The White Hare

Prickled Hare

Jack and Nyxia stand in the center of the chamber in front of the crescent line of veiled chairs that make up the council. The two recognize a familiar master weapon forger who gives them a wave as the eldest of the group speaks an incantation that takes everyone's breath away for a moment. 

"With that I now call this meeting of the Grey's to commence." Sylgaya speaks up from the center chair. "You have been summoned to this meeting to receive the report of Jack and Nyxia as well as bestow upon them their just reward."

"Why must we do this again? Do the Grey gather to congratulate every individual that does us a favor?" One Grey speaks up.

"No, yet this is also the perfect opportunity to get a few answers of our own." Speaks another more measured wood elf. "While Grey Silriv brought them here without our knowledge it has provided us with a chance to speak with our notorious couple." Standing up the Grey moves through the veil of flowering vines revealing a wood elf man with striking red eyes and a wooden prosthetic left leg. The visible false limb moves as fluidly as a real one while baring a number of arcane symbols along the joints and a visible metal streak going up the back of the calf. He wears a green silk shirt and full length brown trousers with a rapier on his hip. His bronze skin baring a small facial scar on his cheek. He closes his eyes and gives a courteous bow. "I am Grey Master Duelist Giya of the Wood Elven Community of Silladren." 

Nyxia and Jack return the bow as he continues.

"I am told you both come from the territory between ourselves, the humans of Thorn Crest and the hellhounds packs. By any chance have you encountered any strange dungeons that have cropped up?"

Jack feels a bit antsy being put on the spot in front of over a dozen powerful individuals. Only a few were as monstrous as Alhrana in power but he didn't need his instincts to tell him they were far out of his league. Even the weakest of the bunch could rip his hide off of his body with their bare hands if they were so inclined. 

"No, we haven't had any come up that we know of. We just made due with the dungeons around us that we could and the only new dungeon we found was the {Blackwater Well}." 

"How would that be? You can't possibly expect us to believe that you gained such a ludicrous amount of skills, some of which we debated on killing you for, with only access to the lower tier dungeons in the outer edge of the great forest."

"Easy Giya." Alhrana warns while leaning forward in his seat. "They are friends, not-"

"But he's right." Another elder speaks up. "How do we know that they will not bare their fangs at our community some day? What will keep them from turning on us like the leoporcitae commonly do?" The hellhound flares up. Her heartfire burning brightly in her chest and flushing liquid fire through her veins.

"Jack would never-" Nyxia shouts only to be cut off. 

"He very well could hound. Just like how your own people turned on you for being weak he-" A [Murderous Aura] washes over the group as Jack's eyes lock onto the bundle of experience hidden behind the veil. "Like now! He can't even control himself when-"

"If he couldn't control himself he would have leapt at you and tried to ripped out your throat you old boar." Alhrana groans as he pinches the bridge of his nose. The last few meetings had gone far too well. He should have known it wouldn't last. 

"Oh please. Only a suicidal maniac would start a brawl in here surrounded and completely outclassed in every conceivable way. Throwing himself in the well was a fluke at best-"

An argument breaks out. Alhrana and Han try to get things back on track and get to the reward only to be met with more arguments. Jack's blood drips onto the floor as his claws further damage his hands. Then his grip loosens and drops altogether.