Osyluth or Bone Devils appear to be humanoids that have been starved to the cusp of death, hunched over with little more than just skin left on their oversized head and thin tail being all that detracts from the image.

This is of course a façade, they have the strength of several men and their bony claws and tail are wielded with deadly skill. Much like their strength being far more than apparent, they are more durable than all but the sturdiest of mortal men. Masters of shadow and necrotic magic they often are used for assassins or turning the dead on a battlefield into the tools of the infernal hoard. – Common Monsters

Adrian

With little more than zero chance of an enemy stumbling upon the camp of my resting friends, I take an arced flight to them. A deception to keep that woman from chasing in the direction I flew and finding our campsite.

I soon land and smile as I look of the undisturbed rest of the trio. I smile as I feel the physical manifestation of Lykou approach me from behind, his voice whispering into my mind.

[Alpha, rest. I can keep watch for a few hours more.]

I smile as I turn around and place my hand on his head. He is shorter than when he was under the light of the full moon. His power and size are probably tied to the moon like Moonlight Runner's ability to manifest is.

“thanks”, I whisper to him. I should try to get what I can out of the Grey Dream, and my mind is strained from the events of the day. The near constant use of my magic probably wasn’t good either. Lykou stopped absorbing the backlash energy and I can feel a bit in me. I should try to take it easy for a bit; if I even get that option that is.

I sit down and lean up against a nearby tree, I’ll only sleep for an hour maybe two.

Looking out over the nothingness that is the Grey Dream, I act immediately to bring forth a character sheet.

Gain: Dragon 3 (+ 10 SP), Marksman 9 (+ 5 SP),

Dragon Flesh: You have cannibalized a dragon. (Dragon 5 (+ 20 SP, + 25 EP))

Name: Adrian Ravnos

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Skills

Attributes

Class

SP: 222

Traits

Magic

Languages

EP: 82

Alright, enough SP to do something with but not enough to increase one of the Spheres I want. Should I do something else with some of it? Probably, or could that be the influence of this place?

I suppose whether or not they are spent now does not matter; the how still does though. Not enough for a Sphere increase on one of the ones I want so skills or traits?

Skills can be done manually but traits are harder to get on my own.

“What Traits can I increase with SP?”

Current Trait

Possible Upgrade

Endurance, Greater

Endurance, Superior (100)

Perfect Recall

Eidetic Memory (150)

I guess that is all that is upgradeable on the SP side of my traits. EP seems to be a lot more useful.

“How does Eidetic Memory differ from Perfect Recall?”

[It does not have the flaw of only recalling what you paid attention to.]

So, I would now remember things that I don’t think are important. In addition, there are plenty of things I would like to retain the ability to forget.

I spend the SP for the Endurance option, and pull up my choices for EP.

Alternate Form

Senses

Special

Void Powers

The best option has always been to just increase the size of my dragon shape so far so I select Alternate Form.

Adult Void Dragon *Unavailable Due to Lack of Age*

Chill of the Void 75

Increase Natural Armor 50

Well, that is disappointing. Well, I don’t think I need any new senses to deal with at the moment, I’ll look at the specials; Void Powers seem to be unavailable as well at the moment.

Basic Magic Resistance

Useful but not enough, entry level resistances are always negligible. Perhaps with multiple levels of resistance it could be useful but not right now.

Besides I kind of want to know what Chill of the Void is. So, I take that and move to wake up.

I wake up to find, as I had hoped, everyone to be asleep. Looking up at the just barely brightening sky, I was probably out only for an hour or two.

I uncurl and take to the sky to patrol, as I wait for the others to wake.

I see very little of living creatures from the sky and Lykou wasn’t agitated over anything nearby as I flew and enjoyed the morning air as the sun rose over the distant hills and woods.

It is not too much longer when a ray of light falls on the sleeping trio, and K bolts upright and starts looking around.

I quietly land and she stops looking around. She smiles as she looks over my form, “you healed yourself?”

I nod before whispering in return, “sleep, there are no enemies nearby.”

She smiles again and leans back into the blanket she shares with the elven twins before falling into a deeper sleep than her last one.

I guess I’ll just sit in the sun and try to get Void Cache somewhat organized as I wait a few more hours.

It isn’t too terribly long until the others begin to stir, so I return to human form. I lose the feeling of absorbing light through my wings but it is easier to do most things as a human.

At least packing up barely took any time as there was little more than blankets to move back into void cache and the satchels.

No one spoke as we resumed our journey, no one needing to be told what we are doing.

We did not run into a single moving thing until it got close to dusk. K noticed the city first, or at least the chain link fences that seem to circumscribe it.

