Caspian had returned home from adventuring worried due to the rumors of the earthquakes. Just as he entered the town however it began, a rumble that only increased throwing him off balance as he staggered into a wall to stay upright trying to make it towards his home in panic praying they would be okay as buildings began to crack and shake. He looked around trying to gesture to people to get out calling for people to get out of their homes as he hobbled quickly through the streets holding onto his cane. "Get out everyone! Get out before it collapses! Please!" he called as he went helping a few people up as they fell. Panic was overcoming him along with worried and he prayed veil was safe wherever he was and the same went for his brother praying it would all be okay. At least it was only his parents in the city that he knew of so hopefully getting them out wouldn't probe too concerning.

    Suddenly however the shaking worsened and he heard and saw some of the buildings collapse, causing a thick dust to blow into the air blinding him and causing a coughing fit as he continued trying to move towards home, stumbling over cracks in the ground

Ulmiyda walks down the streets of Sol City with her head held high, after all, she is the city’s liberator. Fighting back an entire crustacean army with only a single automaton on her side was no small task. It was rather rude of the royal family to not recognize her deeds. Those dreaded sun elves never change, even news of the gods being dead couldn’t shake their delusions that they are Solaria’s descendants. Bah, what good are gods that can die. If they’re so great, how come they are dead? He clearly wasn’t worthy of owning flame, and neither is the royal family.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky as she passed into the housing district, she was eager to check on the house she had vandalized last time she was here. Not to apologize of course, collateral damage is bound to happen during wartime, but more to satiate her curiosity. Cervayhn didn’t know of the damage she did last time she passed through, so he shouldn’t suspect her to wander off when she said she was getting some candy. He was busy with his papers anyway; why did she need to accompany him on such boring trips? At least it was warm here unlike the manor.

As she approached the house she’d previously attempted to burn, she suddenly lost her balance. Catching herself on her hands, she noticed that she hadn’t tripped on accident, the whole city was shaking. She rose to her feet as she steady herself her scimitar. Having a blade half the size of your body was helpful for her weight. She groans in frustration as a cloud of dust surrounds her, she really didn’t want to get this dress dirty. She held out her hand as she focused on the area around her, causing the dust began to rise as the air warmed beneath it^[1]. Standing in front of her was a young man balancing on a cane, older than her, but rather meek looking. He looked to be in a hurry. She gave an unimpressed stare as he gave her a panicked glance.

“What’s the matter with you?” She asked in a remarkably calm state considering the circumstance.

---

[1] Sweltering Aura

He looked back towards her surprised and confused as to why she seemed so calm “the… the buildings are collapsing- my family- I need to make sure they are okay. I need to help them” he remarked with a worried look as he tried to balance with his cane. He tried to take a few more shaky steps as he looked around worriedly “if people are trapped in these buildings or worse… we should help them” he added knowing he would need to find a way to try and help all the others but he couldn’t help but go to help his family first. He felt a ping of guilt for that but knew it was what he needed to do

As he reached the crumbled home he began shifting the rubble “mother? Father?! can anyone hear me?!” He called freezing after a moment as he saw a hand sticking out of the rubble, bloody and bruising. He panicked and tried to move the rocks off of them “mom?! Dad!” He called as he worked on freeing them. As he did though he noticed the horrid scene before him of broken bones and flattened bodies. He shook as he tightened his grip on his cane “please you can’t leave not like this please wake up” he begged as tears streamed down his face. “Please” he muttered trying to wake them up to no avail.

Ulmiyda looks at the shaken young man with a doubtful stare. It was clear to her the boy needed help, although Cervayhn was much better at these sorts of things. Sure, she could lift her oversized sword, but that was only after plenty of practice and even then, she mostly used the momentum from the weight of the blade rather than her own strength. Lifting rubble was a completely different story, if anything, she was better off blowing the collapsing buildings to smithereens before they fell rather than clearing the remains.

"Listen, I'm umm… not good at these sorts of things. I can maybe clear some debris, but not exactly carefully." Her eyes light up as an actually helpful idea comes to her. "Oh and if anything is on fire leave it to me! I'm a professional firefighter!" She adds enthusiastically, despite misunderstanding what the term firefighter means.

She follows the young man to his home, still remaining relatively upbeat despite the growing carnage around her, until the pair make a grin discovery. The young girl had little experience when it came to loss, her worst experience being an old cat of hers that reached the age where it could no longer endure Frostgale’s winter.

She freezes up for a brief moment as he cries out, before quickly shifting to a serious expression.
"There's nothing that can be done for them now. Come on, we need to do what we can for those who remain."

