decided only to observed for the moment, unless things started to get violent, then and only then, would he try to break up the fight. After all, small petty fights where not his domain. He watched for a moment as the Soldier woman let go of the other one and then held out her hand. He wondered what the situation could possibly be about. He also wondered if this was the only florist in town. He walked towards the stall in a meaning to ask the woman her price on seeds.

Ehsan waited as the Flower seller pulled out slowly the change all the time watching the woman’s other hand and the knife. If she moved that towards Ehsan she was going to learn why the Kings own feared her. The coins grudgingly dropped into her hand then the flower seller started to turn. “not so fast mistress,” Ehsan’s dagger moved quick cutting the chain on the woman’s charm. “I will tell the Hounds here that you have been using this.” The charm and chain disappeared into Ehsan’s belt pouch. “And if I am not mistaken they will keep a closer eye on you.

The flower sellers dress now looked of a finer cut and cloth then it had a moment before. The lady’s face soured at the lost of what must have been a week’s wages in a charm. “Now if you tell me who sold you this I might forget who I got it from.” Ehsan said as she leaned close to the woman.

“You think some jump up tull is going to get that name out of me?” the woman spat on Ehsans face. Stepping back Ehsan wiped it away and sighed. “it ant like you know your way here clear, watch your step.” With that the woman walked back into the shop and slammed the door a sure sign that her shop was closed. Taking a strip of cloth from under her armor Ehsan cleaned the last of the spit up.

She turned to see if she could find the man who the flower seller had cheated only to find him standing not three feet from her. Now the resemblance was clear, he looked very much like the queens best Collin. She mentally shook her head there was no way that he was in this town at this time.

“the flower seller cheated you, and she magic you, which is againted Malagii law.” She pulled out three gold coins and the change. “I took half a gold noble for compensation on getting you back your money. It’s a fair price for that.” she pointed to the rose.

Collin wanted to grumble and even take a small bit of vengeance on the flower woman when he saw that her garb had dissolved into something much finer cut. He had initially pegged her at being a peasant woman and now understood her to be middle class. It was exactly the reason why he hated the Malagii for so long. No, he scolded himself, there must no longer be hatred towards the people of Malagii. It was a tough road to follow, they had hated each other for as long as he had been alive. It wasn’t easy to play at nice when the world had taught you hatred. But, he thought again, you are the captain of the guard, if you don’t set an example how are your inferiors supposed to be expected to.

When the other woman spoke to him about the coins his mouth nearly fell open in surprise. He had been cheated, clearly roses in Malagii where not worth as much as they where in Sciencia, they simply where not that rare in a place with such old magic. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He smirked ever so slightly, if the boys back home got wind that he almost lost a fair deal a gold coin to a small, or rather middle class, shop woman he was certainly never going to hear the end of it.

“Thank You” he said to the woman, with sincerity and not coldness. Better. He thought to himself with a grin. He was able to look at her for the first time, well really look at her, from across the way didn’t count. He could tell by taking in her appearance that he had been right to peg her as a soldier. Her hands where rough as if from years of use with the sword, and scarred as if it had seen its fair share of battle. Something about her though struck a tough cord with Collin. He felt like he had seen her somewhere before, the only question came down to where. Had they met on the battle field before?

“We do not have roses in Sciencia” he continued conversationally, not really showing much interest in the conversation but also trying to keep polities. “I have a theory that it has to do with the magic. You give some things up in the pursuit of power I guess” He hadn’t meant to say it, in fact he really was just being conversational. Afterwards he could nearly have kicked himself, he really was failing at the peace thing. He needed to work on that, and fast. It wouldn’t be long before he’d have to work with them more closely. His mouth could have all the peace talks fall apart.

“I have heard that you do not have roses in your lands, I have always wondered why.” Holding out the money she offered it to him. Had he not been dressed like a Sciencia she would have guessed that he was just a merc looking for a job. The cut of his clothes were well off for a soldier, so maybe a guard of Sciencia. “I plan on reporting her to the Hounds,” she stopped and thought about it. “The city guard if you don’t know them as hounds. If you would like to come with it will only add to the charges.”

Holding up the necklace she looked it over for a maker’s mark or some such like that. a spell this good had to have been done by some one that would want it known that they did it. She had only once seen any work this good. The charm its self was a little rose pendent made out of silver with red enamel on the petals. Around it twined in copper was a choking ivy plant. The design was a simple one but one that would stick with you well if you had to draw it. The broken chain had worked into it a think band of something braided.

