A Burning Web. (Private Ardere & Inerta.)

Tuning the bass guitar, Ardere's pale fingers slid across the cords. It was slightly out of tune, but the turn of a few knobs and a keen ear would fix that. After it was tuned, the fire mage found himself sitting on a bench, strumming his bass. He enjoyed the rough feeling on his smooth fingers, and the sound that emitted was quite lovely. It was not lie a guitar, the sound was much lower than that. Closing his eyes, he let the music flow out of him. It had been a long time since he played the bass, being a guild master took away most of his hobby time. Letting out a heavy breath, he played an old song he learned back in Rose Garden during his first few lessons. The sound of an epic instrumental song echoed through Mountain Village. He drew a few intrigued eyes, but most of them were distracted for some reason. He was not insulted, but it was obvious something else had grabbed the attention of these villagers. Standing up, he spotted an interesting looking lady walking down the street. She was rather pretty, but the rest of her body reminded him of something he had seen during his exam. A woman with the body of a spider. The last one he met tried to eat him, but this one seemed to just be minding her own business. It was nothing to be concerned of, he had met and made friends with many nonhuman people.

It was when the men appeared in front of her, that he grew concerned. Placing his bass into it's case and locking it, a majestic bird would soar through the air to pick it up. Celica was very good at timing these things, as Ardere was interested to see what was happening. Walking closer to the scene, his slayer senses allowed him to hear the entire conversation. His sword Clarent was still on his back, as usual. His long flowing cloak flapping in the wind, it was quite the predicament. They had seemed to just pop out of blue, with their swords. Yare yare. That's not good. He was actually kind of offended they called her a monster for no reason. He had seen monsters, they were evil men and women. This young spider-like lady did not mean any harm, from what he could tell. People had a tendency to freak out over things they did not understand, and in a small village like this it was expected. They drew their swords, coming at her. Kuzo. You guys are gonna get yourselves... Sighing, he gritted his teeth. ...killed. They could not hear him as he was far away, but his sigh was quite heavy. He understood she was defending herself, but damn. She had taken their heads right off. This was not good. Rushing over to the spider lady, he ran his fingers through his hair. Jeesh, this is a mess. You might wanna get out of here before the town guard comes, or else you'll have half an army after you. I can show you a way out, but you've got to follow my lead. The only way to solve this peacefully was to get her the Hell out of here before it escalated. Before either she killed more people, or they killed her. Killing men on the streets was sure to get her executed. Even if she was defending herself against armed men, the people would just view her as some monster. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but it was his town and his home. He could help prevent something like that from occurring. He did not pay much attention to her appearance, and it was obvious he was not gawking or distracted. The fire mage had seen many things, and not much was surprising or frightening anymore.

Dashing through the city with the spider lady on his tail, Ardere lead her out of the city. Luckily most of the townspeople were off calling the city militia or the Rune Knights, and they did not see where they left. Even so, he had no doubt they would pursue. He could attempt to speak with them, and as the guardian of this town it might work, but relations would still be strained. He had no choice but to get the Hell out of here with her, before returning. Alright th- He was drug into the shadow, yanked like a rag doll. Luckily he was quite the sturdy mage, and received no injuries or sprains even being pulled with such force. Rubbing his head as the two reemerged, the guild master let out a sigh. It's alright, at least you're safe now. Rubbing the back of his neck, he arched a brow at her inquiry. Looking down at himself, he had forgotten how strong he had become. After his fight with Heero, such power lurked inside of his body. The stronger he became, the easier it was for people to tell. His magic power was flowing with such intensity, and he had not realized. Looking up to her, he slid a leather cover hand onto his hip. I am, actually. Of the guild that sits on the mountain tops above this city, Infinity Hydra. Elijah, he recognized that name. It was the most recent guild master of Basilisk Fang. Was she a member, or a former member? He was unsure until she pointed to the tattoo, but seeing as she wasn't necessarily harming him he would overlook such trivial matters at this point. It was quite faded. So a former member then? You don't seem so bad, other than you kinda ganked those guys back there. Then again you don't go waving your swords at people. Yare yare daze. Sighing with his native tongue, he looked towards her.

Spotting the large spider, he did not move. He was not afraid of spiders, nor did he dislike them, but some could have a deadly bite. Fortunately with his fire body, he could completely avoid toxins being transferred into his blood. At least, the natural ones. Magical ones would likely still work to the fullest extent. Tapping his finger against his pale strong chin, Ardere found it kind of cute how she squealed when her spider child arrived. She was a mother, a mother of spiders. He had met quite the interesting woman today, but he could empathize with her. I know what you mean. I have a little girl myself. It was common knowledge that even the Fire King lit up around his daughter Malva, she was his pride and joy. The only other person who made hi mas happy was his love Sayrn, but his daughter certainly brought out feelings he could not describe. It was nice to meet someone who understood, but the large cocoon her child was dragging was a bit concerning. Hopefully she did not look to him for food, or any of her children. He had just begun to warm up to her, and now he felt a bit awkward. While he was not too keen on killing anyone with children, he would turn her to ash if she tried to harm him. Fortunately, he did not see this as very likely. It's Ardere, actually. And yours? Running fingers through his thick brown locks, he was not intimidated by her size or her stature. If you need someone to escort you home, I can do so. The villagers might be tracking you, so be careful. It was hard to discern whether or not she was a creature of darkness like the kind he swore to kill, but she had done nothing to warrant and attack yet. The only thing he could do was be wary, and not act rash. Perhaps she could turn into an ally of sorts, seeing as she appeared to be from around here.