Mr. Solomius' Tasks

Selnia leaned back with a slight frown, trying to figure out what Mr. Solomius meant. What was bad about achievement? How could being a success be a setback?

Nabin snorted. Yeah, sure, tell HER to be careful. If she was a powerful magician, she should be able to just charm the pants off of whoever or whatever stood in her way. He'd learned that the hard way.

"You...ah, we've already talked about you," Solomius said to Rathal before checking his watch. Nabin gave Rathal a sidelong glance, curious as to what their host had talked to the other guest about exactly.

The odd man looked back at them. "Now I wonder where the others are. They are late. But never mind, punctuality is not everyone's forte, and I can wait."

"Others?" asked Selnia politely.

Nabin frowned. "Could you at least tell us why we're here, Mr. Solomius? I'm getting impatient." He winced. There he went again, being completely truthful and completely rude.

Selnia looked scandalized. "You can't talk to Mr. Solomius that way!" she hissed quietly.

Nabin shrugged.

**Thanks Engine!**

Name: Melissa

Age 22

Race: Human

Appearance: http://i2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/103/497/097/rCeW.jpg

Personality: Very sneaky. Clever and ready to show Mr. Solomius what she's all about. She is not very loyal to anyone because she dosen't care to get close to anyone.

History: You'll see...^^

Task: Basically like a spy. She scouts and searches and checks out whoever or whatever she needs too.

Desire: Her little brother was kidnapped. Mr. Solomius claims he knows where is location may be. Once she's done scouting and spying he'll give her the coordinates of her brother's location.

Other: up for love I suppose.

** Sorry have been unusually busy for the past few days! :S Well, here it is: Soria

Soria Dulay stared at Mr. Solomius' door. What would be waiting for her at the other side? Another joke? Soria did not like to mingle and normally refused invitations, but Mr. Solomius' letter had been mysterious and courteous. So she had let herself indulge her curiosity and turn up. With a shudder, she remembered the last time she had done so. Dunral, a nasty human, had invited her to a party. Soria had not known she was the main amusement. When she had arrived she found herself the receptor of sneering looks and cruel whispers.

The curse of being a half-breed.

The torture had not stopped there. Dunral approached her and, certain the eyes of the others were trained on them, asked her all sorts of humiliating questions. Red faced with embarrassment and anger, Soria couldn't have run to the door quick enough.

Soria's face flamed as the memories returned. Her hand hovered by the door, posed to knock. Perhaps she should just turn and run, save herself the ordeal that would surely follow if she entered.

She bit her lip as she tried to reach a decision. Then the huge oak door creaked open. A man bid Soria to enter and she did, as timid as a mouse in a fat cat's mansion. She guessed the choice had been made for her.

She was shown to a large room where a group of strangers sat talking. They stopped and turned at the interruption, their eyes on Soria, making her flush.

One spoke. She supposed it to be Mr. Solomius, for he called her by name. "Miss Dulay! Why, so glad you could come! Why don't you come and join us?"

Selnia's brows raised slightly when Soria entered. There was something definitely off about her... interesting, how interesting. She sat up straighter and offered the girl a polite smile.

Nabin looked over at the girl and grinned. He was starting to like this dinner party. His initial grin melted into a charming smile as he pulled out a chair next to him. Hopefully she'd take the hint... though really was there any hope of them hitting it off? He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. Might as well have fun while he could before he opened his mouth and ruined it all.

Soria looked very confused and flushed an even deeper red. "Um..." Not knowing what else to do, she tremulously seated herself in the chair he'd pulled out.

Nabin frowned. "Are you okay?"

Mr. Solomius

Mr. Solomius smiled quietly to himself at Nabin's reaction to Soria. He had a feeling things would go even better than he expected. As they spoke he left the room briefly, ascending the stairs into his study. The walls were covered in clocks and other clockwork devices. This was only a temporary measure, of course - his sorcerous rituals were unusual even by the standards of his kind. He hopped over to his desk and looked at the list of names he had compiled, and put a tick next to the names of those who had arrived. He then wrote down some calculations which would have made no sense to the majority of people, before heading back downstairs. Not bothering to check if his guests were talking or in any other situation where they wouldn't be interrupted, he threw his arms into the air.

