Into the Wolf's Den

No matter how many times he had done so, Mathis could never get used to the feel of coming to a new country. Alrest was a respectable place, without a doubt, but Fiore held more challenges and tribulations to hone his power. One of the more foreign concepts to him was that of "Wizard Guilds," which seemed similar enough to the fighting lodges of his homeland, but there was an alleged air of familial sense in these guilds as opposed to the lodges. Asking around the few inns and marketplaces that he traveled to, one of the most recommended guilds was that of Silver Wolf, out in the Phoenix Mountains. Having now known this, he left from the port of Hargeon to a small village at the foot of the mountains. The village would often be the last stop before people travel towards the guild, which itself was high in the mountains. As he waited within the inn the day before his travel, he noticed a woman who seemed to be keen on joining Silver Wolf, much as Mathis himself had idealized. Such ambitions generally were none of his concern, but she was of particular interest from her was the large weapon she held with her. In a sense, he saw parallels to his own weapon, Monado, but there were yet obvious differences.

The woman had left before Mathis himself had gone, though he thought it best to keep her in sight as best as possible during the trek up the mountain. He did not know the origins of this woman, but he was well adept to the cold and the mountains from the Isle of Ittria within Alrest. Donning his mask to prevent the snow from entering his eyes, he would make his way up the mountain, the whipping winds and blizzards being of little concern to the swordsman. He had been travelling for nearly three hours when he noticed the woman begin to slow down. Seeing this, Mathis himself picked up his own pace, wishing to ensure that the woman was in able condition. After seeing her legs fall beneath her, he quickened his gait once more.

"Are you in fit condition?" he asked, reaching the girl. He found her unable to respond, where he sighed and took actions into his own hands. Carefully laying a hand on her own weapon, he slung it across his shoulder as he lifted the girl up, slinging her across his shoulders in a fireman's carry. He apologized quietly to himself for the action, but he had deemed it a necessary action for her own safety. The blizzard seemed to be picking up, and being unable to walk would spell certain death, even for those adept to such conditions. Gracefully balancing his weight so as to not break the snow, he continued his path towards the halls of Silver Wolf. She, and thus by extension Mathis, had gone off the easiest path towards the guild hall, but it was little matter for the swordsman. He had mapped within his mind where he would be, even despite the faintest glint of a magic power present in the distance.

Such a journey in the blizzard continued for another half hour yet, until he finally reached a small crevasse with a large wolf guarding the path. Such a thing would most likely assume that he was nearing the guild of Silver Wolf, and he was prepared to set down the girl and her weapon in the case of a trial by strength. To his surprise and relief, it did not do such a thing, rather bowing a head as it stepped out of the mouth of the canyon, revealing a wall of blizzard-force snow. Bursting through, he found himself confronted with the fortress-like structure of Silver Wolf, though there was little time for gawking. He stepped through the doors, gently setting the woman and her weapon down. He then called out. "Apologies for the intrusion, but I believe we are in dire need of medical attention, or at the very least heat for this woman." He removed his mask, clipping it onto his waist underneath his coat. Hoping to do at least a little bit of aid, he summoned forth his primary Blade, Pyra, who kneeled beside the woman, holding a small fire in her hand to warm her up, even if only slightly.

---

WC: 730

-Inside Silver Wolf Guild Hall, foyer-

Wearing her green, white, and gold outfit with Argent Gloves, Leona was reviewing a letter from home written by her mother. Leona had held her breath when opening the letter because she feared that her home village had suffered yet another setback like another bandit raid killing off or frightening away the new villagers, but that was not the case. For once it was all good news from Nebdoui.

A steady trickle of new villagers was arriving in Nebdoui and were breathing new life into the previously moribund village. The newcomers brought with them much-needed skills like farming, animal care, blacksmithing, and even a few weavers. What was more, more than a few of Nebdoui's original villagers who had left for the Tri-Council Cities had returned because they could not quite adapt to city life and had heard about Nebdoui's gradually returning vitality. While Leona was pleased to read that, the next news was less than pleasing.

The royal army had recently begun pushing back against Desierto's outlaws, particularly The Golden Band and the Crimson Sashes. That unexpected boon had the side effect of giving Nebdoui and its allies a respite from outlaw attacks, but Leona was unsure what price she would have to pay for the service. Perhaps she would have to run a few jobs for the sultan to repay him for his generosity; she would find all the artifacts he wanted if it meant that Nebdoui and its allies survived. The next news was better but still meant that the Wizard Saint would have to put in some long hours to get what she wanted, which was help taking and keeping the iron mine vital to Nebdoui's continued survival.

Chief Elijah and Joshua had been canvassing the allied villages of Berreb, Regudo, and the Blue Sky Clan for support for an offensive to retake the mine and had reached a compromise. If Leona were to aid the villages with their problems, they could spare enough men for a combined offensive against the outlaws occupying the iron mine. While that was not the resounding good news Leona had wanted to read, she could live with it because once it was taken the iron mine would be in their control and not the sultan's.

