Fate - First Reply Another Test

[Noel]

At least Edric was ok. Apparently he was confident enough that he was willing to lead the way forward.

Beyond his confidence and sudden boon of power there was something else about him. Ed was reassuring her. Trying to settle Noel's nerves about her repressed magic. Which was, probably, a good call given her increasing heart palpitations.

None of it sat right for her though. Particularly when he focused his gaze on hers and guaranteed they'd make it home.

"Ok," she started before a brow furrowed, "what the fuck is actually going on?" This wasn't the time nor place but if she was going to be reliant upon the other initiate to get out of here she needed to know if he was actually on her side.

"You aren't acting like yourself."

Maybe it was guilt? He'd gotten them both into this mess. Even if she had, briefly, considering thanking him for getting them out of service to Sene all of this was his fault. Surely he knew it as well. But of every student at the academy Noel figured that Edric would be the absolute last person to recognize when he was wrong. To acknowledge when he was responsible for something.

She shook her head in exhaustion and her hand push him forward, "forget it, let's just go." There'd be a more proper time to psycho-analyze the other apprentice.

 

[Edric]

Edric frowned, his lips snapping shut as she denied him to opportunity to explain.

He knew well what others at the Academy thought of him, what they considered him to be. Most of the time they weren't wrong either. Edric was arrogant, selfish, and generally didn't seem to give much of a shit about anything at all.

It was an image that he had drawn around himself for years. A weight that he carried on purpose.

Edric had made himself strong. He had made it so there was never a reason to rely on anyone else. That had been his goal since his first day at the Academy. Whether it be Proctors, Peers, or Parents. Edric did not need anyone.

At least, that was what he'd always told himself. "I am who I am."

"I'm not Jaxan." His voice broke over hers as she shoved her hand into his chest in an attempt to hustle him out the door. Edric's palm closing over Noel's hand as his eyes locked onto hers. "I'm not one of Liliana's little goons."

As much as the bitch wanted him to be. "I don't want you dead. I don't want you gone."

He didn't break his gaze as he let her hand go.

"So stay the fuck behind me." Edric said as he turned around, his boot slamming against the steel door of their cell. It crashed loudly, as rusty hinges gave way. The creak of splintering iron ringing through the dungeon.

 

[Noel]

Edric seemed genuinely upset with Noel. "I know you aren't Jax-," she began to cut in until the oak-haired initiate grabbed her hand and continued speaking.

Her lips stayed close until he was finished. His gaze far more intense than she'd ever seen before. Not even when they'd sparred did he look so incredibly focused and sincere. This was a side of him that Noel didn't realize existed. She wondered if any of the other apprentices at the academy had been exposed to an Edric that seemed to actually care.

As he burst open the backdoor a smile tugged at the corners of the raven-haired girls lips and she did as he asked, staying behind him but readying herself for a fight in case things got dicey. Maybe she'd bring the conversation up again when they got clear of this place. Maybe.

What they saw instead was a long hallway with other steel doors. It was lifeless out here and the pair proceeded towards a short staircase. On the first floor was what appeared to be a bar with a stage in the corner and an arrangement of tables and chairs. Scattered throughout the tables, as well as at the barstools, were the withered husks of what had formerly been Justicars of the Radiant Church.

Had this been the work of Edric's magic? It was... a sight to behold.

"This was a brothel," Noel chimed in, "they must've been using it as a makeshift prison." Clearly the occupation of Sene had begun in earnest.

 

[Edric]

For some reason he expected more soldiers. More warriors. Someone that he had missed.

Yet there was no one.

Edric kept his gaze focused, flickering over the withered husks and searching for any sign of movement as they made their way through the brothel.

Nothing so much as twitched.

The only things still alive within the building were Noel and Edric. His magic had grasped and torn at everything it could, ripping life from every well that was to be found. Not even the mice had been spared. Edric could feel that, the stillness within the walls that surrounded them.

For some reason it made him uneasy.

His heart seemed to thunder in his chest. Edric simply staring at the lifeless room, as though contemplating something. Then finally he spoke.

"Grab some of their clothes." He said, glancing down at his own bloody torso and the trousers he was still wearing. If they went around like this it wouldn't take long to discover them. "And any coin you can find."

Quickly Edric stepped towards one of the corpse piles, beginning to strip one of the husks. "It can't be long until someone comes to check on this place."

He was sure that in his current state he could kill whoever came to this place, but in the back of his head a voice told him the idea was a foolish one. He had promised Noel they would get home, and he would do just that.

