Not hostile, then. It was a relief though Roc would have been more than capable of beating them into a bloody pulp there was no such need for the woman he sought to protect. They were harmless for the moment and Flame visibly relaxed once that little bit of uncercainty had been cleared up, now at ease when dealing with the two.

"Yes, of course, you're correct. Thank you for reminding me." That was not to say the nubile sorceress by his had missed out on how he painted themselves before these two specimen as she slipped further into her respective role. It was probably for the best considering how close the two had been once spotted, for as long as none beckoned the couple to actually indulge in the pleasant touch of the other although Flame did not dismiss that thought off hand should they ever come to a point during which that may be feasible.

A strong and charming Dwarf such as Roc had more than enough appeal to let her heart skip a beat from time to time, but since they weren't complete strangers and happened to have shared a bed once or twice, there was no denying how efficient Roc functioned on that battlefied as he did on any other. She could get lost in his perfectly chiselled muscles and battle hardened facade, simply walking beside him was enough to let her recount their former unions although Flame reluctantly her focus back on the Fae.

Brownies, perhaps, judging by the female's somewhat unusual obsession with looking at their feet, their footwear, albeit briefly which might have been nothing more than a fleeting glance lacking any particular meaning and yet both of them were quite a tad different. The boy sported a pair wings while his sister did not though Fae biology had been beyond her understanding Flame was aware how Humans functioned and surmised they might simply have different parents or found themselves with somewhat unusual degrees of genetical variance where one inherited wings whereas the other sibling lacked them.

"False. It is smaller than that." Flame responded with a warm smile, wondering whether these two favored games as much as others of their kind though they hardly possessed the luxury of time.

"We're looking for scrolls, those imbued with powerful spells, particularly ones capable of protecting from Enchantments. Likewise we happen to look for a much rarer object. A ring that protects your thoughts from being read would prove highly beneficial for my future endeavors." She regarded the two expectantly, hoping that ending their game prematurely hadn't upset them. "Can you help us?"

The boy seemed weary of Dwarfs so Roc deflected attention from his species by stating that Flame was the leader of the group. It seemed to work and he too had been attempting to work out the two Fae. Age was impossible to determine by sight and most Fae enjoyed games so that wasn't a clue.

What was had been the fact that the girl seemed to not have seen many humans so he was guessing she was young or sheltered maybe both but seeing how close they were to the Pixies and the tree top village they had spent time in before he surmised that they would have been exposed to travelers so he thought young all over again.

They were not Pixies given the eyes though they looked similar. One had wings and the other did not though they were siblings. Half siblings? Genetic variances? Both were possible. They were not Pixies but he was willing to bet that they were of a similar species.

Sprites. Yes, that fit, though the girl lacked wings. She could have had lost them in a mutilation too but the way she was glancing at their footwear, particularly Flame's he had solved the mystery he thought …

“BAH! You ruined it! You weren't suppose to tell me!” It was hard to rush a Fae and it was probably in their best interest to do so or they could have been here all day.

“She's human, brother,” the girl reminded with a faint giggle. It was as if she understood humans better with that statement that had the brother shrug. More proof for Roc.

“You seek a Void Ring … very, very expensive … you do anal?”

It was slipped in their so casually. He was Fae alright. “Brother! Human,” his sister reminded. “Forgive him for his forwardness. Acquiring such scrolls is easy as for the ring … impossible.”

“Impractical but possible, sis. Depending on how lucky you feel and how foolish. Scrolls are easy, the ring trickier but possible.”

“Remember humans perceive time differently.”

“I know, I know. The ring could be yours in little than a day but to gain it you most place yourself in great peril.”

Flame would have been hard pressed to identify the two of them as stereotypical Fae with regards to their carefree nature when it came down to sex until his very remark about her performing anal as though that was a valid form of payment.

A timid blush graced her features at his somewhat shockingly embarrassing inquiry, one that may never be answered long before the girl distracted from the matter at hand and earned herself a soft smile in return since it was simply their way of thinking. "It's alright, I'm hardly offended by your brother. In fact, I've had the pleasure of dealing with your kind before."