Leona carefully folded and put away the letter just as the front door to the guild hall opened and a muscular man in a colorful mask carried in a dark-skinned young woman. The man was requesting medical attention for the woman in his arms. Leona quickly got the attention of a young female guild staff member and sent her to get medical attention for the new arrival before it was too late. Leona herself strode towards the pair and introduced herself to them.

"I'm Leona Jarnefeldt, Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf. Help is on the way." Leona informed the pair that they were in good hands. They would be safe here because few people were foolish enough to attack the home of a Wizard Saint.

[Post Word Count: 506]
[Leona's Word Count: 506]

The woman Mathis had met in the inn seemed to be all fine, and her sigh of relief towards seeing her metallic device indicated to him that it was fortunate that he was careful with it. Of course, now there were two in front of him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Jarnefeldt-sama. I am Mathis Lora. I am a foreigner to this land, but I have heard many things of your guild and it would be my utmost pleasure if I were to join. I may not be an adept in magic, but I have often been considered a master swordsman, though I am still capable of feats of magic. It is...uncommon in my homeland to use magic, but perhaps it is a great benefit to Fiore."

As the girl slowly regained consciousness, Mathis nodded, and Pyra disappeared into the ether. Her manner of speaking was still foreign to the swordsman, but he was still capable of understanding what she had meant from her informal language. "Please, think nothing of this action. I was merely a traveler that saw someone in need and decided to help." After saying this, his face grew cross. "Although I shall admit that I am not the most fond of such...informal language. It may not seem like much, but even a word such as 'dude' would, in my homeland, be means for indictment. Ah, but do not fret. I am not fully ingrained into those ways of my people."

He turned his attention to the guildmaster. "I must thank you once again for offering your assistance and safe haven to this girl and myself. Such a climate is not fit for many. It is my apologies that this may some...interrogative, but may I be so bold as to ask for what amenities this hall has? It would be reasonable to assume that a cafeteria and dormitories are present within the hall, but I am merely curious as to what other features this guild has. Training halls, places of meditation, smithies, sanctuaries, other such recreational or disciplinary amenities. It is truly selfish of me to ask of this, but I am but a humble soldier that requests hours of training." An idea crossed his mind for a moment. "And yet again, I request something impetuous, but of the wolves. I would presume that they serve as guardians of a sort, correct? It is bold of me to ask, but should I need to train, it would be of great fortune to have such creatures to hone my skills with."

He bowed in apology. "I humbly apologize for the questions I have posed to you, Jarnefeldt-sama." He then turned to the woman he had found in the blizzard. "It would simply be improper if I did not exchange introductions with you. Perhaps you heard, but I am Mathis Lora. I would humbly request your name as well."

---

WC: 482
TWC: 1212

Leona was more than a little concerned that the dark-skinned woman had arrived too late to be rescued, but as time went on and she got warmer the person gradually came to the blonde was relieved. Given time and proper care the woman would recover. Leona listened to the muscular masked stranger introduce himself as Mathis Lora and state that while he was not a talented mage, he was a talented swordsman. He then added that magic was uncommon in his homeland, which was perhaps why he was primarily a swordsman. Since Mathis had a magic signature, the potential was there... it just needed nurturing to develop to the point he could claim magic as a skill of his.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mathis." Leona led off with her answers to his questions. She then began listing the amenities that Silver Wolf had to offer for both Mathis' benefit and that of the dark-skinned woman he had brought to the guild hall. She was not sure if Silver Wolf had all of the "amenities" a man with spartan tastes required, but she would list them off and see what resonated with him. Since he stated that he was a soldier, the forge would surely be a hit, as would the private room for each guild member.

"We have a guild library, a guild cafeteria, hot springs, a forge for blacksmiths, a special room for magical experimentation, private rooms for each guild member, and other features." Leona listed off the amenities that she knew off the top of her head. Those were the ones that she knew of... Silver Wolf was still in the process of growing and future features would likely be added for the benefit of its members. She needed to get together with her Aces and try to come up with more ideas, but the state of her home village competed for her attention. Nebdoui was counting on her to help the allied villages with their problems so that enough manpower could be scraped together for an all-or-nothing bid to take the iron mine Nebdoui needed for survival.

"Yes. The wolves you saw are guardians, Mathis. They're a first line of defense for the guild hall against anyone who wants to do us harm." Leona confirmed what Mathis thought. The wolves were meant to be the guild's first line of defense... they were intended to either fight or mislead invaders before they reached the guild hall. If the hall was breached the Guild Aces were the next line of defense. If the Guild Aces did not succeed the Guild Master or Guild Mistress was the final line of defense. Leona had worked to become as strong as she was to ward off attackers, but she worried that it might not be enough.

If Leona herself ever had to take to the field to fight for the survival of Silver Wolf she would be dealing with a grave threat like an attack by an entire Dark Guild. If things were especially dire she would be dealing with a Dark Guild alliance formed specifically to counter her. Since she was a Wizard Saint and one of the strongest Independent mages in existence, her power was far beyond the average Dark mage. Any attacker would need to marshal their entire force to stand a chance of winning because she could handle small armies by herself... in theory. Leona hoped that such a dark day would never come to Silver Wolf Guild Hall.