No matter what it took.

 

[Noel]

"Some of their clothes?" Noel grimaced at the jerky-skinned bodies. There'd been plenty of times where the academy exposed them to horrify situations. When Magomo threw her into the pit, when they'd been taken out at twelve to scavenge a battlefield, or all the times they'd been charged with cleaning the outhouses.

But, something about this felt wrong.

These people had all been alive ten minutes ago and now they looked like they'd been deceased and out in the sun for a month. Regardless, Noel held her nose and proceeded to move towards the shortest, skinniest, guard she could find. Procuring a few pieces of coinage and the elaborately decorated armor of the Radiant Church.

Noel put the armor on over her messy clothing, ensuring that her platinum hairband remained in place, and once she was ready she checked back on Edric. "I'm ready," she said in a stoic voice.

They'd need to get through Sene quickly. The longer they stayed the higher the risk they'd be captured again.

"Where to now?"

The overall layout of Sene wasn't something the kids were specifically briefed on but Noel was fairly certain that seedy brothels weren't anywhere near the city exits. Or any other major landmarks.

 

[Edric]

Edric pulled a tunic over his head, deciding not to don any of the armored plates that had decorated the Justicars.

He had never fought with armor, mostly because he'd never needed to. Minor wounds healed in seconds, and major ones took just a heart beat longer. It was better to move faster, unimpeded. Even if the Proctors had never much liked it.

A frown touched his face as Noel asked her question. "We're five hundred miles from home."

He said, glancing over towards her.

"I doubt The Ambassador and the others waited for us." That wasn't protocol. That wasn't the mission. Fermin and Talea both would have gone ahead back to Vel Anir. Edric wouldn't have blamed them if they did either. It was what they were trained for after all.

"We need horses." He said with a frown. "And a map."

He looked towards the corpses. "Then we get the fuck out of Sene."

His fingers curled into a fist, and slowly he stood.

 

[Noel]

"You're right," she said in response to his comment about the ambassador, "we're on our own."

The horses might not be too difficult. They'd discovered a stables before and it was likely the Church's forces had brought their own cavalry as well. But a map that included Vel Anir? That could be a bit more challenging. Noel wasn't even positive where to start for something like that.

Her mouth twisted in thought, "maybe we could assault one of their camps?"

If her magic came back it wouldn't be a problem, especially if the camp only had a few soldiers present. They'd certainly have maps of the region and possibly even horses.

Regardless, "while we figure it out we should probably get moving," there'd be plenty of alleyways and bombed out buildings for them to hide in or move through. There wasn't any reason to dawdle around this place, especially since Edric was right and there could be a patrol checking on the makeshift prison.

 

[Edric]

Edric couldn't tell if it was a good idea, or a terrible one.

Attacking the enemy in the middle of their territory was a bold choice, one that they themselves likely wouldn't see coming. The thought rolled in his head, but he realized that they would first need to gauge just what Sene now looked like.

It was impossible to tell what had been done to the city since their capture.

A frown touched his lips for a brief moment, his gaze sweeping over the inside of the brothel one last time. "Yeah."

He said with a quick nod.

"Let's get going." Edric agreed, heading towards the door and gently pulling the lock open. For a moment he simply peered outside, his eyes adjusting to the sun. When he saw no guards outside, he motioned to Noel and slipped out onto the street.

To his surprise the busy streets of Sene were no longer crowded and overflowing with people as they had been upon their arrival. Instead the numbers had thinned to a trickle. A few well dressed merchants tending to broken stalls, some servants carrying supplies, but most of all what he saw were soldiers.

Not Justicars like had been left behind in the brothel, but men dressed in leathers decorated with the symbol of the Radiant Church.

They marched in groups of six, each carrying sword and shield, shoving citizens whenever they dared to get in the way. Some glanced at Edric and Noel as they passed, though didn't seem to pay them too much attention.

Edric slowly stepped closer to Noel, his voice low. "So the question is, do we go for a guard house here? Or try to find a camp outside the city walls?"

 

[Noel]

There was something indescribably eerie about the state of Sene.

For someone of her age Noel had seen a lot. It was a by-product of being born with magic, of being taken to the academy at such a young age. She'd had to scavenge battlefields, assault a drug lord's fort, gone on incursions into the wilderness... but she'd never been in a city after a siege. After an occupation.