Besides, Roc had yet to comment hence the woman to his left figured they had been on the lookout for one of these Void Rings. It was an unacceptable proposal nevertheless, enough to deter her for the moment from committing herself to any business with the male sibling of the two.

Flame effortlessly towered above them and yet the rather reserved sorceress regarded them as somewhat innocent looking children although these Immortals most likely surpassed two decades of lifetime with relative ease, not to mention the amount of sexual liaisons they maintained over the passage of time. Temptation in the flesh lingered before them, after all, a sinfully curvy human female with succulent flesh in all the right places, presumably not the highest ranking beauty to ever grace his presence or intimacy of his chambers and yet there was no doubt how much of a divine treasure her charms had been.

An observant eye might even catch the comfortably close fitting garments upon the red haired temptress which flexed intriguingly every time Flame shifted her weight from one side onto the next, much to the delight of her travelling companion whose unyielding form had been able to feel the subtle motions of her most ample flank against him in that same instant.

In reality Ryu might have recalled her encounter with another young male while venturing across a fabricated realm along with Cora, but little would these memories actually change. If anything his looks conveyed a far younger person than Flame happened to be comfortable with, regardless of their species the boy triggered certain inhibitions on her part, taking a youngster to bed, not that she would have jumped at the chance to have that ring for such a price although some distant portion of her mind was mildly curious as to how well versed Fae truly were in that department.

"That doesn't seem worth the trouble, especially if you plan on stealing it rather than know one of said rings in your possession." She responded with a lightly dismissive hand gesture, having to momentarily release her hold on the Dwarf before linking them once more. "I neither have the time nor am I willing to offer myself as payment. Moving on and finding a scroll instead of waiting around the whole day certainly saves us a great deal of either."

Admittedly Flame sort of poked into the dark here, trying to gauge a reaction from the two although she doubted the offer would change. "Shall we stay or leave?" She whispered into his ear rather than openly voice her concerns. If Roc had anything to add, he was likely to do so on his own whereas his alleged Mistress hardly thought that acquiring the ring was essential to their plans.

“That's a yes then.”

The girl glared at her brother than shook her head as if disappointed with his carefree nature. It was almost as if she knew far more about humans then he and held herself to their ideals when dealing with them where the male seemed far more casual about things and more along the lines of a Fae than his sister.

“Steal it? I have little interest in such a ring though knowing that you can afford it I would cut out all the nonsense and just rob you. Of course, I have little interest in wealth either. Not all Fae are disinterested in wealth, however ...”

“He does not mean a trade for you body. In fact it is Shamrock that you would have to deal with … as far as scrolls go they are easy enough to obtain.”

“As my Mistress said we are in a bit of a hurry and are seeking to avoid making contact with a certain Enchanter while we are in these parts. It is not important who but the scrolls would be a safeguard in the event he tries something under handed.”

Roc added. “We stay,” whispered to Flame though depending on whether the Fae dragged this encounter out was going to alter that.

“And are you asking us to acquire said scrolls or just point you in the right direction?”

“If you could acquire them that is good since we seek to avoid contact with that Enchanter.”

The boy considered this for a moment. “I could get them but I would need the money to purchase them. Two thousand each is the going rate if memory serves.”

“Mistress?” Roc gazed at Flame as if checking to see if that was an acceptable price though of course this just added to their roles as he had the currency and not her.

“I will leave my sister here while I fetch you scrolls, agreed?”

An amusing thought to be robbed, especially since the two had been venerable elementalists to the point where summoning their element's respective serpents was far from challenging to them, but that was something to think about for another day as their conversation dragged on.

His sister would stay while he retrieved what they needed, with the currency paid upfront, of course. Some might believe his sister served the purpose of security in their dealings, an assurance of some kind that the male of the two actually returned with the promised scrolls and Flame had felt inclined to agree then rather than take their offer straight away.

A brief nod on her behalf sealed the deal. "That sounds reasonable. Very well. I accept your proposal as long as you value our need for discretion."

