Having been ignored by the seemingly panicked little girl, Claudius walked back inside the Guild and sat in a chair by the door. He took out his book and one of his notes and began to go over one of his new spells, wondering if it would work with the small amount of magicka he had written down for it. Perhaps a bit more. Yes, just a bit more, and change the size of the projectile just a bit, and it may be ready for field testing.

When William spoke up, Claudius looked up from his work and saw the Necromancers in the Guild. "William, perhaps in the interest of our new peace with the Necromancers, you should lower your sword. After all, it wouldn't look very good if you were to allow Necromancy and then kill one that comes to help. With Mages, Necromancers, and who knows what I should call the rest of you, all working together? Why, this will be very entertaining. I'd bet it would even make the Black Horse Courier," he said amusedly.

"Oh, what did you say your name was? Ichabol? Well, assuming you all aren't dead by the end of this, I'm going to have to ask one of you some questions. There's something about the reanimation process that always confused me, and I need to complete that part of my research before I move on," he said with a smile.

This was all truly entertaining, and he said that very rarely. Now, with so many relatively friendly Necromancers nearby, his research would go by faster than ever. Aside from death, little could dampen his good mood at the moment. He had heard that the fool Vladamus had gone and gotten himself killed, but he didn't really care. Actually, he wouldn't care if everyone in the room were to drop dead, he'd only be sad about how far back it would send his work. He especially had no mercy for one as foolish as that bodyguard, and as far as he was concerned, it was good riddence to an annoying pest. He could only hope that his brother had at least a little commen sense.

With his thoughts finished, he went back to studying his notes, making small adjustments to the spell, attempting to perfect it best he could before he had to use it. Then it struck him. He didn't have a name. He sat there and pondered it for awhile, but after not coming up with any good answers, he just went back to doing his modifications.

despite the ache inside, Angel stood and made her way to William's side. Placing her hand lightly on his sword arm, she found herself completely at a loss for words. Tears rolling from her eyes, she was once more engulfed in pain.

"William," Carahil said calmly, "you are a guest in this hall. I expect you to conduct yourself in a civil manner or I will be forced to have you removed. Why don't you take Angel upstairs. She needs to rest." Turning to Lycensus she said "I'm sure your intentions were honorable and speaking for Angel I would say we can let bygones be bygones. Have you met Rene Belland?"

OOC: I don't know what to do, so if this isn't good, tell me.

IC:

Erandur was deeply depressed about his brother. All the memories they had as children. Vladamus had always been a cocky brute, but he always stood up for Erandur. Just thinking of this made a tear come to his eye.

Nevertheless, he made his way to the ceremonial shop. He had recieved a message from a young wood elf saying that he should see him, as he had a surprise in store. As he entered, he saw two guards.

"Oh, you're here." one said, setting down his mug. "If you didn't know, your brother helped capture the notorious woman gang. Although I don't agree that he should be rewarded, especially after his confrontation, the count of Anvil had this Ebony Ceremonial made for you. And here is his sword. Take it and go.".

Erandur was in shock. He was so excited. He now had something of Vlad to keep. He gestured a 'thank you' and he made his way out. With this, he went into the Mage's Guild. There he saw the girl.

"Oh, Angel." he noticed she was crying, "I'm Erandur, Vlad's brother."

"I killed him." Angel said addressing Erandur. "I killed Vlad. Wherever I go people die. You must not come near me or get involved."

"I'm sorry I ever came back here. Now Carahil is involved and there's nothing I can do but fight to try and save her." There was a long pause before Angel began again. "I swear before the Nine, the next time the Arch Mage does anything to harm her I will kill him. If I must be an angel of death then the deaths will be of my choosing."

Angel withdrew the Egg from her carrier and looked into her reflection in the golden metal. As she slipped into mage's meditation, the image shifted, became gaunt, the eyes; empty sockets. The sensual aura of life she had always felt from touching it's smooth surface turned cold and seemed to flow out of the grave into her cradling arms. "From now on, I will choose."

"Angel, you can't blame yourself. It was that dumb Elina that did this. Vladamus had never been bery stable..." Erandur said, grinning. He was trying to make the situation better. "Killing isn't any better than dying, and you'll feel far worse if you kill him."

