Legend of Ransera

Every puff of breath left clouds of steam float away in the early morning air. The crystalline nature of the frosty morning making even the laborers loading up the expedition's covered wagon steam from their heads and their muscular bodies. All the while excited researchers flitted about the cheerfully working hired hands like nervous birds, getting underfoot and directing crates of supplies and gear before changing their minds or contradicting another's orders. The bustle was entirely intolerable for a one Hui Ming, son to the expedition's leader Huong Ming. If those workers or researchers had anything to say about the young alchemist who was holding up the side of the laboratory and watching with glowering eyes and puffs of steam from either nostril, they kept it to themselves. The young man was bundled up in a warm, if simple coat that was entirely incapable of performing the task it was meant to perform. He shivered his thin and short frame and grumbled something incoherent to himself as he watched the workers.

Huong, a tall and stately woman strolled from the large warehouse door of the laboratory seized up the progress. Something of an imperious woman, she immediately took charge and shouted orders. Her personal assistant gave a passing glance to Hui before he strode up to the leader of their expedition. "We are loading up the gear now, we are waiting on our guards, their horses and their supplies and the cook. Lets see here..." He trailed off as he flipped through notes on his clipboard. "A certain Rathari named Leith. She came highly recommended to us by your husband." That drew a scowl from the lead researcher and nodded. "Fine. Have Hui get her situated, we should have everything ready by the time she shows up. It's early yet, I hope she makes it here on time. Go check to see if the guards are here yet. I don't want to be held up by our protection" Dimn, the personal assistant, glanced back to Hui, who naturally nodded his understanding. "Very good honored mistress." Dimn bowed to his employer and went about searching for the missing guards.

Hui, on the other hand, was reluctant to move. There was little wind, but the building he was leaned up against provided excellent shielding from what little wind there was. With a sigh and a slight grumble he made his way across the well tended courtyard and to the wrought iron gates. He would be unsurprised if it snowed at this rate, with the overcast sky blocking out even the romance of winking stars in the darkest part of the night. Only the light of braziers and thick candle like torches beat back the evening light, with the hints of magical lights keeping the nearby streets free of the threat of the dread mists, should they come back.

Cold hands met icy black iron that sapped what little warmth was left in his hands as he tugged open the gates. They would need it open to get the wagon through later but for the moment he only needed to be able to flag down the hired hand who would prepare their meals for the week that they were gone. He peeked his head around the stone walls to the compound and peered about. Quiet and empty, as it should be at this ungodly hour. He posted himself outside against the wall and jabbed his fingers into his pockets and shivered. He should not have agreed to this, he wasn't even going to get paid for the trip. He causally blamed his roommate and companion, Dauntless. "Oh, spend some time with your mother, go camping for a few days, it'll be grand. Trust me." The mechanical man didn't even have the good grace to join him on the trip to the Wildking's Forge that he himself suggested Hui went on. Hui grumbled to himself as his gaze went into irritable introspection.

It was perhaps a little amusing that an ageless machine would have concern about Hui Ming spending time with his family. But Dauntless did not know Huong like he knew Huong. The woman cared about only one thing. Not Him, not Xian, her husband, she barely cared about herself. The only thing that concerned her was her Work. The great work that Xian and Huong were rivals over, the work that led them to marriage and his Hui's birth. Hui did not even know what the work was, it was top secret. All he knew about it was its ties the natural sciences and magic. Or as his father called it, the supernatural sciences. As wrapped up as he was in his own grumpy musings as he was, he failed to notice a figure coming closer and closer.

He looked up to the newcomer, owlishly blinking his eyes and asked, "Yes?"

Hui's mind was stuck in the ruminations of his own devising and could only blink at the cook and her small parade of people. The first thing that stood out as her obvious non-human traits. He wasn't even sure what to classify the woman as. A hybrid between a human and something with a round, bewhiskered face, a perfect button nose with short dense fur and round liquid eyes. She was... like a dog, kind of, but lacked ears and sported a much shorter snout. The creature towered over him, a fierce grin revealing many sharp teeth. It was perhaps unsurprising that she had such a deep voice for such a small frame but she was most definitely female, something about the way she carried herself or the way she talked indicated her gender. He could do naught but stare, the sleep addled young man unable to come up with the proper response by the time she turned back to Hui.

He blinked a few times before shaking himself out of his stupor and gave a nod to the giant. "I am Hui Ming. You must be Leith" He said, introducing himself. "You are right on time." He peered up into the sky, completely unable to divine if he had been right or wrong, but he knew that it was a better social nicety then saying they were late or that they were waiting on her. "How was the, uh, walk over? Those children, where they friends of yours?" He asked awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. Hui shrugged after a beat and turned to open the gate. The alchemist paused and gave the giantess cook a sidelong look before he pushed open the gates. Why did everyone have to be so mist forsaken tall. He waved to Dimn who gave one look at the towering Leith and before shouting orders to the workers to go retrieve the carts. They still were waiting on the mercenaries, hopefully by the time that everything was loaded by the time they arrived.

Hui considered what he should tell his charge. The problem was that he did not know who this person was, what her background was and what her involvement was up unto this point was. "So I am not sure how much you've been told so far." He said, addressing Leith, "But we will be gone for around a week and will be going into the forest known as the WIldking's Forge. There will be you, me, a few mercenaries for protection and a handful of researchers. I am sure I don't have to tell you your own duties, but the rest of us will be seeking out flora for study." They came to the wagon and Hui stopped, looking her up and down. "We originally intended on having you in the wagon to keep track of the supplies but..." he paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to phrase what he had to say, "I think that you might be too big for the oxen to haul along with the supplies so you'll be walking like the rest of us." He felt a bit of pity for the creature, she wouldnt even be able to take a turn riding the wagon with the rest of the researchers He opened his mouth and closed it a few times before his curiosity got the better of him, "Pardon, but... what exactly are you?"