“Hounds be dammed the mage will have gotten wind of this by now.” She grumbled as she looked closely at the woven fibers. “See that there?” she held the chain out so he could see it, not even thinking of him as sciencia, but as another guard. “I would lay good money on it that that is the mages own hair, lets them know when their spell is broken.”

Turning she started walking to Red Flower Way, the home of most of the mages and hedge witches that would deal in charms and such. Stopping she looked back at Collin and raised her brow. “will you fallow or just stand there looking like an offended Rotar who’s food was just taken from him?” a rotar was a heard animal that was well known in both kingdoms for being territorial over food. They were also known as being good to ear if you needed food but a bit tough if too old.

Something about her made her hard not to like. Despite the fact that he was from Sciencia, a fact of which was not only out in the open, but relatively obvious had it not been in the open. She spoke to him like a guard like a fellow guard, yes guard seemed to suit her better then soldier. He could see the subtle differences now. A guard in Malagii, or merely a guard of Farth. Questions swarmed in his head, the main one being where he knew her from. She was far too familiar to him.

He leaned closer to her when she spoke of the charm. The thin dark hair poked through the chain as he could see it was long in nature. “So sort of like an alarm system?” he asked with genuine interest, something struck him about the hair in the charm, he spoke with hesitance, not knowing whether he was stepping on toes, something he didn’t want to do. “If its not too much trouble, I‘d like to take a look at that hair”

He tapped his gloved hand against his side to reveal a magnifying light that he used to look at the hair a bit closer, “It works with the properties of light to create magnification,” he wasn’t sure how they handled things in Malagii but this was the only thing he knew how to do. “I think…” he once again was hesitant, “I believe your mage is a female. Younger perhaps, mid to late twenty’s. I do not know whether or not this is of help to you or not…..”

She made quip about him standing there, how had she put it, like an offended rotar. Instead of being offended he laughed a bit at that and then pretended to pout a bit. “Maybe I am tad bit offended” he offered be for offering her that wolfish grin of his, “I’m commin, hold yer horses”

He vaguely wondered where the, “Hounds” where but then shrugged making the assumption that they where headed towards the capital Peace Palace, it really would serve to kill two birds with one stone. Just to be sure he posed the question as they walked, “Are we headed to the Peace Palace by chance?”

“ you could say its some sort of alarm system.” She pulled out half of the hair carefully and handed it to him thinking he might be able to get more off it then just with the lenses if he had it in his hand. “And yes that dose help to know the gender and age, gives an even better sent to fallow.” Seeing one of the city guards in their dark blue uniforms, almost black she waved them down.

“What is it lady of the Own.” The word Own was spoken as a title when the gruff guard spoke to Ehsan. He was taller than Ehsan by about half a foot and his eyes flickered over the street as a whole before focusing in on her and Collin. “How can a Hound be of assistant?” His partner a young woman with dark braided hair that went to her mid back tried to kick him, he avoided the kick out of years of practice. The man looked to be in his mid to late thirties and the young woman when Ehsan looked closer at her looked to just have gained her strips. Not even twenty by the looks of it. Ehsan thought before holding up the charm.

“I need a mage hound, one that knows the charms here abouts and quick.” They both looked the charm over, Ehsan knew they were committing it to memory. “a flower seller was using this to trick honest Sciencia and Malagii out of their good wages.” The two gave a low throated growl before the older one gave the younger one a look. The young one took off at a run blowing her whistle in a pattern.

“Going to Red Flower Way are you?” he asked it off handedly his voice gruff as he looked Collins over.

“Yes and then once this is dealt with or your mage hound can catch the sent I am going to the Palace of Peace as I have someone to meet there." She wondered about why Collins would also have to go there too but then that could always be talked about later, for now they had to catch this mage.

When they stopped a group of the “hounds” as the guard woman had called them Collin realized they where nothing but a couple of G’s. In Sciencia anything lower then the Queens Guard was simply put up as a classification system. The particular group they had stopped for help appeared to be nothing more then the Classification GQ6. More commonly just called G’s. Collin thought about it for a moment, he had to hand it to them, the Malagii where more creative then he gave them credit for. He liked the term Hound much more then the term G.

The younger of the two G’s looked a bit antsy even when they first walked up. Collin was busy watching her and never heard the reference to the “Own”. He may have realized who his mysterious new companion was, instead he was focused on the Young mage woman G. Her eyes kept darting from the charm to behind her to the side. She was looking for an escape route. It was only when she realized that she was found out that she caught that she threw caution to the wind and started off on a run. She was blowing a whistle in a pattern that seemed to be some sort of code.

