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Kreen continues across the rooftops, following this odd pair along as they move, leaping down from the wall and darting into the forest as the two leave the gate. There is, indeed, something about this human which is worth taking notice of. He clearly knows of the assassin's presence, for they locked eyes for almost a second, but he does nothing about the one who is, most clearly, the nigh-legendary Dying Breath. While this could not bother the Fae any less, it does confuse him a bit. Most humans are driven half-insane by the thought that they are being followed by a mercenary killer, but this one seems ruffled not in the least.

Artes gave a bow to Zeal's words and kept on. He took their trip out as a simple time to simply look at the buildings and streets of the human city. It held its own sense of beauty, even if it could not compare to the tree covered land of his home. It was grand to see the different senses of art, law, and food which humans saw as normal.

As they stepped out of the town, Artes felt a strange ache in his heart, then collapsing onto the ground, having blacked out. He stood once more only moments later, pain and fear in his eyes. He gave a frightened look towards Zeal, saying in a shakey voice, "W-we must hurry..." before he took off towards the resting dragon.

Zeal was surprised by Artes' collapse and had obvious concern in his eyes when the elf awoke so quickly. The look in his eyes was clear and gave Zeal a good indication of why time was so much of the essence. If Artes is infected as well, then his time is probably more limited than origionally thought. He starts running in the direction of Valden, feeding the elf's enchantment with an imperceptible amount of his power to gain slightly more speed. His feelings and conclusions are shared and seconded by Valden as he catches up to Artes and matches his pace.

"Artes, we are being followed. I understand the need for urgency but I do not want Valden to be exposed in human lands." Zeal speaks in a calm but penetrating voice as he runs, calculated to pierce fear and shock. "You will go ahead and he will fly you to your village while I take care of things here. He can come back for me later. Go." Zeal stops running and turns to face the pursuing fae with a calm expression. His arms hang at his sides without evident hostility but his stance indicates caution.



Valden rises from his position of rest and almost takes off, holding himself back in an instant. The elf's collapse and the persistance of the fae are both coming together into something that could be described as... bad. His eyes narrow slightly as he and Zeal come to a joint conclusion. Valden is not happy with the idea but recognises the need and holds himself ready for immediate flight.

Kreen's wings flutter briefly, bringing him to a stop as he turns to face the human. His posture is that of one who is wary of the situation but is confident that he can deal with whatever may arise. Despite this, he remains unthreatening, and makes no move to retrieve any of his hidden weapons or the sword across his back.

Kreen's eyes narrow as he speaks, voice unreadable.
"It seems my reputation preceeds me," the assassin says, prepared to activate his shield spell at a moment's notice. As he was traveling through the city, he put nearly all the energy into the spell that it requires, and he can now bring the wall into existance in under a second. "Your manner is...odd. Most humans begin running at the merest mention of 'the Dying Breath'. You, on the other hand, confront me without fear. Your brethren have a silent respect for you, yet they know nothing of it. I follow you so that I might learn more. I am curious, and I endeavor to sate that curiosity in the simplest way I know: non-threatening, intelligent conversation. However, it had to be done away from the rest of the city, lest I be noticed. The ruler here is one of two in the region the people see truly fit to rule them, and I feel that it would be best if I were not seen in his capital city. He may be connected with me if I am seen and he does not die, and that would surely bring him to the other warlords' attention."

Zeal listens to the explaination offered by the fae in silence, his own barrier magic at the ready. He nods once without taking his eyes off of the assassin, acknowledging the logic evident in his words.

"I see. I should perhaps alleviate your curiosity first. There are three reasons why one might face one of your reputation without fear; one is that the person has no chance of surviving the encounter and accepts their end, two is that the person has enough confidance in their abilities to viably challenge you, three is that the individual is aware of how you choose your targets and knows that they do not fall into that catagory." His manner is quite non-threatening and he seems to be completely relaxed. Whether his relaxation is to maintain flexibility in his muscles has yet to be determined. "As for the crowd's behavior, it is fairly simple to project an appropriate air of importance and power in order to cause such a reaction in people who just wish to continue living their lives."

Zeal's eyes momentarily widen and then narrow before settling back into their former expression. The sight of the smoking ruins that Valden is seeing is a shock and a bitter failure to both of them. Zeal, however, pushes it aside in order to deal with the situation at hand.

"I agree with and share your preferred manner of sating curiosity as well as your caution and opinion of the ruler here. Many of the others would only require a minor excuse to attack this land. This is the only one of the human lands that has regular contact with the elves after all." Zeal's voice is slightly tighter for the first few phrases but evens out again toward the end. Something is clearly bothering him and he is, equally clearly, maintaining a strict control of what he expresses. "What else is there that you would wish to know?"



Valden suppresses a shudder at Artes' wail of sorrow as the smoking ruins came into view. His own reaction is also strong but he and his partner are both far more accustomed to such things. He decreases his altitude until he is barely above the trees and makes a slow circle of the village, looking for anything that could still be alive. He takes care to fly evenly and smoothly so as to not dislodge the shocked and grieving elf. He remains airborne in order to remain outside the worst of the choking smoke.

Valden and Zeal share their bitter dissappointment at their failure to arrive at the village in time to save it, but show very little considering the strength of their feelings. Valden feels somewhat guilty about it but his thoughts begin to turn to his and Zeal's own problems now that the problems of the elf have come to their conclusion.

This human...
"No, it is no difficulty to project an aura which will cause humans to move from your path. However, I have never seen them do so with such quiet respect for one they have never known. There is obviously more to you than I know, and...you look troubled," Kreen says, eyes widening from his former 'dangerous' to his pre-assignment 'compassionate/tell-me-and-they-won't-see-the-morning' look, despite the mask obscuring his face.