Req smiled as she turned to leave, already calling up the concentric rings so useful for teleportation. In a matter of seconds he was off, unable to breathe as his body was compacted into an impossibly thin beam of light. He touched down lightly in the Institute’s garden, taking slow deep breaths to counteract the unpleasant feeling the port had left him with. His red eyes scanned the near-vacant area, more out of habit than anything else, as he walked towards the north exit.
Another couple minutes of walking found Req at the door to the room the Institute had provided for him, He entered quickly, and pulled the door closed even more rapidly. He looked up at the maps plastered across the wall opposite the door, rechecking the figures one last time. The crypt, by his projections, would be just north of the Infi, the name he’d given to the odd structure buried beneath the sands. He double-checked the figures scrawled on the scraps of parchment that littered his desk.
Nothing to worry about. Between your detection-spell and the place’s aura, there shouldn’t be any worry in finding it. The summoner attempted to reassure himself, but as always, it failed, the anxiety rising in him like a tide. He could feel his throat threatening to close up, his breathing becoming shallower by the second. He fumbled in a drawer for something, and drew out a leather bandolier with eight identically sized pouches. Deftly, with a single hand, he drew out a glass vial and twisted the top off, sticking the pinky of his other hand into the vial. The relief was immediate, but shortly followed by a feeling of disgust. I came here to master my magic, not to become a slave to it.
Turning away from his desk, he eyes fell upon the Ionian katana above his bed. He grabbed that, replaced the mana vial he’d used with another, and grabbed his satchel from underneath the bed. Finally, he replaced his cloak with a much lighter spidersilk one, strapped the bandolier on, and left the small room with marginally less clutter.
He is weird.
That was the first thought the assassin had once Req was left behind. Amfissa ran fingers trough her loose hair and sighed quietly. Another mission… When will she have a good, free time for herself and herself only? She couldn’t resist his offer only because of her curiosity. Otherwise she’d send him flying to hell. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Noxian muttered few words under her breath, blaming herself for being such an easy tool to manipulate with. Her thoughts started revolving around the artifact.
Why on earth would Institute want it? Why not keep it where it belonged? People feared this thing, they would never go near something that possessed an unnatural power that could destroy them. And yet, here they were, ready to go and find it. But who left it there and why? Not for us to find, that’s for sure. Another sigh escaped the assassin’s lips. She was finally in the dormitory section and soon the girl entered her room and looked around. Shumira, huh? Quickly scanning trough the atlas she had, Amfissa figured that it would be better for her to pick something lighter, but not something that would give her chills during the night. So the usual assassin outfit it was. Taking out the bag, she put a map into it, bottles of water (for her own sake), hygine materials including medical equipment.
Then she changed into her usual outfit, dropping the summoner’s robe. Fixing knives on her belt and putting on the wrist blades, she threw, just in case, another t-shirt and jeans into the bag. Although it seemed to be a lot, her bag was easier than Amfissa expected. And she had more time left than predicted.
The rest of the time she spent examining the map of Shumira, searching for places where it was possible to rest for the night (if the trip would be longer) and simply trying to guess where the artifact could be hidden. When she looked up at the clock, it was time for her to get moving. Locking the door, she slowly began walking towards their meeting place.
It was five minutes to the meeting time Req had given when he arrived in the garden. As always, he spent a moment just taking in the sight. Dealing with the rigors of battle and blood and death, temporary as it is, on a daily basis could take its toll on the mind of a summoner. The garden was one method the Institute use to try to counteract this. It was a place of peace and beauty, designed to fill a person with a sense of contentment, and to rejuvenate the spirit. It was also one of Req's favorite places on the grounds to just relax.
He leaned against the hedge, the unusual plant's thick broad leaves providing more than enough strength to prop him up as he waited, though he did have a few doubts as to whether Amfissa would actually show up. They were proven groundless only minutes later though, when he saw her walk through an archway into the greenery of the garden. His eyes shifted into the magical spectrum then, changing almost imperceptibly from scarlet to crimson, then back again.
"Right on time," he said as she came close enough to hear.