He tried to keep the bursts of sound in his head but it was no use. He took on look at both the G and the Guard woman, he really needed to learn her name when this was all over, and then took off down the road in the direction the woman had been running in. He might have been running to show off, or perhaps he was still bitter about the flower situation, but he took off in a blurr. One thing could be said about Collin, he was certainly in shape.

At the bottom of the hill that was the road the road split into two roads, a left path and a right path. He glanced down both ways but found himself unable to see which way the damn mage went. He took a moment to catch his breath while waiting for the Guard woman who he knew, based on the fact that she looked fairly fit as well, was close behind him. “Did you see which way” he said as he panted for breath just slightly.

Getting ready to continue walking to Red Flower Way Ehsan stopped and looked back as Collin ran after the guard. Rolling her eyes she took off after him. “You go to Red Flower way and stop any dark haired mages, female.” She yelled back at the Hound before putting in a full burst of speed. Her hands gripping the Charm that hung on her sleeve. It was a small little fat man sitting happy, he was known to some as the Protector Monk, others called him a trickster, Ehsan called him luck, he had saved her in more scrapes then she wanted to remember. He also hid one of her main throwing daggers and she did not know if there was a chance that there would be a dodger around to trip them up.

if I have to keep him on a leash I will. she thought as she ran. Dodging through the traffic she kept an eye on him and on those around him. He must not be used to the way a hound acts. That can be the only reason why he took off after her. slowing as he came to a stop she took a deep breath and shock her head at him.

“Now why in all the nine worlds were you running after that Hound? She is going to get us a good mage.” She said exasperatedly. “I may know how to see magic in use and a few good spells but I never did learn now to track someone by hair or skin.” She started to reach out for him than thought better of it. “Don’t know how they do this in your part of the world but in mine we go to the source not chase after hounds just off their leash.” She sighed and turned back the way they had run. “Come on we have a proper mage to catch.” she smiled at him as she headed off in a tort.

A few of the people around him having heard what was said snickered at him. Others turned to give them dirty looks as it was one of their own that had just been laughed at. A young woman smiled at Collin in an inviting look. “You catch your pray and come on back and I could show you a better them then that sellsword.” Her voice was sweet, her clothes a bit to reveling.

For the second time since they had met, which, he admitted reluctantly to himself, was not long, he felt his mouth almost drop to the floor. He looked up at her shock at his reaction and in his mind he began to formulate what he had done wrong. In his moment of haste he knew that people of Malagii didn’t have trackers in them but it never occurred to him that they may have their own ways of tracking. His mind didn’t take the time to contemplate that, in his mind they needed to hurry if they where to catch her. Now as he saw the Guard Woman in front of him clearly exasperated questioned his plan of action, something he was not used to. He clearly needed to take the time to learn the ways of Malagii. “I didn’t know you had trackers in your kingdom.”

He held up his hand for a moment to show her the barcode on the back of his hand. “In Sciencia every person born is to have a tracking chip implanted under the skin by the Kingdom wide law. It allows us to go to the tracking agency, BW2, or the B’s to track a person down. It is also connected to the gates of every city in the kingdom which allows for a person to stop all movement in or out of a city. I was not aware that Malagii had a tracking system.” He looked almost embarrassed at his complete lack of knowledge. Twice now he had come off looking like a complete idiot. He had become very aware that a number of people where very in tuned to the conversation that had just taken place between him and the Guard Woman. Those from Malagii had not understood his reasoning and began to sneer and laugh at his mistake. A pink tint appeared in his cheeks that he felt and hoped the others did not notice.

The people from Sciencia he knew where thinking along the same lines as he was, or in the very least knew why he had thought the way he did. He saw recognition in the faces of the people from his own country, they knew him. Of course they knew him, he was after all the Queens personal protection, the captain of the elite. He almost found this recognition worse than those jeering at him. They had seen one of the few people of Sciencia who were supposed to be perfect falter just a bit. Of course he knew this was a silly thought anyways, no person is perfect, not him, not them, not even the queen herself but that didn’t stop the people from needing that thought of comfort and here he had made not one but two errors that drew that image down just a small bit.

A woman with revealing clothing smiled at him in what was an inviting tempting manner. He smiled at her in a polite manner and the turned away before rolling his eyes; it was clear to him that the woman was nothing more than a prostitute after his money, not after him. This annoyed him greatly, not merely because she wasn’t lusting after him, which wasn’t all that annoying, but because she had the low nature to try and earn money in this fashion. He shrugged his shoulders, as much as they annoyed him, many of his men had enjoyed the company of such harlots. As long as it was discrete it wasn’t a problem, nor was it illegal in Sciencia. He jogged a little to catch up to the guard woman, “so where is this….what was it you called it? Red Flower Way?”