The looks on the faces of the residents were dismal and more than once she could see prying eyes peek through curtains or slits in doorways, always hiding away the instant Noel would chance a look. These people were scared, well aware that the Justicars might put some of them to death as an example. Or that food might get tight. Or any number of other problems that may result from what had happened.

Her slender frame tensed up every time they passed groups of Justicars. Less out of fear and more out of habit, mentally preparing for a fight. It wouldn't come though, the soldiers simply kept on their way.

"Outside the city walls," Edric close enough for the warmth of his breath to touch her face in the cold air, her own words returning the favor to him. "Less risk of reinforcements, right?"

It was true that she wasn't exactly certain if that was the case but it made sense in her head.

 

[Edric]

Edric nodded slowly in agreement. ”Then we need to find a gatehouse.”

It made sense to him.

Out of most of his peers Edric had likely inarguably spent the most time on the sparring fields. There were few students who could match him in a fight, but when it came to strategy, tactics, and the bigger picture most of the others eclipsed him.

At least those who spent their time on such things.

If Noel thought assaulting a camp outside the city was a better move, then he would trust her. There was little doubt in his mind that she was probably right, though neither of them knew much about how the Radiant Church really operated. Though perhaps after this they would be the foremost experts.

It took them nearly an hour of exploring the half desolate streets of Sene to find a proper exit. More than once they turned down a street to find it either barricaded with rubble or too stuffed with soldiers for them to cross. When they finally did reach one of the four gates of the city, Edric almost immediately pulled Noel to a stop.

His hand gently grasped her arm, pulling her off the street and into a narrow alley near a block away from the gatehouse. ”Wait.”

Edric hissed quietly.

”Look.” With the strength of those lost lives still pouring through him his eyes were more keen than usual, and what would normally have been difficult to spot from a distance took naught but a simple glance. ”They’re checking papers.”

As he pointed it out it became simpler to see. A thin stream of people, both residents of Sene and soldiers of the Radiant Church, were moving out through the large double gates. Yet as they did each one presented a parchment, all marked with a strange wax seal even Edric couldn’t make out.

 

[Noel]

Lips curled into a disappointed frown. A checkpoint was a bad sign.

Noel was starting to feel her magic return but the amount of platinum on her person was meager. A full out assault was filled with risk. Unnecessary risk.

And they certainly couldn’t get through without the proper documentation. So, what to do…

”We steal someone’s,” she theorized. Dreadlords weren’t thieves and they received absolutely no instruction on how to pilfer or pickpocket. However, in this instance it seemed the most prudent course of action.

But how to best address it? Targeting the people in line seemed far too risky.

What if they could, ”find a bunch of drunk soldiers?” They’d have papers. Be easier for one of them to distract while the other swipes it. Or maybe, ”or we try robbing one of the merchants? Some other prominent refugee?”

Although for a soldier losing such a thing would be a simple reprimand. A merchant or refugee trying to flee Sene? It could be life altering to have such papers stolen. Not that they were supposed to care. Caring was antithetical to being a Dreadlord. Yet…

 

[Edric]

Edric thought for a few seconds. There was no doubt that a Merchant would have been easier, a refuge even more so...but it felt wrong.

"Soldiers." He said suddenly. "We're dressed like soldiers, it makes more sense."

Of course, if they did rob a bunch of refugees they could have just taken their clothes as well. Edric hoped Noel wouldn't question that fact though. He glanced around for a moment, searching through the streets and trying to call back some of the taverns they had passed.

After a moment he stepped back out of the alleyway. "Still have that coin?"

He asked.

"I heard buying drinks is an easy way to make new friends." It would be easier than finding a bunch of already drunken soldiers. Plus, it was a good way of making sure their targets actually had the papers they needed.

 

[Noel]

”Soldiers sounds good to me too,” the unsaid was mutually agreed between the two. Edric had declared he wasn’t like Jaxan and the fact he wasn’t going to senselessly ruin some innocent merchant’s life was proof of that. ”I’ve got the coin.”

Not long after they marched from the exit of Sene they stumbled upon a building which radiated with raucous noise and celebrations. Above the door it read, “The North Star,” and as Noel stepped inside the tavern it was obvious this was a venue intended for wealthier merchants before the siege.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling, the floor was a polished and clean dark wood (unlike the sticky flooring at the dive Edric took them to), and the liquor cabinet was nearly three stories tall.

Of course, post-siege, tables were strewn everywhere as soldiers had overtaken the bar, and the proprietor of the tavern looked to be in a dour mood as he feverishly rubbed his cleaning rag over a gash in the bar top.