Cas nodded and quickly led her to the house where the above listed events occured and he found himself on his knees begging. His hope had drained from him, even with help there wasnt much that could be done. His body shook as he looked from his parents to his brother, without thinking he took his brothers necklace to keep, holding the family crest on it and he stood most likely having to be pulled from the scene a bit. Once pulled far enough away he was able to avery his gaze and refocus, leaning on his cane "r-right... if anyone is still here they need help" he nodded trying to pull himself together. he didnt want others to see or feel what he ha just experienced and was determined to help others avoid such a fate. He put the medallion on and took a breath before hobbling to find others "Is anyone here?! Make a noise and we can help you!" he called and listened before limping towards the closest sounds he heard to help whoever was there though he wasnt sure how much he could do with his fragile physique. Strength was never something he had or needed before.

Ulmiyda stood quietly, unconsciously mimicking Caspian on his cane, as she leaned against her scimitar's hilt; the blades tip resting against the cold stone of the city’s path. It was a rare moment of patience for the girl, as her young mind tried to process the trauma that the sickly man was experiencing. She lets out a small sigh of relief when he finally rises back to his feet, eager to get away from the scene that was admittedly making her uncomfortable.

The two of them walk through the dust filled city streets, heading towards the nearest sounds of distress amongst the chaos. Despite the carnage spreading around her, the young dark elf was more focused on slowing her own pace down to match the frail man, ironically having a harder time stifling her energy than she did releasing it.

"So… it's pretty clear that you're not the most physically active person. Do you happen to know any magic? That would be pretty helpful right now. Even the simplest of stuff, like conjuring water or moving rocks would be helpful. You’ve got to be able to do something, right?”

Her attempts at small talk were cut short by the sounds of shouting from a nearby house. The building’s balcony had collapsed, blocking off the entrance and trapping the residents inside. Thinking fast the young girl dug through her satchel until she found several glass orbs filled with a dark substance^[1]. She pulls her arm back, preparing to toss them when she notices Caspian trying to lift the rubble. Her arms drop to her side as her excitement wanes and she begins to address the man in demoralized tone.

"Hey so uhh… could you like, stand back? I’m going to clear the debris. Oh and also shield your ears. This is going to be loud."

---

[1] Explosive Ornaments

Caspian moved the best he could as he looked around then to her “I’m afraid nothing big… I can create light to search through rubble, mend objects and speak in another’s mind…” he explained feeling a bit useless after he said so. He hated his frail frame and not being able to do much. It caused him quite a bit of frustration and grief with it all. He wanted and needed to be stronger.

He, after attempting to push rubble and hearing the girl moved back confused as to what she would do and covered his ears as instructed, looking at what she held with curiosity. He opened his mouth to ask only to see how it worked first hand once thrown. He tended at the noise but after dust and everything cleared from the entrance he hobbled forward once more to look for who had been yelling “hello?! Is anyone here? We can help you the way is unblocked!” He called as he stepped into the shabby and unsteady entrance, relieved to see the survivors in the building. With the help of the other he ushered them out and pointed them to the nearest way out of town

Ulmiyda's face contorts as she watches as the young man attempts to climb partially through the rubble so he can call out to the people trapped within. If he had magic that can talk to people's minds why doesn't he just use that to call out to them?
The girl's understanding of magic outside of her flames was limited; the idea of restrictions based on things like line of sight had never crossed her mind.

She breathes a sigh of relief / partial annoyance as the residents flee to safety. Yet again she found herself doing the job of those lazy sun elves in the capitol. "You would think that worthless royal family would have sent some people by now. These poor people could have been trapped in home forever if we weren't here. I wish I could have blown my way out of my house when my parents locked me up. That experience was suffocating so it must have been even scarier for these people."

She looks down the road spotting more damage littering the opulent residences. Trees had fallen near the district's entrance, possibly preventing any vehicles from passing through and assisting the trapped populace.

Ulmiyda smiles as she spots an opportunity to finally let loose with her flames but suddenly hesitates as she thinks of her rather dour companion. "Go over to the trunk of that downed tree and try using your magic to fix it. If that fails, I'll take care of it my own way."

"You too...?" he muttered hearing her words before focusing back on helping the people "Everything will be okay right this way" he said to them helping them move away from the crumbling home. Once he was sure everyone was okay he moved back before pausing on hearing the others words "t-the tree?" he questioned surprised. He had only practiced on small things but after a moment he steeled himself and nodded to his companion before moving as quickly as he could towards the tree. Once there he closed his eyes and placed his hands on it having knelt down on the cracked cobblestone streets below. He took in a breath and focused as some light emanated from his hands. It slowly seemed to be fixing the tree but due to the size and the angle it had fallen it was taking a lot of energy to fix. He could feel himself weakening as he continued until finally the tree was upright. He was amazed he was able to do it and soon slowly pulled himself to his feet with the use of his cane. It was hard to stand with being so drained but he did and managed to hobble back over towards the other "there"

Ulmiyda watches as her meek companion nervously approaches the downed tree. From someone so much older than her, this man sure was lacking in confidence. Aren't humans supposed to develop faster than elves? Maybe he was like those young Pale City nobles who were dependent on their servants and retainers for their needs; this young man was rather well dressed after all.