Ehsan smiled back at Collin as she walked. She had never known that they had trackers but then it did in a way make some sense that they to would have found a way to hunt down some of the criminals that plagued there cities or they never would have been able to fight a war with Malagii as they would be trying to keep peace in their own cities. “I do not think that your people installed those trackers here, and if they did that would have only helped if it were just a basic criminal from your side, we don’t have tracking devices in our hands.” She showed him the back of her scared hand, her voice was not condescending but kind and gentle like a teacher trying to teach a favorite student an important lesson.

“Red Flower Way is a street in the northern part of the city were one can buy any sort of magical item that might be bought. Now in Malagii proper they would have to be licensed and the Hounds would be looking into the shops more often but since the hounds here are made up of half Sciencia and half Malagii then it is harder to catch the ones selling the items they are not supposed to. So some of the more shady ones came here out of Malagii. The law of this place is supposed to be a mix of your peoples and mine but some of them just could not be mix properly.”

She turned onto a less busy road, the shops around here were filled with bits and pieces of things he would recognize. Many of the shop owners that he could see were wearing clothes that while they may not look exactly like what he saw in Sciencia they were of a fashion of that countries. “take Puzzlers Way for example.” She waved around at the street they were on. “I don’t know anything about what is here other then it used to be used by your troops or people. Some of it works some is just parts for others to use and make into other stuff. I could not tell you what is illegal to sell in your country that is here.”

One of the shop keepers seeing him stepped out of her door and smiled. Her dress was of a simple fabric but the cut was in a nicer style then she might have been able to afford in Sciencia. “good morning to your lordship.” She used the title that most of the people around here did for one of high station. “what brings you to our fine street?”

Ehsan stopped so that he could talk to the lady, she seemed to know who he was and give him some rank. She wondered about who he could be as she waited.

"Doubtful" he nodded in agreement, "The Sciencians would all have the trackers on them, but even the central tracker system of Luciane does not reach as far as Rutacia. The tracker system was only meant to track criminals within our own boarders, although..." He thought of the flower woman and the Sciencian prostitute. "It may not be a bad idea to see if we could spread out to Rutacia, I fear that the criminals of my Kingdom are fleeing here because of the more lax ruling system." He looked down at the bar code on his hand and sighed softly, "I will have to talk to the queen about the problem, though expanding the trackers may not be the best solution at all..."

He was deep in thought about this for a few moments, walking in silence. He did however hear the kind tone in her voice, she was teaching him about Malagii and also about Rutacia. It was sort of nice actually, she was a good teacher. He looked up when she spoke of the problem with the law system in Rutacia, "I think...." he paused for a moment thinking, "Actually I don't think a joint government is going to work. Eventually...." he trailed off. He knew he shouldn't have said that. Going against the queen's ruling could mean death in his kingdom but it had been bothering him, two countries with so different rulings could not hope to meld those rules entirely, "Rutacia's government will have to one day find its own way....."

They turned down a road that looked a bit like home to him which caused him to smile, "I explain these things to you sometime if you'd like? You've been so kind as to explain some of your culture to me." he continued to look around him at the different shops that where almost like a street in his very own Nalgia. "Take that shop there for instance" he said and pointed to a nearby Gear shop, "All the mech we make, not the bio-kinetics mind you, bio-kinetics are something entirely different, rely on small mechanized parts called gears. Bio-kinetics have a lot of small pieces too, many of which you need a license to obtain, but not gears"

He was amazed at how easy it was to open up about his home country, he was actually having a bit of fun. When the woman came out from the shop in an outfit he recognized as one from his own country. He didn't know her personally, but it was clear from her reactions that she knew him, telling him that she was from at least the inner circles of the cities of Sciencia. He was after all widely known by name in all of Sciencia, but the outer circles where not a place he too often had the pleasure to visit.

He smiled at he at her in a genuine sort of way, "I'm here on queen Araille's business today." he didn't elaborate intentionally, it was the queen's business to tell her country what the quest was for, not his. He looked back at a the Guard woman with a soft smile, "I recon its just about time I introduced myself, Captain Collin Delario of the Queen's Guard." he held out his hand in offering to hers.

This man known’s more about his queen then any regular guard should know. Could he be who I first thought he was? And if so is he here to meet with me to figure out the earth shakings? She thought as she watched him talk on about the way that the city of peace would have to find its own rules soon before the laws of both lands ripped it apart and then about the Mech’s and Bio-kinetics. She tried not to show how little those words meant to her as he spoke on. She knew enough to know what a gear was and what most looked like.