"That's why I have to be your bodyguard. If Vladamus loved you enough to attack someone, than I will to." Erandur said, dropping to one knee, "And even if you don't want me as your bodyguard, you can't get rid of me. I must do my family's name something of honor."

Belland watched as the new man dropped to one knee and pledged himself to Angel.
"Hello" Belland said to the man, he could see some similarity between the newcomer and the deceased Vlad.
"I am Belland" he said with some authority expecting at least some form of response.

Carahil lead her new recruits to where Belland stood watching events. "Rene, this is Ichabol Lycensus. His group is joining us and I though perhaps you could take them under your wing so to speak. They can use the cellar to conduct rituals but please avoid stinking up the guild hall."

________

"If you cannot be turned away then the least I can do is be grateful." Angel said. "My greatest fear is an assassin. I always thought that Vlad might protect me from an assassin's blade. Perhaps he still will through you."

"He will Angel. As long as I have his armor on, it's rumored, that I will sense what he senses. So don't worry." Erandur said, grinning. "Besides, I'm not as annoying as he was either." He got off his knee and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You know, Vladamus loved you like a daughter. Don't ever say it was your fault, because it only makes him feel worse. He's with the Nine now, no matter what he did. He always had a pure heart."

Claudius finished the notes he had been writing for his new spell, but something troubled him. It would require almost all of his energy to maintain this spell with so little magicka. He could increase the power, but that might alert his target to his presence, something he couldn't afford. He had experience with controlling minds; he had many years to perfect the art, but this was something he had never tried before. Mind control spells were, by their very nature, dangerous. If not handled correctly, they could cause irreparable damage to the target's mind. But using this spell would link his mind to the target, allowing him to directly influence perceptions. The consequences of failure were immense. Few attempted this type of spell, because unlike a typical control spell, failure would damage the mind of both the caster and the target. It would be made even more difficult by the limited thread of thought he would have to allow, to compensate for the small amount of magicka. Just enough to allow control, but at the same time go unnoticed. He would be playing a dangerous game with this spell, and death would be the best outcome if something were to go wrong.

Troubled by these thoughts, Claudius put away his notes and book and rose from the chair he had been sitting in. He watched thoughtfully as Angel spoke to Vladamus's brother. He approached them, and waited a few moments before speaking, though he still had a perturbed expression on his face. "While this is all very sweet, I'm afraid we really don't have time for pleasantries and conversation. As we speak, the Arch-Mage is no doubt gathering his forces for an attack. I don't know why so many place such importance on you, and frankly, I don't care to know, but blood will come from this, and I'd hate to see a child get involved in such a conflict, regardless of your status or power. Much damage can come from battle, and not just of the physical sort. I think it would be best if you were to leave the city and find a place to hide, or failing that, stay here in the Guild until all is settled. Nothing is going to stop the bloodshed that is to come, I see that now, and many will die before it is finished," he said in a soft, but gentle tone. Much about the situation bothered him, but he especially wouldn't want a child to be hurt in the process of it's resolution.

"My parents were rich." Angel began as a preamble to what she would say next. "I was privately tutored in the Arcane arts. My apprenticeship began when I was five. I know some very advance forms of meditation and the simpler Necromancer rituals. For the last year, I've traveled in the wild gathering ingredients for my potions and poison. I've had to defend myself against bandits, marauders, goblins, every form of forest creature, and the Daedra while the Arch Mage grew fat, sitting in his University tower. My potions and poisons are the most exotic concoctions to be found in all of Cyrodiil. I'm not going anywhere."

At that moment Carahil approached the group. "I've just learned that one of the new people is a natural Enchanter. He can create permanent enchantments from soul gems."

Angel turned to Erandur, "Would you be interested in upgrading your armor?" she asked.

"Very well then, it's your decision and I'm not going to try and force you to do anything. However the soldiers of the Arcane University are far stronger than simple bandits or marauders, or even deadra. I may be wrong, but I doubt the battlemages would show you any mercy regardless of your age, so if you truly plan on fighting, I suggest you be prepared to suffer the consequences. Death may not be the only result of this battle; the mages of the Guild can do far worse when pressed. As harsh as it may seem, I would not allow myself to be taken alive by them now that I'm their enemy, though how it happened is beyond me," he said, a scowl forming on his face.