She had a hard time trying to deduce the actual value of what they sought and yet refrained from haggling altogether, meaning that the unusual couple consisting of Human and Dwarf either cared little for what in their eyes had been trivial amounts of money, tended to find scrolls to be far more expensive in their region whereas here they tended to obtain them fairly cheaply, or they simply were rushed for time and didn't care to pay what he wanted. In any case Flame sought to have them and Roc would have silently complained if they were getting ripped off hence relaying further commands to her alleged bodyguard had been in order.

Released from the blessed captivity of her stimulating warmth, there was little hesitation on her part to demand that her subordinate take care of business in her stead. "Kindly give him the payment for two scrolls so that he may get on his way."

Once that was taken care of her attention flickered to their female guest. "What exactly is a Shamrock?" It was a question destined for the girl although Flame already figured they weren't speaking of an inanimate object, but rather a living entity her sexual performance would have been devoted to should they have accepted the exchange for the Void Ring. She wasn't exactly compelled to make his acquaintance, but while waiting for the boy they had a little bit of time to waste away.

It might actually come in handy to know certain people when stopping by some other time, particularly once dealing with the corrupted Dryad replaced their foremost objective in the distant future.

Roc nodded. Rather than summoning up gemstones from his vault he had a ouch with some for traveling expenses that he turned over to the lad.

“Discreet,” he nodded then stepped back into the trees soon vanishing from their sight and moving through the forest without a trace as most Fae could do. Roc shifted his attention to the girl who was asked the question about Shamrock, something that had interested him as well.

She looked up from those shoes and smiled raising a hand with her index finger pointed in the air. “It is a clover but I assume you are more interested in knowing of the entity that shares the name.” She paused just briefly seeing the answer in the eyes of the two first before going on.

“Shamrock is a Fae … more precisely a Leprechaun. He like many of his ilk can bestow wishes if captured or be forced to give up his notorious pot of gold. While transporting his gold to a better hiding space he lost three coins and noticed once he got to his destination.

“Those coins were found by another and well, he would have gotten them back if not for one thing. The culprit that had them had the misfortune of entering Lilac's glade and perishing there were the coins remain.”

“And a Leprechaun is obsessive about their gold. Say I took a coin by mistake. A Leprechaun would want that particular coin back even if I offered a thousand in it's place,” Roc had mentioned to her that wealth had meant something different among the Fae and each species had their idiosyncrasies. Those coins could probably be used as leverage to get a wish.

The girl nodded at that. She smiled at the two, her attention on Flame. “You are not fully human, are you?”

In a flash he had vanished and left the remaining three to their own devices whereupon the girl gladly elaborated on Shamrock. It was a vital piece of intelligence for them considering that their return to Lilac was mostly assured unless certain circumstances impeded their progress in that regard.

Ridding the possessed Dryad of that vile demon contained within her own self and tree had the two committing their efforts to a noble deed, but with the slim chance to actually gather these aforementioned coins, any time and effort spent on such valiant albeit dangerous undertakings rewarded them with something roughly as valuable as their own sense of heroism.

How powerful were Leprachauns anyway? He could not retrieve his riches himself and even when they managed to negotiate an exchange, one wish might not truly be what they expected although with a promise they might even entice Shamrock to follow up on his offered services rather than bail on them for whatever reason. It was a simple matter overall, a pleasant addition to what already existed in their minds and freeing the Dryad in distress would have been likely accomplished without any remotely similar reward anyway.

"Oh?" Flame perked up at the notion of her not fully human nature, however, wondering how one would know the difference. She knelt, going eye to eye with the smaller Fae although there was no ill will amid these radiant crimson eyes, just a soft smile to spread a most pleasant mood. "What makes you say that?"

She was carefully designed to match Humans to the point of perfection and from the outside Flame figured that nobody would ever know or ever found out in the past without some kind of special talent to glimpse beyond her carnal facade. Wounds inflicted pain and leaked blood, people and acts stirred emotions any regular Construct lacked, there simply wasn't anything Flame could come up with which gave this particular secret away.

Leprechauns were great with illusions; invisibility, ventriloquism and other minor tricks. They were not too strong at least any more. Roc knew that they had their powers that evoked powerfully wishes sealed somehow though he had not learned as to why. The Fae were good at keeping secrets and displaying half truths so he would probably never learn the truth.