She watches as Caspian’s hands start to glow dimly, despite his nervousness nod towards her.
“I don’t know how light magic works at all, but just think about the tree being upright or something. That’s how magic usually works for me.”

Slowly but surely the tree begins to move, defying that wacky force that pulls everything to the ground as it ascends back up right. An expression of great exertion adorned Caspian's face as he held his spell. It was clear to Ulmiyda that there was no way the young man could possibly heal every tree in their way. She folds her fingers inward, with the exception of her top and middle, as she turns to face the refuse. A light sparks from the tip of her fingers as a bolt^[1] shots forth, slamming into the clutter of branches with an explosion of flames.^[2] Her fingers glow as the falling sparks moves against the wind^[3], landing on any wayward debris yet unscathed. The fire begins its feast as the young girl turns to see Caspian's tree fully up right.

She stands with her elbows propped atop the pommel of her scimitar as she gives Caspian an applause; the roar of flames consuming the remaining obstacles serving as her backdrop. "Good job! See I told you that you could do it. You look a little tired though so I went ahead and took care of the rest."

---

[1] Fire bolt
[2] Conflagration
[3] Control Fire

"Ah thank you" he replied sheepishly as he looked at how much she was able to clear "Sorry I am afraid I am still working on my magic since I have only recently been able to move freely" he explained as he walked over to her. "If there is anything else I can do to assist please let me know what i can do" He said as he looked around to see what area would be the safest way out of this "I know i may not be strong but I will help however I can" he said with a determined and stubborn look on his face.He stood a little taller. His boy may be fragile and weak however there was a hardened resolve and determination in his eyes that showed a lively spirit not willing to give up once he set his mind to something. He was getting braver and stronger by the day.

He gave a small determined smile. "We can help people and get out of here no doubt about it!" he remarked as he stayed in pace with her and looked around for anyone needing help. He was never a noble who felt above others, he wanted to walk amongst them and know them and now he wanted to help them

Ulmiyda walks away from the smoldering flames, doing her best to contain herself for her companion’s sake. As much as she wanted to frolic among the flames, pulling and twisting them all the way to the gates of the palace; the young girl's guilt and pity outweighed her desire. The royal family would be spared… at least for this moment.

Caspian's sudden eagerness caught her by surprise. The boy's meekness had steadily been drifting away, but perhaps the boy was getting a bit overconfident. She looks up at her companion with an unamused expression as she spins her scimitar in place, balancing it by the pommel. “You may continue however you like, however I am not a citizen of this city, nor do I have any particular ties here. I have cleared the way for the capitol guard, I don't intend on sticking around for their eventual arrival. I have someone who is no doubt quite worried about me." She spies a figure walking through the blaze behind Caspian, causing her mood to normalize back to the carefree girl from before. “Speaking of which.”

Cervayhn emerges from the smoke with his mouth and nose covered by his coat. He glances at Caspian for a brief moment, quickly determining that the young boy wasn’t any form of threat to himself or his master. The older dark elf approaches Ulmiyda, looking down at her with a disappointed expression. The young girl stares up to him with an annoyed expression, ready to reprimand her retainer for her own actions.

“Where were you? I could have fallen into the depths while you were away! Speaking of which, how did you find me?” She exclaims as she lightly pounds her fists into her retainer’s leg. “I followed the smoke as usual. You were the one who wandered off in the first place. We need to go, our presence here amongst this destruction is not a good look. Tensions are high and the army will no doubt be looking for any party to blame.” He looks to Caspian as he grabs Ulmiyda’s hand. “I appreciate you looking over her for my absence. You should find some shelter, you’ve done enough already.”

"Ah alright then I suppose... If you need anything however I am sure there are supplies you could use" he explained with a small smile before looking to the newcomer curiously. He reminded the boy of his friend Vail a bit. "Ah she was more helpful than I. Be safe both of you though! I wish you all the best and safe travels" he explained giving a little nod of kindness "Thank you for helping me get people out of here" he added to the girl. His actions were genuine as he wore his heart on his sleeve. Even if he wanted to lie he would fail horribly at such things.

After a brief moment of making sure the two were okay he turned and began to leave "It was nice meeting you both" he called back with a little wave. It took him a bit on the uneven ground but he walked out and to the camp of others. Once there he cleaned himself up a little and he took out his journal drawing the pair and the events. He held onto his family medallion and wiped the few tears that tried to fall. But he knew he must be brave and continue on