He then walked back to his chair and sat down again, opening his book back up and scanning for a particular passage on changing the appearance of ones surroundings. His thoughts were on the situation, even as he read, and he continued to go through scenarios of how things might turn out, but no matter what happened, someone always died. There seemed to be no avoiding it, and that troubled him. This situation, while it may appear to be contained, will light a firestorm of controversy regardless of the outcome. Rumors will spread, tempers will flare, and things will undoubtedly repeat themselves. This is only the beginning of a much larger game, but how it ends continues to elude me.

"By the Nine Erandur," Angel said, "did you hear that? The battlemages more powerful than the Daedra. It's no wonder the Mages council keeps the guild too terrified to think for themselves. They've spread these rumors to the point where people actually believe it. I've seen the battlemages. They are little more than nightwatchmen. Half mages. I see now that it is past the time for change. "Before the last battlemage dies, he will beg me for mercy!" Angel shouted to the stunned roomful of people.

Claudius looked up, shocked at the girl's shout. "How foolish. This girl is far too naive and it will be the end of her before all is settled. Nothing good will come of this, I can only hope that things don't escalate to the level I think it will. Something must be done, and I may have to do it," he said in a whisper, not intending for anyone to hear.

With that, he rose and left the room, returning to his desk. He sifted through his belongings until he came across a book, and opened it on the desk. He then removed the note on his spell and began to recite several passages, attempting to find a way to make the spell less dangerous. It was no good.

"Blasted thing is going to kill me. Hmph, actually, I'd prefer that to the alternative," he said to himself. He continued to mull over his notes, wondering just what he could accomplish. I could do more that just what I intend. There are so many possibilities, but I dare not try. There are too many variables, too many dangers. I'll just have to settle for it's current effect and leave the experimentation for later.

William had sat down since his latest outburst and tried to keep his head straight. He had gone from fighting necromancers to helping them in the war against Traven. And now that Angel was in the middle of it he had to stay. His fears of death would have to be put to the side for now so that he could protect Lady Angel. Carahil said there was someone who could enchant, but William didn't need it.

"My equipment is fine the way it is." he said calmly, "If anyone needs me I will be at my camp. It's right outside the main gate. Make sure you don't leave without me alright Lady Angel?"

With that he left the guild hall and wandered the streets for a while before returning to his camp to rest for a while.

Belland glanced around nervously, he had never done much teaching and that he had done was not magical, all the men who had flocked to his banner during his war on the accursed betrayers of the church had already known a useful skill and did need training. He gave a look over the recruits and grumbled under his breath, when he realized they had as much chance as being useful as a cliff racer. Carahil had not even given him the chance to escape slave labour and had left him alone with the recruits.
"Hello" he said awkwardly at the group, Well this is going to be a massacre he thought to himself as one of the recruits singed his eyebrows with an attempted fireball.

Carahil crossed the room prepared to scold Angel for this breach of decorum. Looking at the child stopped her in mid step. "Angel? Are you alright?" before her stood a small gaunt figure with sunken eyes encircled by dark discoloration. Even as she watched the vision dissipated and once again she was looking at the sweet face she had come to love.

"I'm sorry Carahil," Angel said, remorse apparent in her expression. "I guess I just got angry thinking about the Arch Mage. I think we should confront him now. I'm not afraid of him and I will never let him hurt you." As she spoke she seemed to transform once more.

"I know that face." Carahil thought. "It was the look I saw on Lorgren Benirus the night we fought him. Twelve. They were the best we had and he killed them. Twelve..., Athros, Milanna, twelve..., Aj'kir, twelve. "What's happening to you Angel?" Carahil asked trying to ignore the quaver in her own voice.

"I am becoming an angel of death."

"No thank you, Lady Angel." Erandur said. "This is Vladamus's ceremonial."

