As Serci and Tristana made their way through the empty city, it was mostly quite. Buzzing from insects could be heard every now and then, where Serci would stop until the buzzing was gone. But the pair had easy going through Endapano so far. The two had been tasked to search the city for any survivors after a wave of insects had breached the lines. They were dealt with by a small task force but stragglers and wounded insects still strayed city looking for anything that survived their attack. Yakul, Serci's trusted familiar trailed behind them, his nostriles flaying in annoyance in his participation. For the most part, it was an easy task, but tense, as the moment could turn at any time. Serci kept the mood light, asking Tristana questions and hearing her ramble. In truth, it calmed him to hear talk with out end. Through the shared connection with Angela, he could tell she was slightly annoyed at something, affecting Serci on the other side of the connection. Serci's mannerisms reflected this, hoping neither Tristana nor Yakul took it personally. 

Attempting to lighten the mood, taking his mind off the unknown annoyance, Serci spoke softly. "How goes your healing magic, Tristana of Canelux?" He asked, careening slender neck to show her a warm smile. He listened to his red headed companion as they passed an empty intersection between a vendor stalls and a black smith corner building, debris lay everwhere in the form of bricks and shattered glass. A quick glance revealed nothing of importance. However, Yakul's ears perked and stopped in his tracks. Catching his attention, Serci reached into his bag pulling out a crisp orange carrot. "What is it, Yakul. Do you sense something?" He asked, encouraging his companion with the bribe. Yakul took lead, fastening the pace of the party with a slow trot. Yakul lead the the two to a small house along a brick road. Shattered glass windows revealed nothing, but perhaps something was hidden from them. Serci turned to Tristana, a gentle smile on his face. "Would you like to take a look inside or continue further?" He asked, curious as to her anwser.

The day was as good as ever. Well except for the war. One needed to look past that sometimes in order to get a job properly done. Although Tristana was surprised when Serci asked her along onto this job. She was also very surprised when nobody seemed to bat an eye at this. Tristana was known only to a few people. Serci, Shiloh, Zanar, and a few others. Blending into the background and remaining hidden suited her more than getting into trouble and being involved in conversations she would be unable to keep up in. It was a surprise to her that nobody cared or questioned her ability. Especially since she had not had the chance to demonstrate them yet. Yet here she was. They had to be careful sometimes due to the buzzing enemies that lurked the city. Despite the danger, Serci made an effort to keep up conversation which Tristana could appreciate. She answered his questions with sometimes rambles and sometimes short simple answers. Whenever a question came to the topic of her family or her home, she would respond in short simple answers such as, my home is where I go or I don't know my parents well. But she never really answered those questions in detailed. She trusted Serci but when it came to those topics she quickly moved onto the next one. She also did not want to dampen the mood with silly depressing stories that only she needs to know. Tristana could tell that Serci was slightly annoyed and assumed it was because of the bugs. Then Serci asked her about her healing magic.


"Oh, that is going well." She whispered, "I've been going to lessons for magic. I met this one wizard in Adeluna and who has given me lessons whenever I stop by the city. So far I've learned a Greater Heal spell and an Arch Protection Spell along with a few others."


Earlier that day, when she first learned of the mission, somebody at the base had given her a mana potion. As a result she had a little extra mana. Not much but it did make her feel a little bit better. She also had a small bag on her back in order to gather any materials that would be useful and hold some of her potions. After all every little resource did help. Tristana had seen his warm smile and was glad to see that he was at least somewhat cheerful. Tristana herself had a small smile. They passed damaged vendor stalls and one blacksmith corner building that had scattered glass and wood. Tristana only could wonder how the city would be able to repair all this damage that had been dealt during the attack. To call it a pain would be an understatement. She did know that foreign merchants would be able to profit off of the city's need for repair but everybody else would have to suffer for it. As if they had not suffered enough already.


Tristana moved that thought from her mind and focused on the mission at hand. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of life. Tristana noticed something in some of the wreckage. A small stuffed rabbit that clearly once belonged to a child. Tristana continued to smile and quickly picked it up before Serci could notice it. She placed it in her bag. The last thing she wanted was to let him see it and become upset. He was already upset, although he did his best to try to hide it. Suddenly Yakul stopped walking with them and seemed to have spotted something. They both walked over to the small house. Tristana noticed that the door was still up and working although the glass window was damaged. The door seemed to have been scratched yet it was still standing. It was odd.