Leona turned her thoughts away from such dire scenarios and refocused on Mathis, who had indicated an interest in joining Silver Wolf.

"So you'd like to join Silver Wolf? I can make that happen if you want, but would you like to hear more about the guild first?" Leona asked Mathis, but the dark-skinned woman was welcome to join too. Drawing on the experience of past inductions, Leona took it slow and offered Mathis a chance to find out more about Silver Wolf before committing to the guild.

[Post Word Count: 671]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,177]

Mathis gave a small smirk at the girl's confidence in her own work. "I do not doubt your desire for greatness, Ella-san. However, the greatest workings of a strong weapon is they who wields it. I have little desire to be a arrogant or rude, but it is unbecoming of one with so much desire for their weapon to be strong if they cannot even last in the snows of the mountains. I have faith that, in time, you will reach that point, but that is some ways off. And I likewise apologize if I have an air of arrogance about myself, but if there is a strength of weapon at hand, then I would be of the opinion that my own blade, Monado, bears strength enough to be called 'the world's greatest weapon.' But that is of little matter. It took myself time to reach my current strength, rest assured."

He bowed in apology, both to Leona and Ella. "Forgive my ramblings. Though there is a reluctance to admit it, entering a new country brings a certain share of excitement to it that not even I can ignore. No matter how many countries and how many continents I travel to, none of them have managed to escape the awe of coming to one anew, and Fiore is no different."

Now addressing Leona explicitly, he spoke in honesty. "The amenities you have spoken of are certainly beneficial, though I must admit that I bear little knowledge of the purposes of this guild, or guilds in general. My home did not have such places, nor did many of the other lands I have visited. I would certainly enjoy the entrance into such a place as this, though knowledge is always beneficial to one's own goals."

He bowed, waiting for possible responses from anyone. Regardless of the situation at hand, he could not track his thoughts away from how different Fiore had been to any of the other countries he visited, let alone his own homeland. In many other lands, he was the strongest fighter in their borders, even from the beginning of his stay in the country, but here he could tell that things were different. He felt a slight buzz in the back of his brain, little more than a vibration, but it was a feeling unlike any he had experienced ever, save for his encounter with the behemoth in one of the ruined lands of his home. It meant that the woman standing before him, the one called Leona, was strong. The behemoth posed a great challenge for Mathis, one that he barely escaped from with the last two other remnants of his now-fallen country. While it did not seem as if Leona was as powerful as the behemoth, the fact that one person bore so much power was astounding to the swordsman. A small smirk crept across his face as he realized the nature of Fiore and the challenges it would bring.

---

WC: 494
TWC: 1706

Leona stood in silence and quickly assessed the two applicants for membership in Silver Wolf. She was glad to see that Ella was not suffering any ill effects from exposure to the elements; in fact she was moving about and speaking for herself without any difficulty whatsoever. She was even able to heft a rather large weapon of her own making named "Shifty" without breaking a sweat.

Ella had expressed an interest in joining Silver Wolf and she was certainly welcome to join because Silver Wolf needed all the help it could get. Leona's own technical knowledge was certainly lacking; her areas of "expertise" was in Court Heiromesh and a barebones blacksmithing background, both of which she planned to expand upon soon. Once she obtained the Muserian language tome from Kemal she would learn Ancient Muserian so that she could decipher what was written on the surface of the Muserian Focusing Stone. Maybe the writing told from where it came... or maybe it was a warning to the mage who once used it in a doomed effort to fend off King Saarghon's conquest of Museria.

All Leona knew of the stone was that it was a special object given to Museria's best mages that enhanced their spell power. She was fairly certain that there had to be some drawback; otherwise every mage in Museria would have been given one to defend the kingdom. Leona's attention turned from that project back to Ella and Mathis, who were waiting for answers.

"OK Ella, if you want to join us your help is certainly welcome. We need all the help we can get in the technology department." Leona assured the dark-skinned young woman that there was indeed a place in Silver Wolf for someone of her talents. The technology department was somewhat behind the magical research department... that was something that Leona would have to remedy. She would have to begin keeping an ear out for anything that could lead to technology that the guild could study and learn to re-create, be it weapons, gadgets, or even robots. Leona would also have to finish her study of the Aggression Pack and Muserian Focusing Stone so that the guild could have a few solid achievements to its name. But first she turned her attention to Mathis, who had been waiting patiently.

"Silver Wolf's purpose is magical research and technological development with a secondary focus on exploration intended to find items for our research. There are only a couple of rules for membership... don't betray your guildmates and don't do anything that would hurt the guild's public image. Otherwise you're free to take jobs that you want, even if they're not related to the guild mission." Leona informed Ella and Mathis of what Silver Wolf was all about. If they wanted more information all they had to do was ask and Leona would provide it. However, she would let them ask before volunteering anything else because she did not want to come on too strong and chase them away. She also did not want to overwhelm them with information.

[Post Word Count: 514]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,691]