OOC: Sorry for short post

"STOP IT ANGEL! STOP IT!" Carahil shouted trying to fight the flood of memories of the night long ago when she had delivered the final blow to Lorgren Benirus as he pointed his staff at a fallen and prostrate Hannibal Traven. The spectral image faded and Angel returned to her normal appearance.

"It's what he fears most." Angel said. "The Egg sometimes lets me sense things about people. The Arch mage fears the angel of death more than anything."

Belland had promptly given up on the recruits after teaching them how to use the most basic of the fire spell he could teach them and thought them to swing a sword and hold a shield he had left them alone to practice. He had tried to get them to an acceptable standard however after his attempt at teaching they might stand a chance against a battle mage all at once if they attacked together. He stormed trough the guild and found Angel and Carahil talking,
"We're doomed" he sighed, "It would take a week to get those recruits up tp par and I do not think we have more than a few days tops, we would probably have better luck searching an inn for mercenaries or at least hiring a few hunters who can shoot a bow" he explained hoping to get some real guards before they where mascaraed.

From the night they met and Belland had saved Angel from an assassins blade, she had admired the man. For the first time, she felt a wave of disgust at his whining manner. Her face twisted into a look of revulsion.

"Coward." she said. "I could command his battlemages to tear the Arch Mage to pieces and they would do it. Even if they could defend against my illusions, I will effect enough of them to make them fight each other. Without an army in front of him, the Arch Mage is just one mage. With my feet stuck in the floor I could have killed him when he raided this hall. I'm going outside. It stinks in here."

Angel stepped out into a morning sun hoping there might be another confrontation but there was no one on the street except a city guard patrolman. "Fools." she thought. "Fools, and cowards. Is there no one left in this world with courage?"

"VLAD, I MISS YOU." With that cry, Angel realized the true nature of her angry outburst. For all of his reckless ways, at least Vlad had courage. Once again the dull ache she had pushed to the back of her mind engulfed her in pain.

Belland thought to himself he rubbed his temple to relieve the head ache he had from the guards. Belland snorted at Angels out burst and turned to Carahil,
"Give me some valuable trinket I could go and hire some unemployed mercenary and have him them here within three hours, those pathetic excuses of recruits would take far longer and we do not have time.

"This isn't going to get me anywhere. I might as well leave and try to find something to do," Claudius muttered to himself after several minutes of reading. He then got up and left the guild, leaving his robe and papers in his room. He didn't even bother using his invisibility spell, which was rather strange for him, especially under the circumstances.

After wandering the city for a while, he ended up in front of the chapel. Having nothing better to do, he walked inside and sat on one of the benches, praying silently as he wondered what the Divines would think of his actions. He would never get a blessing after the atrocities he had commited in his quest for knowledge, but perhaps he could be forgiven.

Then, he was roused from his thoughts by a deep voice behind him. "Hello there, what would you be doing in a holy place, Necromancer," the voice said, but not threateningly.

"Rene..." Carahil started and then changed her mind. Perhaps it was best to hedge their bet despite her confidence that Angel could do just what she had said she could do. Withdrawing a ring, Carahil turned it to see the bottom side of the black stone surrounded by macabre, death's head carvings. She had always been fascinated by the symbol carved into the stone; four arms extending outward from the center and grasping a surrounding circle. It was a symbol of luck and the ring was know to be lucky. She handed it to Belland.

"It's worth far more than you can get for it but I suppose that doesn't matter now. It's just a trinket. The only thing that really matters is that someone takes a stand against this continuing injustice."

Claudius turned and looked at the man that had addresed him. He was a Dunmer and sported their typical dark skin and red eyes, but this was no ordinary man. There were several rather peculiar things about him, one of which was the way he was dressed. It consisted of a blue cloak and hood with the emblem of a bluebird perched on a branch on the back of the cloak. A green, linen, sleeveless shirt, which hung loose, except for at the bottom, where it is gathered by a black, leather belt with the same emblem on it's gold buckle. His pants were the same color and material as his shirt, but were quite long, almost going below the ankle and hiding a pair of leather boots.