"Lets look inside. I don't want to miss anybody." Tristana said.

She walked over to the door and attempted to open it quietly. The door was locked and was made up of thicker material than most doors. Tristana then went over to the window. Since it was almost all destroyed, entering through the window was not much of a difficulty. However Tristana knew better than to step further on her own. Even if she was hoping for some sort of survivor she still had to be careful. It could just as easily been a bug or some other enemy. Tristana looked back to Serci and waited for him to come with her. 

Serci's smile faltered slightly when Tristana mentioned a mage who taught her magic in Adeluna. Adeluna was Serci's home town, and while Serci did not like to brag, he was one of the most powerful healers, next to Angela, ofcourse. What sort of exception this unknown mage had that qualified him to teach Tristana over Serci? It wasnt like Serci to be jelous, and he was certainly pleased that Tristana was making friends, but something about the opportunity and circumstance perturbed him. Shaking the distraction from his thoughts, he watched with a silent chuckle as Tristana awkardly climbed over an empty window and into the house. Making his way to the door, he waved his hand over the door knob, flashes of the lock system appeared in his mind. Silently, he placed his hand  beneath the knob as tumblers disengaged with a series of quite clicks and a muffled thud. Serci made his way into the dark inside of the house with a warm smile as he gently chided Tristana. "The easiest option is not always the first, dear friend." He chortled softly.

 Serci turned to hold the door for Yakul, who shook his head violently, kicking his hooves in protest. A soft chuckle escped his lips at his friends behaviour before turning to Tristana with an open expression. A simple look around the tattered room showed they were in a living room with a quant kitchen. A plain wooden table lay in the middle of the room, broken glass and debri scattered around the floor. Three rooms lay infront of them, to the left, and to the right. His left hand dropped to his right hip, fingers closing around the ornate hilt of his sword as he carefully made his to ajar door to the left. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he launched into the door with his left shoulder, unsheathing his sword as burst into the room. He quickly scanned the new area, a bedroom, in a matter of a fraction of a second before deducing the room was clear. In fact, the loud thud after he collided with the door shouldve drawn out any insects, if any, that were hidden. He called out to Tristana, "The house is safe. Feel free to explore at your own leisure."

Serci walked to an end table next to a messy bed he rummaged through the contents of the drawer. There was nothing of particular intreast, papers and quill pens, and the like. A quick glance in the closet revealled decorative clothes and a ornate strung bow. The whole experiance was quite sobering, walking among this empty house, that clearly was someones home merely days before. Walking into main room they had entered, Serci called out once again, "Be sure to stock up on supplies, if you find any. They will just perish if theyre not used, and I dont think owner will mind, considering the fact it helps the cause." Searching for Tristana he asked, "Have you found anything intreasting, Tristana?" He called out with curiosity.

"Fair point." Tristana agreed. 

She could have just let Serci unlock it or use magic to unlock it herself. Although to be honest, she was trying to save up how much magic she used. And whenever she used magic she became…well…more intense. Tristana wished she had just let him go first and save herself the embarrassment. This would be another mistake to add to the bucket. At least she didn't try to break the door down with her shoulder or anything. Tristana looked back to see if Yakul would come join them. She couldn't blame Yakul for not wanting to come in. He would probably have a difficult time trying to avoid stepping on glass, wood, or anything else that was on the floor that might damage him. She took a good look at the room for the first time. A simple wooden table had been knocked onto it's side but still laid down in the middle of the room. It looked as if it had been set up for a meal but a something came in and disrupted all of that. Broken blue plates and silverware were scattered on the floor. The walls had been scratched and torn as if a monster had been in here used it as one giant scratching post. Tristana got out her bo staff in case she needed it for self defense. She suddenly heard a slam of one of the doors and jumped at the noise. It was just Serci being incredibly loud.