There were circumstances where they could perform wishes Roc realized and having one give their word about using one could keep to any sort of agreement though to him it was just three gold coins and at that stage they probably wouldn't need the Void Ring anyway.

Dwarfs were greedy but he had sizable wealth from that Dragon hoard and so three gold … he could just give it back after they dealt with Lilac and the Demon possessing her. The thought of Lilac had a solution hit him, though he had dismissed it at once. It was a practical one and so he figured it would be something Gale would do or suggest if she every found out about the Demon and he was fairly certain that Flame would not want that but for the time being he remained quiet on it.

Being on the good side of a Leprechaun could serve them in the future especially with his long life and Flame's Immortality.

The girl smiled. “I can feel it. The same feeling I get with Half Elves, though you are not Fae ...” even half breeds didn't have such well endowed features. If anything Fae were small of stature.

“Your not a Sprite,” Roc added. He had worked out that that's what they had been. At least the boy had wings but the girl lacked them but appeared similar. The clues had been their. The excitement at seeing a human, the interest in shoes …

“Your part Brownie ...”

“Ta dah!” She bowed. “Half Brownie, Half Sprite, 100% cute! The name's Brie and that was Tucker my elder brother … well … half brother.”

“I've heard of Half Elves and both Satyrs and Dryads have charmed humans before but could bare no children from such unions but two Fae of different species -”

“But same race. It's ultra rare save for the case of Elves that have the most contact with humans other than Brownies who don't carnally act with humans … but you can cross a lion and tiger and get a lygar, a horse and a donkey produces a mule. Such half breeds are sterile and the parent species tends to stick to their own species as far as mates go but Fae, well Fae are adventurous! So tell me, what are you? Your not fully human, Brownies have a sense for these things. Even if you were shape changed or covered in an illusion I could sense that you were human or in your case part human. So what is it? It took me a while to feel it.”

"You feel it?" Intriguing to say the least, but the two of them informed her of everything there was to know as they went on to elaborate on Brie's unusual nature. She happened to be a rare mixture of two different Fae species which even Roc seemed to have trouble settling on until now although they really must have had an affinity for one or two extravagant sexual escapades if they happened to result in such curious creatures by chance alone.

It proved somewhat challenging to stifle a minor laugh as Brie seemed obsessed with getting to know what Flame herself had been composed of and ultimately the sorceress failed as she went on to have a little bit of fun. "I'm afraid I cannot simply tell you what I am. You'll have to figure it out on your own, but I'm willing to give you a few hints to make things easier for you." A soft smile splayed upon her features at that, hoping the Fae would like a little bit of entertainment on the way to scratching that particular itch of knowledge.

"I am immortal like Fae and I'm perpetually this age, yet I'm not a part of your race." She would have listed more, but in all honestly Flame didn't look like any angel or deity and anything beyond that wasn't exactly part of her currently available memory.

"I was not born like you, but raised like any other juvenile offspring." In essence serving a master without much inherent knowledge upon what passed for their birth was the nature of golems, was it not? She recalled having to learn everything on her own, step by step, little by little even though the details were severely blurry, a most clumsy impression playing in front of her inner eye which had been enhanced by the fact her facade mimicked an actual adult.

"I drink, eat and sleep because I have to while others of my kind never do any of those things."

"I am capable of free will while others of my kind aren't."

"I am unique among said others of my kind."

"And finally .. My second half can be described thusly .." Flame opened one of her hands and conjured a minor flickering fire amidst the plain of her palm, permitting the half breed to observe her elemental prowess for a short while before extinquishing the flame once again, leaving the remainder of the guessing up to their curious conversation partner. It was the closing performance meant to provide one final hint to the endearing little girl before the nubile sorceress got onto her feet once more, flamboyantly showing off the epitome of her charms by spinning around her own axis for emphasis on anything that could entice her to play along.

"What am I?" They loved games and while they had little time to waste with the brother, they did experience a few moments of respite to fool around. Dour type or not, surely Roc wouldn't complain about some lighthearted interaction on her part and if the male sibling returned before Brie caught up on the answer, Flame decided to reveal it to her then unless she turned out to be slightly more knowledgeable than her appearance let on.