"Greetings once again! Welcome to my humble abode!"

Rathal couldn't help but cough loudly at this.

"As I'm sure you have probably guessed," he continued, "I have not invited you here just to have fun. There is important business I must speak with you about."

A silence followed, before Nabin spoke.

"Which is...?"

"That will have to wait." Mr Solomius replied. "Magic forces are at work beyond any of your understanding, even you, Selnia. I cannot risk breaking the complex equations in the air around us - even the smallest difference could be disastrous."

"You are putting our lives at risk?" Nabin asked.

"Why, no! Well, yes. But I am a careful man, and I will not let you be harmed. All we need now is for the others to turn up."

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*as soon as Melissa (and Malik if hen.hug is still taking part) arrives Mr. Solomius will tell them what's going on.*

Melissa

I strode in. I didn't bother with the 'hello's' and 'how are yous' I can because I was called. That was it.

"What?" I asked. Solomius raised an eyebrow but I didn't respond.

"Nice to see you too, Missy," he smiled, using my old nickname. I frowned.

"It's Melissa and enough with your games, what is it that I was called for?" I asked.

"I like to think of it as invited, Melissa," he replied. I shook my head.

"Does it matter. What was I 'invited' here for?"

"You don't play around do you?" Solomius grinned. "Always just cut to the chase."

I put my hands on my hips. I wasn't going to play his little games. He smiled at me.

"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone. We're waiting for everyone to show up. The world dosen't revolve around you," he teased.

I didn't smile. "That's what you think," I replied, looking at the others. I hadn't even noticed them. I groaned internally. I hoped I wasn't assigned to one of them...or worse. Partenered with one of them. If I had learned one thing from Solomius it was to work alone. It was me against the world. I was only here for my brother and after that I would leave, never coming back to this sickening place again.

Selnia watched the newcomer curiously. "And who might you be?" The girl's attitude and the way she held herself seemed suspicious somehow. It was as though she expected not to be trusted.

Nabin frowned. He didn't like the way Melissa looked at him and the others. Thankfully he was able to keep his mouth shut.

Melissa gave them all one last surly glance before sitting down. She didn't answer Selnia. The sorceress shrugged. That was fine. She could be like that if she wanted to.

Melissa

I completely ignored the 'And who might you be' comment. Seriously. Did she really ask me that. I didn't think I was better than her, but I didn't answer stupid questions.

"Okay. Whatever than," the girl replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Listen, girl, I'm not your little buddy. I didn't come here for small talk. I was called here by Solomius. I am Melissa if you really hadn't noticed from the conversation. He did say my name you know. Also, if you were also too moronic to notice, I don't like to be called Missy, Mel or any other version of my name. Just Melissa. I am not one for small talk and normally I don't state the obvious but it appears that you can't really understand that much. Oh and yes, it is just fabulous to meet you as well," I gave a false, sarcastic smile and turned back to the book I always carried with me.

The woman looked at me amused and a little shocked. I could feel it. Not many people talked to others as rudely as I. Well, this was a nice little shock for her than wasn't it.

**Off to you Buggy. ^^ Normally she's not this rude...well, maybe she is, but she really not all nasty. She's like that to everyone, especially because of Mr. Solomius. (:

Malik

After a graceful leap from the top of a two-story building into a life-preserving roll, Malik stood up and wiped himself off. No one had seen the daring action, save a few bums sitting against a wall. Five hundred yards away, a group was gathering around the now lifeless body of a fat, well-dressed middle aged man. Malik was headed casually in the other direction. His eyes glanced behind him, not at the frantic scene far off in the distance, but at the face of the large clock tower. He was late, and he knew it. Being a gypsy at heart, time was often a hard concept to grasp.

Still, he needed to remain casual, or else give himself away. Malik found great irony in his want to run. He didn't feel the urge because he had just killed a man, but instead he felt it in order to keep a deadline. Soon enough, he was standing in front of the address from the letter. As walked toward the door, he still wasn't sure what he was doing. The letter did not directly say that he was being hired for another job, but Malik wasn't about to risk losing money. Besides, the envelope and letter looked like they were from a well-to-do home. Maybe he could squeeze some more money out of the client.

