Time Elapsed: 04:31:58

It was a very surreal experience to stroll through the forest with a burly barbarian at his side. Severance was somewhat relieved that Eusebius the Madi didn't talk much during their travels. He didn't know what kind of small talk one could make with a man like Eusebius.

So, you lost your ear, huh? That must have sucked.

Yeah, better he didn't say anything.

The forest sprawled out around them, with old trees and soft ground littered with years of decaying matter. Very little sunlight made it down through the thick overhead foliage, but there was the occasional flickering golden shaft of light. Birds sang and unseen creatures chattered overhead. One animal hooted like an owl, giving Severance a sense of nostalgia.

It was like the first time he ventured into this forest. The place was beautiful and eerie. And now that he was familiar with it, the forest held a sense of peace rather than the unsettling danger he'd felt then.

Animal trails provided winding, packed trails for easy passage. Vast trotted ahead, leading the way. His long tail floated behind him, its tip curled up to avoid bumping against the ground. Severance kept an eye on him, tensing slightly every time they reached a fork in the trails. But he said nothing, subtly letting Vast choose the way.

"You're following your beast, aren't you?" Eusebius' amused voice cut through the silence.

"Maybe," Severance hedged. Just because he found the Veiled House that one time, it didn't mean he knew how to find it again!

Eusebius' laughter rang out, startling the nearby animal chatter into silence. "It would have been easier if you had just brought us directly there, little cibel."

"Easier for you," Severance scowled. "I'm not going to-"

Vast abruptly started rumbling. His head lifted, ears pricking, and he stared at a tree just ahead like it had just called his revered grandmother an ugly hag.

Severance paused, tilting his head for a second. Ah. It seemed they weren't alone in the forest anymore.

"You can come out, Maun."

A dark figure stepped out from behind the tree. Maun regarded them with a rather serious cobalt gaze, even as he folded his arms and leaned up against the tree.

"Severance," he greeted neutrally. "What are you doing?"

"I'm walking in the forest," Severance said, somewhat defensively.

"Yes, I can see that." Maun's gaze went pointedly to Eusebius. "The question is, why?"

And why with him, went unsaid. But Severance heard the question loud and clear.

For his part, Eusebius kept silent. He simply watched the exchange, his scarred lips stretching into something that resembled a grin. The guy looked like he'd pull out a bag of popcorn any second.

Severance felt vaguely annoyed. "He insisted on coming over. I refused to teleport him, so we walked. I figured I'd run into one of you long before we reached the House."

"Hm. That was wise of you." Maun straightened, then approached. He was like a shadow, silent and dark, and Vast abruptly darted between Severance and Maun. He lowered his head, muscles bunching beneath his fur.

"Vast," Severance groaned. "Stop it."

But Vast didn't. His tail lashed side to side, his agitation only increasing. His attention remained solely on Maun, who soon stopped a safe distance away.

Eusebius' gaze flickered to the vastlhidan. Interest gleamed in his eyes.

"I'll escort you the rest of the way," Maun told them. He said nothing else, but Severance could tell the man wasn't exactly pleased. Maun was wearing that slightly sharp smile that only showed when he was being serious.

As they followed the Veiled man through the forest, Severance wondered if he was in trouble. But why would he be? He hadn't done anything wrong. Not really. It wasn't like he was giving away a secret, either. Not when Eusebius the Madi already knew how to find the Veiled House.

When they reached the small forest clearing, they were greeted by the tall stone wall surrounding the House. It was strange to see it from this direction again. Severance was reminded of when he first saw it. Back then, he'd stupidly thought it would be safe to approach for some directions.

Ha.

He hadn't made it far before he'd been killed. Truly, the Veiled sure knew how to make great first impressions.

The heavy outer gates were open, and Maun led them right into the courtyard. There, a small gathering of Veiled waited for them, along with two other strangers. Since both were also clad in furs, Severance suspected they were the brothers Eusebius mentioned.

One was very tall and elegant in his pure white furs. He had his longer black hair half tied back, and in the sunlight, it shone with a bluish tint. He stood regally with perfect posture, and his features were strong and noble. The second man resembled the first, but his furs were a dark mix of black and gray. He also had a dark mask covering the lower half of his face. His bearing was more rigid and intense, and his gray eyes were sharp and watchful.

With them were Olen, Bian, and oddly enough, Ozul, who was Batin's father. For a greeting party, it was a bit strange. Severance would have thought the clan heavyweights would have been involved, like Batin, Kamau or even Nedra.

Instead, they had the pregnant lady and the elderly.

Ah, who was he kidding? Bian and Ozul were probably even more dangerous. Bian had her unhappy face on, while Ozul simply... stood. There was an unnatural stillness to him and even the faint breeze somehow failed to stir even a single strand of his snowy hair.

As Severance and the others approached, Olen's thin features grew pinched.

"Maun, what are you doing?"

"Found them wandering the woods," Maun announced. He stood in front of the gate, as if blocking the exit.

Vast showed his teeth to everyone, ears laid flat. He circled Severance once, his lashing tail giving away his agitation. Then he sat next to Severance and rumbled warningly.

The Fang man in the dark furs and mask narrowed his eyes at Vast, staring for a long moment before his attention shifted to Severance. Seeing that, Severance rested a hand between Vast's ears. He watched as the name appeared over the man's head: Aeneas the Vast.

The Vast? Severance smiled slightly to himself. Interesting.

"Severance," Olen pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please explain yourself."

The hint of a smile faded immediately from his face. Severance took a small breath, bracing himself. He observed the Veiled, all of them outwardly composed and calm, but he had been around them long enough to read the telltale signs of tension. Even Ozul, who was like an older version of Batin, radiated the same sharp edge.

