"Dwarf, you've got the disadvantage of not having a drawn weapon. Also, you don't know how much experience I have. You see, elves have a certain ability to delay our aging. When we hit a certain age, we stop showing signs of aging, until we hit another age. I'm much more experienced than I look. But for decency..." Hirokuun hesitates, eying the dwarf, "And for the kid's sake, you'll live."

Hirokuun pulled his weapon back, but didn't stow it.

Kannizan chuckled at Hirokuun's words. "Young elf lord thinks I need a weapon. He also speaks as if I'm new to the world." Kannizan turned to Hirokuun and spoke a few words in the dialect that he judged as his people, due to the style of the tattoos. They roughly equaled to "Confidence and over confidenced are easy to get confused, eh?"

He took a seat on the edge of the bed, pulling his beard in frustration. Today was not quite what he'd expected.

Calvin was beginning to find their arguing and threats childish, which was humerous considering his age in comparison to them.

"Stop bickering. Kannizan, I need you to listen to me."

Kannizan turned his head with honest curiosity in his eyes.

"On my way back from my house, I stopped by the library. I looked up whatever information I could on this sword, but found nothing. But what really bothers me is what happened after that."

Calvin took a deep breath and went on, "As I was passing through the central strucutre, I lost my way and ended up in the adminnistration building. I happened past the Headmaster office and heard a conversation going on inside. Now normally, I wouldn't eavesdrop, but the...topic...of their discussion was rather startaling."

Both Kannizan and the Elf leaned in closer.

"There was man, whose voice i've not heard before. He can't be native. He was demanding the Headmaster for some...information. He never said more than that. The Headmaster said the person who knew this 'information' would not disclose it."

Kannizan nodded and the Elf shifted nervously.

"What scared me the most though...I think the other man knew I was out there."

"Did he attack you?" the Elf asked.

"No..." Calvin sook his head, "but...as if he knew I were there, he asked the Headmaster the name of the person who had what he wanted. I found it odd, considering he should already know...right?"

Kannizan nodded, his eyes focuses on Calvin.

"The Headmaster took a few moments....and then said my fathers name. My father knows something that this man wants...and he's missing...but there is no sign of him on the island at all."

Both the Elf and Kannizan looked shocked.

"Worse off, the man said he was prepared the burn the city by tommorrow at sundown should he not recieve what he was after."

"Did you go in lad?" Kannizan demanded.

"No, all I heard was this loud hissing noise, as if a sword just from the forge had been plunged in ice water. Then there was a flash...and the voice was gone..."

"What did you do?" The Elf grabbed Calvins collar.

"I ran back here, looking for one of you."

Kannizan stood up off the bed.

"Ye aren't pulling me beard, are ye?" Calvin shook his head. "In that case, we can't wait any longer. I knew there was a reason I brought this." Kannizan patted the pack on his shoulder. "We need to gather a small group. Elf, I need to you to go find anyone who you think can help us. Calvin, follow me. We're going to the headmasters office. I want to ask him some questions."

He pulled one handaxe from his belt. As he spun it around in his hand, he looked at the elf, who stood still for a second. "Move, Elf!"

"Kannizan! No! Think about this. The Headmaster has a clean record. And he's got the authority to make sure you never have a future anywhere else. If you break down his door and start drilling him with questions, he can just as quickly fire you and expel me as you did walk in. I know theres something fishy about all of this."

Calvin turned toward the Elf, who seemed very convinced what he was saying had some logic behind it, "But the best thing we can do now is take some time and get together anyone we'll need...should what I heard be true. We're going to get no where if we go your route...no offense." He aptted Kannizan on the shoulder.

Kannizan huffed. He'd helped raise the boy, so he had the stubbornness of a young dwarf. He knew he would get nowhere with this argument so he let it go. "Fine. We'll go yer way." He slid his axe back into his belt and looked around. "So what's the course of action?"

"Far as I can tell, we need to keep all of this under wraps. Only person I know enough to trust such secrets with is you," gestured toward Kannizan, at which point the elf shot him an annoyed glance.

"You," he turned around toward the elf, "are still a complete mystery to me. I have no diea what you do here, what your name is, and what your motivations are. But...you can obviously handle yourself, and at least have more wits than a normal Elf, no offense met."

He knew the elves were usually a very talkative society, but this one had remianed rather silent.

"The best WE can do is find people we trust. People capable of helping us when the time comes. As horrible as it may sound, the conviction in that mans voice assured me that we alone won't be able to stop him from doing what he wants to Drlva. If he doesn't get what he wants, we have to be ready for anything. We need a plan, and trustworthy people we can confide in."

Hirokuun smirked at Calvin's remark. "Yeah, I can handle myself, and I've got more wits than the others of my race. No offense taken. And by saying I'm a mystery, and you have no idea what I'm doing here... that's good. Because that's what I'm aiming for."

"As for a plan, why don't we go to Drlva, and warn the people ahead of time? They wouldn't believe us, but we could say we tried."

OOC: Well go find help, I am waiting.

"We can't go to Drlva immediately. Ye all may be in good shape, but ye're still youngens, not ready to travel in such haste. And even if we were to leave now, we wouldn't make it before 'im. No, our best bet is to gather up a group, and begin a slow march to Drlva. That way, after he has his way, we can sift through the ashes and start a resistance movement. I know ye don't like the idea of letting people die, but I learned during my tenure in the Tlyvarian army that it's the way things have to be sometimes." Kannizan began walking towards the door. "I shall be back, I have an idea of who to talk to. I owe her an apology."