Being led into a large room, he found himself surrounded by a small group of other people. Immediately, he was uncomfortable. A request to do a job was something done in extreme privacy. If this was such a thing, he wanted no part of it. If it was something else, he wasnted no part of it. His life, although that of a criminal, was comfortable. This seemed like it could only end in trouble.

Malik heard the others talking to him, but in his uneasy haze, he ignored them all. He stood against a wall with his arms crossed and eyes darting around the room. Nervously, he for an opportunity to escape.

Selnia surpressed an amused chuckle, brows raised. She felt no need to defend herself or her intelligence against this girl, though she hadn't meant what her name was when she'd asked Melissa who she was. Instead of pursuing a conversation, she shrugged and took a drink.

A movement caught her eye, and she turned slightly. Another man, this one decidedly shifty, had entered the room.

"You're sort of rude, aren't you?" Nabin blurted to Melissa. His face reddened immediately.

Melissa looked about to make a scathing reply when Mr. Solomius interrupted.
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**I figured, Tiger lol.

^^ By the way, Melissa wouldn't be embarresed about that. In fact she likes being rude. Hard to explain, just thought I'd tell you. (:

I looked at Solomius and rolled my eyes with a sigh. Another long speech no doubt. Probably with all these other people. Perfect. I looked back to the one who had called me rude.

"Well, you're one step above the other girl," I replied, sarcastically. "You can state the obvious. Yes, I am rude. Your point?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," he replied. "It seems that's as close as you'll get to one."

I closed my eyes for a minute. "I am not here to make freinds. I am here to do my job. I don't even like Solomius. I am here to get what I came for, get it? Now, my apparent compliment is taken away because it looks like you may be even more idiotic than I thought."

The man smiled. "You may not be here for freinds, but you are going to need people here. You need allies. keep that in mind. Maybe you are the idiotic one," the man grinned. "My name's Nabin, just so you know, Mel."

My confidence faltered for a minute. He really shouldn't call me that. He may just be doing it to tick me off or to prove that he heard me but wasn't taking orders from me, but that didn't matter. What he didn't know is that is tore me up, from the inside out. There was a reason people didn't call me by my nicknames. It reminded me too much of the old days. Before Solomius or anyone else.

I shook my head a little. My normal confidence back, but a little shaken. I ignored that last feeling of despair. That would help nothing.

"Nicely put, Nabin," I replied. "Too bad, I don't need anyone.If only you knew. I work alone. It's me against the world and that's how I like it."

I spun on my heel and faced Solomius, taking a few steps from Nabin, before he could see what those words really meant. It really was me against the world. I was alone. Until Solomius's taks for me was over, I would be alone.

Mr. Solomius

With everyone present, Mr. Solomius decided it was time to ease the suspense and tell everyone his plans.

"Ahem!" The group fell silent. "Thank you. I'm sure you're all very confused as to why you have been gathered here today. The reason is that I have some tasks I'd like you to perform. Dangerous tasks, I will admit."

A couple of people groaned.

"You may aid each other in these tasks, in fact I encourage you to do so, but to each of you I will assign a single task, and for each task only the person to whom I assigned that task may ultimately fulfill that task. Am I understood?"

He looked around the room in search for unsure expressions and shaking heads. Finding none, he continued.

"These are the tasks I wish for you to fulfill. The champion swordsman Rathal, to you I assign the task of slaying Kokorok, the Dragon Tyrant of the North. She is a deadly opponent indeed, but I can think of nobody more capable of fulfilling such a task. Selnia, you must kill Hedron, the leading vampire in a tribe that has menaced Pottindale since time immemorable. The vampires are vicious creatures, and they are numerous, so I would not recommend that you fight Hedron alone. Nabin, you are required to steal the famous masterpiece, the Red Hand, from the Museum of Various Oddities. The museum is constantly under heavy guard, so your cunning will come in useful here. Soria, I ask you to find your father and to punish him according to the law of his folk. That is, death. Malik, on the hand of the giant, Al-Shozalil, is a golden ring. You must remove this ring. And Melissa, I need you to act as my scout and spy until such a time that your services are not required."

A silence fell on the room as Mr. Solomius' candidates considered the tasks they had been given, and wondered what the meaning behind them was. Eventually, Melissa spoke.

"Are you going to tell us what our reward will be or what?"