His face was gaunt, as if he rarely ate, or was possessed by a disease, and he had a cruel smile on his face that, combined with several scars crossing his face, his long, black hair that seemed like it had never been combed, and several spots of blood that dotted his clothing, resulted in a frightening appearance.

Most peculiar of all though, was the weapons he carried. He wore two swords on either hip, both with hilts that gleamed like gold and had the same emblem on the pommel. The left had a large ruby under the symbol, while the right had a sapphire. They both had black sheaths with gold writings in a strange language crisscrossing it, all the way to it's tip. On his back, mostly concealed by his cloak, was a third sword, this time with a large emerald in the pommel, without the emblem that seemed so common. It seemed to almost shine in the dim light, and Claudius could sense a strage power emenating from it, almost as if it was calling out to be drawn.

"Lieutenant Darnmon, to what do I owe this... Pleasure." he asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

Darnmon grasped the man's shirt, liting him straight off the ground and into the air, a snarl on his lips. Others in the chapel stared with curiosity at the situation. "You have forgotten your place you arrogant piece of trash! Why Berich bothers with Necromantic scum like you is beyond me. But that is not the point. You have disobeyed orders, and you know full well the consequences of that," he said, obviously furious.

"Berich bothers with me because I'm the head of the research department. And if I'm not mistaken, that would make me your superior. Put me down before I make you," he said in a threatening tone. When Darnmon released him, though he still had hatred in his eyes, Claudius began to speak again. "I do know the consequences of failure, but I have not failed. My orders were to retrieve the notes hidden inside that house and then burn it to the ground, barring extenuating circumstances. Well it just so happens that there are extenuating circumstances, and besides, I think I have found something far more useful to Berich..." he said. Then he began a recount of what had occured since his arrival in Anvil.

Darnmon still seemed furious, but he could not deny the value of the information that had just been told. "Very well, Berich will be pleased by this news, but I would have you know that three of my men were killed in their attempts to follow you, including Karven, and we can't waste resources trying to play your protector. I'm returning to Gardenhall now, but be warned, if you ever try something like this again, Alamund will feast on your soul, whether I have approval from Berich or not," he said, gripping the hilt of the sword on his back.

"Very well then Darnmon, but I have one favor to ask of you, as much as I loathe to say it. I would request that a squad be sent here immediately, both for my protection, and so that we may secure our new target," he said, his voice still arrogantly calm.

"I will consider it. But don't be surprised if Berich himself pays you a visit soon, and if he does, then I hope you're prepared and have your plan made, for if you don't you will wish to be at my mercy." And with that said, Darnmon turned and exited the chapel, but not before turning and casting a spell over the chapel goers, erasing their memory of what had just occured. Then, as Claudius watched, Darnmon dissapeared, no doubt hurrying back to Gerich to explain all of the information he had just discovered, all by himself.

"Disgusting wretch," Claudius muttered before walking out and heading back towards the Guild.

Ballerius crouched in the bushes growing near the side of the Mages' Guildhall, listening by a window to what was occuring inside. Whoever was talking was plainly in another part of the building far from Ballerius' position, as what he could hear was faint and almost unrecognizable. The inquisitor was not getting anything of any value from his eavesdropping, and all he had learned was that there were indeed quite a few people in the hall, making burglary an exceedingly bad idea. I need a plan. If Angel is in there, then I'll have to wait for her to leave before I go after her. She definitely has a lot of people watching her back right now. I can't let her see me, as she likely knows very powerful magic. As Ballerius went over the facts of his situation for at least the fifteenth time, coming to the same conclusions as he had the past fourteen times, he heard a cry from the front door of the guildhall.

"Vlad, I miss you!" And, noted the inquisitor with pleasure, it wasn't just any cry: It was Angel's voice. Quickly exiting the bushes, he moved towards the front of the guildhall, and peeked around the corner. Sure enough, there was Angel, standing outside the guildhall. Ballerius began to plot out his next course of actions, his heart picking up pace rapidly. Cast a ray of light at her eyes. I could probably close the distance before she knew what happened and then... The inquisitor's heart sank as he noticed a nearby guard patrolling the plaza. He might be able to stop me. Damn. So close. Ballerius pulled his head back around the corner, hoping he hadn't been spotted.