At least there is a welcoming party or at least gate guards at the entrance to the city from I-49. A welcome sight compared to the basically bare towns we saw yesterday.

It takes a while to get to the gate itself but there are several people there. Not all of them human, but all what are considered civilized races by both the Althaen and fantasy games in general.

There are a few men from the Army in their tan uniforms, but they did not seem to be in charge. Instead it was a pair of dwarves that called out first in what I assume was dwarven and then they switched to English.

“Halt and identify yourselves.”

My mother did not take well to their tone or demand that we stop. She did at least not start making a scene out of it. Something everyone who can see her upset face can be thankful about.

I look over my group to try to figure out if I should speak or have another do it. If they are like the Althaen, the trio might be best but my mother is the only adult and citizen for the US government.

Luckily for me that got decided for me by Abagail, who spoke up first.

“We are citizens of the United States of America, and request entry to the city.”

The dwarven pair look at each other before responding with a smile, “then you have documents of identity?”

Abagail nods and I frown. We do except for my twin brothers and the trio. I hope this isn’t going to be like the TSA.

We are motioned forward to the gate and after several minutes a man with a white shirt and tie comes to look at the driver’s licenses we passed to him. He never asked our names nor did he offer his own. The first words to come from his mouth we’re a question.

“Where are the IDs for those three?”

Two men interject from the other side of the fence, they are dressed similar to the Althaen, but the house crest was not one I had scene.

“They don’t have any because they are from Althrá. Elves cannot be from your country so they don’t have any.”

The man in the white shirt frowns before talking, “except for those three and the pair of boys I can clear you for entry. Everyone has to be identified. I’m sorry but there are enough monster problems in the city already.”

Before my mom can start yelling at this pencil pusher I pull her back a bit. Luckily Abigail asks the question that we need to have asked.

“Then who clears people from Althrá for entry?”

“That would be the two gentlemen that informed me of the impossibility for some of your group to be cleared for entry by me or one of the dwarf scribes.”

“Would you get them then?”

The man sighs before waving for the dwarf scribe to come over. Acting as if we were asking something far beyond what we should.

My mom pulls out some birth certificates from her purse before all but thrusting them at the man. To which he frowns and says, “photo ID only, sorry mam but I can’t help you.”

Damn it’s like some sort of TSA and DMV hybrid. This is going to take a while.

Once the dwarf and the two men from Althrá get closer to the gate the dwarf asks a question to the man in a whisper to which he points at everyone except for the trio and my younger brothers.

The dwarf frowns but nods and turns to us.

“So, some of you lacked the proper identification to enter as US citizens.

Do you wish to proceed through the other method of entry?”

Abagail nods, and speaks “yes.”

“Alright I will start with the youngest, which of the two boys is that?”

“We’re twins” they both answer in tandem. I hate it when they do that to me but it is fun watching others get messed with by it.

“Okay, and are you claiming familial ties to another who has been cleared to establishing your own privilege of travel?”

“They ar. . .” my mother begins but is interrupted by the dwarf.

“They must state it themselves.”

“Family by blood,” they state before pointing to my mother and me while stating the relationship.

I can see a frown form for an instant on the pair of men from Althrá. Guess they don’t want people getting okayed for entry.

The dwarf, who out of all these bureaucrats seems the least unhelpful simply continues on to his next point on whatever script he is following.

“Very well, normally a blood test of kin would be used but since you are twins that would just mark each other I will test your blood family to find a link to you instead.”

With that he pulls out a silver knife and walks over to me. I hold my hand out, “go ahead I understand what Next of Kin should do.”

The dwarf nods, in appreciation happy to not have to explain the spell. I think he struggled a bit to cut my skin with the silver knife but he doesn’t complain about it.

Once the blade is wet with a few drops of my blood he chants in a more melodic version of the tongue he first tried to speak to us in.

The blood droplets rise from the blade and fly towards in three directions, my two brothers and mother. Each getting a bit of blood on their respective shirts.

Obvious enough way to have the spell display the results of the blood ties in family.

“The relationship between is clearly immediate family and so you two are cleared for entry.”

The dwarf then turns to the trio and asks, “how would you three like to proceed?”

It is Talia who responds, “Sister and me are Thalia and Lysan Alanthíer.”

“The house of Alanthíer fell half a century ago. While I believe you as you fit the description of the heiresses, you will have to claim a relationship with another house.”

“We have given ourselves to a young master of house Ravnos.”

“Claiming to be connected to a myth is not valid either.”

At this point the two men of Althrá interject, “House Tythus of the Althaen claims them.”

Before anyone can do anything I step towards them and speak, “you will not be taking my girlfriends from me, and my house is no myth.”