When she was still out in the field she and a squad had brought down one of their monster’s of metal with sling shots into some of the visible gears. It had been a spark of genius when she had fallen on the field and one had walked by her without seeing her. The weak point was a small one that the last version of them had not had, the sciencia had learned from the loss. It had been that use of the weakness in their metal monsters that had brought her to the kings attention.

As he spoke with his country woman Ehsan looked around closer at the windows. A few of the parts she saw looked like parts she had seen removed to be melted down into swords for her people after she had brought the monster down. She quickly turned back when she heard “I’m here on queen Araille’s business today.” There is no way in the nine worlds he could be! As if he had read her mind he tured back to her. “I recon its just about time I introduced myself, Captain Collin Delario of the Queen’s Guard.” She gave him a squinted eyed glared.

“It would have been nice to know I was dragging around the Queens Own with me while hunting for a charm maker.” Turning back to the street she growled low in her throat. Never once before had she thought to use a Hounds Growl to show her displeasure at something until now. She did feel better after wards. Turning back she tried to smile not showing her frustration. “I am Captain Ehsan Dumasanie of the Kings Own, head of the royal guard and adviser to the king himself.”

When he introduced himself she glared at him. All the nice that she had been suddenly turned to ice in a moment. She turned from him and growled. She actually growled low in that throat of hers. He wondered for a moment what could have caused such anger, but then suddenly he knew. The Malagii would all hate him for as long as they lived. He looked towards the sky for a moment, his thoughts went to Arialla and he knew. This truce, it was like the city of Farth in the land of Rutacia, it would never work by the force that they where trying. It needed to make its own way, and that would take time. He could not blame them for their hatred of him

However it was soon his turn to call hatred. She had turned to him not showing the frustration at him that he thought she must be feeling, but then he hadn't meant to be deceptive, clearly she had to know that. Then she spoke, “I am Captain Ehsan Dumasanie of the Kings Own, head of the royal guard and adviser to the king himself.” It was then his turn to growl just a tad, a low growl like that of wolf. This whole time he had been playing Niceties with with, he smiled himself, trying to keep his own anger from leaking into his voice, "Well if it isn't the Guard Dog of Malagii herself, pleased to make your acquaintance, in a more reasonable setting "

She had been one of the single people most influential in almost taking down the entire nation of Sciencia. She was the one who figured out how to break down the mecha. He put his hand on his forehead, he had made a fool of himself not once but twice in front of the blasted Captain of the King's Own. He stood up a little straighter, no his hatred of her was as justified as hers of him but that was never going to find peace. Peace started with a few people making an effort. If Arialla could make an effort then he could, an would.

"Shall we look into the capture of that Mage then" he said in a genial, but perhaps more formal way then he would have before. He turned to her and sighed, "I do suppose we are to have a lot more time to talk in the time come about our little adventures today, but that Mage is in the wrong probably not just to me but to many others as well."

“I would say that it may have been a good thing we never crossed blades on the battle field.” Ehsan smiled cooly as she took in a deep breath. “I prefer to be called Captain of the king’s own not guard Dog. I have never been one to hunt down people like the hounds do.” Looking around she sighed. As she had talked they had been walking, now they came out of Puzzle Way into a plaza.

“not far,” she said turning towards one of the other streets near by. At the mouth of one of the streets was a group of hounds one of them being a Sciencia tracker, his uniform just cut ever so slightly closer to the Sciencia look then the Malagii uniform. “ah there they are.” Walking quickly acrossed the plaza she approached the knot of Hounds.

Among the hounds was the young hound who Collin had chased after she smiled up at Collin. “had I known you wanted to try to be a runner for the hounds I would have let you run the message.” The other hounds laughed even the Sciencia until he noticed who he was laughing at. With that he gently slapped her on the shoulder.

“Show some respect, that’s the captain of the queen’s guard.” He bowed to Collin as he came to join them. “Sorry sir she does not know much about our ways.”

“Yes we will be having much more time to talk about this and a lot of other things, like…” Before she could finish what she was going to say the earth started to shake again. People around them throw up their hands to cover their heads and moved out into the open. A loud crack over head brought the looked of the hounds. They all jumped back in time as the Red Flower Way sign fell to the ground at their feet.

“dam the earthshake,” the gruff hound said as he kicked the carved red flower. It was a bit faded but still looked like it would have been in good useable order but for the split down the middle of it from the fall.