Brie was sharp, though her mind began to assemble the clues that had been provided to her. As an Immortal being a guessing game like this was preferable to just receiving an answer. While Brownies tended to be hard working and among the more serious minded of the Fae she was also part Sprite and thus aloof and playful.

Shamrock had been upon her mind and this had her thinking about Demons … perhaps she was a possessed human or figured out a means of suppressing or trapping it. They did not eat, sleep or drink but could if they desired. But Demons had free will save for when summoned by another when they could be compelled to serve. Angels were the same way.

“Not a Demon ...” She looked to Roc. “Do you have the potential to be dangerous?” Perhaps the dwarf was less of a bodyguard and more a means of dealing with an emerging Demon.

Too far fetched. “Immortal, yet not born in the traditional sense … there are others of your type too or the second half as you have expressed that you are unlike them in many ways.

“Unique ...”

She seemed a bit confused as she watched the display of flame. “I think I know but am confused … that type has free will at least on their home Shadows but when summoned they are compelled to obey. They are ultra rare and not unique but perhaps I am muddling my thoughts here … an Elemental? I have heard that Half Elementals could be fashioned by fusing mortal creatures with the Elemental spirits. They are not born but created, Elementals are Immortals and lack free will when summoned, though as a Half Breed you would be ultra rare, maybe close to being unique. After all I do not know of any other Half – oh, duh, your appearance is what makes you unique.” She smiled at that.

“Normally a Half Elemental possess obvious traits of their Elemental origins. Elementals need not eat, drink or sleep … have I covered everything? Am I correct?”

She nearly uncovered the truth and while in essence the young sorceress had been fused together from one particular mortal creature and an Elemental spirit, Half Elemental wasn't quite the term the game master wanted to hear in order to announce her refined myth solving capabilities. Flame sought to receive a different answer, that she was a Golem and nothing else, which might have been unfair to the current contestant, but surely a little bit of a healthy challenge wouldn't hurt anyone nor their pride once the truth had been unveiled once and for all.

With a warm smile upon her lithe lips, Flame shook her head. "You're awfully close, but I'm afraid you're not quite there. I want to see if you manage to figure out what specific manner of being I am. You can have another go at it if you wish."

A brief recap of their current hints might ease the trouble on the poor girl and the alleged Human happily provided the very same list. "My kind is never born, but created. They normally don't drink, eat or sleep. They're incapable of free will and yet they're immortal. What am I?"

In essence they shared all the same characteristics safe for maybe drawing powers from the elemental realm and that Golems never truly possessed free will without a Master who constructed them although it was an unfortunate disaster to know that Flame never actually encountered another of her own kind and had to guess a few things on her own as the two conversed.

But perhaps further examples might allow Brie to discover the answer nevertheless. "I have been created with an infusion forged from slivers of the Human spirit and the essence of a Fire Elemental." She let that thought sink in for a moment. "You're essentially looking at a vessel for the aforementioned infusion, not my own flesh and blood. Without said infusion, I'd just be an inanimate shell."

It would have made little sense to explain the process of her creation since Flame doubted the Fae ever laid hands on such matters herself, but she'd allow the female to keep guessing for a little while longer. "You're allowed to ask questions if you need some more help."

On track. Brie examined those clues in her head again. The main ones being the origins of a Fire Elemental and inanimate … her eyes widened at the last as if that fogginess cleared. The Fae had a lot of knowledge about magic and she knew what Elementals were used for. While an Elemental had free will unless summoned many creatures fell into that category but key words like vessel and inanimate in conjunction with Elemental triggered her thoughts.

“A Construct! A Flesh Golem?!” It made sense since Elemental spirits were infused into Golems but this would be the first time she had heard of a human soul being used. A Flesh Golem made sense though rather than being a mish mash of parts it seemed that just one body had been used in the process. Maybe she had not deteriorated much or even volunteered for the process … a Golem was created and Immortal lacking free will.

The human part was probably born as normal and infused with this but there were a great many stories with humans seeking immortality. She looked to Flame uncertain at such a wild guess though the clues seemed to fit.