With that, he set off down the corridor in siearch of Isilefeen.

Calvin was about to speak up when the burly old Dwarf husked out the door. He frowned, but to himself.

"The Dwarf doesn't know what he's doing..." The elf said, taking a catious glance toward the door as it slammed shut.

"That may be ture, but he's doing what he thinks is best. Way I see it, the best way we can tell the citizens is by rumor. More people show concern over rumors in this city than they do over facts." Calvin whirrled around from the window and sat down thoughtfully on his bedside chair.

"Did the man sat he was going to have help?"

Calvin scratched his chin, "No...but I cant imagine one man could burn an entire city."

"Could we," the Elf began. Clavin knew what he was thinking.

"It'd take too long. That man said he'd burn the city within the week. If we tried to send a message to the mainland it'd take at least four days. From there it's another six days ride in to Rhoste Citello. Thats not even considering all the screening that kind of message would take. Then we'd have to wait about a month for the proper garrison of troops to be sent."

Calvins eyes shot open. He suddenly realized that islands own Garrison wasn't even present. "The Drlva detacthment of the Tlyvarian Defense Group took leave last week to make it to Rhoste Citello for the annual Military Training Run. Their not here...all we've got is the small guard contingent posted at the school..."

Calvin realized at that moment there was no way they were saving the city. It was only a matter of getting out alive.

Kannizan was hustling through the hallway, trotting before he broke into an all out run. He was pleased to see his old bones still carried him just as well as the youthful members of the soon to be squad. As he rounded a corner, he nearly bumped into the lady he needed to see.

He was breathing hard, the only sign of his age he could see, and he said "I need ye te come with me. No time." The two of them took off towards his forge. His family had worked there for many generations, and every time a member was killed in battle, monuments were put in place. Calvin's sword reminded him of one. He also hoped to see the woman he told to assemble his class. He knew she was capable of defending herself, and this dwarf needed to know if she could be trusted. As they approached the forge, he asked for a moment of privacy. Shrugging, Isi turned away and stood on the stairwell. Kannizan moved towards the forge in the back, one that was never lit except during pivotal times in his families history. He recalled something his mother once told him. "When the time comes, insert the farthest torch into the farthest forge." He did so.

The forge lit, and a small drawer came out of the body. As he looked in, his face grew pale, and then wonder leaped in his eyes. He saw two handaxes, but when he picked them up, he knew they were fakes. Copies, made to prevent theives from gaining the true items. Inside was also a note, written in a code used only by certain Dwarven clans.

"Ye who sould receive these weapons, return the the place of your birth."

Kannizan studying the note thoroughly, and then asked for Isi to come back in. "We have a situation. I need yer trust on this. I've seen yer skill in archery. Also, I need to apologize for mistaking you for a student. You just seemed kind of young to me. Now, are ye willing to swear yer life upon your family and heritage to do the duty thrusted upon ye?"

***

The dock attendant wandered out onto the dock and lit his pipe. No ships were due to arrive soon anyway. Last ship they got a day ago was still docked in the harbor. His guess was it was some official representative from another country, probabaly trying to coax the headmaster at the academy into letting some more foreign students train there. Captain of the ship hand't even come out to register. The deck hand he'd sent out had told the Dock Master that the Captain was much to important to be spoken of in public.

Through the white smoke of his pipe, the dock attendant could make out the outline of a galleon bobbing offshore, heading right toward the harbor. He cursed to himself.

"Lenny! Look like we got another unsheculed arrival!"

"Blimey!" Lenny shouted back, "you s'ppose its got anythin' to do wit that ship thats moored in dock seven?"

As the ship drew nearer, the dock attendant could make out a black flag flying high above. Upon the flag was a lone golden eagle holding a single sword in its talons.

"Oi! Lenny! Looks like that boats Schlectan! They aint got no buisiness here!"

The dock master shuffled out of his cabin, "What are you two blighters yellin 'bout this ti-" He saw the ship and howled a curse word at the top of his lungs.

Both Lenny and the other dock attendant frowned.

"Bloody Schlectans better not be 'ere to cause no trouble!" the dock master shouted, "I'll be 'avin a word with there captain!"

Finally the ship was docked, but no one emerged from it. The dock master at last approached the craft in anger, and at that a lone man stepped off the gangway onto the dock, looking around haughtily.

"Might I ask what yer doin' on my docks, sir!" The dock master approached the man.

"I'm quite sorry," the other man said with a slight bite in his accent, "we were part of a merchant convoy heading down to Emeras Citello to transfer a shipment of goods and we got a bit ahead of the rest of our group in a storm. Unfortunatley, the Grand Marshall of our little fleed was aboard out ship, so they can't pass our ship up. I suppose their about a day behind us now."

"What are yah saying?" the dock master asked.

"Well, good sir," the man said, throwing a friendly arm around the dock master, "I'm afraid you'll have to play host to about six or seven more ships about this size by tommorow, at least until we're all regrouped."

The dock master scowled, until the man prduced a large bag of gold.

"This should suffice as docking payment for our craft, and then some."

Taking it greedily, the dockmaster gave a wide smile and let the man return to his ship, no questions asked.