An Owl's Rise



Evelyn could not help but let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Otis had safely arrived at the Roost. It had been more difficult than she had anticipated thanks to Silas' interference, but things had worked out in the end.

"Awe inspiring isn't it. When I first arrived here, I never expected anything like it to exist." Evelyn said to Otis who was looking around in wonderment.

Even in her first life as a human the cities she had seen paled in compassion to the Roost in terms of size and grandeur. It was an almost mistic place with how it was made of giant trees that had been turned into buildings.

Otis, normally highly receptive to everything Evelyn said, barely acknowledged her and simply nodded his head as he continued to stare at the sprawling city of owls. Seeing this made him realize just how small his world had been back when he lived in the Velinis Desert.

"I understand that it is breathtaking to see the Roost for the first time, but we do have things that need to be done before Otis is an official member of the Roost. I need to return to Lord Vedec as soon as possible, so let's move to the Records Hall and get your friend registered. You can all do as you please after that." Callan said, wanting to rush things along. He did not have all day for them to chat and sightsee.

Being considerate of him, Evelyn moved aside and allowed Callan to do his job. Once Otis was registered, they would have plenty of time to get him more familiarized with the Roost.

Within a few minutes their group had entered at the bottom of the Records Hall and Evelyn was met with a familiar face.

Sitting at the bottom counter just as when Evelyn had been registered was Dara, the manager of the Records Hall. 

Evelyn had not known when she first arrived, but she was actually the second highest authority in the Hall, only below the Hall Master Vedec.

"I certainly was not expecting so many visitors at this time. What brings you all h-

However, before finishing her statement she noticed that Otis did not have an identification cuff and understood what was going on.

"Ah, so you finally managed to get your friend in. Good for you Evelyn." Dara said, knowing what was going on without needing an explanation.

As a high-ranking member within the Roost, she had naturally heard about Silas preventing an owl Melisandre was recommending from entering the Roost. 

Of course, Evelyn and her companions were shocked, and Dara quickly explained that she already knew of their situation thanks to Melisandre grumbling about it that last time they had met.

"Now, let us complete the registration process for Otis here." 

Dara quickly performed the same process that Evelyn had undergone when she first arrived.

She took a blood sample from Otis and determined what type of owl he was and the magical affinities he possessed.

After that Dara created a record for him and activated a new identification cuff that would prove that he was a member of the Roost.

Now Otis had officially been accepted in the Roost and could start cooperating with Evelyn and her other companions on a grander scale. With his inclusion their group was now quite a bit stronger and more influential.

"I believe that this is cause for celebration. We should take Otis out and show him the amazing and diverse food that the Roost ahs to offer." Rehni suggested.

Yet, she was not the only one that wanted to show Otis around.

All of them had their own opinions on where to go first and soon they had begun arguing about what to do.

During this time Callan, having fulfilled his duty, tried to slip away, but came to a frozen stop when another individual entered the bottom of the Record Hall.

"It seems that you are all making quite the racket here. I find that it is rude to cause such a disturbance here within the Record Hall. To think that Melisandre associates with such uncouth individuals."

Turning towards the voice that had just blatantly insulted her and her companions, Evelyn saw someone she never wanted to interact with again.

He looked just like he had the first time she saw him, with wings that were pitch black except for a pattern of bright dots that made it look like the night sky.

The air about him was otherworldly and it was clear that he was immensely powerful. Being at the same rank and tier as Melisandre. 

Standing before them was Silas, another of the Hall Masters and the one that had prevented Otis from entering the Roost on Melisandre's recommendation alone.

"Lord Silas, what are you doing here? If you are here to just harass these six, I would ask that you leave." Dara said, being the only one that did not feel smothered by Silas's presence.

He had barely been holding back the powerful aura he possessed thanks to his immense magical energy.

This made everyone else feel a constant and crushing pressure on them that made it difficult to move or even speak.

"Oh, it seems that I forgot to restrain myself. Please forgive me." Silas said with an exaggerated tone and fake look of worry before retracting his oppressive aura. 

"And of course, I did not come here to harass a few of the lower ranking members of the Roost. That would be a terrible waste of my time. I am here to deliver some intelligence about a new magic crystal deposit to you. I am the master of the Crystal Hall after all." 

Silas then walked past Evelyn and her comparisons and flashed them a smirk. Clearly his main intention for coming here was to antagonize them.

Nevertheless, Dara could not just turn him away. He was a higher-ranking member of the Roost than her and had actually brought along several documents on his findings pertaining to a new deposit that held even a small number of gold magic crystals.

Dara began dealing with Silas and signaled with her eyes for Evelyn and her compassion to leave before things got worse.

Unfortunately, Silas did not let them escape without getting in any last words.

"Before you leave, do make sure to tell Melisandre that I said hello. I heard that she recently got back from her latest trip. Tell her I would be more than happy to discuss it with her, among other things."

Evelyn nodded her head in response, giving no other form of acknowledgement before hastily leaving the Records Hall. Wanting to get as far away from who she considered to be the greatest nuisance within the Roost.

"I want to tear that guy's head off. How dare he speak that way to you." Otis said, once they had left the area.

Normally he would have attacked anyone that insulted Evelyn on the spot, but even he knew that trying to fight Silas would be suicide.

"Yes, he may be a Hall Master, but that was terrible behavior. Does he not have more important things to do." Bylur said, just as angry as Otis.

"It is just how it is. Silas and Melisandre have a precarious past and he likes to take out his frustrations on me in order to get to Melisandre. The best that we can do is just ignore him. He can't do anything but pester us. He knows that any overt action will have dire consequences even for him. If he really tires anything that actually threatens us, I have a card to play." Evelyn said.

She had not yet had any need to use the emblem that Minerva had given her, but if she needed to, she could leverage the highest authority in the Roost to get Silas off her back if he became a real problem.

"Now, let's forget about him and not let him ruin this day. We are supposed to be celebrating Otis joining the Roost. There is a lot for us to enjoy today." Evelyn said, trying to change the mood.

But as they were getting ready to head off to their first destination, something completely unexplainable happened.

A loud banging sound resonated across the entire Roost and the trees that jutted high into the air began to sway violently.

This was the first time that Evelyn had seen anything like this and was confused by what was going on.

For a moment she thought that it was perhaps an earthquake, but swiftly remembered that they were in a separate dimension from the outside world. The weather was always the same and there was no earth to cause an earthquake in the first place. Whatever was happening was clearly not natural.

Another violent tremor shook the Roost a few seconds after the first and this time some of the trees within the Roost began to fall over.

"What is going on?" Otis asked, obviously distressed.

He was hoping that one of the others who had been living in the Roost would know, but they were just as surprised as Otis, if not more so.

"I don't know. This has never happened before. We should go towards Melisandre's estate. She may know what is happening, and at the very least it should be safer than being out in the open here." 

Taking command, Evelyn got her companions to snap out of their daze and began leading them towards the safest place she knew.

However, before they got far a loud high-pitched siren echoed across the Roost. A sound that was announcing an emergency that threatened the entire Roost.

Chapter 342 Attack on the Roost