"The loss of title comes with escape from the cell, with freedom the outcome of chains." - The Prophecies of Light

Mingyu watched the meeting between the immortal and the High Mage with the same amount of trepidation that he could feel from the other two men with him. Wonwoo kept his eyes firmly on the fire, curiosity coming off of him in waves though he was obviously determined to not indulge that, while Seungcheol seemed lost for a moment before he turned to go check over his horse. He muttered something about the fight and his horse getting a possible injury as he went, but Mingyu knew it was just an excuse.

He watched the silence stretch between Hyesung and Jeonghan for a long moment, and then without warning, the High Mage turned to look directly at him. Caught by surprise, Mingyu floundered, stuttering out an intelligent sounding, "uh," and turning away with the intent to find something to busy himself with. Hyesung stopped that, though, with only a few words.

"Mingyu, with me," he said, stepping lightly past the tall young man and moving down the trail, back toward where the fight had taken place. A Magelight sprang into existence above him, illuminating the trail, and with a slightly panicked look over his shoulder at a now staring Wonwoo, Mingyu followed. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jeonghan give a small smile after the two departing before he moved to sit at the fire by Wonwoo. Mingyu sighed heavily and shook his head, one hand resting comfortably on the pommel of his sword as his long strides caught up with the shorter Mage.

Hyesung glanced up at him as he came alongside, his dark eyes made into deep pools in the eerie light of magic. "Seungcheol says you saved his life," he commented quietly. His words took Mingyu by surprise, and he turned to glance over his shoulder only to find that their small party was already out of sight beyond the rocky hills.

"Uh, he said that?" he asked stupidly, then shook his head as a small laugh escaped him. "He was the one that killed the thing, I was just stabbing it where I thought it would affect it most." He'd actually felt that he had been of little use in the fight, especially after seeing Seungcheol's crazy sorrel joining in the fray with hooves and teeth. 

Hyesung's face lightened ever so slightly with a smile as he shook his head. "He told me that had it not been for your timely intervention, then he would be the one without a head now. So thank you."

"Uh..." Unsure of what to say, Mingyu turned his gaze to the ground, not missing the High Mage's light chuckle. The rounded the final curve and came upon the scene at that moment, though, and Hyesung's smile slid off of his face immediately.

"Oh no," he breathed, his footsteps stalling for a moment before he gave a shake as if to clear himself. Mingyu could understand the feeling; looking at the creatures in the dusk and alive had been terrifying enough, but to see the carnage at night and with only one small glowing ball above them, he could feel his skin begin to crawl.

Apparently Hyesung agreed, because he whispered a few words and several more Magelights sprung up, brightening the area around them so that they could see the entire area without straining to see what was lurking in the darkness. Not that that thought had crossed Mingyu's mind. Until now.

He shifted his shoulders and wrapped his hand more firmly on the pommel of his sword as he stepped closer to Hyesung's side. Before just over two weeks prior, he had never met a High Mage, but he had heard stories of their power. The safest place was likely to be right by his side, if anything were to happen. 

Then he looked down and realized where they were standing. At Hyesung's feet was the body of the creature that he and Seungcheol had killed, and now, the High Mage squatted down beside it to reach out with hesitant fingers to touch it. Mingyu wanted to tell him to stay away from it, half afraid that it would somehow magically come back to life even without a head, but he clamped his teeth shut and instead focused on their surroundings. If nothing else, he could sound the alarm if anything moved in the darkness.

Hyesung didn't stay there for long, though, instead standing and moving to the next body that lay there in the dark. In the glow of the Magelight it looked like the creature's yellow eyes were looking right at Mingyu, and he had to swallow away a lump of fear and remind himself that it was dead. It's corpse had been smoking.

The High Mage also touched this one, but he let out a slight hiss of breath and snatched his hand back almost immediately to scrub it on his trousers. Mingyu's brow creased and he drew close again, opening his mouth to ask a question, but the Mage was already moving on.

He crossed the several feet back to the body of the one that the two humans had killed, and reached down to pick up the severed head in his hands. The tall mercenary couldn't stop the shiver that ran through him and he grimaced at the thought of hol