Noel waltzed over towards a grouping of soldiers who had stationed themselves at the bar. She assumed Edric would follow her lead or in a worst case stay back and swipe the papers they needed.

”Another round?” she nodded and dropped a few of the silver pieces onto the counter.

 

[Edric]

Questions that would have been asked, should have been asked, were immediately thrown away when Noel's silver struck the counter.

The men were half drunk already, and it was rare that anyone really offered to buy drinks. Noel and Edric looked young, but they had the uniforms, and more importantly they had the silver to back up their offer. It was not long before the two Initiates were ingratiated into the troop of soldiers.

"And then....and then...listen...okay listen...and THEN...Bishop Grolick threw the thing onto the fire!"​

There was a burst of laughter, some of it from Edric.

"Said it was Idolirtry or something! Can you believe that? A painting!"​

"Ha!" Edric said, looking at Noel for a moment to see if she understood why the story was at all funny. From what he could tell the Bishop had just gotten mad at a painting and then thrown it into the fire.

That wasn't funny. "That is so funny."

"I know!"​

More laughter erupted from the soldiers, some banging the tables in joy.

Edric frowned for just a brief moment, feeling his nerves grow thinner as one of the soldiers slapped his shoulder.

"You're alright, buddy! Hey, where did you say you were from again?"​

 

[Noel]

Mimicking drunken soldiers wasn't as hard as one might think it to be. Or did normal people think it difficult in the first place? That was the problem with growing up in the academy. None of the students had any real sense of what was appropriate or normal or typical. They received minor training in social norms for when they were flung into missions like this but they never covered everything.

Still, she found this easy enough. Someone's glass got empty and you raised a finger and bought them a new one. Everyone laughed and you laughed too. Especially if you didn't understand the joke.

Someone asked for your opinion on who's-what's-him's or something and you raised an eyebrow and replied with, "what do you think?"

But you said it in a really coy voice.

It didn't seem to work as well for Edric as it had been working for her tonight. He must have just lacked the charm she had. Or perhaps it helped that nearly everyone they were drinking with was male.

Panic emerged from her chest when the question of where Edric was from came up. Had he paid enough attention to know how to answer that question? And even if he had what if named a location that one of the other soldiers here was from? They'd be able to pick apart the lie if they were pressed on it. Did drunken soldiers press one another on perceived lies?

"Valrhir," she chimed up quickly, "the two of us are from Valrhir." A small, quiet, fishing village that was deeply religious and ever loyal to the radiant church. It was as good of a cover as any. "We both signed up for service first chance we got," Noel slammed the bartop and shouted at the barkeep, "a round of shots!"

Hopefully that'd end the prying.

 

[Edric]

"Yeah! Yeah...Vahl...Valrhir." Edric corrected himself, hoping that the slip up would be attributed to the alcohol and nothing else.

Cheers went up as Noel called for another round, but the soldier who had questioned him Initially only seemed to stare. His eyes narrowed for just a few seconds, and for a moment Edric thought everyone in the bar was about to die.

Fingers curled, the strength within him welling. Then the man spoke.

"Valrhir eh? No wonder you two are Justicars so young!"

He bellowed.

"You lot love the Church more than the priests!"

For a brief moment the cheers died off, and instead of suspicion, the other soldiers glanced at Edric and Noel with nervous looks. The Initiate frowned for a brief moment, and then cracked a wide smile. "We sure do!"

Edric called as he poured another shot down his throat. The cheers resounded almost the instant he spoke, joy returning to the table. The Initiate glanced back, and as yet another round came to the table he motioned towards Noel.

Fingers pointed towards one of the larger men, specifically to his satchel that lay on the bench behind him.

"How bout a song?" Edric called. "You, big man, get us started?"

Maybe this undercover thing wasn't so hard after all.

 

[Noel]

Oh god. Oh no.

Edric had nearly given up the goose and those precious few seconds of silence caused nothing but worry from Noel. Quickly she tried to come up with some sort of backstory in case the man kept pressing. They grew up as neighbors, spent the mornings in prayer and the afternoons fishing. Edric's favorite was crab, hers was salmon. Their fathers co-owned a skiff and would spend weeks at a time at sea! Yes, the whole plan was... not at all needed.

Noel clanked her shot glass and downed the liquor swiftly, content that their deception remained uncaught.

Her compatriot's gesture towards the satchel did not go unnoticed. She had to hand it to Ed, it really was a brilliant idea. Distract the entire group with a song and while they were drunkenly engaged in their little tune she could swipe the papers.