"Your rewards? Well, that depends on each of your hearts' desire. But I will tell you what I suspect these rewards will be. Rathal, you will have the courage you have always needed in perilous times. Selnia, you will finally have all the resources necessary to be an independent sorceress. Nabin, I will release your curse. Soria, you will never again be ridiculed for your heritage. Malik, the lifestyle you have always sought to return to will be yours again. And Melissa, you will find your brother. But these rewards will only be given to you once all of the tasks I have given are accomplished."

"How will you do all these things for us?" Malik asked.

"Ah, you are not familiar with this region, are you? I am Mr. Solomius, a magician. I do not like to blow my own trumpet, but I am perhaps the most powerful wizard you will ever meet."

This answer seemed to satisfy Malik, and Melissa had not yet objected.

"Any questions?"

Rathal Kinghail

Rathal's mind span at the thought of having to slay a dragon. Such an idea seemed ridiculous, especially considering that it was not any dragon he had been asked to kill, but Kokorok herself, who was so infamous that she was known in the human tongue by the same name as she was known in the Dragon tongue. Most dragons' true names were only known by their own kind.

"Mr. Solomius, sir," Rathal said, "as flattered as I am that you consider me worthy of fighting such a powerful foe, I think you may have chosen wrongly-"

"Nonsense!" Mr. Solomius laughed. "If you cannot do it, nobody can. Why, are you considering declining the task I have given you?"

Rathal bit his lip. He felt certain that such a mission would be virtually impossible, but at the same time he did not wish to risk losing his honour. And he certainly needed that courage he sometimes found himself lacking.

"No, sir." Rathal sighed. "I accept this task."

"Excellent." Mr. Solomius clapped his hands in delight. "Anyone else?"

Soria

Well she was astounded. She stared at Mr. Solomius, finally she got her mouth into gear and stuttered: "P-punish him? Punish my father? What do you mean by that?" Rising into hysteria at the cruel joke, she added: "I don't even know who my father is, and you expect me to punish him? And - and then you say I shall be accepted if I do such a deed!" she turned away, and bitterly thought how she'd never be accepted. It was a fool's desire.

"Someone like me does not make desirable company."

Unfortunately, it was silent when she spoke her last words, so they were as clear as a bell to everyone. Curious stares caused her face to flame and she looked away, but not before she caught Nabin's eye. She found herself wondering what sort of curse he had. Also, why should anyone want to curse him? He had been friendly to her when she first entered, his charming smile actually meant for her. What about him would anger someone?

She looked at her lap, her eyes lowered and her lips parted as she breathed in and out.

Soria, I ask you to find your father and to punish him according to the law of his folk.

How was such a thing possible?

Mr. Solomius

"Soria," Mr. Solomius said, enchanting his voice so that those who heard it would hear the voice of the person they loved most to soothe them, "you forget the strange company you are in. I can assure you that these people will be your allies, some may even be your friends, regardless of your race. And as a result of your adventure, things beyond your understanding will take place, and you will be accepted for who you are."

Soria turned around and stared at him. He smiled warmly.

"And besides," he continued, "what will you do if not this? If you walk away now you will always wonder what could have been, so that even as you lay dying on your death bed you will be troubled. Is that the life you wish to lead?"

She shook her head.

"Then it is in your best interests to accept." Mr. Solomius concluded. "And trust me - if you and your companions succeed, you will not regret it. The same applies to the rest of you."

Selnia grinned. Of course the task set before her was a difficult one; she expected no less from Solomius. He knew that she could accomplish this. Anything less would have been an insult. And to be able to set off on her own! "I accept."

Nabin wondered for a brief moment why anyone wouldn't accept Soria or what her father had done. Then she caught his eye, and his face reddened. Of course she was wondering about his curse. It wouldn't be long before she asked him, and he'd have to tell her about being a lying slimeball, because that was how it worked. I can worry about that later.

He had no idea how he was supposed to filch the Red Hand when he wouldn't even be able to lie to the guards properly, but it wasn't like he had much choice. He couldn't live the rest of his life like this. It was all or nothing now. "Same here."

Both of them jumped when Solomius talked again; neither heard his voice. Selnia heard the voice of her mentor, Anaxus, while Nabin heard the voice of the matron at the orphanage.