Well, at least they knew there weren't any enemies residing here. Since Serci took the door on the left, Tristana decided to take the room on the right. The right door room had been torn at and had claw marks on them. She gently pushed at the door with her fingertips and the door opened willingly. It was one of the few rooms that were not locked. Inside the room was a mess. But there was something even more disturbing than that. It was a child's bedroom. The bed itself was small and would only fit a small person. A shelf had been knocked down and at the moment was propped up against the wall on it's side. All the books were thrown about. They were fairytale books and books meant for education. The small window looking into the room was destroyed and the remaining glass was all over the floor. A picture of a girl and two parents on the wall had been scratched at and destroyed. The only reason why Tristana was able to tell at all what it had been, was the fact that the little girl's face remained. Her parent's though had been utterly destroyed in the picture.

Tristana noticed something extremely troubling on the ground. There were two long and wide streaks of dried blood leading away to the window. As if something bleeding had been dragged out of the room through the window. As Tristana stepped further into the room, she could hear something. A small noise that could barely be heard if one wasn't listening. She stopped moving and listened further. It was the sound of a tiny sob in the part of the room where the bookshelf was propped up against the wall. Carefully Tristana walked over to the bookshelf to investigate. She got on her hands and knees then peered into the space between the bookshelf and the wall. Two small eyes stared back at her. It was the little girl from the picture. The one who had most likely lived in this room before the attack. The little girl had wild black bushy hair and dark green eyes. Her clothing was tattered and she was holding her knees to her chest looking at Tristana with fear. 

"Hey, I'm Tristana. What's your name?" She said with a smile. 

It was obvious that the child would not open up to Tristana if she didn't act at least a little friendly. But unfortunately the friendly attitude did not work. The girl remained silent and did not come out of her hiding spot.  Suddenly Tristana had an idea. She grabbed that toy she had found earlier and held it out to the girl. That seemed to get her attention and made her look somewhat better. 

"Is this yours?" Tristana asked. 

Finally the girl decided to speak. 

"No. It's my friend's." The girl responded. 

"Well, would you mind holding onto it for a while? I'm sure your friend misses it dearly and wouldn't want anything to happen to it." Tristana said holding the dog doll out to the little girl. 

The girl took the dog doll and snuggled it. 

"Now if we want to take care of the doll properly we must get it out of here." Tristana began, "Would you be willing to come with me to do that?"

"There are bugs out there. I don't want to get dragged." The girl said fearfully. 

"I promise, we won't let them get to you. But if you stay here we can't promise that." Tristana explained. 

The girl still held onto her dog doll and crawled out to Tristana. Tristana took the girl into her arms and picked her up. Luckily the girl was not too heavy. Although that could have been because she seemed to be not getting enough food. She then heard the sound of Serci's voice and walked over to him, carrying the little girl. 

"I think I might have found something." She responded, "It seems that she had been hiding behind one of the bookshelves. I wouldn't suggest going in there though." 

She mostly did not suggest that since the image itself was rather disturbing. It was clear what had happened though. The only thing that Tristana didn't know was whether or not the child had seen all of this. But it seemed like the girl had. Tristana hoped that they could get out of there quickly before any bugs arrived. 

A sense of relief washed over Serci as he saw Tristana round the corner with a child in her arms. He beamed an excellent smile, walking towards the pair with haste. The child was covered im cuts and bruises, mostly from debris and glass. Fear ran wild in the childs eyes, as she clenched on tightily to Tristana. Serci grinned, bending at his knees so he was eye level with the child. Serco cooed for a few seconds, calming down the child. "We are gonna take you back to the camp where everybody is. I am sure someone is looking for you there." He said gently, placing a hand on a handful of cuts on the childs face. The area around Serci's hands began to glow an irridecent green as Serci applied a light healing treatment. When he withdrew, the child's cuts had diminished to thin red lines, or no longer there altogether. Giving the child and Tristana a reassuring smile, scanning the outside town for a plan of retreat.

 Serci listened to Tristana with a sense of servitude when she mentioned with reserve the room in the back she found the child in. Something she saw had bothered her. With out hesitation, Serci pushed his way past her and the child, and into the room she had come from. Serci observed the room, the bloody streaks leading out the window, the tossed over furniture and broken glass. Serci took it all in, as he walked out the door and put a hand on Tristana. "You will never have to bear any burden alone with me, Tristana." He said, solemnly, taking the child from her arms. Serci's warm manner and feminine appearance gave off a "motherly" atmosphere that softened children up to him. He was easily able to hoist the child up on his hip, giving Tristana a confident nod. "As Champion of Life, I feel qualified enough to say Life isn't always pretty, but you have people to lean on when it gets rough." He paused to push child up more, speaking softly. "Never feel alone when you are with me, Tristana."