“Did he make you?” She flicked her gaze toward Roc before an answer came forth as to the ordeal about her origins. If she were wrong she would get back at it beginning with a few questions.

It did not take long for Brie to come up with the correct answer and Flame smirked mildly in response, a faint blush upon her features as the distant realisation struck that not everyone despised her due to her true nature. Somehow these reactions continued to calm and encourage that somewhat frightened portion of hers, not that Nicodemus didn't deserve to know although in a sense by staying silent for this long the red head had been laced with guilt over the issue of her actual species.

"Congratulations, we have a winner." She appreciated such enthusiasm nevertheless and glanced over to Roc who had wordlessly observed the two as Flame succumbed to a more juvenile streak and played a little game. Aside from him only Spencer had been privy to her true nature which would have ended these playful pleasantries fairly quickly in hopes of keeping this particular fact hidden. "If he did, I probably wouldn't be human." She smiled. "I'm afraid the honor is not his. My creator, or father, as I like to call him, happens to be an Efreeti."

They were seen as fundamentally evil by the people of the City Within the City and Flame had to wonder how Fae thought of them in the fire wielding creatures all the way out here in the lush forests of Brindel. "He's actually quite nice once you get to know him."

“I guessed right?” She clapped. Flame's origins had not seemed to scare her in the least. It was an entertaining game and one that most species may have been stumped with though given how common magic was among the Fae there were a lot of things she had known, some of which she could do as innate gifts she was born with and a lot from stories she heard. Thus she had a wide range of knowledge.

She looked to Roc then nodded. Made sense. If he were going to create a Golem he would probably make a Dwarf or at least something he did not have to look up to! “A Genie!”

Her jaw dropped as she looked back. There were five types from what she had learned and the Dao (Earth) and Efreeti (Fire) were evil. It was rumored that they were responsible for volcanoes and earthquakes too.

So why wasn't she an Efreeti? Though humans could move about freer. She had mentioned that she had free will and if she had been created by an evil one that was unlikely. “We don't get many Genies here and the ones we do get are Djinnis for the most part and even rarer Marids ...”

She studied Flame with those silver eyes for a moment. It was tough knowing what she was thinking but after half a minute she broke into a smile.

“Is he Abdul?”

Roc seemed a bit surprised. The forest the last place he imagined a creature of fire would go. Of course there were huge infernos all the time though he surmised that any community in these parts could deal with such through magic.

It was such a delight to find something as cherishable as an enthused little girl, even though her species effectively concealed the true length of her lifespan, the looks and attitude probably had the biggest impact on the equally exuberant sorceress. She had fewer things to appreciate than despise when her memory first began to function once more although day after day things seemed to lighten up little by little. In the end ridding this portion of the forest from a corrupted Lilac might not be without a great many benefits, after all.

Then again matters became all the more complicated once Brie deduced a few vital aspects of her existence and proceeded to dig deeper, especially to the point Abdul seemed relevant to her observations although the young woman hesitated for a moment before responding. She introduced herself under more or less false pretenses, provided a fake identity and giving the truth away without clearing things up beforehand might lead to a few more misconceptions with regards to her father.

Flame, not Eria was her name, but for the moment she had kept that notion to herself. It might be little more than a nickname, after all, just as the most common title people seemed to give her wasn't an actual name. She had yet to ask Abdul about it though such matters were negligible for now.

She shared the same surprise Roc had on his features, a tad more defined on her face than on his own although it was certainly there before it began to clear up, replaced by another warm smile as the red head nodded in confirmation. "You're correct once again. Abdul has created me roughly two decades ago and raised me as if I were his own child ever since."

Indeed, a strange mental image to find an Efreeti amidst such lush plantlife without bringing destruction to it, but for some reason the Fae knew of him and for once Flame burned to know why. The towering red giant got around, certainly, but his affairs were mostly unknown to her and nothing immediately sprung to mind which could hold any interest to her father except Stratos himself, but surely not even he stayed in one place for too long. "Would you mind telling me how you figured it out? I'm aware he's travelling a lot, but I haven't expected him to come here of all places, wielding the flames and all that."