The huge lug stood up and bellowed in a sing-songy voice, "O jolly townsfolk come out and greet thee..."

As the crowd joined in she leaned over and slid a hand inside the satchel. Noel grabbed several of the parchments in the bag and shoved them swiftly behind the back of the waistband of her pants, before grabbing her now empty mug and waltzing over towards the bar.

She stopped near the bar tender, several feet away from the group of soldiers and waited for Edric to join her. With any luck they'd be out of the city before anyone noticed what'd they just pilfered.

 

[Edric]

"I'll see you later fellas!" Edric said to a chorus of 'awwwws', as he managed to pull himself from the group of loud louts. "I have to attend to a beautiful woman, why don't you start another song? I'll send over a round!"

The sadness was quickly washed away with the promise of more alcohol. It seemed that almost as soon as the others turned away Edric was forgotten about, another song quickly taking hold and echoing through the bar just as the Initiate approached his companion.

He wore a smile as he stepped up to Noel, not the least bit because he felt a slight buzz. "Well that was easy."

Edric bragged.

"We should get out of here, yeah?" Lest someone let their eyes linger, or the temptation in the back of his skull began to take over.

The power that sat just beneath his skin, the strength that crawled under his flesh was practically screaming to get out now. Edric was itching to fight, no, he was aching for more power. The life that he had taken called out, as if reeling in loneliness.

It was a strain that pulled at him, but one he kept hidden as he smiled at Noel.

 

[Noel]

"Easy enough," she quipped, only checking the papers as they neared the door. They'd gotten what they needed and shouldn't have any issue with the guards at the edge of Sene. "You're not half bad at blending in with strangers."

It was a serious compliment.

Noel had always assumed that Edric was a bit of a hothead. A talented fighter who was one of the few members of her class that could best her in the ring, but still a hothead. She'd prided herself on her ability to look at problems logically and to find ways other than brute force to deal with issues.

Seeing how Edric had conducted himself at the tavern led her to believe that he was just as capable of non-violent solutions to problems as she was. It was an endearing trait, to be sure.

She returned his smile, unaware of his desire for violence, "let's go, I'd like to be far away from Sene."

They stepped out into the cold night's air, Noel crossed her arms in an effort to remain warm as they reached the lineup of refugees and travelers. She handed one of the passports over to her comrade and gave him a stern look.

In a whisper she mentioned, "just flash them your papers. Your name is Joerg, you grew up in Coraliv, been living in service to the Radiant Church since before the Anirian occupation." Noel memorized her own paperwork quickly enough as well, unsure if questions would even be asked by the gate guards.

 

[Edric]

"Not half bad yourself." The Initiate complemented before they left the bar.

As they walked down the street Edric glanced down at the document.

He'd never been good at books and the like, but he also wasn't completely incompetent. A nod dipped his chin when Noel explained who he was supposed to be, what they had been doing.

They had been too young when Coraliv had been taken, but he could still remember the day that Archon had come to the Academy and selected which Initiates would accompany the invasion. Even then he'd hoped, dreamed he'd been selected. A ludicrous notion, given that he'd been all but eleven then. His head shook ruefully as they joined the line near the gate.

It did not take them long to reach the front, the Radiant Church apparently efficient enough that they wouldn't have to wait.

"Name and papers?"​

The Guard asked sternly. "Joerg Alken."

Edric kept his face impartial as he offered the document Noel had given him. The Guard looked down at the piece of paper, staring at it with a slight frown.

Again that temptation roiled beneath his skin, dragging at his muscles. Killing the man would have been so easy, so simple. He'd left his neck exposed. His armor was ill-fitting on the right. His eyes weren't even watching Edric's hands.

"Alright, Safe journey. May the Light of the Lord protect you."​

Edric let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "You as well."

He said stiffly, stepping through the gate before waiting for Noel on the other side.

 

[Noel]

Noel smiled at his compliment but kept silent as they walked out into the night. She wanted to focus, keep her mind sharp as she tried to prepare for what they had to do next.

The closest name she could find to one that would befit a girl was Frankie. Unfortunate that of all the passports they snagged it'd all been for men. Luckily, they didn't list sex so she was pretty sure she could sell it. Though the city of Porsint was a complete mystery to her. Still, her confidence swelled when she saw how easily Edric passed through the checkpoint.

"Name and papers?"

He droned on as if it was the thousandth time he'd said those words today. It probably was, she supposed.

"Francine, er sorry, Frankie Noyer," she said smugly as she gently passed the paperwork through.