 Taking his eyes off her vibrant red hair, and freckled face, Serci stepped out the door, taking the child to Yakul. Serci heard the audible inahle of excitement at the childs awe of the massive dear,  bowing its head so the child could sit on its back. Carefully, placing the child on the back, he got eye level with her, talking slowly so the child could understand. "Hang on tight, little one. Will be at camp soon." He gave the child a smile and made his way to Tristana, taking on a more serious tone. "Do you need a minute?" He asked, concered about her well being. The pair had been been searching all morning, and after the macrbe scene she found, it was amazing she was still functioning. "We can take a break, if you want." He suggested, with an assuring nod of his head, his golden hair falling over his eyes. A feminine hand ran through his hair, tucking it neatly behind his ear. "If you are up for it, we can make our way back?" He added, giving her time to respond. "We can head strait for camp, but insect activity is pretty dangerous. It'll take longer, but we could go through city and it might be safer." He reported. Looking in her eyes, he asked, "What do you suggest, Tristana?"

Tristana could see the relief on Serci’s face and was somewhat surprised. They were in a war zone where the enemy could strike at any moment so it made sense that he would want her to be alive and well. However she did not expect such an expression of worry for her on his face. Or at least not that strong. But Tristana moved her mind away from that and focused instead on the child in her arms. She had no doubt that Serci would be able to get the girl to warm up quickly to him. There was something about him that always seemed to be comforting and kind. It only took a few moments for Serci to heal up the child’s cuts and injuries. Tristana was rather impressed by how he was able to heal so quickly. Then again he was the Champion of the Goddess of Life. It was likely to be a requirement of the job.

Tristana quickly regretted mentioning the room at all. When Serci moved past her to the room she didn’t bother going after him. If she had tried it would have been making it into a bigger deal than she wanted it to be. Her concern was more for the child. For the one who was alive rather than for the ones who were already gone. It may have seemed cruel or apathetic but their problems, if they had any, were over fairly quickly. The child who would have to live with her parents’ deaths was the one who would suffer more. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder which made her tense up and almost take in a breath. As if she was expecting something. An old habit. But then she realized it was just Serci coming back from the room. When Serci began talking to her about what she had seen, Tristana was surprised. She had not expected him to respond in that way. It was nice to hear him say such things and offer support. She did not hear those type of kind words often and she appreciated them. Even though he was offering to be someone to lean on, she did not want to give him more than what he could handle.

He would probably never admit it but Tristana could assume that he had heavy burdens of his own. Especially after hearing the way that he described life. Her need to protect others made her want to protect Serci as well. Which was rather ironic considering that he was a champion and most likely had the highest protection on his own. Still he needed mental protection along with physical protection. Tristana would protect him from the events that weren’t necessary for him to see. Besides, she had a way to make it so that these disturbing sights would be easier to handle. Her way was to forget. To let the day to day life move her forwards. To keep looking ahead and to never look behind. It didn’t always work but letting herself focus in the moment and to not look behind, well it worked for her so far. All these different thoughts flooded her mind at once as she searched for the words to explain them. The right words would not come. Tristana opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. Instead of speaking she simply nodded with a smile. She watched as Serci put the child on his back. Her hand subconsciously reached up to her scar on her face and traced along the line that seperated the healthy skin and the scar itself. When Serci looked back to her she dropped her hand as fast as she could.

“No, I’m fine.” Tristana said with a comforting smile, “Let’s head back quickly.”

She then listened to his suggestion of the plan. Tristana resisted the urge to reach up and put his fine golden hair back into place. She assumed that she just prefered hair being in its proper place.

“Let’s take the route through the city.” Tristana said, “We will be able to keep an eye out for any other survivors and it will be the safest option for the girl. Just in case things become difficult, I have a safe passage spell that will let me teleport her somewhere safe if need be.”

That way the little girl wouldn’t end up as a weak point or as a possible hostage. Not to mention she would be safe. Tristana would perform the spell now but she didn’t want to unless they had to. What if there was a survivor who couldn’t walk and they couldn’t carry? Safe passage would be a way to transport those who needed it the most. And there were only so many times she could use the spell. Tristana then headed out the door of the house and began to walk in the direction that they were supposed to go.