"I ran into an Outsider trap outside the Mountains," Severance said. "I escaped, but I had an arrow stuck in me. That's where I ran into Eusebius. He helped me out."

"And you decided to bring him back?" Bian asked dubiously. She had one brow raised.

"Not exactly. He asked for my ah, help."

"Which you agreed to," Eusebius interjected smoothly. He was grinning again, thoroughly entertained despite all the tension.

"Severance!" Bian's tone was sharp, her gaze disapproving. "Why would you do that?"

Severance's fingers tightened on Vast's fur. But he met her gaze steadily enough, and even glanced at the other Veiled. This was the decision he'd made, for his own reasons.

"Because they'll help deal with the Knights and Traders, and whoever else feels like attacking me." It hadn't exactly been agreed upon, but he was going for it anyway. "My team was discovered today. Which means that by tomorrow, all the Outsiders are going to know about the Deep Mines. And so will all the other clans. We're going to need some help, and honestly, I'd rather these guys," Severance gestured at the fur clad men, "risk their lives than you."

Aeneas the Vast's eyes positively narrowed to slits at that, but Eusebius guffawed loudly.

"Said like a true cibel."

Severance threw a dark look at him. "Don't forget I'm in charge of your healing."

Eusebius snorted, but said nothing to that. He'd already experienced Severance's healing, since Severance wasn't about to let a man bleed to death during their nice hike through the forest.

Olen cleared his throat. "I can understand your decision, Severance. But... it's problematic."

"How so?" Severance asked. "Did the Fang partake in the destruction of the clan seven years ago?"

Bian inhaled sharply.

But Olen's entire expression tightened. "No. Severance, that's-"

"Good." Severance absently rubbed at his shoulder. He wasn't really in the mood to stand there and be told vague explanations about why he couldn't do anything. "Then they're at least not as bad as the rest. Look, I don't know everything, so I can only go off my own judgment. Which is what I did."

A quiet chuckle came from Maun. "He made his decision, Olen. Let it rest."

Olen briefly closed his eyes. "Very well. We will talk about this later."

"Yes, we will." Bian promised, which gave Severance a start. He gave her a wary look, which she returned fiercely. "Don't give me that look, you brat. Or I'll start to think you're as dense as Olen."

Bewildered, Severance looked to Olen for an explanation, but the smaller man just shook his head.

"Now that we've settled this, we will go." The regal Fang in the white furs spoke for the first time. He turned slightly, his gray eyes settling on Severance. "Make your preparations, Outsider. We will require you for about an hour a day, starting immediately."

Severance frowned. They wanted to start now? What was the rush? And a whole hour a day? His stomach sank. He'd promised Mrs Beakor and the others he'd keep his time in Eliona to under five hours a night. But now...

He carefully regarded the man in the white furs. Lothaire the Worm was his name, and his entire bearing was different from the other two. He was the guy in charge, and Severance got the feeling that the man would not be open to a compromise.

Still, he was worn out from the Deep Mines. Getting repeatedly hurt and killed wasn't exactly a relaxing walk in the park.

"Is this something extremely important?" He carefully asked. Because if it was just cleaning out some ruins for exploration or whatever, then he'd rather do it tomorrow before he went to the Mines.

"Yes," Lothaire said.

He offered no other explanation. It wasn't needed. All he did was simply stand as still as a stone and watch Severance with those cold gray eyes of his. It gave Severance goosebumps. It was like getting stared at by a salivating tiger.

"Fine."

Severance rubbed at his eyes, feeling the distant press of weariness. It was just an hour. He could do that.

How bad could a few ruins be?

"I'll help you get ready," Maun said. He came up beside Severance, ignoring how Vast snarled at him. He looked at Lothaire the Worm. "It's the Untold region, right?"

The man in the white furs inclined his head.

"Right. Then you'll need something warm, Sev. Come with me." Maun headed into the House, and Severance was all too happy to follow. It wasn't exactly fun in the courtyard right now.

As they headed up the stairs to the second level, Severance asked, "So... I take it that this Untold region is a cold place?"

"Yes," Maun answered. "It's what we call the inner part of the Lost Lands. You know, the part that no one survives to talk about, hence the name."

"Oh, right. Of course." Severance grimaced. Why on earth were these fur-loving people going that far just to play in some ruins? "I did something stupid, didn't I?"

Maun snorted, and threw something heavy and musty at Severance. It was a thick wad of black fur that had to be about eight hundred years old.

"Oh, yes. Though perhaps not for the reason you think."

Another heavy bundle followed the first, and Severance awkwardly caught it. What Maun was passing over to him was a set of very warm outer clothing. It was thick and heavy and made winter parkas on Earth seem like spring jackets.

"The Fang are the kind of people you want on your side," Maun went on, finding a pair of mitts and lined boots and tossing those over as well. "As opposed to being on their bad side. Which you probably would be if you refused to help them. So in that light, you did the smart thing."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here."

"Mm. The Fang are also the kind of people it's better to stay away from. They tend to be... violent. Which is why we turned them away the last time they came."

Maun dropped a couple of heavy scarves on the pile of furs accumulating beside Severance, and then went over to the other side of the room. He rummaged in woven box, coughing once as he stirred up a cloud of dust.

"Who are they, exactly?" Severance wondered.

"Heh." Maun chuckled. "That's their story to tell, Sev. But there's only a handful of them, so they're even smaller a clan than us. Here." He came over with another bundle of dark clothing and passed them to Severance. "Put these on under your clothes. They'll keep your body heat from dissipating."

Severance shook them out, finding a set of what essentially was long underwear. Except it was black, of course, and had nice little socked feet at the bottom. They smelled rather musty, having been in storage for a while.

"Just how cold is this Untold place, anyway?"

Maun grinned. "Very."