A quizzical look came over the guard but Noel's fake slip of the tongue helped seal the deal. Not many women named Frankie in service of the Radiant Church but a Francine who had a nickname on official documentation? Perhaps that wasn't quite as farfetched.

"Very good. May the Light of the Lord protect you."

The dark-haired woman took her papers back and smiled, "he always does."

She passed through the gate and outside the bounds of Sene, walking up beside Edric before the two of them continued to march down the road leading away from the occupied city. "Easy enough I suppose," she whispered once they were far from earshot, "supposing we should find some stables now, eh?" They'd likely need to liberate a steed or two unless they wanted to spend thrice as much time walking to the docks.

 

[Edric]

The crowd around them began to thin the further they got from the city of Sene. Most folk seemed to take one branch road or another, and by the time Noel whispered to him there were just a few folk still walking in the same direction as them. "Lets."

He said with a nod, though the outside of Sene was decidedly different than it had been before the Siege.

When the Initiates had arrived, there had been a city outside of the walls which circled Sene proper. Taverns, markets, and stables had all ringed the great city. Now? Now most of it had been reduced to rubble by the invading forces.

All of it flattened to make room for the great siege engines and encampment of soldiers which had so quickly swarmed Sene itself. Some of it still remained standing, but all of it looked about as dismal as one could imagine.

A frown touched Edric's face as he slowly looked around, his steps coming to a slow stop.

"Runners post?" He asked Noel with a shrug.

The Radiant Church had to have them somewhere. Runners to carry mail from encampment to encampment. Usually they were set outside of the city closer to the main army camp. If the Church maintained it's forces the same way Vel Anir did anyway.

 

[Noel]

"It would be lightly defended," or perhaps not defended at all.

At this point Noel's magical sensations had nearly returned in full. She stretched her fingers outwards and could feel the familiar touch of the scant pieces of platinum she'd manage to hide under the Justicar armor. If there were but two or three defending the runners post either Dreadlord initiate would make short work of them on their own.

Together it would be as if children attempted to stop a tidal wave.

They took a side road off the main stretch, according to the sign postage it led to a major stronghold for the church and the pair reasoned it was the most appropriate highway to place a more secluded posting. But how far down the road they'd have to traverse was another question entirely.

For awhile they marched on in silence until, eventually, Noel had enough of the quiet. "Can we talk?"

Her face looked at Edric with a serious demeanor. There was plenty to discuss after the past two day's events but the most pressing matter was how he had killed an entire building with his magic.

 

[Edric]

Edric didn't mind the quiet, in fact he preferred it. Some of the Initiates had a tendency to babble on about one thing or another, trying to draw him into conversation. At any other time he suspected that he and Noel could have made it back all the way to Vel Anir without saying anything save for what was necessary.

This wasn't any other time though.

When she looked up at him, her question hanging in the air Edric stiffened slightly. He could still feel that magic rushing through him, crawling under his skin. A part of him wanted to get rid of it, lash out somehow into the air, simply...release it, but the idea seemed foolish.

What if they had to fight? What if they encountered a force stronger than they thought at the Runners Post? They would need all the strength they had, wasting this...it wasn't smart.

That was what he told himself. "About what?"

He grunted eventually, relenting and hoping to draw his mind away from the temptation which crawled beneath his skin.

 

[Noel]

Part of her had expected the reaction. The stiffening of Ed's limbs, the tone of his voice, the little grunt he issued. He wasn't much of a talker, which might've been for the best considering how pissed she had been at the boy the night before.

But she'd spent her entire life testing herself, pushing herself, trying to become the best Dreadlord she could be. Dreaming of that singular goal of eventually reaching the lofty title of Archon. Among the many things she wanted to ask Edric there was one question that dominated her headspace.

"How long have you been able to do... that?"

She was, obviously, referring to his little magic show back at the prison. In moments, no, perhaps it was seconds, the other student had killed an entire building of soldiers and prisoners without even leaving the cell they were in.

Her footsteps stopped for a moment and she just stared straight through him. "Back at the prison what you did was just," she swallowed and tried to consider her words carefully, "the Proctors have always given me praise, or something like praise, for my control of my magic. The lack of a tell, the precision that I can direct platinum, and maybe it... maybe I got a bit of an ego over it but..."

Lips pursed and a pit formed in her gut, "I could never do what you just did back there. How long have you been," she didn't finish the sentence. She couldn't bring herself to ask him how long he'd been so much better than her.